The Impact of Financial Crisis on Honda Research Paper

The Impact of Financial Crisis on Honda - Research Paper Example The descriptive method of research is adopted. Accordingly, Creswell (1994) stated that the descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition. The emphasis is on describing rather than on judging or interpreting. The aim of descriptive research is to verify formulated hypotheses that refer to the present situation in order to elucidate it. For this study, the descriptive research method was employed in order to identify the impact of competence and sustainability in the automotive industry of Honda. This study looks at the success that Honda Corporation has had in managing social capital in its supply chain. Using self-report surveys from 120 participants at a Honda-sponsored supplier competition, researchers find that those people who participate in the quality-teams report that they are more satisfied with their work, feel that they improved the effectiveness of their company, and continue to offer suggestions to improve their supplier's o perations. Resources that are valuable especially human resources, rare, and can be exploited by the organization can produce sustained competitive advantage and earn above-average economic performance (Barney, 2001). A lot has been written about the value of people in organizations. Huselid and Becker (1997) found that a one standard deviation improvement in an organization's human resources system could increase shareholder wealth by as much as $41,000 per employee. Barney (2001) contends that successfully managing relationships can be a source of resource-based competitive advantage. But the financial crisis has crept into the auto companies and many of the giants like Honda and Toyota are facing the crisis with severe cuts in production, sales etc. Honda declared its shock withdrawal from Formula One of the global financial crisis, terminating an association which began in the 1960s. This has led to raising further fears over the sport's future (Source: http://www.asiaone.com). Honda Motor president Takeo Fukui made the announcement at an emotional press conference, repeatedly apologizing to fans, staff, drivers and F1 authorities. He said 2008 is Honda's last season. The Japanese carmaker will not provide its engines to any other teams (Source: http://www.asiaone.com). "This is a complete withdrawal. The future is a blank sheet," he said. "Five years from now, I think history will show we made the right decision" (Source: http://www.asiaone.com). Â  

Activating Content through Social Media Advertising, Curation, Micro- Essay

Activating Content through Social Media Advertising, Curation, Micro- blogging, Pinning and Posting - Essay Example This paper outlines a strategy on how a real estate agent activates and promotes content through social media advertising, curation, micro-blogging, pinning, posting, and link baiting. Social media is a viable option embraced by businesses in the contemporary society. Paid advertising is achievable in sites such as Facebook and twitter. On Facebook, a real estate agent can advertise its business through promoting a page and promoting its post through the â€Å"boost post† option. Recently, Facebook restricts the accessibility of posts, and only a page that has been â€Å"promoted† is likely to receive appreciable attention. Boosting a post presents several dynamics in which one can choose their target demographics, age bracket, and duration of post (Bailey, 2010). For instance, the name of a page may be â€Å"accessible and affordable housing†. It is a suitable strategy because one can easily make a budget based on the available options. In addition, Facebook can enable an agent to target particular regions, and a strategy that is specific to their demographical region is beneficial in terms of avoiding overspending and time wastage in redunda nt areas. The market is wide and newlyweds and job transients are always sprouting up every week. Gaining access to everyone at a global stage is nearly impossible, and in consequence, it is essential to identify and retain specified clientele. For instance, gay couples may prefer to stay in certain locations, and it is necessary as an agent to ensure their requirements are met. For that reason, as a real estate agent, I will specify the target countries and direct advertising towards the identified areas. As a real estate agent, I can utilize link baiting through highlighting the advantages of competitors while also promoting its brand. After one follows the link of its competitor or any other company, the individual may be interested in the links that are in the same page. Through link

