Saturday, October 12, 2019

bloodmac Gratuitous Use of Blood Images and Imagery in Shakespeares M

Effective Use of Blood Imagery in Macbeth  Ã‚   Gratuitous use of blood is the staple of most murder scenes. Perhaps this technique was first developed by Shakespeare for his play Macbeth. The blood imagery used in Macbeth, adds to the horror of the play. There are several examples of this throughout the play. The first noteworthy example occurs in the second scene after the murder of Duncan, when Macbeth is trying to wash the blood from his hands. The second example occurs in the third scene when Macbeth refers to the king’s gory wounds. The third and final occurrence involving blood imagery takes place in scene four while Ross is talking to Macduff about the murder. As a whole, all of these blatant examples of blood imagery help to augment the gruesome atmosphere of the play. In the second scene, after the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is trying to wash the blood from his hands, "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" This adds a lot to atmosphere of the play in that it implies that it would take Neptune’s entire ocean to wash the substantial amount ...

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Principle of Charity in Critical Thinking

The Principle of Charity is an important critical thinking method wherein a person is expected to become â€Å"charitable† toward the position and arguments that he or she opposes, which means that a person must give opposing views and arguments fair and honest interpretation. This principle does not imply that one should agree with an opposing view but rather a person should apply a wide discretion in interpreting contradicting or opposing statements. Contradicting statements may, by all means, be subject to all forms of scrutiny and criticism. In comparison, one can say that the purest of gold shines only through the fire (Waller, 2008). A person must fully understand the principle of charity when coming to terms with other people’s views. Several principles may be applied as guides to understanding the principle of charity. When the pieces of evidence allow a person to attribute him to a stronger argument, one should not point him to a weaker argument. One also must not interpret a statement as a bad argument when an ordinary prudent may reasonably interpret is as not an argument at all (McGraw Hill, 2006, p. 38-43). The importance of this principle can be greatly appreciated in conjunction with the Strawman fallacy which happens when a person twists an idea or distorts a statement to make it more vulnerable to attack. The application of the principle of charity is the best way to avoid this policy because it always represents arguments and views in their strongest and most credible form (Waller, 2008). This principle is important because it enables a person to inspect fully and consider all the aspects of an argument before making another statement or conclusion. There is great challenge in the application of this principle because in doing so, the mind opens itself to a world of creative thinking thereby allowing a free-falling and continuous cycle of arguments.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Eli Lilly: Developing Cymbalta

