Men and masculinity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Men and masculinity - Research Paper Example Rationale of Research This research project hopes to assess the relationship between men and masculinity in the context of their significance to media and social context. For example, the aggression of men is feasible for media projects such as the television, newspapers and radio among others. Similarly, men can use masculinity in the shaping of news through modeling and fashion shows that attract the young clientele. In other words, there is the direct impact on the social context through interaction with men who walk with a masculine persona. Additionally, this is paramount in the advertisement world where the essence of pictures and body images translates to profits for companies (Ayers, 2008). In the same prospect, there is also the use of male power in reaching the female audience who get attracted to the masculine nature in their marriages. This is influential in defining social interactions such as marriage and relationships that looks up to men as the role models of their fa milies. On the other hand, in the media world, men use masculinity to set standards of excellence and moral good in helping young people to emulate the career as a profession of serious people. In the same view, men have the ability to manipulate the power of masculinity to win admiration in terms of upping the moral bar of society. Annotated bibliography Ayers, D. (2008). Bodies, bullets, and bad guys: Elements of the hardbody film. Film Criticism, 32(3), 41-58. According to Ayers in the above article, there are several connotations of male image in the film industry through the symbol of sex image. In the author’s view, the film industry banks on the masculinity of men in the depiction of bad boys who misuse girls, kill people, and do drugs among other vices in the community (Ayers, 2008). Additionally, there is also the relationship between high film ratings for the exposure of hard boy image to represent the alluring effect of masculinity and male power. Lee, T. (2002). V irtual violence in Fight Club: This is what transformation of masculine ego feels like. Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, 25(3-4), 418-423. DOI:10.1111/1542-734X.00059. However, in the perspective of Lee, masculinity according to most men is starting fights and stoking violence in clubs. This is mostly done as proof of bloated egos and pride that only demeans the maturity of men. Similarly, there is also a promotion of the wrong culture that violence is something noble especially if it is done by men to boost their egos (Lee, 2002). Alternatively, there is also the use of violence to gain sexual domination. Rosenburg, J. (2009). Circles in the surf: Australian masculinity, morality and grief. Critical Public health, vol. 19 issue 3-4 page 417-426. However, according to Rosenburg, there are several negative consequences of the promotion of masculinity among men in the moral sphere. For example, the display of masculinity erodes the moral standards of young people who assu me that physical power is the same as brain power. It also leads to misrepresentation that the use of masculinity among men is a direct symbol of domination in society over others (Rosenburg, 2009). This has hence resulted to broken morals and peer pressure among young Australians. Alilunas, P. (2009). "Male masculinity as the celebration of failure: The frat pack, women and the trauma of victimization in the "dude flick." Mediascape. On the other hand, according to

Local Literature Essay Example for Free

Local Literature Essay Personality is the sum of one’s personal characteristics. It is one’s identity. The teachers, more than any other professional are momentarily subjected to scrutiny to the minutest detail and observation by those they associate with. Teachers are judged more strictly than the other professionals. The personality they project determined the impressions they make upon students’ and colleagues. Their poise, bearing and manner of dressing create a stunning and attractive appearance. Their facial expression communicates a friendly and amiable disposition. Personalities may be described as authoritative, weak, dynamic, or â€Å"magnetic†. Teachers’ personality must be natural and genuine, that is, devoid of pretenses and artificiality. They must be consistent, true and authentic. (Corpuz Salandanan, 2006 p.12) In the highly complex world of human relations, it is essential that the conscientious teachers be concerned not only with how students’ interact with her but how they interact with their peers and with other adults. But concern is not enough. Little can be accomplished until students’ problems pertaining to human relations have been identified. (Salandanan, 2010 p.18) Once the teachers is more aware with the social relationships among her students’ she is in the better position to select a technique for teaching human relations. Toward this end, the teacher must first identify students’ problems pertaining to human relations. The identification such problem gives the teacher a basis for considering what techniques for improving human relations she might employ. (â€Å"Teaching techniques for improving human relations†, p.459 n.d) No single factor can contribute more to an improved student achievement than the guarantee of a quality teacher in every classroom. No amount of classroom facilities and instructional materials can produced the desired learning outcome without a teacher at the center stage. Quality is synonymous to competence, creativity and commitment, contextualized in the teaching profession. Competence highlights a teacher’s adequate knowledge, proficient skills and trustworthiness. Creativity is a kin to originality,  flexibility and innovativeness. Worthwhile values of compassion