Bioethics and gene patents

Among the most controversial issues in biotechnology over the last ten years has been the patenting of human DNA sequences as well as human genes. The medical, pharmaceutical along with economic interests at stake are huge, making investments in biotechnology firms involved in gene patenting highly volatile. Gene patenting is a relatively broad term and refers to the patenting of individual processes that involves the isolation of DNA or other associated material and also to any chemical substance that is related to DNA. The idea of gene patents has played a key role in the rapid growth of the biotech industry over the last two decades.The earliest of the gene patents were obtained back in 1978. One of the biggest issues involving biotechnology and the law is the patenting of human genes. Because of advances in technology, it is relatively routine a procedure to isolate genes and determine their genetic sequence (Birren & Rommens 1999). With the recent completion of the Human Genome Project, we now know the entire genetic sequence of the human genome. All that remains is for science to determine which portions of the sequenced genome correspond to actual genes (Eisen & Laderman 2007).For these reasons, the United States Patent and Trademark Office witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of patent applications for human genes. The number of applications more than doubled in the last ten years, from approximately 16,000 applications in 1990 to 33,000 applications in 2000, and in the last twenty years, â€Å"the [PTO] has granted patents on about 1,000 human genes or gene fragments† (Willing 2000). USPTO has issued a large number of patents for gene fragments. Full sequence as well as function is in many cases not known for the gene fragments being issued patents on.Many questions have arisen over when, from the discovery to development into viable products, the exclusive right to genes may be claimed. This is important as a patent lasts for 20 years. Congress exercised its powers under the Constitution to pass the Patent Act. Under the Patent Act, a patent gives one the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, or importing the patented invention in the United States â€Å"beginning on the date on which the patent issues and ending 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed. â€Å"The 300- to 500-base gene fragments which are better known as expressed sequence tags (ESTs), make up about 10 to 30% of the mean cDNA, while the genomic genes typically happen to be 10 to 20 times bigger than the cDNA. A cDNA molecule is made in the laboratory and is a version of the gene which only contains the information-rich (exon) regions; these molecules offer a way to researchers to fast-forward through the genome get to more biologically significant areas. The initial chromosomal locations as well as biological functions of the while genes identified by ESTs happen to be unknown in the majority of ca ses.The patenting of genes has been a controversial area to say the least. The argument is that patenting such discoveries is not justifiable because the effort to find a certain EST is meager when compared with the work of isolating and characterizing a gene and gene product, finding out what it does, and developing a commercial product. They feel that allowing holders of such â€Å"gatekeeper† patents to exercise undue control over the commercial fruits of genome research would be unfair.Similarly, allowing multiple patents on different parts of the same genome sequence –say on a gene fragment, the gene, and the protein– adds undue costs to the researcher who wants to examine the sequence. Not only does the researcher have to pay each patent holder via licensing for the opportunity to study the sequence, he also has to pay his own staff to research the different patents and determine which are applicable to the area of the genome he wants to study. Some physic ians believe that if a lot of genes receive patents, the genetic testing of patients could end up being prohibitively costly.Even though the technological knowledge is there to develop such tests, a lot of work remains to produce them. And if the license fee that is associated with the use of each test is charged via multiple companies and entities, each owning multiple genes, then this technology may never be exploited effectively in order to help patients. On the other hand, if protection is not offered to the industry, then R & D expenses may not be recouped, therefore reducing incentive for investment in the industry. The implications of gene patenting on R & D have been the subject of considerable debate.Advocates say that gene patents like normal patents encourage the disclosure as well as dissemination of ideas by opening critical uses of gene sequences to the publicly domain. Patents also offer more incentives to investors who may otherwise be reluctant to invest in ideas th at may simply be copied by competitors if not allowed patent protection. Many argue that genes are not â€Å"inventions,† but rather they are â€Å"discoveries† which do not require an inventive effort. Because the discovery of genes does not require an inventive effort, the PTO should not issue patents for genes (Hettinger 1995).In the same regard, because genes are â€Å"discoveries† and not new â€Å"compositions,† genes should not be patented because they are not â€Å"novel,† as required by section 102. For example, human genes have existed as long as the existence of humanity; therefore, an inventor can never discover a gene and claim that it is â€Å"novel† (Hettinger 1995). Finally, carrying patent law to its extreme, some argue that anyone containing patented genes within his or her body could be considered an infringer, because he or she is â€Å"using† a patented gene merely by being alive.Some argue that because of recent advances in the isolation, purification, and sequencing of genes, (Birren & Rommens 1999) it may take only a few days to determine the sequence of a particular gene. Therefore, the relative ease of determining the sequence of a particular gene should preclude patenting of the gene because obtaining the sequence is obvious. There is a difference between patents on compositions and patents on processes. Patents on compositions are considered broader than patents on processes because patents on compositions can cover all processes that use the composition.In order to limit the number of patents for genes, some argue that the PTO should limit patents on genes to processes that utilize the genes, and not the composition of the genes themselves, ESTs a case in point (Auth 1997). In the US patent system, an inventor's reward for an invention is the receipt of a patent, which permits the inventor to exclude others from making, using, selling, or importing the invention. The inventor can use this â€Å"right to exclude† to commercialize the invention or to license the invention and receive royalties.The â€Å"reward† of a patent thereby encourages invention and discovery, and the PTO takes the opinion that â€Å"the incentive to make discoveries and inventions is generally spurred †¦ by patents. † Some may argue that research and discovery satisfies an intellectual curiosity, and as such, hardly qualifies as labor. Therefore, intellectual endeavors, such as research and discovery, do not require rewards. Nevertheless, Congress designed our patent system with the underlying premise that reward is required, and it is difficult to envision why the law should distinguish the discovery of genes from other discoveries in this regard.Another argument is that the patenting of genes discourages others from performing research and discovery (Hoffert 1998). Under our patent system, after a researcher discovers and patents a gene, the researcher, as an in ventor, may exclude others from using the gene (Sturges 1997). When a second researcher studies a particular disease and the patented gene's role in that disease, it may be difficult to design an experiment that does not require the gene. In order to use the gene, the second researcher must seek a license from the patentee, undoubtedly requiring a fee in the form of a royalty.Some argue that this is a waste of valuable resources that could be used for research, rather than royalties, and therefore all human genes should be in the public domain (Bruce 2000). This is a compelling argument because it is difficult for a molecular biologist studying a particular gene or protein to conceive of experiments that do not require use of the gene itself. In this regard, perhaps it is better to view this perceived problem not as creating a disincentive to invent, but rather as impeding scientific progress. However, this argument is not unique to the patenting of genes.In fact, one could argue th at a patent on any invention might similarly impede scientific progress. Ethical arguments is the most difficult to marshal and address. As such, this author will briefly address only the two most common arguments against the patenting of genes. One of the most common ethical arguments is that the government should not issue patents on human genes because genes belong to all humankind, and therefore no single group should have the exclusive property right to exclude others from their use (Doll 2001).However, gene patents are not owned in the same sense as property is owned. A patent is intangible property (Haseltine 2000), and therefore, granting a patent on a human gene does not deprive humankind of â€Å"property† in the traditional or tangible sense. A gene patent only deprives other researchers, often attempting to realize a financial gain, from its use. The second most common argument against the patenting of human genes is that researchers derive a human gene from a hum an being, which violates our society's 150-year prohibition on humans having property rights in another human being.However, should a human gene qualify as a human being or a living entity? The U. S. Supreme Court has offered a potential framework for analyzing whether a gene should qualify as a living entity. In Roe v. Wade, the Court held that the State did not have a â€Å"compelling† interest in proscribing abortion where a fetus was not viable (Nature 2003). While we cannot equate a woman's right to seek an abortion with an inventor's right to patent a biological product, the viability test may have applicability in determining whether a human gene qualifies as a living entity.The viability test established by Roe v. Wade was whether the fetus could have a meaningful life outside the mother's womb. Human genes fail this test for viability because human genes are inanimate compositions of matter. Even with all the recent scientific advances, creation of a human being in v itro from the entire human genome is scientific fantasy (Mappes & DeGrazia 2001). However, even if human genes are not viable, some may argue that patents should not be issued for genes for the same reason that it is illegal to market other human products such as organs (Justine & Harris 2002).Clearly, society believes that some human products should not be for sale, although, society somewhat relaxes this policy by allowing one to â€Å"donate† certain bodily fluids, such as plasma, for money. The underlying concern for this ban on the sale of organs may be to protect those that are impoverished from sacrificing vital organs for financial gain, but this policy is not particularly applicable to the patenting of human genes. First, one can argue that patenting of genes is distinguishable in that there is not a market for genes similar to the market for human organs.Second, one may be able to isolate, amplify, and sequence a gene from a single cell (Overwalle 2007). Thus, a pat entee that patents his or her own genes is not deprived of a vital organ in the same way as an organ donor. Undoubtedly, there are additional ethical arguments against the patenting of genes. Ultimately, however, society determines what is ethical, and consequently whether the patenting of genes meets our ethical standard. The impact on the economy if gene patenting was banned is still a measure of debate. Most advocates in the biotech lobby are of the view that it may discourage investment in genetic research.Even so it is important to realize that the expense of identifying the function of a particular gene is only a small fraction of the total cost of turning it into something viable such as a drug. There is also an argument which says that the pharmaceutical industry would perform better if scientists and companies could work freely with any genes and rather focus their energies on patenting drugs. Since 1953, when Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helical structure of DNA in chromosomes, scientists have known that the sequence of compounds called nucleotides along the DNA strands was the key to their information content.These gene sequences encoded instructions on manufacturing and controlling protein products that build, manage and organize everything in the cell. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with high stakes in patenting genetically engineered products and their sequences have registered multiple patents over the last two decades to exploit that discovery for commercial use to make new products. List of References â€Å"Battle Over Gene Patents: The Legal, Economic, and Social Implications of Licensing the Core of Life Could Alter the Current Patent System.† (1996). Business Week -New York, NY. 3484: 56-59. â€Å"Gene Patents and the Public Good. † Nature. 423. 6937 (2003). Auth, D. R. (1997). â€Å"Are ESTs Patentable? † Nature Biotechnology. 15. 9 911-912 Birren, B. , & Rommens, J. M. (1999). Resource â €“ BOOK AND JOURNAl REVIEWS – Genome Analysis: A Laboratory Manual (Vol 1) Analyzing DNA; (Vol 2) Detecting Genes. Trends in Genetics. 15, 41. Bruce D. (2000). Ethical concerns about patenting in relation to living organisms. Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics. 6, 10-4. Doll, JJ. (2001). â€Å"Talking Gene Patents.â€Å"Scientific American. 285. 2 Eisen, A. , & Laderman, G. (2007). Science, religion, and society an encyclopedia of history, culture, and controversy. Armonk, N. Y. , M. E. Sharpe. Haseltine, W. A. (2000). The Case for Gene Patents. Technology Review -Manchester NH: 103, 59. Hettinger N. (1995). Patenting life: biotechnology, intellectual property, and environmental ethics. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review. Boston College. Law School. 22, 267-305. Hoffert, S. P. (1998), PTO Issues Biotech Patent Guidelines, The Scientist, July 6.Justine B. & Harris J. (2002). A Companion to Genethics. Blackwell companions to philosophy, 21. Malden, MA: Bla ckwell Publishers, 2002. Mappes, T. A. & DeGrazia D. (2001). Biomedical Ethics. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Overwalle, G. V. (2007). Gene patents and public health. Brussel, Bruylant. Sturges, M. L. (1997). Who Should Hold Property Rights to the Human Genome? An Application of the Common Heritage of Humankind. American University International Law Review. 13, 219-261. Willing, R. (2000). Gene Patent Gets Tougher, USA Today, Nov. 15, at 14A.