Adolf Hitler- Long Live Germany Essay Example for Free

Adolf Hitler- Long Live Germany Essay The ruler, commander, leader, â€Å"God like† image to all of German in between his rising years, 1928-1935, had great power over all living being in Germany at the time. German flags would be raised wherever you may travel in German; Nazi’s over-ruled the people in many streets Here is a poster of Adolf Hitler, during 1935, showing us how mighty and powerful he is. Showing us how he can change German individuals’ lives into a better life, and how he and his party, can make a change into German. Es lebe Deutfchland! † A phrase that has been used in front of the poster, meaning â€Å"Long live Germany! † We all know that Hitler’s rise to power between 1928-1933 made him a strong and well-known man. Everyone in Germany would look up to Hitler, and here shows how Hitler would die for his country, how he would do what so ever to protect his country. He is telling us in this poster that he himself would fight for Germany, he would be able to lead his country, and the people in it, and keep them from harm. Having an eagle hover against the light of heaven over Hitler in this poster connects back to Christ when a dove descended upon Him when He was being baptised by John the Baptist. This would give us a clue that Yes! Hitler was an idealized God to the Germans’, knowing that he has done a lot for them. Overcoming the great depression, helping the citizens of Germany get employed and many other offers. People would praise in Adolf Hitler’s name. They would die for Hitler. As you can see at the back of Hitler are his followers, much likely to be the Nazi’s and German people holding the German flag and hailing Hitler. Thousands, let’s say billions had gathered to support Hitler, and trying to persuade us that Hitler is a trustworthy man, and how he can help German citizens overcome anything when they are in deep crisis. We all know that in Hitler’s time, everyone idolized him, but for what reason? Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding speaker who attracted a wide following of Germans who were desperate for change in Germany. This poster tells us more of how Hitler won over, changed Germany and became successful in many things. To conclude this Visual essay, Hitler was successful in his days, knowing by the looks of this poster. He did have everybody fooled by his beauty and the way he structures himself, to make people think he is on their side, but in reality he’s just another beast getting revenge for his mother country, Germany. â€Å"Heil Hitler† they say, and have German flags flowing for him†¦ â€Å"Heil Hitler! †

