William Blake was one of the first romantic poets, writing during the French and American revolutions in 1780

William Blake was one of the first romantic poets, writing during the French and American revolutions in 1780. Romantic poets believe that people should be free to follow their own desires, everyone has a right to pursue and fulfil their desires in order to be happy, that imagination is more important than science and logic, and that childhood is important and should be innocent. Blake was a visionary writer, he talked to God and angels came to him in his dreams and visions. He translates these experiences into his poems. He viewed God as an artist, active and full of passion and love, rather than a scientist. However, Blake disliked institutions such as the Church and formal religion, the government and the royal family. Blake believed that people should have open marriages and to enjoy sex, possibly with multiple partners, and was also against unions such as marriages. Society and the Church taught people to think that sex was sinful and wrong, whereas Blake believed sex and desire is a connection to God and spirituality. Blake was especially frustrated with the Church, he thought they were controlling people, especially the poor and working classes. These institutions would teach that although people may be poor and unhappy in this life, if they do not rebel they will be able to go to Heaven and be rewarded. This was seen by Blake as a form of brain washing, ‘London', a poem found in Blake's Songs of Experience, relates to the poet's views on the English capital in the 19th century. Blake employs a consistent rhyming structure similar to that of ‘The Schoolboy' but with shorter four line verses. The poem, written in Blake's first person, is obviously expressing his own personal opinions. The first stanza relates to the strict uniformity of London's plotted land (a pet hate of Blake's) along with the poet's observations of troubled citizens (‘Marks of weakness, marks of woe'). The second chorus style verse expands upon Blake's views of public constraint, implying that citizens have been conditioned into believing that their lives are tolerable (‘mind-forged manacles'). Examples of which kind of people should not put up with their miserable lives are provided in the third stanza (chimney sweeps, soldiers) and the poems ends with a specific development of the life of a 19th century prostitute (‘harlot'). The first verse of the poem relates to Blake himself wandering through the streets of London, noting the wretchedness of the unaware citizens. The poet curses the dictatorial layout of London in quiet outrage with the use of the word ‘chartered' in consecutive lines. Blake believed that life could be better for everyone without the strict rules and regulations imposed by governing bodies, and his unusual wording plays on this fact. The ‘marks' Blake apparently sees on ‘every face' he passes are not of the physical variety; a deeper, more sinister interpretation relating to deprivation of the population at the time should be considered. The ‘weakness' and ‘woe' Blake speaks of cannot be perceived by the uncaring eye. In the second chorus style verse, Blake attempts to show the reader the totalitarian influence of the ‘mind-forged manacles' he can ‘hear'. The use of the word ‘every' in three successive lines emphasises the entirety of the population he is referring to; men, women and infants alike are all included in his exclamation. Blake obviously wants the reader to realise that the ‘mind-forged manacles' he refers to are a bad thing. Negative imagery (such as the ‘infant's cry of fear'), the repetition of the word ‘cry' and the relation of his statement to arguments (‘bans') are each included to contribute towards the overall feel of sadness. The ‘mind-forged manacles' Blake mentions associate with his view that the people of London unintentionally restrict their minds and imaginations by the ‘proper' customs of 19th century England. The third stanza of London subjectively considers two different figures that Blake believes have been deprived. The plight of the chimney sweep is one the poet takes particularly to heart (exhibited by other works), with once again a ‘cry' falling upon deaf ears. This time, it is the church that is ignoring the heartbreaking situation of the young sweeps (‘How the chimney-sweeper's cry/Every blackening church appals'). ‘Blackening' is used here as a link to the growing pollution levels in London and as a reference the soot which covered the little chimney sweeps. Symbolically, it may also relate to the church's reluctance to help the sweeps which Blake thought seemed painfully hypocritical and cruel. Blake's description of a ‘hapless' soldier in the second half of the verse refers to the unpleasant life of many combatants. The imagery of their blood running ‘down palace walls' relates to the many pointless wars that higher powers have deemed necessary. Meanwhile, many lives of those that could have enjoyed life have been wasted in futile struggles for supremacy. The last verse displays another personal exasperation of Blake's. It is made out to be of greatest importance of the three cases the poet mentions via the use of the word ‘most' (‘But most thro' midnight streets I hear/How the youthful harlot's curse'). The ‘youthful harlot' is just one of many young girls that had to resort to selling their bodies to survive. Blake attempts to relate to the situation some young women had to deal with by having no choice but to take care of an unwanted, fatherless child (‘Blasts the new born infants tear'). The poet takes upon a tone of irony in the final line as he mentions the strange image of a ‘marriage hearse'. A hearse, usually used in funeral processions, does not fit the joyful representation of a wedding. This may be a reference to the adverse affect prostitution had on a marriage both physically and psychologically. The ending of this poem is another perhaps more subtle example of Blake's dislike for the dising enuous social culture of his time. In conclusion, William Blake's poems are very successful in presenting his social viewpoints. Using relatively simple language, subtle irony and sarcasm, powerful imagery and easily identifiable meanings, Blake makes sure that his points get across to the reader. It is easy to see that the Songs of Innocence and Experience are not just idle words that have wandered onto a piece of paper: Blake wrote each of his poems for a purpose and with a clear significance. William Blake was a man fighting against the mainstream opinions of 19th society. His strong willed independent attitudes meant that no matter what the odds, he would ‘stick to his guns'. Blake had an intense dislike for government and other established ruling bodies. He believed that people would lead happier lives if left to their own devices, unrestricted by rules or regulations. William Blake was also great critic of the church, viewing them as wretched hypocrites in the battle against the evils of society. Even in today's modern era, the central themes of his poems (poverty, social injustice, the church) still remain relevant and Blake serves a wonderful icon for those battling against such political constraints. Although his work was not truly appreciated until a century and a half after his death, Blake was a undoubtedly a genius of his time. Blake believed that the Church was so corrupt, it brain washed individuals into not questioning fate, God and its authority. The Church would teach catechisms to small children, such as the child in The Lamb. In this poem, the young child has found a lamb and talking to it, and telling the lamb how wonderful God is and how they are both part of God. The little child is confident and asks questions to the lamb, ‘Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?' In the second stanza, with no response from the lamb, the child continues with ‘Little lamb, I'll tell thee, Little lamb, I'll tell thee:' The child is brain washing the lamb, having been brain washed himself. He has been taught questions and answers, and knows that God was once a lamb and then a child, but the child no longer questions what he has been taught. He (or she) is happy and safe, and so is still in the world of innocence. In this poem Blake is challenging the way the Church has brain washed children to not question their fate and to accept unhappiness. The child in the Lamb describes God as ‘He is meek, and He is mild;' which to Blake is too passive. A God needs to be strong and helpful, the opposite to meek and mild. The language used is simple, and reflective of the world of innocence. For example, ‘delight' and ‘bright'. This is also end rhyme, to emphasise the child's delight at talking with the little lamb about his God, and how everyone is a part of him. The child rejoices in his knowledge and is proud of himself on teaching the lamb about his creator. As a romantic writer, Blake saw God as more of an artist, and in the poem ‘The Tiger' demonstrates what he believes God to be like. The Tiger is paired with the Lamb, and although it is in the songs of experience, the person is returning to innocence by asking so many questions. These questions, such as ‘In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What hand dare seize the fire?' challenge God. In this poem, Blake is marvelling what kind of God could make such a beautiful, deadly creature. Blake is showing that if God can make something as gentle as a lamb, and then makes a killing machine such as a Tiger, He must be dangerous. Blake is also portraying God as a workman or blacksmith, with the line ‘In what furnace was thy brain?'. The God in this poem, despite not answering the questions, is clearly more of an artist. He is strong and powerful, the opposite to a lamb. The use of exclamation marks throughout indicates the awe and wonder felt by the person asking the questions. The pace is fast, and is almost predatory, similar to the movement of a tiger. The pace also reflects the thoughts processes of the person asking the questions, there is a sense of excitement and the images created are vivid. Run on lines are used in the first stanza, and also in the last as the first stanza is repeated at the end of the poem to reinforce the magnificence of such a beautiful creature and its creator. ‘Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?' The combination of end rhyme for ‘bright' and ‘night' and also the run on line for that sentence create a strong image of the Tiger prowling through a forest, and is clearly visible in the night. The second line rhymes ‘eye' and ‘symmetry' to suggest that God must be physically perfect and immortal to create such a beautiful, strong creature. In conclusion, Blake has used his collection of poems to demonstrate many of his views on the society of his era, including his disapproval of institutions such as the church, the government and royal family, his ideas on marriage and sexuality, the neglect of the poor, and also the way the church brainwash people to control them so that they do not question anything. Blake demonstrated his views in his collection of poems called the Songs of Experience and the Songs of Innocence. Children are born into the world of innocence, where they are allowed to be free and happy, and are also protected from the world of experience for as long as possible by adults. Blake would have hoped that adults would enter the world of experience but someday return to innocence, and protect the children. The world of experience to Blake and other romantic writers was inevitable yet a harsh, cruel and unhappy place full of restrictions and frustration. Blake suggests in his poems that people and children are not in control of their own lives, they are not allowed to think for themselves and are restricted by a corrupt, uncaring Church and monarchy. In this essay I will discuss how William Blake objected to the poverty suffered by most of the society, neglect by the government and how children were used and not allowed a childhood. I will also look at religion's disapproval of sex and its agreement with the state to keep the poor, ‘poor', for their own moral good. Durkheim theorised hi123's marxism . There are two ‘The Chimney Sweeper' poems, one in the Songs of Experience and one in Innocence. The boy in the songs of innocence has maintained his innocence despite experiencing the death of his mother and his father selling him at such a young age. In this first stanza, Blake uses end rhyme for ‘young' and ‘tongue' to indicate how young this child is to be sold and not have a family to protect him. †weep!' ‘weep!' ‘weep!' ‘weep!† is repeated and followed by exclamation marks to emphasise how awful that ‘weep!' is the first thing this child says, when babies are supposedly born into pure innocence and should be happy. ‘So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.' , Ends in a full stop and indicates that this child is doomed to be unhappy, he has been brain washed into accepting his situation and does not aspire to be anything other than a chimney sweeper, and believes he can only be happy in death. In the second stanza, when Tom Darce's head is shaved, the narrating boy is positive and practical in saying that at least the soot will not spoil his hair. Blake uses run on lines to reinforce the youth of these children, and their vulnerability with the line coed ed† . â€Å"r se† . ed . â€Å"ed† . â€Å"w or†. ed . † † . ed . â€Å"k ined foed † . ed . â€Å"! ‘ â€Å"Hush, Tom! Never mind it, for when your head's bare You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ. cogb gb† . â€Å"r se† . gb . â€Å"gb† . â€Å"w or†. gb . † † . gb . â€Å"k ingb fogb † . gb . â€Å". Without realising, the boy is helping to brain wash Tom by telling him to accept the situation. Tom's hair was white and with the soot had become black, symbolic of the end of innocence. Blake believed that in dreams and in our imaginations, we are truly free. However, this boy dreams of angels. Blake is showing how deeply brain washed by the Church this child must be for dreaming of angels and still believing that if cogb gb† . â€Å"r se† . gb . â€Å"gb† . â€Å"w or†. gb . † † . gb . â€Å"k ingb fogb † . gb . â€Å". ‘he'd be a good boy, He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.' These chimney sweepers are so desperately unhappy, they are looking forward to their deaths in order for them to be free and happy. Blake is also criticising the God and angels in this poem for being too passive in the lives of these young, unhappy children. Symbolic words such as ‘bright key', ‘free', ‘green', ‘leaping, laughing, they run', ‘lamb's back' and ‘joy' are all associated with the world of innocence, however there are also words such as ‘soot' and ‘coffins of black' showing that these children are surrounded by the harsh world of experience and corruption with no protection. To Blake, the colours black and grey were the colours for the world of experience and unhappiness, whereas white and green were for the world of innocence. As the children dream of running ‘down a green plain', it shows the children dream in the world of innocence. The chimney sweeper in the world of experience does not even dream in innocence, he wears ‘clothes of death'. Although this child has parents, they have left him to go to the church to pray. It is as though he has no parents, like the boy in the songs of innocence. Blake is showing that the parents have also been corrupted by the Church, and are helping to brain wash their child. Blake also explicitly demonstrates his views on the monarchy and the church in the last two lines, ‘And are gone to praise God and His Priest and King, Who make up a Heaven of our misery.' The full stop at the end of the sentence finalises the poem's message that the child, along with his parents and church goers, are doomed to be unhappy whilst the Church and monarchy continue to restrict and control. The young boy in the world of experience appears no hope of return to innocence. Unlike the boy in the songs of innocence, this child cannot even dream in the world of innocence. Blake is showing the boy is so restricted that not even in his dreams is he able to be free. In the first poem, the boy uses ‘I' , whereas this child is described as ‘a little black thing'. This is showing that the child is not aware of its own identity, it has been so exposed to the world of experience. ‘a little black thing' also shows that he has been corrupted, the colour black being a negative colour in the world of experience. ‘thing' suggests that the child is of no importance to anyone, the child is weaker and more vulnerable. He has no protection from parents or even other chimney sweepers as companions and support. He is totally alone in a world where no one, including the church, will help him. ‘Snow' and ‘woe' are used as end rhyme twice in the poem, emphasising that although the snow is white, a pure colour, it is cold and cannot offer warmth, linking it to ‘woe' where the child is constantly unhappy and full of sorrow.

