Strategic Planning in the Airline Industry

Airline Planning Strategic Planning in the Airline Industry a two-day Seminar The Challenge Rapid and intense change in today’s business climate reshapes the fundamental approach to strategic decision-making. New thinking for ways to face the two vital strategy issues – where will the airline be in the future and how to get there – must emerge so that a modern air carrier can leverage its strength and capitalize on opportunities. Creating innovative strategies for the new business paradigm marks a proactive approach to the challenges in the volatile, yet exciting, airline business.Airlines that embrace a dynamic outlook for strategic planning are positioned favorably to prosper financially and operationally in face of uncertainties and complexities in this business. The strategic plan and its components influence every aspect of running a commercial air carrier. As such, it is critical to devise effective strategies and execute them efficiently. Organizational un its depend on clear understanding of the strategic issues so that they can plan accordingly and carry out the responsibilities created by the strategic plan.Strategic planning brings about an opportunity to examine carefully ways that the airline is conducting its business, and finding new methods to do a better job. Designing and delivering the airline’s services in today’s demanding marketplace requires sophisticated coordination between business units of the airline. Strategic planning serves as a mechanism to create a framework for integrating various contributions to deliver the airline’s offerings. Strategy-based planning addresses both the resource allocation and organization structural issues.Developing a business model for the airline based on a strategic analysis of opportunities and requirements form a platform for planning resources going forward. It also responds to: †¢ †¢ †¢ limitations in utilizing resources uncertainties of the fut ure dynamics of the airline business Business Requirements Strategic Management Strategic management is a disciplined yet adaptive endeavor to chart the future of the airline and align the activities of all business units in that direction.This attempt must be flexible, not rigid, so that the roadmap that it creates can be applied in building sensible operating and tactical plans that can incorporate new realities as the future unfolds. The strategy-savvy airlines reap the rewards of performing better while avoiding the detrimental effects of unstructured, undisciplined response to strategic challenges. Over time, only the airlines will survive that can master designing an advanced yet pragmatic strategic planning process.Such a process must encompass all significant considerations for constructing a blueprint of actions and allocating resources for properly executing those actions. CA Advisors 1250 Aviation Avenue Suite 200M San Jose, California 95110 USA Tel: 408-295-7730 Fax: 408 -280-5700 www. ca-advisors. com Gesellschaft fuer Markt und Strategieberatung Sonnenberger Strasse 52 65193 Wiesbaden GERMANY Tel: 0611-37577-39 Fax: 0611-37577-40 www. gms-beratung. com What is the airline trying to achieve? How is the airline going to achieve it? Objectives Strategy Strategic Analyses StructureHow will the airline organize its resources? Business Model Policies What are the operating rules and boundaries? Strategy-based Planning Structured Approach to Strategic Planning Seminar agenda†¦ Day One †¢ Introduction – strategic management perspective – structured approach to strategic planning Day Two †¢ Planning Optimization – allocating resources – developing prioritization †¢ Airline Business – unique features – models and economics †¢ Financial Planning – investment analysis – financing methods †¢ Strategy Development – practical considerations – innovative approaches †¢ Asset Valuation Real Options methodology – managing uncertainties †¢ Strategic Planning Process – components and requirements – execution and evaluation †¢ Integrated Strategic Management – thriving financially – performing operationally Who should attend†¦ This seminar delivers methods and tools for creating innovative strategies and executing strategic plans at both the corporate level and organizational units. Lessons learned can be quickly applied, facilitating the complex process of strategic decision-making. Airline corporate development and strategic planning executives, managers, and analysts directly profit from this seminar.Those responsible for long-range planning of various functional areas, business development, fleet planning, product and service development, corporate finance, treasury and financing, financial and investment analysis, financial planning and budgeting who directly face the challenges in strateg ic planning are the primary audience. Others in scheduling, marketing, and operations, who are impacted by strategic plans, are also encouraged to attend so that they can benefit from understanding the difficult and complex process of developing strategies and implementing strategic decisions that significantly impact the airline.Benefit from experienced leaders†¦ Two experts who combine extensive experience in strategic planning, airline strategies, and market development with knowledge of advanced quantitative planning and management science techniques will present the seminar. Jahan Alamzad Email: jahan. [email  protected] com Jahan Alamzad is president of CA Advisors. He has served as advisor to Applied Decision Analysis (ADA), a unit of Standard & Poor’s Corporate Value Consulting, where he was previously the director of airline practice. (ADA was a wholly owned subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC between 1998 and 2001. ) Mr.Alamzad has been a management cons ultant in the airline and aerospace industries for the past seventeen years. Before his consulting career, he worked at American Airlines and United Airlines. Mr. Alamzad holds a masters in operations research from Stanford University, as well as a masters in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California, and bachelors degrees in civil engineering and electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. He has served on the faculty of the Department of Aviation at San Jose State University, and has collaborated in publishing a textbook entitled Airline Management.Maciej Mazurowicz Email: maciej. [email  protected] de Maciej Mazurowicz is managing partner of Gesellschaft fuer Markt- und Strategieberatung (GMS). Prior to GMS, Mr. Mazurowicz worked at Lufthansa German Airlines in different strategic management positions. At Lufthansa Consulting, he managed a variety of business development projects for airlines worldwide. Mr. Mazurowicz holds a Mast er of Business Administration and bachelors in business from the University of Kiel. His publications include articles on behalf of the German Ministry of Economics concerning product development and management of innovations.About CA Advisors†¦ www. ca-advisors. com CA Advisors is a management consulting firm dedicated to providing state-of-the-art analytical services. By applying powerful and practical tools, the firm helps its client understand their business positions and improve their strategic and operational decisions. To ensure the success of its work, the firm is committed to collaborating closely with its clients, communicating clearly about its approach, and delivering valuable results that are logically sound. For many years, the work of CA Advisors rofessionals has spanned a wide range of projects. The firm has a focused and dedicated practice in the airline industry, with a breath of expertise in aerospace and aviation. The experience of the firm’s professi onals extends from traditional applications in logistics and resource allocation to more innovative applications in strategic planning. GMS is a management consulting company supporting clients in strategic planning and business development. GMS focuses in planning, marketing and sales, and assists clients in developing and implementing business strategies.GMS experts facilitate the evaluation of the business environment, forecast and analysis of market scenarios, and development of organizational structures by applying a wide range of state-of-the-art analytical tools and business methods, resulting in optimized financial and operational performance of clients. GMS ensures efficient project realization through a network of cooperation partners – from complete IT solutions up to personnel training. About GMS†¦ www. gms-beratung. de

Local and National Provision Research Essay

Research and write about the local and national provision for your preferred sport. The aim of this assignment is to research the local and national provision for tennis. The main governing body for tennis is the Lawn Tennis Association. I will research how the LTA provides funding and helps players from a beginner level to and elite level. There are many ways in which a performer can improve and compete, I will research how these are done and what help is given. Often there isn’t sports provision for those with disabilities, i will investigate what is available in tennis. I will also research what is available in our area. Tennis venues in Suffolk include ? Park courts ? Clubs and village courts ? School and education facilities Tennis courts in parks are generally maintained and run by local authorities for example in Bury St Edmunds there are courts in the Abbey Gardens. Courts are expensive to hire at around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 per hour. There are several clubs in West Suffolk for example The Risbygate Club in Bury St Edmunds. There is a joining fee for the club, which is quite expensive particularly for young people however, the subsequent cost of hiring the court is cheaper than / A number of villages in the West Suffolk area have their own communal courts which you can access providing you are a resident in the village, for example Bardwell has 2 courts. There are no indoor courts in West Suffolk therefore tennis is mostly played through spring and summer. Tennis lessons for children are available throughout the year in venues such as local leisure centres and schools where mini courts and practise sessions can be set up. For those who wish to compete there is the Glasswells tournament in the summer,in Bury St Edmunds, all other competitions take place further a field which require transport to get there. The LTA is the main tennis governing body. It makes these opening statements on its website â€Å"OUR VISION, To make Britain a great tennis nation. OUR MISSION, More players, Better players.† (www.LTA.org.uk) The LTA aims to develop tennis from the grass roots of tennis to international success. They have clear priorities, juniors, clubs and performance. They believe in order to succeed, tennis needs to be played from a young age, money is invested in encouraging very young children to the game and helping them develop their skills to become talented players who will represent their country. The British Tennis Foundation is the official tennis charity. It works alongside the LTA, to provide opportunity for young people and those with disabilities. It helps organise come and try sessions, national training programmes and international tournaments. The Central Council of Physical Recreation CCPR is responsible for distributing lottery money to national governing bodies, some of this money is given to the LTA to invest in the development of tennis. The National Coaching Federation NCF aims to improve the standard of coaching in the UK. It runs courses to ensure coaches are fully qualified and are able to coach participants to the very highest standards. This enables players to be coached my the very best and produce a very competitive edge. Many talented performers begin playing tennis at a very young age, they gradually move up through club age groups. When a youngster with talent is spotted their coaching becomes more intense and their level of competition increases. The LTA has a system of tennis coaching which begins young and carries on to senior tennis.   4-8years, mini tennis, this is fun and ensures tennis is enjoyable and played regularly 8-10years, club futures, clubs and coaches provide opportunities for juniors with talent to compete and be involved in club performance programmes 11-13years, county futures, talented players are spotted from club futures to be part of a nationwide programme at county level 11-14years, national futures, young competitors who have the right athletic ability, competitive attitude, mental balance and behaviour are chosen and are provided with the technique to succeed on the international stage   14-22years, academies and intermediate, preparing players to make the step from junior to senior game by providing competitions and physical conditioning 22+, senior players, intensive coaching and training. If a talented player wishes to pursue a career in tennis but also study for a degree at university, special scholarships are available to ensure top coaching is still available but alongside studies. Wheelchair tennis can be played against others in wheelchairs or able bodies players. The International Tennis Foundation regulates the wheelchair game. The ITF ensures wheelchair competitors can compete in the worlds most prestigious events. Wheelchair tennis can be played on regular tennis courts, so some facilities are available. Many wheelchair players are discriminated against and there are no wheelchair teams locally. This is because nationally wheelchair isn’t as widely played as able bodied tennis. Tennis provision is minimum at the moment, but it is higher than it has been. The LTA is committed to developing the game and with encouragement from those already participating I believe in the future tennis will have the best facilities and provision, regardless of their age, gender, or ability. www.wtatour.com www.itfwheelchairtennis.com www.itfjuniors.com www.minitennis.com www.btf.com www.lta.org.uk

