The recent advance in gene manipulation and gene therapy essays

The recent advance in gene manipulation and gene therapy essays This essay will show how the recent advances in technology have improved genetic engineering and gene therapy techniques. Genetic engineering will be explained regarding its use for gene diagnosis, drug synthesis and the production of vaccines. The influences of gene therapy on certain illnesses will be researched and social and ethical issues on genetic engineering and its use for therapies will be evaluated. Genetic engineering is the subject of many debates. It involves altering the genotype of an organism. There is some argument about what actually constitutes genetic engineering but, in general, it means taking a gene, or genes, from one organism and inserting them into another. This may be done for a number of reasons. It may be used to produce a desirable characteristic in the target organism, it may be used in order to make the target organism produce useful substances that are easily harvested, it may be used to attempt to treat genetic diseases or it may be used to further research how genes may be controlled. Whatever the reason, the principles involved remain the same. The development of techniques for manipulating and transferring genes has opened up opportunities to use microorganisms to synthesise biological compounds on a large scale, to enhance food production and to introduce treatments for human genetic disorders The procedure for genetic engineering involves inserting genes into microbes. In the first step it is necessary to remove the target DNA from the cell. This can be done using a detergent such as Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate which disrupts the plasma and nuclear membrane. Once this is done, enzymes are used to break down proteins so that the DNA can be safely extracted. In the next step restriction endonuclease enzymes are used to cut the required gene out of the host DNA. However, this is not a random process. Each of these enzymes will recognize a specific sequence of DNA and only cleave ...

How To Do A Competitive Analysis In Three Easy Steps + Free Template

How To Do A Competitive Analysis In Three Easy Steps + Free Template So your boss has come to you and said you need to do a competitive analysis. Maybe youve never done one before, or maybe its been a while and you need to brush up on your skills before you conduct another one. Either way, weve got your back. By the end of this post, you’re going to Learn what a competitive analysis is (and why you should care) Easily be able to conduct your own competitive analysis (because I’m breaking it down into three easy steps) Get an example of what one looks like (for easy reference later) AND be able to download your very own competitor analysis template down below. Let’s get to it. Learn How To Do A Competitive Analysis In Three Easy Steps + Free TemplateWhat Is A Competitive Analysis? If you've never done a competitive analysis before, this is a good place to start. Every business that I know of has competitors. (This isn't just for the Nike's of the world, because the smaller you are, the more vulnerable you are to the competition.) The smaller you are, the more vulnerable you are to competition, so get to that competitive...Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your competition is important to the success of your business. Besides better understanding the environment your business operates in, conducting regular competitive analyses also helps you: Understand how you can improve your own promotional tactics†¦ Forecast the future of the market (especially related to the economic climate)... Better target current customers†¦ AND helps you read new audiences. Said another way - conducting a competitor analysis is crucial to how you decide to operate your entire  business. Recommended Reading: How to Complete a Social Media Audit in 9 Steps (Free Template) Competitive Analysis Definition According to Entrepreneur, the competitive analysis definition is this: â€Å"Identifying your competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own product or service.† Competitor analyses are more complex than just figuring out what your competitors are (or are not doing). They're about taking what you learn and improving your own business. After all, data that doesn't drive change is just a number. Data that doesn't drive change is just a number. Here's how to do a competitive analysis right.So without further ado†¦ Let’s jump into how to do a competitor analysis! How To Do A Competitive Analysis Performing a competitive analysis might seem like just  another task on your ever-increasing to-do list. And, while it might seem daunting at first, they're not that complicated and they are really beneficial. And to prove it - I’ve broken down how to do a competitive analysis in THREE (yes, just three) easy steps. Step 1: Identify Your Competitors This is an obvious first step. To start, perform a Google search of the products/services YOUR business offers, and take note of the results. For example, if you sell camping materials, you would type â€Å"camping tents, lantern, camping equipment, etc.† into the search engine, and then review the results, and compile a list of companies who also sell camping materials. It's important to be realistic about who your actual competitors are. Here are a couple of examples: If you’re a small business owner with a local brick-and-mortar women's clothing boutique, your competition is not the men’s retail store across the street (even though they are also selling clothing). The competition you should really focus on would be another women’s clothing store who is selling the exact same product as you. They are the ones who will have the largest impact on your success. OR If you’re a marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, your direct competition is other similar-sized marketing agencies in the area - not Ogilvy (a major advertising agency) in New York City. And once you feel confident about your pool of competitors, it’s on to the next step! Recommended Reading: 90 of the Best Marketing Quotes to Prove Every Point Step 2: Research Your Competitors After you’ve identified who your direct competitors are, it’s time to research them! This step is often the most time-consuming of the three, but it's also is the MOST important step. The data you collect here will directly impact the outcome of your analysis. The first phase of the research should be focused on the business of your competitors. Things you should look for include: Pricing strategies. Sales format. I.e. online or physical location? Product offering Next - you need to figure out why a customer would choose to purchase from your business and not one of your competitors. The best way to do this is to survey new /current customers. Recommended Reading: The Best Free Marketing Proposal Template That Will Get a Yes Here are a few questions you could ask new/current customers: What other business were you considering before you picked us? What do we have that our competitors did not have? Is there anything you wished we did have that our competitors do have? This honest feedback is one of the best ways to figure out how you stack up against your competitors in the eyes of your customers. Finally, you need to dig into their marketing materials and comb nearly every aspect of their website, social media and email communication. Here are the major things you need to consider: What are they doing with their marketing content? What are there overall strategies when it comes to demand generation, PR / social media, and product marketing? Who is their target audience? (I.e. Young professionals? College students? Professional marketers?) How many followers do they have on all the social networks? How are they positioning themselves in the market? (I.e. Are they the highest / lowest $$$ option?) Recommended Reading: The 30 Best Content Research Tips That Will Make You More Influential Step 3: Compare Your Business The last step is to compare yourself with your competitors. The best way to do this is by performing a SWOT analysis for each competitor, which helps you identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and in turn, identify your future opportunities and threats (this is where the term SWOT comes from). Once you’re done, you will have a clear picture of how you stack up against your competitors, and have all the information you need to decide what changes need to be made to optimize your business.