Consider the presentation of the two main characters Essay

Consider the presentation of the two main characters. What are Austin and Trevor telling us about the pressure on women in the past and present? Jane Austin wrote ‘The Three Sisters’ in the 19th century. Jane Austin lived in a mercenary world, and she reflects this in her novels. No secret is made of the need to marry for money. Jane Austin believed that for marriage to work, people must have the same interests. The Three Sisters is about a woman called Mary. She has been proposed to by Mr Watts. He is older than her but she decides to marry him for his wealth and money. She also wants to get married before any of her sisters and the Duttons. However she fears her life will be miserable if she chooses to accept Mr Watts’ proposal. William Trevor wrote ‘Teresa’s Wedding’ around the 1970’s. William Trevor was born into a protestant family and brought up in a Catholic society. When troubles started to break out in Northern Ireland, William Trevor moved to England but he frequently visited Ireland. Teresa’s Wedding is also about marriage. The story starts off at the party after the wedding. Teresa has also married for convenience because she is pregnant. Both stories deal with loveless marriages and in both stories the women have little control over their lives. They are both under pressure to marry men they do not love. In Teresa’s Wedding marriage is seen as a means of escape from a grim community, a place of loneliness and frustration. In The Three Sisters marriage is seen as the only possible fulfilment for a woman. Mary is the eldest of the sisters. She has had her first offer of marriage, but she doesn’t know how to value it. She wants to be the first to be married, she does not want to marry Mr Watts but she wants to get married before Georgiana and Sophy. She knows that if she turns down the offer, Mr Watts shall ask either one of the sisters, and following the traditional conventions of the time she is expected to marry before her younger sisters. Mary appears to be very confused one moment she says â€Å"I shall have him† and the next â€Å"I hate him more than anything else in the world† Austin writes about her own class, the upper middle class, and is very critical about their lifestyles and social behaviour, creating very amusing characters and describing them with crony. She makes a mockery of their snobbish behaviour. She describes Mary as a childish and self-centred girl, who likes to boast and often makes herself look ridiculous in front of others. Teresa is a woman who has just married to a man called Artie Cornish. Teresa had a round, pretty face and black, pretty hair, and was a month and a half pregnant. Teresa is a kind and friendly girl. She is calm, even though she is faced with the situation of admitting to Artie, her husband, on her wedding day that she had â€Å"been in the field† with his friend Screw Doyle. She shows maturity in her optimism about her future, believing that she and Artie â€Å"might make some kind of marriage together† Trevor uses third person narrative in his story, everything is described in detail, we almost feel part of the festivities. However, he does not write about the characters thoughts and feelings. Austin’s story is written in first person narrative, in letter form. This helps us to understand the characters fully. In the two stories the women receive pressure from the society they live in. Teresa also receives pressure from the local priest Father Hogan, who shows very little feelings for her when she confesses that she does not love Artie † under the circumstances that line of talk is irrelevant† Mary receives pressure also from her mother who is â€Å"determined not to let this opportunity escape of settling one my daughters so advantageously† I think it is a lot easier to get married in modern society because we have no restrictions in who we choose to marry. We also do not have our parents choose who we marry, so there is no excuse for marrying some one who you do not love.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate

A lot of parents stress over the choice of deciding wither or not to vaccinate their children. The reason why deciding to vaccinate children is so difficult is due to the wide range of myths and side effects that are connected with vaccinations. Examples of myths spread to parents all over the United States is that the diseases don’t even exist anymore, rumors of vaccinations weakening a child’s immune system, and the risk of a child becoming autistic due to thimerisol in vaccinations causing autism. Side effects also scare parents out of getting their children vaccinated like brain damage, seizures, or allergic reactions. But then parents are pulled back to the thought of the possibility of their child or children catching a very serious life threatening disease. Any of these terrible things occurring in a child’s life makes it very easy for a parent to steer clear of the whole situation, and in ending result, not get their child vaccinated. When children aren’t vaccinated, they are left defenseless against diseases like hepatitis B, measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio, pertussis (whooping cough),   rubella, and more. All these diseases have the ability to easily kill a child within days, and if it weren’t for the vaccines protection over many children in the United States, the spread of these diseases would travel rapidly. There are a lot of people that do not recommend or get vaccinations for children because they think it is unnecessary to vaccinate for a disease that is no longer around. But let’s look at the big picture. If everyone stopped getting the vaccinations what would happen? Todd Neale from Medpage today inquires in San Diego 2008, â€Å"  Although the rate of two-dose immunization against measles was 95% in the area, a single case of measles from a 7-year-old child returning from overseas sparked an outbreak that exposed 839 people and sickened 11 other children†. If those 839 people weren’t protected with strong immune systems or vaccinations, there would have been a drastic dilemma. This is a perfect example of how fast a disease can get out of control. When parents think that its o. k. not to vaccinate because the diseases aren’t around anymore, they are really relying on other children who are vaccinated to keep their own children healthy, which is a gamble. In other words, According to the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia, if the immunizations rates drop only a little bit, outbreaks of diseases would sweep across the country rapidly. Another reason parents don’t want to vaccinate is because of the rumor of he vaccinations weakening children’s immune system. According to the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia â€Å"If 11 vaccines were given to infants at one time (which they aren’t), then about 0. 1 percent of the immune system would be used up, but because B cells and other lymphocytes are constantly replenished, a vaccine never really uses up a fraction of the immune system. For example, the immune system has th e ability to replenish about 2 billion lymphocytes each day. Also a study in Germany revealed that 496 vaccinated and unvaccinated children who received immunizations within the first three months of life had fewer infections with vaccine-related and unrelated pathogens than the non-vaccinated group. So here is the proof that vaccinations will not affect a child’s immune system. Then there is the big scare of vaccines containing the ingredient thimerisol causing autism in children. According to FDA, thimerosal is a mercury containing preservative found in vaccines that prevents bacterial and fungal growth which might occur with repeated puncture of multi dose vials. A lot of controversy has been held between doctors and parents because of prediction of autism being linked to thimerosal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Safety Datalink, â€Å"Preliminary results from the VSD Thimerosal Screening Study published in 2003 did not find an association between thimerosal exposure and autism risk and recent ecological studies has not found a correlation between thimerosal content of vaccines and autism rates†. Numerous studies by many scientists have been done and prove that Thimerosal and autism are not related. Examples: Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, â€Å"Multiple studies have shown that thimerosal in vaccines does not cause autism†. Another reason people do not get their children vaccinated is because of risks associated with getting the vaccinations. Scary examples of some of the side effects associated with vaccinations include: seizures, brain damage, high fevers and even death. Let’s take the vaccine for hepatitis B as a good example. The Children’s Hospital  of Philadelphia states, â€Å"About one of every 600,000 doses of hepatitis B vaccine is complicated by a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The symptoms of anaphylaxis are hives, difficulty breathing and a drop in blood pressure. On the other hand, every year about 5,000 people die soon after being infected with hepatitis B virus. According to Car Accident Statistics from Edgar Snyder and Associates,† Each year, lmost 250,000 children are injured in car crashes, meaning nearly 700 kids are harmed every day. But this doesn’t stop people from putting their children in cars. The chicken pox vaccine is another example that side effects are very rare. According to Medic 8, â€Å"A macular or accine rash usually consisting of a few lesions at the injection site is reported in 3% of children and 1% of adolescents. Cases of allergic reactions to children are very low a nd should hold any parent back from getting children vaccinated. So in conclusion, the diseases that vaccines are made to treat are still around, and it is very easy for a disease to spread. Vaccines do not weaken a child’s immune system because of B cells and lymphocytes being constantly replenished by immune system. Numerous studies have been conducted proving that thimerisol does not cause autism. And The risk of a child having a adverse reaction to a vaccine is so low that its safer than driving down the street in a car. Protect your children from deadly diseases, get them vaccinated.

