B Cells

B Cells B cells are white blood cells that protect the body against pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Pathogens and foreign matter have associated  molecular signals that identify them as antigens. B cells recognize these  molecular signals and produce antibodies that are specific to the specific antigen. There are billions of B cells in the body. Unactivated B cells circulate in the blood until they come in contact with an antigen and become activated. Once activated, B cells produce the antibodies needed to fight against infection. B cells are necessary for adaptive or specific immunity, which focuses on the destruction of foreign invaders that have gotten past the bodies initial defenses. Adaptive immune responses are highly specific and provide long-lasting protection against the pathogens that elicit the response. B Cells and Antibodies B cells are a specific type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte. Other types of lymphocytes include T cells and natural killer cells. B cells develop from stem cells in bone marrow. They remain in the bone marrow until they become mature. Once they are fully developed, B cells are released into the blood where they travel to lymphatic organs. Mature B cells are capable of becoming activated and producing antibodies. Antibodies are specialized proteins  that travel through the bloodstream and are found in bodily fluids. Antibodies recognize specific antigens by identifying certain areas on the surface of the antigen known as antigenic determinants. Once the specific antigenic determinant is recognized, the antibody will bind to the determinant. This binding of the antibody to the antigen identifies the antigen as a target to be destroyed by other immune cells, such as cytotoxic T cells. B Cell Activation On the surface of a B cell is a B cell receptor (BCR) protein. The BCR enables B cells to capture and bind to an antigen. Once bound, the antigen is internalized and digested by the B cell and certain molecules from the antigen are attached to another protein called a class II MHC protein. This antigen-class II MHC protein complex is then presented on the surface of the B cell. Most B cells are activated with the help of other immune cells. When cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells engulf and digest pathogens, they capture and present antigenic information to T cells. The T cells multiply and some differentiate into helper T cells. When a helper T cell comes in contact with the antigen-class II MHC protein complex on the B cells surface, the helper T cell sends signals that activate the B cell. Activated B cells proliferate and can either develop into cells called plasma cells or into other cells called memory cells. Plasma B Cells ​ These cells create antibodies that are specific to a specific antigen. The antibodies circulate in bodily fluids and blood serum until they bind to an antigen. Antibodies debilitate antigens until other immune cells can destroy them. It can take up to two weeks before plasma cells can generate enough antibodies to counteract a specific antigen. Once the infection is under control, antibody production decreases. Some activated B cells form memory cells. Memory B Cells ​ This specified form of B cell enables the immune system to recognize antigens that the body has previously encountered. If the same type of antigen enters the body again, memory B cells direct a secondary immune response in which antibodies are produced more quickly and for a longer period of time. Memory cells are stored in the lymph nodes and spleen and can remain in the body for the life of an individual. If enough memory cells are produced while encountering an infection, these cells can provide life-long immunity against certain diseases. Sources Immune Cells and Their Products. NIAID National Institutes of Health. Updated 2008 October 02.Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. New York: Garland Science; 2002. Helper T Cells and Lymphocyte Activation.

