Congress Public Image :: essays research papers

No group of government genuinely has a really ideal picture in the U.S., however specifically is the congress. There are many hypotheses with regards to why Congress has a terrible open picture. Congress may have a poor open picture yet in the event that it weren’t for it’s own individuals criticizing the organization, at that point the picture issue could without much of a stretch be fixed.      I think one about the fundamental reasons why Congress has a poor open picture is on the grounds that its individuals customarily condemn it. Numerous congressional competitors run on the possibility that they will get into congress, fix it, and make it work. How is the open expected to be happy with an establishment that isn’t even acknowledged by its own individuals? I don’t reprimand people in general for having a terrible picture of the Congress. Most residents just focus on legislative issues with the base exertion; what they see on TV or what they read on the first page of the paper. Congressmen don’t for the most part circumvent commending Congress and regardless of whether they did, the media doesn’t locate that fascinating and will overlook it. Accordingly, the individuals just accept what they are introduced.      Another component to this issue would be Congress’ exceptionally open dynamic procedure. As Davidson and Oleszek composed â€Å"if a delegate or congressperson sounds poorly educated or propels an absurd proposition †¦the agents of the media are probably going to pressure the†¦event instead of the substance of the general debate.† This is exceptionally evident in light of the fact that when congress talks about issues, it is communicated on CSPAN and secured by columnists. Despite what might be expected, the internal operations of the official branch and the legal branch are kept hidden more often than not. Once more, all the individuals are being given is one-sided data so that is all they have of which to frame a conclusion. This specific model isn't Congress’ deficiency notwithstanding. They have no influence over how the media depicts them. Congressmen are human and in the event that they commit an error while tending to their compani ons, it ought not turn into an expansion to the rundown of motivations to detest congress.      Davidson and Oleszek additionally referenced the way that there is no single representative for Congress in general. I totally concur with this since it permits the individuals to have one individual to address as opposed to looking around and got notification from various individuals. Davidson and Olseszek compose, â€Å"While the President can convey rapidly to the American individuals concerning his objectives and projects Congress needs such abilities.

Getting university degree through online courses Essay

Getting college degree through online courses - Essay Example They can get to taking in materials from anyplace and whenever they sign on to their college gateways. That implies guardians, experts, and wiped out understudies can go to their classes regardless of their day plans. The technique additionally offers understudy improvement. Understudies can interface as the online class is shy of terrorizing. Each understudy has a voice and the differing thoughts add to understudy development. The understudies are likewise offered adequate time to think before they can remark. The web based learning strategy, nonetheless, has raised different concerns. Understudies need eye to eye cooperation with individual cohorts and educator. They experience detach from the study hall condition, however colleges are excited about tending to the issue. Gathering visits and video-conferencing are a portion of the activities the colleges are utilizing to ease the issue. The online degrees likewise offer less directions and have no principles that manage the program. Certifying bodies have, be that as it may, been set up to authorize and survey online organizations and educational program. Web based learning has made considerable progress and more advancements are still to come. Different promoters and bodies are discovering approaches to manage the apparent inadequacies. Innovative headways keep on including worth and preferences that separation learning can offer to understudies. U.S. Division of Education, 2010, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning, U.S. Branch of Education

Kick Start the Semester COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Kick Start the Semester COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog There is something going on all the time at SIPA, this week is no different (classes begin today). THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014 The Sustainability Essentials Training Program (SET) Online Information Session (DETAILS) 12:30 pm to 1:15 pm Online Sponsor: The Earth Institute THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2014 The Relationship Between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the African Union: What Went Wrong? A panel discussion with Ambassador Charles Ntwaagae, Permanent Representative of Botswana; Ambassador Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya; and Ambassador Christian Wenaweser, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein, former President of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC.  (DETAILS) 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1501 Sponsor: UN Studies Program MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 Establishing Effective Labor Oversight in Honduras Holly Hammonds, Co-Founder of GlobalWorks Foundation and Member of Honduras Labor Framework Oversight Committee, and Jeff Hermanson, Director of Global Strategies, Workers United and Member of Honduras Labor Framework Oversight Committee, will discuss their labor standards project in Honduras.  (DETAILS) 12:45 pm to 1:50 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 802 Sponsor: Economic and Political Development Concentration MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 Reception for SIPA Dean Janow in London SIPA Dean Merit E. Janow cordially invites you to a reception for SIPA alumni and other invited guests in London. Join us to welcome the new dean and hear what the future holds for SIPA.  (DETAILS) 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Waldorf Hilton, Aldwych WC2B 4DD, United Kingdom Sponsor: Office of Alumni Affairs TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014 CGEG: Challenges to Democracy and Rule of Law in Central Europe A Lecture by Gordon Bajnai, Former Prime Minister of Hungary Lecture by Gordon Bajnai, Former Prime Minister of Hungary and Leader of Together 2014 Electoral Alliance; with Victoria de Grazia, Blinken European Institute, Columbia University; Jan Svejnar, Center on Global Economic Governance, Columbia University; and Alan H. Timberlake, East Central European Center, Columbia University. Registration required.    (DETAILS) 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1512 Sponsor: Center on Global Economic Governance TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014 Women, Soft Power, and the New Diplomacy: From the Cold War to Hillary Clinton As political leaders increasingly rely on dialogue and normative power versus sanctions and warfare in inter-state relations, women have risen to the forefront of international affairs. A panel of diplomats, military officers, and historians will investigate the accelerating use of soft-power solutions in diplomacy and female leaders’ role in the trend.  (DETAILS) 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1501 Sponsor: European Institute WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2014 BP Global Energy Outlook 2035 A presentation by Mark Finley, General Manager, Global Energy Markets and U.S. Economics, BP. (DETAILS) 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Faculty House, 4th Floor Skyline Room Sponsor: Center on Global Energy Policy THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 Nuclear Weapons Effects, Proliferation and Policy An event with Col. Robert Spalding, United States Air Force, on the Air Forces nuclear enterprise to include ICBMs and Bombers, as well as briefly discussing submarines.  (DETAILS) 12:15 pm to 2:00 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1302 Sponsor: Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 Turkey and the EU: The Future of a Complicated Relationship Meltem Müftüler-Baç is Professor of International Relations and Jean Monnet chair at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Stockholm from 2013 to 2016. (DETAILS) 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1512 Sponsor: European Institute THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 Nuclear After Fukushima: Policies, Practices, and Problems A public lecture by Lady Barbara Judge CBE, Former Chairman of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and currently Deputy Chairman of TEPCOs Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee and head of its task force on nuclear safety.  (DETAILS) 5:30 pm to 6:45 pm at Faculty House, 4th Floor Skyline Room Sponsor: Center on Global Energy Policy THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014 Russian Law and Judicial Reform: Think Again Kimberly Marten will chair a panel discussion with Timothy Frye, Kathryn Hendley, William Partlett, and Maria Popova on Russian law and judicial reform.  (DETAILS) 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the International Affairs Building, Room 1501 Sponsor: Harriman Institute

Overview of September 11 Destruction and Reconstruction

How to Read a Meniscus in Lab Measurements

The meniscus is the curve seen at the top of a liquid in response to its container. The meniscus can be either concave or convex, depending on the surface tension of the liquid and its adhesion to the wall of the container. A concave meniscus occurs when the molecules of the liquid are more strongly attracted to the container than to each other. The liquid appears to stick to the edge of the container. Most liquids, including water, present a concave meniscus. A convex meniscus (sometimes called a backwards meniscus) is produced when the molecules of the liquid are more strongly attracted to each other than to the container. A good example of this shape of meniscus can be seen with mercury in a glass container. In some cases, the meniscus appears flat (e.g., water in some plastics). This makes taking measurements easy. How to Take Measurements With a Meniscus When you read a scale on the side of a container with a meniscus, such as a graduated cylinder or volumetric flask, its important that the measurement accounts for the meniscus. Measure so that the line you are reading is even with the center of the meniscus. For water and most liquids, this is the bottom of the meniscus. For mercury, take the measurement from the top of the meniscus. In either case, you are measuring based on the center of the meniscus. For a flat meniscus, make sure the liquid is level. Usually placing the container on a lab bench does the trick. You wont be able to take an accurate reading looking up at the liquid level or down into it. Get eye level with the meniscus. You can either pick up the glassware to bring it to your level or else bend down to take measurements in situations where youre concerned with dropping the container or spilling its contents. Use the same method to take measurements each time so that any errors you make will be consistent. Fun Fact: The word meniscus comes from the Greek word for crescent. This makes good sense, considering the shape of a meniscus. In case youre wondering, the plural of meniscus is menisci.

