Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay Example for Free

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay Porter’s five-forces model reveals that the overall alternative beverage industry attractiveness is high. Some beverage companies, such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have mastered the art of brand building in the alternative beverage market and have been rewarded with rapid growth rates. The rising population of health conscious consumers is increasingly leaning towards alternative beverages that are believed to offer greater health benefits. The strongest competitive force, or most important to strategy formulation, is the threat of entry of new competitors. Competitive pressure from rival sellers is high in the alternative beverage industry. The number of brands competing in sports drinks, energy drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverage segments of the alternative beverage industry continue to grow each year. Both large and small vendors are launching new products and fighting for minimal retail shelf space. More and more consumers are moving away from traditional soft drinks to healthier alternative drinks. Demand is expected to grow worldwide as consumer purchasing power increases. Another strong competitive force is buyer bargaining power. Convenience stores and grocery stores have substantial leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers due to the large quantity of their purchase. Newer brands are very vulnerable to buyer power because of limited space on store shelves. Top brands like Red Bull are almost always guaranteed space. This competitive force does not affect Coca-Cola or PepsiCo as much due to the variety of beverages the stores want to offer to the customer. As a result of this certain appeal, the two companies’ alternative beverage brands can almost always be found shelf space in grocery/convenience stores. Distributors, like restaurants, have less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of quantity limitations. The weakest competitive force is the bargaining power and leverage of suppliers. Most of the raw materials desirable to manufacture alternative beverages are basic merchandise such as flavor, color, packaging, etc. The suppliers of these commodities have no bargaining power over the pricing due to which the suppliers in the industry are relatively weak. Raw materials for these drinks are basic commodities which are easily available to every producer and have low cost which makes no difference for any supplier. Low switching costs limit supplier bargaining power by enabling industry members to change suppliers if any one supplier attempts to raise prices by more than the cost of switching.

An Analysis Of What Is Enlightenment By Kant Philosophy Essay

An Analysis Of What Is Enlightenment By Kant Philosophy Essay The title of the essay was what is enlightenment it was written in 1784, in the essay he basically replied to a question that was put forward an year earlier by Reverand Johann Zollner, he was also a government official. Reverand had posed an open question to all about removal of clergy from marriages, many people replied but the most famous one is by Kant. The essay reflected the present situation that existed when he wrote the essay. The situation had 3 basic characterstics: the present was different from the previous eras in some distinct way, second; it represented some important upcoming events; third; it meant that the world was moving towards something new. In his essay Kant discusses the reasons for the absence of enlightenment and what is required from people for enlightenment to flourish. Kant defines enlightenment that a person achieves when he frees himself from immaturity that he caused himself. Immaturity to Kant means an inability to be able to think on your own and to rely on other peoples opinions to make decisions, this also means that a person is immature if he is unable to use his own judgment and understanding of things. Kant further explains that the immature person is so because he lets others decide for him and he becomes dependent on help from others so much so that acting and thinking on your own becomes some thing very difficult. Here to explain his argument Kant draws an analogy of the influence of government on its people with tamed animals, who are trained to not cross a certain boundary without their carts by making the animals aware of the dangers that lie ahead. This makes the cattle afraid to even try and see for it self. In the same way the government provides its people with a set of beliefs and ideas that the immature person immediately agrees upon and which aids in furthering his immaturity. Kant argues that it is extremely difficult for a man to reach maturity alone but it is easy for a number of people to do so together. The reason is that when a person starts relying on others for guidance he finds it increasingly difficult to break out of that pattern and start thinking on his own as any mistakes he makes will highlight the defects in his way of thinking. Kant also hints in his essay that a person needs certain qualities to leave immaturity, and these include fearlessness and vigor. Kant goes on to say that if a society was given freedom it will inevitably become enlightened. This statement seems a little extreme but he goes on to explain further that for enlightenment to reach everyone it should be brought about slowly and gently. Then Kant goes on to explain how and to what extent freedom should be excercised. Kant explains that public use of freedom is absolutely essential for enlightenment to take place. He says once people start expressing themselves openly in public forums, these thoughts will eventually influence decisions taken by those in positions of authority. The philosopher also points out the difference between use of freedom at an individual level and at a public level. Like I mentioned earlier, to attain enlightenment public freedom has to be used, however he says that use of freedom at an individual level is not useful at all. Kant also differentiates between expressing of ones opinions and acting on those opinions, he uses an example of a clergyman at the church. He is appointed on the condition that he will teach the principles laid down by the church so he has to teach them as it is. However he can point out constructive criticisms in the way of working of the church which can then be reviewed by his seniors. Thus Kant points out that one can not achieve enlightenment without following the laws of the society, he has to obey the laws but at the same time he should have the courage to criticize what he things is wrong or