The retail industry in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The retail industry in China - Essay Example f various consumer protection legislations like 1993 Chinese Consumer Protection Laws and others that have resulted in high bargaining power of consumer in the Chinese market (Zhuang, Herndon & Zhou, 2003, p.42). Bargaining Power of Suppliers In the past history Chinese suppliers had an edge over the retailer primarily due to legislative policies like the planned price based system. This helped the suppliers to have greater bargaining power. However with the abolition of this policy has led to suppliers in a situation of overstocking that has forced them to lower prices that has in turn heavily reduced the bargaining power of the suppliers. In addition to this the emergence of private label brands and supermarkets has also considerably dented the bargaining power of the suppliers. Hence it can be easily stated that the extent of this force in the Chinese retail industry is low (Zhuang, Herndon & Zhou, 2003, p.40-41). Threat of New Entrants The Chinese retail industry was initially hi ghly protected by the government that made it difficult for new players to enter the market, however with liberalization coming in a step by step manner, the entry barriers have decreased owning to smaller economies of scale in the retail industry. However, the coming up of international supermarkets has also threatened the existence of small individual retailers and has also increased the entry barriers for the new players (Bird et. al, n.d., p.44). Competition among the Existing Players The opening up of the Chinese economy and its liberalization has increased the number of competitors in the market. The emergence of international retailers has further increased the extent of the competition in the retail market. The figure below shows the list of top ten retail brands in the multi brand... According to the research findings the age of globalization has opened up a plethora of opportunities for business organizations operating in the present world. Globalization has rendered the entire world into a boundary less market with organizations trying to establish their presence in the market. The growth of free trade as well as emergence of developing economies like China and India also have opened up new vistas for firms trying to expand their business in the wake of saturation of the traditional markets of Europe and USA. However international expansion also involves considerable planning as there are considerable entry barriers in new markets as well as other forces that affect the business prospects of firms. The analysis of the Chinese retail market shows considerable advantage considering the rapid economic growth of the nation. The analysis of the five forces model reveals that the competitive landscape is very congenial for investing in the market. However certain ent ry barriers like government regulations can emerge as a considerable source of barrier for new foreign players to establish their presence in the market. However since the competitive landscape of the market has become extremely competitive hence, it has become somewhat difficult for new market payers and instantly grab the market share. The key lies in formulating an optimum service mix that can help in generating competitive edge for an organization.

Women and Science in the southern African Development Region (SADC) Essay

Women and Science in the southern African Development Region (SADC) - Essay Example Then it discusses how UNESCO and SADC are working constantly to promote women of Southern African regions to get educated with scientific knowledge and play a role in scientific development like other women from developed countries. Women and Science in the southern African Development Region (SADC) Previously, it was very firm believe, especially in Asian countries, that women are inferior to men. They have to look after the daily chores while man is the sole earner and he is the one responsible for every major thing. As time evolved, the perception remained same with man now being an executive and women a secretary, or same in every field. The revolution and change of perception took place by the end of 18th century, when women started contributing in medicine, physics, geography and other fields and this period was referred as ‘the enlightment’. When Salon culture in Europe was changing, there were times when political, economical and social views discussed had opinio ns of women too (Sheffield, 2006) Even now that women graduates are more in number than male, the representation of women in business fields and especially scientific fields is very low. There are two reasons for such low representation. First, women already have too much to cater to that they can’t get into fields that need a lot of work and research. Secondly, even if they want to get in, they don’t get decent post. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She won the similar title, a second noble prize in 1911 for her work on radiation. For those women who don’t follow their passion and end up living the usual lifestyle, she says: â€Å"I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.† While Carl Friedrich Gauss, famous for his Gaussian m ethod and other mathematical applications, talks about women not getting reputable posts in scientific field and motivates them by saying: â€Å"The enchanting charms of this sublime science reveal only to those who have the courage to go deeply into it. But when a woman, who because of her sex and our prejudices encounters infinitely more obstacles that a man in familiarizing herself with complicated problems, succeeds nevertheless in surmounting these obstacles and penetrating the most obscure parts of them, without doubt she must have the noblest courage, quite extraordinary talents and superior genius.† (Ogilvie, 2004) Since 18th century, many women have followed their passion in developing and extending the scientific borders. 19th century was an amateur period with few noticeable names while 20th century included significant work by Marie Curie and Lise Meitner (discovery of nuclear fission). There work set basics for further research. Inclusion of women in scientific f ield was further made possible by efforts of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization) and by SADC (Southern African Development Community) which will be discussed below. (Marelene F. Rayner-Canham, 1997). UNESCO's Recommendations about "Women and Science" Although women have excelled in business fields, there still remain many where they are not given equal rights such as aerospace and flying, engineering and scientific research. Science is a field full of ideas and innovation and leaving this highly capable gender behind means losing high potential and ideas that can change the world. Therefore, gender equality and representation of women in scientific field is very important. Although different countries are giving attention to this issue, UNESCO formally organized the World Science Conference in 1999

Critically discuss why marketing internationally requires a good Essay

Critically discuss why marketing internationally requires a good understanding of Relationship Marketing and cultural differences - Essay Example at with no awareness of religious, symbolic and other peculiarities of a country-partner it is impossible to reach understanding and gain your business partners. Many failures in business happen due to the lack of knowledge in the field of cross cultural differences. A lot of works are devoted to research and discussion about relationship marketing either with regard to customers’ study, industrial businesses, and business-to-business marketing and other aspects. The main focus of this proposal is works devoted to the discussion of the relational view (Anderson and Narus, 1990; Dwyer et al., 1987). This choice can be explained by the sources’ relevance to the countries chosen for this proposal: China and Japan. In accordance with the relational view, a specificity of South countries is reflected in their peculiar attitude to personal attention in business. These countries are focused on background information on their partners and human factor is of high importance to them. In the process of dissertation proposal it is intended to find out peculiarities of target businesses’ cultures (in China and Japan) and work out strategies and methods for foreign partners to do their business in compliance with the cultural background of businesses in South countries. Many studies have been conducted to research the cross cultural differences of various aspects in personality behavior – starting from psychological side, and ending with the difference in business leadership and online and computer attitudes; however there is still a question – whether these the results of these studies are relevant and is it possible to assume that cross cultural differences exist – or based on the older economic theories, all personalities have similar behavioral patterns which are not different across cultures? The experimental researches conducted in the area of cross cultural differences in personality have found that people behave in different and various ways, in

Project (Managing Across Culture) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Project (Managing Across Culture) - Essay Example planation of Models 1.1.1 Hofstede Cultural Dimension According to the view of Geert Hofstede, culture can be best described as being the source of conflict rather than synergy; and the cultural differences as opined by him as troublesome and often a disaster. There are various practical applications on cultural differences of Geert Hofstede’s research that arises at various organisations especially for those who work in international business. If a person goes into another country and tries to make decisions the way he operates at his home country then there are chances of landing up with wrong decision. The Geert Hofstede research provides insights into different cultures with the aim to make the person more effective when interacting with others. There are five dimensions of Hofstede namely the Power distance, Individualism versus collectivism, Masculinity versus femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long-Term Orientation Power Distance Index: It is the degree to which the less influential member in the organisation feels that the power is being distributed unequally. Individualism versus Collectivism: The term individualism tries to explain the fact that it is the society where the ties between the individual are often too loose. On the flip side the term collectivism refers to the society where the people right from their birth are incorporated into strong and cohesive groups. Masculinity versus femininity: It refers to the allocation of roles among the genders which is basic issue for any society for which the range of solution are found. Uncertainty Avoidance: It is the man's search for truth. It tries to indicate how the culture tries to train its members to experience either comfort or discomfort in such kind of unstructured situations. Long term Orientation versus Short term Orientation: It deals with virtues regardless of truth. The basic values that are associated with the long term orientation are carefulness and persistence while the values that are associated with the short term are fulfilling social obligation, respect for tradition (Geert Hofstede, 2009). 1.1.2 Trompenaars Cultural Dimension There are seven fundamental dimension of culture. Each one of them can be explained in brief. Universalism vs. Particularism: In case of universalism it is believed that rules and laws can be applied to everyone. On the other hand, particularism is the belief in placing emphasis on the friendship and looking forward for the situation in order to determine what is right or ethically acceptable. Individualism versus Collectivism: In case of individualism the decisions are made on the spot by the representative and there is