and commitment provide the fine ingredients that make teaching truly humane and enriched with a sincere feeling of accountability. Quality teachers’ can be found in our schools today. Adequately prepared through quality pre-service programs and continually motivated to grow while in the service, their competence to teach is assured. The attitudes and values that they project in and out of the classrooms, in the home and community, provide positively and satisfactorily the answer to the perennial search for quality teachers. As paragons of virtues and progressive attitudes, they truly deserve the priceless rewards, recognition and emulation of the whole nation. With full pride and confidence, every parent and community can lay upon their chests the growth and nurturance of their sons and daughters for a promising future. (â€Å"Quality teacher†, p.7-11 n.d) The teacher rightfully deserves to be enthroned at the center stage of any educational endeavor. She is the distinct ray of light that illumines the mind touches the heart and buoys aloft the spirit of the young. Every effort, initiative or enterprise aimed to educating the young needs a magic hand to provide the much-needed direction, guidance and energy throughout the educational journey. Assuming a number of roles that a leader, counselor, assistant and instructional manager, there is no task that demands more waking hours, strength and attention than the teaching-learning episode. Competent teachers produce competent students. The desire to grow and learn more and more is vital to the development of an exceptional proficiency and capability needed in the teaching profession. As a concluding statement, a definitive teacher personality is a picture of one who possesses outstanding mental, personal and social traits. Has a strong aptitude and interest in teaching the young, steep in worthwhile values and attitudes and competent in both content and teaching methodologies. The teacher with a definitive personality is bound to reach the minds and touch the hearts of the young. (Aquino, 2008 p. 35-38) Travis W. Twiford, Chair Mary E. Yakimowski-Srebnick Steven M. Janosik Louis O. Tonelson Stephen Parson (2012) â€Å"The Influence of Teaching Methods on Student Achievement on Virginia’s End of Course Standards of Learning Test for Algebra I† Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Virginia Beach, Virginia. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-10062002-202857/unrestricted/HAASDISSERTATION.PDF SYED SHAFQAT ALI SHAH (2009) IMPACT OF TEACHER’S BEHAVIOUR ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. University Institute of Education and Research. Rawalpindi, Pakistan. http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Thesis/293S.pdf Amy C. Thomason (2011) TEACHER PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS: CONTRIBUTIONS TO EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND BEHAVIOR GUIDANCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. North Carolina. http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Thomason_uncg_0154D_10586.pdf Chang, Ya-Ching, Students’ Perceptions of Teaching Styles and Use of Learning Strategies. Masters Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2010. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/782 Sylvie Marguerite Raymond (2008).Effective and Ineffective University Teaching from the Students’ and Faculty’s Perspectives: Matched or Mismatched Expectations. University of Exeter. Doctor of Education. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/40767/RaymondS.pdf?sequence=1 Jeffrey Sprenger (n.d).STRESS AND COPING BEHAVIORS AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. Health Education and Promotion. http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/bitstream/handle/10342/3548/Sprenger_ecu_0600M_10405.pdf?sequence=1 UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS Abejuela R., almeniana C., Caballero J., Gomez N., Salles M. (2007). Teaching Beliefs and Teaching Intentions of Daycare Teachers. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Acuà ±a L., Gadia M., Gaspar R., Rodrigo J., (2008). Academic achievement of selected education students involved in extracurricular activities. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Aguilar A., Basibas K., Castillo R., Cruz M., Pontiyon A., et al (2007).Non-intellective factors affecting the Academic Performance of Freshman High School Students in Mathematics at Sta. Lucia High School.School year 2006-2007.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Balle M., Feraaro L., Guinto J., Palaming I., Umali C. (2011).Level of Social Skills and Academic Achievement of Selected Grade II Pupil. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Banzuela R., Pumas M., Peckson W. (2006).Self-Conceptand Academic Performance in Mathematics of Selected Pinagbuhatan High School Freshmen.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Barreno C., Casuga M., Intalan P., Ocampo D., (2007).Motivation on Teaching among First Year Bachelor of Elementary Education Students. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Bartolome J., Borlagdatan M., Cinco A. and Tumonog L., (2013).Teaching Strategies of Secondary Mathematics Teachers in Elementary Algebra and its Relation in the Performance of the Students.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Benito G., De leon M., Baga R., (2004).Teachers morale and work motivation at Pasig Central Elementary School Pasig City.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Calià ±go J., Laguitan L., Nagales M. and Tingson S., (2006). â€Å"The Relationship between the Self-Esteem and Achievement Motivation of selected College Freshmen. College of education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Castillo A., Santos K., Beltran L., Dueà ±as J., Ibardo I. (2006).