should be changed. So for him any society that does not obey the laws cannot achieve enlightenment. Kant lived at a time when Monarchy was prevalent in the world and it was considered one of the best ways of running a country. So a question arises here that is this theory acceptable in a democratic environment? My answer is No. Kant says that revolutions are counterproductive as new ideas replace old ones those new ideas are imposed on the immature population like the older ideas were. So according to Kant the situation brings about no difference but this is not true for a democratic world where rulers are selected by the people and can be changed if majority of the population is dissatisfied. However one of the unique principles of democracy is that people have freedom. They have the freedom to think and either choose to extend the current governments terms or elect a new leader if they are not satisfied with the performance of the current one. Thus it is evident that the slow and gradual change that Kant talks about can be implemented in Monarchial society, it may even be the most efficient way of bringing about change but in a democratic world this is not possible. Another aspect is that in order for a theory to be effective it needs to draw a middle ground between theory and practice. Some philosophers lack the judgment to make the theory practical others are unable to complete their theory as they lack some form of practical experience. Kants theory is also lacking in some respects. Kants theories in general have often been criticized as too vague to be practical and useful. All human beings live in a certain time period and place. It is often not possible to separate rationality from our personality, so often we ponder over some issues that others are facing in an abstract way but for anything the starting point should be our own situation. It has often been assumed by many philosophers that we can be rational and we can put our personalities aside to come up with principles that apply to all, but this is not true. Philosphers like Kant assumed this because most enlightenment thinkers were from the same period and place (Europe) this lead them to think that their answers were rational but they were not, they also reflected the culture that these ideas originated in. Kants theory has resulted in criticism and arguments from many philosophers, however whatever one thinks about this philosophy one thing cannot be ignore; i.e. its historical significance. So many years have passed yet Kants theories continue to influence us and the concept of freedom introduced by him has been embraced very clearly by all and thus his work is also very important in helping us understand what enlightenment and freedom is all about. Work Cited Kant, Immanuel. An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?  An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?  (1784). Print.

A Research Brief And Research Proposal Marketing Essay

A Research Brief And Research Proposal Marketing Essay The Long Mynd Tea Company TLMTC is a leading player in the specialty and green tea market in United Kingdom. UK, with a market share of 63%, is the largest tea consuming market in Western Europe (Tropical Commodity Coalition). Tea consumption in UK was pegged at 31,000 tonnes in the year 2008. Our internal Long Mynd Business Intelligence Unit LMBIU has indicated that global supply deficits in 2010 mostly attributed to severe droughts in Kenya and India in 2009 resulted in global tea prices hitting a historical high in 2009. This resulted in Unilevers PG Tips being priced 28% higher than a year ago, while Tetley was pegged at 7% more expensive (Euromonitor). Business Issues The demand for tea in UK has been healthy but rising prices in the market can lead to fall in demand especially for specialty tea which is priced slightly higher than regular tea. TLMTC recognizes the issue and to counter and differentiate its offering we plan to introduce a unique range of product, herbal and fruit tea-bags under the brand name Revive. Revive offers a unique feature to consumers in the new range of teabags which is the shape of the bags. The company is planning to use an innovative manufacturing process to craft the tea-bags in irregular shapes which involves only minimum wastage. The new bag is designed in a unique flower shape. The product will be distributed through the existing delivery channels of hypermarkets and supermarkets. We will also tie-up with large cafà © chains to distribute the product. We plan to promote the launch by an aggressive campaign involving magazine and posters in the Autumn of 2011. The key message in the ads will be around the unique shape and attempt to tie it to herbal and health connotations. The ads will also carry the message of good taste of the tea. Research Objectives TLMTC wants to know whether the unique shape of the tea-bag and the taste of the tea are appealing to consumers. We want to test the hypothesis that the consumers perceive the package as a differentiating factor. We are also interested in validating the hypothesis that the taste of the new product will be accepted by consumers. The exploration of these aspects will help us make any possible changes to the product and communication. We also assume that consumers will associate the floral shape to herbs and healthiness. The study should provide us with a clear understanding of how the consumers perceive the packaging as a differentiator. It should also give us clear guidelines on what are the positive and negative perceptions about the new pack. We expect to get recommendations in form of a programme of research to guide us through the launch of Revive. Deliverables We expect to receive a complete report of the research in 4 hard copies and an electronic version of the report to be submitted at the LMBIU office at our corporate headquarters. We also require the research agency to submit a PowerPoint presentation and present it to the marketing team at our offices 1 week after the final report is submitted. Limitations Timing: TLMTC wants to have the final report ready by no later than 3rd week of July 2011. The marketing team would first review and approve the report. Thereafter, the agency would need to present the key research findings to the marketing team latest by the last week of July2011. Budget: The budget that we are willing to allocate to the project is no more than  £60,000. This includes any sum spent on travel and other activities to finish the project. Location: Revive will be launched nationally in UK and hence we want the research to be carried throughout the country in all major cities. Proposal Submission Information TLMTC expects