Biography of Galileo Galilei, Renaissance Philosopher

Biography of Galileo Galilei, Renaissance Philosopher Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564–January 8, 1642) was a famous inventor, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, whose inventive mind and stubborn nature ran him into trouble with the Inquisition. Fast Facts: Galileo Galilei Known For: Italian Renaissance philosopher, inventor, and polymath who faced the wrath of the Inquisition for his astronomical studies.  Born: February 15, 1564, Pisa, Italy.Parents: Vincenzo and Giulia Ammannati Galilei (m. July 5, 1562)Died: January 8, 1642, Arcetri, Italy.Education: Privately tutored; Jesuit monastery, University of Pisa.Published Works: The Starry Messenger.  Spouse: Marina Gamba (mistress 1600-1610).Children: by Marina: Virginia (1600), Livia Antonia (1601), Vincenzo (1606). Early Life Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564, the oldest of seven children of Giulia Ammannati and Vincenzo Galilei. His father (c. 1525–1591) was a gifted lute musician and wool trader, who wanted his son to study medicine as there was more money in medicine. Vincenzo was attached to the court, and was often traveling. The family was originally named Bonaiuti, but they had an illustrious ancestor named Galileo Bonaiuti  (1370–1450) who was a physician and public officer in Pisa. One branch of the family broke off and began calling itself Galilei (of Galileo), and so Galileo Galilei was doubly named after him. As a child, Galileo made mechanical models of ships and watermills, learned to play the lute to a professional standard, and showed an aptitude for painting and drawing. Originally tutored by a man named Jacopo Borghini, Galileo was sent to the Camaldlese monastery at Vallambroso to study grammar, logic, and rhetoric. He found the contemplative life to his liking and after four years joined the community as a novice. This was not exactly what father had in mind, so Galileo was hastily withdrawn from the monastery. In 1581, at the age of 17, he entered the University of Pisa to study medicine, as his father wished. The University of Pisa At age twenty, Galileo noticed a lamp swinging overhead while he was in a cathedral. Curious to find out how long it took the lamp to swing back and forth, he used his pulse to time large and small swings. Galileo discovered something that no one else had ever realized: the period of each swing was exactly the same. The law of the pendulum, which would eventually be used to regulate clocks, made Galileo Galilei instantly famous. Except for mathematics, Galileo was soon bored with the university and the study of medicine. Uninvited, he attended the lecture of court mathematician Ostilio Ricci- Ricci had been assigned by the Duke of Tuscany to teach the court attendants in math, and Galileo was not one of those. Galileo followed up the lecture by reading Euclid on his own; he sent a set of questions to Ricci, the content of which impressed the scholar greatly. Galileos family considered his mathematical studies subsidiary to medicine, but when Vincenzo was informed that their son was in danger of flunking out, he worked out a compromise so that Galileo could be tutoredin mathematics by Ricci full-time Galileos father was hardly overjoyed about this turn of events, since a mathematicians earning power was roughly around that of a musician, but it seemed that this might yet allow Galileo to successfully complete his college education. The compromise didnt work out, for Galileo soon left the University of Pisa without a degree. Becoming a Mathematician After he flunked out, to earn a living, Galileo started tutoring students in mathematics. He did some experimenting with floating objects, developing a balance that could tell him that a piece of, say, gold was 19.3 times heavier than the same volume of water. He also started campaigning for his lifes ambition: a position on the mathematics faculty at a major university. Although Galileo was clearly brilliant, he had offended many people in the field, who would choose other candidates for vacancies. Ironically, it was a lecture on literature that would turn Galileos fortunes. The Academy of Florence had been arguing over a 100-year-old controversy: What were the location, shape, and dimensions of Dantes Inferno? Galileo wanted to seriously answer the question from the point of view of a scientist. Extrapolating from Dantes line that [the giant Nimrods] face was about as long/And just as wide as St. Peters cone in Rome, Galileo deduced that Lucifer himself was 2,000 arm-lengths long. The audience was impressed, and within the year, Galileo had received a three-year appointment to the University of Pisa, the same university that never granted him a degree. The Leaning Tower of Pisa At the time that Galileo arrived at the University, some debate had started up on one of Aristotles laws of nature, that heavier objects fell faster than lighter objects. Aristotles word had been accepted as gospel truth, and there had been few attempts to actually test Aristotles conclusions by actually conducting