Kite Runner of Khaled Hosseini Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kite Runner of Khaled Hosseini - Essay Example Comparison between Amir and Hassan The comparison between Amir and Hassan shows that Amir is a jealous person as opposed to Hassan. This is because, whenever Amir sees his father loving Hassan more than him, he gets jealous. As a result, he seeks methods aimed at attracting his father’s affection by trying hard and winning the local kite-running tournament. To ensure that he remains alone with his in their home, he frames Hassan as a thief by planting some money and a watch under his mattress so that when his father finds out Hassan is a thief, he will force him out of the family. In addition to jealousy, Amir is cold and a coward. For instance, when Hassan takes long after going to look for the blue kite, he goes searching for him and when he finds him in the hands of Assef who bullies Hassan and sexually abuses him, he does not help him (36). Besides, he hides and watches helplessly but thinking if he does get the blue kite to his father, he will approve him. In the other en d, Hassan is a true successful kite runner. Hassan is also a brave boy and loving friend. For instance, when Assef tries to attack Amir, he steps forward to defend Amir simply because he is brave and a caring friend for he defends his closest friend Amir. Similarities between Amir and Hassan The novel portrays Amir and Hassan as closest friends despite Hassan being a Hazarajat and therefore not allowed to stay close to Amir traditionally. The novel gives a number of similarities between Amir and Hassan. For example, within the context of their close friendship just as portrayed in part of the novel, it is deducible that both Amir and Hassan are friendly (44). Hassan is a Hazarajat and their tradition does not approve of his friendship with Amir. On the other side, Hassan does many things to help Amir due to their friendship. He defends him from bullies and helps him win the local kite-running tournament (59). All this happens because they are both friendly. When Amir returns to Paki stan after Rahim Khan who is ailing calls him, he establishes something that portrays another similarity between him and Hassan. Khan tells Amir that, for all that time he was not aware but as of that time, he knows. Khan is certain that Ali was not the true father of Hassan; his real father was Baba, Amir’s father. On that note, Amir finds out that Hassan was his half brother and they both shared the same biological father. This shows that, apart from being closest friends, they are also brothers. It is therefore agreeable that Amir and Hassan have another thing in common which is, they share the same father (64). Furthermore, both Hassan and Amir have talents. The novel portrays Hassan as a talented kite runner while Amir has talent in locating where the kite will fall even without looking. Thus, their talents are also part of the similarities that they share. How do their differences ruin their relationship? Amir and Hassan relate as friends and share the same home. Howeve r, they are not relatives. Baba, Amir’s father is rich and Amir gets almost everything that he wants. Hassan on the other hand ails from a poor family and can only get what is necessary. Since Amir feels that his father does not love him as much as he loves Hassan, he resolves to do things that ruin his relationship with Hassan. For examp

The Ideal Old Man Essay Example for Free

The Ideal Old Man Essay The initial reason for designing and constructing the Maglev vehicles was to create a car that could both carry a high number of people in a quick amount of time, and be the most cost efficient. Unfortunately for me, a high number of people would not be able to squeeze into my car. A slow, yet steady and comfortable pace made it quite obvious that my car was not in the upper echelon of the class. Instead however, it found its own identity as being ideal for an old man. Freedom rides through the countryside would be this cars specialty. In preparation for our upcoming project, we first watched a video on modern day Maglev vehicles. In the video we learned about the theories of magnets and electricity working together to form a high-speed vehicle. We learned about the futuristic possibilities of traveling from New York to Washington (without spilling your coffee) in relatively short time. The main purpose of a Maglev vehicle is for mass transportation in a quick amount of time. After we were introduced to the Maglev vehicle in the video, we proceeded to the computer lab to peruse the Internet. On the Internet, we found a variety of current Maglev vehicles. We got to check out the various speeds and performances that these particular vehicles had. In the making are some more elite types of Maglev vehicles. Perhaps someday in the near future, there will be a Maglev line running through our very own town. It was now time to plan out a strategy on the design of my car. The very first thing I sketched out was how wide the track was. A car any wider than the track would obviously not be able to run. Also, the magnets had to be a little more than an inch separated apart or else the magnets would not function properly. My completed sketch was a relatively small car that would be able to fit approximately 7-10 passengers at a time. One motor was supposed to rest on the top of the rear end and act as a propeller. Once my advisor approved my sketch, I looked for the proper materials in making my vehicle. The first thing I found was the material for my body. A light Styrofoam material was perfect for the design of my car. I cut out the proper design and also placed a shield of protection on it. Once the basic body was established, I found a base made of a hard light plastic. The plastic was easy to cut so that the contours of my base would match that of the car. Once I had my body and my base all set, I needed to install the ingredient that makes it all happen, the magnets. You could not just plug the magnets on the base