â€Å"The relationship between Students Learning Styles and their Expectation of Relationship with Faculty.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Conise C., Rivera M., Vinarao M. (2008). Attitude Towards Teaching Profession and Level of Pedagogical Knowledge among Third year and Fourth year Education Students. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Cruz L., Ruiz A., Umali M., (2012). Self-perceived difficulty and expectation of peer teacher and parents to the performance of third year geometry students.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Cruz P., Hernando M., Jimenez S. (2008). â€Å"Perception on English Teacher Quality and Use of Instructional Media among third year students of three secondary schools.College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Dayandante G., Echual M., Gavileà ±o J., Mangalus S., Telmo M., (2008). Perception on the Quality of Tests Administered to selected Freshmen Students. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. De Guzman J., Facistol R., Lorenzo A., Pascua J., Pelisigas R., et al (2009). Relationship of Achievement and Attitude Motivation‚ Anxiety and Aptitude in Mathematics.College of Education‚ PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. De Leon T.‚ Delmindo K.‚ Ebot M.‚ Maà ±oso E.‚ Otayco J. (2007).â€Å"The Relationship between Trust in and Respect for Teachers and Student autonomy and Influence in the Classroom†.College of Education‚ PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Laurente J.‚ Lumbao J.‚ Meà ±oza R.‚ Miguel K.‚ Nicolas L.‚ et al (2010). Relationship of Teacher’s Profile‚ Instructional Materials and Instructional Methods used Teachers Teaching Styles and Mean Score in the National Achievement Test of Napico Elementary School. College of Education‚ PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig. Molar V., (2010).Teachers’ Personality and Pupils’ Learning Behavior of Grade Five at Nagpayong Elementary School S.Y. 2009-2010; an assessment. College of Education, PamantasanngLungsodng Pasig.

The Advantages And Disadvantage Of Bribery Economics Essay

The Advantages And Disadvantage Of Bribery Economics Essay The enterprises or merchantmen have different views on bribery under different circumstances; sometimes the different nations with different background have completely different ideas. In some places, peoples attitude is slightly loose to bribery, while in other places, such as in the United States, people look down on this act in public, but they do not clean themselves. In spite of the publics tolerance for bribery, there are not a national people will agree that powerful people can hurt the publics interests (Joseph A. McKinney, 2008). Corruption and the Global Economy, said that both the developed and developing countries, whether the so-called democratic countries, or dictatorships, corruption almost exists everywhere. In order to obtain some profits, such as the market access, policy benefits and scarce resources, whether multinational or local companies adopt all means to improve the relationship with the government and the government officials, which affirmed the existence of a large number of illegal acts (Mathias Nell, 2009)? Former Indonesian President Suharto, former South Korean President Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae-woo, former President Abacha of Nigeria, former President Ferdinand Marcos of Philippines, former Mexican President Salinas had stepped down because of corruption and bribery, in these famous events, there are many multinational presences. In this essay, it will firstly discuss the advantages of bribery by an actual example. Further, it will introduce the disadvantages of bribery with making out an unfeigned instance. Finally, it will summarize that the bribery plays a role in the international business. The advantages of bribery A few years ago, the survey that the World Bank on the 3600 foreign trade companies in the earth showed that there are 40 percent of companies did business through bribery in 69 countries. It is estimated that the corruption fund account for 10 to 20 percent of the total amount of the global business, some companies bribe money reached 100 million dollars (Carl Pacini, 2002). However, in fact, there are not many cases of transnational bribery which have been exposed, while there are few of punishment. China has become the most potential and the fastest growing emerging market in the world, particularly in the past decade, the import and export trade and the direct investment from the multinational companies were rapidly develop. To quickly open the Chinese market and make huge profits, the multinational companies not only exhibit their fund advantage, technical superiority and management advantages, but also show their bargaining power that convincing the relevant Chinese authorities and enterprises, even including adopting the bribery. All business books relevant to do business in China would warn the occidental the importance of the relations, which often means paying bribe for the government officials and the leaders of state-owned enterprises. There is no one doubts the existence of bribery, while there is almost not a multinational company admit encountering such a thing, all public interviewed west managers have denied that they had been extorted or bribed. Procter Gamble which is one of the best developing multinational companies has set up in China over 20 years. Currently, P G with its multi-brand advantages has occupied 60% of Chinese commodity market. Any other company can hardly achieve such success, the secret of success is the strong capital, strong research team of P G, but almost no one can guarantee that there is no the suspects of bribery. The Chinese dental treatment group certification message was printed on the shell of Procter