Characterization Of Amyloid Fibrils and Protective Effects Of Silibinin - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2083 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/03/18 Category Analytics Essay Level High school Tags: Characterization Essay Did you like this example? Amyloid fibrils are abnormal, fibrous protein deposits that grow on the outer membrane of the cells. They are insoluble and do not function to provide structural support or motility in humans. Amyloids are known to show major impact on diseases like Alzheimers and type II diabetes which progress over a period of time and are associated with high mortality (1). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Characterization Of Amyloid Fibrils and Protective Effects Of Silibinin" essay for you Create order There are no effective treatments known for amyloid-related diseases, therefore, searching for compounds that can effectively inhibit the formation of amyloid fibrils and/or disaggregate the preformed amyloid fibrils will act as a more promising treatment (2, 3). Silibinin are extracted from the medicinal plant Silybum marianum, also known as milk thistle, and have traditionally been used for the treatment of liver diseases (4). In a research, it was shown that silibinin could interrupt the complex structure of the amyloid protein, and transform the fibrils into shapeless aggregates hence decreasing its effects on the amyloid-related diseases (5). However, there are various forms of amyloid-fibril proteins. This paper focuses on amyloid-fibril formation and their characterization in various different amyloid-fibril proteins. Further, this paper will explore cytotoxicity induced by amyloid fibrils affecting patients who take insulin. The term amyloid was coined initially by Schleiden and then by Virchow in the mid-19th century to describe the iodine stained deposits seen in the liver at an autopsy. Initially, the deposits were thought to be high in carbohydrate until their high nitrogen content was later established. However, the inaccurate name persisted despite the discovery of its highly proteinaceous composition (7). Through microscopic studies and transmission electron micrographs, it was confirmed that amyloid carried a fibrillar or thread-like structure. Further advances in the biomedical and biophysical arena helped to isolate amyloid fibrils from the tissues and use X-ray fiber diffraction to exhibit the cross- structure (8, 9). Amyloid fibrils are highly stable and insoluble which makes them very useful in a large number of naturally occurring bionanotechnology. However, fibrils can also be dest ructive as they have the ability to accumulate in the tissue and form basis of diseases or aggravate a given disease (1). In order to understand more about amyloid fibrils, it was necessary to isolate them without completely dissociating them. The highly stable structure of amyloid fibrils made it hard to isolate them from the tissues without affecting its structural integrity of the fibrils. Therefore it became necessary to devise an effective method of isolation. Cohen and Calkins in their paper, The Isolation of amyloid fibrils and a study of the effect of collagenase and hyaluronidase, provided an effective method to isolate the amyloid fibrils without destroying their structural integrity. Hepatic tissues with excessive amyloid fibrils were extracted from post-mortem patients and was extracted using subsequent centrifugation and washing. The extracted fibrils and normal liver tissue as a control were then treated with the enzymes collagenase and hyaluronidase and then centrifuged. On observing it in the electron microscope, it was noted that only the amyloid fibril rich liver tissues showed fibrils, hence a new technique to isolate fibrils was discovered (9). Cohen and Calkins work was also one of the primary works to identify that fibril, a major component of amyloid, is not a collagen. It was also identified that fibrils do not contain high amounts of hyaluronic ac id, making it less soluble in water (1,9). In order to identify if collagen is the primary component of the fibrils, the fibrils were treated with a buffer and collagenase solution as the control and experimental reactions. The collagenase based reaction was incubated at different time periods to identify if there as more growth in the collagenase based solutions. The quantity of the fibrils was found to be roughly the same in the control and the experimental preparations at different time intervals. Ineffectiveness of collagenase indicated that there was no collagen present in the fibrils as in the presence of collagenase, the fibrils would have grown if they had collagen in them (9). Isolation of amyloid fibrils sparked a growth in the research based on amyloid fibrils and the diseases associated with amyloid fibrils. In a study, Westermark isolated amyloid from a lymph node of a medullary thyroid carcinoma, using the method devised by Cohen and Calkin. It was found in this study that amyloid fibrils carried major protein unit. The presence of a major subunit brought about a major advancement in understanding the structure of amyloid fibrils which later helped in finding an inhibition mechanism for amyloid formation, that affects diseases like Alzheimers and diabetes type I (9, 10, 11). The structure of the fibril isolated from the thyroid c arcinoma was studied by isolating a tumor tissue from a patient having medullary thyroid carcinoma with metastases. The amyloid was isolated using collagenase enzyme, as shown by Cohen and Calkins. After the centrifugation in the presence of required buffers, it was run using an SDS page to separate the different protein components. The acquired protein was then purified using gel filtration and observed under an electron microscope. The amyloid fibrils were observed in the form of small clumps. On performing spectrophotometry, it was confirmed that no peaks were shown in the range where amyloid fibril would normally be observed. Knowledge of the structure of amyloid fibrils helps in understanding the process of pathology of the amyloidoses and provides a structure of rational design for drugs to inhibit or reverse amyloid formation (11). This can be beneficial in various diseases like diabetes and Alzheimers. It has been suggested that nearly all proteins have the ability to form amyloid under certain conditions, which has implications for the understanding of protein folding (12). Amyloid precursor proteins do not share a common size, sequence or secondary structure, yet the mature fibrils appear to share similar highly organized multimolecular morphology and mechanisms of toxicity (13). This indicated that there is a possible connection in the formation of different types of amyloid fibrils. Sletten et al in their study characterizing amyloid fibril proteins further elabo rated that human amyloid fibrils contain two different components: one soluble and the more heterogeneous component. The soluble component is called the P component and is immunologically homogeneous meaning they are made of same kind of proteins. The other component, the fibril, is more heterogeneous meaning that it is made of different kind of proteins. Amyloid fibrils were first acquired from lymph nodes of the medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and isolated using the Cohen and Calkins method of enzyme degradation. Antisera against amyloid proteins prepared and treated to the fibrils. Finally gel filtration and SDS page were conducted in order to look at the various band indicating proteins of different sizes and charges (14). As discussed earlier, two different components were found. It was also observed that the fibrils mainly consisted of a low molecular weight protein which was immunologically distinct and did not react with various antisera against known amyloid fibril proteins (15). In a study it was shown that the influence of the number of non-fibrillar or the P-component on amyloid related diseases is well known. However the authors noted that non-fibrillar proteins increase protein strength and density of the local interactions of fibrils, causing them to forma compact, and localized structure, as seen in different amyloid related diseases. Therefore, the soluble component, or the P-component play an important role in forming aggregation state and solubility of the amyloid fibrils, he nce affecting amyloidoses or amyloid deposits (19) Amyloid deposits have varied origins and chemical compositions, however they still have common systematic forms. The common systemic forms as seen in Sletten et al., are related to the serum amyloid protein or immunoglobulin chains but in amyloidosis the fibril proteins may contain hormone-like peptides such as procalcitonin in medullary carcinoma of thyroid and islet polypeptide in pancreatic islets, especially in Type 2 diabetes (15, 16, 17). Insulin, a polypeptide, has long been known to be capable of conversion in vitro to a fibrillar, amyloid-like, form (16). Fibrillary insulin has recently been demonstrated clinically significant localised amyloidosis in microscopic quantities around the needle tip after prolonged subcutaneous infusions of insulin in rats, and in a human diabetic subject (18). In a study done in 1988, major amyloid fibril protein was extracted and, by means of its amino acid composition and amino acid sequence, it was shown to contain intact insulin molecules (15). Diche et al. in their study conducted in 1988 described the amyloid deposits occurring in an insulin-dependent diabetic patient and give the analytical finding of extracted amyloid fibril protein. A young man with type 1 diabetes mellitus developed a localized amyloidosis at the sites of the injections of insulin. This amyloid fibril was extracted and histopathology was conducted on the tissues. This was followed by immunohistochemistry, by staining proinsulin and an antiserum to insulin. The tissue was also homogenized to obtain amyloid fibrils and purify them (15). It was found that amyloids form by partial proteolysis of larger precursor molecules, which cases of localized amyloidosis, as seen in the diabetic patient, is expressed close to the site of deposition. The lower molecular weight fragment molecules spontaneously polymerize into fibrils. Amyloid P-component was also demonstrable in the deposits, as it has been in every other amyloid (15). Katebi et al. look at the potential of silibinin to interact and inhibit the amyloid formation in bovine insulin (insulin derived from a cow). It looks at the ability of insulin to attach to silibinin. It further looks at the protective effects of silibinin in the cell against the toxicity caused by the amyloid fibrils on neuroblastoma cells cancer formed in early forms of nerve cells (3, 6). It looks at the ability of insulin to attach to silibinin. It further looks at the protective effects of silibinin in the cell against the toxicity caused by the amyloid fibrils on neuroblastoma cells cancer formed in early forms of nerve cells (3, 6). The specific effect of silibinin on the fibrillation of bovine insulin was studied by using specific methods of amyloid detection using color assays. These assays are methods that use a dye to color the amyloid fibrils and observe the changes in it using a highly efficient microscope. The assays help in quantifying the change in the amyloid fibril formation under various conditions such as the different concentration of silibinin, or temperature difference (20, 21). It was found that higher doses of silibinin caused the inhibition of the amyloid fibril formation, in a given time. It was measured that the time taken for the formation of the first phase of the new structure or interaction increased from 2 hours to 4 hours in the presence of silibinin. This indicated that silibinin interferes in the early formation of the insulin complex, which increases the reliability of silibinin as an effective treatment. Impact of silibinin on the structural changes cause in insulin due to amyloid fibrils was studies using color assays. It was concluded that the presence of silibinin lowers the intensity of the color, which indicates that silibinin has inhibiting effects on structural changes in insulin due to the amyloid formation (3, 22). In the second part of the study, the protective effects of silibinin on insulin amyloid fibril that causes toxicity in cancer cells in nerves was analyzed. This was analyzed using an assay that acts a sensitive and reliable indicator of the cell metabolism. This assay analyzes the shift of a yellow based dye to purple based on the activity of a mitochondrial enzyme that helps in the removal of hydrogen from the cells. The assay was conducted as a cell viability test for the effect of silibinin on the amyloi d. It was concluded that cells exposed to silibinin at various concentrations did not show any evidence of toxicity in a 24 hour period (3, 23). The study gives important insights into the mechanism of amyloid fibril-induced neuronal cell death and the action of silibinin. It also emphasizes the potential application of silibinin to prevent the treatment of amyloid-related diseases like type II diabetes and Alzheimers. Amyloid fibrils are extensively known for its affect on major diseases like Alzheimers and diabetes, hence it is very important to understand their structure, and formation. Structure and formation not only provide a way to derive methods to stop their growth. With the help of isolation technique devised by Cohen and Calkins, scientist were able to further study structure and formation of amyloid fibrils. This further enabled them to understand in what ways do fibrils affect diabetes. Such studies help not only to provide a way for other scientists to replicate what has been already done but also pursue research t a higher level. By knowing the structure and characterization of the amyloid fibrils, Katebi et al . were able to understand the protective effects of silibinin on insulin amyloid fibrils.

