Schizophrenia - A Genetic and Environmental Review - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2739 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/07/31 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Tags: Schizophrenia Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Schizophrenia is defined as a severe brain disorder characterized by disturbances of thoughts, perceptions, volition, and cognition, which affects about 1% of the world population today (Ozawa et al., 2006, p. 546). The disorder can be incapacitating to those who live with it and prevent normal societal function. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Schizophrenia A Genetic and Environmental Review" essay for you Create order Despite its frequency in the population, scientists and medical professionals still struggle to find a conclusive explanation for why some develop schizophrenia. This may be in part due to its ties to both environmental and genetic factors. Throughout the literature there are extensive hypotheses on what the contributing factors to development of the disorder are, but a consensus remains that no one factor defines susceptibility. Environmentally, Adult onset of schizophrenia seems to be linked to neonatal care. Maternal viral infection (Ozawa et al., 2006) as well as maternal vitamin D deficiency from improper diet and sunlight intake (Pluta, 2010) leads to small but significant increases in offspring disorder development. Genetic pre-disposition is also a well-known factor to be considered. Currently well researched, disruption of dopaminergic pathways in schizophrenic patients are becoming more prevalent as it seems to play a crucial role in symptomology of the disorder. More speci fically, abnormal dopamine function appears to give rise to much of the positive symptoms (psychosis) (Abi-Dargham et al., 2000). In addition to the factors that increase likelihood of development, treatment is heavily discussed in the literature. Medication is a crucial baseline component to treatment as it can keep patients functional, so that other psychosocial therapies can occur. Unfortunately, the symptomology that demands medication also prevents approximately 50% of patients from maintaining a regimen. Increased numbers of environmental treatments are being researched to rectify this (Velligan et al., 2008). Schizophrenia is generally a hard disease to measure because its symptoms vary widely across the population. The 2 domains that most of the symptoms fit within are positive are negative. Positive symptoms are analyzed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. This scale accurately places how severe a patients symptoms (psychosis, delusions, etc.) are and detects changes over time. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) rates how severely a patient presents in the 5 categories on th e scale. (Lindenmayer, Harvey, Khan, Kirkpatrick, (2007). Unfortunate limitations to these measurement scales are that patients frequently go on and off medications making it hard to monitor improvement in symptoms over time. Also, patients can cross lines from one subtype to another as well as more minor subtypes, making categorization difficult. Genetic Studies The effect of dopamine on Schizophrenia has recently begun to be heavily investigated in the scientific community. Dopamine receptors, specifically D2 appear to be a probable contributing factor to the classic symptoms of Schizophrenia. The receptor availability of dopamine was measured in patients at the standard level as well as after drug administration to reduce available dopamine in 36 subjects. 18 of these subjects were Schizophrenic patients and the other 18 were matched controls. The dopamine receptor availability in each subject was measured with single-photon computerized emission tomography (SPECT) and the drug administered to reduce dopamine concentration was ? ±-methyl-para-tyrosine (? ±-MPT). Upon the first initial analysis, no significant difference in standard dopamine receptor availability was noted between the Schizophrenic and control subjects. However, after a decrease in available dopamine, significant results arose (Abi-Dargham et al., 2000). Upon depletion of dopamine with ? ±-MPT, there was a significant increase in receptor availability in both Schizophrenic patient s and control subjects. This is an intuitive explanation as a decrease in dopamine would trick the brain into believing it needs more receptors to reach its normal level of dopamine binding. However, the increase in dopamine receptor availability was significantly higher in patients with Schizophrenia (19% ? ± 11%) compared to the control subjects (9% ? ± 7%) after the drug treatment. This data is illustrated below (Figure 1). Through this data it can be deduced that if much of the dopamine was reduced by ? ±-MPT, then there would be a difference of 8% ? ± 