Daniel Boone and Kit Carson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Daniel Boone and Kit Carson - Essay Example From a relationships point of view, both Daniel Boone and Kit Carson had a rocky relationship with the natives, always getting in war with the American Indians. Boone for instance gives various accounts of his escapades with the Indians who once captured him and later killed his brother and tried to kill him. Carson made numerous expeditions which made him more experienced and skilled in the trade and also earned him problems with the natives. He was a general of war during the Mexican-American war where many American Indians were killed, and their land confiscated. These two frontiersmen had to contend with unhappy natives who were not happy with the new people acquiring their land. However, while both of them had problems with the natives, they had differing attitudes towards the natives.Ironically, despite the bad relationship with the local natives who were a risk to his life, Boone seemed to have a better attitude towards the local natives (Early America chapter 3). He sure had bad times with them, but from his text, the reader cannot detect any contempt for the natives. His writing of the American Indians is just descriptions of the events which took place. He gives an account of the various wars and battles that were fought between him and the Indians or between the Indians and other frontiers. In giving his account of the time he was in captivity with the Indians, he never seems to show any contempt. In fact, booms own problem with the other settlers was his increased.... His writing of the American Indians is just descriptions of the events which took place. He gives an account of the various wars and battles that were fought between him and the Indians or between the Indians and other frontiers. In giving his account of the time he was in captivity with the Indians, he never seems to show any contempt. In fact, booms own problem with the other settlers was his increased honest and his expectations that they would also be honest too, leading to him being cheated (Bakeless 342). During this time when he was in captivity, his wife thought him dead because she did not believe that the natives could have kept him alive. Yet, Boone came out of captivity alive and well, and managed to resettle his family again in the Kentucky region at a time and place where there were continual infighting between the natives and the settler frontiers who in the Maryland, Kentucky and Miami (great Miami) regions. While Boones account indicates a positive attitude towards t he natives despite the rocky relationship with the natives, the same cannot be said of Carson who actually helped other settler armies in fighting the local natives. Carson was involved in a number of wars where natives were massively killed, displaced from their native land and other crimes committed against them (Boraas 15). He seemed to pledge allegiance to the union. Basically, he was more of a military guy, than he was a settler. His military wrecked havoc wherever he went and participated on war. He did not have mercy towards the local natives and never hesitated on going to fights with these local natives. This was very unlike Boone, who beneath his conflicts with the natives always seemed to understand that the

To read a story and write about it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To read a story and write about it - Essay Example To him, life became unbearable when his he even decided to attend new meetings to improve on the knowledge he had, as the unemployment benefits were running were almost ending, the cost of living was rising up in Washington. It was after searching from town to town of Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky among others, in different companies that one call came from a headhunter and said it would be a perfect job for him, only to be asked why he never wrote about his bachelor’s degree. The author said that he never did one, and was told it is one requirement that would have made him prefect. At that moment, it came clear why the writer got rejections and at times no responses from his resumes. He realized he was not self-sufficient and was living a lie. To him, he had known that he had all what it takes in terms of knowledge and skills to get the jobs, but his thinking was shattered. It then clicked in his mind that he needed to put things right, by first looking for ways to improve himself, by furthering his education, changing his thinking process and ideas on education. He decided to tie it all together after following some adverts he once saw on TV and the internet about Phoenix university, and went back to continue his education. Over the learning period, the writer discovered three things that people say, never fear failure, and honesty is the best policy. They term it so because they believe that failure gives room for learning opportunities for growth. He quotes, â€Å"Thomas Edison failed thousand times to create the filament for light bulbs.† He later succeeded after not giving up. To be a failure means giving up and accepting that one cannot succeed. But the â€Å"I say† part of the writer is that he believes that if he wakes up in the morning, people can make a difference in the world in way or another. He says that people’s perception of failure is taken to be, that failure is bad, people look at what was done and what was left undone. But where they

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion Essay

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion - Essay Example Whether the local populations engaged in animism, polytheism, or other cultural heritage-derived beliefs, once Africa was directly invaded by the Turks and subsequently opened up by European traders, the Islamic religion became prevalent. The scope of this paper is to focus on the advent of the Islamic faith within the region and explain some of the factors that contributed to it. These factors can be generalized within three broad areas; geographical, historical, and behavioral. Through the combination of these causes, Islam became prolific and replaced much of the ancient indigenous practices. Africa is a diverse continent where the geography includes almost every possible landmass variation. From desert, tropical forests, mountains, and the plains of the savannah, the influence of the geography itself impacted how and when Islam spread. As Parrinder points out in his article, the expansion of non-native populations tended to take a vertical shape, almost assuredly due to the use o f the coastlines as entry points for foreign traders, but the land itself is stratified horizontally between the major geographical components. "These two ways of viewing the country help to explain the progress of Islam; for it came into the interior plateaus first and long remained almost stationary there, cut off from the coastal regions by the impenetrable forest" (Parrinder 131). It wasn't until the European traders established a transportation infrastructure of roads and railways that Islam began to make inroads from the interior of the country into the coastal regions. Once that was accomplished, however, Islam was able to spread from the central portions of the continent to the outer edges, including West Africa. This specifically points to the first of three historical aspects of the spread of Islam. Historical Factors While it might be inferred that Islam was initially carried into Africa by the Turkish invaders who used the Mediterranean Sea as a conduit for expansion, the fact is that the spread of Islam owes its initial developments to commerce. As Trimingham notes, "Islam was first introduced into West Africa by traders. Their activities in purveying Islam along with their goods have continued ever since" (28). It is intuitive that religion spreads with commerce. As native people interact with merchants, there is a blending of ideas and philosophies that naturally takes place. Given the aggressive proselytization practices of Islam, there is no great mystery as to why the native Africans would convert. Their assimilation into Islamic beliefs was also fostered by the historical imperialism of the religion. By its very structure, Islam is a faith that blends political and economic activities with religious practice. Once the belief system becomes sufficiently popular, it begins to enforce its tenets through more than simple missionary means. The statement that "Islam in power is secularized theocracy and this always leads to forms of religious imperialism" (Trimingham 28) is as true today as it was in the eleventh century. Once entrenched in tribal governance, the more aggressive forms of an imperialistic recruitment would emerge. These practices included everything from forced conversions to the refusal to allow commerce between individuals of the faith and apostates. In many parts of Africa, conversion to Islam was not a voluntary activity, but a political and economic necessity. The next historical fact, that of western development, would simply provide the means for expansion of the imperialistic

Problem and solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem and solution - Essay Example Another effect of junk foods is poor performance and obesity. These foods contain very huge amounts of fats. Obesity is caused by accumulation of these fats in the body resulting in abnormal weight gains. A person who consumes junk foods at least twice a week gains an extra 4.5kg of body weight. Johnson, Paul Kenny(2010). Solution: the most effective way of reducing obesity is regular physical exercises. Exercising leads to burning of excess calories since it speeds up metabolism rate in the body hence aiding in shedding away some of the weight. Excessive intake of junk food should also be avoided, instead one should increase intake of white meat such as fish instead of red meat. High levels of sodium and fats contained in junk food can lead to high blood pressure or hypertension. Disproportionate dietary sodium can also have an undesirable effect on renal function and can cause kidney ailment. Consumption of junk food during pregnancy can intensify the risk of poor mental health, anxiety and depression in the young ones. It also causes emotional and behavioral problems such as tantrums and aggression. When junk foods are frequently used, they can cause cancer. This is based on the fact that they lack all the vitamins and proteins that are essential for proper functioning of the body. The immune system is also impaired. As a result, the diseased cells can become cancerous. Furthermore, packed junk foods usually contain preservatives and coloring which have carcinogenic substance. These carcinogenic substances are harmful for the body especially for the cardiovascular

Eco db 2 londa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Eco db 2 londa - Essay Example Precisely, the objectives of an organization should dominate social values (Milton, pp.1-2). In the lecture presentation, Friedman and the student differ on the principle. According to him people respond to things according to their self-interest. Morality and economic policies in business should be in the company. However, the student feels that the principle is entirely wrong. He cites the case Ohio electricity disconnected power for a man for failing to pay the bill and consequently died. He is of the view that companies should not make profits at the expense of exploiting the community. He further goes on to highlight the case of Ford, that manufactured a model of vehicle which lacked sufficient safety measures increasing the vulnerability of the passengers to serious injuries. He felt that it was the responsibility of the company to protect the buyers since they had the necessary resources at their disposal (Milton, pp.1-3). Friedman counters the arguments claiming that the electric company is a separate legal entity and could not be held liable for the death of the man. Instead, his immediate neighbours should have been accountable. The company incurs costs that it must find means to finance. Friedman is correct because, it may be economically unsustainable for organisation to behave like charitable organizations. In addition, if goods and services were provided free of charge then the core reasons for establishing it lacks. Business is all about profit making (Milton,

Questions wk5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions wk5 - Essay Example This policy would help companies to utilize local knowledge as much as possible so that the company’s business prospects in the host country can be enhanced. This policy gives more importance to host country norms. It also helps companies to reduce labour cost considerably since in most of the cases the labour cost in the host country would be lesser than that in the home country. Geocentric staffing approach is implemented in global and transnational companies. It helps companies to get the services of best personnel all the time irrespective of the country of origin of the employees. It gives lot of flexibility to the staffing policy. The major disadvantage of the ethnocentric approach is that it may produce anger and cultural conflicts in the business units in the host country. Moreover, this strategy is suitable only for international companies. The major disadvantage of polycentric staffing policy is lack of career growth and opportunities to the employees. It may also is olate the headquarter from subsidiaries. Geocentric staffing policy is highly expensive as far as implementation is concerned. Moreover, immigration policies in the host and home countries may limit the exchange of workforce. This strategy is not at all suitable for domestic firms. Link between an international business's strategy and its human resource management policies, particularly with regard to the use of expatriate employees and their pay scale The utilization of expatriate employee force is necessary for international companies to manage their business activities successfully in overseas countries. For example, it is impossible for Microsoft or Apple Inc to manage its activities in India with the help of Americans alone. Only the Indians know their market well and hence their service is vital for Microsoft or Apple to build their business strategies in India. Moreover, labour cost in India is extremely low compared to that in America. Under such circumstances, I would be su icidal for Microsoft or Apple to bring workforce from America to India to manage their business activities there. It should be noted that all the companies are currently trying to establish business units, especially manufacturing units in cheap labour oriented countries. This strategy would help such companies to stay competitive in international market. It should be noted that prominent Japanese and American companies have manufacturing units in China at present. For example majority of the Sony products are currently manufactured in China even though the origin of Sony is in Japan. While operating cross culturally, HR managers should make sure that the employees on deputation to the host country have adequate exposure to the cultural norms in the target country. HR Management of local work force is extremely different from the HR management of international or cross cultural workforce. Most of the international organizations are keen in keeping a diverse workforce. HR managers sh ould make sure that the interests of the diverse workforce never make any conflicts in the workplace. In what ways can organized labour constrain the strategic choices of an international business? How can an international business limit these constraints? â€Å"Organized labor has attempted to (i) set-up its own international

