Tuesday, November 26, 2019
The issue of adverse reactions to artificial food additives is not a new one. The WritePass Journal
The issue of adverse reactions to artificial food additives is not a new one. Introduction The issue of adverse reactions to artificial food additives is not a new one. IntroductionFood additives EpidemiologyPathophysiologyFood additives and urticariaFood additives and atopic eczemaFood additives and behaviourDouble blind placebo controlled crossover studiesReferencesRelated Introduction The issue of adverse reactions to artificial food additives is not a new one. The search for this relationship stems from various parental reports of food additives responsible for their child’s various symptoms. Investigation of the incidence of food additive intolerance is challenging because of the large number of additives involved and the need for extensive patient compliance. The large number of additives available also makes it difficult to associate specific additives with symptoms. The gold standard for investigating the association between food additives and adverse reactions in children is a double blinded, randomised placebo-controlled challenge. Despite improved methodology of more recent studies, the overall relationship between these two variables has failed to be clearly established. Food additives A variety of symptoms have been reported in children consuming artificial food additives in their diet. Table 1 shows the range of symptoms reported. Table 1 Symptoms reported to food additives. Taken from (1) Itching                                             Gastrointestinal Flushing                                        Headaches Eczema                                           Behavioural/mood changes Urticaria/angioedema            Musculo-skeletal symptoms Asthma                                              Others Rhinitis Conjunctivitis Wilson et al (2) performed a double blind assessment of additive intolerance in 29 children with a clear history of symptoms induced by artificial yellow colourings. The symptoms included cough and wheeze (14 children), behavioural disturbance (7 children), eczema (4 children), urticaria (2 childen) and abdominal pain, pallor and lethargy (2 children). Following a period of additive free diet, the children were challenged daily with drinks containing tartrazine and sunset yellow for 12 days. Out of the 19 children who completed the study, only three children were found to have exacerbation of symptoms, which proved a causal relationship with substances in the challenge drinks. Epidemiology In 1997, Young et al (1) conducted a population study in Wycombe to find out the prevalence of food additive intolerance. A total of 30000 people were surveyed, of which 7.4% of those who responded claimed a reaction to food additives. Of the 649 were interviewed for participation in the study, 132 were selected to take part. The subjects were given a low and high dose challenge of additives or placebo (lactose) concealed in opaque capsules. Statistical analysis of the results provided an estimate of 0.01-0.23% prevalence of food additive intolerance in the Wycombe population. Fuglsang et al (3) performed a similar study in Denmark but looked at children who were referred to paediatric allergy clinics for symptoms of urticaria, asthma, eczema or rhinitis, and found the incidence of intolerance of food additives to be 2% (6/335) on double-blinded challenge of additives. Pathophysiology The mechanism of food additive intolerance is not clearly defined. Supramaniam and Warner (4) had disproved the then-held view that altered prostaglandin production was responsible as a reaction can be induced in aspirin-sensitive patients, because aspirin intolerance was uncommon in their study. Food additives and urticaria Artificial food additives, particularly tartrazine and benzoates (1) have been shown to trigger urticarial reactions in children in many studies conducted over the last three decades. One of the first few reliable studies to emerge was by Supramaniam and Warner (4). They evaluated 43 children who presented with angioedema and/or utricaria and had responded to an additive free diet in a double-blinded study. These children were challenged with various food additives including tartrazine (E102), sunset yellow (E110), amaranth (E123), indigo carmaine (E132), carmoisine (E122), sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulphite. 