6%, compared to 15% ? ± 7% of D2 receptors filled in the control vs. Schizophrenic patients, respectively. This data provides significant evidence that contributes to the literature on dopamine involvement with Schizophrenic symptomology. Dopamine appears to be highly involved with the D2 receptor in patients with Schizophrenia, but not as much in the normal population (Abi-Dargham et al., 2000). In addition to dopaminergic activity, other underlying molecular mechanisms may also play a role in schizophrenia development. Microarray technology was utilized to examine gene expression patterns in 24 schizophrenic or control patients. This technology can pinpoint differential gene expression patterns, and the underlying molecular mechanisms can then be examined. Experimental analysis was conducted on subjects diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and controls, all of whom died from natural causes. After death the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the subjects was dissected into ~0.5cm tissue cubes. In the 89 genes that showed differential expression patterns in schizophrenic vs. control subjects, a categorical pattern emerged. The majority of these genes were involved in mechanism of signal transduction, neurotransmission, neuronal development, synaptic plasticity, and most prominently myelination (Hakak et al., 2001). Of these 5 categories, all but myelination appear to have an i ncrease in gene expression compared to the control. Although not conclusively followed up with, this data indicates that multiple, if not all these genes may play a role in the symptomology of schizophrenia. The downregulation of the myelination genes plays a role in this theory, as the 5 genes in this category all aid in formation of oligodendrocytes. Commonly known, oligodendrocytes produce myelin in the central nervous system. The primary function of myelin is to aid in cell signaling and protect neurons. With deficient production, this can cause significant changes in brain circuitry. In addition, the authors noted that in humans, myelin production by oligodendrocytes within the region examined (prefrontal cortex) begins to occur from late adolescence to early adulthood. This coincides with the period that both men and women begin to report symptoms of schizophrenia development. The conclusion can be drawn that this deficiency may go unnoticed for much of the early stages of lif e, but as myelin production begins this could be a tipping point for disease onset (Hakak et al., 2001). In addition to disruptions in neurological pathways, specific gene loci have begun to be implicated in risk for schizophrenia development. Over 100 of these loci have now been located, however this research remains generally fragmented (Harrison, 2015). This has remained the case because no one aberrant gene can be directly correlated to schizophrenia development. It has been maintained in the literature that multiple aspects of genetic predisposition linked to specific environmental triggers must be connected to lead to a schizophrenia diagnosis. Previous human and animal studies have linked the DISC1 gene to mental illness and schizophrenic phenotype. This gene is involved in numerous activities, making it hard to decipher which aspect of its disfunction may lead to this symptomology. A shortened DISC1 transgene from a human source was inserted under the ? ±CaMKII promoter in C57BL/6 mice. Expression of this gene leads to dominant negative phenotype. Two lines of transgene mice w ere created and compared to one wildtype line. The ? ±CaMKII promoter was chosen specifically because of its role in gene expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. From 3-8 months of age several behavioral analyses exams and in vivo MRI scans were conducted to survey a wide variety of characteristics in the tg C57BL/6 mice (Hikida et al., 2007). A staple phenotype in a large percentage of schizophrenic patients is abnormal sizing of the lateral ventricles. In vivo MRI scanning of tg line 10 at 6 weeks and 3 months showed significantly larger left lateral ventricles compared to wildtype. In the same line, the ratio between left and right ventricles as well as lateral ventricles to whole brain volume was shown to be larger in tg compared to wildtype, however, this only became significant at 3 months of age. (Figure 2). Behavioral analyses also showed that tg mice had lower pre-pulse inhibition (a measure of cerebral cortex sensorimotor gating) and increased hyperactivity compared to wildtype. These are common characteristics in schizophrenic patients, however other common characteristics such as anxiety, impaired motor coordination, and working memory were not affected (Hikida et al., 2007). Inserting a shortened DISC1 transgene into C57BL/6 mice resulted in tg mice lines that demonstrated significant pathogenic and behavioral traits seen in