TOM CREEKS PTY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TOM CREEKS PTY - Essay Example The current capital employed by the company is $3500, 000 and that is the price that we are putting on the table, as a result, we are which means that we are not paying any goodwill to the company and taking over a profitable business. This is a good thing as we are investing in a profitable asset.Sir, I may also like to present you the profitability report of the company. The company has earned a profit of $653,000 in the last fiscal year. If this trend continues and we invest in the company, we are going to earn an ROI of 19%. This very good return and will earn us a profit rate greater than if we deposit the money in our bank account. This ROI is among the return rates on higher sides and will be able to help us earn a decent amount of return on our investment.As far as the share capital is concerned, it is around 56% of the company's resources. This is an ideal ration and the company is neutrally geared. Due to this, our interest expenses will be low and we will be able to retain much of what we earn. Similarly, the company's working capital is in a very good position. We can easily clear our debts without endangering the company's liquidity position. Similarly, as we can see that the company has idle cash lying around in the form of excess working capital, we can put it to interest earning securities and this will further improve the company's profitability and we help us recover our investment.In the end,

Education Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Education Curriculum Essay There is usually an existence of a gap between the objectives of a lesson and the student position and pertains the lesson intended. The teacher is duly bound to make sure that the relevant skills and knowledge contained in any lesson have appropriately been imparted into the students. The learning has to proceed in places and the cognitive skills required at each phase of learning should be clearly set down. The teacher should be in a position to convert the most important steps in the phases into a learning existing strategy. That allows the students to learn effectively the subject matter. The teacher should as well identify the requirements of each step, while taking precautions that the student should not make errors. The fundamental requirements should be presented in the foremost to allow the mastering of required skills to follow later. The current skill wise position of the student should be identified by the teacher. Guidelines in evaluation checklist The evaluation checklist has guidelines which are all important for the success curriculum instructional materials. The guidelines in the evaluation checklists are all influential towards the extent the support towards learning and towards the achievement of the required instructional objectives of learning. They include Design, procedures, clarity and efficiency. (Heinich, 2002). The content of any curriculum material should not be irrelevant. A high degree of accuracy is required to make sure the pupils minds are energy are utilized competently. The guidelines are also important in that an organized format with a logical setup of content should be achieved. The brain of the student is the most crucial resource at the moment and its utilization should be well addressed. To achieve this objective it is therefore important that the guideline in the evaluation checklist exhibits some objective which is clearly defined. This helps save time and enhances the checklist to address only the relevant and necessary objectives. The questions that need to be raised so as to achieve the right objectives are clearly put in a relevant capacity while the examples cited in the discussion have implacable meaning and they are of help to the students. The design guideline also allows that only the important part of the information is given the right emphasis and its content is not a burden to the students. The guideline is also important as to avoid impartiality when representing the objectives by coping with gender racial, religious or ethnicity biasness. This is especially significant since the learning environment is cross-cultural and each an every recipient should be comfortable with the information brought up. The guidelines are also important towards provision of currently updated and completely addressed information for the best comfort of the students. This will as well address the career fields’ needs while at the same time addressing the issues of gender and race of the participating population. The design component is also important in that it results with information from a clearly identified source that is reliable and therefore the information by itself is also reliable. Heinich, 2002). As the learners continue to acquire skills and knowledge. The guidelines should allow the students to learn. The duty of this guideline is to help p the student, achieve this as the student moves beyond the basis of leaning. Through thinking as the students learn and apply the skills simultaneously for the health of their learning activities. The cultural diversity has been earlier mentioned which is another important aspect of the design guidelines with a consistent layout. It is also with an effective design of an evaluation checklist guideline that unique learning techniques are applicable to the culturally diverse leaning atmosphere which has various categories of ability levels. The other significant importance of the design guideline is the provision of an easy assessment to teachers of the progress of the students. It also enhances a reading level that is only appropriate and specific to the target group, while also addressing only the relevant age and grade level. The other guideline is the procedure which is important in that it enhances the required interaction frequencies that make learning easier. The interactions are significantly vigorous, vibrant and active in learning the interactions out of the procedures guidelines also boosts the student’s moral for a continued learning allowing the students to master the already learnt concepts. The procedure also allows for complete and clear directions which facilitate the students to perform only the relevant tasks. Heinich, 2002). The other most important guideline of the evaluation checklist is clarity. Clarity is importance towards presenting the checklist in a clear easy to read and to understand test. The general format of the course lesson also becomes attractive to the eyes of the user the layout being easier makes learners have some relative ease to locate what they need. ( Gollnick and Chinn, 2002). All the necessary features of the content are easily navigated by the clarity guideline of checklist while the paragraphs in each section give a presentation of information clearly and accurately. There is also a consistency of clear and clean fonts. Heinich, 2002). The last and also most important guideline of the evaluation checklist is the efficiency of the guidelines By the use of efficiency, only the necessary information is included in the lessons. The efficiency guideline also allows that only the significant examples and practice items which are as numerous as possible are included in the lessons. This is very important towards helping student learn the relevant materials of the lesson (Gagiulo, 2003) A lesson of Importance The instructional materials evaluate checklist may be of crucial assistance to a teacher aiming at an a grade in such a subject such as racial assimilation. The objectives of this lesson is to assist the students identify the relative forces given to the various racial groups and a step to their immigration in the United States. Heinich, 2002). By the use of curriculum materials each resource should be used in the lesson since each carries some considerable weight towards the achievement of the overall objective. Adequacy of the Lessons in terms of the Attributes of Curricular Design: To teach the objectives already identified some instructional resources for teaching are required. The issue has raised interest in the teaching of racial discrimination in the United States. The students should be made to wholly understand the process of assimilation of minority groups overtime. To achieve these, some resources such as recent statements by the government regarding its policy in respect of national minorities would be of crucial help. Another important resource would be the historical background of all the affected citizens of that particular country. The last of the resource would probable be some website data of the number of immigrants recorded overtime in the country As regards the first resource for example, the issue of â€Å"The government presenting a report on the sorting of the minorities on its policy in respect of the national minorities† (Gollnick and Chinn, 2002). as regards the historic background, the origin and the history f every affected group can be analyzed and given. The Adequacy Of The Lessons In Terms Of The Attributes Of Curricular Design The purpose is quite clear as transmitted during the lesson presentation: This is as a result of the accurate, well organized and clearly defined design of presentation. The lesson has been supported by the necessary information required all of which has been from reliably known sources. The information has also been given with the emphasis of the most important points. (Gagiulo, 2003) The Pan balance equations are pre- Algebra is a previous lesson in the Algebra section of mathematics lesson as relates to Pan balance Equations. This is the most significant fact leading to the condition that there has been some background knowledge and information from the previous lessons. This is healthy for the student for the purpose of a good follow up and integration of the related information into the current information for a healthy learning. (Gagiulo, 2003) The lesson approaches the technique of cooperative learning some parts of inquiry and some direct instructions. Students should be made to use the previous knowledge learned in earlier lessons that are related to the current lessons for them benefit. This calls for cooperative learning whereby each students make a contribution of what is known to the students for the mutual benefits of the teacher the taught and fellow students. This is achieved through first the inquiry by the teacher to make references of the past knowledge by the students who give a direct contribution of the same as a response. ( Gollnick and Chinn, 2002). The initial ideas are used to develop more beneficial ideas. The lesson addresses a variety of learning styles and intelligence. All the possible approaches should be used for the benefit of the student. Remember that the transition between the initial steps whereby the teacher has the objectives while the student have un empty mind which should be filled by the teacher is a complex one. Styles and intelligences of all range should thus be applied to come up with the required results. Questions have been asked examples have been given illustrations of various degrees applied; direct facts from known sources cited all, aiming for some positive results. All these are resources at the disposal of the teacher and they must be used. The ultimate goal of the lesson is to make sure that students comfortably understand all the details of the lesson. It is therefore the requirement of the lesson to provide the teachers with the relevant method of assessing the level of understanding that has been affected by the project. The methods through which students answer projected questions on the lesson. The way the students answer short written questions and the way the they apply the knowledge accumulated to tackle exercise questions is a clear guide to the success of the provision by the lesson to assessment of understanding. (Gagiulo, 2003) Importance of selecting programs / lessons appropriate for students. I assessment of this issue levels of instruction development and reading, the goals of the curriculum, and the state of the student such as the disabilities must be all be considered. The importance of any program is to benefit. The recipient through the most efficient and comfortable method. No attempt should be encouraged to create further complication of the students. Therefore the instructional level for example is a good guide as to what instructions are rightful for the students. The development level of the student further guides the teacher towards the rightful resources to apply to the student. The disability status sets limits as to what practical examples should be used for the students. The reading level is a guide as to what affect the students should not be exposed to reading materials while the curricular goals should guide the teacher as to what is intended of the lesson and the final expectations. (Gagiulo, 2003) Conclusion The main aim of successful curriculum material is to achieve comprehensive learning for the overall molding of an individual in terms of skills and knowledge. This is importance for the future benefit of student the success and the teachers expect as a result of high quality of learning.

How organisations can become better managers of cultural diversity on the global market