Battle of Marathon Free Essays

The battle of Marathon is one of history’s most famous military engagements. It is also one of the earliest recorded battles. Their victory over the Persian invaders gave the fledgling Greek city states confidence in their ability to defend themselves and belief in their continued existence. We will write a custom essay sample on Battle of Marathon or any similar topic only for you Order Now The battle is therefore considered a defining moment in the development of European culture. In September of 490 BC a Persian armada of 600 ships disgorged an invasion force of approximately 20,000 infantry and cavalry on Greek soil just north of Athens. Their mission was to crush the Greek states in retaliation for their support of their Ionian cousins who had revolted against Persian rule. Undaunted by the numerical superiority of the invaders, Athens mobilized 10,000 hoplite warriors to defend their territory. The two armies met on the Plain of Marathon twenty-six miles north of Athens. The flat battlefield surrounded by hills and sea was ideal for the Persian cavalry. Surveying the advantage that the terrain and size of their force gave to the Persians, the Greek generals hesitated. One of the Greek generals – Miltiades – made a passionate plea for boldness and convinced his fellow generals to attack the Persians. Miltiades ordered the Greek hoplites to form a line equal in length to that of the Persians. Then – in an act that his enemy believed to be complete madness – he ordered his Greek warriors to attack the Persian line at a dead run. In the ensuing melee, the middle of the Greek line weakened and gave way, but the flanks were able to engulf and slaughter the trapped Persians. An estimated 6,400 Persians were slaughtered while only 192 Greeks were killed. The remaining Persians escaped on their ships and made an attempt to attack what they thought was an undefended Athens. However, the Greek warriors made a forced march back to Athens and arrived in time to thwart the Persians. â€Å"With you it rests, Callimachus† – Indecision before battle Known as the â€Å"Father of History†, Herodotus wrote his description of the battle a few years after it occurred. We join his account as the Athenians arrive at the battleground and are joined by a force of approximately 1000 of their Plataean allies. The Greek military leaders split on whether they should immediately attack the invaders or wait for reinforcements: ADVERTISMENT â€Å"The Athenians were drawn up in order of battle in a sacred close belonging to Heracles, when they were joined by the Plataeans, who came in full force to their aid. The Athenian generals were divided in their opinions. Some advised not to risk a battle, because they were too few to engage such a host as that of the Persians. Others were for fighting at once. Among these last was Miltiades. He therefore, seeing that opinions were thus divided, and that the less worthy counsel appeared likely to prevail, resolved to go to the polemarch [an honored dignitary of Athens], and have a conference with him. For the man on whom the lot fell to be polemarch at Athens was entitled to give his vote with the ten generals, since anciently the Athenians allowed him an equal right of voting with them. The polemarch at this juncture was Callimachus of Aphidnre; to him therefore Miltiades went, and said: ‘With you it rests, Callimachus, either to bring Athens to slavery, or, by securing her freedom, to be remembered by all future generations. For never since the time that the Athenians became a people were they in so great a danger as now. If they bow their necks beneath the yoke of the Persians, the woes which they will have to suffer†¦ are already determined. If, on the other hand, they fight and overcome, Athens may rise to be the very first city in Greece. ‘ ‘We generals are ten in number, and our votes are divided: half of us wish to engage, half to avoid a combat. Now, if we do not fight, I look to see a great disturbance at Athens which will shake men’s resolutions, and then I fear they will submit themselves. But, if we fight the battle before any unsoundness shows itself among our citizens,†¦ we are well able to overcome the enemy. ‘ ‘On you therefore we depend in this matter, which lies wholly in your own power. You have only to add your vote to my side and your country will be free – and not free only, but the first state in Greece. Or, if you prefer to give your vote to them who would decline the combat, then the reverse will follow. ‘ Miltiades by these words gained Callimachus; and the addition of the polemarch’s vote caused the decision to be in favor of fighting. ‘† The Battle Begins Miltiades arranges the Greek line of battle so that it stretches the length of the opposing, and far superior, Persian army. Then, much to the surprise of the Persians, he orders the Greek warriors to charge headlong into the enemy line. â€Å"The Athenians†¦ charged the barbarians at a run. Now the distance between the two armies was little short of eight furlongs [approximately a mile] The Persians, therefore, when they saw the Greeks coming on at speed, made ready to receive them, although it seemed to them that the Athenians were bereft of their senses, and bent upon their own destruction; for they saw a mere handful of men coming on at a run without either horsemen or archers. Such was the opinion of the barbarians; but the Athenians in close array fell upon them, and fought in a manner worthy of being recorded. They were the first of the Greeks, so far as I know, who introduced the custom of charging the enemy at a run, and they were likewise the first who dared to look upon the Persian garb, and to face men clad in that fashion. Until this time the very name of the Persians had been a terror to the Greeks to hear. The two armies fought together on the plain of Marathon for a length of time; and in the mid-battle the barbarians were victorious, and broke and pursued the Greeks into the inner country; but on the two wings the Athenians and the Plataeans defeated the enemy . Having so done, they suffered the routed barbarians to fly at their ease, and joining the two wings in one, fell upon those who had broken their own center, and fought and conquered them. These likewise fled, and now the Athenians hung upon the runaways and cut them down, chasing them all the way to the shore, on reaching which they laid hold of the ships and called aloud for fire. † The Persians Attack Athens Miltiades arranges the Greek line of battle so that it stretches the length of the opposing, and far superior, Persian army. Then, much to the surprise of the Persians, he orders the Greek warriors to charge headlong into the enemy line. â€Å"†¦ the Athenians secured in this way seven of the vessels; while with the remainder the barbarians pushed off, and taking aboard their Eretrian prisoners from the island where they had left them, doubled Cape Sunium, hoping to reach Athens before the return of the Athenians. The Persians accordingly sailed round Sunium. But the Athenians with all possible speed marched away to the defense of their city, and succeeded in reaching Athens before the appearance of the barbarians†¦ The barbarian fleet arrived, and lay to off Phalerum, which was at that time the haven of Athens; but after resting awhile upon their oars, they departed and sailed away to Asia. † References: Herodotus’s account appears in: Davis, William Sterns, Readings in Ancient History (1912); Creasy, Edward, The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World (1969). How to cite Battle of Marathon, Papers

Innovation and Product Innovation in Marketing Strategy

Question: Discuss about the Innovation and Product Innovation in Marketing Strategy. Answer: Introduction: Founded in the year of 1976, Apple is one of the most recognized multinational technology organizations of America, dealing with the production, development and the sale of the consumer electronics, software and online services (Civi, 2013). However, despite the recognition, the company has achieved, it is likely to encounter tough competition from the rival forces, like Samsung or Google. Hence, the organization should not only formulate innovative strategies, but for the successful implementation of the same, the organization is required to conduct a realistic assessment of its internal resources. Internal Environmental Analysis: The internal analysis of an organization is done by identifying as well as evaluating the resources, core competencies and capabilities of the organization. In order to comprehend the internal environment in which Apple is conducting its business, the SWOT analysis can help in evaluating two internal factors, strength and weakness of the organization. First of all, as far as the strength of the organization is concerned, innovation is the key word defining each product of Apple. The management authority of the organization strives to excel and thereby distinguish itself from the arch rivals, such as Samsung or Motorolla. With the production of MacBook, Iphone or Ipad, the organization has been producing products which boast of the application of novel ideas (Boone Kurtz, 2013). The rival organizations can only imitate, but may have hard time replacing an Apple product. Next, the organization has always associated its brand name with a sense of sophistication, so that each product after its release in the consumer market always enjoys much hype and positive response. The strong brand image that Apple possesses is expected to help it dominate the consumer market over the next years as well. The sophisticated supply chain infrastructure as well as the distribution system also favors the growth of Apple. With as many as 470 stores in 17 countries of the world, Apple Inc. sells via a variety of channels, such as the trade partners, online stores as well as the premium retail stores (Kanagal, 2015). Besides, the organization is also known for offering unrivalled consumer service to its customers with the help of the Apple genius bar. Apart from these factors, the financial strength and the high profitability of the organization is also a source of strength for the organization. In fact, the fact that Apple Inc. is the first organization to have crossed 700 billion dollars, and to have emerged as the largest public traded organization in the entire world, helps the organization gain competitive advantage over rival forces (Wenzel Voigt, 2015). On the other hand, as far as the weakness of the organization is concerned, the major issue with Apple is that the company charges an enormous amount of money, and as a result, the organization may lose a major share of market to the competitors, such as Samsung or LG, whic h offers the products at much lower price (Fisher Gee, 2013). Another major weakness of the organization is the incompatibility of the Apple products with any other third-party software or accessory that ultimately ends up limiting the experience of the consumers. Besides, Apple also has a very limited number of products, and hence its consumer market is also quite limited, in comparison with its competitors. However, despite the weakness, it is noteworthy that the core competencies such as brand loyalty, unrivalled consumer service, or the strong marketing teams help the organization gain competitive advantage (Heracleos, 2013). The organization hires highly qualified employees, such as Jeff Williams, who have always enables the introduction and promotion of innovation products. Findings of the Strategic Analysis and the Key Issues: From the external and internal environment analysis of Apple, it has been seen that Apple does enjoy a competitive position in the consumer market, though it does encounter strong competition from some of the rival giants. The organization, although well-equipped in the path of innovation, it should consider the option of offering a wide range of products, that will help in expanding the target market (Agrawal, Atasu V Ittersum, 2015). The target market of the organization mainly constitutes upper and upper middle strata of an economy, and hence, companies such as Samsung or Motorola, can easily attract consumer attention by producing a wide range of differently priced products. Besides, though innovation is the unique selling point of Apple Inc., since the recent years, the organization is not offering anything called innovative. For instance, apart from the Force Touch application, the iPhone 6 could not boast of any innovative feature (Civi, 2013). Similarly, the Apple TV was als o offering nothing much, except the same apps such as Amazon Firestick and Chromecast, which are already present in any other smart television set. Given the threat of new entrants quite high, Apple may not be able to retain its position, even if it can survive. Oppo, Microsoft, Google and Samsung offer tough competition to the organization (Agrawal, Atasu V Ittersum, 2015). Although, in the developing countries, there is a greater demand for the Apple phones, with the increase of telecommunications regulations in these countries, the usability of the products can be limited (Sepulveda, 2013). Conclusion: Since innovation is the key quality that distinguishes the brand identity of Apple, the company should keep on producing innovative products. Of late, Apple has not offered a disruptive product, and the organization is primarily obsessed with making the products thinner and lighter or offering Live Photos features, which are not highly innovative. Apple, for ensuring robust growth in the future, must invest for producing innovation in the iPhone products that accounts two-third of revenue. Apple can still invest in R D activities for producing waterproof iPhones, more durable phones, better battery technology and built-in health sensors, and gesture control that can easily help the organization offer unique products to the consumers. The organization should also consider slashing the price of the products, as unless the organization reduces its price, it will be incapable of competing with companies such as Google, Samsung or Motorola, that offer products for a wide range of consume rs. The premium pricing strategy with no innovative features in the products offered, will not work out for Apple. In order to regain its indomitable position in the consumer market, Apple may consider partnering with the inexpensive brands such as Target, for the purpose of customizing their watch bands. THe organization literally needs to improve its consumer experience, by disrupting the present market. Besides, the organization is also required to improve upon its marketing aspects, as the company is required to inform its consumers why a product is relevant for a particular user. Reference List: Agrawal, V. V., Atasu, A., Van Ittersum, K. (2015). Remanufacturing, third-party competition, and consumers' perceived value of new products.Management Science,61(1), 60-72. Boone, L. E., Kurtz, D. L. (2013).Contemporary marketing. Cengage learning. Civi, E. (2013). Marketing strategies to survive in a recession.International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets,5(3), 254-267. David, F., David, F. R. (2016). Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts and Cases. Fisher III, W. W., Oberholzer-Gee, F. (2013). Strategic management of intellectual property.California management review,55(4), 157-183. Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum Strategy at Apple Inc.Organizational Dynamics,42(2), 92-99. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R. (2013).Strategic management theory. South-Western/Cengage Learning. Kanagal, N. B. (2015). Innovation and product innovation in marketing strategy.Journal of Management and marketing research,18, 1-25. Sepulveda, R. (2013).U.S. Patent No. D673,974. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Wenzel, H., Voigt, S. (2016).Correlation between Corporate Culture and Corporate Strategy: Google vs. Apple and Daimler vs. Siemens. GRIN Verlag.a