Nanogels for Anticancer Drug Delivery

Nanogels for Anticancer Drug Delivery The applications of Nanogels in the field of medicine are currently under rapid growth of interest with more focus given on improving current therapies and diagnostic modalities. Nanogels composed of ionic or non-ionic network of amphiphilic polymer chains, when dispersed in aqueous media swell to considerable volume. Biological agents and drugs can be loaded into the nanogel by physical and chemical interactions between the agent and the functional group in the polymer matrix, resulting in unique class of polymeric nanocarrier with high dispersion stability. The most attractive features of the nanogels include high biocompatibility, versatility in design, and controlled release of payload with wide range of drug loading and release, the specificity and ability to physically protect biological molecules from degradation invivo and have been preclinically investigated for different anticancer drugs. In a study on targeted nanogels done by Baklaushev et al, the therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin loaded nanogels was checked on glioma cells 101/8. Nanogels synthesised using PMAA polymer cross-linked with CaCl2. Nanogels upon EDC activation cross-linked to monoclonal antibodies Cx43 and BSAT1 specific for targeting gliomal cells along with flexible PEG linker resulting in a size of 123 Â ± 5 nm, with a zeta potential of -15Â ±5 mV. Targeted nanogels significantly reduced the intrastriatal glioma compared to the control group receiving 5% dextrose up to the 30th day of the study. But no significance was observed for animals treated with targeted nanogels and free cisplatin. Heparin-polyethyleneimine (HPEI)nanogels loaded with cisplatin along with shRNA were synthesised by Lili Liu et al for targeting CLDN3 gene up regulated in ovarian cancer. These nanogels showed superior biodegradability, excellent blood compatibility and low-toxicity. Western blot analysis and CLDN3 immunostainin g were done to check the knockdown efficiency. Nude mice bearing intraperitoneal ovarian carcinomas were treated with drug loaded nanogels and the results showed that pshCLDN3/HPEI effectively suppressed the expression of CLDN3 in ovarian cancer along with synergistic antitumor activity when compared to cisplatin alone, along with low systemic toxicity. Nukolova NV et al loaded cisplatin into PEG-b-PMAA nanogels conjugated with (D-Lys6)-LHRH. With a loading efficiency of 35%, the nanogel showed receptor based cytotoxicity cells positive for LHRH showed greater uptake and cytotoxicity compared to LHRH negative ovarian cancer cells. Invivo antitumor activity was more for LHRH-nanogels with less toxicity compared to equimolar dose of free cisplatin and untargeted nanogels. A pH and thermal responsive nanogelwas developed for cisplatin delivery by conjugating the MAA, NIPAm, mPEGMA with MBA as the cross-linker. The pH response is achieved with breaking the bond between COOH and cisplati n in presence of the chlorine ion present in the human body. The acidic response is modified by incorporating thermal responsive NIPAm, this will slow down the cisplatin release from the nanogel structure. Cellular uptake was mainly localized in cytoplasm. Invivo antitumor activity using breast cancer mice modals showed better activity with longer circulation time. In the study by Jin et al, controlled delivery of cisplatin to ovarian cancer cells SKOV-3 were achieved using a biodegradable nanogel made by cocondensation polymerization of piperazine with 2,2-bis(acryloxymethyl)propionic acid, PEG 2,2-bis(acryloxymethyl)propionate macromonomer (mPEG). Carboxylic acid-functionalized poly(beta -aminoester)graft-poly(ethylene glycol) nanogels were size of around 200nm, negatively charged with water soluble nature. The cytotoxicity of nanogels on SKOV-3 cells were significantly lower than the free cisplatin whereas the invivo activity towards SKOV3 tumor xenografted immunecompromised mice was same. According to Jin et al, this decrease in cytotoxicity of cisplatin loaded nanogel on SKOV-3 cells due to the drug release kinetics which showed an initial burst release,making the response of cisplatin similar to that of free cisplatin. Also negatively charged nanogel will limit the cellular internalization delaying the cisplatin response. Only with biodistribution studies the similarity in the activity of free cisplatin and nanogel loaded cisplatin be proved. Maeda et al synthesised water soluble ÃŽ ²-1, 3-glucan schizophyllan (SPG) nanogel which can be recognized by an immunocyte receptor called dectin-1. When naphthalene introduced into the side chain of SPG (nSPG), it formed nanogel by physical cross-link and gained capability to ingest hydrophobic compounds such as doxorubicin. The in vitro assay revealed that this nanogel can be used as specific delivery of anti-cancer drugs to immunocytes. A dual-responsive prodrug nanogel system that shows very low unspecific drug leaching, but efficient intracellular release of the payload triggered by the intracellular conditions.This dual-responsive prodrug nanogel was prepared by an inverse nanoprecipitation method, which is mild and surfactant free, and based on a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction and thiol-Michael addition reaction. Highly biocompatible hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) was cross-linked with disulfide bonds, to obtain biodegradable nanogels, which could be degraded under intracellular reductive conditions. Doxorubicin (DOX) was conjugated to the biodegradable nanogel matrix via an acid-labile hydrazone linker. Two different prodrug nanogels were prepared with a size of approximately 150nm, which is big enough to take the advantage of the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect in tumor tissue . Cell culture analysis by microscopy and flow cytometry revealed that the prodrug nanogels were efficiently internalized by tumor cells. Distinct release profiles of DOX were achieved by adjusting the nanogel architecture, and online detection of cytotoxicity showed that, unlike free DOX, the dual-responsive prodrug nanogels exhibited a delay in the onset of toxicity, indicating the different uptake mechanism and the need for prodrug activation to induce cell death. To achieve effective intracellular anticancer drug delivery, the polymeric vesicles supplemented with the pH-responsive outlayered gels as a delivery system of doxorubicin (DOX) were developed from self-assembly of the lipid/polypeptide adduct, distearin grafted poly(ÃŽ ³-glutamic acid) (poly(ÃŽ ³-GA)), followed by sequential deposition of chitosan and poly(ÃŽ ³-GA-co-ÃŽ ³-glutamyl oxysuccinimide)-g-monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) in combination with in situ covalent cross-linking on assembly surfaces. The resultant g el-caged polymeric vesicles (GCPVs) showed superior performance in regulating drug release in response to the external pH change. Under typical physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and 37 Â °C) at which the ÃŽ ³-GA/DOX ionic pairings remained mostly undisturbed, the dense outlayered gels of GCPVs significantly reduced the premature leakage of the uncomplexed payload. With the environmental pH being reduced from pH 7.4 to 4.7, the drug liberation was appreciably promoted by the massive disruption of the ionic ÃŽ ³-GA/DOX complexes along with the significant swelling of nanogel layers upon the increased protonation of chitosan chain segments. After being internalized by HeLa cells via endocytosis, GCPVs exhibited cytotoxic effect comparable to free DOX achieved by rapidly releasing the payload in intracellular acidic endosomes and lysosomes. This strongly implies the great promise of such unique GCPVs as an intracellular drug delivery carrier for potential anticancer treatment. The tripl e layered nanogel developed by Xiong MH et al, can deliver the drug doxorubicin specifically in the bacteria accumulated tumor environment. The bacteria SBY1 can selectively infect and proliferate in tumors owing to the unique environment within solid tumors, including hypoxia, aberrant neovasculature, and local immune suppression is more in tumor compared to the normal tissue; upon nanogel administration these bacteria will trigger the selective degradation of the PCL fence of TLND resulting in DOX release and thus killing tumor cells. Chitin PLA composite nanogel were loaded with Doxorubicin (Dox) for the treatment of liver cancer. Nanogels were of size of around 270Â ±20 nm with higher swelling and degradation in acidic pH. Drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release studies were carried out and showed a higher drug release at acidic pH compared to neutral pH. The cytotoxicity of the composite nanogels was analysed toward HepG2 (human liver cancer) cell lines.