How organisations can become better managers of cultural diversity on the global market Introduction The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how organisations can become better managers of cultural diversity on the global market. This paper argues that organisations can achieve success with diversity environment by finding and accepting visible and non- visible differences between values and factors in the workforce (Kandola and Fullerton, 1998). Consequently, individual organisations need to have their own theories and ideas about management and development diversity environment in the context of social-economic conditions, national legislation, culture, demography, history factors (Jones, Pringle and Shepherd, 2000; Syed 2008a). There is plenty of evidence which highlights cases of diversity management and its inputs into organisations. A significant part of the discussion in this paper is based on the framework of micro-, macro- and meso-level analysis relevant to PO Ferries as a multicultural organisation, while creating their strategy of working culture, respect and values around different level of diversity (Schneider, 2001: 27). In other words, the issue of diversity involved diverse personal characteristics, such as gender, race, culture and disability (Cox 1993; Ottaviano Peri, 2006; Thomas 1991), but also social discourses, national structures, institution and organisational processes and behaviours in the development of a multicultural workplace. This paper is structured as follows. The next section has been divided into three smaller sections in which each of them deeply explain diversity management levels based on PO Ferries examples and some of criticisms. Those sections highlight aspects and approaches which need to be taken into concern in professional management decisions if organisations want to become better in a cultural diversity market. Background Diversity management is a cultural change process (Singh, 2002) of set values and recognises the difference between people and organisations. An integrated approach to managing diversity means understanding differences which has been created by environment, adopts an opportunity, improved employee motivation (Beaver stock, 1991) and at the same time meet organisation objectives. Globalisation, migration from developing countries and a shift away from economic barriers (Hill, 2009: 3) is extremely challenging for HRM in the context of human rights laws, limitation on employment opportunities, culture influences or organisational approaches towards managing diversity. According to researches, the phenomenon of managing diversity has taken into account the framework of multilevel factors, macro-national level, micro-individual level (Syed, J. Ozbilgin, M. 2009) which can improve rules of diversity legal organisation policies and respond to a power of different circumstances in the workp lace (Johns, 2001: 39). The micro level Diversity based on individual attributes and aspirations which are part of the micro- level analysis. It is crucial to understand the individual- level factors if organisations want to achieve success and minimalism conflict and lower job satisfactions which can become the potential future problems (McMillan- Capehart, 2005). People should be treated equally regardless of race, ethic, gender, sexual, orientation or other social rewards (Jewson and Mason). For example, PO Ferries employ over 35000 employers around the world of which 34% of them are non- British and that includes 65% of men and 35% of women. Average age is 19-55 years old for man and 23- 57 years old for woman. Over 25% of non- British employees are working in highest positions like: managers, officer or team leaders (56% woman, 44% man), about 40 % are working in PO offices as call advisers and translators and the rest 35% are working as customer service stewards on boats (HRM- PO, 2009) . Previous statistics suggest that culturally diverse backgrounds do not block their career and activities because of the separation from their home country. There is a limited evidence of companies where diversity management is well- organised like PO Ferries. Organisation as a global institution need to take into concern national culture influences and design their jobs, values and multiple identities to effectively promote outcomes but also individual relationships and interaction within an organisation. Thus, Sign (2002) explain that by developing peoples opportunities to the best of their ability will be paid by commitment, innovation and creativity to organisations by employees. Managers, who manage diverse teams must adopt mix perspectives and make sure that diversity contributions are integrated into organisational objectives. Only by personal contact, face to face interactions or indirect electronic interactions, the organisation is going to build strong micro- level relationship where employees will fe el that their contributions are influenced and noticed by employers. According to PO Ferries, micro- level of analysis is representing by face to face communication between managers and employees. All ideas, problems or suggestions which involved organisation performance or sometimes even some employee private problems are discussed carefully with managers attentions and ideas to help. The literature review criticises many organisations around the world in which the opportunity for foreign woman to achieve better positions are not the same as foreign men. This can be classified as sexual discrimination which is part of micro- level diversity recruitment. UK statistics show that womens gross individual income is on average 51 per cent less then men (ECO, 2009). Employers still forget about relevant legislations and the fact that organisations need to play by the rules which cause controversial problems and criticisms. PO Equal Opportunities Policy covers all legislations which deal with discrimination (EOP, 2007). Furthermore, women who work for PO Ferries have the same respect as men and sex has no influence on the position they have. The company has 35% women working as a manager or a team leader which is 7% more and 27% in customer service which again is 12% more compared to men (PO, 2009). The macro level In management- orientation, focus should be not only on organisation benefits but also on people performances from difference of capital, labour, skills, knowledge, behaviours, communications and other cultural differences which are keys of organisations improvement and positive action (Bratton and Gold, 2004). The local phenomenon of managing diversity cannot be separate from its social- cultural, social- economic, social-political and institutional contexts (Syed and ÃÆ'-zbilgin, 2007). Professional diversity management offered by organisations needs to be universal and flexible for cultural changes. The multicultural, multilingual and multidisciplinary nature of the professional workplace has to take responsibility for cross- culture communication, corporate and dimensions. According to National Statistics (2007), Great Britain has 507,000 non- British which constitute 87% of all UK population on the end of 2007. This means that diversity is more usual than it was before and it is giving organisations opportunities to be competitive and flexible on the global market. For example PO Ferrys staff come from different countries like: Scotland (34%), Poland (20%), Spain (3%), Slovakia (9%), Italy (5%), Ireland (10%), France (15%) and other (4%). Those differences are building high performance and quality customer services compared to other subsidisers (PO, 2009). If diversity management is prepared to take organisational culture into the company environment, their success will be higher. The key point is to understand social difference codes in the workplace. Ridgeway (2006) explain social difference codes as the widely shared cultural beliefs that delineate the socially significant distinctions among people on the basis of which a society is structured and inequality is organised (p.180). In other words people can be categorized based on individual attributes and dimensions of diversity which has been mentioned as a part of micro- level but also adopted into macro- level analysis where focus is on social stratification and stereotypes as a persons status or ethnicity (Syed and ÃÆ'-zbilgin, 2007). The diversity management effort must integrate both micro- and macro- diversity awareness to make organisations effective and a friendly place for employees with different backgrounds. Management should design a polycentric strategy for managing diverse environments. There are lots of literatures which criticise the ethnocentric ways of looking on diversity. There are still many organisations where staff have not been trained to work in a diversity environment and cannot recognise the potential of cultural diversity. It is hard for them to accept the fact that changes can be good and an ethnocentric strategy will cause many problems and will not bring any improvements into the organisation. There are evidences which criticises how the host market ignored and stayed closed for changes. For example, being a foreign employee can be a disadvantage because English is not their first language (Bertone, 2004) and some employers cannot understand that foreign qualifications are as good as home ones. As a result, an immigrants education is less important as a home citizens and the possibility to find a job in their profession becomes mission impossible. PO is not allowed to discriminate anyone who has got international qualifications, because that company focuses on knowledge and training their staff to make sure that performance and high quality of service is competitive compared to other similar companies. PO is quite happy to train those people who are open for development and improvement in qualifications as long as those qualifications are relevant to job. Diversity management should in their behaviours and decisions appropriate international standards not ethnocentric mentality and go forward to improve all the time. This paper also argues that national or organisational laws, labour policies and social- economy issues can affect diverse workers. Nowadays, there are many organisations which have designed their own diversity- oriented policies. Indeed, as a result of human rights and equal opportunity laws, those policies create anti-discrimination rules in the context of micro- and macro- levels. PO in their policies clearly explain that discrimination on those levels is not allowed (EOP, 2007). Management in their responsibility must ensure that they do not engage in any form of discrimination and that they are fair with their decisions. The management strategy should not only provide rivalry (Porter, 1990) but take opportunities to embrace the high- performance based on high trust, commitment and productivity and at the same time not forgetting about employment social relationships (Godard, 2004). The meso level The last but as important as micro- and macro- level is the meso- level of analysis which highlights relationships between organisational context and component behaviour in the aspect of organisation outcomes (McCarthy, 2002: 59). In other words, social capital (Bourdieu Wacquant, 1992) is a resource which is important for a diversity managers work through organizational levels and networks between companies and employees. Most organisations expect from foreign employees to assimilate to the domestic culture. It is the management responsibility to make that happen and help a diverse workforce to achieve that access (Thomas and Ely, 1996). Being a multicultural workplace is compromised when they give employees opportunities to make their own choices based on cultural backgrounds and by not playing organisational rules. Thomas and Ely (1996) calls that approach multiculturalism. The work environment is not involved in only multiculturalism but also in the context of diversity circumstances. Bourdieu said that diversity habits like: what the worker eats, their practices, political opinions and all other individual activities are principles in the workplaces for employees. Professional organisations create friendly environments for those values, beliefs which in some points are responsible for organisational improvement and success (Syed and ÃÆ'-zbilgin, 2009). Because PO have employees from different pa rt of the world, some of the diversity habits have been taken into concern in management decisions. Food and drinks which are served for different cultured staff included French, Polish and Spanish meals. The same is with customers. The Dover- Calais route offers French and English menus. So, everyone can find something nice in the menus that the company offers. Konrad (2003) notes that it is important for managers to have focus on power relations between various identity groups in organisations and in all dissimilar individuals behaviours to avoid misunderstanding. Stone, Stone-Romero Ã…Â ukaszewski (2007) recommended that HRM processes and practices must change to be more flexible on increasing cultural diversity and HRM as a modernist project (Legge 2005: 337) should support diversity management with improvement in their decision making within the working environment. Conclusion This paper explains a framework through which diversity management can be understood from different perspectives. That framework not only brings together micro-, macro- and meso- level analysis but also helps better understand how important each of those approaches is for multicultural organisations. Both multinational businesses and multinational management need to learn how to recognize the significant of multidimensional investment in human resource development which approaches the need to develop strategy, collaborative and cross- culture competence to improve business and employees performance (ÃÆ'-zbilgin, Tatli 2008: 65). Managers need to understand that a diverse workforce can improve organizational productivity and creativity. Managing a diverse workforce is a challenge. When people from different backgrounds come together in the workplace, there is a potential for great improvement, but also a possibility for conflict. This paper has highlighted the diversity efforts on different levels and PO Ferries is an example of a company where diversity management is still developing on all micro-, macro- and meso- levels. The paper has also argued that organisations still have to change in their structures, strategy and management knowledge about diversity. Improvement and understanding is needed to become better employers, managers or leaders of diversity teams. The implications of the paper is that managers need to do more then just manage people, they have to take into account the above framework and try to do the right things (Druckers, 2001) because managing people is a challenge but also a compromise. References: Drucker, P. (2001), The essential Drucker: selections from the management works of Peter F. Drucker. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Konrad, A. (2003), Defining the Domain of Workplace Diversity Scholarship, Group and Organization Management, 28, 1, 4-17. Bourdieu, P. (1998), Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action, p.8, Cambridge: Polity Press. Stone, D., Stone-Romero, E., Ã…Â ukaszewski, K. (2007), the impact of cultural values on the acceptance and effectiveness of human resource management policies and practices. Human Resource Management Review, 17, 152à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢165. Jones, D., Pringle, J., and Shepherd, D. (2000), Managing Diversity Meets Aotearoa / New Zealand, Personnel Review, 29, 364-380. Syed, J. (2008a), A Context specific Perspective of Equal Employment Opportunity in Islamic Societies, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 25, 1, 135-151. Cox, T. (1993), Cultural Diversity in Organisations. San Francisco, CA: Barrett- Koehler Publishers Inc. Ottaviano, G.I.P. and Peri, G. (2006), The economic value of cultural diversity: Evidence from US cities, Journal of Economic Geography 6(1): 9-44. Thomas, R. Jr. (1991), Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Workforce by Managing Diversity. American Management Association, New York: AMACOM. Hill, Ch. (2009), International Business. Competing in the Global Market, 7th Edition, Irwin McGraw- Hill and London. Beaverstock, J. (1991). Skilled international migration: an analysis of the geography of international secondments within large accountancy firms. Environment and Planning, A23, 1133à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1146. Syed, J., ÃÆ'-zbilgin, M. (2009), A relational framework for managing diversity. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, December 12, 2435-2453. Syed, J., ÃÆ'-zbilgin, M. (2007), A relational framework for managing diversity. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, August 3-8, Philadelphia, PA. Johns, G. (2001), In praise of context, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 22:31-42. Thomas, D., and Ely, R. (1996), Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity, Harvard Business Review, 74, 5, 79-90. National Statistic 2007, (online). Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?id=260 (Accessed 24th November 2009) Ridgeway, C. (2006), Social Relational Contexts and Self-organizing Inequality, in Relational Perspectives in Organizational Studies: A Research Companion, eds. O. Kyriakidou and M. ÃÆ'-zbilgin, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp. 180-196. EOP, (2007), Equal Opportunities Policy- PO Ferries Limited, Dover. Porter, M. E. (1990), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Macmillan, London McCarthy, (2002), System trump program- Organizational Components and External Influence, Chapter 6, p.59 Bertone, S. (2004), From factory fodder to multicultural mediators: A typology of NESB immigrant work experiences in Australia. PhD Thesis. Sydney: University of Sydney. ÃÆ'-zbilgin, M.F., Tatli, A. (2008), Global Diversity Management: An Evidence-Based Approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Parker, C. (1999) Singh, V. (2002), Managing Diversity for Strategic Advantage. London: Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership. McMillan- Capehart, A. (2005), A configurational framework for diversity: socialization and culture. Personnel Review, 34(4): 488-503. Jewson, N. and Mason, D. (1986), The theory and practice of equal opportunities policies: liberal and radical approaches. Sociological Review, 34(2): 307-34. Legge, K. (2005), Human Resources Management: Rhetoric and Realities (anniversary edn). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan: 337. Godard, J. (2004), A critical assessment of the high-performance paradigm. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 42(2): 39-78. Schneider, R. (2001), Variety performance. People Management, 7(9): 26-31. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2007), Human Resources Management: Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, (4th edition). Kandola, R. and Fullerton, J. (1998), The Diversity Mosaic in Diversity in Action: Managing The Mosaic, (2nd Edition) London: Institute of Personnel and Development. Bourdieu, P., Wacquant, L. J. D. (1992), An invitation to reflexive sociology. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Equality Human Rights Commission, 2009, (online). Available at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com (Accessed 26th November, 2009) HMN- PO PO (2009), PO Performance for 2009, Dover.