an experiment. According to legend, Galileo decided to try. He needed to be able to drop the objects from a great height. The perfect building was right at hand - the Tower of Pisa, 54 meters (177 feet) tall. Galileo climbed up to the top of the building carrying a variety of balls of varying size and weight  and dumped them off of the top. They all landed at the base of the building at the same time (legend says that the demonstration was witnessed by a huge crowd of students and professors). Aristotle was wrong. It might have helped the junior member of the faculty if Galileo had not continued to behave rudely to his colleagues. Men are like wine flasks, he once said to a group of students, †¦look at†¦bottles with the handsome labels. When you taste them, they are full of air or perfume or rouge. These are bottles fit only to pee into! Perhaps not surprisingly, the University of Pisa chose not to renew Galileos contract. The University of Padua Galileo Galilei moved on to the University of Padua. By 1593, he was desperate in need of additional cash. His father had died, so Galileo was now head of his family, and personally responsible for his family. Debts were pressing down on him, most notably, the dowry for one of his sisters, which was to be paid in installments over decades- a dowry could be thousands of crowns, and Galileos annual salary was 180 crowns). Debtors prison was a real threat if Galileo returned to Florence. What Galileo needed was to come up with some sort of device that could make him a tidy profit. A rudimentary thermometer (which, for the first time, allowed temperature variations to be measured) and an ingenious device to raise water from aquifers found no market. He found greater success in 1596 with a military compass that could be used to accurately aim cannonballs. A modified civilian version that could be used for land surveying came out in 1597 and ended up earning a fair amount of money for Galileo. It helped his profit margin that 1) the instruments were sold for three times the cost of manufacture, 2) he also offered classes on how to use the instrument, and 3) the actual toolmaker was paid dirt-poor wages. A good thing. Galileo needed the money to support his siblings, his mistress (a 21-year-old Marina Gamba who had a reputation as a woman of easy habits), and his three children (two daughters and a boy). By 1602, Galileos name was famous enough to help bring in students to the University, where Galileo was busily experimenting with magnets. Building a Spyglass (Telescope) In Venice on a holiday in 1609, Galileo Galilei heard rumors that a Dutch spectacle-maker had invented a device that made distant objects seem near at hand (at first called the spyglass and later  renamed the  telescope). A patent had been requested, but not yet granted, and the methods were being kept secret, since it was obviously of tremendous military value for Holland. Galileo Galilei was determined to attempt to construct his own spyglass. After a frantic 24 hours of experimentation, working only on instinct and bits of rumors, never having actually *seen* the Dutch spyglass, he built a 3-power telescope. After some refinement, he brought a 10-power telescope to Venice and demonstrated it to a highly impressed Senate. His salary was promptly raised, and he was honored with proclamations. Galileos Observations of the Moon If he had stopped here, and become a man of wealth and leisure, Galileo Galilei might be a mere footnote in history. Instead, a revolution started when, one fall evening, the scientist trained his telescope on an object in the sky that all people at that time believed must be a perfect, smooth, polished heavenly body- the Moon. To his astonishment, Galileo Galilei viewed a surface that was uneven, rough, and full of cavities and prominences. Many people insisted that Galileo Galilei was wrong, including a mathematician who insisted that even if Galileo was seeing a rough surface on the Moon, that only meant that the entire moon had to be covered in invisible, transparent, smooth crystal. Discovery of Jupiters Satellites Months passed, and his telescopes improved. On January 7, 1610, he turned his 30 power telescope towards Jupiter, and found three small, bright stars near the planet. One was off to the west, the other two were to the east, all three in a straight line. The following evening, Galileo once again took a look at Jupiter, and found that all three of the stars were now west of the planet, still in a straight line. Observations over the following weeks led Galileo to the inescapable conclusion that these small stars were actually small satellites that were rotating about Jupiter. If there were satellites that didnt move around the Earth, wasnt it possible that the Earth was not the center of the universe? Couldnt the  Copernican  idea of the Sun at the center of the solar system be correct? Galileo Galilei published his findings, as a small book titled The Starry Messenger. A total of 550 copies were published in March of 1610, to tremendous public acclaim and excitement. It was the only one of Galileos writings in