How Google Governs the Internet

The extent to which Google governs the internet today is unsurpassable. Google has tactfully developed products and services that are ubiquitous in the cyber realm, in addition, these products and services are user friendly designed to meet the consumer needs, encompassing current and potentially future market trends.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Google Governs the Internet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Google seems to set standards for the industry by influencing every sector and reasserting the company’s market dominance. This document will highlight Google’s efforts in revolutionizing the internet industry focusing specifically on products, services, market command and their usability. Google has greatly invested in internet based search engine, software, data and advertizing. AdWords, a Google subsidiary, has the primary function of income generation from advertisements. Other than Goo gle’s core web search engine, it has successfully developed a series of online services as well as acquiring other internet-based brands in collaboration with some innovative online companies. This has led to the Company’s rapid growth since it was incorporated in 1998. According to Pandia Search Engine News (2007), Google has established over one million servers and three million computers worldwide to handle search traffic and support their online products and services, which translates to twenty-four Pet bytes of processed data each day. Alexa (2011) lists www.google.com as the most visited site on the internet, more so in the United States and several other countries in the world. It also ranks highly other Google owned sites such as YouTube, Blogger, and Orkut. As a market leader, Google has been criticized on issues such as violation of privacy, copyright, censorship as well as high-energy consumption of the servers. This has not legally hurt Google because most of these criticisms are based on issues that do not feature in the cyber laws (Rosen, 2008). Google Web Search According to Alexa (2011), over the last three months, Google Web Search has been the most utilized search engine on the internet. On October 10, 2011, approximately 48% of the people who logged into the internet visited Google’s search engine with 27% spending an average of thirteen minutes.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the above mentioned date, Google ranked first in the United States of America, Iran, South Korea, Bangladesh to mention a few. It ranked second in India, Brazil, Netherlands, Algeria, Ukraine and ranked third in most European countries including, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy. Google search engine is a simple website that features a search bar in the middle. This simplicity has not changed much for the last fourteen years. In addition, the website contains eight links. The links are located at the top left corner of the interface. The first one is Google Plus, second link is the World Wide Web, the third link is Videos, the fourth link is Maps on the Internet, the fifth link is to leading news items worldwide, the sixth link is to Google Mail and the last link labeled â€Å"more† is an open door to over ten links. It is not easy to imagine such a simple site with so much to offer. Compared to other leading search engines, Google has been remarkable, which explains the reason why it has set precedence in ‘search’ on the internet. According to Alexa (2011), compared to Google, Yahoo Search ranked fourth with 23% of internet user visits on 10 October 2011 a position it has maintained for the last three months. Bing Search on the other hand did not even come close to top ten most visited sites. Google Plus Google Plus is a social networking site launched on 28, June 2011 and is one of the newest p roducts from Google. It integrates features such as friendship circles, social hangouts and mobile phone contacts. According to Par (2011), Google Plus is an ambitious answer to Face book. A day after the launch, users were asked to invite friends to Google Plus, this activity was put on hold the following day after an overwhelming demand for accounts (Shaer, 2011). By 6 August, individual account holders received 150 invites (Brinkmann, 2011). Google Plus is one Google’s services launched to enable it exert significant influence on the internet.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Google Governs the Internet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Google Videos Google Videos is a product that Google launched on January 25, 2005 (Blogoscoped, 2005). Google Videos has transformed viewing and downloading of videos on the internet. Acquisition of YouTube in 2006, added to Google Video’s service as Google inh erited a huge collection of videos. However, Google disabled the video upload feature three years after You Tube’s acquisition. Google Videos has a huge video base ranging from television programs, documentaries, movie trailers to educational materials, amateur media to professional media. In 2009, Google in collaboration with Aardvark’d:12 Weeks with Geeks alongside Waterborne launched the Google Video Store. Content providers for this service included CBS Broadcasting Inc. (CBS), National Basketball Association (NBA), The Charlie Rose Show and Sony BMG. Google Maps Internet users can access this internet based mapping application at no cost. The service offers street maps and other features such as route planners for non-commercial use. The pan able map images are not live, but updated periodically, as they could be several weeks or months old. This service makes available satellite images for most urban areas around the world in high pixel resolution. However, some areas around the world have been blurred for security reasons (Back, 2005). Coded in java script and XML, this application has made it easy for users to reverse engineer it producing other scripts. This permits users to custom tune it for use on their individual websites. With this development, Google launched Google Map API in 2005 to allow users adopt the maps in their websites (Taylor, 2005). This Application Programming Interface has been upgraded to use Adobe Flash application from java script, making it applicable for retrieving static images and geo coding for web services. It also incorporates automobile navigational tools for drivers, which has attracted a huge user base across 350,000 websites making it the most used application-programming interface on the internet (ProgrammableWeb.com, 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Google has also made it possible for users to get maps on mobile devices; this follows the introduction of Google maps for Mobile phones in 2006. Soon after in 2007, Google introduced â€Å"my location† with the release of Google Maps for Mobile 2.0. By December 15, 2008, the service was available for most smart phone platforms including Android OS in iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Windows Mobile, Nokia- S60, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, BlackBerry, Sony Ericsson K800i, and Palm OS (Google, 2010). Google Earth This virtual geographical information application initially developed by Keyhole incorporated, maps the earth by superimposing satellite pictures and geographic information system’s three-dimensional globe. Google Earth shows satellite pictures of the Earth’s surface where users can see features on the ground from a bird’s eye view, most of these images are covered in not less than fifteen meters of resolution. It applies three-dimensional representation of terrain data received by National Aeronautics Space Administration’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (Farr et al., 2007). Google Earth has many uses among them; it can be used to assess disaster struck areas on the Earth’s surface, for instance, flood or earthquake prone regions. It is also beneficial in a classroom setting as an instructional tool (Rescigno, 2010), teachers are already taking advantage of this application in lesson planning and in teaching subjects such as geography and social sciences (Wyatt, 2010).Google Earth is available in 34 major languages of the world. Google Earth incorporates features that have made it very popular among internet users (McCollum, 2008). Tuned to suite users, these features include, â€Å"Panoramio,† this feature replaced â€Å"Geographic Web† on March 2010, after Google acquired Panoramio, a photo sharing geo location website. It enables users to access map coordinates, a significant geographic tool. The fl ight simulator in Google Earth is a great attraction for internet users; it allows users to simulate F-16 fighting Falcon at maximum speeds and high altitude. The Cirrus SR 22, also featured in the flight simulator on the other hand, offering reduced speeds at minimum altitude. Version 5.1 has the capacity to make users experience under water actions as well. Sky mode feature was added in 2007, it enables users view a simulation of the galaxy. (Google, 2011). The partnership with Space Telescope Science Institute in this venture was strategic and authenticated the application (Knight, 2007). The Street View is a wonderful feature integrating a 360 ° panoramic view of selected city streets around the world. The other interesting feature in this application is the â€Å"Water and ocean.† This allows users a three-dimensional view of underwater surface of the ocean with zoom capability. This feature integrates information from world-renowned scientists and oceanographers (Brit ish Broadcasting Corporation, 2009). Historical Imagery feature in Google Earth is only available in version 5.0 and allows users to peruse archived records of different places (Hanke, 2009). Google News Google, based on Krishna Bharat’s idea (Glaser, 2010), developed this service and launched it in 2002. Google News automatically selects news items from internet by aggregation algorithm. It aggregates content from over 25,000 publishers, which can be accessible through Google News for 30 days from aggregation date (Cohen, 2009). In addition, Google News is available in 25 major languages of the world. Google News allows users to search for news by date and time of publishing. Users can also custom the search by national audience. In addition, they have the option of subscribing in order to receive news alerts via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. The Cookie option allows users to compile stories from different Google News editions. This application enables users to crea te custom pages that integrate Google Search History. In 2006, Google News added a ‘News Archive Search’ feature. This feature allows users access archives dating back 200 years by clicking on the ‘time line view’ option. Google News provides scanned news materials to facilitate the archive database (Soni, 2008). Interestingly, in 2007, United Airlines lost $ 1 billion due to an article archived in 2002 but appeared on Google News as current most viewed item (Helft, 2008). This incident was an indication of the way Google has revolutionized news on the internet. Google Mail Developed in 2004, Gmail is a free email service that is accessed as secure web mail. The initial storage for Gmail was 1 Gigabytes for every account holder, but was later upgraded to 4 Gigabytes due to stiff competition for storage capacity in the market (Craddock, 2010). By October 11, 2011, Gmail was mentioned as having 260 million active email accounts worldwide (Terdiman, 2011). The re are features in Gmail that are comparable to none in the industry portray Google’s sophistication, dedication and zeal to dominate the market. These include the current storage capacity of 7 Gigabytes for individual email. Users needing more storage are able to rent on a yearly basis (Google, 2007). Gmail Lab is a link that enables account holders to test new Gmail features. This is gives the webmail engineers to assess user input or review of Gmail features. The Spam filter helps users deflect unwanted email. Account holders may suggest to the system ways of handling specific messages (Chitu, 2007). Mobile devices can also access Gmail; this was made possible by the introduction of the Gmail Mobile feature. Users are able to compose, read, reply emails just as on a personal computer (Kroeger, 2009). In 2010, â€Å"Google introduced a two-pane layout that is sent automatically to Gmail users on iPad† (Nicolaou, 2010). Gmail also availed a voice over data feature, wh ich in addition to voice calls allow users to chat and send text messages at no cost to other account holders and to mobile phone worldwide at a fee. Nonetheless, Gmail allows users to make free video calls to other Gmail account subscribers. On the launch date, this service handled over 1 million calls (Shankland, 2010) Google Images Google developed this service to make it easier for internet users to search for images. Images are searched based on their file names and the search results are displayed as thumbnails. The user has to click on the thumbnail to enlarge the image viewing it from the original website. Google has upgraded this interface several times. First, in 2001, when it added over 200 images to the database, by 2005, this base increased to 1 billion and by 2010, it was 10 billion (Google, 2010). In 2009, Google introduced an option of finding similar images. In 2010, Google improved the interface by auto disabling details of the image until the cursor rolls over it. Google Image has revolutionized the way internet users’ access images. With the increase in popularity of Google Image, Google has made it available for mobile phone and portable device users as well. Google Chrome Launched in December 11, 2008, this is one of the most popular browsers on the internet today with 26.16% of the market share (Stat Counter, 2011). This browser applies WebKit layout engine mechanism incorporated with ‘V8 java script’ to enhance the application’s performance. Chrome exhibits tremendous difference from other browsers, it does not run RSS feeds; it combines the address bar with the search bar and offers simplicity, speed and security to users. It portrays unique features like the graphical interface that has made it adorable by many internet users worldwide (Google, 2011). Chrome incorporates two access control mechanisms (phishing and malware). The browser warns users when they click on potentially harmful links or sites (McClou d, 2011). Statistics indicate that internet users are regularly cheated into accepting malware downloads (Hughes, 2010). Chrome allows individual tabs to fit in their own processes making them independent, this, is a complex model that prevents malware from self-installation (Chung, 2008). Chrome does not sandbox plug-in as tabs since they are not standardized; they are run at a different security level to reduce their vulnerability. Chrome also provides a porn mode feature, ‘Incognito’ that stops it from archiving information from visited websites (Google Support, 2011). Google Chrome uses the ‘V8 java script virtual machine engine’ which incorporates just-in-time compilation (JIT) and an automatic memory management that makes it twice as fast as Firefox 3.0. Google Chrome performed faster compared to several other websites that included Explorer, Safari, and Opera in a joint benchmark test (Google, V8 Benchmark Suite – version 6, 2011). According t o Mathew Moore (2008), reviewers not only appreciated Chrome’s appearance and features but also found it fast. However, they were skeptical regarding Chrome’s market dominance. In a rejoinder, Business Week reported in 2010 that, â€Å"For the first time in years, energy and resources are being poured into browsers, the ubiquitous programs for accessing content on the Web. Credit for this trend—a boon to consumers—goes to two parties. The first is Google, whose big plans for the Chrome browser have shaken Microsoft out of its competitive torpor and forced the software giant to pay fresh attention to its own browser, Internet Explorer. Microsoft all but ceased efforts to enhance IE after it triumphed in the last browser war, sending Netscape to its doom. Now it’s back in gear.