Persuasive Speech – Benefits of Video Game

Have you ever not believed your parent when they told you something? Or argued back? Most of us do. Most of us also like video games. And most parents say they're bad for you. But really video games can be just as good as bad if not better. Today’s generation prefers to play video games or computer games, as a form of entertainment, which can improve the minds of those who play them. Amid all the cool and colorful graphics, the fantastic music, and the intriguing and exciting plots, which can attract for those played them.There are many benefits in playing video games but I would like to stress out the two most beneficial in playing video games which is reduce the stress and video games work as mind exercise. Does anyone know that games can reduces stress? As humans, we crave the need to play because it is instinctive and fundamental to human existence. With regular play, our problem-solving and adaptive abilities will be in much better shape to handle this complex world.The r eason for this is that play teaches us how to manage or â€Å"transform† our negative emotions, and it is the foundation for sound mental, physical, and emotional health. Play can make work seem like pleasure, and aside from this, it is just plain fun. It creates laughter and freedom that can instantly reduce stress and add a feeling of relaxation to our daily living. For example playing ‘The Sims' will make your relax and enjoy as being the character in the game.You will have your own house, family and you have your own carrier. Besides reducing stress in playing games it also, work as mind exercise. Playing video games is the best mind exercise as it not only makes the mind sharp but also keeps it fit. By various studies, it is discovered that video games help in improving problem solving ability as we can solve the problem without anyone’s help. Else than that video games that tend to demand the player to make quick and accurate decision-making is its imprompt u situations.The mental fitness can only be achieved through engaging in activities that are aimed at increasing your mental activity, and they involve activities such as reading, solving of riddles and crossword puzzles. Numbers games like Sudoku, as well as word games, can be addicting but, unlike most addictions, they are actually good for your brain. Playing them helps to stimulate your mind; it improves your memory and may aid in delaying the effects of aging.The video game world is changing constantly so it is very necessary that players should have the knowledge about the games that will be beneficial for them. Believe me it is pay off when you spend your time by playing a video games. Do not just only think the negative effect of games but also try thinking the positive side. Video games not only reduce you stress, but it also improve your health benefits as well as it work as your mind exercises. I would like to encourage you to play video games during your free times becau se not only for your health but it also soon will be increase you skills.

Postmodern and Hyper Reality

Modern Culture and Hybridization PAPER #1 3/18/2013 HUM310-09 Daniel Echeverria The world has drastically changed since the beginning of online dating and other social network sites. With the growing number of people getting connected in the network, the way older generations used to communicate with each other is slowly diminishing. Today’s social networking sites have altered the way we communicate with each other, changed the ways that we evaluate one another, and the way we express ourselves.Due to the vast amount of information that can be found on the internet, a person can know about another’s past, current social circle, and interests in a matter of minutes. This has completely changed the way our generation was taught to interact with each other. For so many people now-a-days it has also become part of their social identity. Characteristics and pictures may be exaggerated slightly or completely fabricated, with the intention of enhancing one’s identity f or outside observers.As more innovations in the cyber social network are developed, today’s post-modern culture society is heading toward an hyper reality. According to â€Å"Statistic Brain† a US statistics website, there are currently 50 million people single in the United States. 40 Million People have tried online dating.? The way we meet and interact with one another isn’t the same as was 30 years ago. Our generation was taught different on the subject of dating and â€Å"Getting to know† someone. What used to be the only way of building a relationship or dating is now changed with the amount of information that is on the internet.We have seen that in films, a man meets a woman, they have face-to-face interactions, they talk about themselves and who they are and what they want to become. 1. Statistic Brain â€Å"Online Dating Statistics†, online http://www. statisticbrain. com/online-dating-statistics (6/20/2012) Relationships started with get ting to know someone unknown, communicating with that someone, and building a relationship out of the experiences with them. Due to the growth of online dating and other network sites, a person can be reviewed before they can present themselves.Websites like Facebook & MySpace give the user a profile where they can give a description of who they are without directly telling anyone. Someone with a user profile in these websites can be looked up in within seconds just by typing in the other person’s name in a regular web search engine. The excitement of exploring the person’s personality quickly vanishes with a stroke of a button. What was once local pub, or local cafe, or night club as the only ideal destination for social networking has now become online dating websites and online social networks.Society has begun to adapt these dating methods by using the tools and information in the internet to evaluate one another prior to the actual dating. The traditional dating e xperience of discovery, surprise, and experience is slowly fading away. In Glenn Ward’s Teach Yourself series, Glenn talks about postmodernism and the changes we need to adapt to, â€Å"†¦ society, culture and lifestyle are today significantly different from what they were 100, 50 or even 30 years ago †¦. Old styles of analysis are no longer useful, and that new approaches and new vocabularies need to be created in order to understand the present. ? Due to the rapidly increasing information technology, and social network users, the 2. Ward, Glenn â€Å"Teach Yourself† (Teach Yourself, 1998) modern way to share and research anyone’s personal information is through the web. It can be can be used in many different ways, negative and positive. Law enforcement has used these social websites to investigate suspects and quickly have a better idea of who the person is. A users profile can quickly give brief information on where the user lives, interests, and social group.But it can also be used to leak viral information in seconds. A recent example was of a LAPD manhunt in February 2013. In early February 2013, a suspected criminal Christopher Dorner posted a manifesto exposing the violence of the LAPD in his Facebook profile. This information was instantly available to everyone to read and share before there was any attempt to destroy the manifesto. ? Another group that has adopted the social network sites as tools for evaluating individuals is employers. Now-a-days an employer can view an applicant’s profile to screen the individual.Or an employee can be affected by what he/she decides to put on their profile page. According to Oregonbuisness. com, a survey was conducted in Chicago in 2009, â€Å"Forty-five percent of employers reported in a recent CareerBuilder survey that they use social networking sites to research job candidates, a big jump from 22 percent last year. Another 11 percent plan to start using social networking sites for screening. More than 2,600 hiring managers participated in the survey, which was completed in June 2009. †? 3. Wikipedia, â€Å"Christopher Dorner† online http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Christopher_Dorner (2/13/2013) 4. Oregon Business Report, â€Å"45% Employers use Facebook-Twitter to screen job candidates† online http://oregonbusinessreport. com/2009/08/45-employers-use-facebook-twitter-to-screen-job-candidates (8/24/2009) In other cases employees are fired for pictures they have posted and blogs they have written on their user profiles while on their personal time. It can be amazing how society has embraced and trusted information technology now when merely a few decades ago the public was nervous of having the same technology invade their privacy.Kimberly N Rosenfeld mentions this in her article Terminator to Avatar: A Postmodern Shift, â€Å"Cinematic representations of a society in shambles brought about by humankind’s losing control to i ts machines were popular with audiences in a period when the sociopolitical context fostered anxiety and technological mistrust. †? Although social networks provide the tools to the users so that they can express themselves, a user could use the profile to portray themselves as someone they are not.Not too long ago, punk rockers in the UK showed the world their rebellion through appearance and politically themed lyrics. During the 1980’s Iranian War, it was obligatory for young women to wear a veil at school. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel â€Å"Persepolis† a young Iranian school girl identifies herself as a rebel by the way she dresses and the way she communicates her views. She dresses in public with a denim jacket, with Michael Jackson Pins and Nike shoes.Her image is that of a modern punk which was not tolerated from women at the time.? As mentioned earlier in this essay, a user’s personality can be now easily identified by viewing the userà ¢â‚¬â„¢s profile. Pictures, blogs, personal statements, comments on others pages, can easily describe 5. Rosenfeld N, Kimberly (Terminator to Avatar: A Post Modern Shift, 2010) 6. Satrapi, Marjane â€Å"Persopolis† (Random House Inc, 1969) who the user is. Society has adopted this form of self-expression and has become comfortable on showing their identity this way.The user has become so addicted to the world of online social networking that physical communication and real social networking is almost not preferred. Almost similar to a gamer feeling confident playing an online sport better than the actual sport itself. Rosenfeld also describes this while comparing the movie â€Å"Avatar† to modern hyper reality. â€Å"While inhabiting the body of their avatar, human drivers are able to manipulate the world around them, free from the constraints of their earthly life. Pandora is a place where interspecies communication and relationships are possible.It is also a place w here a paraplegic war torn veteran can experience once again the sensations of his limbs and the joy of living. †? In the â€Å"Pandora† of social networks, a person who has a nervous personality can feel fully comfortable communicating to another person without actually being in front of them. Again Rosenfield quotes director of â€Å"Avatar† James Cameron on his experience of a submarine expedition to the Titanic, â€Å"â€Å"I'm operating it, but my mind is in the vehicle. I felt like I was physically present inside the shipwreck of Titanic. So, it was this absolutely remarkable experience. †? As technology advances, we can expect to see more of these virtual realities develop. It’s inevitable that we will be communicating with one another more and more through online networks than by person anymore. The line between reality and hyper reality will become 7. Rosenfeld N, Kimberly (Terminator to Avatar: A Post Modern Shift, 2010) 8. Rosenfeld N, K imberly (Terminator to Avatar: A Post Modern Shift, 2010) blurred for post-modern society as more people use online identities to interact.The way we used to express ourselves, from the way that we dress or the way that we talk, will be another fad lost in history. Technology will use a search engine to influence our decision on which person we want meet and communicate with. Profiles and â€Å"Avatars† will replace human personalities and online worlds will become to feel much easier to live in. Rosenfeld talks about how the movie Avatar is a prediction on how society is slowly changing their views and attitudes toward the â€Å"real life†. â€Å"We find in Pandora simulacra of a post humanist future.The utopian quality of this film’s magical world has even resulted in an uncommon public reaction, post viewing depression, as several news sources have reported. Maybe the public is especially sensitive to the contrast between the film’s hyper reality and the current reality of our depressed economy. When these viewers walk out of the theater, they are let down at returning to live in the actual world they must inhabit†. ? 9. Rosenfeld N, Kimberly (Terminator to Avatar: A Post Modern Shift, 2010) Works Cited 1. Statistic Brain â€Å"Online Dating Statistics†, online http://www. tatisticbrain. com/online-dating-statistics (6/20/2012) 2. Ward, Glenn â€Å"Teach Yourself† (Teach Yourself, 1998) Wikipedia, â€Å"Christopher Dorner† online http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Christopher_Dorner (2/13/2013) 3. Oregon Business Report, â€Å"45% Employers use Facebook-Twitter to screen job candidates† online http://oregonbusinessreport. com/2009/08/45-employers-use-facebook-twitter-to-screen-job-candidates (8/24/2009) 4. Rosenfeld N, Kimberly (Terminator to Avatar: A Post Modern Shift, 2010) 5. Satrapi, Marjane â€Å"Persopolis† (Random House Inc, 1969)