Gambles Crest brand toothpaste, which has convinced Chinese consumers, so this brand toothpaste was in popular. However, But in 2007, the Ministry of Health publicly said the investigation of Chinese dental treatment group certification and economic problems, P G was quickly drawn into the whirlpool because of its close relations. P G has been reported that it donated 10 million Yuan to Chinese dental treatment group, while it also allowed enterprises and institutions related to public interest in donation or sponsorship between the names of the financial transactions to be concerned. Although P G quickly responded, said the money was donated to the Chinese Foundation of dental prevention and treatment for promoting oral health, which has nothing with the certification of Crest toothpaste. However, this approach immediately attracted greater challenge. It is understood that Dental Prevention and Treatment Foundation and Dental Treatment Group even to be a pair of twins, the Foundation is established based on Dental Treatment Group, and in turn, the Foundation support the public activities of Dental Treatment Group with its received funds. From this, there is nothing between donations and certification according to P G, which is purely sophistry. Procter Gamble donated 10 million Yuan to Dental Treatment Group or its brother agencies, which can not have any relation with the long-term. If the two sides had not volunteered admit the information, and without documents and other evidence to prove a causal relationship between them, then the law can do nothing. On the other hand, if we can prove that P Gs contributions related to the dental certification, then the Dental Treatment Group and Procter Gamble have a commercial bribery and should take legal responsibility. Obviously, no one will take the initiative to admit commercial br ibery. Although P G had some implications in this matter, but this did not affect their normal interests, on the contrary, it greatly increased its advertising effect to increase its sale. The Dental Treatment Group certificated Crest toothpastes efficacy, which recognized the prevention and treatment of their products. Procter Gamble obtained profits is far more than 10 million Yuan from the event. The disadvantage of bribery Since the reform and opening up, Chinas real estate industry has been rapid develop, so the demand for steel continues to rise, while the raw material iron and steel iron ore is the competed objects by Chinese steel mills. China is the largest iron ore importer in the world, but China has been in a passive position in the price negotiations of iron ore, because Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Brazils CVRD monopolized 70% of the global iron ore. With the growing demand and intending to seek more ways of importing, China has started to increase its iron ore imports from other countries (Christopher Baughn, 2010). Although the amount of the small countrys imports are increasing, the Australian ore and Brazilian ore are still the main sources of Chinese iron ore. Thus, the ceaseless contest has been started between China and the three mines. The case of Rio Tinto spy is a typical example in July 2009. According to the media reports, the computers in Shanghai office of Rio Tinto was taken away by the related departments has dozens of steel enterprises information which have a long agreement contract with Rio Tinto. The information is concerning the enterprises detailed stock plans, raw materials inventory, production schedules and other data, including large steel enterprises monthly steel production and sales. There are no more than 10 people know about all the details of Chinese steel production process. Mining companies can master these secrets; it may be pay bribe for the specific operators of the relevant enterprises. The insiders said the emotional communication between the mining companies and the steel companies is very close, in addition to the normal business commission; a number of mining companies would be necessary paying bribery for the relevant personnel. March 29, 2010, at the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate Peoples Court worked out the first instance verdict on the Rio Tinto case, which identified Stern Hu, Yong Wang, Mingqiang Ge and Caikui committed non-national staff of accepting bribes and violating commercial secrets crimes, were sentenced to their term imprisonment ranging from fourteen years to seven years. Although the end of this bribery case, it left people many reflection. Many people give away the national interests for some petty profits, while Rio Tinto is not a separate company in the case; it represents the interests of the three mines. Rio Tinto case not only damaged the friendship and mutual trust between China and Australia, and mutual trust, but only involved in Chinas commercial secrets. Transparency International There is not the Global anti-corruption or bribery legislation yet, but the regional legislation is playing an increasing role. Since 1993, a named Transparency International international organization determined through the international and countries cooperation to encourage the Government formulate and implement effective laws and policies to hold out corruption. Transparency International carried out a large number of activities, a very important activity is investigating the businessman, the political analysts and the public around the world to determine the perception of various countries degree of corruption from the respondents. The corruption perceptions index is the international access targets for evaluating the degree of a countrys corruption (Table 1). Table 1: Corruption perceptions Index 2009 (from http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table) Country CPI 2009 Country CPI 2009 New Zealand(1) 9.4 United