24 of the 43 children were found to have reacted to 1 or more of the additives. The authors noted that a very small percentage of these children had a history of atopy; only 9.3% had asthma and 11.6% had postitive skin prick tests and came to the conclusion that food additive intolerance causing urticaria was not an IgE-mediated phenomenon. Food additives and atopic eczema No well-controlled studies have been performed to investigate the claims that food additives can induce atopic eczema until Van Bever et al (5) performed a double blind placebo controlled challenge in 25 children with severe atopic eczema. In all the children, a thorough history was obtained linking food intake with exacerbations of eczema. Furthermore, their eczema was poorly controlled despite the use of topical moisturisers and steroids. All the children were admitted to hospital and were fed an elemental diet via a nasogastric tube (NG tube) and 1-2 weeks after this treatment, an improvement in the childrens’ skin was apparent, such that they were almost free from active eczema lesions. They were then given a placebo or the food additives (tartrazine, sodium benzoate, sodium glutamate, sodium metabisulphite, acetylsalicylic acid and tyramine) via the NG tube. The study (5) found that all children challenged with food additives showed positive reactions within 10 minute s after administration and the reactions consisted of pruritus and redness of the skin. It is not clear whether food additives worsen atopic eczema by inducing erythema and urticaria or whether they exert a direct effect (5). Although the study managed to show adverse reactions to food additives, it failed to describe or measure the severity of the reactions (6) or pick up late reactions as the observation period lasted only four hours (6). Devlin and David (6) attempted to address these drawbacks in a study of 13 patients with severe eczema (requiring regular attendance at outpatient clinics). The subjects were randomly assigned a regimen of three placebo and three active weeks where they were given capsules containing either tartrazine (50mg) or glucose placebo (50mg) to be dissolved in orange juice and drunk using a straw through an opaque cup. The severity of their eczema was assessed using a chart to record the percentage surface area affected. The results of the study failed to find evidence of a clear relationship between tartrazine and eczema as only one patient out of the 12 who completed the study had a significant correspondence between symptom or disease severity score with tartrazine challenges, and this relationship could have occurred by chance. The above two studies have failed to demonstrate a significant link between food additives and eczema, although both had evaluated mainly tartrazine, so reactions to other types of food colouring may not have been tested. Furthermore, the mechanism in which food additives trigger exacerbation of eczema is now well known. Food additives and behaviour The earliest report of an association between food additives and behavioural problems such as hyperactivity was in 1973 when Dr Benjamin Feingold, Chief Emeritus of the Department of Allergy at the Kaiser-Permanente Foundation Hospital in San Fransisco claimed that much of the hyperactivity and learning difficulties seen in school-aged children was due to the ingestion of foods containing naturally occurring salicylates and artificial colourings and flavourings (7). Feingold devised a diet free from these foods and named it the â€Å"Kaiser-Permanente†(KP) diet (8) (see Table 1). Over 5 separate programs, Feingold managed 260 children whose primary complaint was behaviour disturbance with the KP diet and using the Conners rating scale, discovered that there was marked behavioural change within 3-21 days in 30-50% of the children (8). The studies reached no statistical conclusion but proved that the KP diet influenced behaviour. Feingold also noted that an individual child’s behavioural deficit varies in terms of type and duration and the child’s age influences the speed and degree of response; in early infancy the response may take 24-48 hours, 2-5 year olds, more than 5 days, 5-12 year olds, 10-14 days and in older, post-pubertal adolescents, several months (8). Feingold’s proposal attracted widespread attention from the media and public but was criticized by many in the medical community because his studies lacked a structured diagnosis for the subjects, control groups, an objective measure of outcome and was not double blinded. Table 1. The Kaiser Permanente Diet. Taken from (8) Avoid all artificial colours and flavours contained in foods, medications and  cosmetics Avoid preservatives BHA and BHT (butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene) Avoid the following foods containing natural salicylates: Almonds        Currants                   Plums, prunes               Cloves Apples            Grapes, raisins        Tangerines                      Coffee Apricots         Nectarines              Cucumber, pickles        Teas Berries            Oranges                     Green peppers               Oil of wintergreen Cherries           Peaches                     Tomatoes Over the subsequent period of 35 years, many studies have been conducted to evaluate Feingold’s hypothesis and these were performed in children who were diagnosed with hyperactivity, ADHD or other behaviour problems. One of the earliest studies to be reported was by Conners et al. (9). The