Media Violence and The Effects on Children Essays -- essays research p

Does media violence have a negative effect on children? On September 11th, 2001, millions around the world crowded around televisions across the globe, watching the horrific scenes of terrorism that had struck New York City, Washington, D.C and Pennsylvania on that ill-fated and now infamous morning. Our sense of security and impenetrable protection crashed 110 stories to the shaken streets of New York City. We watched with shock and horror, disbelief and grief as the images were repeatedly flashed before our eyes, with the all the drama of the plane crashing through the World Trade Center and bursting into an indescribable ball of fire and of the surreal scenes of demolished piles of what used to be the Twin Towers of New York City. We witnessed desperate pleas for help from family members of missing victims. We were shown images of the wounded victims and of the unimaginable destruction in the streets of New York. Our expeditious system of mass media provided us with an immediate window to this dramatic and unprecedented tragedy. We were not alone as we stood looking through this window to the trauma and terrorism enveloping us. As we looked on with fear and horror, so did children. As we watched the 24-hour coverage of the events unfolding, so did children. Every major station broadcast continuous coverage of the "attack on America" for days following the tragedy. While networks provided live coverage, personal interviews and professional analysis, cable stations flashed messages of condolence and sympathy across the bottom of the screen during regular programming, as a constant reminder and acknowledgement of tragedy that had shaken us to our knees. If we as adults were so affected by the trauma of the events, then what can be said for the children who witnessed these same images of horror and terrorism? How, with such an undeveloped capacity to understand the world and the proximity of danger, can we say that children were not affected by the violence of this tragedy? In a time when adults cannot fully understand the context of the violence in our world, how can children possibly be expected to make sense of it? They cannot. Living in a culture and time where violence permeates countless aspects of society in both fiction and reality; visual, verbal, implied and overt; and given the prevalence and pervasiveness of the violence surrounding us,... ...fficult to avoid the influence of media violence. For impressionable children who are constantly shaping and reevaluating the world around them, media violence plays a role in the formation of their negative perceptions of society and their surrounding environment. They are affected by the frequent influence of violent depictions in the same way that they are influenced to want a toy because of the commercial that promotes it. It is the degree and severity of this effect that remains open for heated debate in the arena of social policy and public interest. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Anonymous. (1999). Get Real. Broadcasting and Cable, 62, 129. CNN. Bethesda, MD. 12, Sept. 2001. 2. Cutler, Maggie. (2001). Whodunit-The Media? The Nation, 18-20, 272. 3. Hepburn, Mary. (1997). T.V. Violence! A medium's effects under scrutiny. Social Education, 244-249, 61. 4. Mifflin, Lawrie. (1999). Many Researchers Say Link is Already Clear on Media Violence and Youth Violence. The New York Times, 27, 03624331. 5. Mitchell, Dr. Jeffrey. "Children need 'reassurance' in the face of tragedy." Interview 6. Posch, Robert J Jr. (1993). What you do emerges from who you are. Direct Marketing, 43, 56.