stated (19) 7.5 Denmark (2) 9.3 China (79) 3.6 Singapore (3) 9.2 India (84) 3.4 Sweden (4) 9.2 Russia (146) 2.2 Switzerland (5) 9 Iraq (176) 1.5 Australia (8) 8.7 Afghanistan (179) 1.3 Japan (17) 7.7 Somalia (180) 1.1 From the table, it is concluded that the Nordic countries possess of the highest ethical standards, the Asias Singapore is known as a model for the worlds anti-corruption, the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development also has a strong anti-corruption efforts, while Asia, Africa and some Latin American countries most affected by corruption (Carl Pacini, 2002). The companies of United Stated would be prohibited by the state law if they pay bribe in foreign. Back in 1997, the United States promulgated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, took the lead in working out disciplinal provisions about multinational companies paying bribe for the host countries government officials (Margot Cleveland, 2009). Despite the subsequent time, few cases of punishment of transnational corporations, the American multinational companies also considered harming the interests of U.S. companies in foreign countries, affecting U.S. companies competitive abroad. U.S. Commerce Secretary said that the American companies lost 64 billion dollars business within a year, because of anti-bribery and anti-corruption. The American enterprise which has been still pay bribes has been marked decreased. However, many multinational companies are still trying bribery, because the contract is too attractive. At now, the member countries of the Economic Cooperation and Development Organization and the Organization of American States are the most effective anti-corruption countries; it can not have bribery activities when people opened offices in those countries or making the global marketing business. Government officials in these countries have higher moral standards. In Asian and African countries, bribery is much more common. General estimates, the multinational companies gave the government officials kickbacks account for 15% of the total income when the global companies operated in Asia. Although bribery is illegal, each company had to work to pay bribe. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay clearly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of bribery from clear from the positive and negative sides. In fact, we all know the advantages and disadvantages of bribery, if paying bribe is successful, then the person or group will get their hoped interests; if paying bribe is fail, the briber and bribe will be punished by the related law. Although, there are the stringent laws in this regard in every country, many people go to pay bribe and corrupt at risk and at all costs in the driven of interests. Multinational bribery is not a national issue, this is a global issue. There should be some organizations such as Transparency International in each region or country, together with the local government to develop and implement effective laws and policies to put down corruption. International and the countries bosom should strengthen cooperation in order to effectively keep within limits corruption. Multinational bribery is not an isolated phenomenon, onl y when the powder large-scale is away from the economy, the legal system is more robust and the social atmosphere is better, it will be got the basic reverse, it also requires the joint efforts of all mankind.

Heart Of Darkness :: essays research papers

Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is a fictional novel with an overflow of symbolism. Throughout the entire novel Conrad uses a plethora of simple colors, objects, and places in order to clarify very complex meanings. By doing this, Conrad is able to lure the reader into a world unlike his or her own: the Congo River, located in central Africa. Although the interpretation of these symbols is so elaborate, the simplicity of each makes it somewhat easy to overlook. A few examples of the many symbols found in Conrad’s novel include the jungle, as well as the colors of white and black, better known as the colors of life and death. In Heart of Darkness, the images of black and white have the usual connotations of evil and good. These pigments are found throughout the entire book. Ironically, although black, the native Africans seem to represent a sort of good by doing what they feel is right. On the other hand, the white foreigners carry themselves with some kind of evil as they exploit the great kindness of the blacks. I guess you could say that the white men were filled with a black hatred inside. Another example is found when Marlow enters the Belgian company’s office. Sitting in the office are two women dressed almost completely in black. Marlow is no beginning to understand the seriousness of the journey he is going to make. Even his predecessor dies because of a quarrel over two black hens. The usage of black is almost too much to handle. Another example that I also remembered from the movie was how Kurtz’s pictures were always placed within a dark ebony back round. Another ironic example is the continued description of the white ivory. Its beautiful white shine makes it look righteous, even though it really demonstrates a great evil as the elephants were being destroyed along with other people. Other colors were of importance as well to truly understand the symbolic nature of the story. The plaid patches and trimmings on the Russian’s harlequin clothes portray his ever-changing moods and foolish, light-hearted behavior. By simply using a description of clothing, Conrad is able to show us how he tends to stay out of trouble with his befriending nature. The color yellow will usually symbolize some sort of corruption or decay. We first read about yellow as it marks the area of Congo on the map in the Brussels office.