study looked at 15 hyperkinetic children using a double blind crossover design. These children were randomly allocated to 4 weeks of the KP diet followed by 4 weeks of a control diet or they were assigned to the control diet followed by the KP diet. Relative to a 4-week baseline period, parents and teachers were asked to rate the children based on a standardised rating scale of ADHD symptoms. It was found that from teacher ratings, the KP diet was significantly more effective than the control diet with approximately 15% reduction in symptoms (p0.005) but not on parent ratings. However, when compared with the baseline period, both parents and teachers reported fewer hyperkinetic symptoms- 2.5 3% reduction in symptoms (parent) and 2.55% (teacher), on the KP diet (p0.05). Although this study had an improved methodology compared to Feingold’s, it was limited by a small sample size (n=15), inconsistent results, uncertain control of information and expectation held by parents and findings that the behavioural effect of the diets were related to the order in which they were administered. Gross et al (10) performed a study of 39 children ranging in age from 11 to 17 with learning problems attending a private summer camp, 18 who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), amongst which, 17 were taking stimulant medication. All children were given the KP diet for 1 week, and then allowed to eat a typical American diet rich in cookies, cakes, candy, soft drinks and snacks from home during the second week. Each week, the childrens’ behaviour was monitored by videotape placed in the dining hall at 4-minute intervals by three blinded observers (one which included the study author) for motor restlessness, disorganized behaviour and misbehaviour. The authors found no difference in the behaviour of the children while on both diets and also commented that the children disliked the KP diet. Despite being blinded and the investigators having complete control over the children’s diets, there were several weaknesses in the study. Firstly, there was no specification of the components of the diet rich in food additives. Secondly, the children were aware for the first week that they were eating a different diet (11). Thirdly, all the subjects except for one were taking stimulant medication (10), which arguably might have influenced the outcome of the study. In addition, the sensitivity to changes in children’s behaviour of the outcome measure (coding of videotapes) had not been evaluated (11). Based on these initial investigations, there has not been a clear and consistent association between the KP diet and behaviour in children with symptoms of hyperactivity. Only a small proportion (11-13%) of hyperactive children respond to the KP diet such that there is an improvement in their functioning at home and in school (11). Double blind placebo controlled crossover studies Various studies have been done to investigate the effects of artificial food colourings (AFC) on hyperactive behaviour in children and adolescents by following a methodological pattern of a baseline diet free of AFCs, followed by a double blind, placebo controlled crossover challenge of AFCs (11). However, these studies vary in length, sample size, outcome measure and AFC challenges, which varied in the amounts and selected dyes. Most studies used a mixture of AFCs as a challenge-most commonly allura red, erythrosine, brilliant blue, indogotine, tartrazine and sunset yellow, and a similar amount of AFCs (26 mg) (11). Swanson and Kinsbourne (12) performed a short-term trial with 20 hyperactive and 20 non-hyperactive children in a hospital setting. The children were given a diet free of food dyes, artificial flavours and preservatives for 5 days- 3 days of baseline and 2 days of placebo-controlled challenge of 100 to 150 mg of AFCs. The high doses of AFCs were given because the authors concluded from an earlier study (8) that a high dose of 100mg produced significant effect (p0.001) on the children’s ability to perform a laboratory learning task compared to the 26mg dose. They found that the performances of the hyperactive children on learning tasks were significantly impaired (p0.05) after the AFC challenge but the performances of the non-hyperactive children were not affected. This study used an objective measure of outcome (laboratory learning test) and compared the effects of AFCs in hyperactive and non-hyperactive children, as compared to previous studies that only looked into children with diagnosis of hyperactivity or children with suspected behavioural problems associated with AFCs. However, the need to use a high dose of AFC (100mg) to provoke behavioural reactions in hyperactive children suggests that average doses of AFC found in the daily diets of these children might not do so. Pollock and Warner (13) performed a 7-week double blind AFC crossover challenge, also using a high dose of AFCs (150mg) on 19 children between the ages of 2-8 years (mean 8.9), whose parents had observed that various behavioural problems in these children had improved on a diet free of food additives. The children studied were all normal except for one who had idiopathic global retardation and another who had been diagnosed with hyperkinesis. The food colours used in the challenge were tartrazine (E102) 50mg, sunset yellow (E110) 25mg, carmoisine (E122) 25 mg and amaranth (E123) 25mg, as they were often the blamed food additives causing adverse reactions. These were given in opaque capsules daily for two weeks while placebo capsules given the remaining five weeks, in random sequence. Parents were asked to complete a daily questionnaire of the child’s behaviour and somatic symptoms throughout the seven weeks. Results of the study showed that parents reported more behavioural pr oblems (p0.01) on the AFC challenge compared to placebo. However, only 2 children demonstrated clinical hyperactivity on their Conners’ score. They (13) also suggested that food additives given in large doses act as a pharmacological trigger in a small percentage of children with behaviour problems, although their study showed that the effect was small. Rowe and Rowe (14) investigated the effect of 6 doses of tartrazine (dose range 1-50mg) in 34 hyperactive children and 20 non-hyperactive children in a double blind placebo controlled study for 6 weeks. The parents of the children were asked to complete two rating scales (a behaviour rating inventory devised by the authors and Conners 10 item Abbreviated Parent-Teacher Questionnaire). In total, 24 children (22 hyperactive and 2 comparison children) reacted to the tartrazine challenge. These children demonstrated consistent variations in behaviour for at least 5 of the 6 challenges. The study also found that pre-schooled and school aged children responded differently to the AFC challenge; severe sleep disturbance was the main complaint in younger children (aged 2-6 years), while older (aged 7-14 years) children exhibited negative mood, impulsivity and whining. This study was able to address the drawbacks in an earlier study by David (15) where tartrazine could not be disguised in capsules due to its bright and early recognizable colour, thus could not be performed in the home environment. In Rowe’s study (14), the capsules were colourless and tartrazine was planted in an inner capsule surrounded by the placebo (lactose). Based on the above studies (13,14), it can be concluded that in non-hyperactive subjects, there exists a relationship between food additives and behavior but to a much smaller extent compared to hyperactive subjects. In an attempt to address the problem with generalization of findings from previous studies limited by small samples, dependant on a diagnosis of hyperactivity or in children thought to show adverse behaviour triggered by food additives (11,13,14), Bateman et al (16) devised a population based study to test whether food additives have a pharmacological effect on behaviour. They looked at 277 children aged 3 years, registered with general practitioners in the Isle of Wight, who were given 20 mg in total of AFCs (sunset yellow, tartrazine, carmoisine and ponceau 4R; 5mg of each) and 45 mg of sodium benzoate during the second and fourth week of the 4-week study. As an objective measure of outcome, research psychologists using validated tests assessed the children’s behaviour weekly. In addition, parents were asked to rate changes in their child’s behaviour. The study found that parental ratings showed a significantly greater increase in the hyperactive behaviour during the active period (p0.007). The authors suggested that the reason parental ratings have a higher sensitivity to changes in behaviour is because parents experience their child’s behaviour over more prolonged periods of time and in varied environmental settings (16). The most recent population study by Mc Cann et al (17) was performed on 2 groups of schoolchildren: 137 preschoolers (age 3) and 130 school-aged children (ages 8 and 9) from the general population. Each group was challenged with sodium benzoate combined with 2 different mixtures of dyes. Mixture A had the same content as the Bateman et al study while mixture B contained sunset yellow, carmosine, quinolone yellow and allura red. The doses of dyes were different in the two mixtures and also according to age group- mixture A contained 20mg (preschool) and 24.98mg (school-aged) while mixture B contained 30mg (preschool) and 62.4mg (school-aged). It was found that both age groups had significantly increased Global Hyperactivity Aggregrate scores when challenged with one or both dyes compared with placebo. The younger children significantly reacted to mixture A (p=0.044) but not mixture B while the older children reacted significantly to both mixture A (p=0.023) and mixture B (p0.001). Despite much-generated interest from parents and the public over the effect of food additives to children’s