The Baroque Age and Eighteenth Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Baroque Age and Eighteenth Century - Essay Example Baroque outside Italy, for instance, in the Netherlands, it was done for commercial purposes to attract the emerging bourgeois class. This resulted in a significant transformation through the development of new painting methods such as a Portraiture, still life and landscape. This implies that the elements of the Baroque were instrumental towards the introduction of modern commercial art works. I think the Baroque age also inspired music and revolution of the humanisticcontributions because the production pieces sounded very decorated and exaggerated. This is because spiritual themes and stories were the main attractions in theatre and music during that era. Considering this, I can tell that the baroque style contributed to the spread of religious messages through art and painting. The 18th Century Music had exaggerated sounds that were synonymous with different rhythms and compositions. Similarly, architectural designs, especially paintings and drawings, had elements similar to the Baroque principles. This is because they had simple details that represented religious and reformist messages. As a result, the humanistic contributions were that the art work, music and architecture had different aspirations to human beings. This implies that the Baroque art inspired changes in the social and religious fronts. Opera is a common music that originated in the 18th Century and was based on history, tradition and legends of those days. The genre incorporates vocal music, ornamental and theatre, which are dramatized.

People are more knowledgeable today and therefore have more Essay

People are more knowledgeable today and therefore have more opportunities and choices than they had in the past, do you agree - Essay Example Due to change people now have more opportunities and choices than they had in the past. In society knowledge is produced and disseminated; knowledge has caused change in society making a development in various institutions in society, a good example is the development of medicine, there has been a shift from traditional cure to scientific discovery of medicine to cure various illnesses, there has been increased knowledge in that people can now self diagnosis, improvement in over the years, in the example given the example on a patient who is ill in the year 2000 BC the medicine will come from a certain tree or root, in the year 1000 AD the patient would be asked to recite a certain prayer, in the year 1850 AD the patient would be advised to drink a certain potion and lately in the world we are in today the patient will be asked to take a certain pill. Therefore in the world we are today we can say we are in a better position than we were in the past. Still in the medicine part, today we are in a position to choose from various medicines to cure certain illnesses, there is also the development of health institutions which is now improved to offer better health care and the training of doctors has led to development of educational institutions to train the doctors. All these have led to creation of more and complex institutions which have led to creation of more opportunities and choices. Religious knowledge is defined as knowledge based on beliefs, over the years this knowledge has been passed on to many people in the world, these is made possible by the development of science, the bible is now published and available to all unlike in the past, the improvement of modes of communication especially the mass media has made it easier for the dissemination of these knowledge. There are now many churches and denominations and people have now many choices, the improvement of this institution over the years. The emergence of religious leaders and increased belief in religion has led to change in society leading to a better society despite critics by Karl Marx that religion was an institution that legitimized capitalism and that religion led to a state of false consciousness. An improvement in environmental conservation knowledge has led to development of environmental conservation movements and institutions to improve on environmental degradation. In the past environmental degradation was not accounted for but in the present times there has been increased efforts to improve and conserve the environment, pollution has increased over the years due to improvement in science on sources of energy especially fossil fuels, in the present there is increased knowledge on environmental degradation and people are now looking for alternative sources of energy that are less pollutants. The sensitization of the deterioration of the ozone layer by the media has led to more conservative measures. The source of this knowledge is the development of science and technology, people in the present are have more knowledge than in the past, and these improvement has led to a better society that has more opportunities and choices. An example is the improvement o

Regulation in Mass Media Essay Example for Free

Regulation in Mass Media Essay The responsibility of the FCC and their regulations are often questioned if they are necessary or not. By examining Horwitz’s â€Å"The Evolution of the American Telecommunication System and the Origin of Communication Regulation. ,† one could take the side that the regulation of media is necessary. Regulation of media is necessary to prevent a monopoly which is one company controlling the entire market. If there was a monopoly on media then the company could charge and price whatever they want and only give service to those they wanted to. By having media regulations this is not able to happen. Natural monopolies in wired carriers, which are monopolies approved by the FCC, keep costs down and prevent a cluttering of wiring in the air or ripping up streets to install underground wiring. The first sign of natural monopoly was with ATT and the telephone. According to Horowitz, it states: â€Å"Under the leadership of Theodor Vail, ATT maintain the telephony constitution a natural monopoly. One policy, one system, and universal service’ was Vail’s ot-reapted slogan. † (Horowitz, Page 99) Vail argued that by having more then one provider there would be a waste of resources and if there was one provider pooling its resources they would be able to provide a better service to the customer. Though this might be true, unless there is regulation by the government this idea of natural monopoly would be horrible. Now the FCC regulates any kind of natural monopoly that exists within universal carriers of a media . The beginning of regulation began with the start of large scale communication, other then print, in 1835 when Samuel Morse proved a signal that could transmitted a message by wire. Morse used pulses of current to provide a written code on a strip of paper. This code became known as the Morse Code. Morse gave a public demonstration in 1838 to congress, but it took congress over five years to fund Morse’s experiment of the telegraph. Congress funded Morse $30,000 to construct a 40 mile experiment from Washington to Baltimore, using telegraph wire. It took six years before a message was sent and received over the telegraph wire. This was the first time a message had been transferred other then print or word of mouth. Western Union became the main provider of the telegraph service, and became a monopoly in 1867. The telegraph created the umbrella of commerce, which was the first time the government intervened with communications. According to Horwitz, a common carrier obligation was established for all carriers that provided service for the telegraph. Telegraph companies resemble railroad companies and other common carries, in that they are instruments of commerce and in that they exercise a public employment and are therefore bound to serve all customers alike without discriminations, they have doubtless a duty to the public to receive to the extent of there capacity all messages clearly and intelligible written and to transmit them upon reasonable terms but they are not common carriers, there duties are different and are perfo rmed in different ways and they are not subject the same liabilities. (Horowitz, Page 95, 96) What this law meant was that there could be no discrimination in who the provider wanted to extend service to. In 1895 the first radio message was transmitted by Marconi. Radio area waves were open to who ever could make a device to transmit messages to other people with the same device. Broadcasting became more and more popular. According to Horwitz, â€Å"broadcasting-the dissemination of electrical messages through the airwaves to an undifferentiated audience-may not have been contemplated, but it was inherited in the technology of radio. (Horowitz, Page 112) Radio became more and more popular and the government stepped in like they did with the telegraph and telephone and began regulating radio. The first major regulation was the Radio Act of 1912. Before this, radio waves were open to the public. The airwaves started to become too crowded and the U. S. government decided to take actio n. The Radio Act of 1912 established government control over the airwaves and created guidelines for issuing licenses and distributing radio airwaves. The Radio Act of 1927 was the second major act that was established to regulate the media industry. This act created the Federal Radio Communications (FRC), which was responsible for giving licenses to broadcasters. This act also made it so that the radio airwaves were a public resource. As a result, broadcasters were required to serve the public interest. The regulations of broadcasted media and the regulation of print media are different. The regulation of print deals with copyright laws. Anyone could publish anything they want but if some one uses someone else’s words without proper notation they could be sued. Print is regulated more when dealing with news print; for example the newspaper. Most print media would not use profanity or any kind of naked pictures. Print media is mostly written based on ethics. The writer tries not to take sides or out right seem bias towards one particular side. Broadcast media like radio have different kinds of regulations. In order to have air time on the radio one needs to have a license. Radio also must provide a public service toward the listener. Radio just like print media tends to stay away from profanity and over sexual connotations. Print media usually has a fee, whereas, radio is free to the public. Both of these media’s have regulations but have different kinds of regulations from the FCC. Overall, the world of mass media has many regulations that exist. These regulations are decided by the FCC, which is an independent government agency created under the Communications Act of 1934. At the beginning the FCC was responsible for regulating broadcast, telegraph, and telephone. Now the FCC has expanded its regulations to include new communication technologies such as: the satellite, microwave, cellular telephones, PCS service and private radio communications. As one could see, the responsibilities of the FCC are necessary in monitoring both the delivery system and the actual media itself. Overall, by using Horwitz’s â€Å"The Evolution of the American Telecommunication System and the Origin of Communication Regulation. ,† one could tell the history of regulation and how important it really is to the people.