Descartes Sixth Meditation Essay -- essays research papers

In his sixth meditation must return to the doubts he raised in his first meditation. In this last section of his sixth meditation he deals mainly with the mind-body problem; and he tries to prove whether material things exist with certainly. In this meditation he develops his Dualist argument; by making a distinction between mind and body; although he also reveals their rather significant relationship. Primarily he considers existence of the external world and whether our experience hold knowledge of this world or whether this knowledge is merely an illusion. He makes it quite clear how misleading some of external sensations can be. We are never sufficiently aware of subjectivity of our own thought and senses. The only thing we directly experience is the nature of our own ideas and we do not realise how our own appreciation of certain concepts may be very different from the objective character of the external world. Descartes takes a look at memory, imagination, hallucination, dreams, predictions, etc. which he calls our (sensory awareness) as these are part of the way we perceive the external world, he doubts at first that any of these internal experience holds any truth or existence. As he is very sceptical he raises the problem whether any of these given experiences contain truth or objectivity at all. Since we never have the chance to stand outside our own perception, it is imp ossible to contrast it with the external world. Descartes is hopeful to prove subsistence of the external world (physical objects located in space), and so he returns to a very basic stage and acknowledges the existence of minds as an immaterial substance and God. He then accepts that matter exists as long as it is not a projection of his own mind or God. As Descartes previously established the existence of God as a perfect being, he therefore has concluded that God is not a deceiver. This very clear concept leads him to accept his clear and distinct sensory experiences are a result of external objects of material nature. Once these corporeal things (objects of a tangible, material nature) can be considered as self-evident ideas, they can no longer be products of the mind or God. Right in the beginning Descartes makes a very clear distinction between imagination intellectual thought. He states that intellectual thought is abstract and without shape, Descartes would call it e... ...ares this mind-body relationship with a pilot in his ship, as they are two very close entities, although the body cannot exist without the mind, like the mind can without its extension. Descartes sixth very conclusive meditation has similarly to the first very basic concepts. What makes Descartes meditations so remarkable is his methodological approach to his philosophy. He starts right at the foundation of knowledge building his own basis and thoroughly working himself upward. Even though some of his thoughts are slightly contradictory he still manages to make them plausible, and one can accept certain incongruities as one considers the time and social structure he was living in. I believe the fact that Descartes returns to the doubts raised in the first meditation bring more sense to the rest of the five writings and in a way holds them together. He very effectively uncovers his dualist ideas but he does not exaggerate or make them absurd as he also continually reminds us of the great importance of the mind and body relationship. Most importantly he proves his existence and the existence of others which is considered as one of the main problems all philosophers are faced with.