Race and Culture in American Films :: Media Latin Americans Movies Film Essays

Race and Culture in American Films "One of the side effects of American cinema was often crushingly brutal portrayals of other races and cultures, depictions that spread to larger audiences than eve before possible around the nation and even around the globe."(Keller,5) The visual images depicted through the video montage "Gringo in Mananaland" support many of Keller's views on the harsh portrayals of Latin@s through American media. The video succeeds in emphasizing the particular roles that Latin Americans played in the early years of film. Latin@s were seen as entertainers that would "appear in a context that makes them either foils to or sex objects of Anglos."(Keller,39) This idea is particularly evident through the specific gender roles that Latin@s played throughout the video. Keller describes the three most common roles for Hispanic females in American film. The role that seemed to most often be filled by the Latinas was that of a cantina girl. Basically a dancing, singing sex object, the cantina girl is a "naughty lady of easy virtue, who is also outgoing and exhibitionistic."(Keller,40) As Keller states, "outside the parameters of romance or sex, there are virtually no roles for Hispanic females. The Latina was portrayed as a pursuer of the Anglo man, always waiting for him to enter her life, and always willing to "discard her Latin suitor in favor of the Anglo."(Keller,40) In general, the Latinas in the video montage were portrayed as sexual temptresses with little respect for themselves or their values. Hispanic males were most often portrayed either serving to the Anglo males or lusting after the Anglo women. The various roles that Hispanic men played in American films were usually limited to negative characters such as bandits or greasers. The depiction of Latin@s in early American cinema is far from accurate and rarely displays realistic living situations of Hispanics. It is evident from both the video and from Keller's descriptions in Hispanics and United States Film that the Latin@s were portrayed as ignorant, uneducated, unproductive people in American films. They were primarily entertainers, and were never placed in real life situations in the Latin American community. Keller's belief that "white Americans believed in the superiority of the white race and depicted this superiority on the silver screen"(32) was clearly evident in the video montage.

Civil Disobedience in Famous Literature Essay -- Plato Socrates Philos

Civil Disobedience in Famous Literature A society or a people cannot let a government lead them blindly. With misrepresentation comes a whole new form of unjustness. The strong are the ones who do not give into demands placed upon them if they do not agree; those who refuse to conform to society; those who stick to their beliefs, no matter the cost. In many cases, those people are the ones who practice civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Henry Thoreau, Socrates†¦ All advocated that they should not be denied their freedom, and all were considered disobedient. The government rules itself not by appealing to man’s â€Å"sense, intellectual or moral, but only through his body, his senses. It is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength.† (Thoreau) At a certain point, government does nothing but put fear upon its subjects, so that they would rather obey the law than risk the consequence of not. Such an example in seen in Sophocle’s renowned play, Antigone. In the story, Ismene portrays the role of a submissive sister, who’s obedience to law blinds he...

Gene Therapy Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Genetics

Gene Therapy: The New Vaccine ABSTRACT This research paper details what gene therapy is and what it is (and potentially will be) used for. It also describes the gene therapy techniques and delivery methods that have been clinically tested and/or verified by scientists and the ideas that stimulate activity in the field in the race to perfect gene therapy methods and their application, as well as telling about the beginnings of its clinical testing and where this budding technology is headed. Finally, it discusses one last question: Is gene therapy the vaccination of the future? RESEARCH Gene therapy is a biotechnological technique that has recently made significant leaps of progress in the world of scientific research. The theories behind its use have created many new goals and ideas in scientists’ minds, and there is much opportunity for discovery in the field. There are two types of genetic technology that are currently being researched for application in clinical testing and for the cure of certain genetic diseases in humans: somatic cell gene therapy, and germ-line therapy. Somatic cell gene therapy is a development that could potentially eliminate a hereditary disease’s effects in a patient through the injection of genetic material that would fill in for a nonfunctional gene, alter an abnormal one in the patient’s chromosomes, or exchange the defective gene for a new, fully-functioning one (www.ornl.org). Germ-line therapy would be used similarly in embryos’ germ cells, but would have the additional effect of the faulty gene’s permanent eradication so that it could not be passed on to future descendants. There are also multiple types of somatic cell gene therapy. In vivo gene therapy, the most common in clinical testin... ...entists will make many revolutionary discoveries. With this new technology being researched, there’s no telling when the technology will be perfected. Who knows? Someday soon, gene therapy could even be something as commonplace as vaccination. Bibliography: 6 Friedmann, The Development of Human Gene Therapy http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BA/Gene_Therapy_Overview.html http://asgt.org/news_releases/basics.html http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/500_gene.html http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/gene (G.T. for Cancer) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/346/16/1185 (Ex Vivo for X-SCID) http://asgt.org/news_releases/06022005a.html http://genome.gov/13014325 Reilly, Abraham Lincoln’s DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics Turksen, Adult Stem Cells 7