patients of schizophrenia. This does well to contribute to the present literature that the DISC1 is implicated in some aspects of schizophrenic symptomology and development. Because this transgene came from a human source this gives a strong external validity for generalization to the human population, but as always there may be limitations such as the way this pathology and behavior may shift after years of medical treatment or psychological therapy (Hikida et al., 2007). Environmental Studies Schizophrenia is strongly theorized to be linked to both genetic and environmental causes. A well-known environmental factor that could lead to fetal development of schizophrenia is maternal contraction of viral infection. Evidence from previous studies provided evidence to suggest that maternal viral infection during developmental stages in pregnancy lead to higher rates of fetal schizophrenic development. This viral infection appears to be non-specific as research has been done on influenza, polio, rubella, and measles may all have the same effect. This information led researchers to believe that maternal immune response, particularly inflammatory cytokines, may affecting fetal neurological development rather than the viral infection itself. To simulate this environmental factor in schizophrenic development, double-stranded RNA polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid (poly I:C) was utilized. This method was used to replicate a viral infection because it causes a non-disease specific immune reaction. BALB/c mice were bred in the lab and from 2-weeks to 3-weeks post copulation pregnant females were injected with the RNA daily (Ozawa et al., 2006). To measure if the offspring of the poly I:C injected mothers demonstrated characteristics comparable to Schizophrenia, 3 criteria were measured. These were maturational delay, damage to dopaminergic systems, and cognitive impairment. Along with cognitive impairment, the effects of two common anti-psychotic drugs on this were measured. These drugs were clozapine and haloperidol. After in jection the pregnant mothers were observed to gain less weight than expected as well as produce a lower number of pups. The offspring of these mice were measured to have significantly damaged dopaminergic systems as well as cognitive impairment only after maturing into adults. Clozapine and haloperidol also helped to curb the symptoms of the cognitive impairment (Ozawa et al., 2006). This is a very useful animal model for understanding the association between gestational viral infection and offspring schizophrenia risk, however limitations apply to a comparison to a human model. The most significant limitation being that it is still not conclusively known at what stages of pregnancy an infection has the most risk on the fetus. This may skew data that could be obtained in a human study because women may be less inclined to report or remember a viral infection in early stages of pregnancy as they may not realize the effect it has on a fetus that is not showing yet. Interestingly, while the immune system is more susceptible to contracting viruses in colder months like winter and spring, this is also the time of year that vitamin D deficiencies are also most common. This time of year, also coincides with significantly more babies born that will develop Schizophrenia in adulthood. The most direct way to gain vitamin D is through the skin being exposed to sunlight. Thi s obviously becomes less feasible in the winter. Through the processing of vitamin D in the human body, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) is produced. Infant blood samples from the Newborn Screening Biobank were analyzed for concentrations of (25[OH]D3). 424 Danish, schizophrenic and control matched pairs were used (Pluta, 2010). The data indicated a significant variation in the amount of 25[OH]D3 present in newborn blood throughout different months of the year. There was also a significant association between developing Schizophrenia in adulthood and the amount of 25[OH]D3 present in the blood at time of birth. In comparison to the fourth quintile of infants, infants with the highest 20% (first quintile) of 25[OH]D3 at time of birth had a 1.71% relative risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood, while those in the lowest 20% (fifth quintile) of 25[OH]D3 at time of birth had a relative risk of 2.1% in comparison to the fourth quintile. The relative risks of the development of schizophrenia in controls is shown below (Figure 3). The most interesting component of the research is that while prenatal vitamin D plays a significant role in the future development of schizophrenia, the trend is not linear. Compared to the fourth quintile both the first and fifth quintiles had a higher risk of disease development. It did appear, however, that vitamin D deficiency plays a more prominent role (Pluta, 