Learning Biography about Clinical Oncology Essay

Learning Biography about Clinical Oncology - Essay Example In order to meet the goals and objectives of clinical solutions, Brookfield (2005) argues that there is a dire need to instill change in the field of Oncology; both in terms of the work force change and techniques of handling various clinical trials. For a total transformation of the field of Clinical Oncology, it is important that the training programs are improved. In the current form of training, there is a great niche in the number of programs that are comprehensive in terms of methods of instruction in molecular and clinical oncology. In response, it is mandatory that novel approaches are applied in this field. For teaching and learning to be productive in the field of Clinical Oncology, there is a need to have a supple curriculum that allows for teaching methodologies that are all inclusive in terms of research and teaching in Clinical Oncology. Analysts propose novel teaching approaches like one-on- one teaching, e-learning so as to have flexibility and incorporate all learner s in the teaching and learning process. In the study of Clinical Oncology, various adult learning theories are applied. Among the theories of adult learning include; Andragogy. This model of adult learning theory motivates learners of Clinical Oncology in that; the model self directs learners towards their own learning. Ames and Ames (2000) argue that, in this model, learners govern the way in which they gain knowledge of and grasp concepts in the particular fields of study. Through, this model learners are in a position to grasp concepts in life, that allow them dictate their own means of learning (Edwards, 2005). In the field of Clinical Oncology it is important that learners grasp concepts that direct their own forms of learning. In Clinical Oncology, it is expected, that learners are well motivated and exposed to forms of learning that direct their own life experiences. Andragogy is linked to the ability to allow learners solve problems that they may face in their respective fie lds of learning. In this context, therefore, learners are in a position to discern the necessary skills required of them during the field of medical oncologists. Andragogy is directed towards solving problems rather than inculcating theoretical skills in the learners (Reynolds and Vince, 2007). In line to this argument, learners are subjected towards learning of concepts that relate medical oncology on a practical angle. It is important that learners in this field are exposed to practical aspects of learning concepts. For the Andragogy theory to be applied in the learning setting, it is important that learners are exposed to the concepts that are relevant to their areas of specialization. Analysts argue that adult learners must have a one on one contact with the contents of instruction. Statistics also indicate that, adult learners must be involved in the planning of their modes and contents of instruction. In the field, of Clinical Oncology, adult learners must be exposed to admini stration of therapy to individuals; for instance, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy amongst others. Andragogy allows for this practical view of adult learning in the field of Clinical Oncology. Learners are given an opportunity to learn through mistakes as well as experience in Clinical Oncology. Practically, learners are given prior introduction on how to deal with patients. First, learners are allowed to review

Why do some people or institutions say they doubt the data about Essay

Why do some people or institutions say they doubt the data about climate change - Essay Example In return, it has been noted that the scientists claim that with a sequence of observations, it is easier to gauge the climate change or at least predict it. But on the other hand the skeptical views project that the observation patterns are changes and so does the climate. The debate has also enhanced the claims regarding the objectivity of science. This means that the direct observation of the scientists regarding the climate change is incomplete. But notably, it should be noted that climate changes have occurred drastically over the last decade but no science can actually helped people from natural disasters such as Tsunami, Hurricane etc. Thus, it can be said that the debate continues to raise such doubts because scientific research has failed to provide authentic facts about the pattern in which natural climate change has occurred over the years leading into the predictability of future climate

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment Essay - 1

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment in Britain - Essay Example There is a problem area that will be touched upon, which is whether the legislation efficiently deals with children who are left to care for a family member. The first factor of legislation that UK has instituted is to promote education; therefore creating a skilled workforce and ensure sufficient rest; therefore children CANNOT work before 7am and after 7pm.3 The main piece of legislation that deals with child employment is the Children & Young Persons Act 1933. Also children that are under 13 cannot be employed at all, even in a family business. Children from the age of 13 to completing their GCSE’s can only work part-time, because education is paramount. If an employee is 13 or 14 they can only work in 9 specific types of employment; whilst at 14 or 15 they can work in any form of employment.4 Finally, the legislation also ensures that the work conditions and type are risk assessed for the child employee according to the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This illustrates that in traditional forms of employment the child is sufficiently protected, including being employed in the family business.5 The problem with legislation that regulates children’s employment is that it does not effectively address the problem of child carers6; rather it effectively deals with traditional forms of employment.7 There needs to be effective reform to protect the child who behind closed doors is effectively employed as the child carer. One could say that the current legislation does protect the child, because they cannot be in the employment of parents; however how can caring for a little brother or sister or even a parent be classed as employment?8 It is easy to identify if the person who is being cared for is receiving carer’s allowance and there was no identifiable adult carer that they are paying; therefore