The Area Of Interest, Livestock, Grazing, And Urban And...

Introduction The area of interest is located in the San Joaquin Valley, California, primarily in the western part of Fresno County, California. The primary land uses in the region are irrigated cropland, livestock, grazing, and urban and home development (USDA 2015). Other land uses include recreation and wildlife habitats. The land survey of the region consists of series of straight lines delineating fields of crops, typically running north to south. A series of squares dominates the aerial view of the region. The region experiences hot and dry summers with an average July high of 92 °F and has historically experienced cool and rainy winters with an average January low of 38 °F which normally lasts between November and April. However,†¦show more content†¦The rest of the area contains natural areas (trees shrubs) with 15.9% (1,928.1 acres) and water with 0.6% (73.7 acres). In 2014, the gross value of Fresno County agriculture production exceeded seven billion dollars. Almonds was t he number one crop at a value of $1.3 billion and grapes was a close second at $905 million (County of Fresno, Department of Agriculture 2015). Other important crops include poultry ($654 million), milk ($636 million), tomatoes ($524 million), pistachios ($378 million), garlic ($202 million), and cotton ($135 million). The diversity, high total acreage and crop yield are the result of favorable factors; the Mediterranean climate, long growing seasons, productive soils, and readily available and plentiful irrigation. Agricultural operations in the area have significant and permanent impact on the properties and management of the soils in the study area. Farming practices such as land leveling and irrigation impacts surface soils and deeper soil profiles due to the percolation of irrigation water. The current drought afflicting the region has increased the number of fallow acres steadily because of the relative unreliability of the water supply. The lack of surface water availability has forced farmers to turn more to groundwater to irrigate their crops. The pumping of water from deep wells and increased consumption of ground water contributes to ground subsidence which in turn, affects the geomorphology of the

The 14Th Dalai Lama Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The 14Th Dalai Lama Essay, Research Paper Research Paper November 12, 1999 The 14th Dalai Lama ? Dalai Lama? literally means ocean priest. His huge followings, awestruck by his presence, cast their eyes downward, autumn to the land and weep. They can non look straight in his eyes out of regard. The Dalai Lama realizes the magnitude of his place, but dismisses the devotion. His people call him? His Holiness. ? He calls himself a Tibetan who chooses to be a Buddhist monastic. He besides was leader of a state that Tibetans say is occupied and that Beijing says has ever been portion of China. He is considered the reincarnation of the old 13 Dalai Lamas of Tibet, the first born more than 640 old ages ago. This Dalai Lama is different from his predecessors, though. For case, the 13th Dalai Lama was rigorous and formal, and most Tibetans couldn? T get close to him except during public approval ceremonials. The 14th Dalai Lama meets frequently with Tibetans and aliens and neer keeps people at a distance. He is among 600 Tibetan Buddhist monastics populating in Dharamsala, in northern India. About 7,000 of the 24,000 who live in this metropolis are Tibetans, with the greatest concentration in the small town of McLeod Ganj? the place of Tibet? s government-in- expatriate. The Chinese occupied Tibet in 1950. For nine old ages, the Dalai Lama tried to negociate peaceable coexistence with his people and the Chinese. When that failed, he fled in 1959 to India, where he set up Tibet? s government-in-exile. Lhamo Thondup was born July 6, 1935, to peasant husbandmans in Taktser, a hapless colony on a hill overlooking a wide vale in northeasterly Tibet. Buddhist priests from Lhasa, Tibet? s capital, came for the male child when he was 2. Omens led them to him: from the manner the caput of the 13th Dalai Lama had turned in his casket toward the kid? s small town, to the vision of the house seen in a lake by a high priest. The male child was renamed Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso and raised by monastics in Lhasa in the 1,000-room Potala castle, where the fifth through the present Dalai Lamas resided. As a male child, he had no thought what it meant to be the 14th Dalai Lama? the swayer of the land hidden behind the Himalayas. He was tutored in Buddhist instructions. At 15, with his state under menace from the freshly communist China, he officially became caput of Tibet, which is about three times the size of California. At that clip in 1950, peace in Tibet was shattered when 84,000 Chinese soldiers launched an onslaught at six points along Tibet? s boundary line. Chinese functionaries say communism liberated the downtrodden Tibetan people from a feudal theocracy harshly ruled by a sequence of Dalai Lamas. But many Tibetans say communism neer was attractive for them, and they ever considered the regulation of the Dalai Lama benevolent. Fearful of being captured by the Chinese and believing he would be more effectual outside Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled at age 24 across 17,000-foot Himalayan passes into India. Together with the 70-man leftover of the Tibetan authorities, he was given political refuge. He chose India for its propinquity to his fatherland, and Tibetans felt a religious affinity with their neighbours because Buddhism originated in India. Buddhism teaches people to extinguish agony caused by ignorance, self-importance and self- centeredness. Buddhists cultivate morality, generousness, forbearance, energy, wisdom and speculation. They believe good actions lead to a promising metempsychosis. Tibet was the lone topographic point where Buddhist monks entirely ruled the state. Leaderships were thought to be embodiments of enlightened existences, and they taught others how to quiet their heads and cultivate selflessness. Tibetans say they lived peacefully until the Chinese invaded their state. Since so, 1.2 million people # 8212 ; 20 per centum of the Tibetan population? have died in combat and through monolithic dearths from collectivized agriculture and recreation of Tibetan grain to China. The Chinese gutted all but 10 of Tibet? s 6,254 monasteries, and their hoarded wealth # 8212 ; $ 80 billion in jeweled, gold, Ag and bronze statues and other sanctum points? was trucked back to China and subsequently sold in markets in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Still, the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize victor for his non-violent pursuit to liberate his fatherland, doesn? t hate the Chinese. He considers compassion as a agency to recover Tibet? s liberty. Leaderships of Tibet? s government-in-exile have lived since 1960 in Dharamsala, a hill station in Himlach Pradesh, India, 125 stat mis from Tibet? s boundary line. From the centre of Dharamsala, there? s a hair-raising ascent up 1000s of pess along narrow roads that twist to the small town of McLeod Ganj. Tibetans live there under India? s regulations, but they? rhenium permitted their quasi-government. The Dalai Lama drafted a fundamental law in 1963, leting Tibetans throughout the universe to be elected representatives of the government-in-exile. He has established an independent bench, an hearer? s office and other sections. He no longer has concluding say on all governmental affairs and can be impeached. Populating in Dharamsala in the sixtiess and? 70s was hard for the Tibetans because it was isolated. Construction of a little airdrome and installing of a telephone system have improved conditions, the Dalai Lama says. Up the mountain is the Tibetan Children? s Village, run by one of the Dalai Lama? s sisters. It houses and educates about 1,500 childs, many refugees. Its subdivisions throughout India serve 5,500 or so more kids. The Dalai Lama sometimes visits the small town and elsewhere, but the bulk of his clip in Dharamsala is spent praying, chew overing and analyzing. He reads Bibles, surveies philosophy and frequently prays with other Tibetan Buddhist monastics. He besides pores over official documents, listens to the BBC World Service on the wireless and reads magazines like Newsweek and Time and newspapers such as The Times of India and The Hindustan Times. Many people told Tibetans in the sixtiess that their pursuit for freedom was hopeless, the Dalai Lama says. With political alterations in the former Soviet Union and East Germany, he believes Tibetan freedom International Relations and Security Network? T that far-fetched. Obstacles remain before Tibetans have political and societal freedom in their fatherland, the Dalai Lama says. The old Chinese Communist leaders are in their 80s, and he believes the first coevals of revolutionists still respect and obey the authorities government. Even with no marks of political liberalisation, the Communist Party? s free market reforms have improved the Tibetan economic system and quenched agitation. And many Chinese sympathize with the Tibetan freedom motion, the D alai Lama says. Once the current Chinese leaders are gone, ? so I don? t see any obstruction. ? In 1963, His Holiness promulgated a democratic fundamental law, based on Buddhist rules and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as a theoretical account for a future free Tibet. Since so, the Dalai Lama has been the most vigorous advocator for the refugee # 8217 ; s ain democratic experiment, while systematically reaffirming his desire non to keep political office one time Tibet regains its independency. The Dalai Lama continues to show new enterprises to decide the Tibetan issue. At the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1987, he proposed a Five-Point Peace Plan as a first measure toward deciding the hereafter position of Tibet. This program called for the appellation of Tibet as a zone of non-violence, an terminal to the monolithic transportation of Chinese into Tibet, Restoration of cardinal human rights and democratic freedoms, and the forsaking of China # 8217 ; s usage of Tibet for atomic arms production and the dumping of atomic waste, every bit good as pressing # 8220 ; earnest dialogues # 8221 ; on the hereafter of Tibet. The Dalai Lama continued what he viewed as the most realistic attempt to make a autonomous democratic Tibet. His proposal, made in Strasbourg, France in 1988, included the adjustment of China # 8217 ; s ain involvements while continuing the Tibetan peoples # 8217 ; ultimate authorization in organizing their authorities. However, the Dalai Lama faced a closed and negative attitude from the Chinese leading in response to his attempts, doing him to declare the Strasbourg Proposal as no longer adhering in 1991. His travels have taken him to Brazil, England, Switzerland and the United States, where he met with President George Bush in April 1991. That meeting ended a 30-year American boycott of the Tibetan leader. The United States neer has officially recognized Tibet, sing it portion of China. The Dalai Lama has met with several major caputs of province every bit good as other senior political, spiritual, cultural and concern leaders to talk on his belief in the unity of the human household and the demand for each person to develop a sense of cosmopolitan duty. In October, 1989, during a duologue with eight rabbis and bookmans from the United States in Dharamsala, The Dalai Lama said, # 8220 ; When we became refugees, we knew our battle would non be easy ; it would take a long clip, coevalss. Very frequently we would mention to the Judaic people, how they kept their individuality and faith despite such adversity and so much agony. And, when external conditions were mature they were ready to reconstruct their state. So you see, there are many things to larn from our Judaic brothers and sisters. # 8221 ; His negotiations in other forums focused on the commonalty of religions and the demand for integrity among different faiths: # 8220 ; I ever believe that it is much better to hold a assortment of faiths, a assortment of doctrines, instead than one individual faith or doctrine. This is necessary because of the different mental temperaments of each human being. Each faith has certain alone thoughts or techniques, and larning about them can merely enrich one # 8217 ; s ain faith. # 8221 ; The Dalai Lama has received legion honorary doctors degrees from Universities worldwide. In 1989, he received The Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. The Norse Nobel Committee emphasized the Dalai Lama # 8217 ; s consistent resistance of the usage of force in Tibet # 8217 ; s battle for freedom and remarked that, # 8220 ; The Dalai Lama has developed his doctrine of peace from a great fear for all things populating and upon the construct of cosmopolitan duty encompassing all world every bit good as nature # 8230 ; [ he ] has come frontward with constructive and advanced proposals for the solution of international struggles, human rights issues and planetary environmental problems. # 8221 ; Despite his great accomplishments, the Dalai Lama remains modest, frequently stating # 8220 ; I am merely a simple Buddhist monk # 8212 ; no more, no less. # 8221 ; While contending for peace and freedom for his people and others, His Holiness has authored many books. Some intended to learn others to state narratives. Ancient Wisdom, Modern World # 8211 ; Ethical motives for a New Millennium is the latest book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his first major publication in recent old ages. In this work, His Holiness calls for a revolution # 8211 ; non a political, an economic, a proficient or even a spiritual revolution, but a religious revolution to assist us through the moral labyrinth of modern life. Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart is a practical direction book on developing compassion in our day-to-day lives through simple speculations that straight relate to past and present relationships. Cultivating a Daily Meditation includes two discourses in which His Holiness touches upon the indispensable points of the Dharma and provides a clear and simple method to cultivate a day-to-day pattern of speculation. He besides explains how we should continue in the attempt to bring forth both the bosom of compassion and the expansive position of emptiness in our day-to-day life. Dalai Lama # 8217 ; s Small Book of Wisdom is an inspirational volume offering encouragement to anyone seeking a more peaceable and liberating manner of life. Here the Dalai Lama portions his position on such digesting subjects as love, faith, justness, human rights, poorness, cultural struggle and protection of the environment. Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet is an updated a utobiography following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, in which the Dalai Lama talks freely of his life and the tragic narrative of Tibet, and besides discusses modern-day issues. The Dalai Lama is a adult male who believes and patterns in universe peace, felicity, interior balance, and freedom. Bringing peace and freedom to Tibet and to the universe has been the Dalai Lama? s life for the last many old ages. Writing books, sing Presidents and functionaries, and buttonholing for his cause has become what he is. What I believe is that His Holiness is a great adult male. He is a adult male who has lived in expatriate for decennaries but has non given up his cause of emancipating himself and his people. He teaches about a planetary community, where all states of our planet would populate and be with and for each other, in harmoniousness. Compassion is another thing His Holiness Teachs, to populate and care for others. I am non and may neer be a practicing Buddhist, but in my bosom and in myself I will ever believe that the Dalai Lama is one of the greatest work forces of all time to walk the Earth. In our universe where aggression, struggle and force strain hatre d for our fellow adult male, how of import is a adult male such as the Dalai Lama whose instructions involve love, compassion and peace.