in any sort of arrangement that you want. The magnets have to be placed on in rows approximately one inch apart. Also, the magnets (once they are placed on) must repel the force given off of the track so that the Maglev vehicle can float. After the magnets were carefully put on, it was time to install the motor system. The motor system consisted of one motor, two wires, and a propeller. The two wires would touch the side of the Maglev track and generate power inside the motor, which would turn the propeller. Once my motor system was installed, I was ready to test out my product on the track. Something was wrong. Placing my vehicle on the track was no different than trying to drive a car while it is elevated, the motor was humming but it wasnt moving an inch. Upon observation, I concluded that my car had too much weight pushing down on the magnetic track. The one thing I could do was to hollow out the insides of the Styrofoam, which would reduce much of the weight. Well, that didnt do too much. So I continued to chop away at the body of my car. Each crucial chop eliminated the passenger rate of my vehicle. Eventually the weight balanced out when my vehicle totaled the passenger rate of 1. 5. Saddened by the loss of passenger space, I was happy to see that my vehicle could at least move. My vehicle was now completed. All it needed was a purple colored body, and a beautiful purple baseball No. 4 for good luck. A cheap car to build, it only cost a shade over $57 million ($50 million going into labor). Measurements concluded that a mere 1. 5 passengers could jam into my cars tight surroundings. With the knowledge of my car being a one man wrecking crew I tested it on the track to see how much speed my puppy could burn. Once the results came in, it was time to label my Maglev car ideal for the old man. A respectable average speed of 4. 75, my car will not pass the board of transportations expectations. However, if the time comes for personal Maglev use in the future, people can come to either me or Q. Some controversy was brought up in aspects to the motor. A more efficient gold motor was placed on some of the other vehicles, and showed that they performed at a higher speed. Would my car have broken record speeds with this gold motor? Although my car would not have passed the expectations of the Maglev transportation theories, I did learn a lot about how electricity and magnets can work together. I learned that the Maglev is a mode of transportation for the future. A low (if not zero) pollution percentage, a Maglev would be ideal to the ozone. I found it amazing how the vehicles actually float down the track. The main problem for me was the weight factor. For some reason, I wasnt able to carry a space wide enough to fit any more than two passengers. Speculation could lead to bad magnet placement on the bottom. If I could do it again, I would design a car that distributes the weight more evenly throughout the base so I could fit more passengers. I would also look into purchasing the gold motor for higher velocity. I thought it was a fun project and I recommend it to future generations of classes.

Anti-cancer Drug Targeting AFR Receptor

Anti-cancer Drug Targeting AFR Receptor Results 1a 1b Figure 1 Cell viability data based on the use of the XTT assay Two different lung tumor cell lines were tested: one expressing the mutated AFR receptor (blue line) and one that expresses wild-type AFR (orange line). Figure 1a represented AFR lung cancer cell line with Drug X and figure1b represented AFR lung cancer cell line with drug Y. Cells were seeded in wells of a 96 well plate at 3 x 10*4 cells/well before treatment with the drugs at the indicated concentrations for 72 hours (triplicate samples at each concentration). XTT assay reagent was then added to the wells and the absorbance measured at 450 nm. Control wells (no cells) contained medium but no cells. The Cell Proliferation XTT assay is a colorimetric assay for the nonradioactive analysis of cellular proliferation, viability, quantification of cytotoxic and cytostatic compounds like anticancer drugs and pharmaceutical compounds, evaluation of growth-inhibitory antibodies and physiological mediators that able to inhibit cell growth (Sigma-Aldrich, 2016). Sample is adherent or suspension which cultured in 96-well microplates. A fictional receptor (AFR) was targeted by anti-cancer drug to inhibit the mutated AFR function, causing an anti-proliferative effect and even cell death. XTT ((2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide)) assay was used to measure cell viability in the two different lung tumor cell lines, one expressing the mutated AFR receptor (AFR mut) and one that expresses wild-type AFR (AFR wt). Drug Y was observed to hinder cancer cell growth dose dependently (Figure 1). The amount of observed absorbance increases with cell number and incuba tion time for 72hours when a maximum absorbance level is reached. The plot of the XTT assay data should create a curve with a linear part. This area exhibits the highest sensitivity to changes produced by the experimental parameters. Establishing the XTT assay data for treatment of AFR mutated and AFR wild-type lung cancer cell line with drug X from 0nm to 1600nm (Figure 1a), It was illustrated that the cell viability of mutated AFR increased considerably from 1.1 to 1.3 between 0nm and 800nm and then became steady at approximately 1.4 from 800nm to 1600nm. Compared with the wild type of AFR (Figure1a), the trend of the line was similar to the mutated one but the cell viability was first rised from 0.9 to 1.2 between 0nm and 800nm and finally exhibited a loss of linearity when greater than 800nm. The lung cancer cell line with drug X represented a cell proliferation assay because the absorbance values of the mutated one were greater than control conditions, representing an increase in cell proliferation and viability. On the other hand, investigating the XTT assay data for treatment of AFR mutated and AFR wild-type lung cancer cell line with drug Y from 