Comparing State Constitutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing State Constitutions - Essay Example This paper will focus on the similarities and differences in the constitution of Texas and Alaska. The Texas Constitution and that of Alaska have various similarities. The major substantive similarity between the constitution in the case of of the State of Alaska and that of Texas is that both have the bill of rights incorporated as their first articles. It is a formal review of the liberties and rights that are considered essential to a group of people or individuals. In both the constitutions, the rights of the individual provide various restraints on the political authority and power to protect the people against abuses and intrusions that are unwarranted. In both the constitutions, the powers of the government are outlined in every listed department. In reference to both constitutions, they are on taxation, suffrage and revenue, as well as the general provisions, and the mechanism of having the constitution amended. Both the Constitution of Alaska and that of Texas describe the function and structure of the government of the United States of America. In addition, both constit utions are used as either implied laws of United States or an embodied fundamental document that governs the state functions and roles at all departmental levels. The two constitutions function as a limiting document which dictates the powers granted to each particular state. On the other hand, there are significant differences between the two highlighted constitutions. The major substantive difference is that the constitution of Texas has seventeen articles in a given order. The first one is the conspicuous bill on Rights. The next is on the power vested on the government. The third article is on the Legislative Department while the fourth is on Executive Department. There is an article on Judicial Department, a proceeding one on Suffrage and another on Education as well as Taxation. The constitution also includes articles on revenue, counties, as well as railroads. These are some

Importance of Orgazined Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Importance of Orgazined Management - Essay Example In addition, every organization depends on group effort. Joint efforts and group action have become essential in every aspect of life. Therefore, management is necessary wherever two or more individuals work together to accomplish common goals. The achievement in group efforts is dependent on mutual cooperation among people in a group. Management establishes coordination and teamwork among specialized efforts. Management is crucial in all organizations whether a club, business firm, a college, a government, or a business firm. Management is a resourceful tool which plays a part in the optimum use of resources. Organized managerial leadership alone can transform the chaotic resources of machinery, men, materials, and money into an industrious enterprise. An organization is simply a collection of machinery, men, materials, and money in the absence of management. In addition, management is required to organize, plan, control, and direct group efforts. Also, management offers motivation and leadership to people. As an inventive force, management performs an identical function in an organization like a brain does in the body of a human being. It is the primary coordinating mechanism that underlies organized venture. The significance of management has augmented enormously in recent years because of the increase in the complexity and size of the organizations, growing responsibilities and turbulent environment of business. All in all, an organized management will play a significant part in minimizing costs and maximizing output. An organized management maintains a vibrant equilibrium between an organization and its ever changing environment. Management is responsible for the formation, endurance, and expansion of organizations. This means that there is the constant need for management in any organization (Holtzman, Puerta & Lazarus, 2011). This paper will look at the importance of organized management. The paper will achieve this by examining the different levels of m anagement, roles of management, and the significance of organized management. Many organizations are made up of three levels of management: top-level management, middle-level management, and first-level management. The managers are organized in a chain of command of authority, and engage in a number of tasks. In numerous organizations, the number of managers in each level is similar to a pyramid. The top-level management is made up of chief executive officers, board of directors, president, vice-president, and other members of the C-level executives. These people are responsible for overseeing and controlling the whole organization. This level of management is responsible for setting a tone at the top and establishes strategic plans, policies of the organization, and reach decisions on the direction of the organization. Additionally, top-level managers play an essential part in the mobilization of external resources and are answerable to the general public and shareholders. The boar d of directors is characteristically primarily made up of non-executives which owe a fiduciary responsibility to stakeholders and are not directly engaged in the daily functions of the organization, even though this is different based on the culture, form, and size of the organization (Martindale, 2011). Also, these directors are tentatively answerable for violations of that duty and normally insured under directors and officers liability insurance. In addition, the board

A critical analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Essay

A critical analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - Essay Example The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a resource for early childhood care and education practitioners to support the needs of young children under their care. It sets standards for learning, development and care for children up to five years of age. EYFS provides a wide variety of information on child development to help practitioners understand how children grow and what they need to help them optimize their potentials (Tickell, 2011). The use of this resource will effectively enable early childhood settings to meet the key outcomes outlined in Every Child Matters and to ensure that high quality service is provided to the children. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) In early childhood, caring for all children involves many considerations. One is to see each child at his or her own developmental level and create activities and opportunities appropriate to their particular levels. The child needs to develop holistically, meaning each developmental area is given attention to so g rowth and development as a whole person ensues. The crucial areas of development that need to be emphasized in early learning are Personal, social and emotional development; Communication and language Physical development (Department of Education, 2012). Aside from these major areas, the children also need to develop skills in literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design (Department of Education, 2012) These are all linked together, as in development in one area affects the others. The practitioner needs careful planning and implementation of activities so that children under their care grow in all areas. The EFYS works around four essential themes namely: A unique child; positive relationships; enabling environments and learning and development (Department of Education, 2012). These themes are briefly explained as follows. Each child is born with his or her own set of talents and potentials, and these are meant to be developed all throughout his lif e. The practitioner is to help the child develop his or her potentials to the fullest by providing him with activities and experiences to hone his skills. If the child shows propensity for the arts, the practitioner allows him or her to indulge in creative activities of interest to the child (Tickell, 2011). EYFS’s theme of positive relationships enables children to grow up in environments that make them feel love and security from their homes or learning environments, making them grow up to be self-confident, self-propelling people. Supportive adults help children understand the emotions they undergo, especially if these feelings are negative and confusing to the child (anger, disappointment, jealousy, etc.). In being understood, the children themselves learn to be sensitive to others’ feelings and provide the same support and understanding to them, creating a circle The key of positive relationships. The outcomes specified in Every Child Matters are met in such posit ive environments (Department of Education, 2012). The theme of provision of enabling environments for children play a key role in helping and guiding children in growing to be capable individuals. This entails a practitioner’s keen observation of each child, as to his or her interests, skills, personality traits, etc. and get cues from the children themselves as to how they would like their learning to be structured. Careful planning of activities for children should consider important concepts and skills they should be learning at their developmental level. Again, this agrees with the constructivists’ view of children’

Organisational change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Organisational change management - Essay Example The positive energy approach will help to build the organisations on the strengths (Cooperrider and Whitney, 2001; Cooperrider, et al., 2008). The first step in this process is identifying and describing the problems which are needed to be solved. The approach can be described in five steps: (Source: The Eye Health Summit, 2013) Definition Definition is the first phase of the Appreciative Inquiry process. It is the phase where the organisations try to find out the underlying issues of the current business process, which require immediate attention of the management. In this phase, the management makes a flow map of those factors which are creating problems in the present business process and require external enquiry. In today’s business environment, the importance of organisational change management has been one of the most widely investigated areas. The organisational change management has gained attraction to a great extent from the researchers all around the world. Accordin g to Harigopal (2006), the organisational change is an essential process associated with the growth and expansion of a particular business. It is considered to be a complex process because a change which was successful for one organisation might not be so for other organisations. Thus, it becomes necessary to check that the change is congruent to dynamism, complexity and finally the uniqueness of the respective organization. The changes taking place in the political, economic and social environment also has an effect on the individuals and the organizations. Even if the change has been a constant process but its rapidity and swiftness have always been different. It is because of this reason that the external environmental changes have forced the organizations to make certain changes in their operational systems. We find a large number of companies implementing various strategic changes for coping up with the existing challenges. In case of strategic change, the companies restructure their business or marketing plans in a wider context. The main intention of performing strategic changes in an organization is for achieving the organizational goals and harmonizing the organizational activities along with the business environment. Organizational change management is one of the most crucial activities of an organization (Chen, et al., 2013). According to Jones (2004), there are two reasons responsible for the changes in the organizations. One is the response to the changes in the external environment. Another reason is the response of the companies to a specific crisis situation. The organizational change also becomes evident when various companies undergo any change in their executive power (Haveman, Russo and Meyer, 2001). The present study deals with the investigation of the problems in D2, which is an automobile components manufacturer. The company is facing a large number of problems associated with the cost of operations. The economic downturn has resulted in the worsening of the scenario in the company. D2 had to struggle for surviving in the market. The company planned for formulation of new strategies in order to achieve the economies of scale. The new strategy which has been taken into consideration is yet to be conveyed to the employees and only the senior managers are informed about the strategy

Visions of the future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visions of the future - Essay Example It is not known how the virus got spread so quickly and why it appeared. At the point the director draws attention to the possibilities of chemical weapon and inability of people to control it. More precisely, he emphasizes the necessity of people to be responsible for scientific advances. In â€Å"Twelve monkeys† the number of victims of the deadly virus is estimated as 5 billion so the major part of the planet population simply disappeared. The life of those who have survived differs greatly from normal. People are forced to live in little bunkers which remind tin boxes deep under the ground without any fresh air and sun shine. They travel with the help of some flying cars in almost complete darkness and smog. They do not see sun, they are unable to grow plants and their life does not promise any improvements in future. Artistic people are usually more sensitive and fatalistic because they often examine such topics as life and death. Terry Gilliam with his apocalyptic vision is not an exception. In his â€Å"Twelve Monkeys† people are deprived of normal and sometimes perceived as habitual things such as ability to move freely and to enjoy nature. Their life reminds survival in jungles with no place for entertainment and simple pleasures. Gilliam probably wanted to show that thoughtless science can be deadly. Scientists now deal with many dangerous chemicals, make and create powerful viruses, experiment with nuclear weapon. One careless decision and the whole humanity may find itself doomed. Probably Gilliam wanted to show the situation similar to Chernobyl Catastrophe, one of the tragedies of that kind, when people are not able to live on the land which was contaminated. And it does not matter whether the reason is radiation or a virus, it is all connected to the scientific experiments. Not accidentally there is another plot line I the movie showing fight