Eli Lilly and company is a pharmaceutical company that was established in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly, who had served in the union army during the Civil War. One of the products the company developed includes the antidepressant drug Prozac, which has been a legendary product for the company and has generated billions of dollars since its launch. As Prozac’s patent expiration date approached, thereby allowing the sale of generic versions in the U. S. , the company decided to pursue a product to replace Prozac, named Cymbalta. John Kaiser, the marketing director at Eli Lilly and member of a cross-functional R&D team, new anti-depressant team (NAT), has been tasked to lead this effort. Kaiser prepared a presentation about the potential successor, Cymbalta, and convened a meeting with the NAT members to discuss its future potential. The goal of the meeting was to thoroughly analyze and discuss the pros and cons about Cymbalta’s development and strategic opportunities based on the different options of use. This paper will identify the strategic issues and problems the NAT faced in developing the new product. The paper will then analyze and evaluate the industry and market behavior by using a SWOT analysis. Finally, this paper will offer a set of recommendations based on the surrounding circumstances and options available to the Eli Lilly team. Identification of the strategic issues and problems: Eli Lilly and company’s NAT members began the process of searching for a successful replacement to Prozac by looking into the strategic choices, possibilities, and successful launch of a replacement shortly after the expiration of Prozac’s patent. Cymbalta was considered as a viable successor to Prozac because it seemed a) to be as good as or better than existing antidepressants, b) to show no signs of safety precautions or toxicity issues, c) to meet previous unmet patient needs, and d) to show promising signs of development as a product to also treat pain, especially if it did not cause special side effects. However, when Lilly developed Cymbalta back in the early 1990’s, for the major depressive disorder (MDD) market, the product failed to show satisfactory levels of efficacy for treating MDD in phase 2 trials in 1993. Additionally, Lilly had so little experience in the therapeutic area. Moreover, there were variances in the opinions of Neurologists and Psychiatrists related to the symptoms of pain, such as chronic back pain or recurring headache tied to depression. Those variances could peril the decision making process from the top management. Also, since there were no clear guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for the development of pain indications associated to depression, the likelihood of FDA approval was very slim. Kaiser and the team also encountered several constraints. The team had to decide how to prioritize the clinical trials for Cymbalta within the range of $25 to $50 million and a time frame of 15 to 18 months to design, enroll patients for trial, and then analyze and document results for the clinical trial. Each study was a major task for the NAT members and the team had the opportunity to submit only one objective to the FDA for marketing approval. On the other hand, since Cymbalta had been tested with twice daily dosages of 20 mg, 30 mg, and 40 mg, NAT members also looked into the option of conducting a new set of clinical trials to establish once-a-day dosage of 60 mg of Cymbalta to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The new option would provide more expedient dosing for patients and would also put the product on par with the major competitors. Analysis and Evaluation: The U. S. pharmaceutical industry is complex and dynamic. It’s an industry that is characterized by high-tech research and development (R&D) expenditures and extensive regulation of its products, especially in comparison with other manufacturing sectors. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversee policies that produce faster review and approval times for drugs. The agency carefully evaluates the safety of any new drug and its efficacy. Such policies result in extended periods during which companies can exclusively market their pharmaceutical products. Longer periods of market exclusivity for pharmaceuticals then increase sales revenues, and increased sales revenues in turn lead to greater profits and potentially more funding for R&D. Treatment of depression is one area that the U. S. pharmaceutical industry has heavily invested in. The total sales of U. S. antidepressants reached close to $9 billion in the year 2000. Companies such as Eli Lilly capitalized on this opportunity and became a leading force in the antidepressant market with its Prozac drug. Antidepressant product development companies invest heavily in Research and Development (R&D), and patent it. With each successful launch of a product, they enjoy its patent rights for quite a long period of time and enjoy the exclusive rights to produce and sell that product resulting in enormous profits for the company. Thus, drug companies continuously attempt to differentiate their product from competitors and bundle in such a way that is more tailored to segment of the market where they can realize higher profits. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: †¢Potential successor to a highly successful brand – Prozac from a well-established company in the pharmaceutical industry. Part of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) group of drugs, which is popular and had fewer side effects than tricyclic anti-depressant (TCA) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI). †¢Potential to treat both depression and chronic pain, such as headache and backache caused by depression. Weaknesses: †¢Product that is not different from competitors' brands. †¢Twice-a-day dosing regimen of 20-40 mg. Threats: †¢Serious market competition from competitors' brands such as Paxils and Zoloft with same efficacy. No clear concession amongst physicians as to the nature of link between depression and pain. †¢Attempting to compare Cymbalta to existing SSRI on pain might fail to conclusively separate from competitors, thus giving rival drugs an implicit endorsement for treating pain. Opportunities: †¢Potential development of 60 mg once-a-day dosage with high efficacy. †¢The possibility of pursuing patients with fibromyalgia (severe muscle pain and chronic fatigue) and Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain or DPNP (a painful and debilitating complication of diabetes). According to the National Studies of Health, over 40 million Americans were unable to find relief from their pain, including patients with fibromyalgia and DPNP. Pros and Cons of Plausible Alternatives: If developed successfully, Cymbalta could be a unique product that has the ability to significantly reduce and improve depression and pain. Patients with fibromyalgia and DPNP could greatly benefit from Cymbalta. The pain relief may also be great for patients who suffer from depression and chronic pain like headache and backache. The NAT’s idea of pursuing the 60 mg daily dosage is also attractive if it delivers the same efficacy of current antidepressant drugs in the market. However, all of this comes with its perils. The company has to evaluate the risks and any potential side effects that the 60 mg per day dosage may have on patients. They also have to assess the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial with a 15 to 18 months’ timeframe and a projected cost of $25 to $50 million. Additionally, they would have to convince the FDA that the new product is ready to market. Failure of any of the aforementioned obstacles could result in loss of the antidepressant market to competitors. Recommendations: Depression and chronic pain diseases, such as fibromyalgia and DPNP, have a profound effect in society at large. Studies in scientific publications have estimated that depression affects 10% to 25% of the population. The antidepressant market in the U. S. in 2000 totaled sales of approximately $9 billion. Eli Lilly has positioned itself well in this market segment. The company has enjoyed a market lead with annual sales of over $2 billion with its antidepressant drug, Prozac. Cymbalta needs to focus on maintaining and increasing that $2 billion dollar revenue Prozac has achieved over the past years, by building on the successful foundations Prozac has already established. It is important to develop an updated product that will undoubtedly outperform its competitors. Cymbalta might be a successful replacement because of its good efficacy or efficacy better than existing antidepressants, Cymbalta also has no apparent safety or toxicity issues, and its possibilities of meeting a previously unmet patient needs, exemplifies why Cymbalta has the potential to total higher record sales than even Prozac.