Comparing War in the Poems, Dulce et Decorum est and Who’s for the Game

The two poems, 'Dulce et decorum est' and 'Who's for the game?' are both very different war poems. Although they were both written about the First World War, they both had different purposes. The poems have aspects in which they are similar, but they also have very big differences. One similarity between the two poems is that they both have titles which express positive feelings about war. However, the titles are both used in different ways; 'Who's for the game?' is an extended metaphor, as it is repeated again during the poem, ‘Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Also it is comparing the war to a game, which is a euphemism as well as a metaphor. It is a euphemism because war is a very serious, dangerous matter; whereas a game is something that people enjoy and never get seriously injured in. By using this euphemism, Jessie Pope - the poet – lessens the severity of war, and makes her readers’ think of it as enjoyable, and something that they want to do. On the other hand, 'Dulce et decorum est' is quite a sarcastic and ironic title. 'Dulce et decorum est' literally translates as ‘It is sweet and fitting’, and it is a quote from the Roman poet Horace. It is repeated in the last line of the poem, which is ‘†¦Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.’ This means ‘It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.’ But in Wilfred Owen’s opinion it is a lie, because during his poem he expresses his feelings on war, and gives the impression that you shouldn’t go. ‘And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime†¦ Dim, through the misty panes and think green light, as under a green sea, I saw him drowning.’ This is showing one of the appalling ways in which soldiers in the war can die. Also this man dying is not going to save t... ...ch high zest†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Although he does directly address his reader too, he is saying completely opposite things to Jessie Pope. In conclusion, the two poems, 'Who's for the game?' and 'Dulce et decorum est' treat the war very differently. This is mostly because of the different purposes both poets had for writing them. Jessie Pope was enrolled by the government to write poems for newspapers as part of the propaganda trying to make young men sign up for the army. Whereas Wilfred Owen was a soldier who fought in the war himself, and he wrote 'Dulce et decorum est' as a response to Jessie Pope, because he saw her as a typical unfeeling civilian who was supporting the war from the relative safety of the Home Front. Jessie Pope had a limited viewpoint, never having been on the battlefield herself, whereas Wilfred Owen wrote about his first hand experience in the trenches.

Computer a Boon or a Bane

According to me the computer is boon to mankind. People are helpless without computer. Today it is the employments of millions of people. Computer is the greatest invention on earth especially for students. In fact, students and teachers are encouraged to use Information and Communication technology. It connects everyone in world. We can communicate with each other. The computer has made everybody's life easier. According to the recent research kids play online games regularly have better reaction time, visual activity and dexterity than kids who do not play  games on computer. Games help children to identify things in a faster way, to develop skills in sport and business. Computer considered as Machinery God , is an electronic device that reduces human laborious effort. In this 21st century,computer can be known by the name of next human brain. The invention of computer made human life much easier,faster and comfortable. Computer is regarded as one of the greatest achievements made by Scientist till now. Computer ,an electronic device, which has made life easier and comfortable is today surrounded with many questions of threats . Whether Computers are helping us or creating problem to us is matter of discussion. This is a topic to be put forward in the mass discussion. No doubt,the use of computer has lowered human labor lots and lots The work which required much time before can now be done simply within fraction of seconds. This is one of the main cons of computers. Sitting in a room and controlling world has now become possible due to discovery of computers. Communication has become possible due to internet. Information can be easily gained through internet. Globalizationhas become possible due to computers. Computers are used in each and every sector. From offices to school,from colleges to houses †¦ everywhere it is used. Even in defense system it is used. In hospitals to keep record of patients,to find symptoms of various diseases its been used. Similarly,it is been used for entertainment by teenagers. Likewise,it is been used as source of education. Distance education has become possible. So, these are the advantages of invention of computers hich might make us think that they are very useful. But one thing that must be kept in mind is its negative aspect too. Computer hackers are the main cause for its negativity. Online robbery has become possible. Hackers are actively involved in cyber crime. Piracy has become so frequent that business organization has to face heavy loss. Important file and datas can be easily stolen which might be foundation of a country. Porn sites are been viewed by people which is promoting rapes and many other†¦