2010). Through literature analysis it becomes apparent that both genetic and environmental factors play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia. In the realm of treatment for this disease, a multitude of drug treatments are available, some of which are argued to treat better than others (Leucht, 2009). It is also important to consider the effect of environment on drug treatment and patient care for schizophrenia in general. While schizophrenia is a disease that somewhat demands drug treatment to keep patients norma lly functional, the adherence to medication is a significant problem in the population. The symptomology that demands drug adherence also promotes patient disassociation from treatment. Three different environmental treatment approaches were taken on subjects with diagnosed schizophrenics. These treatments were full-CAT treatment, Pharm-CAT, and TAU (treatment as usual). Cognitive adaptation training (CAT) is a personalized treatment designed to promote patients maintaining a medication schedule through a specific environmental setup and organization in the home. Pharm-CAT is essentially the same, however the organization only pertains to specifically medication-related lifestyle components (Velligan et al., 2008). The initial regimens lasted for a period of 9 months and medication adherence was measured through counting of untaken pills during periodic home visits. After this time-period the CAT environments were not removed, but home visits were for another 6 months. Adherence to medication treatments was shown to be significantly higher in both Full-CAT and Pharm-CAT patients compared to usual treatment patients during all stages of the experiment. However, in the area of functional outcomes, Full-CAT patients only performed better than Pharm-CAT in the initial 9 months of the study, and only Full-CAT patients outperformed traditional patients once home-visits were removed (Velligan et al., 2008). This study provides significant data to support how helpful individualized environments can be to medication adherence and normal functioning in patients with Schizophrenia. In all cases patients with any form of CAT treatment outperformed those undergoing their usual treatment. However, this treatment did get less effective when visitors stopped checking in on the patients. This is an important distinction, as a limitation to this treatment is that it does not appear to significantly effective in promoting self-sufficiency in schizophrenic patients (Velligan et al., 2008). References Abi-Dargham, A., Rodenhiser, J., Printz, D., Zea-Ponce, Y., Gil, R., Kegeles, L., . . . Laruelle, M. (2000). Increased Baseline Occupancy of D2 Receptors by Dopamine in Schizophrenia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 97(14), 8104-8109. Hakak, Y., Walker, J., Li, C., Wong, W., Davis, K., Buxbaum, J., . . . Fienberg, A. (2001). Genome-wide expression analysis reveals dysregulation of myelination-related genes in chronic schizophrenia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America., 98(8), 4746-4751. Harrison, P. (2015). Recent genetic findings in schizophrenia and their therapeutic relevance. Journal Of Psychopharmacology, 29(2), 85-96. Hikida, T., Jaaro-Peled, H., Seshadri, S., Oishi, K., Hookway, C., Kong, D., . . . Sawa. (2007). Dominant-negative DISC1 transgenic mice display schizophrenia-associated phenotypes detected by measures translatable to humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America., 104(36), 14501-14506. Leucht, S., Komossa, K., Rummel-Kluge, C., Corves, C., Hunger, H., Schmid, F., . . . Davis, J. (2009). A Meta-Analysis of Head-to-Head Comparisons of Second-Generation Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry., 166(2), 152-163. Lindenmayer, Harvey, Khan, Kirkpatrick. (2007). Schizophrenia: Measurements of Psychopathology. Psychiatric Clinics of North America,30(3), 339-363. Ozawa, Hashimoto, Kishimoto, Shimizu, Ishikura, Iyo. (2006). Immune Activation During Pregnancy in Mice Leads to Dopaminergic Hyperfunction and Cognitive Impairment in the Offspring: A Neurodevelopmental Animal Model of Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 59(6), 546-554. Pluta, R. (2010). Neonatal Vitamin D Status and Risk of Schizophrenia: A Population-Based Case-Control Study. JAMA, 304(18), 1996. Tseng, K., Lewis, B., Lipska, B., ODonnell, P. (2007). Post-Pubertal Disruption of Medial Prefrontal Cortical Dopamineâ€Å"Glutamate Interactions in a Developmental Animal Model of Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry.,62(7), 730-738. Velligan, D., Diamond, P., Mintz, J., Maples, N., Li, X., Zeber, J., . . . Miller, A. (2008). The Use of Individually Tailored Environmental Supports to Improve Medication Adherence and Outcomes in Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 34(3), 483-493.

Analytical Essay on The Good Corn by H.E Bates and...