† (Jaroslovsky, 2010). By July 2011, Google Chrome was the most used browser in Chile, Uruguay, Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Tunisia, Armenia, Moldova, Argentina and Jamaica (Stat Counter, 2011). Android Google led a consortium of 84 information and communication technology companies collectively known as Open Handset Alliance to develop this operating system meant for mobile phones and computers. Google acquired Android incorporated in 2005. In 2007, it announced the formation of Open Handset Alliance as well as Android’s debut in the market (Open Handset Alliance, 2010). Android consist of a component integrating Linux, Application Programming Interface (API), middleware and libraries authored in general purpose computer language(C), operating on a framework including java-compatible resources based on Apache Harmony (Bray, 2010). Android has user-friendly features including, Handset layouts, a graphics library platform, which is a database storage facility, Connectivity, including Bluetooth, WI-FI, WiMAX and more. Additional features include, Messaging, both SMS and MMS, Multiple language Support, including most major languages of the world, Web browsers based on Chrome. Android contains advanced features that are java supported making it exceptional compared to other systems. These Android application programs run on Dalvik. Android also supports various video formats including, WebM, MPEG-4 SP, AMR, H.263. Audio formats include, MP3, Wav, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP,MIDI and more (Android Developers, 2011). In addition, the Android also supports multi-touch, which is prominent in the Nexus One and Motorola Droid. The primary market for Android is online. The online market is pre-installed on devices running on Android and enable users to download applications from other developers. In 2010, the market contained 200,000 applications, by April 2011, the number of installed application from the market grew to 3 billion and by June 2010, the number was 6 billion installed applications (Tsotsis, 2011). Google has introduced several applications into the Android Market, including Google Voice, Sky Map, Finance, Map Editor, Places Directory, Google Goggles and more. Google AdWords This is Google’s leading advertizing setup; it is also the main income earner. AdWords offers various online advertisement services including, cost-per-thousand, website advertising and pay-per-click. According to Google Investor Relations (2011), Google earned a total of $ 28 billion in revenues in 2010. Google websites are the primary hosts of AdWords adverts, in addition, advertisers are allowed to display their adverts on other Google affiliate and partner networks that include, American Online search, Ask.com and Netscape. Google has also developed a â€Å"Google Display Network† that displays advertisements on websites and not search engines. These websites apply a different advertising model such as AdSense and DoubleClick, which are used by those who wish to earn money-displaying advertisement on their websites. According to Google Investor Relations (2010), revenue for the first quarter from Google owne d sites was $ 2.04 billion and from collaborate sites $ 3.58 billion. In the second quarter of 2011, the revenues rose to $ 9.03 billion, with Google sites earning $ 6.23 billion and partner sites generating $ 2.48 billion. International revenues went up $ 4.87 billion 54% of total revenue of the second quarter of 2011. With almost 70% of market share (Danny Goodwin, 2011); Google has managed to influence the worldwide internet market. It has successfully positioned products and services strategically in order to take advantage of the market trends. This way, it not only dominates the market but also govern internet activities worldwide References Alexa. (2011). Top Sites. Retrieved from Alexa Web site: http://www.alexa.com/ Android Developers. (2011). Android Supported Media Formats. Retrieved from Android Web site: http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/media-formats.html Back, E. (2005, April). Google Maps: The White House. Retrieved from Elliottback Web site: http://elliott back.com/wp/google-maps-the-white-house/ Blogoscoped. (2005). Google Video Search Live. Retrieved from Blogoscoped Web site: http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2005-01-25-n90.html Bray, T. (2010, November). What Android Is. Retrieved from Tbray Web site: http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2010/11/14/What-Android-Is Brinkmann, M. (2011, August). 150 Google Plus Invites. Retrieved from Ghacks Web site: http://www.ghacks.net/2011/08/06/150-google-plus-invites/ British Broadcasting Corporation. (2009). Google Earth dives under the sea. Retrieved from News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7865407.stm Chitu, A. (2007). How Gmail Blocks Spam. Google Operating System. Retrieved from Googlesystem Web site: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-gmail-blocks-spam.html Chung, M. (2008). Chrome’s Process Model Explained. Nothing  ventured, nothing gained. Retrieved from Marcchung Web site: http://blog.marcchung.com/2008/09/05/chromes-process-model- explained.html C ohen, J. (2009, December). Same Protocol, More Options for News Publishers.  Retrieved from Googlenewsblog Web site: http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/same-protocol-more-options-for-news.html Craddock, D. (2010, August). A Short History of Hotmail. Retrieved from Windowsteamblog Web site: http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/01/06/a-short-history-of-hotmail.aspx Danny Goodwin, M. I. (2011, March). Hitwise: Bing Market Share up 5%; Google  Down 2% in February 2011. Retrieved from Searchenginewatch Web site: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2049889/Hitwise-Bing-Market-Share-up-5-Google-Down-2-in-February-2011 Farr et al. (2007). Reviews of Geophysics. Pasadena, California, USA: California Institute of Technology. Glaser, M. (2010, February 4). Google News to Publishers: Let’s Make Love Not War.  Retrieved from Mediashift Web site: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/02/google-news-to-publishers-lets-make-love-not-war035.html Googl e. (2011). Explore the sky with Google Earth. Retrieved from Earthgoogle Web site: http://earth.google.com/sky/skyedu.html Google. (2010). Google Images Presents a Nicer Way to Surf the Net. Retrieved from Google Web site: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/ooh-ahh-google-images-presents-nicer.html Google. (2010). Google Maps for mobile. Retrieved from Google Web site: www.google.com: https://www.google.com/mobile/maps/ Google Investor Relations. (2011). 2011 Financial Tables. Retrieved From www.google.com: http://investor.google.com/financial/tables.html Google. (2007). More storage for photos and messages. Retrieved from Webcitation Web site: http://www.webcitation.org/5nE4hgK7M Google Support. (2011). Using the Incognito mode: private browsing. Retrieved from Google Web site: https://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py? answer=95464hl=en Google. (2011). Technology overview. Retrieved from Google Web site: https://www.google.com/about/corporate/company/tech.html Google . (2011). V8 Benchmark Suite – version 6. Retrieved from GoogleCode Web site: http://v8.googlecode.com/svn/data/benchmarks/v6/run.html Google Investor Relations. (2010). Google Announces First Quarter 2010  Financial Results. Retrieved from Googleearnings Web site: http://investor.google.com/earnings/2010/Q1_google_earnings.html Hanke, J. (2009, February ). Dive into the new Google Earth. Retrieved from Googleblog Web site: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/dive-into-new-google-earth.html Helft, M. (2008, September). How a Series of Mistakes Hurt Shares of United.  New York Times, Al. Hughes, B. (2010). Virus Bulletin : 2010 – Social engineering trumps a zero-day every  time. Retrieved from Virusbtn Web site: http://www.virusbtn.com/conference/vb2010/abstracts/Hughes.xml Jaroslovsky, R. (2010, February). Browser Wars: The Sequel. BusinessWeek, Al. Knight, W. (2007, August). Celestial add-on points Google Earth at the stars. Retrieved from Newscientist Web si te: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12523 Kroeger, R. (2009, April). A new mobile Gmail experience for iPhone and Android.  Retrieved from Gmailblog Web site: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-mobile-gmail-experience-for-iphone.html McCloud, S. Google Chrome. Comic. Google inc. Mccollum, J. (2008, January). Google Maps Growing in Popularity. Retrieved from Maketingpilgrim Web site: www.marketingpilgrim.com Moore, M. (2008, September). Google Chrome browser: Review of reviews. Retrieved from The Telegraph Web site: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3358306/Google-Chrome-browser- Review-of-reviews.html Nicolaou, A. (2010, April). Gmail on the iPad. Retrieved from Gmailblog Web site: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/gmail-on-ipad.html Open Handset Alliance. (2010). What would it take to build a better mobile phone?  Retrieved from Openhandsetalliance Web site: http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/ Pandia Serach Engine News. (2007). Google: one million servers a nd counting.  Retrieved from Pandia Web site: http://www.pandia.com/sew/481-gartner.html Par, B. (2011, June 28). Google+: First Impressions. Retrieved from Mashable Web site: http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus-review/ ProgrammableWeb.com. (2011). API Dashboard. Retrieved from Programmableweb Web site: http://www.programmableweb.com/apis Rescigno, D. (2010, April). Reinventing classroom geography with Google Earth  API. Retrieved from Googleenterprise Web site: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/04/reinventing-classroom-geography-with.html Rosen, B. J. (2008, November). Google’s Gatekeepers. Retrieved from Nytimes Web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/magazine/30google-t.html?_r=1partner=rssemc=rsspagewanted=all Shaer, M. (2011, June ). Looking for a Google+ invite? Either get comfortable – or get  crafty. Retrieved from Csmnitor Web site http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2011/0630/Looking-for-a-Google-invite-Either-get-comfortable -or-get-crafty. Shankland, S. (2010, August). Google: 1 million Gmail calls on first day. Retrieved from Cnn Web site: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/26/google.gmail. phone.calls/index.html?iref=NS1 Soni, P. (2008, September). Bring history Online One Paper at a Time. Retrieved from Googleblog Web site: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/bringing-history-online-one-newspaper.html Stat Counter. (2011). Stat Counter Global Stats: The World’s Top Five Browsers.  Retrieved from Statcounter Web site: http://gs.statcounter.com/ Taylor, B. (2005, June). The World is your javascript enabled Oyster. Retrieved from Googleblog Web site: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/world-is-your-javascript-enabled_29.html Terdiman, D. (2011, October). Microsoft aiming to clean up Hotmail user’s inboxes  Retrieved from Newscnet Web site: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20114975-52/microsoft-aiming-to-clean-up-hotmail-users-inboxes/ Tsotsis, A. (2011, July ). Google And roid Now On 130M Total Devices, With 6B App  Downloads. Retrieved from Techcrunch Web site: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/14/google-android-now-on-130-million-total- devices/?utm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3 A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29 Wyatt, N. (2010, April). Reinventing classroom geography with Google Earth API.  Retrieved from Googleenterprise Web site: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/04/reinventing-classroom-geography-with.html This essay on How Google Governs the Internet was written and submitted by user Desiree Holder to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Biography of Lord Byron, English Poet and Aristocrat