a research proposal from the research agency in 2 weeks from the date of receiving research brief. The proposal should be submitted electronically to us, in attention to our marketing manager. Research Proposal for Revive By Insights Consulting Limited Background Long Mynd Tea Company TLMTC, a leading specialty tea company in United Kingdom, is looking to innovate and introduce a unique range of herbal and fruit tea bags under the brand name Revive. To help them with the exercise, TLMTC has approached the Insights Consulting team to submit a Research Proposal for the study. We understand that you want to primarily assess consumer perception of the flower shaped tea bags, which is essentially the prime differentiating factor of the new range, as well as evaluate whether the taste of the new range appeal to consumers. Tea is a very versatile and competitive category in United Kingdom and hence a deep understanding of the category in general and consumer attitude towards the product in particular needs to be presented in the study (Wilson, 2008). The following outlines our approach to the study in terms of research objectives, scope of the analysis, timelines and budget for the same. Objectives To understand the consumer preference and attitude towards the new brand of tea-bags being launched by TLMTC on two parameters namely; consumer appeal for the innovative shape of bags and taste of the product. By means of the study we will provide you with a complete programme of research (data acquisition and analytics) to guide them through the launch of the product. The report will also provide guidelines on any changes that we deem necessary to make the product more appealing to the target consumer group. The report will also provide leads on consumer perception that will help your marketing team to develop the correct strategy/message to be communicated to consumers though advertisement campaigns. Methodology Research Design Insights Consulting proposes to conduct the study to gauge the appeal for the taste and packaging among the target consumers. As the product is meant for the health conscious group, research would be carried out among those aged between 18-55 years representing Young adults (18-29 years), Older adults (30-40 years) and Middle-aged (41-55 years) consumers. We understand from secondary sources that for the TLMTCs product segment, which is herbal teas, to become main segment there is a need for continued innovation around flavour in order to improve the taste of the product. As of now, regular tea is consumed by around 22 million of the UK population and more than half (56%) have experimented with herbal tea but its taste did not appeal to them (Mintel, 2011). To have a better understanding of the complex consumer preferences, we suggest an optimum combination of both qualitative and quantitative tests to meet the objectives of the study. Following are the recommended methods: Focus Group Discussions We propose to conduct in total 9 Focus group discussions in the 3 major cities of United Kingdom which will provide us with a good representation of the target market London, Manchester and Glasgow, 3 in each city such that it covers all age bands. The Focus group discussion would be led by a moderator while a panel of experts would be present to measure the emotional/ subconscious reactions of the participants. The participants would be first shown the new tea bags and the moderator would direct questions around the first reaction of the participants, would they like to buy and use it, do they perceive the product to be healthy to understand if the health platform will work for the product, would they be ready to pay a premium for the unique offering, would they include the offering in their daily diet, what would be the likelihood of repeat purchase and most important of all; their suggestions on the product and its unique packaging. Tea is seen as a healthy drink with high antioxidant content which claims to have slimming effects (University of Maryland, 2010). We understand from other studies that women prefer herbal tea as compared to their male counterparts (DailyMail, 2011). The FGDs will try to understand this angle as well and try to find if there is a special need of this consumer segment which can be addressed by the product in its current form or with any variants. Taste Test The participants would then be requested to taste the product and the next round of discussions would be directed to that aspect. It would again assess the first reaction, how they would like to consume it, would they be ready to pay a premium for this experience, etc. It is also very important to assess that the health connotation does not intervene with the taste experience of consumers. The taste test will also provide us insights into how different consumers perceive Revive as compared to the other brands available in the market. The moderator can also test the possibility of certain flavours and variety (Hot/ Iced) which the participants might seek. Projective Techniques We also propose to use Projective Techniques in the focus groups. We will introduce photos and use techniques such as word association and third person technique. Participants will be asked to look at photos and associate different types of people with the new concept/packaging and taste. This technique would be especially useful since it is a premium product and hence would help in measuring whether it succeeds in appealing to the higher sensibilities of the consumers. This will help us understand the motivations of consumers in consuming the category. It may also help in forming a platform for promotion message building directed at the target market. We appreciate the general feeling that Projective techniques in themselves may not provide any robust insights and are not considered as method of choice to study consumer motivation, nor do these techniques provide all the tools for such studies. Though they do help a researcher uncover feelings, beliefs, attitudes and motivation which many consumers find difficult to articulate and explain (Donoghue, 2000). In an experience based category like herbal tea, these techniques will be worthwhile to use. Questionnaire Based Survey Administered surveys are important to cover a larger sample base and also gain information on aspects which cannot be covered through qualitative measures. It would aim at profiling tea drinkers and non drinkers demographically (Revive being a health based premium offering income, age and gender profiling gains major importance), assess their eating habits (and mainly tea drinking habits in case of tea drinkers and probability of drinking tea in case of non drinkers) and shopping