Latin; most of his work was published in Tuscan. Seeing Saturns Rings And there were more discoveries via the new telescope: the appearance of bumps next to the planet Saturn (Galileo thought they were companion stars; the stars were actually the edges of Saturns rings), spots on the Suns surface (though others had actually seen the spots before), and seeing Venus change from a full disk to a sliver of light. For Galileo Galilei, saying that the Earth went around the Sun changed everything since he was contradicting the teachings of the Church. While some of the Churchs mathematicians wrote that his observations were clearly correct, many members of the Church believed that he must be wrong. In December of 1613, one of the scientists friends told him how a powerful member of the nobility said that she could not see how his observations could be true, since they would contradict the Bible. The lady quoted a passage in Joshua where God causes the Sun to stand still and lengthen the day. How could this mean anything other than that the Sun went around the Earth? Charged with Heresy Galileo was a religious man, and he agreed that the Bible could never be wrong. However, he said, the interpreters of the Bible could make mistakes, and it was a mistake to assume that the Bible had to be taken literally. That was one of Galileos major mistakes. At that time, only Church priests were allowed to interpret the Bible, or to define Gods intentions. It was absolutely unthinkable for a mere member of the public to do so. Some of the Church clergy started responding, accusing him of heresy. Some clerics went to the Inquisition, the Church court that investigated charges of heresy, and formally accused Galileo Galilei. This was a very serious matter. In 1600, a man named Giordano Bruno was convicted of being a heretic for believing that the earth moved about the Sun, and that there were many planets throughout the universe where life- living creations of God- existed. Bruno was burnt to death. However, Galileo was found innocent of all charges, and cautioned not to teach the Copernican system. Sixteen years later, all that would change. The Final Trial The following years saw Galileo move on to work on other projects. With his telescope he watched the movements of Jupiters moons, recorded them as a list, and then came up with a way to use these measurements as a navigation tool. He developed a contraption that would allow a ship captain to navigate with his hands on the wheel, but the contraption looked like a horned helmet. As another amusement, Galileo started writing about ocean tides. Instead of writing his arguments as a scientific paper, he found that it was much more interesting to have an imaginary conversation, or dialogue, between three fictional characters. One character, who would support Galileos side of the argument, was brilliant. Another character would be open to either side of the argument. The final character, named Simplicio, was dogmatic and foolish, representing all of Galileos enemies who ignored any evidence that Galileo was right. Soon, he wrote up a similar dialogue called Dialogue on the Two Great Systems of the World. This book talked about the Copernican system. Inquisition and Death Dialogue was an immediate hit with the public, but not, of course, with the Church. The pope suspected that he was the model for Simplicio. He ordered the book banned, and also ordered the scientist to appear before the Inquisition in Rome for the crime of teaching the Copernican theory after being ordered not to do so. Galileo Galilei was 68 years old and sick. Threatened with torture, he publicly confessed that he had been wrong to have said that the Earth moves around the Sun. Legend then has it that after his confession, Galileo quietly whispered And yet, it moves. Unlike many less famous prisoners, he was allowed to live under house arrest in his house outside of Florence and near one of his daughters, a nun. Until his death in 1642, he continued to investigate other areas of science. Amazingly, he even published a book on force and motion although he had been blinded by an eye infection. The Vatican Pardons Galileo in 1992 The Church eventually lifted the ban on Galileos Dialogue in 1822- by that time, it was common knowledge that the Earth was not the center of the Universe. Still later, there were statements by the Vatican Council in the early 1960s and in 1979 that implied that Galileo was pardoned, and that he had suffered at the hands of the Church. Finally, in 1992, three years after Galileo Galileis namesake had been launched on its way to Jupiter, the Vatican formally and publicly cleared Galileo of any wrongdoing. Sources Drake, Stillman. Galileo at Work: His Scientific Biography. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications Inc., 2003.Reston, Jr., James. Galileo: A Life. Washington DC: BeardBooks, 2000.  Van Helden, Albert. Galileo: Italian Philosopher, Astronomer and Mathematician. Encyclopedia Britannica, February 11, 2019.Wootton, David. Galileo: Watcher of the Skies. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2010.