Gambling on College Sports Essay Example for Free

Gambling on College Sports Essay Gambling on College Sports BY jawz03 Segment 3 Essay November 7, 2012 What Are the Effects of Legal vs. Illegal Gambling on College Sports? IVe been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didnt matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I Just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as the stat man. This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldnt help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldnt pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common Justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme ases these events leading to Jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a mall degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers typically from $40 to $200 each to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershens on then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last decade and also how students and athletes looked upon the Columbia gambling scandal with lesser importance because of the lack of athletic excellence. The presence of a ambling operation with connections to organized crime at a school whose football team is best known tor a 44-game losing streak in the 1980s seemed incongruous (Curry and Gershenson). An athlete was also quoted saying, Its not like this is Arkansas or something. This is Columbia. Curry and Gershenson conclude their article by including a nationwide 1996 survey of college Division one athletes that reveals 25 percent gambled on other college sports and four percent admitted to gambling on games they had played in. I believe this is an article with good overall quality, even though it was written about 14 years ago in 1998. The time period constraint may lead to questions of relevance to readers in 2012. However, I think if you t ake all the dates and years out of the article, the purpose is still fulfilled and relays the same messages. The intent of the article was to inform about the events of the Columbia gambling ring, the reaction around campus, and the nationwide relevance. The authors Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson, are fairly unknown writers as far as I am concerned but that doesnt take away from the quality of the article because it was included in The New York Times, which only adds credibility. For this reason, there would be a nationwide udience because of the shear number of readers. Specifically, the audience would probably be more of the businessman or woman, who are the stereotypical readers of The New York Times. The exigence of this piece was the arrest of gambling ring participants at Columbia but also the fact that these types of gambling scandals had been becoming more and more common in that time period. This was a very eye-opening article for me to read and by far the longest and most in depth. Since it was written 14 years ago, it is a story that I was previously unaware of. It made me even more aware then I already was, of how long this problem has ingered in college sports. It mentioned, more then once, that there are bookies on every campus in America. This really made me think about how unbelievable the number of illegal bets being placed by college students and athletes must be. However, even though this article is depicting the illegal gambling as a bad thing, I think it unintentionally makes arguments for both sides of the issue. If gambling on college sports were acceptable, this would have been a legal act. Hypothetically if it were legal, it would cut down on crime like this, which is usually linked to people with other criminal activity going on. Disconnecting the link to other criminal activity would make it all around safer for bookies and bet placers and athletes, because frankly, I think that people will never stop gambling on sporting events. I had always just assumed that gambling on college sports should be illegal, but this article made me reconsider whether that would really be the smartest and safest resolution. In the article NCAA threatens to move events out of New Jersey from Sportslllustrated. com, the unnamed author introduces the proposed plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey as well as reaction from sports organizations ationwide. The writer kicks off the article by stating background information about New Jerseys push to legalize sports wagering. The article then goes on to describe the reaction from sports organizations, and goes in depth on the quotes from NCAA officials as well as their threats to move all playoff games out of New Jersey. It is also mentioned that The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have collectively sued to block New Jerseys sports betting law from taking effect. However, there is also information and quotes from parties that are for the sports betting law. Quotes from State senator Raymond Lesniak and rnor Chris Christie demonstrate their support tor the new law. The article is concluded with talk of several new gambling options New Jersey is seeking to offer (NCAA Threatens). The author writes that these other options include in-state Internet gambling and the use of hand-held mobile gambling devices at the casinos as well as at horse tracks. I thought this article was fairly credible and factual as well. It did not have an author to add to credibility but being a Sports Illustrated article maintained its effectiveness. I believe this piece was intended to inform the audience of residents of New Jersey as well as pretty involved sports fans. People who would read Sports Illustrated would obviously Just be in it for the sports because that is the only information it obtains. This also acts as a constraint. The article cannot reach as much of the population because not everyone is a sports fan. The event that triggered this response was the attempt to make sports gambling legal in the state of New Jersey. My understanding of gambling in college sports was drastically upgraded by reading this article. It was an informative piece, so there was very little, if any, bias in the writing. The inclusion of statistics and legality of the topic really helped me understand why the sports organizations are hoping that the law will not pass. The shear amounts of money changing hands can lead to a lot of trouble, however for the same reason, legalizing that money could really boost economic growth. These types of pros and cons exist on both sides, making it an even tougher issue to sort out. My next source comes from a script from the testimony of Danny Sheridan before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 26, 2001. The testimony was for a hearing for the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 18), which would determine the legality of gambling on college athletics. The first part of the testimony consists of Sheridan validating why his testimony should be considered by sharing his credibility and involvement in athletics. My name is Danny Sheridan, and I have been involved with sports and the sportsopromotion business for more than 25 years. I have published college and pro footballomagazines, written about sports in a variety of national publications, and have been theohost of a number of sports TV and radio shows Sheridan proclaims. Sheridan goes on to explain how he is also a friend of many high rofile athletes and he knows first hand the dangers that athletic gambling has on athletes. Sheridan also includes many statistics in his argument. An estimated 40 million Americans currently wager $6 billion illegally every weekend during the entire 20-week college and pro football season alone (Sheridan). The testimony is concluded by Sheridan stating that he appreciates the good intentions of trying to legalize gambling, but it would instead, result in negative effects. The rhetor, Danny Sheridan, is a very well known sports industrial component, which gives his testimony (and therefore my source) credibility. He presented this to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes to persuade them to vote against legalization of gambling on sports. The fact that this is a testimony, instead of a highly publicized article restricts the extent his message. I found the script on his website, however it isnt an often visited site by the common Internet user, so the audience is a big constraint for this text. I found this testimony to be a great source for this project. It was interesting to read a text that wasnt Just a traditional article. My understanding tor the anti gambling side grew significantly, because it was so biased. The speaker does a great ob making his argument come full circle. For that reason, I came away from reading it with a slight lean towards supporting keeping gambling on sports illegal. Another interesting aspect is that this testimony was given in 2001. My previous source, about the gambling law in New Jersey, is a current issue, and the arguments made by Sheridan could simply be restated now with the same effects. It is astounding to see how such little progress has been made through the years. In the article Study Provides New Data on the Extent of Gambling by College Athletes, from netfiles. edu, Welch Suggs dissects a study done to determine the facts bout college athletes that gamble on sports. Suggs begins by introducing the parameters of the University of Michigan study that was released by the athletic department. The study, based on a survey of 758 football and basketball players, found that 72 percent of college football and basketball players had bet money at least once since entering college (Suggs). The author goes on to give further statistics that the survey revealed. Welch Suggs concludes the article with opposing viewpoint quotes from NCAA employee William Saum, and former NFL player Lynn Swann. Suggs last statement included next shifting attention to basketball referees o gain information about their gambling experiences. This was a questionable source to say the least. It had some solid content but the article opened as a PDF and my research failed to try and find the original homepage of the website. Likewise, the author was a mystery man as well. This text was very brief, but I believe the purpose was to inform about the findings of the survey revealed by the University of Michigan athletic department. However, the audience is hard to determine because of the unknown author and questionable website. If I were to pick an audience though, I would say it was intended for the adult college ports athlete because of the language and the inclusion of quotes from Lynn Swann. This text also has massive constraints, mainly for the same reasons as stated before. The website is random and in an odd format, therefore finding Suggs piece would be difficult to come across. The audience is extremely limited because of this, and the credibility suffers as well. Also, it did not include dates it the article, so the exigence of the piece suffers because the provoking event of the writing cannot be identified. The facts that are stated in this article hold strong relevance for this topic. It is more of an anti gambling article based on the information it presents, but it also gives a quote of the opposite viewpoint. Numbers dont lie, and the numbers from the study are very eye opening and convincing. It makes me think about how much gambling affects the games we love, without us even knowing. Since all the surveys were anonymous, nothing will develop in terms of punishment or solutions to the problem. In this sense, the article does a great Job persuading the reader. However, nowhere in the article did it give a date of the information or of when the article was ritten, so it is hard to put it in context and determine the importance. This, along with the briefness of the article, made it more difficult to shape my thinking about the topic. After analyzing the four sources included in this essay, I have yet to come to a concrete conclusion. I began researching the topic with the idea that gambling on college sports should be illegal and that all the ettects ot illegal gambling are bad. However, my research has muddied my view a little bit, which is actually a good thing because now I am informed more then I even have been. Being informed in such a ay makes me understand how this predicament has been able to linger around in our society and in our legal system for so long.