habits, price they would be willing to pay for the product and the optimum pack size for first trials (which would help you in the launch promotions). It would be also important to analyze whether consumers shift from other beverages to herbal tea given its benefits and increasing health consciousness (The Observer). The survey questionnaire would be designed based on the above aspects and the inputs we receive in the FGDs. It would include a screener to ensure data collection from a representative sample. Alternate Techniques An alternative to Focus Group discussions is Online Focus Group discussion. We can also replace the normal taste test with blind taste test. We can also take help of depth interviews to get in-depth understanding of consumers on a one-to-one basis. Online focus Group discussions are hard to monitor and they are quite impersonal to gauge customer reaction, which in a way hinders the qualitative assessment associated with focus group discussions. They are also not a good way to reach non-computer literate consumer base and need additional infrastructure (Wright, 2005). We will also miss out on experiential elements which are essential to a product category like tea. Blind taste tests can be a good medium but here we want to establish the taste perceptions of just our brand and get qualitative feedback on taste comparison. Blind taste test also requires additional product samples to be used which will have additional time and cost implications. Hence we recommend doing normal taste test. Depth interviews are a good option but are costly and time consuming exercise. Given the budget constraint and quick turnaround time of the project we recommend conducting focus group discussion which will allow us to combine the discussion with taste test and use our projective techniques as well. Internet and in-venue surveys would help in accumulating additional information through a larger sample thus optimizing results and providing an all round analysis. This combination will provide us with a robust solution on the research front and also help us overcome the various limitations like time and budget restrictions. Sampling: Focus Group Discussions Target population: Health conscious people (18-55 years) and tea drinkers Sampling frame: Our database for each city Sampling method: The sampling would be a combination of Stratified sampling: since the respondents of Focus Group have to meet the criteria of being tea drinkers Quota sampling: to cover the entire target age group and both the genders Sample size: 90 Quotas: Since females are the primary shoppers in UK (Lake) as well as prominent consumers of herbal tea, their quota is kept higher than males. The quotas would be as follows: Gender Age Group Quota Female Young Adults, 12-29 years 24% Older Adults, 30- 40 years 20% Middle Aged, 41- 55 years 23% Male Young Adults, 12-29 years 10% Older Adults, 30- 40 years 13% Middle Aged, 41- 55 years 10% The sample will be sourced equally from North, South and Midlands (33% each) to ensure uniformity and non-biased result due to skewed sample. The group discussions will be carried out in the following scheme- Group 1: South young adults 18 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 2: South older adults 30 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 3: South middle aged 41 55, (3 males, 7 females) Group 4: North young adults 18 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 5: North older adults 30 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 6: North middle-aged 41 55, (3 males, 7 females) Group 7: Midlands young adults 18 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 8: Midlands older adults 30 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 9: Midlands middle aged 41 55, (3 males, 7 females) Survey Target population: Health conscious people (18-55 years) Sampling frame: Our database for each city (for in-venue surveys) and Internet Panel for Online surveys. Sampling method: Quota sampling, to cover the entire target age group and both the genders Sample size: A sample of 1200 would be distributed equally between In-venue Surveys (600) and Online surveys (600) Quotas: The survey questionnaire would be administered among both tea drinkers (75%) and non drinkers (25%). It would span 1200 respondents (400 from each city 100 males, 300 females). This will ensure a proper coverage of the target consumer groups and thus provide us with robust results. Data Collection and Analysis: Our team will record, transcribe and analyze each of the group discussions and use their results for the final recommendations. The results will be categorized and presented to reflect the views of each demographic group separately and on a combined level to give a holistic view of consumer perception and preference. The taste tests and projective techniques will also be analyzed and combined with the results of the overall FGDs to come up with a complete solution as required by you. Imbibing the learning from the opinions and ideas that come out in the study, the final report will be a complete guide that will help TLMTC launch Revive successfully in the market. It will provide adequate consumer insights and marketing cues to help your team in strategizing a successful launch. The questionnaires would be administered both in person and through internet (50% 50%).Personal interviews would be conducted at strategic venues; essentially data would be collected from outside retail outlets (hypermarkets/ supermarkets distributions channels for Revive) and cafà ©s as they would help in reaching out to our main target market, i.e. shoppers and tea/brewed beverage consumers respectively. Internet interviews would save time and cost, at the same time in-venue surveys would optimize sample representation. Deliverables: We will submit 4 (four) hard copies and an electronic copy of the report as requested by TLMTC at end of the study. The report will provide in-depth analysis and report the facts and insights that we gather from the exercise. It will also discuss the recommendations we will make and explain the rationale of the same. We will also clearly spell out the limitations (if any) of the study. As requested we will also do a PowerPoint presentation of the key results at your head offices one week after the final report is approved. We understand that the audience at the presentation will be members from the marketing team who would be more interested in the key takeaways and action points. As such, we will only present the top-line findings and recommendations at the presentation. Timing: We assume that the proposal will be accepted by second week of May 2011 and we will be able to start