Biography of Lord Byron, English Poet and Aristocrat Lord Byron is considered to be one of the greatest British writers and poets of his time. He became a leader in the Romantic Period, alongside contemporaries like William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley. Fast Facts: Lord Byron Occupation: English poet, romanticistBorn: 22 January 1788 in London, EnglandDied: 19 April 1824 in Missolonghi, Ottoman EmpireParents: Captain John â€Å"Mad Jack† Byron and Catherine GordonEducation: Trinity College, CambridgePublish Works: Hours of Idleness; Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, She Walks in Beauty, Don JuanSpouse: Anne Isabella MilbankeChildren: Ada Lovelace and Allegra ByronFamous Quote: There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less but Nature more. Lord Byron’s personal life was marked by tumultuous love affairs and inappropriate sexual relationships, unpaid debts, and illegitimate children. Lady Caroline Lamb, with whom Byron had an affair, famously labeled him â€Å"mad, bad, and dangerous to know.† He died in 1824 at the age of 36 from a fever he contracted during his travels in Greece. His most notable works include Don Juan, She Walks in Beauty, and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Early Life Lord Byron was born in 1788 in London under the full name George Gordon Noel, sixth Baron Byron. He was raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, by his mother after his father fled the family and died in 1791 in France. Byron inherited his title at the age of 10, though he later adopted his mother-in-law’s family name, Noel, in order to inherit half of her estate. Imagno/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Byron’s mother was prone to mood swings and heavy drinking. Due to mistreatment by his mother coupled with a deformed foot and an uneven temper, Byron lacked discipline and structure in his formative years. He was educated at Harrow School in London, followed by Trinity College at Cambridge, though he spent most of his time at the latter engaging in sexual relationships and sporting activities. It was during this time that he began writing and publishing works.   Marriage, Affairs, and Children Lord Byron first showed his affections for a distant cousin who indulged him for a while before rejecting his affections. In subsequent years, Byron had promiscuous affairs with many women, including Lady Caroline Lamb, Lady Oxford, and his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, who later gave birth to a daughter widely considered to be Byron’s. Lord Byron married Anne Isabella Milbanke in January 1815, and the following year she gave birth to a daughter, Augusta Ada (later Ada Lovelace). Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Lord and Lady Byron separated, with Anne Isabella indicating the cause to be his incestual relations with his half-sister. During this time, Lord Byron developed a close relationship with Percy and Mary Shelley and Mary’s sister Claire Clairmont, who also had a daughter with Byron called Allegra.   Travels After completing his education at Cambridge, Lord Byron embarked on a two-year journey across Spain, Portugal, Malta, Albania, and Greece, from which he drew inspiration for Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. After Byron finalized the separation from his wife, he left England permanently for Switzerland, where he spent time with the Shelleys. He went on to travel across Italy engaging in promiscuous affairs, writing and publishing work along the way. He spent six years in Italy, where he wrote and released Don Juan. Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, 18th century. The abbey was formerly an Augustinian priory but was converted into a domestic home following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is the ancestral home of Lord Byron. Hulton Archive / Getty Images In 1823, Lord Byron was asked to assist in the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. He sold his estate in England to raise money for the Greek cause, part of which he used to enable a fleet of ships to sail to Missolonghi, where he planned to help attack the Turks. Death While in Missolonghi, Lord Byron contracted a fever and died at the age of 36. His heart was removed and buried in Missolonghi, and his body was returned to England. His burial at Westminster Abbey was denied, so Byron was buried in his family tomb in Newstead. He was deeply mourned in England and in Greece.   Legacy After spurning his initial affections, Lady Caroline Lamb labeled Lord Byron â€Å"mad, bad, and dangerous to know,† a statement that stuck with him for life and beyond. Because of his generous financial support and acts of bravery in the Greek Wars of Independence, Lord Byron is widely considered to be a Greek national hero. However, his true legacy is the collection of work he left behind. Don Juan Don Juan is a satirical epic poem written by Lord Byron during the last years of his life. It is based on the legendary womanizer Don Juan, though Lord Byron reversed these character traits to make Don Juan easily susceptible to seduction. The poem is considered to be a reflection of Byron’s personal character and the disappointment with which he felt constantly burdened. Don Juan is comprised of 16 completed sections, called cantos and a final, 17th canto that remained unfinished at the time of Byron’s death in 1824. Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage Written and released between 1812 and 1818, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage tells the story of a young man who travels the world to fill the void left by disillusionment and sadness he feels as a result of the revolutionary wars on the European continent. Much of the content in Childe is derived from Byron’s personal travels from Portugal to Constantinople. Sources Byron, George Gordon.  Don Juan. Pantianos Classics, 2016.Byron, George Gordon, and Jerome J. McGann.  Lord Byron, the Major Works. Oxford University Press, 2008.Eisler, Benita.  Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame. Vintage Books, 2000.Galt, John.  The Life of Lord Byron. Kindle ed., 1832.MacCarthy, Fiona.  Byron: Life and Legend. John Murray, 2014.