Barrio Boy Essay

1. Author Information The author of Barrio Boy, is Ernesto Galarza. Ernesto was born in Jalcocotan, Nayarit (which is in Mexico) on August 15, 1905 and died in 1984. During Galarza’s early childhood, he lived in a small village of Jalcocotan, all while he learned respect for the things he had. Ernesto came to the United States at a young age, during the Mexian Revolution which happened in the early 1900’s. While Ernesto was growing up, he helped out his family in harvesting their crops. He worked in the harvest crops of Sacramento, California. Working in these conditions inspired his views on the way Mexicans were treated as farmworkers. He soon became concerned about the way that the Mexican agriculture workers were treated poorly, and lived in bad condtions all while being a school boy. During these hard times, a baby died, from drinking the polluted water they were given. When the Mexican people found out about this, they decided to ask Ernesto to lead the village in a protest, because Ernesto had been taught English in school. Galarza showed his student activism towards Mexian-American in the early 1929’s, which was when he vocalized his views on the way that the Mexian-American’s were being treated. He finished up high school, and after graduation he continued on with his education. He went to Stanford University, where he was the first Mexican-American to ever be admitted. Mr. Galarza earned his Ph. D. in history and political science at Columbia University. After World War II, Dr. Ernesto Galarza soon became a labor organizer because of his endorsement of the AFL-CIO, he was also named the National Farm Labor Union’s executive secretary. Galarza was deeply committed to the education of young people, and the thought that everyone should have an opportunity to  get a good education. Which might be the reason that he started to write literature for children. Ernesto Galarza was the author of numerous books which included topics on social and economic values, expecially toward the Mexican-American society. Galarza’s wife was Mae, who developed a bilingual education program, which is now a model for other programs. Along with all of Galarza’s accomplishments, he translatted the ‘Mother Goose’ stories into Spanish, and with that book, he also wrote Barrio Boy, which originated from stories that he told his daughters. And in 1976, Ernesto Galarza became the very first Mexican American to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. II. Setting The begining of the book took place in a quaint village in Mexico, called Jalcocotan or Jalco for short. Jalco was around the mountains of the Sierra Madre de Nayarit. The nearest city from Jalco was Tepic, from Tepic it was near impossible to get to Jalco. You would have to go down mule tracks, on either a mule or on a burro, and the whole time just hold on the best that you could. The indians that founded Jalco wanted it to be difficult to get into this village, which is why they choose the small rocky places and the gullies surrounding Jalco. They thought of Jalco as ‘some natural storm cellar’, so that they wouldn’t be hit with the hard hurricanes that sometimes occured. Jalco is where Ernesto Galarza grew up, and he considered himself and anyone growing up in the puebl ‘jalcocotecanos’. In the book he talked about how great Jalco was because it gave protection from outsiders, and it only had one street. This street was an open stretch of a mule track, but it had been widened through out the years, to be able to ‘park six automobiles hub to hub’. In Jalco, there was a line of houses, or cottages on each side. Roofs, were made only of thatched palm, and there was no windows, while the backs of the houses were called corrales, because ‘they were narrow alleys that led uphill to the edge of the forest on the upper side of the village’. Ernesto had to move to Tepic. They thought that bolas were forming, which the book gave deffinition to as: ‘any group of persons who got together to overthrow the establishment or to inglicht upon it anguish or alarm; when armed and operating in the mountains, they were more accurately called â€Å"guerillas.† ‘. and they thought that they would soon be coming to Jalco the revolution was going to move to Jalco. Gustavo had been chosen to go to Tepic, and see what was going on over there. The night that he left, there was a major comet that Don Cleofas said foretold that something very impacting was soon to happen, but specially he said this comet meant that La Revolucion was coming our way. Gustavo came back to Jalco a few days after the comet. What he saw there was guards, and men being taken to regiments, which made Ernesto’s family decided to move into Tepic where they would all get jobs and find a place to live. The revolution scared Ernesto’s family, and everytime they thought that the revoultion was gettin close, they packed up their stuff, with a lot of thought involved, and moved to the next city. The book says that the ‘city was peaceful while we lived there but in the vecindad there was the talk and the feeling of trouble. My mother lived in dread that Jose would be picked up and taken away as a draftee to fight for Don Porfirio’. After they found out that no one could enter or leave Tepic without being stopped bu the patrols, and how regiments were getting quartered around the village in Tepic, they decided to go to Acaponeta. In Acaponeta Ernesto said that the most important place was the railway station, which he stood far away from the tracks and watched the people get on and off of the train, and watch the train go off into the distance. The train stain was also the center of the revolution, because there were soliders in the boxcars, and Ernesto and his mother could see how the revolution was evolving. A letter came in from Gustavo that said for Ernesto and his mom to go to Urias, from Acaponeta. Gustavo said that he would send a money order to them both to help transport them from Acaponeta to Urias. Gustavo’s letter also said that Esther would also go to Urias to meet up with them, because they were also sending him money. A few days later they left on a train from Acaponeta, to go to Urais, where they meet up with Gustavo and Jose. They stayed in Urais for a while, but when Dona Florencia found a room for rent, they were off to Mazatlan. Mazatlan was the next city over to Urais, so it really wasn’t too big of a move for Ernesto, and in the book it said, ‘The down payment on teh rent was made and Jose went back to Casa Redonda for out things.’. The place that they lived in was only one room, and had a red tile roof, and brick floors. Then three more letters came from Gustavo, where he wanted to get all the family together, only this time in America. Gustavo and Jose wanted to have all the family together in Sacramento, California because that’s where Jose had to work on the railroad. Ernesto and his mom had to wait in Tucson, before they could continue their journey, so they could get another pass and so money could be obtained. While they were in Tucson Ernesto had a great time with the hotel and the toilet, it says in the book, ‘That night I got up many times to go to the toilet, until i was ordered to go to bed.’. When they got back on the train for the last time, they finally entered their destination of Sacramento. The book describes them entering Sacramento as, ‘A brake man opened the door at the front of the coach and called, â€Å"Sach-men-ah,† by which we knew he meant Sa-cra-men-to, for we had passed a large sign with the name in black and white at teh entrance to the corporation yard. From there, the book setting is in Sacramento, and describes the different things that Ernesto Galarza learns while in school, and while he’s out on the farm. III. Characters The main character of the book was Ernesto Galarza (big surprise). In this book, Ernesto Galarza is not very physically developed in the beginning, but towards the end of the book he was on his way to manhood. Emotionally, Ernesto Galarza is strung everywhere, depending on the time of the book. â€Å"Police and firemen swarmed around for a while. We never called the police, they just came.† is one excerpt from the book where he had to be  very emotionally strong, because he had to realize the bad neighborhood that he was in, and how his family was taking it. They were doing the best that they could possibly do, and he knew how bad that made them fell. Another time that Ernesto showed how emotionally impact he was, was when he had to move out of his home town of Jalco, and into different places with his family. Moving is hard on anyone, expecially if you have lived there you’re whole life, the hardship of having to move from city to city in Mexico was really bad for Ernesto Galarza, because this family had to ask other family members if they could stay in their houses, and they had to start from scratch. Which really shows how emotionally strong he was. Ernesto Galarza had to be mentally strong, to see how bad things really could be. To see your neighbor that’s a child dying, you have to get mentally stronger than the average person. Ernesto Galarza also had to take a place in watching the rituals for those who are really sick, and then had to participate because his family thought that that the more people involved in the ritual, the better the outcome. Ernesto Galarza was also shaped into a better mentally strong person through this story because he experienced many rascist situation in reverse. In the book, Ernesto Galarza wanted to send a letter to his mother, but he had to make it a telegram because it had to be in english. At the bottom of the telegram, Ernesto Galarza signed it ‘Little Ernie’ but the clerk made him change it to ‘Ernesto’. This made Ernesto Galarza think about everything, and develop himself better and become more strong mentally. Other than Ernesto, there were a few other main characters which include Gustavo, and his mother. Gustavo wrote his family letters, and money. Gustavo was very physically developed because he had to work very hard labor, such as the railroad tracks. While his mom wasn’t too physically developed because she was a woman, but she always did what she could to help out. Emotionally Gustavo was very strong, and expressed a lot of concern. Gustave  never really expresses a lot of his feelings because he’s pretty quiet. Ernesto’s mom was always wanting to do the best thing for her kids, no matter what. She was willing to take all of her things and move them just for the sake of her children. Gustavo mentally wanted to get all of his family in one spot, because family was very important to him. Through-out the who book Ernesto keeps getting these letters from Gustavo and Jose explaining what he had to do to find, or reunite with his family, and Gustavo and Jose took care of their family by giving them money to help them out on their journey. Galarza’s mom was very mentally strong to be able to go from place to place, with all the worries that she had on her mind, like the time she stayed up all night before they left. IV. Plot Barrio Boy, had a lot of Man Vs. Self, and Man Vs. Society. Man Vs. Self: There were so many times that there was a man vs. himself, but one time specifically was when Ernesto had to learn English. Ernesto just had to concentrate, and believe in himself that he could learn how to read and write English before he actually could. Ernesto’s mom helped him in his work, by his mom calling out the combinations she had written him on tope of the slate. Man Vs. Society: Like man vs. self, there were a lot of man vs. society too, but one time in particular was when Ernesto ventured out of the alley and down the street, and was chased home by three American boys. This shows how difference societys act towards different people, Ernesto didn’t even understand what the boys were yelling at him, he just understood that it wasn’t very nice. The book was mainly about how Ernesto had to move from Jalco and to city to city, to try and be with his family. The reason that his family was split up was because of the Mexican Revolution. During the book, Ernesto’s family  wanted to be as far away from the revolution that they could be, no matter how many times they had to move. Gustavo and Jose kept sending Ernesto and his mother money to get from to place in this book, because they wanted to get all of their family in one place. They tried a lot of villages and cities in Mexico, until they finally decided to go to the United States. They choose to migrate to Sacramento, California because Jose was working on the railroad there. The rising action in this book was all the traving Ernesto did. On each train, he was exposed to different experiences and different people. The main action of this book was when they finally arrived in Sacramento and was reunited with their family, because that’s what the story was talking about through-out. There, was also where the falling action occured, which would be that when he got there, he had to work and help support his family, and watch his little sisters. The resolution would be that he went to school, and made something of himself. V. Theme The life lesson that was taught in this book would be that don’t take anything forgranted. In Ernesto’s book, he goes through a lot of conflicts with himself and with the circumstances that he has to live in. The biggest conflict was having to move from place to place trying not to get caught up in the Mexican Revolution. Although Ernesto was in a horrible situation, he always seemed to turn it around for the better, and look towards the more positive out look. Everyone has a choice on whether or not they want to be in a good mood or not, they decide whether they want something to bother them or not. In this book, it teaches you how to take a more positive approach to everything you do which also reflects how you shouldn’t take anything forgranted. Ernesto never loses his positive approach, and keeps his head up high, which is what everyone should do. VI. Evaluation This book, along with everyother book has its ups and its downs. Barrio Boy was a very capturing story about immigration and coming to the United States. The book itself gives you the feeling that you’re hearing the stories told time and time again by your grandparents. Ernesto uses a lot of detail in this book which gives you a clear picture of what he’s talking about. As an autobiography, Ernesto Galarza did a good job. If the reader has a sense of history and knowlege of Mexican-American culture, then they’ll read with ease. The Barrio Boy book had very interesting subject matter, however the writing itself sometimes is a bore. Ernesto Galarza dwells on facts very insignificant to the purpose of the story and therefor the reader must wade through all of that to pull out the important history he’s retelling. The first 70 pages was pure talk of Ernesto’s family, and how they lived in Jalco. It included some interesting details on what they did, but it was all pretty irrelevant to the story at hand. This alone turns the reader off, and makes them want to put the book down. Another thing that turns the reader off is that you never learn about the rich history of the Mexican-American Herritage in this country. Ernesto could have also used more English terms in this book. Readers don’t like to have to flip to the back of the book, to understand what they are reading exspecially if it’s already drawn out. If you like to read about culture, especially Mexican-American culture you might find this book to be enjoyable. If you have problems reading books for anything other than pleasure you might want to pick up another book about the Mexican culture in the United States, you might want to try Rain of Gold, by Victor Villasenor.

Gatsby Embodies West Egg Essay

In the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, Scott Fitzgerald uses various literary devices such as theme, irony, and characterization to embody Gatsby with West Egg characteristics. The Great Gatsby is set in New York and on Long Island, in two areas known as West Egg and East Egg. The narrator, Nick, describes West Egg as the home to the â€Å"new rich,† those who, having made their fortunes recently, have neither the social connections nor the refinement to move among the East Egg set. West Egg is characterized by lavish displays of wealth and garish poor taste. Both locations can be seen generally as: established aristocracy for East Egg and the self-made rich in West Egg. Therefore, there’s definitely a discrepancy between the two places. Gatsby, one of the protagonists of the novel, lives in a huge mansion in West Egg and is an urbane man. He hosts parties every night which are full of fun and action, he seems like a man that exhilarates people to have fun. Gatsby embodies the characteristics of West Egg as he, at least until chapter 5, has made himself rich. In chapter 5 Gatsby clarifies that he did inherit his money from his family who bequeathed it to him, however he â€Å"lost most of it in the big panic- the panic of the war† (Fitzgerald 87). Therefore he got involved in the drug business and oil business to make money again, which he is no longer involved in. This is one way Gatsby embodies West Egg as he made himself rich by working in these 2 businesses. It is clear that Gatsby is wealthy as he owns an enormous house with â€Å"a swim pool, beach, vast garden, fancy parties and marble everywhere† (Fitzgerald 11). This portrays one of the themes in the novel, the clash between â€Å"old money† and â€Å"new money†, that manifests itself in the novel’s symbolic geography: East Egg and West Egg. Gatsby would be considered the â€Å"new money†, while people such as Tom, which come from a wealthy family, is the â€Å"old money†. This is a pivotal theme throughout the novel as it affects various aspects of characters and setting. This also relates to how the discrepancy between West Egg and East Egg affects the characterization of certain characters. Gatsby is characterized as a man that is wealthy and loves to share his â€Å"happiness† with others by hosting numerous parties which are full of expensive drinks such as â€Å"Chartreuse† (Fitzgerald 88) held in his luxurious mansion. Irony is also present in the first chapters of the novel, as before Nick Carraway met Gatsby, no one truly knew who he was or where he came from. There where a few rumors, such as him killing someone or being the son of a German king, however no one knew the truth and people wanted to ascertain more about Gatsby. Many scrutinized his background as many wondered where he came from, and who he truly was. Throughout the novel the reader know learns more about Gatsby. One might expect Gatsby, the organizer of the huge parties, to be an active, energetic, and creative person; however its ironic how the reader finds out Gatsby is the complete opposite. He is describes as a man of class, elegant, who doesn’t drink, isn’t an alcoholic, and isn’t a great partier himself, as he isn’t often present during his parties where everyone else is. This is another reason why he embodies the characteristics of West Egg, because in West Egg, those who made themselves rich, don’t, or at least until now, haven’t mentioned the way they earned their wealth. Gatsby doesn’t tell everyone immediately the way he became rich, he rarely talks about it. Also Nick, the narrator, he lives in West Egg, therefore he must have some sort of wealth, however he doesn’t mention it or clarifies exactly where he got it from. Instead East Egg seems to work in a different way, since it’s the place of â€Å"old money† and established aristocracy, that means people are established rich and have most likely inherited wealth from their family, such as Tom. Therefore, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby in such ways that fulfill the characteristics of a man living in West Egg.