work from third week of May around 16 May, 2011. The project will take approximately 8 weeks to finish after the proposal is accepted. We plan to finish-off the final presentation by 11 July, 2011 so that your marketing team gets ample time to execute the recommendations for an Autumn launch. Tasks Start date Duration (in number of working days) End date Set up focus groups 16.05.2011 5 20.05.2011 Focus Group Discussions 23.05.2011 5 27.06.2011 FGD Data Analysis 30.05.2011 7 07.06.2011 Compiling Report 08.06.2011 5 14.06.2011 Set up Questionnaire 15.06.2011 3 17.06.2011 Field work 20.06.2011 5 24.06.2011 Survey data Analysis and Report 27.06.2011 7 05.07.2011 Submission of Final Report 06.07.2011 1 06.07.2011 Review of the report and feedback 07.07.2011 2 08.07.2011 PowerPoint Presentation 11.07.2011 1 11.07.2011 Budget The total cost of the project is estimated at  £58,500 as follows: Task Cost/unit No.s Total Cost Focus Group Discussions ( 2 hours each)  £3,000 9  £27,000 In-venue Interviews  £24 600  £14,400 Internet Interviews  £13.5 600  £8,100 Project management/ Data processing  £9,000 Total  £58,500 We have tried to adjust the cost of the project under the budget limit indicated by TLMTC in the research brief.

Two Characters from J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

Choose two characters from the play. With careful analysis of relevant sections of An Inspector Calls, show how Priestley wants us to react to them in different ways, and give reasons for these differences Priestley’s socialist views are reflected in his play-written in 1945 but set in 1912- just before the first of many imperative and decisive events such as World War 1, World War 2 and who could forget , the sinking of the not so resilient cruise liner; Titanic- â€Å"An Inspector Calls†. Priestley wants everyone to work together and have no boundaries between them any longer. Believing that we are all responsible for each others actions and that we should learn from lapses in the past and act upon them is a key element in Priestley’s socialist beliefs. By learning these mistakes it would create a superior and more established hope for the future. â€Å"An Inspector Calls† is a moralizing glance at the site and situation of one family, the Birlings. Priestley uses his play as a vehicle to express his moral and social concerns; that if we do not begin taking responsibility for each others actions, there will be no hope, no foundation and most importantly no future. The characteristics of this family are chosen carefully and accurately. The â€Å"older generation†, Mr Birling is described as a â€Å"prosperous manufacturer† who believes that â€Å"a man has to mind his own business and look after himself† and should not get involved in â€Å"community and all that nonsense†. He is a very pretentious, egotistical and typical man of 1912. The moment in time when Priestley decided to write the play couldn’t have been more perfect, and is where he uses Mr Birling to express the naà ¯ve and pugnacious capitalist views in his rather long and â€Å"portentous† speeches. His speeches consist of how none of these things will ever happen. â€Å"†¦I say there isn’t a chance of war† and the Titanic is â€Å"†¦unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable† and not to overlook that the world would have â€Å"forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations†, which are obvious signs of dramatic irony. Whereas Sheila, the â€Å"younger generation† is rather â€Å"pleased with life†, which shows her vulnerability to be easily divorced from her engagement festivity. Because she is young and still learning new and â€Å"squiffy† terms, Priestley chooses her to change and develop, in hope that people will become more socialist in the near future. Sheila is a more compatible person who eventually changes her views as the play progresses. In the beginning of the play â€Å"the general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and homelike†. We are made to feel that this is an environment with an array of surprises lying ahead.

The Nouveaux Riche of Victorian England :: Victorian Era

The Nouveaux Riche of Victorian England Relation of The New Banking/Industrial Class to High Society As the middle class began to further divide, those who grew in wealth became known as a banking/industrial class. Along with their sudden economic prosperity there came a desire for social transformation- an aspiration for new aristocracy. They carried their traditional middle class values into prominence with their accumulation of wealth. They sought to achieve a merit oriented Society rather than social climbing, for their children's sake, into the existing one based solely on birth. This hindered the new class from ever attaining Aristocratic Social acceptance for their new wealth and deemed them the nouveaux riche. Despite obvious disapproval from the Aristocracy the nouveaux riche continued their economic ascent through "personal contact [which] was a crucial element in filling posts" (Loftus 5). This dependence upon others for mounting economic standing was contrary to the middle class value of independence. This industrial class was forced to rely upon the connections, potenti ally aristocratic, in order to succeed. Loftus explains that middle-class values were carved out in these attempts to define a society based on merit rather than aristocratic privilege. However, the importance of cultural capital and social networks to success in the period implies that the rise of the middle-classes in the Victorian period saw the replacement of one set of privileges with another (Loftus 4). However the Nouveaux Riche failed to fully assimilate into aristocratic society due to lack of pedigree. Spending Habits of the Nouveaux Riche Along with new money comes the ability to spend it. The Industrial class did exactly that, using their newly acquired money to purchase large amounts of land and houses august enough for the property. This land ownership propelled some nouveaux riche into riches surpassing those of the highest aristocracy. Their houses of course had to be decorated outdoing the splendor of the structure itself. This class "took immense pride in their homes which they saw as a reflection of status" ("BBC Homes"). The styles were excessively ornamental and took their influence from Gothic styles, rococo, styles, the Orient, and developments from their own industrialization. With owning such ornately decorated residences they had to show them off; this was done so through dinner parties and balls. People of course could not be outmatched by the rich styles of their houses and therefore doled out large amounts of money for clothes and transportation.