Vietnam war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vietnam war - Essay Example The loss of the money which caused the withdrawal was as a result of poor planning on the part of the military leaders on what areas to hit and the use of magnitude. They hit the wrong area and gave the Vietcongs the advantage in the end. The media also put pressure on the government to withdraw its troops and end the war after receiving tips on the progress of war, the budget and the number of deaths (Johnson 883). This pressure went international and eventually the government gave in and withdrew. Zinn insists and in great detail that the most important factor that led to the withdrawal was the massively organized civil rights movement against the involvement of US in Vietnam and especially in relation to the killings of innocent civilians (Zinn 484). They also protested against the excessive force being used by the US government in Vietnam especially the bombings and mass shootings by the CIA operatives. The other factor was the fact that the young men who had been drafted burnt their draft cards and even refused to show up at the draft office. This reduced immensely the number of drafted soldiers required to go to Vietnam by more than half. The war could not continue without soldiers and since the young men had refused to be drafted, there was no alternative but to end it. The most compelling is that of Zinn. In Johnson’s account, the US had the ability to borrow more money from other places and continue financing the war. This was therefore no major reason to end the war. However in Zinn’s account, the two major reasons provided have significant impact. If the government could not enlist enough soldiers to go to war, they would be unable to fight and hence being in an even worse place. The civil rights movement encompassing both blacks and whites and massive student organizations would jeopardize not only the

Shock at the cellular level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shock at the cellular level - Essay Example Hypovolemic shock occurs when there is loss of blood or plasma, as in burns, hemorrhage and trauma. Septic shock occurs as a result of systemic microbial infection. Other types of shock have also been defined: distributive and obstructive (Schwarz, eMedicine). Distributive shock occurs when the normal peripheral vascular tone becomes inappropriately relaxed leading to relative hypovolemia. It is caused by anaphylaxis, neurologic injury, sepsis, and drug-related causes. Obstructive shock is seen in newborns with obstructive congenital heart disease like coarctation of aorta, interrupted aortic arch, and severe valvular stenosis (Schwarz, eMedicine). In older children and adults, rheumatic fever, subacute bacterial endocarditis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can lead to direct obstruction of cardiac output (Schwarz, eMedicine). 1. Non-progressive stage: This is an initial stage where in the reflex mechanisms of the body are activated, thus maintaining normal perfusion of the vital organs. The various neuro-humoral mechanisms maintain the cardiac output and blood pressure. The hypothalamus situated in the brain secretes adrenocorticotrophic releasing hormone which in turn stimulates the adrenal or the suprarenal glands to secrete the catecholamines, aldosterone and the cortisol. Blood is diverted from the less vital to more vital organs like brain, heart and kidneys, heart rate increases to supply more blood quickly, blood pressure increases to supply blood efficiently, respiratory rate increases to get more oxygen from the atmosphere, glycogen stores in the liver and muscle are broken down to get more glucose (glycogenolysis) and beyond a certain level, glucose is formed from non-carbohydrate sources like fats and proteins (gluconeogenesis) (Ron de Kloet, p.187). In the heart, adrenaline causes increase in the heart rate and also the force of contraction leading to increased

Poem Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Poem - Annotated Bibliography Example The oppression was being advanced by the whites in various forms such as restrictions to certain facilities and mistreatments. The authors thus portrays how Phillis Whitley composed the poem â€Å"On the Death of General Wooster† which depicts a form of resistance to the state and a protest in a way. Phillis expresses her outrage regarding how the Africa’s race was being treated by the white people. The book can be described as credible since the authors have written other books on the topic before. In the book Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation, Felder, the author, analyses various poems regarding the poetry works by various authors especially in the 18th century such as the â€Å"An Ante-bellum Sermon† composed by Paul Laurence Dunbar in the 1890s. According to Dunbar’s analysis, the poem is more of a protest as well as a plea to other African Americans to resist the slavery that was being facilitated by the white and which was a great source of poverty among the black race. The poem employs a lot of humor where Dunbar calls for â€Å"Moses† to come and rescue the black people from the slavery. The book Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation is a compilation of credible analysis of poems from various poets thus can be described to be trustworthy. Haralson is the author of the popular book Encyclopedia of American Poetry which is a compendium of various poetry works in the history of America. In one of the poems is â€Å"The Slave Auction† which was composed by a renowned poet, Watkins Harper in the slavery period of America. In the book Encyclopedia of American Poetry, the author attempts to analyse the various issue presented by Watkins such as the torture and a hard time that African Americans endured at the time of his composing the poem. He condemns the