French Culture and Its Influence on Multinational Enterprises

Abstract When conducting business in France there are many challenges to overcome, including the ethnocentrism of their cultural heritage and the long line of historical principles that play out in French society. Through research it was found that the French approach business in a style of-their-own with true class and flare. They set the stage with an extravagant business lunch, in order to get acquainted and then proceed into intellectual negotiations to iron out the details. In each area, it was found that the French are proud and hold true to protocols by exchanging formal greetings. Lunch plays an important part of their society and business, along with stimulating conversation in negotiations. One must plan ahead and enjoy the French experience! French Culture and its Influence on Multinational Enterprises The Business Lunch Negotiations Conclusion The French are very aware of their presence, and are extremely proud of their heritage. They boast of their long history and their important roles in world affairs, as well as being known as a world center for culture. There are a few significant principles by which the French approach a business lunch and negotiations, along with a myriad nuances that can be difficult to understand without having experienced them first hand. The most basic rules are to speak French or apologize for not speaking it well, be prepared to indulge in good food and good wine. After coffee is served, be prepared for a sophisticated, rhetorical and intellectual exchange during the negotiation process. Remember, before conducting business in France, it is highly advisable to do your homework and learn about French culture before one commits the famous â€Å"Faux Pau†! References Business in America (1991). Tradition plays an important role in the business culture of France. Retrieved July 10, 2009, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1052/is_n9_v112/ai_10737696/? tag=content;col1 Frank, Sergey (2000, September 12). Enjoy a battle of wits – and lunch: When doing business in France, take a polite and intellectual approach – preferably in French, says Sergey Frank: [London edition].