The short stories, â€Å"Turned†, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"The Good Corn†, by H.E Bates provide strong examples of how the representation of characters influence’s the reader’s perception of a text. Both stories depict similar characters: a middle-aged, childless wife, her husband and an 18-year old girl who works for them. They are both about a similar situation: man cheats on wife with girl and girl falls pregnant. However, the author’s of the text are from very different backgrounds and this is reflected in their stories. Although there are many similarities between â€Å"The Good Corn† and â€Å"Turned†, the values reflected in these stories, their resolutions and the reader’s perception of them are vastly different due to the contexts of†¦show more content†¦Even though it was Mortimer who made the first move, â€Å"Suddenly he found himself trying to help her and in a clumsy way trying to kiss her.. .† (pg8), Elsie was blamed for the incident and made out to be the villain. Mortimer said â€Å"I didn’t know what I was doing (despite the fact that he is more than double her age). She kept asking me. It was her who kept asking me† (pg 9). Elsie’s youth was only mentioned because of the beauty it gave her, â€Å"During the summer the face of the girl had reddened with sun and air and as autumn came on it seemed to broaden and flatten, the thick skin ripe and healthy in texture†, (pg8) and not because it may impair her ability to think rationally as opposed to a man over 18 years her senior. These narrow-minded views could very possibly come from the average man in the 1950’s. Gerta, like Elsie, was also shy, big built and beautiful. It was acknowledged that she had â€Å"...rich womanhood without, helpless infancy within†, (pg 15) Gerta was referred to as ‘the child’ (pg15), throughout the text. Gerta, like Elsie was also mentioned to be flirtatious with men. â€Å"Her peals of frank laughter.... (Much like that of Elsie’s before Mr Mortimer kissed her)... rose from the area gate as she stood talking with the always admiring tradesmen. Mrs Marroner had laboured long to teach her more reserve with men...† (pg16). However, in ‘Turned’, Gerta’s flirtatiousness was considered to be a failing of her youth and ignorance of

Case Analysis of the Company

Question: Discuss about the Case Analysis of the Company. Answer: Introduction FMG is the third largest exporter of iron ore in Australia. The company was founded in the year 2003. It has a market value of 300 million Australian Dollars since its establishment. The company has been growing at an astonishing rate and has developed a very good reputation in the market. The Iron ore of the company are mainly exported in china. The company has been making plans to expand its operations in Brazil which is a country rich in mines so that it can increase its output. The main engagement of the company is in the exploration and the development of the mining. The report contains the Macro environmental analysis and the industry analysis of the company that includes the PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis , competitor analysis and Porters Five forces analysis of the company. Porters Five Forces Model There are five forces that are analyzed in the Porters Five Forces Model. The factors that are analyzed under this model are: Bargaining power of Buyers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Rivalry among competitors Bargaining power of Buyers: (Low) The bargaining power of the buyers in the company is low. The buyer of the company products includes steel companies as the 98% of the iron of the world is used for the production of steel. There are large number of steel companies that are operating over 65 countries and the suppliers of the iron ore is less so the buyers bargaining power is low. The producers of the iron ore are small. The company was the worlds 10th largest producer of the iron ore in the year 2013. While the countries like Brazil and Australia are the top two exporters of iron ore and they covered 70.3% of the total export of the world. The producers of Iron ore are small in number and the steel companies are fragmented whereas the iron ore companies are concentrated. Bargaining power of suppliers: (High) The bargaining power of the suppliers is high in the case of the FMG Company. The main reason for the high bargaining power of the suppliers is the intervention of the government. The company cannot operate without the support of the government. The demand of the iron ore is increasing in the various countries due to which the suppliers have a good hold in the market and they have a high bargaining power in the market. Threat of substitute products: (Low) The iron ore is an essential raw material in the production of the steel and there is no other substitute of the iron ore in the production of the steel. Due to which the threat of the substitutes becomes very low in the market. Threat of new entrants: (Low) Though the threat of the new entrants is quite low in the industry but it has an increasing trend. There are many strict barriers and restrictions for the new company to start its operations in the already established industry. This automatically leads to less threat of new entrants. Moreover the requirement of the investment and the capital is also large in the iy high in ton ore industry is high due to which it becomes very difficult for the new companies to start their operations in the market. Rivalry among existing firms: (High) The Rivalry among the existing firms is high as there is a highly competitive environment and there are many competitors who are giving tough competition to the company. The level of the concentration is very high in the industry. There are large numbers of competitors in the market that are providing similar products at low cost for the production of the steel. PESTLE analysis The PESTLE analysis analyzes the Political. Economic, Social, Technological. Legal and Environmental factors that affects the company. Political Factors There are various political factors that affect the company. Some of the factors due to which the company is affected are: There are many changes in the policies of the government from time to time that makes it difficult for the company to expand its operations in the various new countries. The political environment of the Brazil has changed as there