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell This essay will be based on Dell Inc and how the topic resources and capabilities are used as a strategy throughout the company. The topic will be explored to identify how it applies to Dells strategy and how they use it within the company. The essay will identify the different types of strategys which are used to help them sustain competitive advantage. During the essay theoretical concepts will be used and applied to Dell in order to analyse the organisation. The theoretical concepts which will be used will be concepts from the module, these concepts will help draw conclusions from the essay and help identify why Dell continually sustain a competitive advantage. Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell in his university dorm in Texas using his last $1000. With this money he created a company called PCs Limited. Within a year Michael Dell had turned his $1000 into $6 million in sales. He managed to do this by borrowing $300,000 from his family and upgrading computers for local firm from their existing software to IBM. By 1986 the company was producing sales of $60 million; this was due to dell starting their own assembly lines. 4 years later Dells sales had increased vastly to $500 million, because they had now created a wide line of products. By 1996 Dell launched their products online, this gave them $1 million in sales a day boosting their annual sales to an astonishing $5.3 billion, increasing to $7.8 billion the following year. The sales had risen 50% and tripled to making sales of $3 million a day in sales. By 2005 Dells sales had risen to $49.2 billion, showing how the company has become one of the most successful companies within rece nt times by being a fortune company while only being around for 14 years. Also during 2005 Dell was ranked 28th biggest company in America by revenue. In 2006 Dell was looked at as one of the most admired companies in America. Their sales for 2009 were $61.1 billion, simply showing why they were nominated a top 200 fortune. They are the highest earning company within the computer industry. Dell employs over 75,000 employees across the world, due to having to serve customers in over 170 countries. Dell took over as leaders in their market from their biggest and most successful competitors Hewlett Packard, whilst also staying ahead of rivals such as IBM and Apple computers who are the only other alternative substitute for a PC. Dell now offer a range of products and services, including computing software, computing systems, computing peripherals, consulting and IT services. Dell have gone a long way from upgrading computers for local businesses to offering products such as televisions , printers, peripherals, netbooks, notebooks, servers, scanners and their main product computers. In 2007 Michael Dell returned to the company as a CEO to help improve its financial performance by bringing new plans in for the company. Key Success Factors In the ever maturing PC industry it is very important for any company wishing to be competitive to meet the industries key success factors (KSF). In order to succeed, certain KSFs must be incorporated into their business model. Specific KSF include: Competitive prices Excellent relationships with suppliers Product customisation Excellent customer services Superior cost structure Dell has continued to perform well, through incorporating many of these factors into their business model. Dells customer centric approach with a closely managed supply chain and cash flow process has seen them succeed in the mature PC industry. Key Competencies Customer focus- Dell has a thorough understanding of their consumers needs and wants and it serves them very effectively. The custom build business model that Dell adopts accommodates the ever changing needs and wants of consumers. This model is very effective as it allows Dell to offer the latest technologies at competitive prices in a timely manner. This is exactly what customers demand in a hyper competitive market. Manufacturing Processes- Dell benefited greatly from the first mover advantage, through adopting the direct selling business model which was unique to the industry, aided by the boom of the internet. Supply Chain Management- The direct selling business model employed by Dell is run by an i2 technology supply chain management (SCM) system. Every 20 sec the software aggregates orders, analyzes material requirements, compares Dells on-hand inventory with its suppliers inventory and then creates a supplier bill of material to meet its order needs. SCM is particularly important as improving it by 0.1% has greater impact than improving manufacturing process by 10%. This system allowed Dell to go beyond a simple value chain model, into a more complex value web model. Customer Selection, Acquisition and Retention- Dell also employ a state of the art IT and customer relationship management (CRM) system. Through efficiently targeting customers they are able to keep costs to a minimum