Insider Dealing in Hong Kong Essay

Although insider dealing has been a criminal offence under section 291 of Chapter 571, Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) in Hong Kong since 2003, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) was initially slow to prosecute offenders, commencing its first criminal insider dealing prosecution only in January 2008. Factors to be considered to commence criminal proceedings In deciding whether to commence criminal proceedings against an alleged insider dealer, the SFC will have regard to the guidelines in the prosecution policy of the Department of Justice, which require two basic factors to be considered: 1. Sufficiency of evidence The burden of proof is greater in criminal proceedings and the SFC will generally only recommend criminal proceedings where there is admissible, substantial and reliable evidence that an offence has been committed and there is a reasonable prospect of a conviction. Where there is a lack of sufficient evidence to meet the criminal burden of proof, the SFC is likely to initiate civil proceedings. 2. Public interest Whether, taking into account the circumstances of a particular case, it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution before the courts. First Criminal Case of Insider Dealing in Hong Kong In the case of HKSAR v Ma Hon-yeung (DCCC 229-240/2008) which involved Ma Hon-yeung, former Vice President of BNP Paribas Peregrine Capital Ltd, now known as BNP Paribas Capital (Asia Pacific) Ltd (BNP Paribas), an investment bank. The case is related to trading in the shares of Egana Jewellery & Pearls Ltd (â€Å"Egana†), a listed company in Hong Kong prior to an announcement made to the market on 11 Jul 2006 aboutprivatization of the company. Ma Hon-yeung learned of a proposed privatization of Egana and tipped off his girlfriend, Ivy Lo Yuk-wah and three other family members, Sammy Ma Hon-kit, Cordelia Tso Kin-wah and Ronald Ma Chun-ho, within days of becoming privy to the proposed deal. All of them bought shares in Egana before the company announced a privatization plan and made a profit as a result. Between 1 June 2006 and 6 July 2006, trading in Egana’s shares ranged between HK$1.35 and HK$1.61 with average daily turnover of 636,630 shares. Trading in the shares of Egana and EganaGoldpfeil were suspended on 7 July 2006 pending an announcement. On 11 July 2006, Egana and EganaGoldpfeil made a joint announcement about a proposed privatization of Egana. The proposal offered shareholders a choice of receiving HK$1.80 per share or one share of EganaGoldpfeil for every 1.5 Egana shares or a combination of both. Following the announcement on 11 July 2006 the share price closed at HK$1.84 with substantially increased turnover of 25 million shares. The privatization proposal was approved by shareholders and by the court and became effective on 23 October 2006. Egana was delisted on the following day. Ma acted as a financial consultant for Egana during the privatization move, which he knew was confidential, price sensitive information. Ma had counselled or procured Ivy and Sammy to trade in Egana shares. He was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(1)(b). Ivy, bought 1.51 million shares in Egana between June 20 and July 6, 2006. She was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a). Ma transferred a total HK$1.7 million into Ivy’s account before the privatization announcement. She later sold the shares and transferred the money back to Ma’s account. Sammy , Cordelia and Ronald bought Egana shares separately from July 6. Sammy, Ronald and Cordelia traded in Egana shares having information through Ma’s connection to Egana about the proposed privatisation. Owing to their close family relationship between Ma andhis three family members, who received and made profit by utilizing such information, all of them were convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a) and (8) of SFO. Ma and Ivy were given custodial sentences of 26 months and 12months respectively. Ma’s three family members were ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. Fines were also imposed in amounts equivalent to the profits they had made while dealing in Egana shares ahead of the privatization which are HK$230,000, HK$210,000, HK$330,000, HK$110,000 and HK$17,000 respectively. The Court also ordered them to pay the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) investigation costs totaling HK$322,742. This is the first time any person has been sentenced to jail for insider dealing in Hong Kong. The family members avoided custodial sentences because they were merely opportunistic investors making use of the relevant information divulged by the vice-president. There was no evidence that they assisted him in carrying out his plot for personal gain by using insider information. The conduct of the girlfriend, on the other hand, warranted a custodial sentence as she was the person executing the plot on behalf of the vice-president. She was fully aware of his position of trust in the financial institution and had used her trading account to perpetrate the plot. As such, the court viewed her involvement in the misconduct as being much more serious than that of an opportunistic investor; community service could not adequately reflect her culpability. However, we continue to see obvious and flagrant breaches of the insider dealing laws, such as insiders and/or their families’ members will exploited the confidential information they obtained to make a gain on disposal of shares. One of the reasons may be that the punishment for insider dealing in Hong Kong is mild for the offenders.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Literature Review for Chapter 2 of research project Essay - 1