Factors affecting student academic perfomance Essays

Factors affecting student academic perfomance Essays Factors affecting student academic perfomance Essay Factors affecting student academic perfomance Essay Essay Introduction In most Universities the universe over today. the academic public presentation of pupils has late come under examination for a figure of grounds. For case. a figure of surveies have been carried out to place causal factors of hapless academic public presentation in a figure of establishments worldwide. Interestingly. most of these surveies focused on the three elements that intervene. Such included. parents ( household causal factors ) . instructors ( academic causal factors ) . and pupils ( personal causal factors ) ( Diaz. 2003 ) . However. this survey investigated the chief factors that affect students’ academic public presentation at The University of Zambia chief campus. Broadly talking. factors act uponing academic public presentation of pupils vary from one academic environment to another. from one set of pupils to the following. and so from one cultural puting to another. It nevertheless appears that pupils have worked hard but their input has non been positively correlated to their end product. Indeed. this has been revealed in a study from UWI’s Office of Planning and Development ( 2011 ) . where 20 % of all undergraduate classs offered at UWI. St. Augustine recorded high failure rates. This increases the cost of developing alumnuss every bit good as cut downing admittance chances for high school pupils seeking a University instruction. Furthermore. the low base on balls rates impose a immense cost to the communities in footings of the low figure of pupils graduating and the decreased consumption of possible pupils due to shortage of infinites caused by low throughput. Therefore. in order to guarantee that a larger proportion of the labour force is extremely trained. most Universities including The University of Zambia must set in topographic point steps that will guarantee high completion rates. In the instance of The University of Zambia chief campus. the failure and dropout rates are higher in such schools like School of Law. School of Engineering and School of Veterinary Medicine. among others. However. in instances where there are low dropout or exclude rates. at least there should be hapless public presentation doing pupils to simply clear in order to continue as opposed to acquiring first-class consequences. Much of the scratch that reduces completion rates has been attributed to low academic public presentation in early pre-requisite undergraduate classs ( Scott and Graal. 2007 ) . This job although may be lightly taken has a profound influence on the communities. Not merely that. it besides contravenes the slogan of the University. Service and Excellency’ in that there is no excellence when people are ill executing and neglecting. In position of the above. the survey investigated the chief factors that affect students’ academic public presentation at The University of Zambia chief Campus so that appropriate administrative steps can be put in topographic point in order to assist the community at big. 2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW The literature reappraisal of this survey is divided into two constituents viz. . theoretical reappraisal which simply reviews theories that relate to the subject under probe and empirical reappraisal which will be composed of surveies conducted by other research workers on the same subject. Theoretical Review There are a figure of theories that have been assumed to explicate the factors that affect students’ academic public presentation but for the intents of this survey. merely two will be discussed. These include. The Triarchic Theory of Intellectual Abilities’ and the Theory of Mental Self-Government’ . 2. 2 The Triarchic Theory of Intellectual Abilities Harmonizing to the Theory of Intellectual Abilities ( Sternberg. 1985 ; 1986:23 ) . three sorts of rational abilities exist. viz. analytical. originative and practical abilities. Measures of abilities tend to concentrate chiefly on analytical abilities. whereas all three types of abilities need to be regarded as every bit of import. Research done by Sternberg ( 1997b:24 ) showed that: The more we teach and assess pupils based on a broader set of abilities. the more racially. ethnically. and socioeconomically diverse our winners will be. 2. 3 The Theory of Mental Self-Government Furthermore. research by Sternberg accents that students’ larning and believing manners 1 / 34 ( Sternberg. 1997a ) ( which are normally ignored ) . together with their ability degrees. play an of import function in pupil public presentation ( Sternberg. 1992:134 ; 1994:36-40 ; Sternberg and Grigorenko. 1997:295 ) . The Theory of Mental Self-Government refers to an stock list of different thought manners that gives an indicant of people’s penchant of believing forms. Where the Triarchic Theory focuses on the ability itself. the theory of Mental Self-Government refers to different thought manners which constitutes penchant in the usage of abilities ( Sternberg. 1990:366-371 ) . As articulated in the above theories. this survey adopt the theory of mental self-Government as the most appropriate one in heightening pupils academic public presentation at The University of Zambia chief campus. The ground is that. the acquisition and thought manners of pupils at campus can either be reinforced taking to first-class academic public presentation or hindered taking to hapless academic public presentation. This is to a great extent contingent upon the handiness and proviso of a figure of indispensable installations such as good survey stuffs. adjustment. contributing acquisition environment ( lecture theaters ) . good H2O and sanitation installations among others. These being available and in proviso. students’ possible abilities of being analytical. originative and practical as described in triarchic theory will besides go strengthened. 2. 4 Empirical Review A batch of surveies have been engaged in to place and analyse the legion factors impacting academic public presentation of pupils in assorted centres of larning. Their findings place students’ attempts. old schooling ( Siegfried and Fels. 1979 ; Anderson and Benjamin. 1994 ) . parents’ instruction. household income ( Devadoss and Foltz. 1996 ) . self-motivation. age of pupil. larning penchants ( Aripin. Mahmood. Rohaizad. Yeop and Anuar. 2008 ) . category attending ( Romer. 1993 ) . and entry making as factors that have a important consequence on the students’ academic public presentation in assorted scenes. However. the public-service corporation of these surveies lies on the demand to set about disciplinary steps that improve the academic public presentation of pupils. particularly in public funded establishments. Despite the considerable argument about the determiners of academic public presentation among pedagogues. policymakers. faculty members. and other stakeholders. it is by and large agreed that the impact of these determiners vary ( in footings of extent and way ) with context. for illustration. civilization. establishment. class of survey among others. Therefore. since non all factors are relevant for a peculiar context. it is imperative that formal surveies be carried out to place the context-specific determiners for sound determination devising. Another survey that reviewed some of the factors that influence students’ academic public presentation stressed out that. students’ larning penchants has a deeper influence on their academic public presentation. Harb and El-Shaarawi ( 2006 ) further stated that. a good lucifer between students’ acquisition penchants and instructor’s instruction manner has been demonstrated to hold positive consequence on student’s public presentation. Reid ( 1995 ) defines larning penchant as a person’s natural. accustomed and preferable way of absorbing new information. This implies that persons differ in respect to what manner of direction or survey is most effectual for them. Scholars. who promote the acquisition penchants approach to larning. hold that effectual direction can merely be undertaken if the learner’s acquisition penchants are diagnosed and the direction is tailored consequently ( Pashler. McDaniel. Rohrer and Bjork. 2008 ) . I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. ( Confucius 551-479 BC ) – a quotation mark that provides grounds that. even in early times. there was a acknowledgment of the being of different learning penchants among people. Indeed. Omrod ( 2008 ) studies that some pupils seem to larn better when information is presented through words ( verbal scholars ) . whereas others seem to larn better when it is presented in the signifier of images ( ocular scholars ) . However. it is obvious that in a category where merely one instructional method is employed. there is a strong possibility that a figure of pupils will happen the acquisition environment less optimum and this could impact their academic public presentation. Felder ( 1993 ) established that alliance between students’ acquisition penchants and an instructor’s instruction manner leads to break callback and 2 / 34 apprehension. The acquisition penchants attack has gained important milage despite the deficiency of experimental grounds to back up the public-service corporation of this attack. To back up the above statement. other surveies have established a figure of methods used to measure the acquisition penchant or manners of pupils but they all typically ask pupils to measure the sort of information presentation they are most at easiness with. One of these attacks being used widely is the Visual/Aural/Read and Write/Kinesthetic ( VARKR ) questionnaire. pioneered by Neil Fleming in 1987. which categorizes scholars into at least four major larning penchant categories. Neil Fleming ( 2001- 2011 ) described these four major larning penchants as follows: To get down with is a category of ocular scholars: This consists of pupils who prefer information to be presented on the whiteboard. somersault charts. walls. artworks. images. colour. Probably originative and may utilize different colourss and diagrams in their notebooks. Failure to make this. their academic public presentation would be ill affected. A category of Aural ( or unwritten ) or audile scholars comes as a 2nd 1: these pupils prefer to sit back and listen. They do non do a batch of notes. More frequently than non. they find it utile to enter talks for subsequently playbacks and mention. This helps them better their academic public presentation. The 3rd penchant is a category of Read/write scholars: these pupils prefer to read the information for them and take a batch of notes. However. these scholars benefit from given entree to extra relevant information through press releases and guided readings from their instructors or lectors. Failure to avail to them such installations may retrograde their school public presentation. Last. but non the least is the category of Kinesthetic ( or tactile ) scholars: these scholars can non sit still for long and like to shirk with things. Prefer to be actively involved in their acquisition and therefore would profit from active larning schemes in category. Therefore. we can see that. all the different penchants may non be to the full met by pupils and as such they may hold a profound influence on their academic public presentation. Undeniably. Romer ( 1993 ) is one of the first few writers to research the relationship between pupil attending and scrutiny public presentation. In his widely cited paper. a figure of factors have contributed to worsening category attendings around the universe in the last 15 old ages. The major grounds given by pupils for non-attendance include assessment force per unit areas. hapless bringing of talks by lectors. timing of talks. and work committednesss ( Newman-Ford. Lloyd and Thomas. 