How can globalisation processes help alleviate poverty Essay

How can globalisation processes help alleviate poverty - Essay Example It was noted that prior to the two agreements most country’s trade has been stifled by unfair tariff and trade restriction imposed by countries due to their adherence to their contractual obligation to the first countries they have been trading with at the onset. WTO and GATT mandate that all signatory countries adhere to the Most Favoured Nation principle, wherein what is conferred to one country as a trade incentive should similarly be given to another country (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2004). This in itself levelled the playing field for all nations big or small in terms of international trade. Globalisation processes not only includes tangible items for trade it can also be in the form of service. Outsourcing of processes is normally conducted by companies in order for them to save on operation cost. To illustrate: It does not make sense for an organization to maintain its own telephone based customer care department manned twenty four seven since the demand or volume is unpredictable over the course of a twenty four hour day. The same is true for organization that requires the services of telephone based campaigners. I. Historical Background Global trade is not a new concept as chronicles of early trade relations between nations occurred in the first century when the Romans bartered riches for spices with the Indians. Similar exchange transpired in West Asia trading silk for spices. Barter was the medium of transaction between nations until the middle ages when the first paper money was developed by the Sung Dynasty as the legal tender to gain access to market rights and trading privileges. Accordingly, the first recorded trading company, The Dutch East India Trading Company, was then established in 1602 until its demise in 1799 due to bankruptcy (Maps of World , 1999). The importance of trade between nations was well received even by Napoleon III where an initiative known as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was executed betw een France and Britain which ended in 1860. On the other side of the globe in1868, Japanese Meiji Restoration introduced industrial development through free trade. As trade expanded between industrial nations, its leaders in 1946 institutionalized standards to govern commercial and financial relations known as the Bretton Woods System which was peddled to promote lasting peace between independent states as well as to avert financial crisis from happening (Maps of World, 1999). Global trading strengthened further in 1949 when a multilateral agreement between nations known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was founded by twenty three countries. This has set forth trade regulations and standards such as reduction of tariffs and other trade barriers was concurred in by more than one hundred (100) countries. The role of the GATT as an international organization was bolstered when negotiations for the creation of an International Trade Organization (ITO) failed to mater ialize (Bossche, 2005). Thus, GATT continued to discharge its functions by conducting rounds of discussion which included, among others, reduction of tariff and trade barriers; and liberalization of trade affecting wider range of fields such as services, capital, intellectual property, textiles and agriculture. The

Understanding the business of fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Understanding the business of fashion - Essay Example Understanding the business of fashion Heading into 2012, retaliating industries will face a greater challenge. Many retailers are using the concept of Internet retailing to increase purchasing power. For most of human history, clothes were handmade, often by the woman of the household, or by female servants. Those who could afford nice material and expensive designs typically indulged those desires; however, most individuals did not put much consideration into their wardrobe. The emergence of a middle class in Europe and the United States made it possible for people to take more of an interest in how they presented themselves in clothes, and patterns of popular clothes were introduced for people to copy. With the industrial revolution, it became possible for clothes to be mass?produced, but there was still a desire among many individuals to have clothes that were considered fashionable and even unique in an era when mass production was increasingly the norm. Today, with advanced technologies, manufacturers are able to of fer mass customization in fashion. Haute couture, which continues to be regulated in France, often sets the design guidelines for a particular season. Major couture houses, including Christian Lacroix, use their haute couture not only for its own sake, but also to promote ready-to-wear designs, as well. In addition, many major design houses today sell multiple brands and also multiple product lines, so that a haute couture show may also be a showcase for perfume and accessories. (Waddell 21). Competitors of Haute Culture include major retailers like the Gap, which sells clothes worldwide, and Avicsar, CatWalk Enterprises, and First Impressions. All of these companies are European based and First Impressions is situated in London. All of these companies are showing the same trends—a decrease in sales relevant to the decrease in economic status. Therefore, heading into 2012, all companies are going to need to consider new ways of selling, and the Internet could certainly open up many avenues for them. Out of the companies listed above, Gap is currently most prevalent on the Internet, and this may be the reason they are performing better than the other companies, although economic issues have hurt them. The fashion industry is a global industry (Movius n.p.). Textiles may be produced in a country such as Thailand and transported to a low-cost labor market such as China to manufacture designs that were created in Europe or the United States for sale in r etailers around the world. This globalization works to keep costs low on the manufacturing side, which increases the normal profit. However, not all of the companies listed above work in this global context, Gap again being the only one listed that does. The use of outsourcing may be a consideration for these other companies in order to increase sales. At the same time, the various fashion collections and their shows can increase demand for a particular designer's goods. As designers become better-known, customers may be willing to pay more in order to have the distinction of owning a piece by that particular designer. In this way, the price of high fashion can be driven up not by value-added, but by customer valuation of a particular brand. While some might argue that this does, indeed, constitute value-added from a marketing standpoint in the sense that branding adds value, others would suggest that this is an artificial component that does not have intrinsic economic