The Five C’s Worksheet

The Five C’s Worksheet Directions: Identify the following factor descriptions to their corresponding C of credit. The five C’s are listed below: †¢Capacity means the ability or intent to repay your debts, basing it upon your household cash flow; lenders typically follow different methods to consider my expenses relative to the person’s income. †¢Capital is the household’s net worth, by combining all assets, and making sure that the debts is smaller than the total assets, the lender can verify that the loan will be paid by liquidating all assets should you need to pay your debts, sort of risking all you got in order to get their trust. Collateral can be either your car, home, boat, anything that you can pledge to make the loan safer, and the lender feel that you are not being a high-risk loan, because you can lose your own assets.†¢Character is the history behind your credit, employment, and education, as well as how well you handle your obli gations, such as accrued debts in the past that were taken care of. They measure your trustworthiness. Conditions are the considerations a lender makes after viewing the broad spectrum of your situation, being that every loan is unique in its situations, the lender can take into considerations your economic status, the employment opportunities in your area, or anything that will make you either less of a risk or more. ConditionWhich C? Your household cash flow helps to determine this C:Capacity Under these __________, you may still be approved with a cosignerConditions This demonstrates how much your assets are worth. CapitalUsing your car or house as a promise to payCollateral This makes you a better credit risk to the lender – this could be any of the C’s. For example, assets that are offered as security against default. Collateral and Capital Lenders will evaluate your debt-payment ratio. Capacity The lender is taking your unique situation under consideration. Condi tions Previous credit history This shows how long you have worked for your employer and if you have obtained an education. Character Having more at stake may make you less likely to default on a loan. Capital