Dipole Moment of 5- Fluorouracil Molecule

Dipole Moment of 5- Fluorouracil Molecule Computational Term Paper: Theoretical studies on 5- fluorouracil to calculate its dipole moment, and how the values compare with other pyrimidine analog (namely uracil and thymine) and that of literature. Name: Farzana Nushin Rezvi Abstract: In this experiment, the dipole moment of 5- Fluorouracil molecule was determined using the Gaussian software, and compared with literature values. The dipole moments of other pyrimidine analogs, namely Thymine and Uracil, were also calculated and compared with literature values. The experiment gave insight to typical dipole moment values of uracil derivatives, and how the dipole moment of aromatic molecules can be influenced in the presence of –F, or -CH3 substituent. Introduction: The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the dipole moment of the anticancer drug, 5- Fluorouracil, and compare the numerical value with that of two other pyrimidines, Thymine and Uracil. Fig 1: Molecular structure of 5- Fluoro uracil (drawn by ChemBioDraw). 5- Fluorouracil is apyrimidine analog (nucleoside analogs that mimic the molecular structure of pyrimidines) of uracil molecule that functions as an anti-cancer drug; it is used in the treatment of several types of cancer, including that of rectum, colon, head and neck cancer.10 5- Fluorouracil belongs to the family of drugs called theantimetabolites. Antimetabolite drugs function by impeding vital biosynthetic processes or by being assimilated into macromolecules, and inhibiting their normal functioning. The fluoro pyrimidine drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) does both.9Cancer cells often use more uracil than normal cells, which indicates that uracil metabolism is a potential target for antimetabolite chemotherapy.9 â€Å"The mechanism of cytotoxicity of 5-FU has been ascribed to the misincorporation of fluoronucleotides into RNA and DNA and to the inhibition of the nucleotide synthetic enzyme thymidylate synthase.†9 Thymidylate synthase is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion o f deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP) to deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP). dTMP is one of the three nucleotides (dTMP, dTTP, and dTDP) that eventually produce a thymine molecule. With inhibition of Thymidylate synthase, an imbalance of nucleotides results and increased levels of dUTP arise. Both of these factors cause DNA damage, therefore ultimately inhibiting cell replication. 5 FU is also seldom found in skin creams used for other conditions. However, it should be used in moderate/regulated amounts since the side effects of unregulated exposure can be severe.10 5-Fluorouracil is a derivative of Uracil. Another structural analog of Uracil is Thymine. As can be seen from the figure below, the molecules only differ in what substituent each has on C-5. Fig 2: Molecular structures of Uracil, 5-Fluorouracil, and Thymine. Thymine is one of the four nucleobases of DNA. Uracil is the RNA analogue of Thymine. Unlike Fluorouracil, these bases are regularly used by a healthy cell to construct new nucleotides (for multiplication, repair, etc.) The dipole moment is considered to be an elementary physiochemical property of a molecule. Interpretation of dipole moments by electronic charge distribution contributes to the understanding the molecular electronic structure and helps us gain deeper insight. The numerical values of the dipole moments also help us in evaluating the quantum mechanical calculations of electronic charge distribution, particularly in a series of homologous compounds, as in our experiment. Our experiment helps us understand the effects of substituents at C5 dipole moment of uracil. The dipole moment is a of these three molecules is an interesting study because in each case, the dipole moment is primarily influenced by the presence of electronegative atoms. The dipole moment of a molecule influences many of its properties and features (such as its colligtaive properties, how it interacts with other molecules, its behavior in compounds, etc.) In the molecules under consideration, the dipole moment(s) work as in the following figure (the dipole moment of uracil directed inbetween N3 and C4, with the substituent ‘X’ either strengthening, or weakening the dipole in the illustrated vectors)6: Fig 3: Vector scheme of dipole moments in uracil and in its derivatives6 (reproduced using ChemBioDraw) Experimental: For this Lab, the Gaussian software was used in calculating the dipole moment. At first, the molecule of concern was drawn using the software. Then ‘Edit’ option is selected to ‘Symmetrize’ our subject molecule. After that is done, we perform Gaussian Calculation Setup, by selecting Job Type as ‘Energy’, and under Methods changing the Basis set. The numerical value of the dipole moment is obtained from the ‘Results’ of the .chk file. The Gaussian calculation is repeated by selecting other Basis sets. The whole process is repeated for the molecules Thymine and Uracil. The molecule is drawn using Gaussian, and the Gaussian calculations repeated by selecting different ‘job types’ and ‘basis sets’. Results: The results obtained are represented in tabular form. The screenshots of the molecules as drawn in the Gaussian software are also given. Tables: Table 1: The theoretical and Literature values of 5-Fluorouracil dipole moment Table 2: The theoretical and Literature values of Uracil dipole moment Table 3: The theoretical and Literature values of Thymine dipole moment. Images obtained from Gaussian: 5-Fluorouracil Fig 4: Image of 5-Fluorouracil molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Uracil: Fig 5: Image of uracil molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Thymine: Fig 6: Image of thymine molecule as drawn using Gaussian software Discussion: The purpose of this experiment was to calculate the numerical values of dipole moments of the anticancer drug, 5- fluorouracil, and two other pyrimidines, thymine and uracil, and compare the obtained values with that of literature values. The dipole moment of a bond is defined as the mathematical product of the magnitude of the charges and distance between atoms under consideration11. The numerical value of the dipole moment can be calculated for each bond, as well as for the entire molecule. In this experiment, we use the Gaussian software for the calculation of dipole moments. The calculation of dipole moment is based on the allocation of atomic charges to the atoms in the molecule in a reasonable way.4 In the hands on experiment, this consists of assigning electronegativity values to the atoms and experimental structural information of the bonds. Topological methods, however, do not take in information about the molecular geometry or the conformational status of the molecule. The topological method currently in use is the Gasteiger-Hà ¼ckelmethod, which has the disadvantage of omitting the validation procedure. This renders the study impractical.11 The method of computation of partial charges employed in this experiment is based on the quantum mechanical calculation of wavefunction.11 For this report, wavefunctions were obtained using the ab initio method. Ab initio means based on first principles, these methods are based on quantum mechanics and attempt to solve the Schrà ¶dinger equation. â€Å"Ab initio methods use no experimental parameters in their calculations, although they use some mathematical approximations. The major disadvantage of Ab Initio quantum chemistry is the heavy demands on computer power.†12 The choice of basis set is one of the most important aspects of this computation, as our results depend vastly on the basis set employed. Basis sets are quantum chemical units of energy; basis set contains mathematical functions that can be used to determine the dipole moment, energy, and other quantum mechanical properties of an atom/molecule of study. Basis sets are considered to represent the wavefunctions of the electrons in the species.12 On the basis of atomic point charges, a molecular dipole moment can be calculated in a quite simple and fast way, and compared with literature values. To get reliable results using this method, one must select small and rigid structures.11 As the dipole moment is a property defined by quantum mechanics, wavefunctions can be used to directly calculate its values. Results derived with large basis sets (such as those reported in this paper) are in good agreement with experimental values. As we can see, our calculated values of the dipole moment align quite closely with the experimental values. One fact, however, stands out: the values of dipole moment get closer to the ‘literature values’ as the basis set is increased. However, quantum mechanical methods are not very useful when obtaining information about larger molecules.11 The dipole moments of uracil, as well as of its respective derivatives are listed in Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3. First of all, it can be noticed that all these molecules have pretty high values for dipole moments, compared to other aromatic molecules.4 This increase seems to be mainly due to the large electronegativity of the O atoms (resulting in large numerical values of the dipole moments of carbonyl groups) which amount to 4 Debye units in thiouracils, according to Schneider and Halverstadt 13 This value can be contributed to the relatively high polarity of the secondary amide carbonyl group in these compounds, as compared with the generally observed value of 2.23 Debye units.4 A pronounced change in the dipole moment is observed only upon the introduction of a substituent of a different polarity, such as Fluorine and Methyl group. In order to examine the effects of substituent on C5 on the electronic charge distribution in greater detail, many factors have to be taken into consideration. The first is that of electronegativity. Halogens are famously electronegative, with F atom being the most. The electronegativity of Fluorine atom pulls away electrons towards itself (and away from the ring) (Refer to Fig 3). As the dipole moment direction of –F atom is directed towards itself, it somewhat cancels the dipole moment of N3. This explains why 5-Fluorouracil has a lower overall dipole moment compared to uracil. Thymine differs from uracil in having a methyl group (-CH3) on C5. The main chemistry to understand here is that of the inductive and mesomeric effect. â€Å"Methylation at C5 and C6 mainly causes changes in the polarity of the C5C6 bond by way of increasing the ~-electronic charge on the atom at which substitution takes place.†6 Due to the positive inductive effect of the –CH3 group, electrons are pushed towards the aromatic ring. This adds to the ‘electron pull’ of N3 and contributes to the overall polarity of the molecule. It can be noted that substitution at C5 does not alter the dipole moment of uracil as much as a substituent on C6 would. (Since the substituents at C5 and C6 are differently oriented). For uracil, the dipole moment is directed in the N atom inbetween the carbonyl groups (as shown in Fig 3). However, the dipole moment is a more complicated calculation than can be inferred from a diagram as simple, lots of other data (such as bond angles) also have to be taken into account. Conclusion: The purpose of this experiment is to calculate the dipole moment of the anticancer drug, 5- fluorouracil, and compare its value with that of literature, and two other pyrimidines, thymine and uracil. Based on the data obtained with 5 FU, the experiment can be deemed to be successful, as it contains about 1-2 % error with respect to literature. In summary, we have demonstrated that these Gaussian calculations is an easy and convenient way to determine many physical and spectroscopic properties of these molecules in solution and can give an additional insight into their in vivo properties.1 Citations: Theoretical DFT and experimental NMR studies on uracil and 5- fluorouracil , B. Blicharska, T. Kupka / Journal of Molecular Structure 613 (2002) 153–166 Frisch, M. J.et al. Gaussian Development Version, Revision D.02. In Gaussian Development Version, Revision D.02; Gaussian, Inc.: Wallingford CT, 2005 5-Fluorouracil and thymine form a crystalline solid solution, Sarah A. Barnett, Ashley T. Hulme* and Derek A. Tocher, Acta Crystallographica Section CVolume 62, Issue 7, Article first published online: 10 JUL 2006 L.A. Curtiss, M.S. Gordon Computational Material Chemistry: Methods and Applications, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004 Structures of the Molecular Components in DNA and RNA with Bond Lengths Interpreted as Sums of Atomic Covalent Radii Institute of Biophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Krà ¡lovopolskà ¡ 135, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic. Dipole moments of 2,4-diketopyrimidines: Part II: Uracil, thymine and their derivatives I. Kulakowskaa, M. Gellerb, B. Lesyngb, K.L. Wierzchowskia, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis Volume 361, Issue 2, 29 August 1974, Pages 119–130 Chapter chemotherapy cancer http://www.oncoprof.net/Generale2000/g09_Chimiotherapie/Complements/g09_comp11.php (accessed Nov 19, 2014) Cole Parmer http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/5_Fluorouracil_99_5g/EW-88244-97 (accessed Nov 19, 2014) 5-Fluorouracil: mechanisms of action and clinical strategies, Daniel B. Longley1, D. Paul Harkin1 Patrick G. Johnston, Nature Reviews Cancer 3, 330-338 (May 2003) Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorouracil (accessed 3rd December 2014) Hans-Dieter Hà ¶ltje, Gerd Folker, Molecular Modeling: Basic Principles and Applications, VCH Publishers, 1997 Vol. 5 Samakhvalov A, Lab Manual for Physical Chemistry I, Rutgers University Camden 2014 Schneider, W.C. and Halverstadt, I.F. (1948) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 70, 262626 1