Cost Effectiveness of Dialysis for ESRD Patients

Cost Effectiveness of Dialysis for ESRD Patients From 2002-2009 diabetic nephropathies represented 41% of all end-stage renal (ESRD) patients in St. Lucia, which is significantly higher when compared with global distribution. Renal replacement therapy for ESRD is resource intensive, consuming a significant part of the health budget. Financial pressures on the health system continue to increase in the face of the global financial crisis, yet cost-effectiveness studies of ESRD treatment options are not only scarce but nonexistent in the Eastern Caribbean. A retrospective approach to data collection was used and a Markov model of cost, quality of life and survival will be developed to compare hemodialysis and pharmaceutical management of ESRD among diabetics. Micro-costing was used to assess the cost of hemodialysis for ESRD over the 8 year period. While preliminary findings have not identified whether or not hemodialysis for diabetic nephropathy is cost-effective the economic burden of hemodialysis for diabetic nephropathy was signif icant: EC$6.9 million, in St. Lucia for the 8 year period. Pre-emptive procedures need to be considered for the treatment of diabetes to delay onset or progression of ESRD. From a medical as well as fiscal perspective, prevention is the most cost-effective intervention. The health system in St. Lucia needs to focus attention on effective prevention strategies as the mean age among diabetic ESRD patients is 56 years (2.3SD). This age group is representative of a significant part of the countrys labour force and, if left unchecked, could have serious implications for economic development. Introduction End-stage renal disease (ESRD) and its precursor, chronic kidney disease (CKD), are globally emerging as a significant public health problem, with increasing morbidity and mortality as well as economic implications for healthcare (Szucsa et al., 2004). The World Health Organizations 2002 estimate indicated that globally CKD contributes to over 850,000 deaths and over 15 million disability-adjusted life years, with epidemic rise of ESRD in multiple regions in the world (WHO, 2003). The report also predicted that by 2010 more than 2 million people would require maintenance dialysis worldwide, and global estimates indicate that approximately 30% of patients with ESRD suffer as a consequence of diabetic nephropathy (Zelmer, 2007). The economic pressures of ESRD treatment on the collective health system are well documented. Haller, et al. (2011) identifies it as resource intensive, requiring substantial amounts of finite healthcare funds to treat a small percentage of the population. In 2005 alone, care for ESRD patients in Canada represented 1.2% of all healthcare expenditure, despite a 0.092% incidence of the disease (Zelmer, 2007). In St. Lucia, chronic renal insufficiency as a result of diabetes, hypertension, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, and sickle cell disease are the main reasons for starting dialysis treatment in patients with kidney function failure. This is similar to the findings of Perovià ¡ and Jankovià ¡ (2009). In addition to being a chronic disease with significant morbidity impact, ESRD also involves high-cost treatment options (Zelmer, 2007), which are often limited in developing countries such as St. Lucia. Yet cost-effectiveness studies of the modalities of treatment are few and limited, especially in developing countries (Haller, 2011). Previous research has been conducted to identify the economic impact of the estimated health-care costs for ESRD, as well as the cost-effectiveness of various alternatives for renal replacement therapies; however, similar studies have not been replicated in the Eastern Caribbean. The findings are especially relevant to the health system in St. Lucia, as the incidence of diabetes continues to increase in the Caribbean Region (Henry, 2004). Additionally, the recent decision to expand the dialysis service to two new facilities without understanding the scope and magnitude of the total economic burden of ESRD could prove to be challenging. Cost-effectiveness is the fastest growing field in health research and it embodies a form of full economic evaluation that looks at cost and consequence of health programmes or treatment (Muennig, 2008). Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of intervention programmes as a valuable tool employed by decision-makers can be used to appraise as well as possibly improve how the health system operates. Its application allows policy makers to identify which interventions provide the highest value for money and assist in helping to select interventions and programmes that maximize health for the available resources. Health economists are able to purchase the most health under a fixed budget, prioritizing services within the health sector. CEA therefore requires information to indicate the extent to which current and potential interventions are effective for improving population health, and which resources are required to implement the interventions, i.e., costs (Muennig, 2008). Referring to Palmers 2005 definition that states cost-effectiveness studies compare costs with clinical outcomes measured in natural units, like life expectancy or years of diseases avoided, Glassock (2010) noted that the totality of costs may not necessarily be captured. The inclusion of cost means that the design of the study will incorporate cost-unit analysis as a tool to examine the economic impact of dialysis for ESRD patients with diabetes and cost effectiveness to determine the quality adjusted life year (QALYs) or health related quality of life (HRQoL) for that population. The main outcome measure will focus on costs per quality-adjusted life years ($/QALYs), similar to a study conducted in Austria (Haller et al., 2011). Glassock (2010) notes that community willingness-to-pay is the threshold value used to determine cost effectiveness. He goes on to note that these values vary globally, and are estimated at  £30,000/QALY in the United Kingdom, 40,000/QALY in Europe, Aus $5 0,000/QALY in Australia, and US $90,000/QALY in the United States (Glassock, 2010). In the absence of a national threshold value, one can be established using GDP as an objective economic benchmark, (Eichler, et al., 2004). Cost will be viewed from the perspective of direct spending on health care for dialysis, coupled with the indirect costs of productivity losses due to premature death and short- and long-term disability. The impact of mortality costs as the sum of the discounted present value of current and future productivity losses from premature deaths will be measured from an incident-based human capital approach, drawing from a similar study conducted in Canada in 2000 (Zelmer, 2007). Muennig (2008) posits that because it is often difficult to account for all cost, and the time and resource constraints associated with micro-costing, certain assumptions related to costs are often made during cost-effectiveness analysis. This paper serves to examine the cost-effectiveness of hemodialysis among type 2 diabetics in St. Lucia over an 8 year period (2002-2008). Employing the use of CEA, it aims at comparing the cost and effects or outcomes (cost-effectiveness) of hemodialysis for diabetic nephropathy using the comparator of doing nothing, which in this case is the pharmaceutical management of patients with diabetic nephropathy to delay progression of ESRD. The findings will also help to inform those making policy decisions, and may be useful in establishing a set of priorities for further research, prevention programs, and in the planning of alternative treatments to help alleviate that burden. Perspective of the Study Cost effectiveness of dialysis for ESRD patients with diabetes in St. Lucia will be analyzed from a government perspective. This requires conducting cost analysis that measures the recurring direct and indirect cost of providing the service. In the region, specifically in the country under study, health care organizations rarely know the cost of the service provided and rarely employ the tools needed to assess that cost on a regular basis. In a globally operating economic society, economic trends have made it imperative for both profit and non-profit organizations that provide services, including government agencies, to assess the cost of clinical services provided. Finance for health is not infinite and with substantial budget cuts in the health service industry, there is increasing pressure for health care facilities to become more accountable and efficient with the funds allocated to health care (Basch, 1999). Health economics recognises the need for health services to be provided in a manner that is not only efficient but sustainable. Measuring, understanding and documenting the cost of services makes it easier to improve cost-efficiency of these services; it also highlights the funding needs of the sector and by extension, the government. It also provides an opportunity to establish fees for clients that are based on realistic site costs. Previous studies on cost-effectiveness of treatment options for ESRD have compared different modalities of dialysis or transplantation (Haller et al.; Gonzalez-Perez et al., 2005, Yang et al., 2001). Treatment modalities for ESRD patients in St. Lucia are either hemodialysis or pharmaceutical management. The analysis of hemodialysis versus pharmaceutical management to delay ESRD progression hinges on the fact that the current capacity of the Renal Unit in St. Lucia cannot provide dialysis for all ESRD patients. In an interview dated December 14, 2010 with the head of the Nephrology Unit, Victoria Hospital, Saint Lucia, it was indicated that while dialysis is offered, the increasing ESRD population means that patients are placed on a waiting list if they are not able to commence treatment due to unavailability of space (Olivert Dupree, 2010). If a patients prognosis requires immediate dialysis, he is treated at the private facility and the government absorbs that cost. But it is quit e clear that hemodialysis, like pharmaceutical management, is not the optimal treatment option for ESRD; rather, the optimal protocol is transplantation. The health system in St. Lucia is mandated by its objectives to improve the health of the population and consequently needs to ensure that its limited resources are not devoted to expensive interventions with small effects on population health, while at the same time low cost interventions with potentially greater benefits are not fully implemented (Ministry of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs and Gender Relations, 2000). Methods Data Sources The study population comprises of ESRD patients with diabetic nephropathy. Patients were considered depending on whether they received hemodialysis or whether their diabetes was being pharmaceutically managed to delay ESRD progression. Data was collected retrospectively and the study population was selected from the only public Renal Unit which forms part of the general hospital, Victoria Hospital. While there is another Renal Unit in St. Lucia that offers dialysis, it is a part of the private hospital, which did not wish to participate in this study. Of the 111 patients on dialysis, 45 were due to diabetic nephropathy and 19 were actively receiving dialysis at the time the study was being conducted. The nephrologists identified 12 ESRD patients who were not receiving dialysis but were being managed pharmaceutically. All diabetics who are or have been on dialysis with end-stage renal disease for the period 2002-2009 and were receiving dialysis due to diabetic nephropathy were included in the study. Persons were excluded from this study if they were on dialysis prior to being diagnosed with diabetes. The comparator group differed from the hemodialysis group only in the form of treatment that they are receiving, and consisted of all patients with ESRD due to diabetic nephropathy who are not receiving dialysis but whose diabetes is aggressively managed with medication to delay ESRD progression. Other variables were considered in the study and a standard questionnaire was administered to the study population to obtain data on the socio-economic status of individuals. A pool of eight persons from those who were on dialysis for reasons other than diabetic nephropathy served as a pilot test group for the socio-demographic questionnaire. This group was similar to the study population in terms of gender, education, socio-economic status and geographic location (Table 1). Content analysis was used to evaluate the information obtained from the socio-demographic questionnaire. All study participants received a letter concerning anonymity and confidentiality and informed consent was obtained prior to participation. Ethical approval was obtained from the IRB at St. Georges University and the ethics committee of the Ministry of Health in St. Lucia. A literature review conducted relied upon peer-reviewed economic evaluations of dialysis treatment modalities among diabetic patients. Ebscohost and PubMed were searched using the keywords cost-effectiveness, dialysis, end-stage renal disease, and diabetic nephropathy and was limited to articles published in the last 12 years (2000-2011). Some articles, if they were published outside of the selected timeframe, were accepted based on the strength and relevance of their findings. Articles were included if they had the keywords in the subject headings as well as focusing on Renal Replacement Therapy/economics, Renal Dialysis/economics, Hemodialysis Units, or Kidney Failure. If they included the term peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis they were also selected. Exclusion criteria comprised of non-English articles and those that did not compare treatment options. A total of 379 articles were identified but 31 were selected as being relevant. Models Used Chronic conditions such as ESRD require continuous treatment and as a consequence, the cost-effectiveness of treatment options over a period of time for a cohort of patients employs the use of the Markov model to investigate long term costs and outcomes. The Markov model developed for this study describes the process of care noting that patients began their progression through the model in either of two states, hospital hemodialysis or pharmaceutical management of type 2 diabetes to delay ESRD progression, with death signifying the end of the cycle. Data on health care costs, transition to other health states and quality of life were inputted into the Markov model. Data was obtained from the Renal Unit at the Victoria Hospital, the public health facility. Data on quality of life was obtained using the 15D, a multidimensional, standardised generic instrument to measure quality or health-related quality of life (Sintonen, 2001). The 15D was used since it combines the advantages of a profile and single index score measure that describes the health status by assessing 15 dimensions. The mean score value for each dimension was used to determine the health related quality of life in the study population. The use of the 15D to measure quality of life outcome was reported in terms of QALYs, a measure of the burden of disease that included the quality and quantity of life lived against a monetary value, medical treatment or intervention. The mean score value for each dimension measured by the 15D was used to determine the health-related quality of life of the study population using the scale provided by Sintonen (2001). The findings were standardized against the burden of disease markers identified by the WHO. Costs and Analysis Cost-effectiveness, examined from a governmental perspective, used the clinical records of the Division of Nephrology patient registration and billing systems at the Victoria Hospital coupled with information from published studies on survival and quality of life among diabetic nephropathy patients. The model used included the direct health service costs associated with the treatment options, and