which suit consumers budgets. Consumers are very price sensitive in the PC industry as there are many substitutes. Customer Service- Dell offers a complete range of services, including, technical support through internet and global call centres. For additional fees Dell offers extended service and support plans. Dells customer service was considered to be the best in the industry. However after recently outsourcing this, their reputation is beginning to fall, after repeated poor treatment of cases. Porters value chain By identifying Dells value chain and network it will allow us to identify how Dell value their customers and how it is created. FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE Dell has a very strong and organised stock management. Dell sells straight thought their website cutting out intermediaries. They sell thought a direct model. Dell receives payments normally immediately as customers generally use credit cards online. Once the orders have been placed and paid the customers products are order from the suppliers, this is so dell only have stock in which is being used to build products from orders they have received reducing excess stock. OPERATIONS Dell deal with a few operations, they deal with the most important one in their opinion, being the final configuration of customer products. Dell outsources operations such as the assemblies of motherboards and most of the production chain for all of their notebook computers. INBOUND LOGISTICS As dell allows customers to build their own products and order the products when needed using just in time, it allows deal not to buy an overload of stock they just pay for what they need from the order made. Dells direct model in which they sell their products to their consumers they depend on time management, so that all the components they need arrive at the time they are need to produce the product for their customers. MARKETING SALES Dell using the direct selling model it has taken out all intermediaries. Normally the intermediaries would want to take about 20 to 30%. Dell managed to cut out intermediaries as they align their value chain and supply chain very closely, and also their assembly factories and order taking systems. Dell has incorporated their direct selling model with their supply chain. Dell put together 80,000 PCs daily, but they do not own their own warehouse as they only order components they need to assemble products within a few days as they only hold stock for a maximum of two days. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT Dell spend a tiny amount on technology research compared to their biggest rivals HP. Dell spend around $400 million which is a small margin of HPs $4 billion. Yet Dell has near perfect assembly chain along with very efficient assembly operations. Dell have a unique way to identify if an employee is a fault for a product as a single product is made by a single employee making them accountable if it faulty. Value Web Model Dell moved beyond the simple value chain into a more effective value web organism. This positively impacted Dells just-in-time manufacturing and the inventory management systems. Dell relies on big players to provide their high-tech components. E.g. Microprocessors-Intel, Software- Microsoft. Dell rely on smaller multiple players to provide low-tech components. These low-tech, low- differentiation component manufacturers compete fiercely on price and availability. Dell Has one of the latest SCM systems, which is unmatched by competitors. This system enables Dells factories to have only 7 hours worth of inventory, whereas most of the industry holds a 10 day inventory. It also helps that 85% of all their supplies are provided by 15 suppliers. This value web organism has been achieved through careful knowledge management and 15 years of learning. It is a very complex system, and due to this it is inimitable. Dells Direct Business Model Unlike their competitors, Dell has adopted a direct selling approach to customers compared to all of their competitors. Dell have cut out all intermediaries meaning customers order straight thought their website, this allows Dell to sell directly to them. Due to customer buying straight from Dell it has given them a great understanding of customer needs. Dells main focus is on their customers which their strategy is based around. The Direct business model also allows customers to customize their products letting them have what they desire rather than a standard product. As customer order a want they want product, it allowed Dell to minimize their stock, as they will order only what they need adopting JIT strategy. This also allows Dell to deliver the newest technology to their customers sustain an edge on their competitors. Dells Direct Model Customers SUPPLIERS Competitors Model Dells competitors model has 2 extra sections, outsourcing and channels. This produces extra cost and it doesnt allow them to have complete customer focus as they dont deal directly with their customers. Their customer buy from channels which are shops taking away customer relation with the company. They also dont get supplies directly from their suppliers as they outsource 1st to other companies. Dells model is a far better strategy and it allows them to have a great focus on their customers. They use their resources and capabilities such as their great product lines to achieve the efficiencies they want to produce. Activity Mapping Through conducting