Hughes Promotes the African Civilization Essay

Still recognized as one of the literary giants of America. Langston Hughes played an of import function as a author and mind of the Harlem Renaissance. This was an artistic motion of African Americans that arose during the 1920s to observe the lives and civilization of Africans in the United States ( â€Å"Langston Hughes† ) . Because most of the African Americans had been brought to the New World as slaves of white Masterss. it was poets and authors like Hughes. an African American adult male. that helped to alter the perceptual experience of African Americans in the heads of the Whites one time bondage had been abolished. Hughes’ verse forms. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† published in 1926. and â€Å"Negro† published in 1958. hence depict African Americans as ordinary human existences like everybody else. and yet richer in civilization and civilisation than many others. seeing that they have participated in the building of the great â€Å"pyramids. † mentioned in both verse forms ( Hughes. 2007 ; Hughes ) . Hughes was direct and unfastened about the fact that his Hagiographas were meant to elate the conditions facing Africans in the United States ( Hughes. 1923 ) . They had been slaves. so therefore the Whites did non esteem them plenty even after the abolition of bondage. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† was published five old ages after the Tulsa Riot and during the Harlem Renaissance ( â€Å"Race Riot. Lynchings. and other Forms of Racism in the 1920s† ) . â€Å"Negro. † on the other manus. was published at a clip when racism was considered a bigger job than earlier. In fact. during the 1950s racism was at the head of American idea ( Lewis. 2002 ) . Many conflicts were fought to put inkinesss equal to Whites in the heads of all Americans. Hughes’ part of the fiftiess. his verse form â€Å"Negro. † was merely different to the extent that it was an artist’s part. Countless other Africans were contending on the streets of America to put things right one time and for all. Both verse forms. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† and â€Å"Negro. † are looks of African American individuality. The first verse form begins therefore: â€Å"I’ve known rivers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Hughes ) . In the 2nd as in the first. although the poet has made clear that the storyteller is a negro – the verse form. â€Å"Negro† begins with the words. â€Å"I am a Negro† ( Hughes. 2007 ) . Because the Whites had been Masterss over African slaves. they were inclined to look down upon Africans. Since the Whites were proprietors of belongings in America and surely richer. the inkinesss longed to be like the Whites. But. Hughes would wish the Africans to experience at place in their ain teguments. With images of rivers every bit expansive as of the Euphrates. the Nile and the Mississippi – the verse form. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers. † reminds the African of his or her historical roots or the history of the great African peoples who have traveled across all of these rivers adding value to the historical watercourse of civilizations. The verse form has irregular. long lines without beat because it is doing a basic point: the African psyche is every bit deep as any human psyche could be. The African single indulges in deep thought as he travels across antediluvian rivers. What he must brood on is his ain individuality on foreign dirt. Remembering the history of his civilisation. he must maintain in head that life carries on. What’s more. the poet reminds his fellow African that the black race has survived despite all odds ( Hughes ) . Because â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† was published during the extremum of Harlem Renaissance. it refers to depth of the African psyche. given that art is frequently understood as the voice of the psyche and the Harlem Renaissance was all about advancing African art and civilization in the United States. Using soft images such as the Mississippi’s bosom â€Å"turning aureate in the sundown. † the poet uses his accent on rivers to stand as a symbol for the deepness of the African psyche ( Hughes ) . â€Å"Negro. † published during the 1950’s besides references â€Å"depths† ( Hughes. 2007 ) . As in â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers. † the deepnesss mentioned by Hughes in both verse forms most likely refer to the deepness of African knowledge excessively. After all. both verse forms refer to the history of Africans. â€Å"Negro. † with its sentence agreements depicting either what had happened to Africans or what they have done in the history of the African civilisation – besides makes reference of the experiences and/or accomplishments that set Africans apart. for illustration. bondage and vocalizing ( Hughes. 2007 ) . The poet represents all Africans in both his verse form. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† and â€Å"Negro. † What is more. both poems reference the fact that the Africans were portion of the labour force that built the ancient pyramids. In â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers. † it was the African who â€Å"looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it† ( Hughes ) . In â€Å"Negro. † the pyramid is said to hold arisen under the African manus. implying that the African was greatly skilled even at the clip of ancient pyramid building ( Hughes. 