Bacterial Growth Curve

Several Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229) bacterial cultures were established using serial dilutions and simple agar plate pouring. The growth of the bacterial cultures was evaluated using spectrophotometric and colony counting methods. Data collected from a two-hour monitoring using 30-minute interval sampling of bacterial suspensions were plotted against the 30-minute interval collection times on a normal and semilographic coordinates. The resulting growth curves showed that the cultures progressed from the lag to the log phase, which are typical of a bacterial growth curve.The growth curves generated by spectrophotometric analysis were similar to the growth curve created by the colony counting method. The techniques employed in this experiment may serve as basis in determining bacterial growth on both liquid and solid culture media using other types of bacterial species. The methods used in this exercise may act as a method in estimating the number of cells that are generated through different types of culture conditions.The colony counting method seems to be a more reliable method because it involves actual visual inspection of live colonies while the optical density readings involve light transmission through the turbidity of the bacterial culture suspension. The growth of bacteria pertains to a process wherein a single bacterial cell generates two identical daughter cells. This simple doubling of bacteria is observed in cultures that are classically conducted in microbiological laboratories. The quantification of bacterial growth is generally performed through the use of either direct or indirect cell counting methods.Colony counting is an example of a direct counting technique while the measurement of turbidity is an illustration of an indirect counting procedure. The progress of a bacterial curve is generally described through the use of a growth curve (Novick, 1955). Four different phases comprise a bacterial growth curve. The lag phase involves the adapta tion of inoculated bacteria to the conditions of the culture medium. This phase denotes that time that the bacteria are undergoing maturation. The logarithmic or exponential phase involves the doubling of bacteria in culture.The rate of division is observed to logarithmically increase through time. The growth conditions and the chances of survival of the resulting daughter cells influence bacterial growth rate. The logarithmic growth of the bacterial culture is dependent on the availability of nutrients in the culture medium. The stationary phase pertains to the decrease in growth rate due to the exhaustion of nutrients in the culture medium and in turn, wastes have accumulated in the culture medium. During the death phase, the cultured bacteria lose nutrient resources and die. Materials and methods. The bacterial concentration of an E.coli culture (ATCC 11229) broth culture was determined through the employment of serial dilutions and agar plate counts. Approximately 1 ml of the E. coli culture at log phase was transferred to a flask containing 100 ml of brain heart infusion broth. The suspension was slowly swirled and 5 ml was transferred to a cuvette for optimal density (OD) reading at 600 nm absorbance. Another 1 ml of the log phase bacterial culture was transferred to a test tube containing 9 ml of water. The suspension was mixed well then 1 ml of was then transferred to another test tube containing 9 ml of water.The serial dilution was performed six times, resulting in 7 dilutions. Approximately 1 ml of the 0 time point dilutions (10-4, 10-5, 10-6, 10-7) was plated with 15 ml of melted agar, swirled evenly and set aside to solidify. The optical density (OD) of the broth culture was taken every 30 minutes by transferring 5 ml of the broth culture to a cuvette for spectrophotometric reading. All plated cultures were incubated for 24 hrs at 35-37oC. After 24 hrs incubation, the colonies that emerged on each plate were counted. The collected data from the OD reading and colony counting were then analyzed and plotted on semilog paper.Calculation for generation time (g) of the bacterial culture was performed using the following equation: g = time at absorbance 0. 41 – time at absorbance 0. 21 Results. The growth of the bacterial culture based on the concentration of bacterial cells was determined using two methods. Optical density (OD) reading using the spectrophotometer showed that the number of bacterial cells in the culture increased for the 2 hours that the cultures were monitored. The optical density reading were then plotted against the 30-minute interval collection times (Figure 1).Based on the collected data, the calculated generation time is 32 minutes. The generation time was determined as follows: g = 92 minutes – 60 minutes = 32 minutes Data collected from colony counting of broth cultures were plotted against the 30-minute interval collection times on a semilographic coordinates (Figure 2). The generation growt h curve was determined to be 10. 