2009 ) . Furthermore. in recent times. pupils have found a demand to seek employment while analyzing on a part- clip footing due to fiscal restraints. The Numberss of parttime and mature pupils has besides risen aggressively. The usage of information engineering besides means that information that used to be obtained from sitting through talks can be obtained from the cyberspace. However. given all these developments that either makes it impossible or unneeded for pupils to go to categories. the inquiry that needs to be asked is whether absenteeism affects students’ academic public presentation or non. Interestingly. a figure of old researches on this capable affair seem to supply a consensus that pupils who miss categories perform ill compared to those who attend categories ( Devadoss and Foltz 1996. Durden and Ellis 1995. Romer 1993. Park and Kerr 1990. Schmidt 1993 ) . Based on these findings a figure of stakeholders have called for compulsory category attending. Although the bing grounds points to a strong correlativity between attending and academic public presentation. none of the surveies cited attending from a myriad of confusing pupils features. ( for case. degrees of motive. intelligence. anterior acquisition. and time-management accomplishment ) is a major restricting factor to the public-service corporation of these findings and this has been proven besides by Rodgers and Rodgers ( 2003 ) hence demoing a failing in these surveies which this survey will take into history. Durden and Ellis ( 1995 ) further controlled for pupil differences in background. ability and motive and reported a nonlinear consequence of attending on larning. that is. a few absences do non take to hapless classs but inordinate absenteeism does. Further. other surveies conducted by Pashler and Bjork ( 2008 ) have shown that. anterior cognition. class requirements and class combinations determine students’ academic public presentation in 3 / 34 Universities and Colleges. Surveies conducted from a figure of establishments indicate that. students’ anterior cognition. class requirements and class combinations had a profound influence on their academic public presentation. For case. 70 % of those with suited pre-requisite classs performed better than those with classs that were non fiting. This was justified by the fact that. acquisition is a cumulative procedure. therefore a pupil admitted with fiting classs to the calling of their pick will be good prepared for the class stuff compared to a pupil with a mismatch of class combinations. It is of import for calling pedagogues to hold an thought of how good the classs correspond to each pupil in order to complement acquisition. Therefore. this survey seeks to research whether the plan of survey has possible inauspicious effects on students’ academic public presentation. Such an analysis would be helpful in the guidance and counsel procedure of pupils. Henceforth. the influence of age and gender on academic public presentation has been investigated in a figure of surveies with widely differing decisions. Most of the differences in reported findings are due to changing contexts such as topic of survey. age and gender interactions. Previous research has shown that work forces perform better than adult females in certain puting while adult females outperform work forces in other scenes ( Haist. Wilson. Elam. Blue and Fosson. 2000 ) . Harmonizing to Borde ( 1998 ) there is no grounds of academic public presentation being influenced by gender. However. based on an analysis of near to two million graduating pupils. Woodfied and Earl-Novell ( 2006 ) found that female pupils outperformed male pupils and attributed this partially to female pupils being more painstaking and therefore less likely to lose talks. With respect to the issue of students’ age. surveies have shown that. recent alterations in educational policies around the universe have led to an addition in the figure of mature-age admittances in educational establishments. But a big proportion of undergraduate pupils were still 19-year olds. the ages of pupils in categories were so more variable than 10 to 15 old ages ago. Therefore. the definition of a mature pupil varies by state with 21. 22 and 25 twelvemonth old pupils being classified as mature pupils in the United Kingdom. United States of America and Australia. severally ( Trueman A ; amp ; Hartley. 1996 ) . In this survey reappraisal. mature pupils are defined as those pupils whose age was greater than 21 old ages on their first twenty-four hours at the University. Students who are 21 old ages of age and younger are classified as young’ pupils. Mature pupils thought to miss basic accomplishments required for effectual survey or to be impaired by age-related rational shortages. Mature pupils tend to be admitted into their programmes with clearly lower educational attainment than the immature pupils ( Newman-Ford. Lloyd A ; amp ; Thomas. 2009 ) . However. when compared to the immature pupils. the academic public presentation of mature pupils was as good. if non better ( Richardson. 1994 ) . It should. nevertheless be pointed out that this comparing depends on the capable affair and types of appraisal used. Richardson ( 1994:5 ) concludes his survey by doing the observation that Mature pupils are instead more likely than younger pupils to follow a deep attack or a pregnant orientation towards their academic work. and were conversely less likely than younger pupils to follow a surface attack or a reproducing orientation. Furthermore. other surveies found that self-motivation. household income. and parents’ degree of instruction contribute to hapless public presentation of some pupils. While a positive relationship between self- motive and academic public presentation has been established ( Zimmerman. Bandura. and Martinez-Pons. 1992 ) . the consequence of household income and parents’ degree of instruction on academic public presentation is far from being unraveled without evasion. Socioeconomic position of pupils and their households show moderate to strong relationship with academic public presentation but these relationships are contingent upon a figure of factors such that it is about impossible to foretell academic public presentation utilizing socioeconomic position ( Sirin. 2005 ) . The survey conducted by Wooten. ( 1998 ) whose major aim was to happen out the chief factors that affect students’ academic public presentation discovered two cardinal factors that had a profound influence on students’ public presentation viz. ; ( I ) the student’s aptitude and ( two ) . The sum of attempt the pupil put away in the class. He farther discovered that. the sum of attempt put by a pupil depends on the student’s grade history. motive. extracurricular activities. work duties and household 4 / 34 duties. In his findings. aptitude and attempt were both important variables in act uponing public presentation of the traditional pupils. For the traditional pupils. grade history. motive and household duties all influenced the sum of attempts the pupils put Forth. However. neither extracurricular activities nor work duties influenced students’ attempts. Furthermore. motive was significantly influenced by the students’ self-expectations and their perceptual experiences of the acquisition environment. Hence. motive was the lone variable that significantly influenced effects. He farther discovered that for both traditional and non-traditional pupils. it was hard to explicate why extra-curricular activities and the work activities variables did non hold a important consequence on the attempt. Therefore. this survey has a failing in that. it does non reflect the sample size used in the survey for traditional and non-traditional pupils and there is no cogent evidence whether or non other indispensable variables were controlled in the survey. Hence. this survey took into history such failings so that accurate consequences could be obtained. Conversely. a survey conducted by Mohamedbhai ( 2008 ) at the University of Nairobi. the chief JomoKenyetta memorial library. whose chief aim was to happen out the impact of over registrations of pupils on academic public presentation discovered that. the big figure of pupils than the University could suit had a profound influence on students’ academic public presentation. The capacity for the University library could non prolong the big pupil population such that. the University which was designed to suit 1. 500 pupils had to get by with 8. 000 pupils a twenty-four hours. A similar survey conducted by Bloom ( 2005 ) at the University of Eduardo Mondlane showed that. due to over registration of pupils. their academic public presentation was to a great extent affected such that. the dropout rate of pupil in 2006 for the whole University was estimated to be within the scope of 15-28 % . the larger per centum being for the earlier old ages. In 2006. merely approximately 6 % of the pupils completed their grades in the normal class continuance compared to 17 % in 2001. Besides. in 2006. 41 % of the pupil took one or more extra old ages to finish their programmes. whereas the corresponding figure in 2001 was 28 % . However. from this. there has been impairment in the students’ academic public presentation over the past five old ages at the University of EdourdoMondlane. However. although the surveies needed alteration in the sample frame and survey design used to garner such findings. they were really helpful in supplying us with a dais in which the job of over registration of pupils at The University of Zambia and the effects it has on their academic public presentation can be clearly understood. The survey conducted by Principle ( 2005 ) at the Puerto Rico University was to happen out the factors impacting students’ academic public presentation in the first accounting class between public and private Universities in Puerto Rico and besides to analyse the students’ perceptual experiences on internal and external schoolroom factors that might act upon their academic public presentation in their first accounting class. A descriptive co-relational research design was used in this probe. The population was the pupils in the first accounting class at public and private Universities in Puerto Rico. The sample size used was 1. 