behaviour, evidence for this association is generally weak and as described above, some findings can be conflicting. However, recent population studies have managed to show a significant association between food additives and childhood behaviour, particularly in the older age group (8-9 years). Table 2 summarises the studies discussed above. Table 2: Double blind placebo controlled studies on effect of artificial food colouring on behaviour in children Studies   Number of  Restricted Diet AFCs Medium Amount of Outcome Challenge                    Subjects                                                                  AFC (mg)    Measure         Effect Swanson    20     KP diet              Mix           Capsules 100-150   Learning           p0.05 et al.(7)                                                                                                            task Pollock      19       Additive free  Mix           Capsules 125            PRS                p0.01 and Warner(9) Rowe          34      Additive free  Tartra-        Capsules 1-50            PRS                p0.001 and Rowe (10)                                  zine Bateman    277                                 Mix               Drinks     20                     PRS                  p0.007 et al. (13) Mc Cann    267                                  Mix               Drinks                                 GHA                 A-p=0.044 et al (14)                                                                       A- 20(preschool)      (preschool) 24.98(school-aged) B-p=0.023 B-30(preschool)        (preschool) -62.4 (school-aged) B-p0.001) (school-aged) AFC:Artificial food colouring, PRS: Parental rating scale , GHA: Global Hyperactivity Aggregrate, A:Mixture A, B:Mixture B References 1) Young E. Prevalence of intolerance to food additives. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 1997;4:111-114 2) Wilson N, Scott A. A double blind assessment of additive intolerance in children using a 12 day challenge period at home. Clinical and Experimental Allerfy 1989;19L267-272 3) Fuglsand G, Madsen C, Halken S, Jorgensen M, Ostergaard OA, Osterballe O. Adverse reactions to food additives in children with atopic symptoms. Allergy 1994;49:31-37 4) Supramaniam G, Warner JO. Artificial food additive intolerance in patients with angioedema and urticaria. Lancet 1986;2;907-909 5) Van Bever HP, Docx M, Stevens WJ. Food and food additives in severe atopic dermatitis. Allergy 1989;44:588-594 6) Devlin J, David TJ. Tartrazine in atopic eczema. Archives of disease in childhood 1992;67:709-711 7) Feingold BF. Adverse reactions to food additives. Paper presented at American Medical Association annual meeting 1973, Chicago, IL. 8) Feingold BF. Hyperkinesis and learning disabilities linked to artificial food flavours and colours. American Journal of Nursing. 1975;75:797-803 9) Conners CK, Goyette CH, Southwick DA, Lees JM, Andrulonis PA. Food additives and hyperkinesis: a controlled double blind experiment. Pediatrics 1976;58:154-166 10) Gross MD, Tofanelli RA, Butzirus SM, Snodgrass EW. The effect of diets rich in and free from additives on the behaviour of children with hyperkinetic and learning disorders. Journal of American Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1987;26:53-55 11) Stevens LJ, Kuczek T, Burgess JR, Hurt E, Arnold LE. Dietary sensitivities and ADHD symptoms: Thirty five years of research. Clinical Pediatrics 2011;50(4):279-293 12) Swanson JM, Kinsbourne M. Food dyes impair performance of hyperactive children on a laboratory learning test. Science 1980;207:1485-1487 13) Pollock I, Warner JO. Effect of artificial food colours on childhood behaviour. Archives of Diseases in Childhood 1990;65:74-77 14) Rowe KS, Rowe KJ. Synthetic food coloring and behavior: a dose response effect in a double blind, placebo controlled, repeated measures study. Journal of Pediatrics. 1994;125:691-698 15) David TJ. Reactions to dietary tartrazine. Archives of Disease in Childhood 1987;62:119-122 16) Bateman B, Warner JO, Hutchinson E, et al. The effects of a double blind, placebo controlled, artificial food colourings and benzoate preservative challenge on hyperactivity in a general population sample of preschool children. Archives of Disease of Childhood 2004;89:506-511 17) McCann D, Barrett A, Cooper A, et al.Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3 year-old and 8/9 year-old children in the community: a randomised, double blinded placebo controlled trial. Lancet 2007;370:1560-1567
Friday, November 22, 2019
Author Website Design Inspiration 5 Ideas to Build the Perfect Website