Near Term Future of Terrorism in the U.S free essay sample

What is the terrorist group most likely to strike within the United States in the next five years? What method or means will this group probably use to carry out the attack and what is the most effective means of countering the attack? Near-Term Future of Terrorism in the U. S. 2 Abstract Terrorists are likely to use a weapon of mass destruction somewhere in the world in the next five years. We will write a custom essay sample on Near Term Future of Terrorism in the U.S or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are more likely to use a biological weapon than a nuclear one and the results could be devastating. The consequences of a biological attack are almost beyond comprehension. It would be 9/11 times 10 or a hundred in terms of the number of people who would be killed, according to Senator Bob Graham. Near-Term Future of Terrorism in the U. S. 3 An investigation by the US Congress into weapons of mass destruction made a chilling prediction of terrorists mounting an attack using biological or nuclear weapons within the next five years. The six month inquiry mentioned Pakistan as one of the likeliest sources of such an attack. The target could be the U. S. or some other part of the world. The report by the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, said â€Å"unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013†. Terrorists are more likely to be able to obtain and use a biological weapon than a nuclear weapon. An overwhelming majority believes that there is a significant likelihood of further terrorist attacks on U. S. soil and expresses concern and worry about the prospect. About half worry that a close friend or relative will be a victim of an attack, but only a minority are concerned that it would happen in their community. The onset of military action in Afghanistan has not led to notable changes in these attitudes. Though traditional attacks, such as truck bombs, are seen as the most likely terrorist threat, the majority believes that terrorists have access to weapons of mass destruction and are likely to use them at some point. Of these weapons, chemical and biological agents are seen as a greater danger than nuclear arms, and concern about a chemical or biological attack has grown over the past weeks. Americans have been fairly pessimistic about the prospect of eliminating terrorist attacks for some time. Today’s terrorists can strike at any place, at any time and with virtually any weapon. But if it is so easy to pull off an attack and if terrorists are so demonically competent, why have they not Near-Term Future of Terrorism in the U. S. 4 done it? Why have they not been sniping at people in shopping centers, collapsing tunnels, poisoning the food supply, cutting electrical lines, derailing trains, blowing up oil pipelines, causing massive traffic jams, or exploiting the countless other vulnerabilities that, according to security experts, could so easily be exploited. One reasonable explanation is that almost no terrorists exist in the United States and few have the means or the inclination to strike from abroad. However, this explanation is rarely offered. Instead, Americans are often told by the same people who had once predicted imminent attacks that the absence of international terrorist strikes in the United States is owed to the protective measures so hastily and expensively put in place after 9/11. For the past five years, Americans have been regularly regaled with dire predictions of another major Al Qaeda attack in the United States. In 2003, a group of 200 senior government officials and business executives, many of them specialists in security and terrorism, pronounced it likely that a terrorism strike more devastating than 9/11. The leadership of this country and the world will have to decide how much of a priority they place on avoiding the worst weapons in the world getting in the hands of the worst people in the world. It is not going to be cheap. It is not going to be accomplished without some sacrifices. It won’t be accomplished without putting this issue ahead of some other competing national and international goals. However, I think our safety and security depend upon doing so. A biological attack is more likely than a nuclear attack because biological weapons are more available, according to a CNN panel. Anthrax is a natural product of dead animals. Other serious pathogens are available in equally accessible forms. There are so many scientists who have the skills to convert a pathogen from benign, helpful purposes into an illicit, very harmful weapon. However, the commission warned that there is also Near-Term Future of Terrorism in the U. S. 5 a threat of nuclear terrorism, both because more countries are developing nuclear weapons and because some existing nuclear powers are expanding their arsenals. Terrorist organizations are intent on acquiring nuclear weapons. It cited testimony before the commission from former Senator Sam Nunn, who said that the risk of a nuclear weapon being used today is growing, not receding. The risk from biological or nuclear weapons was higher than skeptical foreign policy and defense analysts have so far suggested. Those analysts had pointed out to the complexity of transporting such weapons and the limitations of a nuclear dirty bomb, whose radius of damage is minimum compared with missile delivered warheads. The report disagreed, saying that no mission could be timelier. The simple reality is that the risks that confront us today are evolving faster than our multi layered responses. Many thousands of dedicated people across all agencies of our government are working hard to protect this country, and their efforts have had a positive impact. However, the terrorists have been active, too and in our judgment America’s margin of safety is shrinking, not growing. Despite all the ominous warnings of wily terrorists and imminent attacks, there has been neither a successful strike nor a close call in the United States since 9/11. The reasonable, but rarely heard explanation is that there are no terrorists within the United States, and few have the means or the inclination to strike from abroad.