Pleurotus spp

The fungi are a group of eukaryotic organisms. Due to their microscopic cellular dimensions, they are of great interest to microbiologists. Multicellular fungi is familiar to each and every one of us. The velvety blue and green growth on rotting oranges and lemons as well as on stale cheeses, the whitish grey furry outgrowth on bread and Jam, and the mushrooms in the field. These are the bodies of a variety of fungi. Fungi are heterotrophic organisms†They need organic compounds for nutrition.The classification of fungi, unlike that of bacteria, is based primarily on the hracterstics of the sexual spores and fruiting bodies, present during the sexual stages of their life cycle. However, the sexual spores and fruiting bodies are produced only under certain environmental conditions, if they are known to produce them at all. Pleurotus is a genus of gilled mushrooms which includes one of the most widely eaten mushrooms. Species of pleurotus may be called oyesters, abalone or tree mu shrooms and are some of the most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world.They have been very much useful in mycoremediation of pollutants such as petroleum and polycyclic aromatic ydrocarbons. The name pleurotus has been derived from the greek word pleure (side) + otos (ear) which means â€Å"Side Ear†. The following are the details of Pleurotus Genus scientific classification: l. The kingdom of pleurotus is Fungi, II. Phylum is basidiomycota, Ill. class is Agaricomycetes ‘V. Order is agaricales V. Family is pleurotaceae The basic structure of oyster mushroom includes a capwhich may be laterally attached (with no stem).If there is a stem, it is normally eccentric and the gills are extended downward along it. The term pleurotoid is used for mushrooms having this eneral shape. There are certain cylindrical spores which are smooth and elongated. Where hyphae meet, they are Joined by clamp connections. Pleurotus is not considered to be a bracket fungus and most of the species are monomitic (with a soft consistency). Pleurotus Ostreatus Specifications Scientific name: Pleurotus ostreatus Oacq. ) P. Kumm. Derivation of name: Ostre- means â€Å"oyster† and atus means â€Å"resembling. † Synonyms: Agaricus ostreatus Jacq.Common name(s): Oyster mushroom. Phylum: Basidiomycota Order: Agaricales Family: Pleurotaceae Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic or parasitic; olitary to more typically in overlapping clusters on living or dead deciduous trees, on rotting logs and stumps, sometimes on conifers; April all the way through November, year-round during mild periods. Dimensions: Caps 5-20 or more cm wide; stipes 0. 5-4 cm long and 0. 5- 3. 5 cm thick. Stripes may be absent. Cap: Moist or dry; smooth; variable in color: whitish to cream, greyish to brown, some with lilac tones; oyster shell- shaped to fan-shaped or semicircular.Gills: Decurrent or glowing from point of attachment; broad; whitish, yellowish in age. Spore print: White t o pale lilac-gray. Stipe: Sometimes absent or rudimentary. If present, lateral to eccentric or even central if fruitbodies are on top of a log or stump; whitish; hairy at base. Veil: Absent. Edibility: Edible, rated as choice. The oyster and abalone mushrooms belong to the genus pleurotus. They have a high saprophyte colonizing ability and can grow on virtually any agricultural waste. They rank among the top six mushrooms produced in the world.It should be noted that the availability of a good strain of mushrooms, suitable substrate for cultivation and control of saprophytic and parasitic microorganisms are the three most important spects for mushroom cultivation. The world production for this genus was 169,000 tons in 1986. The consumption and production of edible mushrooms in developing countries have occurred for many years. There has been a high upsurge of interest in cultivation of this mushroom in the last decade. Because of their spicy flavour and their medical effects in dro pping plasma cholesterol, mushrooms are widely consumed in Europe, the U.S. A and Japan. Many of the fleshy sporocarp species of the many acomycetes and basidiomycetes can safely be eaten while only a few poisonous species of the fleshy fungi can be found . However more than one thousand mushrooms are known, about one hundred mushrooms are edible and only a few are considered of a commercial value. Pleurotus ostreatus is relatively easy to grow. A few trials to produce the mycelium of oyster mushrooms in Egypt using some agro industrial wastes were only recently carried out. The goal of this work was to study the cultivation of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp. emphasizing the effect of different media and organic substrates on production. Mushrooms of Pleurotus spp. are commonly known as oyster mushrooms which occupy the second osition among cultivated edible mushrooms worldwide due to their nutritional values. They are widely cultivated all over the world. Its production is remarkab ly affected by the environmental conditions like temperature and relative humidity. In this study, we investigated the production of four species of oyster mushroom: 1 . ) Pleurotus ostreatus 2. ) P. florida 3. ) P. aJor-caJu and 4. ) p. High king Cultivated in every season( January to December) in Bangladesh. The temperature (in C) and relative humidity (%RH) ot culture house in each month, and parameters ot ushroom production were recorded. In all of the selective study of this species, the minimum days required for primordial initiation, and the utmost number of fruiting bodies, biological yield and biological efficiency were found during December to February (14-27 oc, 70-80% RH). The production was found minimum during the cultivated time August to October.We suggested cultivation of selected Pleurotus spp. in winter (temperature zone 14-27 oc with relative humidity for better production and biological efficiency. The environmental factor is very important for the production of oyster mushrooms. Various mushrooms are known to be very sensitive to the climatic conditions. The major environmental factors like temperature, humidity, fresh air and compact materials affect in mushroom production. Pleurotus spp. grows in wide range of temperature (15-30 oc) which also varies from species to species.Oyster mushrooms Pleurotus spp. draw their nutritional requirement from a host substrate or from the agricultural wastes rich in lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses used for their cultivation. Due to varying nutrients in the substrates, different mushroom yields have been recorded by various workers. Oyster mushrooms are grown from mycelium (threadlike filaments that become interwoven) propagated on a base of steam-sterilized cereal grain (usually rye or millet). This cereal grain/mycelium mixture is called spawn and is used to seed mush-room substrate.Most spawn is made with mycelium from a stored culture, rather than mycelium whose parent was a spore. This is beca use spores are likely to yield a new strain and performance would be unpredictable. Spawn-making is a rather complex task and not feasible for the ordinary mushroom grower. Spawn of various oyster mushroom species may be urchased from com-mercial spawn makers who usually provide instructions for its use. Spawn frequently is shipped from the manufacturer to growers in the same aseptic containers used for spawn production.Inoculum for spawn production is frequently produced in polyethylene bags containing a micro porous breather strip for gas exchange. Most commercial spawn production companies produce spawn only from inoculums that has met strict quality control standards. These standards include verification of inoculums production performance before it is used to produce spawn and assurance of the spawn's biological purity and vigour So ariable in size, shape and colour are the many kinds of oyster mushroom that confident recognition of some species is tricky without resorting to m icroscopic analysis.The process is not helped by the fruiting habit of many Pleurotusspecies that seem to delight in emerging beyond reach, sometimes high up in the crowns of trees. For the most part the various oyster mushrooms are saprophytic on deciduous trees, and only very rarely are they found on conifers. Distribution Pleurotus ostreatus, the Oyster Mushroom, occurs throughout Britain and Ireland as well as in most parts of mainland Europe. It is also widely distributed throughout much of Asia, including Japan, and is present in parts of North America.Several similar species within the Pleurotus genus are often confused, and so distribution data for individual species in this complex group are inevitably subject to some uncertainty. Taxonomic history The Oyster Mushroom was first described scientifically in 1775 by Dutch naturalist Nikolaus Joseph Freinerr von Jacquin 7) and named Agaricus ostreatus. (In the early days of fungus taxonomy most of the gilled mushrooms were inco rporated in the genus Agaricus. ) In 1871 German mycologist Paul Kummer transferred theOyster Mushroom to the genus Pleurotus (a new genus that Kummer himself had defined in 1971), giving it its currently accepted scientific name. Synonyms of Pleurotus ostreatus includeAgaricus ostreatus Jacq. , Crepidopus ostreatusoacq. ) Gray, and Pleurotus columbinus Quel. The blue-grey-capped form of this mushroom is referred to by some authorities as Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus (Quel) Quel. Etymology The generic name Pleurotus is Latin for ‘side ear' and refers to the lateral attachment of the stem;ostreatus is a reference to oysters, and in shape the fruitbodies often do esemble oyster shells.The specimens shown on this page show Just how changeable Oyster Mushrooms can be – not only in colour and form but also in their growing habitat. From the top: on a dead Beech trunk; next on a standing live (but surely dying) Cabbage Palm; and at last on a dead branch broken fallen f rom an old Ash tree. Importance of nitrogen sources for the growth of pleurotus spp. :- i) Nitrogen is an essential element for cellular functions, for growth and various metabolic activities, particularly protein and enzyme synthesis. i') The nitrogen content of mycelium ranges between 3-6%. i) Cereal straw used for cultivation of oyster mushroom is a poor source of nitrogen (0. 5 to 0. 8%) and at the time of fructification when most of the nitrogen is utilized for mycelia growth, the depleted nitrogen in the substrate becomes inadequate and limits mushroom yield. ‘v) In the present studies seven dissimilar nitrogen sources : wheat bran, rice bran, soya bean floor, de-oiled soya bean meal, mustard cake, cotton seed cake and cotton seed meal were evaluated for their effect on mushroom yield. v) Cotton seed cake and de-oiled soya bean meal gave significantly higher yield than unsupplemented bags.Review of literature : The oyster mushroom Pleurotus spp is a saprophytic fungus co mmercially cultivated throughout the world because of its tasty basidiocarp and simple cultivation technology. It is also one of the choicest white rot fungi for research scientists to investigate. Pleurotus spp's lignocellulolytic enzymes for bioremediation (Arisoy and Kalan Kayan 1997, Walter et. al. 1997), its flavour compounds, (Mau et. al. 1998), its synthesis of diterpene and polysaccharide (Gutirrez et. al. 1996) and its natural pigment extraction (Shirata and Kato 1998) make it a promising subject for study.Oyster mushrooms are mainly cultivated on residues from agricultural crops such as wheat, paddy, cotton, sugar cane or soybean (Sohi and Upadhyay 1989, Savalgi and Savalgi 1994). Pleurotus spp also have the potential to mineralize and grow on industrial wastes such as tea (Upadhyay et. al. 1996), apple pomace (Upadhyay and Sohi 1988) or non-conventional substrates containing lignin, cellulose or hemicellulose such as dried Populus leaves. (Upadhyay and Verma 2000). These residues are low (0. 5 to 0. 8%) in nitrogen content. Several workers have reported varying fresh oyster mushroom yields using crop residues (Sohi and Upadhyay 1987,Madan et. al. 1987). The variations may be due to the nutrient status of the substrate used for cultivation. The production of oyster mushrooms after the first flush is drastically reduced and there is a tlusn break ot 10 to 20 days depending upon the species of oyster mushroom. The yield turn down could be due to either depletion of nutrients or accumulation of toxic substances unfavourable to fruiting. In Agaricus bisporus, increased yields have been reported by supplementing with various proteins, carbohydrate or oil rich supplements like soybean meal, cotton seed meal, alfalfa meal or corn gluten meal.Sinder and Schisler 1962, Gerrits 1983). In the present studies seven different organic nitrogenous materials were evaluated to find out their effect on yield. The best substrates were further evaluated for their optima l dose with maximum yield. Materials and Methods Prewetted chopped wheat straw (2-3cm) was mixed with calcium sulphate (4% w/w) and carbendazim 50% w. p. (1 5g/quintal) and a rectangular pile prepared. It was given two turnings on alternate days for four days so that the temperature did not exceed more than 600C during fermentation.After four days, the partially fermented traw was pasteurized in a tunnel at 700C for 6h and subsequently conditioned at 450C for 36h. Supplements (wheat bran, rice bran, cotton seed meal, cotton seed cake, soybean meal, de-oiled soybean cake and mustard cake) were separately treated in a answer of carbendazim (100ppm) for 16h. The rate of adding up of all the supplements was 5% (dry wt. ) except wheat and rice bran (10%). Treated supplements were thoroughly mixed at the time of spawning with pasteurized straw. Twenty-day-old spawn of P. ostratuas var florida was added at a 3% wet wt.Five kg spawned substrate was filled into 45x30cm polyethelene bags with 10 holes (5mm ia. ). Each supplement had six replications. Spawned bags were incubated in a dark cropping room (temp. 13-18'C). Colonized bags were opened after 25 days. A relative humidity of 70-75% was maintained by spraying water twice a day; 6-8h light was provided with fluorescent tubes; and carbon dioxide concentration was maintained at 700-780 ppm in the cropping room. Mushrooms were harvested daily before spraying and data were recorded. Biological efficiency (BE) was planned on the basis of fresh mushrooms from 100 kg dry substrate weight.In the second experiment, cotton seed cake and de-oiled soybean cake were further evaluated r their effective optimum dose. The supplements were treated as before, at a rate of 1, 2. 5, 5, 7. 5 and 10% substrate dry weight. Table 1. Effect of organic supplements to wheat straw on fresh mushroom yield of Pleurotus ostreatus var florida in 60 days. S. No. Substrate + Supplements Average Yield (kg) per kg substrate Biological efficiency (BE) (%) Percent increase (+) or decrease (-) from control Wheat straw + wheat bran (10%) 0. 860 86. 0 +20. 6 Wheat straw + rice bran (10%) 0. 838 83. 8 +17. 5 3.Wheat straw + cotton seed cake (5%) 0. 946 94. 6 -12. 2 4. Wheat straw + cotton seed meal (5%) 0. 46 64. 6 5. Wheat straw + soybean meal (5%) 0. 732 73. 2 2. 6 6. Wheat straw + de-oiled soybean cake (5%) 0. 928 92. 8 +30. 1 7. Wheat straw + mustard cake (5%) 0. 532 53. 2 -25. 3 8. Wheat straw (control) 0. 713 71 . 3 CD at 0. 21 1 Table 2. Effect of different doses of de-oiled soybean cake on fresh mushroom yield and dry matter of Pleurotus ostreatus var florida. S. NO. Rate of supplementation (Dry wt. ) % increase over control % dry matter content in 1st and 2nd tlusnes Wheat straw 1% soybean 92. +21 9. 85 10. 04 2. 2. 5% soybean 84. 8 +11. 57 9. 45 10. 0 5% soybean 84. 5 +11. 18 10. 29 10. 25 7. % soybean 87. 8 +1 5. 52 8. 8 9. 75 10. 0% soybean 83. 2 +8. 15 9. 3 10. 55 76. 0 6. 9 The dry matter content of mushrooms harvested from both the supplements at different doses are shown in Table 2 and Table 3. Soybean supplementation generally yielded heavier mushrooms in the first flush than cotton seed cake supplementation. Maximum dry matter content was recorded from bags supplemented with 5% de-oiled soybean cake and further increase in supplementation did not yield heavier mushrooms.In cotton seed cake, the heaviest mushroom truit bodies were observed with 0% dose in the first tlusn, while in the econd flush, the lowest rate of application gave the heaviest mushrooms. The dry matter content in the second flush was generally more than the first flush for both the supplements. Interestingly the spore print colour of the mushrooms from 10% soybean was a creamy yellow. The nutritional analysis of mushrooms attain from different supplements is under investigation. The addition of cotton seed cake gave the maximum yield increase (+47. 7%) while soybean cake gave heavier mushroom fruit bodies than cotton seed cak e.The use of supplementation increased the substrate temperature (Figurel and Figure 2) from the fourth day onwards to the ixteenth day. Bags with de-oiled soybean cakes showed a rise in temperature from 3 to 90C over room temperature and 3 to 50C over unsupplemented bag temperature. Cotton seed cake addition showed less temperature rise compared with similar doses of soybean cake. The utmost rise in temperature was between the fourth day and the ninth day. Table-3: Effect of different doses of cotton seed cake on fresh mushroom yield and dry matter of Pleurotus ostreatus var florida.Substrate used Biological Efficiency (%) % Dry matter content in 1st and 2nd flush Wheat straw + cotton seed cake 1% 90. 4 +18. 94 7. 3 10. 5 Wheat straw + cotton seed cake 2. 5% 100. 3 +31 . 97 8. 1 9. 82 Wheat straw + cotton seed cake 5. 0% 112. 0 +47. 36 7. 8 9. 49 Wheat straw + cotton seed cake 7. 5% 105. 3 8. 0 Wheat straw + cotton seed cake 10% 112. 3 +47. 7 9. 01 9. 0 9. 28 CDat5% DISCUSSION Alth ough commercial cultivation of oyster mushroom Pleurotus spp started very late compared to Agericus bisporus (1650 A. D. ), Lentinula edodes (1100 A. D. and Auricularia spp (600 A. D. ), it occupies the third place in the world among the cultivated mushrooms. Successful cultivation of oyster mushroom using cereal straw was reported in 1962 by Bano and Srivastava from India. Still, it is not widely cultivated due to inconsistent yields. The fresh mushroom yield or biological efficiency of a species is directly related to strain, substrate nutrition and growth conditions. Sustainable oyster mushroom production can be achieved by employing cultural practices which optimize and integrate nutrient management.Agricultural residues used for oyster mushroom farming provide most of the nutrients and vitamins for growth. Carbon is readily available from cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from straw, but nitrogen occurs mostly in a bound form and is not available until it is enzymatically rel eased. Various workers have also reported that Pleurotus spp have the capability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (Rangaswamy et. al. 1975, Jandaik and Rangad 1977) but this has not been proved conclusively. In the cultivation of A. isporus the addition of protein rich supplements is a common practice, which indicates that either the compost is deficient in nitrogen or the bacterial proteins present in the compost are inadequate.Rinker (1989) found 37 and 42. 6% more total yield in P. ostreatus from supplementation with barley straw with brewer's grain and 17, 27, 65 and 118% more yield by addition of alfalfa hay at 5, 10, 20 and 40% (dry wt. basis). He also found that supplementation prior to pasteurization increased the total yield, but mushroom size was negatively affected with increased supplementation. In our studies we have not found any significant effect on mushroom size. Influence of supplementation is also species and strain-specific.Somycel 3200 reacted poorly to alfalfa meal and negatively to chicken manure, and Somycel 3001 reacted positively to rice bran and alfalfa meal at the time of filling (Visscher 1989). Upadhyay and Vijay (1989) also observed cotton seed meal as better supplement for P. fossulatus and rice bran for P. ostreatus. Supplementation is absolutely necessary for getting fructification is some strains of P. eryngii (Royse 1999, Upadhyay and Vijay 1991). With supplementation came a rise in substrate temperature, possibly due to faster metabolic activities riggered by extra nitrogen.Royse and Schisler (1986) also observed overheating (from 300C to 470C) in bags where Spawnmate was applied without benomyl treatment, and proposed that it could be due to the growth of competitor moulds. GurJar and Doshi (1995) did not find any effect on yield of P. cornucopiae with 5 and 7. 5% addition of soybean meal in wheat straw and assumed this could be due to a rise in temperature. We identified increases in the temperature of beds from 5 to 90C over room temperature. Therefore, supplements should be cautiously used, because excessive bed temperature (more than 350C) may kill the mycelium.OverstiJns (1995) observed an increase of 19% in mushrooms with the addition of only 0. 5% corn steep liquor and recorded a rise in temperature from 0. 3, 1. 4 and 2. 30C with the addition of only 0. 5, 1 and 2% corn steep liquor. Higher supplement doses gave even higher temperatures, which were harmful and attracted growth of Coprinus sp (Guna segaran and Graham 1987). In A. bisporus, the addition of formaldehyde-pretreated 1 and 2% cotton seed meal and soybean meal at the time of casing produced 20 and 30% higher yields respectively, but higher doses of supplement attracted a lot of contamination (Gupta and Vijay 1992).Supplementation has also been found to facilitate higher mushroom yield in other mushrooms such as Agrocybe aegerita and L. edodes (Zadrazil 1994, Jong 1989). Higher supplementation (3 to 4% w/w) of NPK in rice husk, melon husk and coconut fruit fibers did not give either mycelium growth or basidiocarp from the tubers of P. tuberregium (Isikhuemhen and Okhuoya 1998). Supplementation with de-oiled soybean and cotton seed cake not only gave higher biological efficiency but the fruit bodies were significantly heavier than in unsupplemented bags.