2007 ) . The chief difference between the two verse forms. â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† and â€Å"Negro† is. doubtless. the spirit of hope felt through the first verse form versus the sense of desperation assorted with hope in the 2nd verse form. Hughes must hold composed â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† in a different frame of head wholly. The verse form clearly promotes the African American civilization and art as originating in the deep history of humanity ( Hughes ) . Although â€Å"Negro† makes reference of universe history excessively. it does non needfully advance African American art. apart from its mention to vocalizing. The African American may be considered as more of a labourer or low paid worker than an creative person in â€Å"Negro† ( Hughes. 2007 ) . Possibly the verse form was non written to advance African American art at all. As mentioned antecedently. the 1950s saw the Whites and inkinesss of America contending over the inquiry of equal rights of Africans in about all major countries of province operation. including instruction. There were terrible jobs related to racism during this period of American history. Clearly. inkinesss were being looked down upon. It was in the temper of that hr that Hughes composed â€Å"Negro. † The verse form speaks of the mundaneness of the African person while depicting the good utilizations that Africans have been made of. for illustration. in the building of the â€Å"Woolworth Building† ( Hughes. 2007 ) . â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† is surely non blue or dejecting like â€Å"Negro. † chiefly because it does non do reference of bondage and victimization as the 2nd. After all. Hughes is contending against unfairness toward African Americans in the 1950s. In the 1920s. his cause was wholly different. If â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† had made frequent reference of darkness as does â€Å"Negro. † the Harlem Renaissance could non hold been considered a forerunner of hope ( Hughes. 2007 ) . References Hughes. L. ( 2007. Dec 2 ) . Negro. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //amandafa. blogspot. com/2007/12/negro-by-langston-hughes. hypertext markup language. ————– . ( 1926. Jun 23 ) . The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. The State. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/45a/360. hypertext markup language. ————– . The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. wmrfh. org/dcrews/index_files/Hughes_The % 20Negro % 20Speaks % 20of % 20Rivers. physician. Langston Hughes. America’s Story from America’s Library. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. americaslibrary. gov/cgi-bin/page. cgi/aa/hughes. Lewis. C. H. ( 2002 ) . The Rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the fiftiess. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Colorado. edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/civil. htm. Race Riot. Lynchings. and other Forms of Racism in the 1920s. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. premise. edu/ahc/raceriots/default. hypertext markup language.

Obesity and cancer – Linked to what level

Or possibly make for a worse cancer prognosis? These issues are addressed in this report, with references to many studies performer d at the population level, and at the molecular level – attempting to link cancer progression (prostrate cancer), severity and occurrence, wit h symptoms of obesity – such as visceral fat, deadlocked levels, etc.Focusing primarily on the dopamine levels in obese (cancer/non cancer) patients, in vitro tumor culture studies and data from prostrate/ breast cancer patients – this report aims to hint at a possible mechanism which underlies cancer progression on the basis of the data from above studies and explain how obese TTY as a condition, fits In the mechanism of tumor progression. Introduction to obesity – The first aspect regarding obesity is the quantification of the physical condition called ‘obese'.For the purpose of this report (and for most of the studies referred to) – computer tomography generated measurem ents in the order of ?comma area in the central abdominal regions (I. E. – of visceral fat), Is defined as the condition for obesity. Alternatively, other quantifications, such as waste- Hip ratios, Body Mass Index, etc are also used to define or relate specific aspects of body structure to the condition of being obese or its relate deed metabolic syndromes. 9] Central (visceral) obesity is characterized by metabolic syndromes such as – insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperventilates, displacement, hypertension, and problematic and protoplasm Tory states [81. All of which are fairly conditions that cause many complications in contemporaries occurring dies asses – however the focus of this report details the direct implications of obesity, and the molecules involved – followed by a generalization from this case-study on hormonal cancers. The molecular symptoms and effects of obesity on a patient's physiological system ar Fig. – Diagrammatic repre sentation of some of the possible mechanisms for obesity- related prostate cancer progression. GIF-I = insulin-like growth factor 1; IL- 6 = interleukin 6; VEGA = vascular endothelial growth factor; GHB = sex- hormone binding globulin. [8] Molecular characteristics of obesity – The following are characteristics/by- products of obesity and their respective roles identified in various hormonal (prostrate/breast) cancer studies – Hypersensitiveness – Geiger serum levels of insulin results in decreased production of Sex-Hormone Binding Globulin (GHB).GHB mediated inhibition of breast tumors has recently bee n identified in literature [1]. Hence, this characteristic is analogous to loss-of- inhibition for breast-cancer cells. Also, it results in higher levels of free androgen's and estrogen – which have been implicated in proliferation of breast cancers, and progression of hormonal cancers in general. Decreased Testosterone levels – have significance in prostrate cancer, as lower testosterone levels have been associated with high- read prostrate cancers. The characteristic being of higher proliferation and less differentiation in the tumor. 