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Essay

What Is So-Called Asian Business Model How Well Does The Indian Business System Fit That Model - Essay Example The business model of Asia is also quite dissimilar from other western nations. The Asian business model has progressed through several periods of transformations. Several aspects such as globalization, improvement in information and communication technology, and deregulation along with evolving competition have influenced the business model of Asia (Crown, â€Å"Challenges in Asia†). Thesis Statement The discussion is based on analyzing the different aspects of the Asian business model. The objective of the discussion is to observe how the Indian business system or organizations fit in the Asian business model and to describe one other Asian system which fits the Asian business model either better or worse than India’s business system. What Is So-Called Asian Business Model? Asian business paradigm has developed through three major phases of improvement. In the first phase, i.e. during 1970s to 1980s, Asia used to pursue the features of ‘Japanese Model’ of business. According to that model, organizations tended to follow quality products and operational superiority in business. The Japanese model focused more on business growth rather than earning profit. Lifetime employment was a vital part for that Asian business model. At that period of time, the central elements of this Asian business model were huge investment, large savings and financial growth. These elements were described as success-deriving factors for organizations by the professionals. However, in the third phase, i.e. from 1990s to present day, professionals have highlighted certain systematic deficiencies of the Asian business model, which had resulted in Asian financial crisis in the year 1997. The Asian business model had also resulted in the collapse of several Asian organizations (Delios and Singh 1-20). At this point of time, it is vital to outline the major differences between the Asian business model and the US business model. During the period of 1950s to early 1990s, the Asia business model was associated with the so-called ‘crony capitalism’. Crony capitalism is usually related with strong government participation in business. Thus, it can be observed that close association existed between the government and the organizations in this kind of business model. Such close association was directed through discussion board which was used to organize investment plans. Government assistance to organizations was related with strict performance standards about exports and technical values. In Asian business model, the relationship between business and financial system comprised long-term association between organizations and banks. This aspect had empowered Asian organizations to consider long-run vision in the investment decisions. Thus, organizations were not constrained by the threat of aggressive take-overs. Asian organizations pursued internal business practices which were different from those of Western organizations. For instan ce, Asia business model is related with maintaining loyal association between management and employees. Conducting business in this model is based on interpersonal relationships

Denver art museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Denver art museum - Essay Example One can easily identify that Swentzell inculcated the traditional pottery making process discovered by Santa Clara potters. In the Artwork, one can see a Tewa clown with a broken horn. He is fully immersed in the process of repairing his horn, which seems to be broken. The foreground of the work consists of colors like brown and grey. The background consists of shades of black and blue. The combination of brown and black, especially the black stripes helps the viewer to realize the importance of the process of repairing the broken horn. I like this figure because it gives due importance to traditional pottery making technology. II. Tipi, Standing Bear The Artwork Tipi (see appendix -2), by Standing Bear represents the nomadic lifestyle of Native American tribal people. The Tipi is a particular dwelling place which is made up of buffalo hides. Linda A. Holley states that â€Å"As cloth material became available in the early mid- nineteenth century, covers started to change† (31 ). Now, canvas is used to make tipi. In this artwork, Standing Bear made use of drawings to decorate the same. From the artwork, one can easily identify that the construction of a tipi is simple. For instance, a number of sticks are used to make the structure. But the drawing that can be seen on the outer surface is complicated. For instance, in the Artwork, one can see a number of horses and human beings.

Diagnosing Relational Problems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diagnosing Relational Problems - Research Paper Example Principally, this regards gender and sometimes accepts the reality of the predicaments. This differs across culture or ethnic backgrounds, where some may deny or accept depending on their belief (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2011). For instance, mental ailments where some cultures attribute their occurrence as fueled by evil spirits, hence they lack any cure especially the indigenous Chinese. Another factor entails detection of a single disorder in an individual. According to practitioners, a sole disorder may be a representative of comprehensive disorders in one category. Patients normally have multiple health predicaments that entail multifaceted approach and treatment. This is primarily, when dealing with couples who may seem not to comprehend well about their predicament. Couple or family therapy encompasses openness amid the patient and the practitioner, so that the latter may be able to elicit the predicament effectively. This diagnostic process is appropriate since it enables a practitioner apply life cycle and developmental progress tool. This entails how the couple might have handled a related predicament together before. This would enhance that cooperation during the present ailment, which may be affecting one member (APA, 2000). The practitioner enhances their cooperation through encouraging communication and privacy where possible. This is especially if the predicament’s repercussions do not affect other members, for illustration, infertility. The approach is similar to a sole person’s diagnosis. Since, in some occasions, if the predicament is severe the practitioner may decide to involve a family member. The Purpose of this is to ensure that the patient is accountable and adheres to the already set medical procedures (Yingling, 1998). DSM-IV-TR assessment encompasses distinguishing features of V- codes, which must be the focus treatment by interacting with members of the relational unit (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2011). It is

The Color Purple. Applying Adult Learning Theory Through Character Assignment

The Color Purple. Applying Adult Learning Theory Through Character Analysis - Assignment Example Description of the character’s learning The film identifies its narrator, Celie, as an uneducated woman who is oppressed by her stepfather who rapes her, makes her pregnant and then steals her children. She writes letters to communicate to God but she maintains a passive role in her life as she submits to abuses under her stepfather and later from her husband. Her learning develops from a naà ¯ve uneducated woman to an informed woman who knows of herself worth and can take a stand to defend her position and ideas. She initially assumed little control over her life and environment and a quiet and invisible position for survival, as is evident in her passive position towards her abusive stepfather and her husband. Celie’s learns through her interaction with Shug Avery, a music icon who is beautiful and have potentials to achieve her objectives. Avery stimulates Celie’s development and allows Celie to unwind her history to gain sexual, spiritual and voice empowerment. Avery also succeeds in exposing Celie to ne w perspectives from which Celie can develop new insights about live. An example of such exposure is in religion in which Avery exposes Celie to a new form of God who is not traditional and one who treats people as equals regardless of their gender. Avery also helps Celie to discover Nettie’s previous letters. The letters informs her of her history and empowers her to comprehend her thoughts and emotions towards independence and she is able to protest against her husband’s oppressive acts. Celie also learns, through her interaction with Avery, of self-actualization potential and succeeds in developing a sewing enterprise from an assumed position of a part time activity for women who only perform domestic roles, to a profitable and established business that also gains her financial independence from her husband (Walker). The scope of Celie’s learning identifies the role of a moderator as Celie adopts an active learning approach in the process. In her interaction w ith Avery, Avery does not instruct Celie on what to do, neither does she tell her how to conduct herself, but the two women undergo the learning process together. Avery, for example, prod Celie’s past that allows Celie to develop spiritual and sexual aspects. Avery’s narrations also empower Celie and with the help of Avery, Celie discovers Nettie’s letters that lead Celie to new knowledge about her past and her children. Interaction with Avery also empowers Celie to self-actualization and the change in perspectives and capacity occurs through Celie’s active interaction with Avery’s world and her experience to transform her life and perception on life (Walker). Factors that caused the character to learn The film identifies interaction between Celie and Avery as the immediate reason for Celie’s learning. Factors into the learning can however be explored through Mezirow’s transformational learning theory and through Knowles’ theor etical based assumptions on adult learning. Knowles’ assumptions explain motivational factors as a cause of Celie’s learning. Knowles explains that learning is continuous and can occur at any age, aspect that allows Celie to learn at an elderly stage. Her ability to direct herself in learning, subject to Knowles self-concept assumption, is one of the factors that empowered Celie to learn from her interaction w

Factors affecting intellectual development Essay Example for Free

Factors affecting intellectual development Essay -Whichever has a bigger influence remains a debate until now because some studies proved that heredity has a bigger influence on intelligence while some studies showed the opposite. The important point is that the interplay of both heredity and environment is essential for maximum development of the intellectual abilities of the individual. Other factors affecting Intelligence: 1. Culture Different cultures foster different patterns of ability. For instance, students from Sri Lanka showed higher score in verbal ability than the Americans. -This can be explained by the fact that in Sri Lanka, the philosophers and the poets were admired rather than the scientists or engineers. 2. Sex It is not true that males are more intelligent than females. However, studies show that boys excel girls in spatial ability, in problem solving, and numerical ability whereas girls excel boys in memory, reasoning, and fluency. -The difference is not due to solve problems since they will be the heads of the families. Girls have been trained to do light work since they will be the homemakers, anyway. 3. Health Studies have shown that high IQ goes with healthy condition of the body. -In school; healthy children have better chances of learning, they can concentrate better in their studies and they are often active and enthusiastic about classroom activities. 4. Race No one race is endowed with better intelligence than others. -Differences in achievement of races are due to better opportunities and facilities found in developed countries. 5. Socio-economic status Studies have shown that children from higher socio-economic scored higher in  intelligence tests. -Again, greater opportunities and money account for this. The rich can send their children to better schools and can provide stimulating environment to their children. However, there are geniuses and idiots among them as there are among the poor.