Terorrism And Security Measures Essays - National Security

Terorrism And Security Measures The government can implement many new methods to increase security, or better yet give off the image of better security which is what they have predominantly done, yet ultimately there will always be a way to bypass or come up with a new way to infiltrate that measure. The government so far has done a variety of things ranging from the closing of the Dulles airport (permanently), working with the FAA on new security measures, having pilots carry handguns, and a not so specific, profiling. Well the first and easiest of the new security measures is the permanent closing of the airport, which is very near the heart of our nation's political machine. Seeing how airplanes were used as weapons of mass-destruction officials were left with no choice but to shut down the airport. Even though other airports, which were closed, are now reopened, Dulles vicinity to the incident and to other major government facilities will keep this airport permanently closed. The government rational in this situation actually makes sense because they would not want to have any other incidents and the proximity of the airport is a major key. There has been a measure brought to congress by the largest pilot union, boasting over 66000 members to carry handguns in the cockpit and be trained by law enforcement officials. Strict psychological testing would be done on all the pilots and the FBI would train all of them. Before these incidents, this proposal would have not been considered, yet in light of this situation there could be possible implementation of this program. The government as well as private conglomerates agrees that this plan could work, because the cockpit has to be defended at all costs, hence, now pilots are being trained to use a crash-ax, equipped on every plane, as a possible killing weapon. The government believes that this will work because if the cockpit is infiltrated, the pilots will have a form of defense that could overpower the terrorist and save the plane and the world from such atrocities witnessed September 11. The FAA has considered many new measures to increase the safety of flight and to make sure that the aviation system is not compromised by acts of terrorism. Federal marshals are being hired at exponential rates so more will be on flights to insure security. There is consideration of making a secure cockpit door that cannot be broken down if locked; yet, this is a waste of time and money in my opinion, because the terrorist can still threaten the life of the passengers. Security checkpoints at airports will be monitored by FBI agents, not by hired people to monitor eye movements and other such behaviors in hopes of catching the not typical but otherwise looks like a normal passenger passenger. Carry on luggage will be effected severely as now, they will scrutinized with a fine tooth comb and no longer will they be so liberal on what can come on and what can not. The federal government will install the latest technology in bomb-sniffing, x-ray, and whatever other devices are available, to detect any explosive or incendiary devices checked on an airplane. With all these new regulations plus a list of similar ones, there will be several unpleasant side effects for the citizens of this country. Passengers should expect to arrive 2.5-3 hours in advanced to make sure you will make your flight. There will be a new security tax on all tickets which will up travel prices. In addition, more electronic gadgets, which are very often used by the business traveler of today and tomorrow, will be banned and strictly checked. However, the upside is that it should make citizens feel safer about traveling. The fourth way of tightening security is more on a psychological scale. Last week in Minneapolis, Northwest Airlines officials hauled three Arab-Americans off a flight to Salt Lake City when other passengers refused to fly with them; the men were grilled and allowed to board a later flight. In Trenton, N.J., a nervous driver called authorities when two suspicious men speaking little English got on his bus; the police held the men at gunpoint before releasing them. Such profiling, which critics say

Modernity

Modernity Sociology Term EssayQ4. What does sociology contribute to an analysis of the culture of modernity ?To understand what sociology brings to a study of our modern culture we must understand how humanity has got to where it is today .We must ask why the way that humans live day to day has changed so dramatically over the past couple of hundred years .We get some of the answers from sociologists who observed and questioned these developments .The study of Sociology itself arrived as a product of modernity.The term modernity is "designed to encapsulate the distinctiveness, complexity and dynamism of social processes unleashed during the 18th and 19th centuries" , which make a distinct break from the traditional way of living .It has been called the "Great Transformation" .Sociology tells us what happened and why , it highlights greatly the difference between living 300 years ago. It can be seen as a combination of a number of new developments in production coinciding with some new theories and ideas.Karl & his daughter Jenny MarxAn example of one of these developments that can explain the arrival of modernity was the dramatic improvement in the transport system and other forms of communication .This greatly accelerated contact across distances and required the synchronization of activity using clocks and calendars .Anthony Giddens a modern day sociologist believed that this was typified by the railway timetable ,which he described as a "time space ordering device" , in other words something that helped to coordinate in different areas and time zones.In his book "Introductory Sociology" , Tony Bilton tells how modernity had a huge effect in such basic things as peoples diet .He highlights 18th Century England as an example of this how people of all classes daily intake consisted of produce from all over the globe...

The Objectives Of The Spanish And British Colonizers Case Study

The Objectives Of The Spanish And British Colonizers - Case Study Example Comparisons made between the two as far as patterns of colonization demonstrate the existence of significant differences. There were similarities, such as the use of the New Lands to further their mercantile ideologies. Both also ravaged the native peoples of the Americas, which set on course cultural destruction and disruption. However, both nations would lose their colonies by the early 19th century as independent settler communities were established. How were their objectives for finding these settlements similar or different? The objectives of the Spanish and British colonizers were starkly different apart from their goal of advancing their mercantile ideologies. The Spanish colonized and settled in the New Lands primarily as conquerors with the political system that they set up being entirely autocratic and centered on furthering the Spanish motherland (Elliott 37). After they had conquered the lands, they proceeded to loot vast resources. Spain viewed the new lands that it colo nized as an object whose only use was for the furthering of its mercantile objectives. This was evident in a large number of ships that traveled from Spanish America to Spain laden with gold, silver, and other valuables. Since it was their sole objective, Spain gave minimal rights of self-rule to their colonies, instead of dictating the policies governing them from the Spanish mainland (Elliott 38). The British settled peacefully rather than as conquerors into the new Lands. They migrated to these lands with the sole objectives of economic opportunity, political freedom, and independence. Because England had a long tradition of partial representation, their colonies were able to achieve some self-government with a form of assembly that was representative of the settlers.

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation Essay

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation - Essay Example In order to enhance performance, it will be essential to develop a reward system whereby the best performing individuals will be rewarding, thus promoting competency in their undertakings. (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2012, p.1). The senior management team will also undergo extensive training on various management perspectives, which will ensure that they will guide their juniors appropriately. This will be implanted in line with the current technological developments to ensure that efficiency is enhanced, which would consequently improve the overall performance of the company. 6 Strategies to Implement 6 Reward System 8 Challenges and How to Overcome Them 8 Conclusion and Recommendations 10 Developing and Managing Performance in an Organisation Executive Summary This report contains a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the different challenges faced when implementing and developing performance management and reward strategy. It puts forward the Bath model e laborating on how it can be used for performance management; moreover, a reward strategy has also been put in place with its significance being indicated. Significantly, the report starts by evaluating the challenges that are known to initiate from implementation, since this is known to be the basis of all the other problems, and proposed a number of ways that they can be countered so as to ensure that the strategic plan goes through to the end without any difficulties altogether. Introduction Over the years, there has been a lot of attention given to performance management and development with the demand for thorough information being actually intensified with the economic downfall. Human resources specialists have toiled to make sure that they keenly evaluate performance between relevant and fair measures putting most of their focus and efforts on essential aspects of any business. Essentially, the different efforts have circled around making sure that the processes are similar in nature with the requirements of a changing breed of line manager, and stream line the systems that are paper based and facilitate admittance through media. Nonetheless, most of the human resource strategies that have been implemented in the past are also focused on ensuring that managing the performance delivers in an environment where the evolution of numbers and effect on organisational brand and innovation is based on the ways of the business success. Concurrently, the report focuses on evaluating the challenges an organisation may incur when putting into place a performance and reward strategy using knowledge from the results of past case studies and theories from different specialists on the field, but mostly on human resources. Currently, the nature of work is altering with diverse organisations and corporations operating in more of a specialized network that is also flexible and natural; basically, the frequency of strategic partnering arrangements between organisations incr easing the need for management relationships to be managed beyond the organisation and hence further work is required. On the other hand, reward systems are also a critical part of any organisations design and how well they are compatible with the rest of the systems has an equal effect on to what extent they will be

How Did the Buildings and Landscapes of the Secular Elite Shape Term Paper

How Did the Buildings and Landscapes of the Secular Elite Shape Medieval Settlement and Social Relationships - Term Paper Example Deer parks were formed only on those estates of the very rich, nobility and the great clerics, who spent much of their time hunting, however by the end of the15th century, according to Michael Reed (page 124) the wood contained in the parks had become more valuable than the deer. Deer are notorious for stripping bark and so destroying woodland and the animals would be excluded in order to allow the trees to grow undamaged. Occasionally land in private ownership would pass back into public ownership as when Henry VIII gave his private hunting ground, Sutton Park to the people of Sutton Coldfield in 1528, as described on the web page Sutton Coldfield, but this did not necessarily mean it could then be farmed. When poor men hunt it is called poaching and punishable, but it was the rich who had the horses, weapons, and birds of prey, so once again it was they who were the main beneficiaries. The deer park was of economic importance in that it provided food, leather, wood etc, but also employment for many people. Just as with the fish ponds they provided an easily available larder of fresh food before the advent of modern-day preserving methods and chill rooms and freezers. Hunting was an expensive pastime but there were other advantages in that if the king was kept happy then social advancement was possible. The Medieval Source Book recording an Inquest of the Sheriffs Regarding the Forests in 1170 mentions reward, promise, and friendship as being the products of hunting. Hunting was both a pleasure and a necessity – a way of entertaining guests and also of filling their bellies. By the later medieval period new methods of farming were being used and hunting for survival was no longer required. Instead, hunting moved on from being a necessity into a stylized pastime for the aristocracy. James III of Scotland in the 15th century had several hunting lodges, as described by Gilbert, 2003, (page 42).  