Counseling Self-Awareness

Funnily enough, doctors seem to be difficult patients. Some of them know that smoking is dangerous to their health yet they smoke nonetheless. The same is true with counselors. They seem to understand a lot of the problems of their patients and the people who ask advice from them. Yet, when it comes to their own issues and their own problems, they do not seem to be effective in following the very same advice that they would give to their clients if asked about the same problem. Counselors also have their own issues and their own personal problems. It may be some baggage from the past or some unresolved personal issues.Some of these issues may interfere with the way that counselors do their job. It would be very important therefore for counselors to be aware of themselves and their own issues if they were to become effective in dealing with themselves and their own issues so that they can prevent these issues from affecting their views on the issues being presented by their clients. P ersonal Assessment: Strengths I have my own strengths and my weaknesses. I recognize the importance of identifying these so that I can effectively deal with my clients and the advice and resolution that I can provide my clients would be effective.Objectivity in any situation is difficult to achieve most of the time. Emotions can cloud up the situation as well as the vested interests and even monetary considerations of people. Setting aside some of these considerations is a practice I have achieved over the past few years of training and practicing as a counselor. Even when I was a child, I already displayed a certain level of objectivity in my dealings with my playmates and my family. Objectivity, no matter what postmodernists and other critics may claim, is achievable up to a certain degree, although it cannot be done completely. I consider this as one of my strengths as a counselor.In the course of my counseling practice, I would encounter people with different lifestyle choices a nd different views from those that I espouse. If I allow myself to be affected by such views I would not be an effective counselor. Yet, if I am able to practice objectivity, I can analyze my clients’ situation and predicaments from their own points of view and try to present solutions that are workable and acceptable to my clients. Another strength that I have when it comes to dealing with the counseling profession is my ability to separate my own principles and my own views from that of my clients.I know that I am not able to accomplish this perfectly yet I can set aside my prejudices and my biases. In this regard, I sometimes feel like a priest behind the confessional, unable to see the counselee but can hear him or her perfectly and deal with the issues at hand. Although different schools of thought may differ in their views regarding empathizing and showing excessive emotions to counselees, I can also keep a very tight rein with my emotions if needed. Likewise, I can als o show emotions sympathizing with the client if I feel that this is needed by the client.I am careful, however, in dealing with persons from the opposite sex, especially in regards to emotions because of the awkward situations that it may engender. As a counselor, I want to avoid complications as it would be very difficult to be involved in such cases. When dealing with the opposite sex, I have created a set of rules for myself, which have helped me in my practice and in avoiding difficult situations that are difficult to get away from. Such set of rules is therefore very important for me and I consider this as my strength. Personal Assessment: My WeaknessesThere are some disappointments that I think I haven’t gotten over yet. When I was younger, I wanted to become a medical doctor and study at John Hopkins. However, due to financial constraints and some complications in my own academic performance, I did not manage to achieve this. Yet, I have completed the requirements of P sychology and became a counselor instead. When I look back at this dream, I still remember the regret and the disappointment I had when I discovered that I did not make it to John Hopkins. The disappointment has faded yet the pangs of regret and pain are still there.It seems that I also need to spend some time in order to finally get over this. In addition to this, I also have some baggage because of my relationship with my dad. I was not really close to my dad when I was growing up. He was conservative and too much of a disciplinarian for me to be close to him. As such, when I was younger, I both loved him and hated him at the same time. During the times that I felt that I hated him, I also felt guilty because I knew that I should not be feeling that way because he is my dad. Yet, I could not help it.The feelings were intense. Deep inside my heart, the anger developed because of what looked to me like neglect and his improper treatment of me and my mom. Surprisingly though, my youn ger sibling got a better kind of treatment from him. It seems he changed later in life. The anger and the pain, however, were etched deep within me and I might also need some time in order to sort through my emotions and deal with them. Thankfully, during the times that I talked with my mother, we managed to discuss our negative emotions and somehow managed to forgive my dad.It comes as no surprise though that I also have some unmet needs. In order for me to deal with these unmet needs, I usually write or if I could not write, I call my best friend and talk about my issues. My friend has been very faithful in listening to me. Although he is not a professional counselor as I am, he is nonetheless showing me some of the principles that I follow. When I am faced with my own problems I tend to scribble notes and brainstorm on paper the best course of action that I have to take.Sometimes, I do this with my clients and some of them have been taken aback when they saw me doing it. So I hav e had to restrain myself on several occasions on doing such. When I can no longer restrain myself though, I ask my client if it is okay to take down notes and scribble on my paper while he or she is talking. I have also received varied response to this. I tend to follow the same process in dealing with the problems of other people. That is why, I always have a handy notebook to help me deal with different problems. ConclusionIn my meetings with my counselees, I could not help but learn from them too. Whenever I listen to problems and discover that such problems echo my own, I tend to keep a check on myself and avoid dwelling on my own problems. If I do, I might get lost with my client’s own problem and that would create a problem with me. Thus, I tend to check myself every now and then. I have also written a note to myself in my own notebook to constantly remind me of the need to focus on my clients’ problems. Whenever I enter my office, I enter the professional sphere and I leave my personal issues behind.