Cassava Brown Streak Virus Infection Genome

Cassava Brown Streak Virus Infection Genome Genome-wide prediction and association analysis for sensitivity to cassava brown streak virus infection in Cassava Siraj Ismail Kayondo, Dunia Pino Del Carpio, Roberto Lozano, Alfred Ozimati, Marnin Wolfe, Yona Baguma, Vernon Gracen, Offei Samuel,  Robert Kawuki  and Jean-Luc Jannink ABSTRACT Cassava (manihot esculenta Crantz), a key carbohydrate source faces unprecedented challenge of viral diseases importantly, cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD). The economic parts of the crop are rendered unmarketable by these viral diseases resulting into mega fiscal setbacks. The remarkable completion of the cassava genome sequence equips cassava breeders with more precise selection strategies to offer superior varieties with both farmer and industry preferred traits. This article reports genomic segments associated to foliar and root CBSV sensitivity measured at different growth stages and environmental conditions. We identified significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated to CBSV sensitivity in cassava on chromosome 4 and 11. The significantly associated regions on chromosome 4 co-localises with a Manihot glaziovii introgression from the wild progenitors. While significant SNPs markers on chromosome 11 are in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a cluster of nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) proteins encoded by disease resistance genes in plants. Genotype by environmental interactions were significant since SNP marker effects differed across environments and years. Key words: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), virus sensitivity, augmented designs, de-regressed best linear unbiased Predictions (dr-BLUPs), NBS-LRR proteins, QTLs    INTRODUCTION Cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz), is a major source of income and dietary calories for over a billion lives across the globe especially in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Edge cutting technologies are rapidly turning cassava into an industrial crop especially tapping into its unique starch qualities hence opening new income opportunities for the poor (Pà ©rez et al., 2011). Cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSD), a leading viral constraint limiting production across SSA is responsible for mega fiscal setbacks estimated at 100 US million dollars per annum at physiological maturity (ASARECA:, 2013; Ndunguru et al., 2015). As a consequence of CBSVs, cassava yields were recorded to be eight times lower than the expected yield potential in Uganda(). Two major strains; Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Uganda Cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV), have successfully colonized both the lowland and highland altitudes across East Africa though newer strains are being reported (Winter et al., 2010; Ndunguru et al., 2015; Alicai et al., 2016a). In addition to uncontrolled exchange of infected cassava steaks among cassava farmers across porous borders, the African whitefly (Besimia tobaci) stands out as the famous semi-persistent virus transmitter under field conditions (Legg et al., 2014; McQuaid et al., 2015). Upon entry, the virus exploits the plants transport system to traverse the susceptible cassava plant resulting into yellow chlorotic vein clearing patterns along minor veins of the leaves. Prominent brown elongated lesions are formed on the stem commonly referred to as brown streaks. While the brown necrotic hard-corky layers are randomly formed in the root cortex of most susceptible cassava clones. In view of the rapid but steadily virus evolution rates and the insufficiency of dependable virus diagnostic tools (Alicai et al., 2016b), breeding for durable CBSD resistance emerges as a timely and economically viable option. Earlier CBSD resistance breeding initiatives have highlighted its polygenic but recessive nature of inheritance in both intraspecific and interspecific cassava hybrids (Nichols, 1947; Hillocks and Jennings, 2003; Munga, 2008; Kulembeka, 2010). The rate of progress to genetic improvement in a traditional cassava breeding pipeline has been slower due to several biology-related opportunities like; shy flowering, length of breeding cycle, limited genetic diversity and slow rate of multiplication of planting materials. Most of the available elite cassava lines have exhibited some level of sensitivity to CBSVs ranging from mild sensitivity total susceptibility. Therefore, a concise but then targeted exploration for potential sources of resistance using the available biotechnology tools could be a promising strategy. The remarkable completion of the cassava genome sequence equips cassava breeders with more precise selection strategies to offer superior varieties with both farmer and industry preferred traits. A study by Bredeson et al., (2016) reports the presence of introgressions segments from the wild progenitors into the elite breeding lines developed by the Amani breeding program in Tanzania. Hence, resistance sources to CBSD exist but may have been reshuffled over generations of recurrent selection thus not fully fixed and need to be exploited. Moving forward, a genome wide survey for existing natural variations as explained by the observed phenotypes for a given series of agronomic traits could facilitate identification of causal loci associated with the inheritance of a trait of interest. This tool, commonly referred to as genome-wide association study (GWAS) exploits the power of statistical analyses to identify such historical recombination events that have occurred over time (Jannink and Walsh, 2002; Hamblin, Buckler and Jannink, 2011). Hence, GWA-studies will complement bi-parental mapping efforts that have been widely applied in cassava breeding in the previous decade (Ferguson et al., 2012; Ceballos et al., 2015). GWA-studies have been widely undertaken by animal, human and plant geneticists to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in close association to several important traits. However, GWAS has been thinly applied in cassava breeding especially in the definition of the genetic architecture of cassava mosaic di sease (Wolfe et al., 2016) and beta carotene (unpublished). In this study, we exploited the reduced genotyping costs using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to genotype data for our association mapping panel. The goal of this study was to identify genomic regions closely associated with sensitivity to CBSV infection in a diverse regional cassava breeding panel. Fine mapping around the identified regions would guide in marker discovery as well as identification of franking genes for CBSV sensitivity for marker assisted breeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material The data set comprised of field disease evaluations undertaken across five locations; Namulonge, Kamuli, Serere, Ngetta and Kasese in Uganda. Two different but closely related GWAS panels were evaluated across environments. Between 2012 and 2013, GWAS panel 1 consisted of between 308 to 429 entries that were replicated twice across three locations. Each trial was designed as a randomized complete block (RCB) with two-row plots of five plants each at a spacing of 1 meter by 1 meter. In 2015, GWAS panel 2 consisting of entries ranging from 715 to 872 clones was evaluated in three locations but contrasting sites for CBSD pressure. These entries were evaluated as single entries per site being connected by six common checks in an augmented completely randomized block design with 38 blocks per site (Federer, Nguyen and others, 2002; Federer and Crossa, 2012). The two GWAS panels had one location in common; Namulonge that is regarded as the CBSD hot spot with the highest CBSD pressure. The data was generated from 1281 cassava clones developed through three cycles of genetic recombination with local elite lines by the National root crops breeding program at NaCRRI. These cassava clones had a diverse genetic background whose pedigree could be traced back to introductions from international institute for tropical agriculture (IITA), International center for tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Tanzania[KI1] breeding program (sup.fig1). Phenotyping protocol for CBSV sensitivity   Ã‚   The key traits were CBSD severity and incidence scored at 3, 6, and 9 months after planting (MAP) for foliar and 12 MAP for root symptoms respectively. CBSD severity was measured based on a 5 point scale with a score of 1 implying asymptomatic conditions and a score 5 implying over 50% leaf vain clearing under foliar symptoms. However, at 12 MAP a score of 5 implies over 50% of root-core being covered by a necrotic corky layer. (fig.1) Clones were classified with a score of 5 if pronounced vein clearing at major leaf veins were jointly displayed with brown streaks on the stems and shoot die-back that appeared as a candle-stick. Clones with 31 40% leaf vein clearing together with brown steaks at the stems were classified under score 4. A Score of 3 was assigned to clones with 21 30% leaf vein clearing with emerging brown streaks on the stems. While a score of 2 was assigned to clones that only displayed 1 20% leaf vein clearing without any visible brown streak symptoms on the stems. Plants classified with a score of 1 showed no visible sign of leaf necrosis and brown streaks on the stems. On the other hand, root symptoms were also classified into 5 different categories based on a 5 point standard scale. Two-stage genomic analyses For the panel 1 which was designed as a randomized complete block (RCB) we fit the model: , using the lmer function from the lme4 R package (Bates et al., 2015).In this model, ÃŽÂ ² included a fixed effect for the population mean and location. The incidence matrix Zclone and the vector c represent a random effect for clone and I represent the identity matrix. The range variable, which is the row or column along which plots are arrayed, is nested in location-rep and is represented by the incidence matrix Zrange(loc.) and random effects vector .Block effects were nested in ranges and incorporated as random with incidence matrix Zblock(range) and effects vector . Residuals were fit as random, with . For panel 2, which followed an augmented design, we fit the model Where y was the vector of raw phenotypes, ÃŽÂ ² included a fixed effect for the population mean and location with checks included as a covariate, The incidence matrix Zclone and the vector c are the same as above and the blocks were also modeled with incidence matrix and b represents the random effect for block. The best linear predictors (BLUPs) of the clone effect (Ć°) were extracted as de-regressed BLUPS following the formula: Broad sense heritability was calculated using variance components extracted from the two step lmer output. SNP-based heritability was calculated by extracting the variance components from the output obtained by fitting the SNPs as a kinship covariate calculated using the A.mat function from the rrBLUP R package and included in a one step model using the emmreml function from the EMMREML R package (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015). DNA preparation and Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) All cassava clones included in the phenotypic data set had their total genomic DNA extracted from young tender leaves according to standard procedures using the DNAeasy plant mini extraction kit (Qiagen, 2012). Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) (Elshire et al., 2011) libraries were constructed using the ApeKI restriction enzyme as used before (Hamblin Rabbi, 2014). Marker genotypes were called using TASSEL GBS pipeline V4 (Glaubitz et al., 2014) after aligning the reads to the Cassava v6 reference genome (Phytozome 10.3; http://phytozome.jgi.doe.gov) (International Cassava Genetic Map Consortium, 2014; Prochnik et al., 2012). Variant Calling Format (VCF) files were generated for each chromosome. Markers with more than 60% missing calls were removed. Genotypes with less than 5 reads were masked before imputation. Additionally, only biallelic SNP markers were considered for further steps. The marker dataset consisted of a total of 173,647 SNP bi-allelic markers called for 986 individuals. This initial dataset was imputed using Beagle 4.1 (Browning and Browning, 2016). After the imputation 63,016 SNPs had an AR2 (Estimated Allelic r-squared) higher than 0.3 and were kept for analysis; from these, 41,530 had a minor allele frequency (MAF) higher than 0.01 in our population. Dosage files for this final dataset were generated and used for both GWAS and GS. Structure and Genetic stratification analysis The extent of phylogenetic relationship and degree of family relatedness within the cassava lines was assessed using principal component analysis (PCA) implemented in R. Genome-wide association analysis for CBSV sensitivity The input binary PED files were prepared from the genotype dosage files using PLINK version 1.07 (Renterà ­a, Cortes and Medland, 2013; Purcell et al., 2007). Mixed linear modal association analysis (MLMA) implemented by GCTA version 1.26.0 was used to generated GWAS results (Yang et al., 2011). MLMA was implemented such that in every cycle of analysis, the chromosome on which the candidate SNPs existed got excluded from the GRM calculation using the modal in equation 3. Where y is the phenotype, a is being the mean term, b being the fixed additive effects of the candidate SNP being tested for association, x being the SNP genotype indicator variable and g is the accumulated effect of all SNPs excluding those where the candidate SNP is located making our analysis model more powerful. We estimated variance components using restricted maximum likelihood (REML). Sub population stratification was corrected for by taking GRM as a random effect term in the model during analysis. A more conservative Bonferroni correction method was used to fix genome-wide significance threshold at Pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤10-7 as a way of correcting for experimental-wise error. Manhattan and Quantile Quantile plots for all the traits were constructed using R package qqman package implemented in R (Turner, 2014). Genomic prediction models GBLUP. In this prediction model the GEBVs are obtained by assuming , where is the additive genetic variance, and K is the symmetric genomic realized relation matrix based on GBS SNP marker dosages. The genomic relationship matrix used was constructed using the function A.mat in the R package rrBLUP(Endelman, 2011) and follows the formula of VanRaden (2008), method two. GBLUP predictions were made with the function emmreml in the R package EMMREML (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015). RKHS. Unlike GBLUP for RKHS we use a Gaussian kernel function: , where Kij is the measured relationship between two individuals, dij is