0nm to 1600nm, It was indicated that the cell viability of m utated AFR started off at about 1.1 from 0nm to 50nm and then occurred a dramatic drop from 1.1 to 0.1 between 50nm to 400nm and finally lied on 0.03 at 1600nm (Figure1b). Compared with the wild type of AFR (Figure1b), the line was also decreasing but showed a completely different trend. The cell viability decreased from 0.89 to 0.88 between 0nm and 800nm stably and then exhibited a significant drop when greater than 800nm and finally lied on 0.8 of 1600nm. The lung cancer cell line with drug Y represented a cell apoptosis assay as the absorbance values were lower than control conditions, showing a decrease in cell proliferation and resulted from cellular necrosis or apoptosis. From the data analysis, drug Y was successfully tested to inhibit the function of mutated AFR which have an anti-proliferative effect to cause cell death and drug Y could be put forward for further testing. Figure 2 Flow cytometry apoptosis data: Annexin V -FITC (x axis) and propidium iodide (Y axis)   Ã‚   The proapoptotic effect of drug X and Y. The AFRmut cell line was treated with each drug at a concentration of 800 nM for 24 hours. The cells were harvested, resuspended in buffer and then treated with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide. Cytograms of annexin-V-FITC binding against PI uptake show three populations: (i) viable cells (low FITC and low PI signal) in gate Lower Left; (ii) early apoptotic cells (high FITC and low PI signal) in gate Lower Right and (iii) cells that lost membrane integrity which results in late apoptosis (high FITC and high PI signal) in gate Upper Right. The percentage of cell death increases in the tumor cancer cell line of drug Y, as demonstrated by incorporation of Annexin V. The inhibition of cell proliferation caused by AFRmut was related to the apoptosis induction. Apoptosis is programmed as cell death which is important in development, in normal function of certain tissues and in the response to the damage. Apoptosis involves events which results in the destruction of cell. Annexin V -FITC is a protein that binds to phosphotidylserine which can be labelled and used to detect apoptotic cells. The flow cytometry apoptosis data was plotted on a dot plot and the lower left was represented the viable cells while the upper right and the lower right were represented the dead cells and the apoptotic cells respectively. From the apoptosis data (Figure2), it was observed that the untreated condition showed 77% viable cells and 21% of apoptotic effect. When AFRmut was treated with drug X, the viable cells were increased by 19% and the apoptotic effect was largely decreased to 3%. In contrast, the incorporation with drug Y lead to considerable anti-proliferative effect where 58% of apoptotic cells were observed and viable cells only remained as 40%. Related to the induction of programmed cell death, the majority of cells from the two tumor cell lines were alive upon carrier treatment, the use of AFRmut lead to the entrance of these cells into apoptosis with incorporation of Annexin V. The treatment of drug Y showed a significant apoptotic effect than the drug X, which has a potential to inhibit the function of mutated AFR and results in anti-proliferative effect. Figure 3 Flow cytometry cell cycle data: x-axis shows propidium iodide fluorescence and y-axis shows the number of cells The AFRmut cell line was treated with drug X and Y at a concentration of 800 nM for 24 hours and then fixed with ethanol and stained with propidium iodide before analysis in a flow cytometer. Treating with drug Y showed no cells in G2/M phase. The inhibition of cell proliferation induced by AFRmut was correlated with cell cycle which was evaluated with propidium iodide by flow cytometry. Cell cycle demonstrated the cell progression through a division cycle which result in cell growth and separation into two daughter cells. Live cell observation of cellular DNA and distribution of cell cycle are valuable to regulate apoptosis, and also the tumor behavior and suppressor gene systems. Cells would be distributed into three phases of cell cycle: G0 /G1 phase (2N), S phase (DNA synthesis with various DNA), and G2 /M phase (4N) to identify apoptotic cells with partial DNA content desirably   (Krishnakumar R, Kraus W ,2010). Propidium iodide fluorescence was needed in these actions to bind DNA. From the flow cytometry results by histogram (figure 3), the untreated condition showed 42% of cells in G0/G1 phase while 31% in S phase and 27% in G2/M phase. When the AFRmut was treated with drug X, the cell number in G1 phase dropped by 7% while there was increase of 6% in S Phase. DNA replication occurs more effectively during S phase. Tumor cells with a higher proportion of cells in S phase as tumors were growed faster and more aggressive in that phase so drug X induced proliferation of mutated AFR. However, the addition of drug Y caused effective anti-proliferation effect by increasing the cell numbers in G1 phase from 42% to 86% since the cell has left the cycle and has stopped dividing. There was increase in the cell numbers and grow in size. The decrease from 31% to 14% for S phase indicated the ineffective DNA replication. Moreover, there was no cells observed in G2/M phase when treated with drug Y which represented the increasing numbers of apoptotic cells and the G2/M pha se arrest, which failed the mitosis progression. Discussion Drug Y can be an effective anticancer drug which targets mutated AFR and inhibit its function to lead an anti-proliferative effect. In the present study, two lung tumor cell lines, mutated AFR receptor (AFRmut) and wild-type AFR (AFRwt), Drug Y was found that it could inhibit the growth of the AFR in vitro. The IC50 values of AFRmut and AFRwt were with the same range of 450nm. Additionally, the cell cycle revealed that Drug Y arrested mutated AFR at S phase and G2/M phase. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that Drug Y induced apoptosis in the mechanism assessed by 3 different methods: cell viability assay, apoptosis assay and the cell cycle of flow cytometry. Taken together, these results suggest that the inhibitory effect of Drug Y on cell proliferation in mutated AFR is mediated through induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death. The limitation is the flow cytometry are only authorize the relative abundances of cell cycle phases compared to another (Dick FA, Dyson NJ, 2002). These actions can be examined by evaluating a coordinate sample of cells with mitotic inhibitor like nocodazole or G1/S inhibitor like aphidicolin. As these drugs establish a prevalent arrest in M-phase or early S-phase accordingly, moderately proliferating cells will gather at the drug inferred arrest location. For instance, cells arrested in G1 BY pRB expression will stay in G1 phase regardless of nocodazole treatment even regulating cells will accumulate in M-phase[13] Overall, the data demonstrated drug Y is able to develop an anti-cancer drug that targets a receptor called AFR (A Fictional Receptor) to block its activity. Drug Y successfully inhibits the function of mutated AFR by evaluating the cell viability assay, apoptosis assay and the cell cycle of flow cytometry. The assays showed an anti-proliferative effect and even cause cell death, which explains its significant antitumor activity in the various experimental investigations that have assessed. Thus, further studies about the way of administration, dose limiting toxicities and recommended doses are needed for the preclinical development of drug Y to evaluate the potential of the compound as an anticancer drug. References Dick FA, Dyson NJ, 2002. Three regions of the pRB pocket domain affect its inactivation by human papillomavirus E7 proteins. J. Virol.2;76: 6224-6224. Krishnakumar R, Kraus W, 2010. The PARP side of the nucleus: molecular actions, physiological outcomes, and clinical targets. Mol Cell. 39:8-24 Matthew J., et al, 2012. Analysis of Cell Cycle Position in Mammalian Cells  (59): 3491. Sigma-aldrich, 2016. Cell Proliferation Kit II (XTT) [online] Available at: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/roche/11465015001?lang=enregion=GB Wang, G., et al, 2005. Antitumor effect of ÃŽÂ ²-elemene in non-small-cell lung cancer cells is mediated via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences CMLS 62.7-8: 881-893.

Clear Channel: Music Entertainment :: Radio Stations Songs Papers

Clear Channel: Music Entertainment After scanning over the frequencies offered on the FM dial, radio listeners today quickly become bored, annoyed, and frustrated at what they hear.As they flip from station to station, listeners usually hear the same songs, often songs they do not especially like, repeated on multiple stations despite a change in frequency.Few of these songs are not that month's best-selling singles, unless they are listening to older music, which often only reflects the several dozen most popular tunes of previous generations.Amidst the repetitious music, listeners must also hear advertisements on many of the stations they turn to, waiting through several minutes of annoying sales plugs at each station before hearing more low-quality music. Perhaps these irritations are the reasons that fewer people have been tuning in to radio in the last several years.Over the last decade, the amount of radio listening in the U.S. has declined by 13%.Between 1998 and 2001, the amount of listening among teenagers dropped by 10% (Kot, "What's Wrong" sc.2).Excessive commercials was the reason one-third of listeners between the ages 12-24 gave for listening to radio less, amidst other complaints about the lack of variety in the songs and programs they were hearing (Boehlert, "Radio's Big" 5).Many music fans and critics from within the music industry blame the decrease in radio's popularity on the large corporate conglomerates that now own and control much of the music entertainment industry.Driven by the desire for profits, Clear Channel, the largest of these conglomerates, deserves most of the blame for mass-producing low quality, inaccessible radio and concerts across the U.S. After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated the radio industry, radio-owning corporations began rapidly consolidating.The National Association of Broadcasters lobbied Congress to pass this bill (Boehlert, "One Big Happy" 4), which would effectively eliminate all governmental restrictions on how many national radio stations one company could own and would loosen the limits on how many local radio stations companies could own.When the act was passed, the Federal Communications Commission allowed large radio companies to own up to eight local stations in any market, a large increase from the previous limit of two stations (Compaine 297). This government deregulation revolutionized radio by allowing larger radio companies to begin a spree of radio station buyouts.The more powerful companies that emerged further consolidated over the next few years through mergers that created radio giants with "vast empires" of media control. Clear Channel: Music Entertainment :: Radio Stations Songs Papers Clear Channel: Music Entertainment After scanning over the frequencies offered on the FM dial, radio listeners today quickly become bored, annoyed, and frustrated at what they hear.As they flip from station to station, listeners usually hear the same songs, often songs they do not especially like, repeated on multiple stations despite a change in frequency.Few of these songs are not that month's best-selling singles, unless they are listening to older music, which often only reflects the several dozen most popular tunes of previous generations.Amidst the repetitious music, listeners must also hear advertisements on many of the stations they turn to, waiting through several minutes of annoying sales plugs at each station before hearing more low-quality music. Perhaps these irritations are the reasons that fewer people have been tuning in to radio in the last several years.Over the