Literature Review for Chapter 2 of research project - Essay Example They become habituated in performing a specific type’s job and are not comfortable to accept any changes which affect their job. But the company creates pressure on them in accepting the changes which causes stress among the employees. Excessive amount of stress cause illness and results in absenteeism of employees. This type of employees cannot match up to the expectations of the company with cause stress in them. As the requirements of the company increases the stress level of the employees also increases. The organizational members need to perform better for matching up the expectation level of the company. By following the views of the researchers, strong co-operations of the companies with the employees helps them to build good connection with the organization. Financial performance of the company is also enhanced by supporting the employees for fulfilling their goals and objectives. But according to the authors the many employees are very inefficient. Work pressure compe ls them to deliver good performances. They often tend to delay the work process by not being present in the office. Absenteeism of employees creates huge financial loss of the companies. Absenteeism can be controlled by maintaining attendance record off organizational members in details. This will help the company to know which employees are frequently taking leaves and off. With the help of this record the companies can take necessary actions against the employees and can encourage them to actively participate in the work process. The researchers emphasize that traditional approach of preventing absenteeism is by giving punishment and rewards. But many companies follow various modern techniques for reducing absenteeism. According to the researchers organizational leaders play a vital role in reducing the stress issues of the employees by

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

The Corporate Governance Scenario in the UK With Focus on Banks Essay

The Corporate Governance Scenario in the UK With Focus on Banks - Essay Example As mentioned earlier the area of corporate governance is of great importance and focus in the world of business today. â€Å"Most academics, business professionals, and lay observers would agree that CG is defined as the general set of customs, regulations, habits, and laws that determine to what end a firm should be run. Much more fraught, however, is the question: â€Å"what defines good corporate governance?† (A Closer Look at Business Edition: Corporate Governance. 2006). Corporations unlike its smaller counterparts like sole proprietorships, partnerships, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are much larger and hence more complex to govern. Even though no owner or partner can avoid the concept of good governance, the consequences of a smaller firm going under due to poor practices are much lower when compared to large corporations. One of the main reasons is that the number of stakeholders who are affected is comparatively huge in the case of corporations. In this cas e, the stakeholders will comprise the employees, the shareholders, the local governing bodies, the creditors, other contractual partners, any subsidiaries and branches, the national government, management or board of directors, and the principal owners (if any). Poor governance can affect each one of these sectors in a big way. In some localities, the economy of that place may be dependent on the performance of its principal employer, a corporation. The economy will be badly affected if such a huge employer finds itself in the red and lays off all its employees.

Monday, October 7, 2019

Assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Assignment 1 - Essay Example 230) states that it is wrong to â€Å"blur such distinctions as under vs. over or in vs. on;† and pictorial representations can be pretty helpful in addressing these issues while constructing a language based schema. Only when the researcher has progressed in it, there is the hope that he/she has mastered strategies that can assist in implementing Sowa-Sloman heuristics. Roughly, the Sowa-Sloman heuristics (Sowa 1984) consist of two major phases. At the first phase, this heuristic paradigm uses type and token distinction system. Subsequently, Aristotle’s idea of inheritable systems under a type (or assign category) is used. In the second phase, analysis is to be done. So first a schema is to be constructed, and then the sets of data in question would be ontologically mapped onto this schema. Sowa (1984) started with conceptual graphs, but then developed characteristics of diagrams in his graphs. It can be debated that whether he enriched or modified standard graph theory in mathematical sense, but without such a manipulation through Sowa-Sloman heuristics artificial intelligence cannot become comprehensive when tackling problems related to aesthetics rather than mathematics. The concept of picture is important for me. However, if I see a picture, or more precisely, a piece of art mounted on a wall, I will not be able to understand it without organising my thoughts. So if I implemented the Sowa-Sloman heuristics, I would first seek to understand that what kind of picture do I see? So I have to create a schema. Suppose this schema has three categories. The concept under category 1 would define oil paintings. Inheriting this characteristic from the super class of this category, I will then seek to know whether the artwork has been created by a professional artist or an amateur artist. If by a professional artist, then to which school of art does it belong? If by an amateur artist, then is the work in