was a change of the government that can affect the company as the company was planning to expand its operations in the Brazil. the government of the Brazil Is very much stable with the passage of time that encourages the company for more foreign investment. The company has built sound external environment in terms of the working conditions in the foreign country in the foreign country. Economic Factors The various economic factors that affect the working on an organization include: Interest rates The interest rates of the banks keep on changing as the time passes. There are many banks that keep on increasing the interest rates. This increasing interest rate affects the investments of the company. Inflation rates The inflation rates also keep on increasing in the various companies due to which the currency of the company appreciates and that simultaneously hits the stable economy of the country. Currency exchange rates The rate of the currency does not remain stable and keeps on increasing with the passing year. These increases in the currency exchange rates affect the exports of the business.(Bradely, 2015) Economy trends The awareness for protecting the energy and the natural resources is increasing due to which there is a big threat on the companies like the Fortescue metals group limited. Social factors There are various social factors that affect the companies who are planning to expand their operations in various countries as the cultural and the society of every country is different. The companies like the Fortescue Metals Group have to adapt to the corporate strategies so that it suit the working environment of the company in which the company is operating.(Smith, 2015) Technological Factors The various technological factors like the infrastructure and the communication networks affect the development of the company. There are few countries which are not developed properly and have slow development ports along with that they have inadequate infrastructure. As technology is considered to be the backbone of the operations of the company it is very important for a company like the Fortes cue to be technologically advanced.(Rigour., 2015) Legal Factors There are various legal factors that affect the company that is expanding in international markets or in various other countries. The factors that affect the company legally include Labor laws, business laws, Taxation laws.(BAC Reports, 2015) The rules and regulations of the various countries are different due to which the foreign direct investment of the company is affected. SWOT analysis The various strengths of the company are: Strong market occupation Focusing on mineral exploration Expansion of market share Advanced exploitation technologies High manufacturing efficiency The various weaknesses of the company are: Decrease in the iron mines globally Inexperienced operations in the countries like Brazil Financial crises The various opportunities of the company are: Economic growth Political stability Favorable foreign direct investment Rich in energy resources The various threats that are being faced by the company are: Global economic recession Risk in the exchange rate Increase in the cost of labor Decrease in the demand of steel Poor transport facilities Business Level strategy of the company The business strategies are the decisions that are made by the company for maintaining and creating the competitive advantage. Under the business level strategies the company evaluates the product line and the target market for the identification of the competitive advantage. The company has various business level strategies that it is planning to implement for a good output generation. Some of the business level strategies of the company include: Expanding production capacity: The Company has planned to expand its production capacity so that the increasing demand of the iron ore can be met. For increasing its production capacity the company has planned to increase its areas of operation.(Capital cube, 2016) Enhancing an effective company governance The company has enhanced the governance of the company for the effective operations of the company.(FMG, 2015) Corporate level strategy The strategies that are identified by the company outside its industry. The company needs to make use of various strategies for contributing towards the efficiency and profitability of the company. The various corporate level strategies of the company include: Diversification: one of the corporate level decision of the company is weather to diversify the product line or not. The company plans that the products and services it is offerings shall offer lucrative returns and there shall not be high costs for the entry of the new products. Value creating strategy: The Company shall try to implement the strategies that help in creating the values of the products and services. All these strategies help in adding real values to the business and its products and services. The key idea for value creating strategies is diversification.(Nguyen, 2014) Value neutral strategy: When the company is not much concerned with allocating the resources and the manpower in its business then the company can go for the value neutral strategy. The value neutral strategy helps in shoring the plans of the business operations. The company can plan for creating synergy between the various departments, securing a steady cash flow and working on the reduction of risk. The company uses the strategy of flexible debt structure and it has various plans for the construction of infrastructure facilities and the ports. The company is making different arrangements for bringing in new technology and innovative equipment for strengthening its operations. Competitor analysis of the company Though iron is a bit dull metal but the Fortescue Metals Group has thought that the shine of the iron is as bright as that of the gold. The company is the third largest miner of the Australia and it has more than 1 billion tons of the iron ore reserves. The main competitors of the company are BHP Billiton Limited, RIO Tinto Limited and International Ferro Metals limited. The company gives a very tough competition to its various competitors and tries to grab the market share. The company has been continuously expanding its operations in the different countries.