Marketing Report Virgin Media Marketing Essay

Marketing Report Virgin Media Marketing Essay The aim of this research is to disclose the challenges and progress being made by Virgin and the marketing process and other crucial means leading to their progress. In order to complete this analysis, the adoption of strategic planning and marketing tool is crucial. Additional research for this report was completed through visiting Virgins online resources, which include historical archives, annual reports, strategies, operations etc. The aforementioned sources or documents provide background information, which acts as the basis for Virgins current position and against strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats analysis (SWOT analysis). Further analysis includes market segmentation, environmental analysis, target market and launching strategies. The first phase of this marketing report is to conduct a situation analysis that reveals the present state of the organization and its opportunities in the market. However, disclosing the history of the organization in view is crucial. The focus of the report thus would be on virgin media groups especially the mobile or telephony sector alongside the HD-TV or (3d TV) and broadband connection in the United Kingdom. Introduction Kotler and Kevin (2006) defined marketing as the science and art of selecting the right market, and then attracting and retaining customers making use of different techniques and making the customers happy. The marketing is not an easy concept of management. People believe it just as selling of goods, but it has the important role of satisfying the customers by giving them their needs and wants (Drysdale, 1999). This suggests that marketing is a tool, which involves the process of identifying the need of the product/ service in the market, and designing the product accordingly to fit into the market, using different strategies of sales and promotions. Successful marketing strategy is one, which makes increased returns from existing customers (Wilson et al., 2002). Marketing Process It is the process of marketing that makes the success or failure of the business. For below figure describes important characteristics associated with the marketing. Virgin media focuses on characteristics such as social, technological, political, and demographic factors for its marketing and promotional activities. Virgin also targets customers based on products in an appreciable manner by introducing 3D TVs into the market. This might act as the USP for the organization. Source: Kotler and Kevin (2006) Figure: Important factors of marketing strategy Company Background /Mission Statement The history of Virgin dates back to 1970 when Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Company started with a student magazine and then the company expanded to several sectors; ranging from music labels, travel, drinks, financial services, media, music, transportation, telephony, media and services and fitness (virgin.com). Virgin has developed more than 300 branded companies globally. Global branded revenues as of 2009 accrued to around  £11.5 billion. A merger between Richard Bransons Virgin Mobile in 1993, and cable operator NTL, which metamorphosed into Virgin Media Inc on February 6, 2007, established media. External Marketing Audit Macro environment -Virgin Media Marketing is depicted by Brassington Pettit (2003, p.8-9) and Brassington Pettit (2007,p.2-3) as composed of conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas , goods and services. Brassington Pettit (2007, p.2-3; Armstrong 2009,p.7-9) specifically submitted that marketing involves; identifying, planning, anticipating, and satisfying customer demands or specification with profit in mind. It thus involves exchanging or stimulating of ideas and the processing of such ideas. It could also be depicted as the creation of awareness for products, which stems from designing products, conducting market research, launching strategies, ensuring availability and service. Marketing thus can be depicted as a demand management activity. The marketing scope however takes place in an environment which takes into consideration basic themes in marketing and customer relationship management (Brassington Pettit 2003, p.9-11). The macro environment audit examines ranges of issues that affect the organization from the environmental perspective. This is represented by PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological analysis (Drummond et al 1999, p.24). Despite the global economic recession, the innovation and launch of products have remained constant. The particular segment of Virgin media; the television and telephony sector which provides distribution of television programming , broadband and fixed line telephone services to consumers on Virgin Medias cable network accounted for over 84.5% of total revenue in the first half of 2010. Micro Environment Market Analysis With the new development of TV 3D and the proposed increase of the network offering a downstream speed of 100Mbps and an upstream speed of probably 10Mbps by the end of 2010. The cable TV, telephony and broadband sector however of Virgin media is envisaging spending up to 30% of  £40mthan last year as compared to  £170m this year. Appendix 1 further explains the current position of Virgin Media. The launching of 3D by Virgin media ahead of other major competitors like BSkyB which is available for domestic use demonstrates the innovative intent of the company. In this era of globalization, technologies become the particular part in our life. One of the significant parts of people daily-life is communication. That makes telecommunication infiltrate into customer lifestyle. Virgin Media, despite the so many innovative and early market entry cases with its product remains a loss prone company. Competitors such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4,BT Group and Talk Talk through their collaboration which seeks to deliver internet access and video on demand programming accessible to the Freeview digital TV box. Competitor Analysis The present position of Virgin Media in the market, as an innovative and early launcher of products .In 2010 , Virgin media has successfully completed a portfolio of voice, data and internet solutions to leading businesses alongside public organizations and service providers in the United Kingdom (Barnet 2010). The focus of this report however would be on the 3D revolution. With the new converged TV and broadband set -top box gaining more demand, Virgin Media would launch TiVo at the end of the year. From this perspective, Virgin media submits that in the first three months of the year and recorded around 200 views million views of video- on -demand content. TV channels have benefitted from this video-on- demand strategy, for instance, Channel 4s 4oD realized up to 19 million views through Virgin Media (Guardian.co.uk). The BBC iPlayer however stands as another medium through which more than 50 million views of content in the first quarter. The competitive advantage of BSkyB cannot be ignored. The battle for the 3D market is on, as Virgin Media has beaten BSkyB to launch the first commercial 3D Television service to the United Kingdom customers and further to other European companies starting from 1st October, 2010 (Virgin Media press release, 2010). The latest of strategies employed by BSkyB is the unveiling of the service known as 3D Movies on Demand, which allows customers access to 3D versions of films with a loop of preview programming. The positive of all this submission is that over 1.2 million households that have a V plus or V HD receiver and 3D glasses would be able to benefit from the 3D rental services. Customer Analysis The number of subscribers in the United Kingdom is increasing continually especially with the introduction of internet, broadband and lately 3D TV video on demand. Cable Products and Services Virgin media offers cable broadband internet, television and fixed line telephone services to residential customers in the United Kingdom. Virgin media offers its customers several packages and multiple services (Virgin media annual report 2009). Broadband Internet Virgin media has over 3.8 million subscribers, with several upgrades made to the network in the first half of 2010. As the first provider to offer download speeds of up to 50Mbps to over 12 million homes across the United Kingdom, with the current upgrade of up to 100 Mbps, Virgin media ranks one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to provide a further download speeds up to 200 Mbps (Halliday 2010). The broadband internet service has been credited as one of the successful sectors of Virgin Media with intense marketing and customer relationship management services (Virgin media annual report 2009). Television Virgin media operates in different aspects from the TV; Cable Television, Free TV service, Virgin TV on Demand (VOD) , High Definition Television, and Digital Video Recorders. The new 3D TV revolution leads to the examination of the internal market and the position of the media sector of the company. Internal Marketing Audit Operating results Virgin media has held a solid presence in the market with a combination of different sectors as disclosed above. From the perspective of Gilligan Wilson, (2009, p. 73-75) is concerned with strengths and weaknesses , organizational performance and structure, operations and resources , marketing objectives ,marketing strategy, information systems , control systems, functional efficiency, inter functional efficiency, cost effectiveness analysis. Fig 1 : The place of the marketing auditing in the overall management auditing Source: Gilligan Wilson, 2009, p. 79 Internal auditing assesses the extent to which an organization, its structure, and resources interact with the environment and they have the means of operating efficiently within certain constraints that the environment presents Gilligan Wilson, (2009, p.80). Five stages of auditing as disclosed by Gilligan Wilson, (2009, p.82) involves; defining the market, determining the performance, determining differences in competitive programmes, profile the strategies of the competitors and determining the strategic planning structure. Strategic Issue Analysis Investing in a particular business, demands a marketing research or audit. Following the corporations aim, which is to be the leader in entertainment communication, according to Virgin Media website, it provides a wide range of products to serve consumers wants and needs by focusing on entertainment and 3D technology with design and suitable for customers lifestyle. There are main three category of product, which is divided by usage and customers lifestyle as following: Daily