Free Admissions Essays: This Beautiful Life :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

This Beautiful Life    " We go AIDS unit now." These words were spoken in fragmented English by a tiny Thai woman dressed in a crisp white nurse's uniform, complete with a stiff little hat perched on top of her overly styled black hair, teased and sprayed to perfection. I looked down at the nurse, somewhat startled. I certainly had not expected to be permitted to see into the gruesome reality of taboo Thai culture.    I had come to Lampang, Northern Thailand with nine other American students on my first of several community service programs to the country. By the time we reached the Kanyalyani hospital, we had already experienced our fair share of encounters with the peculiarities of the Thai people and their constant struggle "to keep face" for their country in the eyes of these young farangs (foreigners). Perhaps the reason the Lampang Kanyalyani hospital proved different was because they recognized the hospital lacking in superficial beauty to show off, I reflected, as I glanced at the peeling white walls of the hall, mold formations prospering in the damp corners, and then over to the disarray of rickety wooden chairs cluttered in the center of the cramped room full of sickly people, many of whom would not be treated for hours. "This OK?" confirmed the little nurse. I looked over to my friend, Alex, who was furiously nibbling on his fingernails, a sure sign that he too was nervous. We both nod ded with false enthusiasm, plastering huge fabricated grins across our faces, a habit that we had acquired since arriving; a method for concealing emotion. I took Alex's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as we turned to follow our guide across a courtyard overrun with weeds and cluttered with piles of rocks, into a separate building. The sagging roof and high windows, splattered with mud, ( a far cry from the Four Seasons) was not a place I would want to wait to die. I took a deep breath, trembling with both fear and anticipation, and walked through the door that Alex held for me.      When I first scanned the room, it was as if with selective vision. I saw things, but not the people to which they were attached. The high metal beds, the IV drops, the rasping respirator impacted me. I moved in closer, hoping to overcome my reservations.

The role of Marketing as being an ‘Initiator’ in identifying, evaluating, recommending and implementing overall retailing strategy

We suggest that marketing, along with Finance, Operation, Human Resource management, Property and System are functions that all contribute to the overall retail strategy. We would develop a strategic marketing plan that will identify customer's based opportunities. The central thrust is to positioning of the company in term of its Merchandise, Services and trading environment offer such that it is clearly recognizable by the customer group to which it is directed/targeted. At the same time, the fundamental requirements of the company can be identified and established as a performance requirements which need to be meet and the critical success factor can then form a planning structure for the company strategy decision. CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS 1. Increase sales revenue in real terms. 2. Increase gross profit in real term 3. Containing operation costs throughout the business 4. Increase the productivity of physical & human assets 5. Adding value to the customer offer 6. KEY VARIABLES. Key Variables. 1. Merchandise selection reflects customer requirement for choice, quality, exclusivity etc. 2. Co-ordinate merchandise ranges. Merchandise availability in stores and distribution centers. 3. Merchandise reorder/replenishment 4. Pricing/price competitiveness. 5. Customer perception of total Retail offer. 6. Provision of sales data. 7. Merchandise spaces planning & control. 8. Improve sales forecasting. 9. Research customer expectation. 10. Monitor customer responses, attitude and perceptions of competitive offers. Marketing Activities 1. Increase awareness of the ‘offer' among existing customers and potential customers—create positioning strategy. 2. Increase number of customer visits 3. Influence percentage of visiting customers to buy, 4. Increase size of purchase (buy more) 5. Increase range of purchase 6. Influence those who buy to return regularly and more frequently