last decade, the amount of radio listening in the U.S. has declined by 13%.Between 1998 and 2001, the amount of listening among teenagers dropped by 10% (Kot, "What's Wrong" sc.2).Excessive commercials was the reason one-third of listeners between the ages 12-24 gave for listening to radio less, amidst other complaints about the lack of variety in the songs and programs they were hearing (Boehlert, "Radio's Big" 5).Many music fans and critics from within the music industry blame the decrease in radio's popularity on the large corporate conglomerates that now own and control much of the music entertainment industry.Driven by the desire for profits, Clear Channel, the largest of these conglomerates, deserves most of the blame for mass-producing low quality, inaccessible radio and concerts across the U.S. After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated the radio industry, radio-owning corporations began rapidly consolidating.The National Association of Broadcasters lobbied Congress to pass this bill (Boehlert, "One Big Happy" 4), which would effectively eliminate all governmental restrictions on how many national radio stations one company could own and would loosen the limits on how many local radio stations companies could own.When the act was passed, the Federal Communications Commission allowed large radio companies to own up to eight local stations in any market, a large increase from the previous limit of two stations (Compaine 297). This government deregulation revolutionized radio by allowing larger radio companies to begin a spree of radio station buyouts.The more powerful companies that emerged further consolidated over the next few years through mergers that created radio giants with "vast empires" of media control.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Service

Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Air medical transport has only been used for the past 70 years. The first true air ambulance flight was during the Great War. A Serbian officer was transported from the battlefield to the hospital by plane. Air ambulance was being tested by different military organizations during the First World War. Schaefer Air services was the first United States air ambulance service, created in 1947. The Korean War was the big turning point for EMS helicopters. In 1950, the military was given authorization to use helicopters for medical purposes.These helicopters were used to evacuate injured patients from the battlefield during combat. The small helicopters were equipped with basket stretchers that were attached to the landing gear. The patients were transported outside of the aircraft, which did not allow for medical during transport. From January 1951 to January 1953 more than 17,000 patients were removed from the battlefield and transported to the hospita l by helicopter. The use of medical helicopter transport significantly decreased the causality/death rate among the people in combat.World War II death/causality rate was 4. 5 deaths per 100 casualties, whereas, the Korean War death/casualty rate was 2. 5 deaths per 100 casualties. The Vietnam War introduced to idea of patients receiving medical care during air transport. The Bell UH-1 also known as the Huey was the frost helicopter that was large enough to carry the patient and medical staff inside the aircraft. The state of Maryland started the nation’s first combined emergency service helicopter program, in 1969. This program was put into place by the Maryland State Police and the University of Maryland.The program joined together the state police, rescue and HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service). In 1972, St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver Colorado was the first hospital to have civilian hospital-based helicopter transport. This hospital-based helicopter transpo rt system is still in use today and is now intergrated with Denver EMS. The attributes of helicopter transport are speed, accessibility, specialized personnel and technology. Modern medical helicopters are capable of sustain speeds in excess of 150mph. This allows for patients to be transported to a specialized care center much faster than ground transport.Using a helicopter allows for emergency medical personnel to access patients in places ground crews cannot go. A helicopter can take off and land in a vertical motion. Emergency medical helicopters are staffed with highly trained and skilled staff. EMS helicopters are equipped with highly sophisticated medical technology and can reach people across a wide geographical area. When considering the use of the EMS helicopter you should take all these attributes into consideration. If these attributes are not important, then the use of an expensive EMS helicopter should not be used.Air medical transport can pose its own stressors to pat ients, medical staff and medical equipment. These stressors are more predominant in fixed-wing operations rather than helicopter transport. Hypoxemia is the biggest threat to people who fly. However helicopters no dot exceed 1000 feet above sea level. Patients being transported by helicopter are at no significant risk of hypoxemia secondary to decreased ambient pressure. Acceleration of the aircraft is another factor that can stress the patient. Helicopter acceleration force is not that much different than that of ground transport.Acceleration is more significant in fixed-wing aircraft. Noise is a major issue when it comes to helicopter transport. The noise inside the helicopter causes problems for the medical staff. The noise may hinder the medical staff from hearing lung sounds. The staff must use headphones and an intercom system to communicate. Vibration of the aircraft is another problem for the patient and staff. The vibrations can cause fatigue and discomfort to the patient. Vibration can also cause monitoring errors and equipment malfunction. Air medical transport has a few cons but when life is on the line these issues seem minor.Each helicopter has its own transport