Author Website Design Inspiration 5 Ideas to Build the Perfect Website Author Website Design Inspiration: 5 Ideas From Bestselling Authors Author websites are the one place readers get to judge a book by its cover†¦ or in this case, the webpage. We’ve already written an extensive piece with tips for building an effective author website: 10 Tips to Build The Perfect Author Website, but we thought we could go even further and offer you some actual inspiration and ideas to get started on yours.The main goal of your website is to allow you to connect with your readers, and help convert them into loyal customers. It’s obvious that authors are masters of language, but when it comes to the web, some don’t deem it necessary to have a strong internet presence. And that’s exactly where a dedicated reader can be made†¦or lost. So the author website design inspiration you'll find in this post will be geared towards one main goal: creating loyal readers. Idea #1: Adding teasers to your author websiteOnce an avid reader has finished a great book, they immediately want to read another; it’s an addiction. So when they make their way to your author website, the first thing they should see on your homepage is a feature on what you’re working on next. Readers want some exclusivity!Nothing is worse than finishing your new favorite book or the first book in a series and going to the author’s website to find out when the next one will be published and there’s absolutely zero information. It’s simply heartbreaking coming from a reader’s eyes and also from a marketing perspective.Case in point? If you're a loyal reader of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones), you probably want to know when Winds of Winter is going to be finished. So you head to the author's website, and†¦ you see this.We understand that being a published author means that you’r e extremely busy working on your next book, but creating a separate email account for the sole purpose of receiving feedback from your followers is extremely controlled and feasible. (And if you’re having a bad day, reading a little fan mail should cure that!)Similarly, designing the website so that the "Contact" page is immediately available from the menu is crucial. If people want to get in touch with you, your design should make it as easy for them as you can.Also, if you’re feeling sociable, make it easy for your readers to find you on social media - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook - with the help of push buttons. It will be easier to â€Å"like†what they tweet or tag you in and if they tweet positive feedback, they’re marketing for you!Or you can try Nick Stephenson’s approach to staying in touch: homing pigeons 😉Idea #4: Make the best first impressionA reader coming to your website usually wants one thing: to know more about you. The first thing they'll do is click to your "bio" page. We know writers hate writing about themselves (unless you're a memoir writer!), but you gotta give readers what they want, so feel free to indulge yourself with some healthy bragging.But how do you write the ultimate author bio? The trick is to write more than one. As a writer, rewriting and re-editing comes with the territory. Write multiple versions of your bio blurb until you’ve broken down your shyness barrier and created a bio that truly defines you not only as an author, but also as a person. And continuing our point in idea #2, continue to keep it fresh by updating it as you move along in your career.Now, since you're here for some inspiration, take a look at Lindsay Buroker's bio page. It's a great case in point for being genuine and true to your work. She’s honest, witty, and real in her bio blurb.Idea #5: The website as an extension of your bookThere is one question we haven't addressed yet: how do you get as many readers as possible to actually go to your website? The first thing is to write a really really good book. The better the book, the more the author will want to learn more about you and your other work, and head to your website for that.Then, you need to make sure that you actually link to your website at the beginning and end of all your ebooks. You also need to make sure you pick a simple URL, like "firstnamelastname.com" or "seriesname.com." That way, your website will likely show up as the first result on Google when readers Google you.But the ultimate way to get authors to check out your site is to turn it into an extension of your book, by linking it to one of your characters, or places, or adding more to the story. Not sure what we mean by that? You'll find some inspiration in ML Banner's story:"I had a character in the book who was a scientist and I thought: it’d be really cool if he had this res earch institute. So I created a persona for him online: a G+ profile, a Twitter account, and a website for the CMER Institute. The key was really to think from my character’s standpoint and see what I would do, in his place, to get the word out about this phenomenon that endangers the world.The beautiful thing about eBooks is the connectivity: you can embed hyperlinks. So I linked to this CMERI website where my character actually offered a free ebook called â€Å"The Apocalypse Survival Guide†. And I actually got over 1,200 downloads of that book. Some people even seem to believe that the CMERI is real, as I got a couple of media inquiries!"You have all the best practices in one: link to the website in the book, social media, free additional content, and a website that truly takes the story to another level. Of course, your author website's design should match the "branding" of your book or series, and ideally feature some of the imagery used on the cover. Our b est advice for that is to put your author website design in the hands of a Reedsy professional.What are your favourite author websites out there? Which ones do you turn to for design inspiration? What other tips would you add to this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Thursday, November 21, 2019