Nintendo Case Study

Case Analysis Part 1 Introduction Case 7 of the textbook titled Essentials of Strategic Management looked at the video game pioneer Nintendo. The title of the case is Nintendo's Strategy in 2009: The Ongoing Battle with Microsoft and Sony and was written by Lou Marino and Sally Sarrett. The case begins by describing how Nintendo faced serious competition from Sony and Microsoft in the video game market. As Sony had created the Playstation and Microsoft came out with the Xbox, Nintendo had taken a backseat in terms of new video game consoles.Through the years however, Nintendo had created many popular devices used for gaming such as the Nintendo 64 and numerous versions of the DS. As Nintendo prepared to release the Wii game system, many said that it lacked the graphics and user experience that their rivals had and it appeared as though it would be a market flop. To the surprise of many critics and competing companies, the Wii was a huge success setting records for total sales.Current ly Nintendo is seeing reduced demand and reduced sales due to the recession but they continue to release new features and games and analysts say that â€Å"the only limitations of the system were the limitations of the designer and the user-leading most to believer they considered the possibilities endless† ( ). Nintendo's Strategy In it's early years, Nintendo's strategy was to bring video game experience most commonly found in public venues such as the Donkey Kong arcade game into the users home.This differentiation strategy proved highly successful for Nintendo as they were the first to give the user an affordable gaming console with many different games available for the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES. This continued with the release of numerous versions of the Game Boy and Nintendo DS as users could take their games with them anywhere they went which was unheard of from rivals such as Sony and Microsoft at the time. As competition grew with Sony, Sega, and Microsof t, Nintendo's strategy seemed to move towards a cost strategy. They began creating onsoles such as the GameCube to compete with disk operated consoles by their competitors but at a cheaper price. This move turned out to be unsuccessful for a number of reasons, the main one being their lack of graphic capabilities. From here Nintendo began differentiating themselves again. Nintendo set out to design a console that would revolutionize the way people played games and the Wii was born. People that had never played video games before such as women and the elderly could now find games suited for them that were easy to understand and fun to play.Users could play games that got them up and moving to promote a healthier lifestyle as well as interact with others. For Nintendo to be successful in the future, this differentiation strategy appears to be the best route to follow. Strategic Leadership The strategic leadership surrounding the Nintendo organization appears to be ahead of their time in some aspects. Although they are not coming out with consoles directly aimed at competing with that of Sony and Microsoft, they are however releasing cutting edge technologies into their products.From the dual screen on the DS which allows users to sync up with others to play head to head to the Wii with a Bluetooth activated controller, Nintendo is constantly changing the video game industry. The marketers at Nintendo understood that â€Å"too many powerful consoles can't coexist† because they would eventually lead to their own collapse ( 375 ). By creating something completely new for users that rivals aren't reaching, Nintendo was able to gain control of a relatively untouched market segment. Nintendo is known for its differentiation from the normal gaming systems and this attracts a completely different crowd than Sony and Microsoft.Stakeholders in the Nintendo company know this and this is what ultimately attracts them to their organization just as the stakeholders for Sony or Microsoft are attracted to the strategies of competing to be the best in terms of graphics and realistic gaming experience. If Nintendo was to change and try to compete on the same levels as Sony and Microsoft, they would more than likely lose many of their investors because this differentiation is what keeps Nintendo ranking among the top gaming companies.