Key Factors Affecting Customer Retention Marketing Essay

Key Factors Affecting Customer Retention Marketing Essay The objectives of this thesis are to examine the influence of the interaction between overall satisfaction with service quality, product quality, pricing, and switching barriers on customer retention at Apollo Education and Training Organization. The study started with an assumption which all above elements have direct impacts on customer retention and crucial to retain students in foreign owned education firms. It can be seen from the results that there is a positive relationship between product quality, service quality, price, customer satisfaction and switching barriers with customer retention. The sample size of this quantitative research included 104 current adult students at Apollo Hanoi. Building on the quantitative aspects questionnaire was designed to examine the customer retention, service quality, product quality, price, customer satisfaction and switching barriers and to generalize the finding to the large population. There are also limitations as well as future research implications at the end of this research study. Furthermore, the descriptive analysis is used to analyze the extent to which the factors affect customer retention. Customer retention is an important element of a foreign owned education firm in todays increasingly competitive environment. Management must identify and improve upon factors that can limit customer defection. These include switching barriers and customer satisfaction with service quality, product quality, pricing. Clearly, there are compelling arguments for management to carefully consider the factors that might increase customer retention rates. A lot of studies have emphasized the significance of customer retention in the industry like banking or hospitalism such as Dawkins and Reichheld, 1990; Marple and Zimmerman, 1999; Page et al., 1996; Fisher, 2001. However, there has been little effort to investigate factors that might lead to customer retention in education firm. Most of the studies have focused on the impact of individual constructs, without attempting to link them in a model to further explore or explain retention. If retention criteria are not well managed, customers might still leave their suppliers, no matter how hard bankers try to retain them. Keywords: Customer retention, Service Quality, Product Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Switching Barrier. Chapter 1: Overview of the research Background of Research Despite of the existing difficulties of the economy, in 2011 and 2012, education remains one of the few positive growth areas. According to experts; it is due to the stable development of education. Peoples learning needs are increasing; their level of investment in learning is increasing too. This investment is not interrupted by fear, worried about funding; on the contrary, students can save many other expenses to spend on their studies or their children. In the field of education, it can be said that in 2012 a lot of new English language centers are opened. The main reason is that English is more and more important, becoming obligatory recruitment requirements of many enterprises. According to the survey, using English proficiently helps graduate students quickly get a job and receive two times higher wages compared to non-English speaking candidate. Therefore, parents will not hesitate to invest in their children English learning at the prestigious center from an early age. More blue and white collared workers will enroll with the purpose of increasing salary, income. Apollo Vietnam, which was founded in 1994, is the first fully foreign owned English language training company in Vietnam and an affiliate of  International House   a well established and trusted name in English teaching. With the slogan Where the best become better, Apollo continues to strive to maintain the high standard English teaching organization in Vietnam. Apollo has made and continues to make a lot of contributions to Vietnamese society such as scholarships for students, fun learn English and teachers training for local schools and several well-known and well-loved television shows, for example, The Golden Bell, The Road to Olympia and Connect Youths. Apollo has seven moder centers based in Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hai Phong and offers a variety of educational programs and services, such as Public courses ( including English for Young Learners, Teens, Adults, IELTS TOEFL iBT), Corporate English, School Partnership Program and Overseas Study Services. Apollos has a lot of achievements in education and training, recognized by the Vietnamese Government and the United Kingdom: First foreign organization that has received two campaign medals for the Cause of Education from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training In  2008, Apollos Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Khalid Muhmood, was also awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for providing international-standard English training in Vietnam. Apollo is collaborating with leading endorsers, such as Cambridge University, DOET,Nokia, Fahasa, Nestle, Prudential and many more. Apollo is also the English content provider for popular game shows in Vietnam like Peak to Olympia, Golden Bell, Hot VTeen, and Doremi. Apollo has different courses designed for public students at Apollo at different ages, especially for adult. Please have look at Appendix 6 for more details. Problem Statement and Research Questions In recent years, a lot of English language centers with huge capital and investment are opened putting Apollo in the fiercer competition with strong existing competitors like British Council, Language Link, ILA, ACET, RMIT,Clever Learn, Oxford English UK,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as well as new entrants such as Alphabest, AMA,etc. As a result, fewer new customers are being pursued by an increasing number of service providers. Under those circumstances, a large share of a firms resources must be devoted to the present customer base in order to make them satisfied and retain them. One significance of customer retention is its close relationship to the companys continued survival, and to strong future growth. Hence, for a company, to maintain a stable profit level when competition is fierce, a defensive strategy which strives to retain existing customers is more important than an aggressive one, which expands the size of the overall market by inducing potential customers (Fornell, 1992). Apollo currently has a good student retention rate of young learner segment, about 80%, whereas for adult segment in recent years, its only around 50% (Figure 2). As it can be seen from Figure 1, Apollo had from 640 to 700 adult student turns from 2009 until present and one forth of companys public revenue comes from those adult students which means that each month a lot of revenue shouldnt have lost if more careful measurements and priorities are drawn to adult segment. As a service company, no one likes the fact that 50% of adult students leave after enrolling one course at Apollo. Therefore, Apollo should try to find out the reasons why they leave and solutions to retain more current adult students. Figure 1: Apollos Average Number of Adult Students from 2009 to 2012 (source: internal document) Figure 2: Apollo Adult Studentss Retention Rate from 2009 to 2012 (source: internal document) There is a large number of literature about customer loyalty, customer satisfaction but not many studies are concentrated on the specific topic of customer retention. Moreover, there are many different characters in the context of English training service by foreign company compared to the regular service. Part of my job relates to retaining existing adult students at Apollo. Gaining better understanding of how to retain adult students at Apollo will not only help me to work more efficiently but also make small contribution to companys development. The research questions that are discussed in this thesis are as below: What are the main determinants and influencers of customer retention at Apollo Hanoi? How can these factors and determinants be developed and evaluated at Apollo Hanoi? Hence, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies at Apollo Hanoi to increase customer retention. After reading the related literature, as discussed above, it was found out that it would be more appropriate to answer these questions by designing a model to determine customer retention. Thesis Objectives This study explores the impacts that improvements in switching barriers and overall customer satisfaction by improving product or English course quality, service quality, price could have on customer retention at Apollo Hanoi, as it is a key indicator of customer retention, which in turn affects profit. On one hand, this thesis would be an opening to the further researches according to the related area, and on the other hand, this study may have some limitations. There are other factors influencing customer retention, apart from factors suggested in this thesis such as, the demographic characteristics of customers, their life cycles, and their usage pattern of English courses, that would be studied in future researches. The general objective of the research was to examine the extent to which key indicators affecting customer retention are having an impact on Apollo Hanoi and identify steps that Apollo Hanoi should take, if proven necessary. The research is more specifically aimed to: Find out the reasons why left students ended the relationship with Apollo Discover what factors are most important to encourage students study the next level at Apollo according to customers perspectives Indicate the level of satisfaction of adult students with such factors at Apollo Hanoi Find out whether switching barriers has strong effect on students decision to stay Present recommendations to Apollo Hanoi on how to enhance its customer retention Thesis scope and limitations Scope This research was limited to Apollo Hanoi due to the limited reach of the researcher who will be conducting his research and equaled desire for control over the research process apart from these limitations. Limitations Time The researcher faced time constraints in the process of collecting data. As a result, many aspects of the research had to be accommodative of other activities going on at Apollo Hanoi, which included a survey the company had issued forcing the issuing of the questionnaire for this research to be delayed to avoid over questioning of adult students. Finance The researcher was constrained financially. This primarily attributed to the fact that the research was primarily self-sponsored. As a result, certain value adding aspects of the research could not be administered effectively. Data Collection Apollo management was not in a position to disclose all the information requested due to lack of availability of the information as requested and the inability of the company to disclose all documents as they are. The researcher also experienced problems with adult students, as many were reluctant to fill in the survey and answer the questions in interviews. Thesis Structure My thesis will be divided into six chapters Introduction Literature Review Methodology Empirical Findings Recommendations and conclusions In the introduction chapter, the background information such as brief information of foreign education in general and English training in particular in Vietnam, objectives of my research, hypotheses will be presented. In literature review chapter, the related theories will be introduced. Methodology chapter will explain the research techniques and methods. Empirical Findings, data analysis, recommendations and conclusions will show the actual and gathered data and results of this research. Conceptual framework Product Quality Overall Customer Satisfaction Price Customer retention Service Quality Switching barriers CHAPTER 2: Literature Review Customer retention Customer retention plays a very important role in organizations economic portfolio. It is the act of keeping customers resulting from service quality and customer satisfaction (Ross 1995). Companies should be interested in retaining customers, though, for the following reasons (Reichheld 1996): Getting new customers can cost five times more than the cost involved in satisfying and retaining current customers. It needs a lot of effort to induce satisfied customers to switch from their current suppliers to others. The average company loses ten percent of its customers per year. A five percent decrease in the customer defection rate can increase profits by 25 percent to 85 percent, depending on the industry. The customer profit rate tends to increase over the life of the retained customer. According to Werner and Kunar 2000, retention may lead to increased profit over time if there is a forced ongoing relationship or an inertia driven relationship; if costs of maintenance decrease over time at a faster rate than revenues. It is further argued that focus on customer loyalty can provide general commercial advantages due to the following reasons: Customers cost less to retain than to acquire. A loyal customer will commit more to its chosen supplier. About half the new customers come from referrals from existing customers/ clients The concept of customer retention comes from the concept of customer orientation or customer focused marketing, which calls for organizing the company towards the satisfaction of the customer needs. Ideally this requires that the offering should focus on the customer and his needs and/or expectations. Weinstein Johnson (1999) recommended that at least 75% of an organizations marketing budget should be spent on customer retention strategies and strengthening these relationships. Besides this realization, there is a general lack of focus on customers; profitability is still king (Ross 1995). Most firms focus a significant amount of resources to attract and acquire new customers, instead of keeping the existing ones. It is generally thought that once a customer is acquired, keeping the customer is simple through superior products and services (Payne 2006, 2). Ross (1995) continued to claim that a focus on cash flow and short-term profits is not something wrong, but long-term profit and market share both require a base of satisfied customers which are retained by a focus on satisfaction with product quality, service quality, pricing and creating high switching barriers. We notice that customer retention is a concept that requires management to focus on customers by analyzing the indicators that reflect their satisfaction with services. Key factors affecting customer retention Retention depends on how it is measured and presented, but even more on the expectations and targets set for the activity. Therefore, the need for having a model which determines the customer retention influencers so as to evaluate them is essential for such a firm to be successful in the competitive markets . As mentioned before, a model will be developed based on the previous researches for evaluating different factors which influence customer retention and this model will be applied for Apollo Hanoi. Earlier studies of factors affecting customer retention usually concentrate on customer satisfaction and the switching barriers (e.g., Dick Basu, 1994; Gerpott, Rams, Schindler, 2001; Lee Cunningham, 2001). It is studied that customers experiencing a high level of satisfaction are likely to remain with their existing providers and maintain their relationship with the firm. However, according to some research, customer satisfaction, while positively influencing customer retention, is not always a sufficient condition, and, in some cases, fails to produce the expected effects. Hence, these researchers suggest that it is necessary to analyze other potentially influential factors. It is in this context that the concept of the switching barrier was proposed (Jones, Mothersbaugh, Betty, 2002) . Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the switching barrier plays the role of an adjustment variable in the interrelationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention. In other words, when the level of customer satisfaction is identical, the level of customer retention can change depending on the magnitude of the switching barrier. Hence, many studies have been done on the subject of customer retention and loyalty. They developed models so as to determine different factors influencing customer loyalty and retention. The main model that was developed in these studies is a result of an empirical causal model is as below. It will also be used in this research: Customer Retention Overall Customer Satisfaction Switching Barriers Figure 1: Determinants of customer retention, model by Kim, et. al., 2003 Each factor contains some variables like switching barriers which include switching cost, interpersonal relationship, attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery The education firms must maximize customer satisfaction and the switching barrier in order to enhance customer retention. In particular, they must focus on service quality, product quality, pricing policy and offer customer-oriented services to improve customer satisfaction. At the same time, efforts to raise the switching barrier must be built for a long-term relationship. Customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction roots from a comparison between customers expectations and experiences. It means positive reaction to a service experience. If the customers perceived experience matches the expectations, customers are assumed to be satisfied. If the preceding expectations were higher than the gain of the service, the customers are considered to be disappointed and or dissatisfied. (Ylikoski 2000, 109). Stock (2005, 59) argued that customer satisfaction is an important driver of organizational performance and a key component of competitive strategies and sustainable advantage .Therefore, in market driven economy, measuring customer satisfaction is very important and customer satisfaction is essensial to the firms survival, growth and success (Guo et al., 2004, 141). According to the marketing concept, customer needs are essentially satisfied by integrated marketing, with the intention to satisfy customers while earning profit; the basic idea is that satisfied customers will be more likely to repurchase, leading to increased sales and market share for the company (Innis and La Londe, 1994, 2). Hence, to achieve long-term business success, it is vital to keep customers happy (Stank et al., 1997, 2). Customer satisfaction has been considered as the main element for customer retention in a lot of researches, and has consequently moved to the forefront of relational marketing approaches (Rust and Zahorik 1993). According to Anderson and Sullivan (1993), the more satisfied customers are, the higer is their retention. On the other hand, there are studies and publications where the relationship between satisfaction and retention has been noted not to be so straightforward (Hennig-Thurau and Klee 1997). In some industries, customer satisfaction scores tend to correlate with retention whereas in other industries, there is little or no correlation (Lowenstein 1995, 11-12). Kotler (2003, 73) stated that firms should measure satisfaction frequently, because customer satisfaction is the key to customer retetion. The highly satisfied customer stays loyal longer, buys more from the firm, talks favorably, pays less attention to competing brands, is less sensitive to price, offers ideas to the company, and costs less to serve than new customers, because transactions are routine. Customers will defect if they are very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, or even indifferent. Hence, firms have to frequently survey their customers level of satisfaction and target to create very satisfied customers, because they are most likely to stay loyal to the firm. According to Bolton (1998), the level of satisfaction explains a significant portion of explained difference in the duration of service provider -customer relationship, comparable to the effect of price. Besides, Bolton stated that it was a common misconception that organizations which focus on satisfaction are failing to manage customer retention. Furthermore, managers and researchers might have underestimated the importance between customer satisfaction and retention due to the complexity of the relationship between these factors. In a research by Ranaweera and Prabhu (2003), it was argued that while satisfaction may be an important driver for retention, it only does not ensure service loyalty; trust, switching barriers, and emotional response such as inertia and indifference might also affect retention. In their research, Ranaweera and Prabhu adopted a holistic approach to examine the combined effects of satisfaction, trust, and switching barriers in a continuous purchasing setting. The findings denoted that customer satisfaction and trust have strong and positive effects on customer retention, although the effects of trust on retention are weaker than that of satisfaction. The results also proved that switching barriers have a significant effect on customer retention. According to the research, it is proved that satisfaction is the main driver of customer retention buy if trust is absent, satisfaction will have less impact on retention. The correlation between satisfaction and customer retention is not usually as simple and straightforward as stated before. Reichheld et al. (2000) argued that a concept called the satisfaction trap is represented: while it may seem nonrational that increasing customer satisfaction will push retention and therefore profits, the facts are opposite as 60 percent and 80 percent of customers who defect say they were satisfied or very satisfied with their former supplier. According to Storbacka et al. (1994), customer satisfaction is only one dimension in increasing relationship strength; strong relationships can be dependent or perceived of contextual bonds that function as exit barriers. It is vital to understand that contextual barriers can generate latent dissatisfaction which emerges as the importance of the contextual bonds reduces. The article ends arguing that the relationships are remarkably different between different individual consumers. Some may be very committed to the relati onship and for them the perceived satisfaction with the relationship is very important. Others may find the relationship unimportant, and for those customers, the satisfaction component is so much significant. Extensive evidence suggests the positive influence of customer satisfaction on loyalty (Bolton, 1998; Fornell et al., 1996; Musa, 2004). In fact, many researchers pointed out that in order to improve business performance; firms should measure and manage customer satisfaction and its importance has led marketing scholars to recommend firms to improve their customers satisfaction judgments as satisfaction is a key to customer loyalty and retention (Fornell et al.). Customer satisfaction with a companys products or services is often viewed as the key to a companys success and long-term competitiveness. Product quality A prominent reason why customers do not retain with company is that their products are not fulfilling its functions properly. When products fail to perform their functions completely and properly, then products are useless for customers, when customers are not satisfied with products and do not use it, they will reduce its retention and relationship with company (Buzzell and Gale 1987). Product quality plays a vital role in customer retention and has positive relationship with customer retention. Customers compare the perceived performance of a product or service with some performance standard. Customers are satisfied when the perceived performance is greater than the standard, while dissatisfaction occurs when there is lack of standard for performance falls. Product quality is the strategic benefits of quality in contributing to market share and return on investment (Anderson and Zeithaml 1984). Searching for quality is credibly the most important consumer trend of the 1980s (Rabin 1983) as customers are now demanding higher quality in products than ever before (Leonard and Sasser 1982). A company could use a number of strategies to retain its customers. Of great importance, product quality for customer retention to such strategies is the wider concepts of customer service, customer retention, and relationship marketing. Companies can build loyalty and retention through using of number of techniques, including database marketing, customized products in limited editions, redeemable against a variety of goods or service, issuing loyalty cards, preferential discounts, free gifts, special promotions, newsletters, of magazines, members clubs, or it has been argued that customer retention is linked to employee loyalty, since employees are the ones that build up long-term relationship with customers. Service quality Service quality is a critical issue in the service industry (Stafford, Stafford and Wells, 1998) and of particular importance for English training providers who characteristically offer English courses which are homogeneous in nature. Moreover, service quality is both directly and indirectly related to loyalty through satisfaction (Bloemer, De Ruyter and Peters, 1998). Therefore, those companies which deliver quality of services better than their competitors would surely have greater possibilities of success. In order to understand the level of service quality of an education firm, a measurement should be established. However, quantifying service quality is not simple and too subjective. Nowadays, education firms provide the same types of English courses, but they do not provide the same quality of services. Besides, customers today are more aware of alternatives and their expectations of service have increased. Service quality can, hence, be used as a strategic tool to build a distinctive advantage over competitors. Although quality cannot be improved unless it is measured, it can be defined from several perspectives duh as the ability to satisfy the needs and expectations of customers (Bergman and Klefsjo (1990), or the overall features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs. A reason for customers to switch is that companies fail to provide the better and effective customer service to them. These services include pre-sale service and post- sale service (Lewis Mitchell, 1990). If customers are not satisfied with customer service of the company, it will force them to change the supplier. Service quality is very important for the retention of the customers and have positive relationship as if firms provide service according to the customer requirement than it will also retain the customer as well as lowering manufacturing costs and improving productivity. Service quality is consumers judgment about the overall excellence or superiority of products (Zeithaml 1988). The design and implementation of service delivery processes plays a very important role in the overall competitiveness of modern organizations. Roth and Jackson (1995) provided clear evidence that process capability and execution are major drivers of performance due to their impacts on customer s atisfaction and service quality in education firm. Bearden and Teel (1983) found a positive relationship existing between service quality and customer satisfaction. The positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction creates true customers, increase efficiency, market shares, and profits, heavy sales volume, higher revenue, and reduces cost by economies of scales, and retain customer.(Anderson and Sullivan 1993) Satisfied customer do not often switch their service providers and therefore, the cost of retaining existing customers is significantly lower than attracting new ones. These customers my also spread their satisfaction by positive word of mouth which influences non-existent customers desire to engage with the organization and work as free promotional agents (Gronroos 2007, Zeithmal and Bitner, 2000) The positive effects by practising service quality models are a competitive differentiation that favors the enterprise, chances of potential growth, better employee morale, customer loyalty and retention, customer satisfaction, economic growth and profits, employee motivation and vision, favorable advertising, greater productivity and minimization of loss for the customers. The evidence that customer loyalty makes an organization more profitable makes it imperative that complaints and other unfavorable behavioral intentions should be handled effectively and timely to ensure the stability of these relationships. It is important for organizations to also acknowledge that customers may also switch because of the attraction of competitors that are providing better service, more personable service or higher quality. In this case, customers are not switching because of unsatisfactory service. Managers of service firms should know that some customers would still switch services even when they are satisfied with a former provider (Keaveney, 1995). Price Price is another factor for customers to be retained or not to retain with companies. Due to competition, companies are playing with prices of products and services. Clients always required products on most cheap price. Previous researches show that there is positive relationship between price and customer retention and the stability would increase the potential for customer retention. Company should lower customers price sensitivity, reduce the costs of failed marketing and of new customer creation, reduce operating costs due to customer number increases, improve the effectiveness of advertising, and enhance business reputation (Fornell, 1992). Customers often switch mainly due to some pricing issues, for example high price perceived, unfair or deceptive pricing practices (Peng and Wang, 2006). Therefore, so as to increase customer satisfaction, it is essential for service firms to actively manage their customers price perceptions, for example carrying out attractive pricing, offering reasonable prices mix, lower prices without decreasing quality, etc. Price might be one of the most important determinants of customer decisions (Srivastava and Lurie, 2001). Managers could make use of price matching to stimulate repeat purchase behavior (reducing price defection), because price matching may indicate a commitment to protect customers , the objective of it is to keep customers happy so that they would come back and buy again. (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990) suggest that repeated existing customers focus less on price savings than new customers do. Understanding long-term price matching effects on customers is important so as to determine whether price matching has a lasting impact on customer behavior that is evaluating the effectiveness of these policies in stimulating customer retention, in addition to customer acquisition (Kukar-Kinney, 2006). Ol

Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) lived in Florence, Italy. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher, politician, writer and perhaps one among the chief founders of political science. Since Machiavelli was a renaissance man, he acted in the capacity of a diplomat, a political philosopher, a musician, a playwright, a poet and a Florentine Republic civil servant. This paper therefore takes to ascertain the extent to which Machiavelli would consider the political ideologies of Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt as feasible or meaningful. Thomas Paine Machiavelli would find the ideas of Paine’s political postulations in Common Sense agreeable to a larger extent. This is more so because; Paine (2006) perceives the government as a punisher, and this role being a derivative of the inherent wicked nature of man. To this effect, the government would act as the restrainer of human vices. The agreeableness with Machiavelli’s ideals is that this ideology marries well with Machiavelli’s postulations about the leader being able to move fast to quash political foes so as to consolidate power (Machiavelli, 1868). It is obvious that the means of extirpating the influence of a political enemy would be state’s instruments of coercion (Paine, 2000). Karl Marx In the same vein, Machiavelli would find the Marxist ideologies propounded by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto agreeable since: through Karl Marx’s teachings on the Class Consciousness and Antagonism, Marx explains on how the political elite, the bourgeoisie, exploits by using the state instruments and state forces, the working class (the proletariat) with the two dominant aims of: consolidating political power and ensuring profit maximization from the proletariats (Marx and Engels, 1955). This well agrees with Machiavelli’s political ideology of â€Å"The ends justifying the means†- a maxim Karl Marx crafts to buttress his argument that a ruler must use all means possible to seize and consolidate power, the killing of foes and friends alike, being inclusive of these means. Adolph Hitler Similarly, some ideas propounded by Hitler in his writings, Mein Kampf would be acceptable before Karl Marx. Hitler (1986) is reported as having posited that since the masses are always trivial and less smart, a leader should be one who is calculating, not having qualms to employ propaganda on the masses to achieve a political feat. This still underscores Machiavelli’s idea of the ends justifying the means. Similarly, Machiavelli espouses deeply the use of trickery (propaganda) to maintain power. Hitler’s plans to create more room (Lebensraum) for Germans by entering treaties with UK and Russia as an artifice to help in the recapturing of the Germany’s lost tracts of land confirms Machiavelli’s ideas that a leader must be calculating and very cunning. The cunningness behind this proposed Russia, Germany and UK treaty is that the provision would ward off Germany from the exhaustion of fighting concurrently both in the East and West (Manheim and Hitler, 1969). Franklin D. Roosevelt To a larger extent, Roosevelt’s postulations that are revealed in his inaugural speech that saw his transition from a New York governor to the 32nd US president would be considered as antithetical towards Machiavelli’s. The concept of political morality and stark allusions to values pervade all the spectra of Roosevelt’s speech. Roosevelt is spurred on by morality while Machiavelli on the other hand, political expedience. The only point Machiavelli would accept Roosevelt’s propositions is the fact that Roosevelt saw the need of broad executive powers being vested on the head of the executive in order to allow the occupant of this office deal with an invading foreign foe (Polenberg, 2000). Machiavelli talks of all the instruments at the disposal of the ruler being used to quash ruthlessly an enemy. Conclusion Nevertheless, it is important to consider that although comparing one’s political philosophy to another for scholarly proposes may remain as expedient, yet, any political philosophy has the merit to exist in its own right, provided the philosophy in picture captures the true identity of the state. It is by this virtue that al these philosophies which were advanced by Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt were considered as legitimate in the eyes of respective citizens.