(Dima, 2016) Recommendations and conclusion After analysising the company from various different aspects it can be found that the company ahs many major weaknesses. It is recommended that the company shall try to cooperate with the various other mining companies so that it can strengthen the financial capability and can further increase its competitive advantage.(Hurst, 2016) The company shall work on the improvement in the operations of its management system so that it becomes more flexible in operating in the new environment that requires the management system to be more adaptable. The other recommendation for the company is to develop a better welfare and strategy plan so that it can hold its employees and can further improve the loyalty of its employees for investing in various other countries. Lastly, the company before expanding its operations in other countries shall study the regulations and laws of those countries in a careful manner so that there is reduction in the punishment charges for violating the various laws a nd regulations of the country. The company shall try to control its costs. The company shall have various risk management plans so that it can overcome the various risks that it might face during its operations in the various countries. Bibliography BAC Reports, 2015. market publishers. [Online] Available at: https://marketpublishers.com/report/industry/metallurgy/fortescue_metals_group_ltd_swot_analysis_bac.html [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Bradely, J., 2015. Chron.com. [Online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-corporate-level-strategy-60147.html [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Capital cube, 2016. capitalcube.com. [Online] Available at: https://www.capitalcube.com/blog/index.php/fortescue-metals-group-ltd-value-analysis-asxfmg-may-27-2016/ [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Dima, J., 2016. Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility. Australia: IGI global.com. FMG, 2015. FGML.com. [Online] Available at: https://fmgl.com.au/media/2590/fortescue-annual-report-fy15.pdf [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Hurst, L., 2016. China's Iron Ore Boom. New York: Routledge. Nguyen, L., 2014. Prezi.com. [Online] Available at: https://prezi.com/x9pbgkbr4dps/fortescue-metals-group-ltd/ [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Rigour., 2015. conversation.com. [Online] Available at: https://theconversation.com/au/topics/fortescue-metals-group-642 [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Smith, S., 2015. chron.com. [Online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-corporate-strategy-business-strategy-57411.html [Accessed 20 August 2016].

My Love for Transportation free essay sample

One day I will travel to Hong Kong. Though most people are attracted by the city’s tourist sites, I want to enjoy Hong Kong’s extensive subway system, large double-decker busses, tiny shuttle busses, and the famous double-decker streetcars that have climbed the hills of this city for over a century. Studying and experiencing various transportation systems has provided me with great insight. When I was a baby, the first word out of my mouth was â€Å"car.† As a preschooler, I played with toy cars, parking them everywhere around the house. I received toy cars and trains every Christmas. By the time I was in grade school, I preferred riding the subways underneath the streets of Boston and New York. Throughout high school I have spent my spare time researching the history of Paris’ two hundred bus routes or the Tokyo Metro on the Internet. When my family took a vacation to London, my mother was anxious to see the stores, my father wanted to see the art museums, and my sisters were excited to visit the Tower Bridge. We will write a custom essay sample on My Love for Transportation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I wanted to experience London’s huge, 150-year-old subway system. Some portions of the London Underground were dug before machines were able to move dirt out from under the ground. This part of the subway was built by digging trenches, laying track down, and covering up the trench. Inside the subway train, the sound of the wheels grinding against the rails is very loud, yet people remain silent, and rarely do riders of the London Underground chat with one another. When I was younger, other adults would always comment that I would grow out of my love for transportation, noting that all six-year-olds love playing with toy cars and trains. I never did. To this day, my bedroom is filled with subway maps and model cars. While other teens enjoy slaughtering each other while playing Halo 3, I would rather be playing Flight Simulator, landing an airplane on a foggy morning in Seattle. Before my family and I left home for San Francisco, I researched the transportation in that city. Not only did San Francisco have cable cars, but they also had streetcars from the 1930s that ran through the busiest parts of the city, as well as a driverless light-rail system. The cable cars operate the same way as they did a hundred years ago, grabbing a cable that runs under the street that pulls the cars along. Whenever I boarded the cable cars during the trip, I stood near the â€Å"gripman,† who operated the vehicle by pulling an old, rusted lever. The old PCC streetcars, however, were just as interesting as the cable cars. My father and I rode these streetcars all day, leaving my mother and sisters to explore Chinatown. These streetcars are not only a story of San Francisco’s history, but they also used to operate in more than two dozen North American cities. The rounded, streamlined look of the PCC streetcars was reflected on the inside and out, a style that remi nded me of stainless steel diners and black-and-white movies. My love for transportation is part of my love for history and cities. Los Angeles’ sprawl of automobile-filled streets is a story of the 1930s when it was determined that residents in the area preferred the car over public transportation. Germany’s trams have been part of the country’s many cities for over a hundred years. One day I will make it to Hong Kong and ride in a double-decker streetcar through the congested streets. Until then, I will continue to feed my love for urban transportation through the Internet, trips to large cities, and imagining what it must be like to travel on some of our planet’s most unique ways to get around.