International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal Analysis and Essay
International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal Analysis and Recommendations - Essay Example A family owned business that churns out the highest quality of cut glass and allied products that come under the lifestyle category, Tutbury is a name to reckon with. It has a rich heritage in customer management. Given its history and the prestige attached with owning pieces produced by this company, it would be a tough job to market this effectively in a region where little would be known about this exclusive brand without appropriate customer management. In this regard, it is imperative to loosely define international marketing before moving on. International marketing is that sphere of activities that is aimed at introducing a product in a country or group of countries with the aim of creating sales and some amount of awareness regarding the brand. (Bennett et al, 2002) Therefore, for a lifestyle product like crystal, what better than a country where lifestyle solutions are becoming a rage and the norm of the day - India. This Asian country is fast moving away from its traditional colonial bearings to discover style and charm in urban living. The new generation in India does not mind doling out that extra amount of cash to spend on good lifestyle products that will make a statement about their homes, lives and times. Welcome to the new Indian - Sassy, stylish and very, very choosy. (Fernandes, 2000) About Tutbury's: Born and marketed during the 1920s to the 1960s, Tutbury's was named Thomas, Webb and Corbett to start with until it was known by its present name in 1984, owing to the spot of it factory which was in a 15th century village named Tutbury. 2006 saw a strategic move on Tutbury's part where its factory chose to be based at Stroke - on - Trent, instead of Tutbury's. The branding of Tutubry's has been largely based on norms that revolve around exclusivity and a certain amount of mystery with the nitty gritties of the company. The basic finding that this paper will work on is that Tutbury's has capitalised on the lifestyles of a certain section of people so as to form a brand identity of its won. In case of the consumer base enjoyed by the company, there is a sharp segmentation in terms of the target group. The basic target group of the company includes people in the upper income group starting from the age of 30 and above. Further, the people who have retired and are in the age group of 50 and above, serve as a major source of profitability. Another important source of income for the product is the Internet. Therefore, the important element in the application of the entry point strategy for Tutbury's is to recognise the age and income groups that predominantly define the demographics in India, before going on to carry out segmentation and reach suitability in terms of the marketing mix. In this case, the entry point strategy may be used as a preliminary process that will help develop the marketing mix. This entry point strategy has been defined throughout the paper in the various elements of the marketing mix so as to find a suitable base for segmentation and subsequent bran d positioning. Entry Point Strategy The first element when entering a new market is the risk factor. For Tutbury's there has been a strategic management of
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Financial Managment course project Research Paper
Financial Managment course project - Research Paper Example Discussion of the family riches would involve studying the personal, professional and the financial initiative that makes the family rich. Financial initiative Finance initiative represent a step taken by an individual by showing his willingness to remain strong in gaining market share while trumping the existing competition. The Rothschild family has taken a financial initiative to ensure that they remain economically afloat. One of the major financial initiative taken by the family is the maximizing their concentration in bank investment. Since the foundation by Amschel Rothschild the family has continued, sharpen their ways of bank investment because of the realization that it fetch them more money (Nasar, 