Love in the Time Essay

The actions of human nature with regards to sexual drive and concepts of love are not easily explained using only conventional conceptual studies such as Evolutionary Sociology. For instance it is some how difficult to explain human behaviors such as celibacy, homosexuality, and adoption from these aspects. However, the evolutionary process is used to describe how humans came into being by a process of change over a substantial period of time. In this case, some human actions is viewed as direct results of certain behavioral evolution, which makes use of thorough studies of other primates and many other animals in the animal kingdom, with the aim of discovering linking keys to unlock some behaviors. On the other hand, some of the strongest concepts can be linked to Evolutionary Sociobiology where the evolutionary past of humans is a vital tool for the explanation of their present actions. Additionally, all concepts that humans act upon, not easily explained with evolution in today’s world, can be shown to be results of the interactions of an information pattern, held in each individual’s memory and which is capable of being passed to that of another individual. Thus, these ideas can be stored biochemically in human brains, but also can be transmitted in visually or orally, in writing, music, or TV for example. These facts are fundamental to the views of this paper, which is a stringent account aimed at exposing the influences of two seemingly dicey elements of human interactions, namely; love and lust. This paper presents its views with vital emphasis on the lessons inherent in two of Scott Fitzgerald’s publications; that is ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Offshore Pirate’, as well as other vital resources which were consulted during this research. Introduction. Love can be defined as a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection. It can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, including pleasure (for example, one can be in love with a substance such as fashion, life style, car and so on) and in interpersonal attraction (such as falling in love with someone). The circumstance in which one falls in love with a particular entity can some times be strange. An instance of this is found in the fiction story ‘The Offshore Pirate’, in which one the characters (Ardita) fell in love with a stranger whom she met under an unforeseen circumstance, thus she didn’t hesitate to confess her feeling to him (Fitzgerald 29). Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what isn’t love. As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like), love is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy); as a less sexual and more emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, although other definitions of the word love may be applied to close friendships in certain contexts. On the other hand, lust is a shallow type of love known as Eros. Recent critics have tended to prefer desire or Eros over love not only because of the latter word’s association with sentiment but also because an earlier generation of Shakespeare scholars identified it with a state in which characters rise above the trammeling conditions of social, political, and economic relations (Schalkwyk 76). Thus, Lust is merely a variation of consciousness’s project to become its own foundation, a project that necessarily fails. How Can Love Be Identified? Love between humans can be identified in many ways, but the most common way is that it connotes a sense of steady friendship and faithfulness as well as the spirit of forgiveness even in the face of faithfulness. Just like the couple (Tom and Daisy) in Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ forgave each other’s flaws. Love is a subset of desires of which sexual acts such as kissing is an integral part. So it is not strange for one to develop such desires at first sight of what he or she wants or would love to have. Thus, the case of the nineteen year old ‘Ardita’ expressing her feelings for the young stranger she met (Fitzgerald 30). Love tends to bring together things that would naturally be in diversity, forcing these to rather identify what they have in common (Fitzgerald 23). Hence, it is a gateway to romantic relationships. A romantic relationship is an important part of many people’s lives, but not the whole. Balance is about understanding where your relationship fits into the life you have. A person who’s working 80 hours a week may genuinely not have time or energy for any kind of relationship at all. A person who’s raising children must consider their needs as well as his or her own. Emotional honesty (starting with that first time you confess love) isn’t achieved simply or quickly. It takes work, work that will go on for the rest of your relationship, both with yourself and with your partner. It also brings deep rewards in the form of closeness and trust. Signs of healthy relationships include being open to change, to the process of facing and accepting uncomfortable emotions. More than any other part of a relationship, the work of emotional honesty is founded in love. It takes a leap of faith to drop your defenses and trust your partner with the feelings, thoughts, dreams, ideas and words that are most essentially yours. Human Actions mentored by Love. Responsibility; this act includes having the time to devote to the physical capacity to carry out certain tasks. This requires a lot of time and sacrifice from all parties involved. Time, more often than not, is something that gets in the way of being able to devote oneself. Commitment; this involves boycotting all nefarious acts such as unfaithfulness, which tends to breach the contract instituted by love. Achieving Goals; this includes the ultimate goal of mastering the art of love as well as all the stepping stones along the way. Staying focused on the present is important, yet without an idea of where one is heading it’s easy to get lost. Confidence; love serves as an instrument that bestows confidence among it participants Patience; hand-in-hand with confidence, patience is needed to persevere through the low points. If martial arts were easy, everyone would do it. The same goes for love. Truly opening yourself to another, being vulnerable, and accepting the other unconditionally takes a lot of effort. It is a common misconception that â€Å"love should just come naturally. † Persistence; working closely with confidence, persistence requires having faith in the process of learning. That even though you don’t get it all now, if you keep at it, eventually you will. Action that Depicts Lust. Lust is a physical emotion that humans act upon in the heat of the moment. Yet few would fall in love with someone who didn’t turn them on, and that can lead to problems. Here are some tips to identify lust; †¢ If one only want to be with another person just to have sex, it’s lust. †¢ If one tries to describe his or her friend and can only talk about physical appearance and body parts, that’s lust. †¢ If a person doesn’t call or converse with the other party except when he or she wants physical pleasure, that’s lust. †¢ If one lies to someone in order to get into bed with him or her, that’s lust. It’s possible for an affair based purely on lust to develop into a healthy relationship based on love, but it doesn’t occur often. You may be better off spending your time with someone who sees and appreciates you with clothes on. Conclusion. Real love exists between equals. Neither partner is considered inferior or superior, though different roles may be assumed. One party’s wants, needs and fears are no more or less important, though they may at times be more or less urgent, than those of the second party. Both deserve time, energy, and resources. In summary it is important to note that humans are all animals being controlled by a conscience in one form or another. Its hard to have any proof of what it is actually. However, it is some form of a soul or divine presence or just a series of memes that have dominance in our minds taking over some of our functions to insure that the meme itself is able to survive as long as possible and to reproduce itself, spreading to other minds and trying controlling them in much the same way, truly acting like a virus for the computer that is our brain. Thus, memetics may basically provide a partial answer to how love or lust mentors our behaviors, just as evolutionary sociobiology, but do these two concepts complete the picture of human behavior? Maybe there is a part to us that is non-material a spirit or such that instead of being memetics controlling us, it controls us and memetics influences that. Something has to select the memes, decide between them and there maybe something beyond our comprehension to explain this. Works Cited John Armstrong, Conditions of Love: The philosophy of Intimacy. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Diane Ackerman, A. Natural History of Love . New York: Random House, 1994. Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Offshore Pirate. Kessinger Publishing,2007. Fitzgerald, Scott F. The Great Gatsby. Schalkwyk, David. â€Å"Love and Service in Twelfth Night and the Sonnets. †Byline56(2005) p76.