Tax Reform Strategies in the USA

The o.c

The o.c The O.C., also known as Orange County, California, is an idyllic paradise - a wealthy, harbour-front community where everything and everyone appears to be perfect. But beneath the surface is a world of shifting loyalties and identities, of kids living secret lives hidden from their parents, and of parents living secret lives hidden from their children. The episode 'The lonely hearts club,' directed by Ian Toynton, tells the story of the Cohen, Cooper, and Nichol families, and Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks, who is thrust into this world, and who will forever change the lives of the residents of The O.C.The O.C takes place around four central characters, Marissa Cooper, Ryan Atwood, Seth Cohen and summer Roberts as well as other minor characters such as the parents. From Ryan's first moments in Newport Beach, he found himself in conflict with the strict economic and social hierarchy that has existed for generations and doesn't tolerate any invasion from any outsiders.Marissa CooperIn the beginning, his very presence in Newport Beach threatened the security of its inhabitants and their way of life simply because this troubled teenager was unable and unwilling to conform. An example of this is when Ryan tries to reunite Lindsay with her estranged father but his bad boy nature and image gets in the way. We are positioned to see Ryan as the guy from the wrong side of the track as he lies in bed, pulling the blackest up close around him. This makes us see him as vulnerable and to see that pulling the blankets up gives him a sense of protection. His fish out of water status continues to set him apart from the rest as conflict occurs over his social standing. Although it took time...

Aristotles' slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Aristotles' slavery - Essay Example The bodily parts such as arm, leg, hand, and eye that he uses in the service of all even if it is the hand he raises to deflect a blow from the master. Aristotle assumes all of this, even though it renders his logic impossible. The slave at such a moment is not defying the master by defending himself against a blow. He is certainly asserting himself as his own most not so asserting himself; he is not acting as the mere part, nothing but the master’s possession (Swanson 16). Hence, the question of vantage, a question that one is familiar in literary analysis. Aristotle makes his point concerning the status of the slave by simply eliding his point of view. This text informed every bit as much by what appears in it as what does not. Then there is the question of the status of an analogy; this is primarily a literary device. The leg is a part that serves the organism, and the qua organism is the higher value. This last is a point Aristotle establishes by analogy. The context for the analogy is the value that belongs to the city. He says, â€Å"The notion of a city naturally precedes that of a family or an individual, for the whole must necessarily be prior to the parts, for if you take away the whole man, you cannot say a foot or a hand remains†. There is a moment of indeterminacy here. If Aristotle’s entire argument in the analogy is only that the part is taken away with the whole. This gives the ostensible rigor of proper philosophic discourse of the analogy disposal (Wrenhaven 35). For Aristotle, when society or the family is taken away, so is the individual, and the hand is an individual part of the body but he also suggest that the relationship is analogous in other ways. The human body is in the city and interests of the city and its use involve his sacrifice. Such a sacrifice makes the highest value for the individual. As such, the individual may be put to use if rational individual has reason to know that the collectivity is the