team. The transport team may consist of a pilot, registered nurse or paramedic, and can include EMT’s and EMT-I’s. Some flight crews include a physician. Physicians on fight crews have posed a lot of controversy as to whether a physician as a crew member improves the outcome of the patient. Each crew member must undergo many education courses as well as hands on training before being employed by HEMS. Safety is the most important aspect to HEMS. Emergency medical helicopters have an alarming history of crashes.The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a study to determine the major causes of helicopter crashes. Important areas of flight risk are the pilots, the mechanics of the aircraft, crew training, maintenance, weather conditions, time of day, and landing sites. The study showed that poor weather conditions posed the greatest risk for helicopter crashes. Since, the study many improvements have been made to improve the crash rate. It has been said that the sole decision is set on the pilot as to whether it is safe enough to take the flight or not.The pilot must consider the weather conditions, aircraft maintainence, and crew readiness. Medical personnel cannot make the decision to take the call. Medical personnel should not tell the pilot the nature of the call, because this may deter the pilot’s judgment. Currently the Federal Aviation Administration is looking to make changes in the safety procedures of HEMS. Air medical transport is generally used in for two reasons, rescue and inter-hospital transfer. Helicopter transport is very expensive and is potentially dangerous.Rescue helicopters are dispatched by emergency personnel at the scene. The helicopter reports to the scene of the accident or illness. When should a EMS helicopter be dispatched? EMS helicopter should only be called out when speed, accessibility, specialized equipment and personnel are all needed to save life or limb. Inter-hospital air medical transport is generally used to transfer critically ill patients to another hospital that suites the needs of the patient. There are two types of landing sites for EMS helicopters. One type is the controlled site. The controlled site located at hospitals.These landing sites are constructed to safely accomindate the aircraft. The second type of landing site is the uncontrolled landing site. The uncontrolled landing site is landing at the scene of an accident. The landing site is selected by the ground EMS. The pilot looks at the site and determines if it is safe to land or not. Ground EMS are trained on how to chose, and mark a landing site. Ground EMS personnel are also trained on how to behave around the aircraft. When a patient is going to be transported by air the ground EMS must prepare the patient f or transport.The EMS ground crew should have the patient stabilized as much as possible before transport. Another way ground EMS can prepare the patient is to intubate a patient that has a high potential for loss of airway. Good communication is the biggest factor in a successful transport. Ground EMS typically has radio communication with the helicopter. The communication between the two should be maintained until after the helicopter takes off. Maintaining good communication allows the flight crew to inform ground EMS of any major, unexpected patient complications or malfunctions of the aircraft.EMS helicopters must have well trained, diverse flight crews. These crew members must be able to perform their duties on the scene of an accident and while in flight. The crew members are trained to handle many different types of patients such as drowning, burns, spinal cord injuries, heart attacks, pediatric and neonatal patients. The flight nurse is responsible for the patient assessment , and interventions before loading the patient on the aircraft. The flight nurse must know how to use all the equipment and know all the safety guidelines pertaining to the aircraft.There are many different requirements to becoming a flight paramedic. A person who wants to become a flight paramedic must be able to work in chaotic situations. Becoming a flight paramedic involves a lot of hard work and dedication. The person who wants to become a paramedic must have at least one year EMT experience and many different certifications such as: CPR, Basic Life Support (BLS), Basic Pediatric Life Support (BPLS), Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS), Neo Natal Life Support (NALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).In order to become a flight paramedic this person would have to have at least 5 years critical care experience in a high volume progressive EMS system. Becoming a flight paramedic is no easy task.References Formm, Jr. Robert E. â€Å"Air medical transport†. Journal of Family Practice. March 1993. http://www. findarticals. com/p/articles. html . 1 Oct. 2010. Kreisher, Otto. â€Å"The Rise of the Helicopter During the Korean War†. Aviation History Magazine. History. net Jan 2007. http://www. historynet. com/the-rise-of-the -helicopter-during-the-korean-war. htm. 1 Oct. 010 Federal Aviation Administration. â€Å"Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Safety. †8 June 2010. http://www. faa. gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story. cfm? newsID+6763. 1 Oct. 2010. Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, and Bennet, Barbra, RN, MPH. â€Å"The Critical Care Helicopter System in Trauma. † Hartford Conneticut.. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC/articles. 1 Oct. 2010 Gentile. Rosanne. â€Å"How to Become a Flight Paramedic: Required Qualifications and Education. † Associated Content. 18 August 2008. http://associatedcontent. com. 1 Oct. 2010

Essay on Merger, Acquisition, and International StrategiesEssay Writing Service