Biological Effects on Hunger and Satiation

There Is a theory called duel control theory that assumes that the feeling of hunger and satiation are controlled by two parts of the hypothalamus the lateral hypothalamus and the venturesome hypothalamus. It is stated that the venturesome hypothalamus Is triggered by an Increase In the glucose levels during eating, It then gives out the feeling of satiation (fullness) causing a person to stop eating. Whereas the decline In glucose level triggers the lateral hypothalamus which then gives out the feeling of hunger making the Individual want to eat.This theory Is backed by a study conducted by Withering and ransom (1942) who found that after creating lesions (damage) In a rats VIM they found that the rate become obese and overate, thus showing the rat sots its feeling of satiety and had no holds on how much to eat. Another study done by And and broke (1 951 ) showed that when the LA in rats was damaged or had a lesion it led to the loss of eating in the rat. The problem with these stud ies is that they are conducted on rats which begs the question are whether you can extrapolate the findings and generalist them on humans.Although they are found to have a similar gene structure to humans, we are still two very different species and humans are a far more complex organism, with mood, feelings etc. Also both the studies are very old which questions there reliability, with far less knowledge about the brain in 1950 the study could have been effected by other factors for example causing lesions in the VIM tends to also damage the parenthetical nucleus which is another area of the hypothalamus.Withering & Ransom did not take this into account which has effectively caused a loss in the reliability of their study. Not only this but Gold (1973) found that lesions in the VIM alone did not cause hyperplasia and stated that t is likely that damage done to the parenthetical nuclease ( the area were Withering and ransom caused damage) helps to cause hyperplasia, but there is one problem with Gold study and its that it has never been replicated and research has been found that shows that lesions in the Vim does cause overeating.The duel control theory is a very reductionism theory as it assumes that the sole control of eating and feelings of hunger and satiety are biological and does not take Into inconsideration environmental and emotional factors on why people have such eating characteristics. It is also quite determinist In the way that it says the all control Is biological meaning we individually have no control In It and that Is Is programmed and that we have no say In the matter, which Is seen In everyday life to be Incorrect as you see people going through life changes who's eating characteristics completely change.Another theory Is that gherkin (a hormone given off by the stomach) triggers he hypothalamus to stimulate the sensation of hunger. Cummings (et al) did a studios 6 participants and monitored there gherkin levels during after and before eat ing throughout the day. She found that people's gherkin levels fell straight after rose and peaked at the feeling of hunger. She concluded that gherkin levels directly affected the level of hunger a person was feeling and reflected the emptiness of their stomach. The study was highly flawed as it had a lot of methodological issues.Firstly he study was carried out on 6 male participants meaning we cannot extrapolate the findings to the general public and only to men. Another problem is that it is a very artificial environment which could of effected the participants behavior and caused nervousness or anxiety which could have effected results as they were being monitored. Lastly the study is a correlation one meaning we can conclude cause and effect. However this story does coincide and supports findings from previous research on gherkin.