life tool, Communication Entertainment, and Style Statement. Firstly, daily life tool is the mobile phone which is produced for customers who want just only basis of communication which could be linked with the mobile telephony business. The strategic concern here is the launch of the 3D TV, which is supposed to boost the Virgin Media Inc. Considering the modernity, and new customer or coverage of this new product. Certain things need to be taken into consideration; segmentation process which covers the consumer behaviour, social influences, personal influences and psychological influences (Drummond et al, 1999, p.51-59). SWOT Analysis Strengths Wide-range of products Environmentally friendly Strong partnership Reasonable price Early launcher or early market entry Weaknesses Accumulated deficit Wide range of Media products without any specialization Weak Brand identity Limited expansion of coverage Opportunities Christmas and New Year/Seasonal period sales Expanding of signal, broadband coverage with the TV. Increasing in On-line purchase Technology flood trend Threats More entrants into the market Strong competitors Negative media reports Marketing / Strategic Objective With the new 3D TV on demand in place, the entire marketing objective of Virgin Media is to consolidate its profit in the market through innovation and launching of new products (Virgin Media). At the beginning of this strategy, the strategic objective is to stimulate existing customers and potential customers to purchase the product (3D TV on demand). This plan takes issues such as services, after service, customer relations management and promotion, quality products and service delivery are crucial. However, it is crucial to drive total sales unit by attracting customer with a great deal. This can be achieved by applying Ansoffs Growth Strategies (Wood, 2007), to decide which area might be suitable for this plan, the decision is made by choosing market penetration. This penetration strategy of Virgin may help it in the long-term. The company will be able to penetrate well into the market segments left untouched. This will lead the organization towards a better position in the market. The company uses its different segment of products to penetrate simultaneously into the different market segments. Virgin strictly follows the marketing concept to sell its products all acros s. Their focus is on branding the products for increased sales. Furthermore, customer relationship management has become an important factor for Virgin, as the performance outcomes are categorized as customer loyalty, profitability, customer satisfaction and the market share (George A. Day Robin Wensley, 1988). Marketing Strategies Virgin should make use of segmentation strategy of market, based on the 4Ps of marketing (Kotler, 2006). They should select their two products 3D TVs for entertainment and the TV for transfer of information etc. Firstly, the 3D TV shall be sold to users who want just the comfort of the 3D entertainment. While the second type of TVs are for those looking for different applications on their TV for the transfer of information or use of the internet (Style Statement). Those who make purchase just for entertainment include children and homemakers, shall be targeted for the first type of product. Some people, who are professional by nature, and are more involved in the information transfer, shall be targeted for second type of product. The product chosen for discussion in the below sections is TV. Product Virgin Media produces a variety of products to serve any market segmentation with wide-range of prices depending on what features fit in customers needs. The customers have many choices to purchase other HD TVs or TVs with multimedia benefits, which are suitable for their lifestyle. According to the Product/segment analysis grid, Wood (2007), there are three categories for Virgin media TV. Their product (TV) is aimed to wide range of market segment. Thus, the company can achieve economies of scale by selling its products all across. Considering the products by using Product Life-Cycle Marketing Strategies, Kotler et al (2009), it has some products extinct from the market but it has also the products which resurrection to the market as well. Price The impact of the economy crisis, slow down the purchasing power and customer spending behaviour, during gift-giving holiday as Christmas and New Year are the special occasions for European. However, the pricing of their TVs is fit to the market today. The products range from HD TVs to the simple TVs for wide range of genera. Thus, the company here focuses on earning revenues from low involvement TVs by achieving economies of scale, while good margin on high involvement TVs. The information from Mintel mention that the average amount spent on gift for family and friends this Christmas was 370 pounds (Mintel 2007). This simply implies that for a product such as the 3D TV videos on demand, the price would be much affordable for subscribers and it would focus on a particular class of the society at first, which are the high earners and early technology adopters. (See Appendix 2). Place One of the marketing mix elements that would be the key success factor for any business is distribution channel. The channel, which could approach to the customer directly, should be the suitable way to increase profit in short term. Virgin thus makes use of the retailers distributed worldwide, to sell its products. From this fact, it leads the marketing department to choose direct marketing in term of e-marketing to be the channel and also using the existing channel that distribute product to retailer and the retailer sells to customers which means the company is using dual distribution for this marketing plan and selective distribution. The competitive advantage of online marketing is lower costs and prices. According to the accumulated deficit of the company, the department desire to lighten the load of companys expenditure by developing the website to sell the product. Promotion Just like the place, there should be multiple ways of communicating the benefits and awareness of the new product. Promotion could be through the following ways; Internet marketing, magazine, television to mention but a few (Appendix 3). The company uses promotion strategy as advertisements and various promotional plans randomly for selling its TVs. Virgin gains competitive advantage against its competitors due to its wide range of quality products. Continuous research and development by the company helps it to introduce new products into the market. These products, with big brand attached to it, sells in the market to gain revenues. Additionally, the long lasting existence of the company shows its expertise and experience in the industry. The company thus has linked with large number of retailers indirectly, to distribute the products directly to its end consumers. The company does not stand up with high pricing. Their pricing strategy is worth the brand value they have achieved. They stand well in the market with strong base. Thus, it suggests their pricing fit for upper-middle class of people. Marketing- An approach to success Marketing in itself is not an easy phenomenon. It varies from one geographic location to the other. For Virgin, the company analyses well the different approaches for selling its products at different places. For example, for selling its products in US, the products should be trendy and luxurious. The products shall be sold showing their fade. However, for countries such as India, China and Malaysia, the company shall use promotional strategies using the local cultural approach. The company offers huge discounts during cultural timings in these countries. This raises the sales of their products. Company also uses traditional means of representing their products as cost effective and as value to price. For this, Virgin promotes its products to grab the attention of both, end consumers and organizations. Selling to end consumer focuses on the benefits attached with the product for home use. However, for organizations, benefits on bulk purchase, benefits on using various range of products etc. is laid. This increases the probability of Virgins products acceptable all across. References Armstrong,G, Kotler, P,Harker, M,Brennan,R. (2009) Marketing and Introduction, Pearson Education Limited. Barnet, E. (2010) Virgin beats Sky to 3D service launch; accessed 29th September, 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8029425/Virgin-beats-Sky-to-3D-service-launch.html Drummond, G , Ensor, J Ashford, R.(1999) Strategic Marketing :planning and control; Oxford:Elsevier. Drysdale, L. (1999) Marketing or Market Orientation: Whats the Difference, Prime Focus The Professional Journal for Australian Primary School Leaders April pp28-29 George A. Day Robin Wensley (1988), Assessing Advantage: A Framework for Diagnosing Competitive Superiority. A Journal of Marketing, Vol. 52, pp. 1-20. Giligan, C Wilson,M.S .(2009) Strategic Marketing Planning, Oxford ,UK: Elsevier. Halliday, J . (2010) Virgin Media steps up battle over broadband speed advertising, accessed 1st October ,2010 ; http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/sep/02/virgin-media-broadband-speed-advertising Kotler, P. et al (2009) Marketing Management, London: Pearson Education Limited. Mintel, (2007), Christmas Shopping Habits 2009 report, Accessed 29th September, 2010: http://www.academic.mintel.com Philip Kotler, Kevin lane Keller (2006), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, 12th edition, ISBN 0-13-145757-8, p. 6 Virgin Media press release (2010) accessed 1st October, 2010; http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=205406p=irol-newsArticleID=1449279highlight= Virgin Media First Quarter 2010 Results ( 2010) accessed 1st October, 2010; http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=205406p=irol-newsArticleID=1418909highlight= Virgin Media on Demand , accessed 1st October, 2010; http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/ondemand/ Virgin Media brings 3D TV to UK living rooms ; accessed 1st October, 2010; http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/features/virgin-media-3d.php Virgin media annual report 2009; accessed 30th September, 2010 ; http://investors.virginmedia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=135485p=irol-reportsAnnualVirginMedia Wilson, H., Daniel, E., MacDonald, M. (2002), Factors for success in CRM systems. Journal of Marketing Management. Vol. 18, No.1, pp. 193-219 Wood, M.B. (2007), Essential Guide to Marketing Planning, London, Prentice Hall. Zack Investment research online archive ; accessed 1st October, 2010, http://www.stockresearchwiki.com/Ticker/VMED/ Appendix A