Essay on Merger, Acquisition, and International StrategiesEssay Writing Service Essay on Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies Essay on Merger, Acquisition, and International StrategiesAn important aspect of strategic management relates to business growth due to mergers and acquisitions. Both local and international expansion can be fueled by the use of mergers or acquisitions. Such strategic decisions should be backed up by the initial analysis of the companys positions and the attractiveness of the merger or acquisition.In this paper, two public companies will be considered, one of them should be operating internationally and have a history of mergers or acquisitions, and the other should be operating within the United States and have no previous history of mergers and acquisitions. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of both companies, to evaluate the strategy of international company that led to the merger or acquisition, to identify a possible candidate for merger or acquisition for the company that operates only within the U.S., to evaluate international business-level and corporate-le vel strategy of the international company and to suggest one international business-level and one international corporate-level strategy for the company operating within the United States. The considered industry is department stores and the chosen companies are Macys Inc. (the company operating internationally) and Kohls Corporation (the company operating in the United States).Overview of Chosen CompaniesThe company operating internationally is Macys Inc (NYSE:M) (Macys Inc., 2014). It is a large multinational holding which operates two chains of department stores Bloomingdales and Macys. The stores primarily sell clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, beauty products, houseware and furniture. Macys Inc. stores can be found in 45 states, in the District of Columbia, in Puerto Rico, Dubai and Guam (Macys Inc., 2014). Moreover, Macys Inc. sells its products online and therefore reaches out to the customers throughout the world. In 2013, Macys Inc. was rated the 16th retailer by reve nue in the United States (Macys Inc., 2014).Macys stores offer a variety of merchandise and is associated with popular culture while Bloomingdales stores are upscale and are intended for more affluent customers. The first store was opened in 1858 and there were primarily dry goods offered in that store (Macys Inc., 2014). Later on, the store started producing clothing made to the customer measurements. The company expanded using mergers and acquisitions, the most notable of which were the merger with Federated Department Stores in 1994 and the acquisition of the May Department Stores in 2005 (Macys Inc., 2014). Macys Inc. shares are performing slightly better than the department stores industry in general (Yahoo Finance, 2014b).Kohls Corporation (NYSE:KSS) also operates in the department stores industry and runs a chain of retail stores named Kohls. These stores largely sell clothing, jewelry, footwear, electronics, houseware, beauty products, bedding and furniture. The company oper ates in the United States and its stores are present in 49 states (Kohls, 2014). The first Kohls supermarket was built in 1946 (Kohls, 2014). The positioning of the store was between discount stores and upscale department stores. The company grew primarily due to opening new retail stores, and although there was one major acquisition of BATUS Inc. stores in 1986, it was before the company went public in 1992 (Kohls, 2014). In general, Kohls shares are performing well and are in line with the overall industry trend, demonstrating slight growth (Yahoo Finance, 2014a).Analysis of Macys Inc. Strategy Prior to AcquisitionThe acquisition that had the most notable impact on the recent development of Macys Inc. was the acquisition of May Department Stores in 2005. Before the acquisition, Macys Inc. entered a period of diversification and brand reinforcement:. The first two stores of Bloomingdales were opened in 2003 in Atlanta, targeting more affluent and demanding customers. Furthermore, M acys integrated the stores existing in different states and re-branded them the nameplates for different regional Macys stores were changed to include Macys brand name. Macys Home Store division was created in 2004 (Macys Inc., 2014). In addition, the company launched a new program of customer loyalty in 2005 and offered new credit cards for its customers (Macys Inc., 2014).The actions of Macys Inc. during the 2003-2005 time span show that the company managed to arrange its organizational structure in order to improve efficiency, enhanced the brand by including the word Macys into all store names, added a division for diversifying the existing brand (Macys Home Store), created a new brand and a chain of stores for affluent customers.Such strategic decisions indicate that Macys Inc. was in the state of active expansion both in horizontal direction (opening new stores) and in vertical direction (optimizing organizational structure, cutting costs, diversifying products and strengtheni ng the brands).The May Department Stores company had about 500 department stores and 800 stores of formal and bridal wear in the United States and overseas. The stores were selling the same range of items as Macys. The acquisition was strategically efficient for Macys Inc., since the company improved its structure and branding and sought to expand its network in the United States and abroad. The acquisition of the May Department Stores was a very wise choice because it allowed Macys Inc. to gain market leadership in the department stores industry and to make its stores available across the United States. The acquisition helped Macys Inc. turn from a middle-scale player into one of the leaders of the department store industry.Probable Candidate for Kohls to AcquireKohls Corporation operates a large network of department stores and has many loyal customers. The company focuses on selling great brands and offers shopping convenience, value and excellent customer service (Kohls, 2014). However, the revenues of Kohls are dropping: they declined by 10% in 2013 and the forecast for 2014 is a decline of earnings by 15% (Kohls, 2014). The decline in sales is taking place