1 minutes, indicating that the bacterial culture had grown 10 times from the start of the experiment. The exercise involving determination of bacterial concentrations over 2 hours of monitoring showed that the broth culture of E.coli showed an increase in its growth. The data showed the features of the lag and logarithmic phases of a growth curve wherein there is a slow adaptation stage that shows minimal increase in the number of bacterial cells during the first 30 minutes of inoculation and then an exponential increase in the number of bacterial cells was observed soon after until the end of the experimental period. The results generated from optical density readings and colony counting show the same increasing trend in the number of bacterial cells in culture.The employment of two methods in determining growth rates of bacterial cultures provided an opportunity for comparison of these methods. The colony counting method seems to be a more reliable method because it involves actual visual inspection of live colonies on a Petri plate while the optical density readings merely involve light transmission through the turbidity of the bacterial culture suspension and this method does not differentiate the live from the dead bacterial cells but in turn just counts the number of bacterial cells that are present in the cuvette.It should be noted that the number of viable bacterial cells serve as the source of new daughter cells hence it is better to rely on the results that are generated by actual colony counts derived from visual inspection of Petri plates.However, it also should be noted that colony counting is also associated with a disadvantage wherein one colony may be composed of at least two to several bacterial cells hence the exact number of cells can not be determined. A colony composed of more cells can thus result in a bigger number of daughter cells than a colony comprised of only 2 bacterial cells. Reference Novick A (19 55): Growth of bacteria. Annual Review of Microbiology 9:97-110.

Primary and Support Activities of Value Chain Essay

Raytheon Company has created new software that improves the logistics system of the company by providing constant tracking data of all products in the inventory, which has saved the company nearly $9M. MTrak is a web-based system that includes the Microsoft . Net technology, which is used to capture bar-code scans and combines it with information from the mainframe computer to provide tracking of all inventories anywhere within the company. A lot of stuff got lost, company had to have multiple people sitting by the phones to take the calls asking where the parts were. The creation of MTrak brings Raytheon online with its competitors in the industry. While the system does not create a competitive advantage to Raytheon, it does negate the disadvantage of a bad supply control system. The creation of MTrak contributes to the entire value chain by tracking the products from the beginning of the chain at Inbound Logistics, through Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing and Sales, through to the end of the chain at Service. The Technology and Competitive Forces The major problem at Raytheon was lost inventory. The suppliers were not to blame because they were able to account for every piece of property they supplied through their fully automated supply chains. From the beginning, the goal was to create a system that would track all materials used by Raytheon such as resistors, capacitors and customized computer chips from the time of order through receiving, testing, placement in inventory and final use in a military field radio, handheld motion sensor or some other Raytheon product . Whenever Raytheon received calls for a missing delivery personnel would physically search the area to see if the product was still there. In some cases, if the item couldn’t be found the employees would reorder the item so production schedules could be met.. The MTrak is a web-based system that includes such technologies as Microsoft . Net and Biz Talk 2004. These technologies, which captures bar-code scans and other information on incoming deliveries, combine it with other information from the mainframe system such as purchase-order inventory, anufacture-scheduling data. The integration of the MTrak and mainframe computers is possible through the use of software provided by WRQ Verastream. This system lets employees track the status and movement of parts throughout the entire company from a web browser. Competitive Forces-Value Chain The Value Chain consists of five Primary Value Chain Activities and four generic categories of support activities. The primary value chain activ ities are supported by the generic categories. In this case the primary chain activities that are being supported are the Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, and Marketing and Sales. The supporting category is Technology Development. Raytheon created this technology in-house with publicly available software. Even though integrating the software into the daily business of the company did not create a competitive advantage, Raytheon was able to save money in many areas including lost inventory, delayed production, and outsourcing software development. Supporting the Company The MTrak tracking system provides a state-of-the-art software package that provides Raytheon with the means to track its entire inventory throughout the entire company from a web browser. This technology improves the value chain of the entire company. Though the use of this technology, Raytheon will be on a level playing field with other companies in the industry. It may even spur Raytheon an advantage in the future as the company continues to grow.