Inadequate Qualified Nurses Essay

HealthCare industry in United States and across the globe carried so much responsibility that they are often referred to as â€Å"god† because of the relevance, power and most importantly, their job as lifesaver. Health Care industry is a very lucrative industry in United States and they constitute the large workforce. Despite of all their numerous duties and the entire good job, they are doing, â€Å"The problem Lies Within: Inadequate Qualified Personnel. Health Care industries in United States constitute of a large workforce and most importantly, it is an essential service that carries duty non-stop. The inadequacy of the Nurses, the qualified ones, have been blamed on many factors such as working environment, societal attitude about the profession, to mention but few. The shortage of Nurse appears to be heading towards a path of decline unless an urgent measure is taken to address the situation. That not only the majority of nursing professional are aging but many young people are choosing other careers. This could be because of the hours of work put into the job, as well as the stress involved. In view of this, the experienced among them are opting out and look for less stressful and more lucrative careers. According to the statement, by the House of Education and Workforce Committee, â€Å"The nursing workforce is aging and there are not enough new nurses entering the profession to replace those retiring or leaving† (Heinrich, 2001). A survey conducted shows that half of the current employed RNs by the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals had considered leaving the patient care field for reasons other than retirement over the past two years (Heinrich, 2001). The implications is that less qualified personnel will be handling most of the health issues which is very dangerous and most importantly all the administrators and other facilities will be affected. Meanwhile, the economy will be affected as well as social issues. The statistical rates of the birth and death rate will be affected as well. The Death rate according to the statistical data released by the United States Census bureau shows a significant increase in death rate since 2008. Most aged people and our seniors will have to be the ones that bear the great effect of this, as they need the attention as well as the touch of our Nurses. The shortage of Nurses is the issue that affects anyone who is a provider or consumer of healthcare services in United States. From the foregoing, it is clear that â€Å"Problem Exists†- Inadequate Qualified Nurses. There is no problem without a remedy or a solution. Having identified the problem, the next thing is to look for the ways out. The first thing is to improve the working conditions and the workplace environment; government should encourage the students with tuition assistance and grants as this would serve as a motives for the intended ones who will like to enroll in nursing school, though the present administration have promised to invest in education and training, this is a good step in a right direction. We should also develop a strategy for awareness and respect for the profession; this they can do to uplift the profession. Government should invest in this noble venture as well and thereby encouraging people to have an interest in the profession. There should be incentives to the new and old among them, as this would put a stop to frequent occupational mobility moving from one job to other. The incentives such as tuition reimbursement, employee’s stock purchase plan, and other incentives that improve the working environment. Finally, improving the workplace environment starts from within the profession itself. We have to take pride in whatever we are doing and this is very significant as willingness to do things come from the inside and not when someone are forced or coerced to do so. References Heinrich, J (2001, July 10). Emerging nurse shortages due to multiple factors. FDCH government account reports. Retrieved from http://ehostvgw20.epnet.com Nursing Shortage: It is likely to get worse before it gets better (Electronic Version) (2001 August) Occupational Health Management, 11(8). 85 The Evolving Nursing Shortage: A Study of Nursing Shortage in America Retrieved from: http://www.ayatravelnursingjobs.com/nursingshortage/ Facts on the Nursing Shortage in North America: Why is there a Nursing Shortage? Retrieved from: http://www.nursingsociety.org/Media/Pages/shortage.aspx

Slutwalk Professor Ramos Blog

Slutwalk It was the summer of 2012, my sister sent me an invite on Facebook to attend this rally called Slutwalk in Riverside. I then googled â€Å"Slutwalk† to see what it was about and it’s a march organized as part of a movement protesting social attitudes that blame and stigmatize female victims of sexual assault. I saw that this march was taking place in different countries such as Europe, Asia, and India. It was very interesting so we decided to go and I brought my daughter with me to show our support. Once we got there we see 50+ people making signs and waiting for the rally to start.   Before it started there was a speaker which was a high school girl talking about her experience with sexual assault and bullying in high school and how if anything like that happens you need to speak up and tell someone. After her speech everyone started to gather and were told the planned route we were going to march on. I look around and see many people of different races, people with disabilities and genders. It’s crazy to think that these types of things can happen to anyone, not just women. According to RAINN 1 out of 6 women and 1 out of 10 males are raped or assaulted each year. Sexual assault has no preference and we need to bring awareness to end rape culture and its stigma. Such as, if you wear something deemed â€Å"slutty†, it does not automatically give consent. As we walked down University Avenue with our signs and as I pushed my daughter in her stroller many people began to yell out â€Å"yaaaaaaasss† and â€Å"fuck yeah!† out their windows. But along with this support I also received weird stares because I brought my daughter with me, but I didn’t really care. People honked their horns to show support and it made the crowd happy. We got a couple people catcalling and whistling because some of our rally members were dressed provocatively, such as fishnet stockings and bras, which just made the crowd chant â€Å"no means no!† even louder. As we walked you could hear many people chanting different things like â€Å"end rape culture â€Å"or â€Å"our body, our choice.† After marching for close to an hour we came to our destination and were told by the rally members that everyone was invited to join them down the street for water on this hot. Reading some of the signs were inspiring and made me empathetic towards their experiences which overall, made me even more open-minded. I was glad that my daughter and I attended this rally even though she had no idea what was going on. I wanted her to experience it and hopefully also inspire her to let her know that she is strong and that anything is possible if you try. I want her to feel like she matters and that she’s important. Down the street we all met at Back To The Grind, which is a coffee shop, art gallery, and music venue in Downtown Riverside. We went in to grab some coffee, saw that there was a live band playing and vendors who had set up booths to sell their hand-printed shirts and other goods. As I was walking around browsing from vendor to vendor, I saw that one of them were a selling handmade zines. Zines are like magazines that are usually self-published and filled content chosen solely by the author/creator. This zine in particular was called â€Å"Riot Grrrl†, which is an underground feminist punk movement that began in the early 1990’s in Washington state. It is a subcultural movement that combines feminist consciousness with punk style and politics. It was a good reading, it was about how these women got inspired by the music they listened to such as bikini kill, Le tigre, and the gossip. These bands were fronted by female vocalists who used their platform to expose women to f eminism. They wanted to make sure that their voices were heard and that their words would empowered women so that they might be able to do the same. They also talked about their experiences and the stigma women face every day. Such as the way a woman is supposed to dress, the lack of female politicians, views on rape culture, and how women are expected to be stay at home moms. There are still so many stereotypes that women continue to face to this day. After walking nearly the entire day, I finally got the chance to lay down and reflect on this experience, I was exhausted. I finished reading through some of the zines I was given and felt truly empowered by that day’s experience. I hoped that everyone who participated in Slutwalk also felt this same level of empowerment and inspiration. Hopefully for those who did see our signs, were also curious enough to look into the meanings behind them. Especially younger girls, I want them to stick up for themselves or have their voices heard and be strong. I want rape culture to end so people can stop saying â€Å"you got raped because you were asking for it.† I wish that all the stereotypes and stigma women face every day can just disappear. I know it doesn’t take a day but I hope me marching in Riverside made somewhat of an impact on someone or even just letting them be aware of things that are happening in the world. I want everyone, not just women to know that rape cu lture is alive and we need to bring awareness to it and end it. This march made a big impact on my life, it made me more aware of things. It helped me stand up for myself, and let me know that women are enough and that we matter. It made me the person I am today. Finally, I turned off the lights, laid on my bed and put on â€Å"Rebel girl† by Bikini kill and went to bed.

Banking Essays - Systemic Risk, Bank Regulation In The United States

Banking Essays - Systemic Risk, Bank Regulation In The United States Banking Banking So Much for That Plan More than 70% of commercial bank assets are held by organizations that are supervised by at least two federal agencies; almost half attract the attention of three or four. Banks devote on average about 14% of their non-interest expense to complying with rules (Anonymous 88). A fool can see that government waste has struck again. This tangled mess of regulation, among other things, increases costs and diffuses accountability for policy actions gone awry. The most effective remedy to correct this problem would be to consolidate most of the supervisory responsibilities of the regulatory agencies into one agency. This would reduce costs to both the government and the banks, and would allow the parts of the agencies not consolidated to concentrate on their primary tasks. One such plan was introduced by Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen in March of 1994. The plan called for folding, into a new independent federal agency (called the Banking Commission), the regulatory portions of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). This plan would save the government $150 to $200 million a year. This would also allow the FDIC to concentrate on deposit insurance and the Fed to concentrate on monetary policy (Anonymous 88). Of course this is Washington, not The Land of Oz, so everyone can't be satisfied with this plan. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and FDIC Chairman Ricki R. Tigert have been vocal opponents of the plan. Greenspan has four major complaints about the plan. First, divorced from the banks, the Fed would find it harder to forestall and deal with financial crises. Second, monetary policy would suffer because the Fed would have less access to review the banks. Thirdly, a supervisor with no macroeconomic concerns might be too inclined to discourage banks from taking risks, slowing the economy down. Lastly, creating a single regulator would do away with important checks and balances, in the process damaging state bank regulation (Anonymous 88). To answer these criticisms it is necessary to make clear what the Fed's job is. The Fed has three main responsibilities: to ensure financial stability, to implement monetary policy, and to oversee a smoothly functioning payments system (delivering checks and transferring funds) (Syron 3). The responsibilities of the Fed are linked to the banking system. For the Fed to carry out its job it must have detailed knowledge of the working of banks and financial markets. Central banks know from the experience of financial crises that regulatory and monetary policy directly influence each other. For example, a banking crises can disturb monetary policy, discouraging lending and destroying consumer confidence, they can also disrupt the ability to make or receive payments by check or to transfer funds. It is for these reasons that it is argued that the Fed must maintain a regulatory role with banks. The Treasury plan would leave the Fed some access to the review of banks. The Fed, which lends through its discount window and operates an interbank money transfer system, would have full access to bank examination data. Because regulatory policy affects monetary policy and systemic risk, it is necessary that the Fed have at least some jurisdiction. The Fed must be able to effectively deal with current policy concerns. The Banking Commission would be mainly concerned with the safety and stability of the banks. This would encourage conservative regulations, and could inhibit economic growth. The Fed clearly has a hands on knowledge of the banking system. The common indicators of monetary policy - the monetary aggregates, the federal funds rate, and the growth of loans - are all influenced by bank behavior and bank regulation. Understanding changes and taking action in a timely fashion can be achieved only by maintaining contact with examiners who are directly monitoring banks (Syron 7). The banking system is what ultimately determines monetary policy. It is only common sense to have personnel in the Fed that have a better understanding of the system other than just through financial statements and examination reports. The Fed also needs the authority to change bank behavior that is inconsistent with its established monetary policy and with financial stability. This requires both the responsibility for writing the regulations and the responsibility for enforcing those regulations through bank supervision. State banking charters have already started to be affected. Under the proposed plan, state chartered banks would be subject to two regulators. While the federal bank would have only one. Thus, making the state bank charter less attractive. However, an increasing