2] Perpetuation of TNT-alpha – by virtue of higher levels of TNT- alpha in serum, there is higher susceptibility to inflammation and inflammation by itself has a potential role as a cancer promoting event at any given site. [Smith's Term Paper] Dopamine secretions by adipose tissue are covered with a few examples – o Lepton – is an dopamine secreted primarily by White Adipose Tissue (WATT), and has been shoo win to be active in the formation of reproductive tissue (including the prostrate). And has be en positively correlated with visceral obesity and large prostrate tumors [4].Studies have shown that lepton promotes the proliferation of androgen- independent prostate cancer cell lines. It has also been shown to promote vascular endothelial cell profiler and misdiagnoses in vivo, processes that are crucial to allow cancer progression. Also, it has been positively correlated with increased prostrate cancer cell migration (implying invasion and metastasis) [5]. Mechanism of action – The proliferation response of prostate cancer cells to lepton has been shown o involve intracellular signaling molecules such as physicality-instill 3- kinas (POP-K) and c-June NH-terminal kinas NON). 10] o Interleukin-6 – one third of the circulating level secretion of IL- 6 is from adipose tissue. It is directly proportional to visceral obesity and insulin resistance. Its normal role being in modulo action of immune response and cell-functions – it is basically a growth inhibitor. However, recently it has been shown to undergo a transition in its role from growth inhibitor associated with neuroscience differentiation to stimulator accompanied by androgen receptor cacti action in prostrate cancer progression [6].Prostrate cancer cultures have been shown to secrete high levels of IL- 6, and it is believed that chronic exposure to this dopamine leads to loss-of-growth- inhibition in tumor cells. Serum IL-6 levels >7 pig/ ml are associated with a poor prognosis in men with prostate cancer. O Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGA) – VEGA levels are positively correlated with visceral obesity, and it is a potent nitrogen that allows for cell- migration, misdiagnoses and micro-vascular permeability. It hence, has a direct growth factor effect on tumor progression of all ski ads of cancer.Aggressive high grade cancers all show high levels of VEGA secretions. It is why apotheosized that obesity driven elevation in VEGA levels is a potent priming event for all forms of c anger, specially hormonal cancers. O Depiction – this is an dopamine that is negatively correlated with obesity and visceral fat. It has been identified as a possible therapeutic agent in many obesity related metabolic co indications, such as diabetes, hyp ertension, etc. Hence, by virtue of its opposite nature to other adipose nest, it is hypothesized to be the ‘anticancer' dopamine. It is also negatively correlated with high h grade prostrate and breast cancers.The function of depiction is via its two primary receptors, which have a spatial didst fiction that is governed by other growth factors and adipose. Studies have also identified JUNK and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STATS) as common downstream effectors of depiction. Both JUNK an d STATS play of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apotheosis during various physiologic and pathologic events such as tumor development. [7] Discussion/Analysis – Getting fat – Starting in chronological order of occurrence, in a patient's life – first, one must become obese for any risks to be present.Is this necessarily, true? Yes. Not that non-obese people are necessarily risk- free or unlikely to get cancer – but obesity is positively correlated with multiple forms of cancer, so that risk is assure deed. Foods containing high levels of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol are specifically t he ones that are implicated in development of central abdominal obesity. Linoleum acid (or Omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid) is a constituent of animal- at that has been positively implicated in prostrate cancer migration/ metastasis [12].Also, low-fat culture medium for in vitro tumor cultures resulted in decreased proliferation rates and low- fat diets for tumor bearing nude-mice also showed slower progression of tumors. White Adipose Tissue (WATT – a sub- classification of adipose tissue, which is largely present in visceral fat), is significantly co-relatable to consumption of animal- fat and saturated fatty acids. It is recognized as a metabolically active endocrine organ – some of the secretions of which have been listed above. Hence, there is definitely a relation between one's diet and cancer prognosi s.The role of obesity – Obesity has been generically classified as a condition that suppresses non- aggressive diseases and accelerates the aggressive ones. How true this stereotype may be, is not the subject of this report – but nonetheless the statement does hold true for cancer progression. To say that cancer (of any form) may be ‘induced' by obesity, is not a Justifiable states .NET on the basis of currently available data. However, ‘cancer progression' is definitely a task that obesity is able to remote to sufficiency (of the tumor).