due to the changing competitive environment customers prefer to shop online and there are many online retailers offering a wide range of products. Currently Kohls is working to create an own ecommerce solution, but it might be difficult to compensate the decline in sales by relying solely on a e-commerce solution.A viable opportunity for Kohls is to acquire its former competitor, J.C. Penney Company Inc (NYSE:JCP). This company also operates in the department stores industry and sells various clothing brands. JCP used to be very successful in 2008-2009: it combined online sales with catalog sales (Yahoo Finance, 2014c). However, a series of inefficient strategic steps such as the decision to change the approach to pricing, the conflict with Google regarding search results, late exit from catalog busin ess etc. significantly damaged market position of the company (Yahoo Finance, 2014c). Stock prices of JCP are rather low at the moment. However, the company still has a large network of stores and it might be a very valuable acquisition for Kohls. Furthermore, JCP already has a working solution for ecommerce which Kohls can re-use. Therefore, it might be very beneficial for Kohls to acquire JCP. This acquisition will both help Kohls expand its network of stores across the United States and will open more opportunities for selling the products abroad.International Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies of Macys Inc.A business-level strategy can be defined as the set of coordinated and integrated commitments and actions which the company uses to achieve a competitive advantage by using its key competencies in specific markets (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2014). For large markets, key types of business-level strategies are cost leadership and differentiation, for narrow markets th e strategies are focused cost leadership and differentiation (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2014). There is also a mixed strategy which is referred to as integrated cost leadership / differentiation (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2014).Macys Inc. collaborates with different brands and provides valuable offers to its customers in the United States and worldwide. The company targets a wide range of customers and therefore its business-level choices are either cost leadership or differentiation. Initially, Macys Inc. tended to rely on differentiation and gained customer attention due to wide range of brands available in the stores. However, since 2010 Macys also introduced cost cutting and cost optimization strategies which helped the company to remain profitable even in the context of intensive competition with other retailers selling their products online (Macys Inc., 2014). Therefore, currently Macys Inc. uses an integrated differentiation / cost leadership business-level strategy at the in ternational level.A corporate level strategy describes the set of actions that a company undertakes to achieve a competitive advantage by selecting and managing several businesses related to different product markets. Depending on the level of corporate relatedness (the similarity of products) and on the level of operational relatedness (the similarity of activities) a company can choose either unrelated or related linked diversification (in the case of low operational relatedness), related constrained diversification or both operational and corporate relatedness (in the case of high operational relatedness) (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2014).In the case of Macys Inc., its brands have notable similarity in the range of products offered (though differing in product quality and price) and the activities needed for selling different brands across the U.S. and online are similar. The levels of both corporate relatedness and operational relatedness are high and Macys Inc. is able to use a corporate-level strategy which utilizes the advantages of both types of relatedness. Due to the presence of corporate relatedness, Macys Inc. can transfer its core competencies such as unique brand collections and excellent customer service to the international level, and using operational relatedness, Macys Inc. can use economies of scope and optimize its costs.Possible strategic improvements for Macys Inc. include increasing the use of the economies of scale, establishing agreements with international transportation companies in order to boost online sales, offering virtual fitting-room and additional mobile services to attract customers. Macys should use non-traditional methods of attracting online customers in order to remain competitive.Suggested International Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies of KohlsThe acquisition of JCP which was recommended in the previous sections for Kohls would create opportunities for going international. Kohls addresses a wide range of cus tomers and positions itself as a store chain with unique brands and labels offered for moderate price. Therefore, it is best for Kohls Corporation to choose an integrated differentiation / cost leadership strategy for international expansion. It is recommended to sell items online and to offer private brands and rare brands. Furthermore, Kohls can stand out among other online retailers due to exceptional customer service and convenient interface for purchasing products.Regarding corporate-level strategy, Kohls choice should be the simultaneous corporate relatedness and operational relatedness strategy. Indeed, Kohls should utilize economies of scale in order to cut costs and offer competitive prices; at the same time, Kohls should offer a unique assortment of goods in order to gain customer attention. It is best for Kohls to enter the Canadian market first of all, and then, after achieving success in online sales, to offer its products in Europe, Australia and South America. The rec ommended acquisition will enhance both corporate and operational relatedness and will help to improve market position of Kohls Corporation.