721 topics which included 13 campuses from 3 different Universities out of a sum of 65 campuses in Puerto Rico. The campuses were non indiscriminately selected. The research worker selected campuses stand foring different demographic countries in Puerto Rico. A Chi-square analysis reflected that. public Universities had a higher figure of pupil failures compared to private Universities. In this instance. the grade distribution studies from private Universities demonstrated that. 40-50 % of pupils did non complete or failed in the first accounting class. The findings of the survey besides demonstrated that. internal schoolroom factors positively influenced students’ academic public presentation in the first accounting class in Puerto Rican public and private Universities. However. the effects of combined external schoolroom factors were non statistically important for Puerto Rican Universities. Therefore. although other of import variables in the survey have non been highlighted. this survey is rather clear and is assumed to hold achieved its intent. Therefore. this survey sought to construct on such already bing finds to associate to the University of Zambia. but at the same clip taking into history the rectification of errors made by old research workers in the same country of survey. 5 / 34 Hence. this survey been conducted at UNZA chief campus such failings will be taken into consideration to heighten truth of consequences. On the other manus. the School of Humanities Booklet ( 2008 ) states that. the University of Zambia has a long term statutory authorization of it being the highest learning establishment in Zambia. For this ground. this survey seeks to look into how good the establishment has been fairing in run intoing its long term aims as follows: Promoting Excellence in Teaching. Research and Community Service. Our Vision: To be a Provider of World Class Services in Higher Education and Knowledge Generation. Our Mission: To Supply Relevant Higher Education through Teaching. Research and Community Service. Our Core Valuess: Academic freedom. Green Environment. Equity. Integrity. Accountability. Innovativeness and Excellency. Our Management Doctrine: The University will encompass a participatory Management Style that will actuate employees. supply a work environment that is contributing to high productiveness. teamwork in which leading is by illustration. Provide effectual communicating and counsel. which will be accessible to all. and promote single growing. All these aims will be closely looked at in order to guarantee that the purpose of this survey is achieved which is to look into why there has been hapless academic public presentation at the University of Zambia among pupils despite its nucleus aims as stated above. 3. 0 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A figure of excludes and high failure rates at the University of Zambia chief campus twelvemonth in twelvemonth out has been so rampant. The academic public presentation of a figure of pupils has non been to their outlooks. They have been ill executing. What else has non yet been done to work out the job? Emphasis on tutorial engagement. clinics. and survey groups has been stressed by some lectors to better the public presentation of pupils but to no help. Furthermore. others have conducted talk attending axial rotation calls as an option for battling the dismaying hapless academic public presentation of pupils but less positive returns have been achieved. However. the APA systems like in the instance of the school of instruction and humanistic disciplines have been introduced together with the usage of projectors in the bringing of talks to assist the intolerant and decelerate acquisition pupils catch up easy but the expected returns have non helped much to better the general academic public presentation of pupils. Furthermore. an cyberspace coffeehouse in the University chief Library has being in operation to assist pupils make their research efficaciously but as if their attempts were in vain. the public presentation keeps deteriorating. Further. new sections ( section of population surveies among others ) have been created where possible. More extraordinary. extra-curricular activities have been encouraged and the door to the guidance Centre has been broad unfastened but still the job of hapless academic public presentation at the University of Zambia still persists. It is for these grounds henceforth that this survey seeks to look into the chief factors that affect students’ academic public presentation at the University of Zambia so that a permanent solution can be provided to better the quality of instruction in our state Zambia as a whole. Chapter TWO 4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES General Objectives To look into the factors that affect academic public presentation of pupils at The University of Zambia. Specific Aims To happen out the chief factors that affects the academic public presentation of pupils at The University Zambia. To happen out which sex is extremely vulnerable to the factors that affect academic public presentation of pupil at the University Zambia. To happen out what the University direction has done to turn to the factors that affect the 6 / 34 academic public presentation of pupils at the University Zambia. RESEARCH RATIONALE A batch of states that have developed today placed more accent on the importance of the educational system in spearheading technological invention that resulted in productiveness. A good illustration in inquiry is the United States of America. Japan and China who formulated sound trajectory policies that increased registrations rates in Universities and Colleges with an apprehension that. promotion in engineering is dependent on holding good trained pupils in Universities and Colleges. Equivalently. Singapore which besides took the measure to put in scientific discipline and engineering in colleges and Universities has become one of the industrialised economic systems in the universe. Therefore. promotion in scientific discipline and engineering is dependent on how good a peculiar state trains its pupils. However. to hold good nurtured pupils that can believe and contrive new things to develop the state. at that place has to be good informed policies at institutional degree that creates a good conducive environment for larning. Apparently. such sound policies can non be created if students’ challenges that may impede good public presentation have non been identified and addressed. Therefore. in order for Zambia to develop. it has to emulate states like Singapore which paid attending to the educational system by making a good acquisition ambiance for University pupils. However. the survey investigated the factors that affect students’ academic public presentation at the University of Zambia and it sought to lend to the organic structure of cognition on the factors that affect students’ academic Excellency at UNZA in peculiar and other such authorities establishments in general. It has been observed that. literature on the factors that influence academic public presentation of pupils is rather scarce and when it is available. people have to seek it through the cyberspace. Therefore the findings of this survey would be put at the disposal of every pupil in the library so that information is readily accessed. It is besides hoped that the consequences of this research would lend to the preparation of sound administrative policies that would control the factors that contribute to the hapless academic public presentation of pupils at the University of Zambia so that failure and dropouts rates can be minimized to keep the slogan of the University Service and Excellency’ . As articulated above nevertheless. the principle behind the transporting out of this survey was premised on four basic rules viz. ; the survey aimed to lend to knowledge. policy. theory. pattern and as a partial fulfilment for the award of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Development Studies. Therefore. sing its part to knowledge. the findings of this survey will convey to the general consciousness of the factors that affect students’ academic public presentation. Second. it will further pass on the attempts by the University direction to turn to factors impacting students’ academic public presentation and what direction has done to heighten students’analytical. originative and practical abilities harmonizing to the Triarchic Theory of Intellectual Abilities ( Sternberg 1985 ; 1986:23 ) . Likewise. higher acquisition establishments are besides donees of the cognition this survey will bring forth in that the findings will assist them to plan schemes to increase students’ academic public presentation and alleviate abrasion rates. At policy degree nevertheless. this survey will foremost place the chief causes of the factors that affect students’ academic public presentation runing from parents- household causal factors ; teachers- academic causal factors and pupils -personal causal factors. ( Diaz. 2003 ) . After placing these. it will assist the authorities policy shapers to redesign their strategic direction for the establishment towards explicating policies that address factors impacting pupils and in bend cut down their abrasion rates. This will besides put a platform for the attainment of the University of Zambia’s long term strategic ends. ( School of Humanities Handbook. 2008 ) . Refering to theory and pattern nevertheless. the findings of this survey will assist in proving the practicableness of the adoptive theory of mental self-Government as the most appropriate one in heightening pupils academic public presentation at the University of Zambia. The principle behind this theory is that. acquisition and thought manners of pupils at campus can either be reinforced taking to first-class academic public presentation or hindered taking to hapless academic public presentation and this is to a great extent contingent upon the handiness and proviso of indispensable installations such as good survey 7 / 34 stuffs. adjustment. contributing acquisition environment ( lecture theaters ) . good H2O and sanitation installations among others and hence this is hoped to take to offering p