their euclidean genetic distance based on marker dosages and ÃŽÂ ¸ is a tuning (bandwidth) parameter that determines the rate of decay of correlation among individuals. This function is nonlinear therefore the kernels used for RKHS can capture non-additive as well as additive genetic variation. To fit a multiple-kernel model with six covariance matrices we used the emmremlMultiKernel function in the EMMREML package, with the following bandwidth parameters: 0.0000005, 0.00005, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05 (Multi-kernel RKHS) and allowed REML to find optimal weights for each kernel.For the optimal kernel RKHS we used the kernel weights assigned by emmremlMultiKernel in the first step to construct a single kernel that is the weighted average of the original six. We then used this optimal kernel in single-kernel predictions. Bayesian maker regressions.We tested four Bayesian prediction models: BayesCpi (Habier et al., 2011), the Bayesian LASSO (BL; Park and Casella, 2008), BayesA, and BayesB (Meuwissen, Hayes and Goddard, 2001). The Bayesian models we tested allow for alternative genetic architectures by differential shrinkage of marker effects. We performed Bayesian predictions with the R package BGLR (Pà ©rez and De Los Campos, 2014) Random Forest. Random forest (RF) is a machine learning method used for regression and classification (Strobl et al. 2009, Breiman 2001). Random forest regression with marker data has been shown to capture epistatic effects and has been successfully used for prediction (Sakar et al 2015, Heslot et al 2012, Charmet et al 2014, Spindel et al 2015, Breiman, et al 2001, Michaelson et al 2010, Motsinger-Reif et al 2008). We implemented RF using the randomForest package in R (Liaw and Wiener 2002) with the parameter, ntree set to 500 and the number of variables sampled at each split (mtry) equal to 300. Multikernel GBLUP We followed a multikernel approach by fitting three kernels constructed with SNPs with MAF> 0.01 from chromosomes 4,11 and the SNPs from the other chromosomes. We selected chromosomes 4 and 11 because they contained QTLs for foliar severity 3 and 6 MAP. Multikernel GBLUP predictions were made with the function emmremlMultiKernel in the R package EMMREML (Akdemir and Okeke, 2015) Introgression Segment Detection To identify the genome segments in our germplasm, we followed the approach of Bredeson et al. (2015). We used the M. glaziovii diagnostic markers identified Supplementary Dataset 2 of Bredeson et al. (2015). These ancestry diagnostic (AI) SNPs were identified as being fixed for different alleles in a sample of two pure M. esculenta (Albert and CM33064) and two pure M. glaziovii (GLA XXX-8 and M. glaziovii(S)). Out of 173,647 SNP in our imputed dataset, 12,502 matched published AI SNPs. For these AI SNPs, we divided each chromosome into non-overlapping windows of 20 SNP. Within each window, for each individual, we calculated the proportion of genotypes that were homozygous (G/G) or heterozygous (G/E) for M. glaziovii allele and the proportion that were homozygous for the M. esculenta allele (E/E). We assigned G/G, G/E or E/E ancestry to each window, for each individual only when the proportion of the most common genotype in that window was at least twice the proportion of the second most common genotype. We assigned windows a No Call status otherwise. We also used this approach on six whole-genome sequenced samples from the cassava HapMap II (Punna et al. under Review). These included the two pure cassava and M. glaziovii(S) from Bredeson et al. (2015), plus an additional M. glaziovii, and two samples labeled Namikonga. Because these samples came from a different source from the majority of our samples, we were able to find only 11,686 SNPs that matched both the sites in the rest of our study sample and the list of ancestry informative sites for analysis. Linkage disequilibrium plots LD scores were calculated for every SNP in chromosome 4 with a window of 1Mb using the GCTA Software (Yang et al., 2011). Briefly, LD score for a given marker is the sum of R2 adjusted between the index marker and all markers within a specified window. The adjusted R2 is an unbiased measure of LD: where n is the population size and R2 is the usual estimator of the squared Pearsons correlation (Bulik-Sullivan et al 2015). We calculated the LD between that marker and other markers in a window of 2Mb (1Mb upstream and 1Mb downstream) For the top significant SNP hit in chromosome 11 for the 6MAP GWAS result from panel 1 and panel 2. The LD was evaluated using squared Pearsons correlation coefficient (r2) as calculated with the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢r2 -ld-snp commands in the software PLINK version 1.9. Candidate gene identification To identify candidate genes for CBSD severity in leaves and CBSD root necrosis we used the GCTA mlma GWAS output obtained for each trait. We filtered the SNP markers based on -log10 (P-value)> Bonf, being these values higher than the Bonferroni threshold (~ 5.9). The resulting SNP markers were assigned onto genes using the SNP location and gene description from the Mesculenta_305_v6.1.gene.gff3 available in Phytozome 11 (ref) for Manihot esculenta v6.1 using the intersect function from bedtools (ref). RESULTS Phenotypic assessment of cassava for sensitivity to cassava brown streak virus infection Most clones showed varied responses to CBSV infection spanning from super susceptibility that represented candle-like die-back of the shoot to tolerance (Fig.). Foliar phenotyping clumped these plant responses into five major classes based on a 1 to 5 scale. The broad sense heritability of the studied traits ranged 0.17 to 0.72 for both GWAS panels (Table 1). Analysis of the phenotypic data showed very significant GxE interactions (P Genetic correlations and heritability estimates We found moderate heritability estimates for CBSV sensitivity for foliar phenotypes at 3, 6 and 9 MAP as well as root phenotypes under five environments (fig..) . Genetic correlation on the traits assayed were performed and revealed that ranged from moderate to high positive correlations among traits studied. Assessment of linkage disequilibrium Genome-wide association mapping often explores the benefit of existence of several historic recombination events over time to associate observed phenotypic variation with genome. Detection of candidate QTLs for CBSV sensitivity in cassava To efficiently a run GWAS, we used SNP data to examine the extent of genetic interrelatedness and sub-population structure of the cassava clones. A principal component analysis (PCA) to account for structure showed no distinct clusters implying that the selected clones were not highly structured (Fig.1). Therefore, we did not include PCs in our GWAS linear modal analysis. The Bonferroni suggestive threshold (ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05) was used to identify loci associated to CBSV sensitivity on both chromosome 4 and 11 that had clear peak signals at the different stages of phenotyping (Fig. 2). The observed P-values initially aligned well with the expected P-values but later differed substantially due the large introgression block on chromosome 4 presumably from the wild progenitors of cassava traceable from the AMANI breeding program (Jennings, 1959). The significant signals on chromosome 11 contained loci with strong association with CBSV sensitivity in a 2 Mb region that annotated well with several candidate genes. Genome-wide prediction for CBSV sensitivity in cassava We did genome wide prediction for CBSV sensitivity based on the identified SNPs with the highest effects found on both chromosome 4 and 11 in order to capture most of the genetic variation. We explored several genomic prediction model methods; GBLUP, RR-BLUP, B-LASSO, random forest, BayesA, BayesB, and BayesC. References Akdemir, D. and Okeke, U. G. (2015) EMMREML: Fitting Mixed Models with Known Covariance Structures,. Alicai, T., Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Okao-Okuja, G., Nanvubya, R., Kiiza, L., Kubatko, L., Kehoe, M. A. and Boykin, L. M. (2016a) Characterization by Next Generation Sequencing Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Faster Evolutionary rate of Cassava brown streak virus Compared with Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, bioRxiv, Cold Spring Harbor Labs Journals, [online] Available at: http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/053546 (Accessed 27 June 2016). Alicai, T., Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Okao-Okuja, G., Nanvubya, R., Kiiza, L., Kubatko, L., Kehoe, M. A. and Boykin, L. M. (2016b) Characterization by Next Generation Sequencing Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Driving the Faster Evolutionary rate of Cassava brown streak virus Compared with Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, [online] Available at: http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/053546 (Accessed 10 June 2016). ASARECA: (2013) ASARECA Annual Report 2012: Transforming Agriculture for Economic Growth in Eastern and Central Africa, Entebbe, Uganda. Bredeson, J. V, Lyons, J. B., Prochnik, S. E., Wu, G. A., Ha, C. M., Edsinger-Gonzales, E., Grimwood, J., Schmutz, J., Rabbi, I. Y., Egesi, C., Nauluvula, P., Lebot, V., Ndunguru, J., Mkamilo, G., Bart, R. S., Setter, T. L., Gleadow, R. M., Kulakow, P., Ferguson, M. E., Rounsley, S. and Rokhsar, D. S. (2016) Sequencing wild and cultivated cassava and related species reveals extensive interspecific hybridization and genetic diversity., Nature biotechnology, 34(5), pp. 562-570, [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3535. Browning, B. L. and Browning, S. R. (2016) Genotype Imputation with Millions of Reference Samples, The American Journal of Human Genetics, 98(1), pp. 116-126. Ceballos, H., Kawuki, R. S., Gracen, V. E., Yencho, G. C. and Hershey, C. H. (2015) Conventional breeding, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection and inbreeding in clonally propagated crops: a case study for cassava, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00122-015-2555-4 (Accessed 25 June 2015). Endelman, J. B. (2011) Ridge Regression and Other Kernels for Genomic Selection with R Package rrBLUP, The Plant Genome Journal, 4(3), pp. 250-255. Federer, W. T. and Crossa, J. (2012) Screening Experimental Designs for Quantitative Trait Loci, Association Mapping, Genotype-by Environment Interaction, and Other Investigations, Frontiers in Physiology, 3, [online] Available at: http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fphys.2012.00156/full (Accessed 2 September 2014). Federer, W. T., Nguyen, N.-K. and others (2002) Constructing Augmented Experiment Designs with Gendex, [online] Available at: https://dspace.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/32208 (Accessed 2 September 2014). Ferguson, M., Rabbi, I., Kim, D.-J., Gedil, M., Lopez-Lavalle, L. A. B. and Okogbenin, E. (2012) Molecular Markers and Their Application to Cassava Breeding: Past, Present and Future, Tropical Plant Biology, 5(1), pp. 95-109, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12042-011-9087-0 (Accessed 5 August 2014). Habier, D., Fernando, R. L., Kizilkaya, K. and Garrick, D. J. (2011) Extension of the bayesian alphabet for genomic selection., BMC bioinformatics, BioMed Central Ltd, 12(1), p. 186. Hamblin, M. T., Buckler, E. S. and Jannink, J.-L. (2011) Population genetics of genomics-based crop improvement methods, Trends in Genetics, 27(3), pp. 98-106, [online] Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168952510002301 (Accessed 18 April 2014). Hillocks, R. J. and Jennings, D. L. (2003) Cassava brown streak disease: a review of present knowledge and research needs, International Journal of Pest Management, 49(3), pp. 225-234, [online] Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0967087031000101061 (Accessed 5 February 2014). Jannink, J.-L. and Walsh, B. (2002) Association mapping in plant populations, Quantitative genetics, genomics and plant breeding, pp. 59-68, [online] Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=hMBY_MvS39ACoi=fndpg=PA59dq=%22of+meioses+that+have+occurred+and+(in+the+case+of+advanced+intercross+lines)%22+%22discussion+of+rigorous+methods+to+test+for+marker+association+with+a+quantitative%22+ots=wo7fd. Jennings, D. L. (1959) Manihot melanobasis Mà ¼ll. Arg.-a useful parent for cassava breeding, Euphytica, 8(2), pp. 157-162, [online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00022435 (Accessed 8 October 2014). Kulembeka, H. P. (2010) Genetic linkage mapping of Field Resistance to cassava brown streak Disease in cassava landraces from Tanzania, Doctoral thesis, University of the Free State. Legg, J. P., Sseruwagi, P., Boniface, S., Okao-Okuja, G., Shirima, R., Bigirimana, S., Gashaka, G., Herrmann, H. W., Jeremiah, S., Obiero, H., Ndyetabula, I., Tata-Hangy, W., Masembe, C. and Brown, J. K. (2014) Spatio-temporal patterns of genetic change amongst populations of cassava Bemisia tabaci whiteflies driving virus pandemics in East and Central Africa, Virus Research, Elsevier B.V., 186, pp. 61-75, [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2013.11.018. McQuaid, C. F., Sseruwagi, P., Pariyo, A. and van den Bosch, F. (2015) Cassava brown streak disease and the sustainability of a clean seed system, Plant Pathology, p. n/a-n/a, [online] Available at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/ppa.12453 (Accessed 17 September 2015). Meuwissen, T. H., Hayes, B. J. and Goddard, M. E. (2001) Prediction of total genetic value using genome-wide dense marker maps., Genetics, 157(4), pp. 1819-29. Munga, T. L. (2008) Breeding for Cassava Brown Streak Resistance in Coastal Kenya, Doctoral thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal Republic of South Africa. Ndunguru, J., Sseruwagi, P., Tairo, F., Stomeo, F., Maina, S., Djinkeng, A., Kehoe, M. and Boykin, L. M. (2015) Analyses of Twelve New Whole Genome Sequences of Cassava Brown Streak Viruses and Ugandan Cassava Brown Streak Viruses from East Africa: Diversity, Supercomputing and Evidence for Further Speciation, PloS one, 10(10), p. e0139321, [online] Available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0139321 (Accessed 18 March 2016). Nichols, R. F. W. (1947) Breeding cassava for virus resistance., East African Agricultural Journal, 12, pp. 184-94, [online] Available at: http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19471600996.html (Accessed 5 February 2014). Park, T. and Casella, G. (2008) The Bayesian Lasso, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 103(482), pp. 681-686. Pà ©rez, J. C., Lenis, J. I., Calle, F., Morante, N., Sà ¡nchez, T., Debouck, D. and Ceballos, H. (2011) Genetic variability of root peel thickness and its influence in extractable starch from cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) roots, Plant Breeding, 130(6), pp. 688-693. Pà ©rez, P. and De Los Campos, G. (2014)