an annual cost per patient was calculated for each health state in the model. Direct healthcare costs associated with dialysis use included costing regular dialysis sessions, complications of the dialysis, such as clotting of the fistula or hypotension episodes, laboratory tests and services required as a consequence of dialysis and medication use as a result of treatment. Assumptions were made on the regularity of direct healthcare cost associated with dialysis, such as that involving laboratory testing and blood transfusions. Micro-costing, collecting data on staffing, consumables, capital , and overheads were used to determine the cost of one session of hemodialysis (Table 2). Structured interviews were used to obtain details regarding staff time allocated to dialysis activities, as well as the regularity of other services used as a result of the treatment options. Capital items were identified as the building space allotted to the Unit for treatment, and equipment such as the dialysis machines and air conditioner unit. Costs have been reported in Eastern Caribbean Dollars (EC) presented at the 2008 level and an equivalent annual cost calculated using a 3 percent discount rate over the predicted life span. Muennig (2008) argues that a governmental perspective can include some aspects of transportantion costs. Evidence from the Minstry of Communication and Works and the Transport Board implies that there is no nationally agreed-upon policy for transport costs. There are variations across St. Lucia in terms of mileage costing; therefore for the purposes of our analysis, transport costs are excluded. The study reviewed costs over an 8 year period (2002-2009). This time frame was partly determined by the availability of the data two years after the programme was initiated and the assumptions made with reference to the analysis were tabulated (Table 3). Incremental costs per QALY gained will be calculated by using the estimates of costs and QALYs for each of the two modalities obtained from the model, and the findings were presented as incremental costs per QALY ($/QALY). The threshold value used to determine cost effectiveness of the intervention was established based on the recommendations of the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, and CHOICE, which uses gross domestic product (GDP) as an indicator to determine cost-effectiveness. They established that an intervention was highly cost-effective if cost per QALY was less than GDP per capita, it was cost-effective if it was between 1 and 3 times the GDP per capita but was not cost-effective if it was more than 3 times GDP per c apita (WHO, 2011). A one-way sensitivity analysis will be used to investigate variability in the data, varying the discount rate from 3% to 5%, then age weights and finally, the disability weights. A final sensitivity analysis of mortality rates will be conducted since the assumption was that the mortality rates for hemodialysis were the same as those of pharmaceutical management of ESRD diabetics. Based on that assumption it becomes important to identify whether any one of these factors, discounted rates, age weights, and disability weights independently affected the data. Multiple linear regressions will be used to identify how the variables and assumptions affected dialysis lifetime. Preliminary Findings Demographic Characteristics The socio-demographic characteristics of the study population are presented in Table 4. According to the modalities compared the mean ages were 52 years (SD 10.06) for hemodialysis patients and 42 years (10.34SD) for patients who were being pharmaceutically managed. Briefly 62% of the patients were male (Figure 1), 40% had completed only primary level education and 20% had received no formal education. Married patients made up 46.7% of the study group and 26.7% were currently employed; but of these patients 80% of them received some form of family support or National Insurance Corporation (NIC) compensation. There was little variation between the groups (hemodialysis and pharmaceutically managed) in terms of employment and education. ESRD, as a consequence of diabetic nephropathy, represents 41% of all patients who have received hemodialysis for the period 2002-2009 (Figure 2). The end of that 8 year period mortality rate among that population is 53% with the average age of death at 57 years and average dialysis lifetime of 3 years. Costs A list of the parameters used to determine cost is presented in Table 2 and total yearly cost for the period is presented in Table 3. The total cost of dialysis for diabetic nephropathy was EC$6.9 million. From a governmental perspective, in 2009 the total cost of dialysis for diabetic nephropathy patients with ESRD totalled EC $1,002,597.23, accounting for approximately 2.27% of all healthcare expenditure for 0.01% of the population. Secondary and tertiary care services accounted for 59% of the total health budget for 2001-2002, 60% for 2002 -2003 and 64% for 2003-2004. Primary care services accounted for 22% in 2001-2002, 22% 2002-2003 and 18% for 2003-2004 (Figure 3). Discussion This is the first study of its kind in the region. It is able to serve as a precursor to further research and therefore is poised to help guide policies on how cost-effectiveness studies are done in the region. Additionally, there will be future application to decision-making in healthcare. While the absence of other studies that compared the treatment modalities used in this study serves as a limitation to this paper, it remains the only viable comparator that was available to the researcher, and being the first of its kind allows it to inform the existing research. The preliminary findings of this paper have significant implications for health and the operations of the dialysis unit. The literature from other studies (Haller et al, 2011; Zelmer, 2007) indicates that the average lifetime on dialysis is 7-10 years, with survial rates lower among senior adults, aged older than 65 years. The inverse seems to be suggested by the preliminary findings, with an average lifetime of 3 years in patients less than 57 years. The deviation may be attributable to younger persons being less compliant with regular dialysis sessions and the strict dietary and lifestlye adjustments that dialysis requires. Further research would need to be conducted to validate these findings. The economic burden of ESRD for diabetic nephropathy is significant: EC$6.9 million, in St. Lucia for the 8 year period (Table 2). While the focus of this study is on the cost-effectiveness of dialysis, the data identified that health services accounted for most of the observed costs. The governmental perspective of the research restricts the papers ability to adequately address the diabetic nephropathy related morbidity and premature mortality among the study population and the substantial burden that it places on society. The early indicators suggest a need for the effectiveness of the programme to be examined against its objectives and how its outcomes compare with other units within the region or the privately operated unit in St. Lucia. In 2006 Government health expenditure per person per year was EC$499.50 (Ministry of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs and Gender Relations, St. Lucia). Yet for that corresponding period, government spending for dialysis per person per year was EC$48,597.81 (Figure 5), for 0.0014% of the population. St. Lucias GDP for that period is estimated as $6,037.00 PPP (EC$16,299.90) and total expenditure on health is estimated as 6.3% of GPD (Table 5). While cost-effectiveness has not been conclusively established, using the threshold value of GDP as an economic estimate to determine cost-effectiveness, a cost-effective programme is one that is between 1 and 3 times the GDP per capita (WHO, 2011). The National Strategic Health Plan 2006-2011 (2006) posits that the Ministry of Healths actions have not been consistent with its declaration of a commitment to Primary Health Care (PHC) as part of its strategy for National Health development. Health spending continues to increase in the areas of secondary and tertiary care and less of the health budget is spent on primary care. The expansion of hemodialysis to meet the growing ESRD population, and an increased incidence of diabetic nephropathy in St. Lucia has implications for the findings of this study. It is important that focus is directed at primary and secondary interventions aimed at reducing cost of diabetic care and consequently complications from diabetes, such as diabetic nephropathy. Primary interventions are the most cost-effective and as such health promotions to reduce risk of developing diabetes, a risk factor for ESRD, needs to become part of the mandate of the Ministry of Health. A policy on chronic diseases develop ed within the primary healthcare plan that currently exists would help guide that focus. The study was limited by the accuracy and quality of the data, which Basch (1999) argues is a recurring problem in developing countries. There are limitations and difficulties in any attempt to calculate the mean cost of a dialysis session, especially in public facilities where cost is subsidized, as every facet of care and cost associated with the session must be taken into consideration. Consequently, assumptions were made on cost for direct and indirect services related to treatment options compared in this study. Assumptions are justified as this is a non-funded research with time constraints and a need to reduce cost drivers. The study was also limited in its perspective as it could not present on national costs from a societal perspective such as the patients ability to work or opportunity costs. Costs from the private facility could not be used as they did not wish to participate in this study. The inability to capture their costs is relevant as they are used by the government to provide dialysis for ESRD patients whose prognosis prevents them from being placed on a waiting list; this cost is incurred by the government. A patient who commenced dialysis at the private facility and transferred to the Renal Unit at the government facility is not distinguished in the patient register. The strength of the research lies in the use of triangulation to gather and analyse data to ascertain their common conclusion, effectiveness based on costs, and QALYs. Decrop (1999) concurs that one of the main ways to avoid the contentious issue of validity and reliability is the use of triangulation. Triangulation involves the use of multiple data sources in the investigation of a research question for justification or clarification, which in this case involved utilizing primary and secondary data, as well as information from the attending physician. Denzin (1978) also claims that triangulation limits personal and methodological bias as well as enhances the studys generalizability. The use of the Markov model is an inherent strength of the study. Gonzalez-Perez, et al. (2005) argue that the models ability to prognosticate relative effectiveness and cost overtime makes it appropriate for modelling chronic treatment options such as Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT). Cost-effectiveness to determine QALYs as well as the use of a standardized instrument to measure QALY also strengthens the findings of the research. The 15D is recognised as generally being a small measurement burden to both respondents and researchers. As an evaluation tool it is highly reliable due to its repeatability of measurements with minimized random error. The results generated are valid because of the degree of confidence that researchers can place in the inferences that are drawn from the scores. Sintonen (2001) posits that as an instrument to measure cost-effectiveness, it is particularly suitable for calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). While the majority of cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment modalities for diabetic nephropathy focuses on the disease at its latent or progressed stage, Glassock (2010) noted that a study by Gearde et al. (2008) identified that early detection of diabetic nephropathy and intensive pharmaceutical interventions are not only cost effective but significantly reduces the risk of ESRD among type 2 diabetics. These findings are replicated in two studies by Keane and Lyle (2003) and Szucs, et al. (2004) who found that Losartan reduced the incidence of ESRD among diabetics. They went on to argue that proteinuria, which is the single most powerful predictor of CKD in type 2 diabetes, is a simple and inexpensive screening test, and early detection can lead to the early administration of drugs that have been proven to reduce ESRD incidence. Mann, et al. (2010) argue caution against population based screening for CKD, and advocate that screening, as a secondary intervention, should focus on at-risk populations. Their study concluded that targeted screening of people with diabetes is associated with an acceptable cost per QALY in publicly funded healthcare systems. Such an approach can be adopted in the health system in St. Lucia. Cost-effectiveness analysis is able to provide valuable insight to prioritizing within healthcare and so the findings of this research will be able to provide evidence to support efficiency in the use of limited resources. Policy-makers would be able to use these findings to review the decision to expand the number of hemodialysis centres in St. Lucia. Further research to identify more cost-effective treatment options would be the first step to improving efficiency of resource allocation. The preliminary findings have not identified whether or not hemodialysis for diabetic nephropathy is cost-effective. The domination of hemodialysis as a treatment modality for ESRD, despite the plethora of studies that have identified it as the least cost-effective of RRTs (Haller, et al., 2011; Just, et al., 2008, Kontodimopoulos Niakas, 2008), provides the health sector with the evidence needed to revise treatment protocols and an opportunity to improve cost-effectiveness of ESRD treatment. This can be achieved by reducing the use of hemodialysis and introducing as an alternative peritoneal dialysis, which has been cited as being the most effective of dialysis options. Just, et al. (2008) caution that the economics of dialysis in the developing world, where labour may be cheaper than the importation of equipment and solutions, may lead to the perception that peritoneal dialysis is more expensive than hemodialysis. They go on to note that this is not conclusive as there is a dearth in economic evaluations in developing countries to substantiate that view. As an alternative, a well developed CKD Care Program is able to significantly reduce the probability of developing ESRD among at risk populations, as well as significantly lower healthcare costs among ESRD patients (Wei et al., 2010). There is a need to expand the services offered by the Renal Unit as well as its coverage to help achieve that end. Conclusion of Preliminary Findings Despite a declared commitment to Primary Health Care (PHC) as a strategy for National Health development, the Ministry of Healths actions have not been consistent with its declaration. Secondary and tertiary care service is posing a great financial burden on the health system, as purported by the preliminary findings of this paper. Evident in the resource allocations for health in St. Lucia, Primary Care Services are allocated a decreasing or stagnant proportion of the health budget, considered against a decreasing allocation of total public expenditure to health. A sustainable health system needs to maximize the use of health resources, creating a more efficient health system that is capable of providing quality health services in a cost-effective manner in order to maximize population coverage. Primary health care needs to become the thrust used to promote efficiency in health as it is recognized as the most cost-effective of interventions. References Basch, P. (1999). Textbook of International Health