Hygroscopic Definition in Chemistry

Hygroscopic Definition in Chemistry Water is an important solvent, so its unsurprising that there is a term specifically related to water absorption. Definition of Hygroscopic A hygroscopic substance is able to absorb or adsorb water from its surroundings. Typically, this occurs at or near ordinary room temperature. Most hygroscopic materials are salts, but many other materials display the property. When water vapor is absorbed, the water molecules are taken into the molecules of the substance, often resulting in physical changes, such as increased volume. Color, boiling point, temperature, and viscosity can also change. When water vapor is adsorbed, the water molecules remain on the surface of the material. Examples of Hygroscopic Materials Zinc chloride, sodium chloride, and sodium hydroxide crystals are hygroscopic. Silica gel, honey, nylon, and ethanol are also hygroscopic. Sulfuric acid is hygroscopic, not only when concentrated but also down to a concentration of 10% v/v or even lower. Germinating seeds also are hygroscopic. After seeds have dried, their outer coating becomes hygroscopic and starts absorbing moisture needed for germination. Some seeds have hygroscopic portions that change the shape of the seed when moisture is absorbed. The seed of Hesperostipa comata twists and untwists, depending on its hydration level, drilling the seed into the soil. Animals also make use of hygroscopic materials. For example, a species of lizard commonly called the thorny dragon has hygroscopic grooves between its spines. Water (dew) condenses on the spines at night and collects in the grooves, and then capillary action lets the lizard capture water across its skin. Hygroscopic Versus Hydroscopic You might encounter the word hydroscopic used in place of hygroscopic. Although hydro- is a prefix meaning water, the word hydroscopic is a misspelling and is incorrect. A hydroscope is an instrument used to take deep sea measurements. A device called a hygroscope in the 1790s was an instrument used to measure humidity levels. The modern name for such a device is a hygrometer. Hygroscopy and Deliquescence Hygroscopic and deliquescent materials are both able to absorb moisture from the air. However, hygroscopy and deliquescence dont mean precisely the same thing. Hygroscopic materials absorb moisture, but deliquescent materials absorb moisture to the extent that the substance dissolves in water. Deliquescence may be considered an extreme form of hygroscopy. A hygroscopic material will become damp and may stick to itself or become caky, while a deliquescent material will liquefy. Hygroscopy Versus Capillary Action While capillary action is another mechanism involving the uptake of water, it differs from hygroscopy in that no absorption occurs in capillary action. Storing Hygroscopic Materials Hygroscopic chemicals require special care. Typically, they are stored in airtight containers. They may also be maintained under kerosene, oil, or within a dry atmosphere. Uses of Hygroscopic Materials Hygroscopic substances are used to keep products dry or to remove water from an area. They are commonly used in desiccators. Hygroscopic materials may be added to products because of their ability to attract and hold moisture. These substances are referred to as humectants. Examples of humectants used in food, cosmetics, and drugs include salt, honey, ethanol, and sugar. The Bottom Line Hygroscopic and deliquescent materials and humectants are all able to absorb moisture from the air. Generally, deliquescent materials are used as desiccants. They dissolve in the water they absorb to yield a liquid solution. Most other hygroscopic materials (which dont dissolve) are called humectants.

Sports industry offers a range of potential opportunities to Nike Essay

Sports industry offers a range of potential opportunities to Nike - Essay Example The company acquired annual revenue in excess of US$ 18.6 billion for the fiscal year 2008 despite the adverse impacts of the 2008 global financial crisis. Although Nike markets many of its products under its own brand, it also markets some additional brands including Nike Golf, Nike Pro, and Nike Skateboarding to effectively market its sports equipments across the globe. This paper will analyse micro as well as macro business environments of Nike, Inc. using appropriate analytical tools and a strategic fit analysis. TASK A - Market Environment Analysis In the section, different market analytical tools are used to evaluate the business environment of the Nike. Here, Porter’s five forces model is applied to analyse the sports equipment industry (micro environment) and PEST analysis is deployed to evaluate the market potentiality of the Nike, Inc. (macro environment). Porter’s five forces analysis Currently, the sports equipment industry constitutes a larger number of com panies dealing with production and distribution of numerous and different sporting and athletic equipments. The total market capitalisation has reached nearly $8 billion and it is still growing. Most of the players in the sports equipment industry are grand corporate structures such as Nike, Easton, and Wilson; they offer equipments to a variety of sports items. In contrast, other companies like Callaway and Schwinn own noticeable market share and prominence in their specific area of focus. Sports equipment manufacturing companies mainly make use of two means of distribution. Wholesalers and retailers constitute the most common avenue of distribution whereas the company-owned and contracted specialty shops shape the second mode of distribution. In order to popularise their products and dominate the market, most of the sports equipment companies tend to sponsor high profile or top-rated sportsmen and athletes. In addition, such companies are also willing to undertake the sponsorship of major sporting events like World Cup Football as part of promoting their products. Threat of substitute products and services In general, sports can be easily substituted with a variety of different other activities, and therefore the threat of substitutes is very high in sports industry. To illustrate, people may easily turn their interest from physically demanding athletic or other sports activities to video/computer games. However, higher prevalence rate of obesity in the United States influences people to turn to healthy and fitness activities (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services). This situation relieves the sports industry from the threat of substitutes to some extent. At the same time, the substitution threat exists even in the sports industry itself. For instance, people may choose to play basketball rather than golf. Intensity of rivalry among competitors The intensity of competitive rivalry is very high in the sports industry and many sports equipment companie s have been thrown out of the market due to this higher degree of competition. While analysing present trends in the sports industry, it is obvious that companies are striving for their market competency and searching for industry consolidation. It seems that most of the sports equipment companies adopt mergers and acquisitions strategy in order to broaden their product lines, to increase economies