Market strategy and recommendations to enhance the USP

Market strategy and recommendations to enhance the USP Air Asia share price has been volatile, with the possible reasons for this volatility. Marketing: Discuss the Market Strategy and recommendations to enhance the USP by using Models and diagrams. Operation Management: Analysis of prioritise operations issues which are of strategic nature for the company and possible solutions. Module Code: MGTM IM 002 Submitted to: Programme Administration Team (Kaplan Financial) Submitted by: Group 11 Group members Name: Student ID No. Chanakya C0346816 Buddha C0364220 Musharaf C0361333 Saif C0360683 Submission Date: Friday 23rd April, 2010 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1. Introduction: 3 2. Company Background 3 3. Meaning of Share Price Volatility: 3 3.2. Possible reasons for this volatility: 4 4.2. Mareketing Strategy of Air Asia: 8 4.3. Environmental Analysis of Air Asia on the basis of Porters Five Forces (Chart-3) 9 5.1. Air Asia Business Process 11 5.2. Air Asia prioritises issues: 12 5.3. Possible solutions 13 6. Conclusion 14 7. References: 14 1. Introduction: The company chosen for this report is Air Asia assigned by Kaplan Financial and assignment requirements as follow: A report of no more than 3500 words Possible reasons for the share volatility Market strategy to enhance USP Operational issues and possible solutions 2. Company Background Air Asia was initially established in 1996 as a full-service regional airline offering slightly cheaper fares than its competitors. It was not performing well and its turning point was 2001 when it was bought by Tony Fernandes. Tony Fernandes restructured the company and re-established in Malaysia by enrolling some low cost airline expert like Connor McCarthy (formal director of successful European LCC Ryan air) in late 2001 as first no -frills, low cost carrier(LCC) in Asia, then it got huge success and become awards winner and largest low fare airlines in the Asia. Now Air Asia flies to over 61 domestic and international destinations with 108 routes with its own 72 aircrafts and operates over 400 flights daily. Air Asia believes in the no-frills, hassle free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires high efficiency in every part of the business. Through its unique selling point (USP), NOW EVERYONE CAN FLY, Air Asia gained a revolution in airline business with more and more people choosing as their preferred choice of transport. 3. Meaning of Share Price Volatility: Many of us use the word volatility in a loose sense, in a way that belies the accuracy with, which it can be calculated. In fact, volatility is a statistical measure of the scale of fluctuations in the price of a share, a commodity or a stock market index in the recent past. It is generally taken to be a good measure for the relative riskiness of an asset the higher the volatility, the greater the risk of losing money. Volatility, however, is not a static thing. It fluctuates sometimes quite sharply over time. (Peter Temple 02.08.2007) 3.1 Air Asia Share Price Volatility: As per Air Asia case study the share price of Air Asia has been volatile. Exhibit 5: Case Study Airline Price on 3Dec 2007 US$ Price on 11 Jan 2008 US$ Share Price Change Air Asia 0.52 0.43 -16% Period of Change in Share Price: In a very short term of a period share price of Air Asia goes down by -16% in a period of 1 month and 1 week this is extreme change in share price so this is the sign of high volatility in share price. Air Asia Volatility from 2005-2009 (Chart -1) 3.2. Possible reasons for this volatility: There are lots of reasons for share volatility here in our case study of Air Asia. We have calculated on the basis of each year that volatility graph of Air Asia shown above. Latest Information in Stock Market: Investing on share price needs lots of information about companys present situation. Investor always invests their money if they saw the potential of getting good return from that investment. So information plays vital role to attract the investors. |Market adjusts the prices up or down depending on the way the market interprets that the information will affect the companys future earnings ability. In Air Asia case study in November 2004 they listed in Malaysia Stock Exchange that air Asia is going to purchase 175-aircrft airbus A320-200 to replace Boeing 737-300s because A320-200 more fuel efficient. This information attracts the investors to invest their money because market interprets that this will affect the companys future earnings ability. We can see in chart-1 in 2005 how share price go up by +0.63% so it shows the latest information has direct impact on share price volatility. Uncertainty: Future is always uncertain some decision is made on the basis of future predictions. Investors are always keen on the past experience, current performance and future expectations of the company. Uncertainty is a major barrier for investor to make their mind to invest in share market. What exactly had happened in the Air Asia, in 2006 they choose to enter in to a domestic-route rationalising arrangement with MAS. Under this contract Air Asia took over more than two-thirds of MASs loss making routes assuming they can make profit from it as they are the LCC but this decision turns wrong because of uncertainty which is clear in chrat-1 that companys share price goes down by -5.03% . Psychological Issues on Stock Prices: Human behaviour is one of the important factor that affect the share price of the company how investor think about the company will determine whether to invest in it or not. Entering the British tycoon, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group Sir Richard Branson with 20% stake in Air Asia X in 2007. Expansion of business with Sir Richard Branson attracts the large numbers of investors in the company because psychology of people believes the successful image of Richard Branson which as a result there is hike of share price by +6.62% in the year 2007. Inflation: The overall general upward price movement of goods and services in an economy, usually as measured by the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index. Over time, as the cost of goods and services increase, the value of money is going to fall because a person wont be able to purchase as much with that money as they previously could. Inflation is also one of the factors that affects the share price and leads to share volatility. As from the case study fuel cost had a significant impact on Air Asia, as it was the recession time occurs during the year 2008 were the international oil price reached at the high of about US $150 per barrel. So it was very costly for the airlines to purchase fuel at that high price which leads to increase the price of the tickets. As it was the recession time customers also could not afford the increased price plane fare so they used the alternatives way. Where there is less numbers of customers airline industries had lost Billions of dollars due to that occurrence. So inflation affected the share prices a lot. Although Air Asia tried to cover its operational cost by hedging, buying fuel-efficient airbus A320-200 and cutting fuel consumption by nearly and doubled the number of landing that we get from the tyre. They were not able to sustain on the same price of tickets. As per exhibit 6: case study. Following are the calculation: Fuel and oil ratio = fuel and oil cost à · Revenue (2008) Fuel and oil ratio= 74164.88à ·146731.5 (2008) Fuel and oil ratio= 50.5% (2007) Fuel and oil ratio= 44488.62à ·111346.3 (2007) Fuel and oil ratio= 40.0% Ά% = Current year ratio-base year ratio à · Base year ratio Ά% = 50.5-40.0 à · 40.0 Ά% = 26.25% So cost of the fuel increased by 26.25% due to hike in oil price in 2008 the cause of inflation has direct impact on companys net profit ratio if net profit is going to decrease so investor dont want to invest their money in non profit company. See chart-1 due to inflation the share price decreased by-45.34% in 2008. Demand and Supply: It is another important factor that affects the share price. Demand is willingness and ability to pay where as supply depends on the market demand and suppliers ability. When demand is high supply is less and vice versa and when demand is high price of the product is also high and is low. In case of AirAsia recession caused its demand per share down in 2008, entering of British tycoon Richard Branson increased the demand of share because of investors psychological beliefs. Restructuring of the no-frills, low cost in Asia increased the numbers of customers travelling with Air Asia which gives the US$6 million of profit December 2002 which obviously rise of demand of share which leads to increased in share price. Economic Strength of Market and Peers: Doing business in current market everyone should know the market strengthens and the competitors of the business without considering these things it is impossible to do business. The economic strength of the peers heavily affected the share price of the company. The strong competitor of the Air Asia is MAS, as it is national carrier of Malaysia. To promote healthy competition in 2006 Malaysian government brought MAS and AIRASIA together then government starts with route rationalisation of MAS where Air Asia took 96 loss making routes of MAS while these routes were operated by MAS government used to provide subsidies for the fuel cost. This is totally unfair competition which leads share price down of Air Asia in 2006 you can see in chart 1. In 2008 MAS come up with the unaccepted everyday low fare Campion .It received an over whelming response which was funded by the government it was totally win-win position for MAS and that caused negative impact on Air Asia in 2008 which is clear from chart-1. 4. Definition of Marketing Strategy: A marketing strategy is a process or model to allow a company or organization to focus limited resources on the best opportunities to increase sales and thereby achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. 4.1. Porter generic strategies: Strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength. Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firms sustainable competitive advantage. The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes. These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow. Product differentiation (broad) Cost leadership (broad) Market segmentation (narrow) (Chart-2) 4.2. Mareketing Strategy of Air Asia: After the restructured of the airline, the foundation is based on Low Cost and Strong Cash Flow,strategy is based on Low fare and service so goal is obviousely on high margin and sustainable growth and vision is continue to be LOWEST cost. So you can see they are totaly focusing on the Low cost Low Pricing so they getting strong cash flow sustainable growth. So they are following porters generic strategy. Their strategic scope is referring to market penetration and while strategic strength refers to the firms sustainable competitive advantage. (On the basis of chart-2) Product differentiation: Air Asia was the first airline operator in Asia to adopt with the low-fare, no-frills concept. It also becomes the regions first airline to introduce fully ticketless travel and implements free seating policy. Thats Product differentiations makes It a successful airline in the market. Cost leadership: Air Asia become the businesses that fully adopted cost leadership through operational effectiveness and efficiency. The cost advantages were enabled Air Asia to offered airfares 40% to 60% lower than those of its rivals. Some even cost less than bus fare. Even in 2008 when oil prices gone up they controlled over the cost by layered-hedge strategy to pay for fuel in advance and qualify for low price its pilots have cut fuel consumption by nearly 20%. Market Segmentation: Air Asia changes the human psychology in Asia by offering low fare and targeting middle class society. Earlier people think that only rich people can fly but then come with the No Frills, Low Cost Carrier under the tagline Now Everyone Can Fly. This whole idea captured the middle class and now no one is felling faired to fly. 4.3. Environmental Analysis of Air Asia on the basis of Porters Five Forces (Chart-3) The threat of the entry of new competitors: Air Asia is using penetration strategy under this there is always threat of the new entry exist because Air Asia is get success in the field of LCCs so now everyone want to do same business with same strategy. The intensity of competitive rivalry: Competition rivalry is currently in Air Asias favour. With price being the main battlefield of competition, Air Asia leads the way due to its low operating costs. However, there are more competitors entering the market that have major carriers as backers or owners which may lead to an unrealistic price war in the future. The threat of substitute products or services: Air Asia is domestic carrier so there is existence of substitute services are high customer can go for Bus services either for Railways or for their own transport facilities because of low distance if their services and prices are not effective. The bargaining power of customer: Today is world of Information Technology and communication everyone can find the world easily so easy availability of information and knowledge can make the bargaining power of consumer strong. E.g. customer can easily switch to other airlines by comparing the fares of different airlines. Even there are now lots competitors in LCCs so customer can easily move. The bargaining power of suppliers: For Air Asia bargaining of suppliers is major factor. In the airline industry basically there are only two major aircraft provider Boeing and Airbus. Although Air Asia is major customer of Airbus even than the bargaining power of suppliers is high due to expertise and few substitutes. 4.4. Unique Selling Proposition of Air Asia: Fernandes restructured Air Asia in 2001 , with the No Frills, Low Cost Carrier under the tagline Now Everyone Can Fly this unique selling point for Air Asia. This new business model was huge success. With this new unique selling point the company gained impressive profit. Then they come with Easy to Book, Easy to Pay Easy to Fly to encourage sale through online booking, telephone booking and through co-partner local banks and post offices. 4.5. Recommendation: Some modification in current market strategy on the bases of Marketing Mix (7Ps) to enhance Unique Selling Point. Product (service): There is a huge opportunity for Air Asia to expand its route and service and numbers of flights, they also lacking in good service in terms of flight delay. Because of it they get lots of complaints they should work on that to enhance good service Price: They are working on penetration price strategy and under this they are providing the cheapest price in the market and that is a strengths but if you see the margins per seat is very low it makes turn over high but not the net profit so they should control the operating cost to cover up that margin. So they should go with penetration. Place: Presently Air Asias putting more stress on Malaysia. Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia wherever Air Asia X only on Australia but low cost concept can also capture the market of India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh and for long haul they can go for Europe and US. Promotions: As LCCs they are moreover targeting the middle class so to keep up the sale and to enhance USP they should come up with the new promotions scheme after a certain period of time because middle class is major customer, they should know they like changes and savings in their purchasing. People: From the starting they are only providing standard-class service on board its seems they are not targeting business class so if they come up with some of its more business concerned routs with business class they must get positive response. Process: Refers to the systems used to assist the organisation in delivering the service. Process must be very easy so that customer feels comfortable and convenient and preferred again and again. Physical Evidence: Where the service is provided. Physical Evidence is factor which makes customer to make judgement on the company or service. E.g. Customer accept what he/she spent so from the starting Air Asias tag line is No Frill airline but if you provide the frills even in the low cost it makes everyone happy. My meaning for frills is good service with the outstanding staff presentation and an unexpected interior of the craft. 5. Operation Management: The collection of people knowledge, technology, and systems within an organisation that has primary responsibility for producing and providing the organizations products or services is referred to as operations. Operations management is the planning, scheduling, control and co-ordination of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. It is important because it can reduce costs, differentiate the organizations products and services and impact upon quality and therefore may increase revenue through increased customer satisfaction. (Phil Kelly 2009). This section is a process analysis to identify and prioritise current strategic operation issues and possible solution for Air Asia. 5.1. Air Asia Business Process Air Asias Operations management is focusing carefully on managing the processes to produce and distribute its services. These processes include:- Procurement:- buying various materials from suppliers and vendors Management control and coordinating functions to ensure goals are being met. Product (service):- managing the service- creation, development, distribution and sales. Quality management: important to effective operations management by continuous improvement. Inventory management:-Method like JUST-IN-TIME inventory control saves costs and improves on quicker delivery to end customers. Logistics management: focuses on the flow of services from Air Asia to its customer prioritizing on efficiency and cost effectiveness. Distribution channels. 8) Booking by mobiles is also available. 5.2. Air Asia prioritises issues: 1. Air Asia always focused on how to reduce inefficiency and make it low possible fare in the airline business: As we know they are operating penetration on market strategy to reduced costs, they even reducing the salaries and incentives of the employees, cutting down the staffs and even cutting down this facilities given to staffs and implementing the new efficient system like YMS, CRS AND ERP, which were helpful to reduced the cost but not to that extent. 2. Higher fuel cost around the world: Frequent fluctuation in fuel cost is one of the major problem for Air Asia as its emphasis on low cost their profit margin per ticket is low as price of fuel goes up they have to charge tickets price which creates negative effects in customers eyes. 3. Complain: Its because of delay in flight and even cancellation is one of the major current issues in Air Asia. 4. No maintenance, repair and overhaul: As we know they dont have their own maintenance, repair and overhaul so they have to spend on maintenance, repair and overhaul. 5. Incresing competition: At present competition in the airline industries growing day by day many full service airlines start cut costs to compete and new entry of LCC. 6. Aviation regulation and government policy: Changing rules and regulation in aviation industry and government policies is also one of the issues that Air Asia facing today. 7. Easy to buy, easy pay and easy to fly: In Malaysia Air Asia company was the first internet ticket seller airlines company. They are offering Easy to Book, Easy to Pay Easy to Fly system for their customers. So customers are easily paying and booking their ticket by online 5.3. Possible solutions 1. Cost control: As we know cost is one of the main possible solutions that can save any organisation from loss and compete in the competitive market. Air Asia can save their cost by starting their own maintenance and repair wing and overhaul routes. 2. Implementing the APS system: Implementation of APS system will provide several new functions to Air Asia. The followings are several APS functions that can help Air Asia in increasing its performance: APS system will help Air Asia in assessing suppliers performance and providing the capability to streamline monitoring process. (Aberdeen Group, 2004). Supplier portal will provide information hub for airlines and their suppliers to prevent errors happened during operational activities such as order processing (Aberdeen Group, 2004) These functions enable airlines and aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers to have collaboration strategy in managing inventory (e.g. spare parts), maintenance schedule, and design collaboration. Route profitability analysis tools enable airline companies to conduct analysis for planning efficient routes. 3. Outsourcing: Air Asia can use outsourcing strategy to be a lowest carrier in airline industry. If they can implement outsourcing strategy then they will get some benefits like, Cost benefits It will reduce risk. Outsourcing can give competitive advantage in Air Asia. Air Asia can reduce cost for IT. 4. Expansion of Air Asia business: As Air Asia is focusing on middle class people its expansion towards Indian and China has potential to gather the huge success. We know the population of Asian middle class are rising very fast. So it is a great opportunity for LCC cost airlines including Air Asia to expand their business in Asia. 6. Conclusion As we know Air Asia is a leading low fare airline in Asia. Its low cost attracts more and more customers and its market value and has increased its revenue. But knowing it from near its share price is volatile so management should focused on sustainable development with utilising marketing mix as we discussed above and should focused on customers as customers are key point for the companys success. Only low cost will not sufficient to survive in the competitive market. Providing good services like as they are saying easy to book, easy to buy and easy to fly but it is not always the facts as they are getting complains of delaying flight and even cancellation which makes bad reputation in the eyes of customers. Thats why they need to operates APS systems to overcome such a problems.