American Revolution vs. French Revolution

American Revolution vs. French Revolution From studying and learning about both revolutions, I guess you could say they had their similarities; they both had good intentions did they not? Both the Americans and the French people hungered for a new way of life, change is what they wanted. Change is indeed what they received. The American Revolution, to me, seemed more organized and well handled than the French Revolution. The Americans were tired of being under the British’s control, especially when the British tried forcing the American colonies to pay for the British army’s expenses in defending the colonists during the Seven Year War.The attempt to raise new taxes by the Stamp Act in 1765 led to riots and the law’s rapid appeal. The colonist disagreed with the British beliefs, that a single empire with Parliament as the supreme authority. The colonists were more comfortable with neither the king or Parliament interfering with their internal affairs and that no tax could be levied wit hout the consent of the people or their chosen representatives. The American colonists felt in 1776 that it was time to separate themselves from the Britain’s control.On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress released a declaration written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence, a page of parchment, had started the war for American Independence. The Second Continental Congress then authorized the formation of the Continental Army under George Washington’s command. Washington was the best choice for the job because he had political experience and military experience in the French and Indian War. The French were eager to gain revenge for earlier defeats from the British, so they supplied weapons and money to the American colonies at the beginning of the war.Some French officers even fought along the Americans side against the British. I think at the time, this was the best alternative for the 13 American colonies. They achieved their independence as the United States of America; put together the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It seemed to have worked out for them at the time. The main cause of the French Revolution was the differences between the three social classes that existed in France at that time. There was a severe amount of injustice in the tax system.The third estate paid the highest taxes, while the first estate was exempted from paying the French chiefs taxes (taille). The second estate was excused from paying any and all taxes. The rent for the Third Estate was raised. Consumer prices rose faster than wages, enabling peoples economic ability to pay. Although the third estate made up most of the population of France, it owned less land than the first and second estate. An immediate cause of the French revolution was the near collapse of the government finances.French governmental expenditures continued to grow due to costly wars and royal extravagances. On the verge of complete financial collapse, the government called a meeting of the Estates-General. The Estates disagreed with how the Third Estate wanted to vote, therefore, the Third Estate voted to constitute itself a national assembly and decided to draw up a constitution. The results to this was finding themselves locked out of the usual meeting place, so they made the Tennis Court Oath that they would continue to meet until they produced a French constitution.These actions by the third estate were said to be the first step into the French Revolution. The king sided with the first and second estate but the common people came together with many uprisings in the summer of 1789, one in particular was the Fall of Bastille, an attack on a royal armory, which had also been a state prison. The National Assembly voted to abolish seigniorial rights as well as the fiscal privileges of nobles, clergy, towns, and provinces.On August 26, 1789, the assembly provided the ideological foundation for its actions and an educational device for the nation by adopting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. The king refused the decrees on abolition of feudalism and the Declaration of Rights, but after some Parisian women threatened the royal family, King Lou is XVI changed his mind. By 1791, the National Assembly completed a new constitution that established a limited constitutional monarchy. There was still a monarch: king of the French, but he enjoyed few powers not subject to review by the new Legislature Assembly.The Legislature Assembly would sit for two years; consist of 745 representatives chosen by an indirect system of election. The king attempted to flee, but was captured and brought back to Paris. Surrounding countries feared that the French behavior and rebellion would spread to their land, so those leaders planned to force the reestablishment of the monarchy authority in France. This just brought on more fire to the French. The political groups in Paris rose against the king and the Legislature Assembly.They organized a mob attack on the royal palace, took the king captive, and forced the assembly to suspend the monarchy and call for a national convention to decide on the future form of government. The first step the Convention took was to abolish the monarch and establish republic. They also passed a decree condemning Louis XVI to death. A nation in arms was put together, very quickly. It was a â€Å"people’s† war, the entire nation was involved in the war. I’m not even sure where or when the French Revolution ends, its ever-lasting it seems.

Macroeconomics - Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macroeconomics - Economic Growth - Essay Example Most of the regional developments have been caused by local and international investments. Research has placed China among the top countries with increased industrial developments. Economic leaders have ensured friendly policies so that investors can start businesses in local areas. Finance has also been offered to local investors with business ideas through the sale of bonds by local governments. The regions act as economic blocks where production and trade is regulated (China Central Television 2014). Free trade and a large capital and human resource have contributed to most of the economic developments in China. Industries in these regions range from electronic companies to designer clothing firms. They provide job to locals leading to middle and upper class lifestyles. China’s high population has been advantageous in the provision of local markets (China Central Television 2014). Most of the produced goods are sold locally while the national government invests in exports as a source of income. Reliance on internal sources of raw materials has also enhanced the country’s economic stability because economic meltdowns in other countries do not cause a chain reaction. Despite its high population, presence of skilled labor and investment programs has led to job creations leading to better lifestyles that are a sign of economic development. China Central Television. (2014, May 29). China pursuing coordinated regional economic development - CCTV News - CCTV.com English. China pursuing coordinated regional economic development - CCTV News - CCTV.com English. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from