detailed research into Dell, a number of conclusions can be drawn. At the core of Dells business strategy and its direct selling model is customer focus. Dells core competencies were developed around their customer centric approach, and its resources and capabilities were placed in a way to best serve their customers. This customer centric approach has enabled them to develop more competencies, including, manufacturing processes, supply chain management, customer selection and service. Within the hyper competitive PC industry it is imperative that companies provide the latest technology in a timely manner. Dell achieved this through adopting the kaizan approach to its supply chain. To compliment the increased efficiencies of the supply chain Dell also improved their manufacturing processes. A key advantage for Dell is that they have one of the best SCM systems in the world. This is complimented by the fact that 95% of their suppliers are located near to their assem bly plants making coordination easier. Holding only a 7 hour inventory, instead of the industries norm of around 10 days is another advantage. Holding such a short inventory means they do not have socks of slow selling products leading to poor cash flow. Dell aim to deliver the custom product within 36 hours of an order being placed, which competitors just cant match. Dell constantly operates with a negative cash flow conversion cycle as they only pay their suppliers once the customer has paid them. Building these strong relationships with suppliers has taken years and combined with Dells complex supply chain is inimitable and leads to a sustainable competitive advantage. Through the careful selection, training and retention of its workforce that could develop and evolve as Dell grows, they were able to manage knowledge, encourage honesty, loyalty and learning over time. Through employing the best Dell become more effective in recognising, acquiring and retaining customers through providing them with their needs and wants at competitive prices and in a timely manner. Through aligning their core competencies with the industry KSFs, Dell were able to perform favourable in an ever maturing market. Dells differentiation comes from process innovation. Through capturing the value of its suppliers and partners Dell has capitalised on their technology innovation. This enabled Dell to minimise their research and development spend and improve their cost structure. This strategy has yet to match by any of their major competitors in the industry, leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. Ultimately in order to sustain competitive advantage Dell need to continue to outdo their competitors. By adopting the direct business model and adopting their customer centric approach they have achieved competitive advantage. In order to ensure the sustainability of this they need to evolve as consumer demands change. Through their direct business model and their superior relationships with suppliers they have developed core competencies which align with the industry KSFs and are also difficult for the competition to imitate. Factors which will provide sustained competitive advantage include: Online custom build of each computer. Minimisation of working capital in the production process High manufacture and distribution quality- latest technology, timely manner, competitively priced, reliable products The careful management of their resources and capabilities make all this possible.

Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the poem "Eleanor Rigby" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, many of the characters are experiencing loneliness. When people feel lonely their way of lifestyle are different then that of someone's who's not lonely or them if they were not lonely. Also because they are lonely their actions are different. They portray this in both the novel and the poem. The effects of loneliness on people are displayed in the novel Of Mice and Men through the character of Curley's Wife. As stated, when people feel lonely their actions and way of life are affected. In the plot they show that if it wasn't for Curley's Wife's loneliness she may not have died the way she did. Because she is so lonely she goes to the other men in the bunkhouse for company. When all of the men refuse to spend time with her because of the reaction Curley has on this, she goes to the one person on the ranch that she knows will talk to her, the mentally retarded man, Lennie. While talking to him she asks him to feel her hair, which he does and this leads to her death by breaking her neck. If it wasn't for Curley's Wife's loneliness, she would have never gone to Lennie for company and she wouldn't have died on that day in that way. Because this happens in the novel and there are so many other lonely characters in the novel, such as Curley, Candy, Crooks and George in the end, the theme of the novel Of Mice and Men is loneliness and the need for companions. The affects of loneliness on people are displayed in the poem "Eleanor Rigby" through the characters of Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. Through figurative language they show that Eleanor Rigby is very lonely and that she never sees many people. They say "Waits at the window wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door, who is it for?" Through this they show that everyday she puts on makeup, a face, that no one will see because she is lonely.