2000, p.636). The concentration in banking activities has helped the family in developing better ways of increasing their wealth through their investment. For instance, the family have branches across the UK and US something that has helped in increasing their market share. Esta blishing branches in the richest zones around the world is enough financial initiative that would have acted as a pinnacle for the wealth of the family. The branches helped the family into reaching a wider market thereby raising their acquisition from the market. Another financial initiative witnessed by the family in the early 20th century is their involvement in other investment activities. After the realization that only one type of investment would not serve well, the family went flexible by exploring other investment activities. The family decided to expand their operations by investing in railway, coal, iron working, oil and metallurgical investments (Golden, 2012, p. 67). This change in the strategy assured the family of success since a failure in one activity would have been compensated by the success of another. It is true that diversification in the investment activities helped the family a bid deal especially after the Nazi seized their Austrian banking house. Without the investment in other acitivities, the family would have suffered some sort of downfall. The family has also included in their operation, the provision of government securities. Another financial initiative applied by the family is the expansion of its operation to include government securities and industrial companies. The two, government and industrial companies represent the pillar of any economy; hence, their inclusion means the family has also established themselves as a pillar in the economy. Inclusion of government as one of the clients represents one of the strongest financial initiative that a company can make. It is often difficult for the government to suffer downfalls hence a deal with them is an initiative towards staying rich as long as the government remains in position. The government is the last resort for any activity occurring in a country; hence, including them in investment means the family have strengthened their acquisition in the territory. Further, another fi nancial initiative is the inclusion of the bigger industrial companies in their investment activities. This also assures the family of a lasting wealth since the other big industrial companies would do anything within their effort to avoid downfall. The financial initiative taken by the family, in including the big names in their investment list, means that their downfall would mean the downfall of the global economy. It is difficult for the
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Lil Wayne vs World Essay Example for Free
Lil Wayne vs World Essay During a CBS interview with rapper Lil Wayne, Katie Couric asks What does that mean, when you say Im a gangster? Wayne replied, â€Å"I dont take nothin from no one. I do what I wanna do, And Im gonna do that until the day I die. And if I cant do that, then Ill just die(All Access). Katie Couric and Lil Wayne sat down together on national television for an interview where two people of vastly different backgrounds had a conversation. Kwame Anthony Appiah, a professor in top Universities across the world, describes a conversation to be engagement with the experience and ideas of others. Also, the more dissimilar the backgrounds are the more information can be exchanged between two people. â€Å"America’s Sweetheart†Katie Couric and ‘Weezy’ (Lil Wayne) are undeniably two very different people. Seemingly their only similarity is their fame. Although as their interview progresses one can see how they are able to connect and exchange their own cultures with one another. The famous Lil Wayne is far from average, making this and all of his exchanges other extremely valuable to cosmopolitanism exposing his miscellany to the masses. By the end of the interview, although not necessarily in agreement, they both seem to have an understanding of one another accomplishing the main goal of conversation. Any person who is somewhat familiar with hip-hop should know who Lil Wayne is. 28-year-old Lil Wayne is loved by millions of teenagers for his music with his recent album The Carter III being the highest selling album in 2009. By default Lil Wayne is a role model, anyone with his amount of fame and recognition is going to have influence on others. What makes Lil Wayne a unique role model is that he is not the standard ‘liked by all’ leader that most mothers would approve of. Rapper Lil Wayne has been arrested for possession of drugs and illegal weapons three times with the third putting him in jail. A majority of his raps consist of drugs, money, and sex. Is this a role model teenage fans should follow? These aren’t typical traits that one would normally see in a role model but his unconformity is what defines him and makes him the icon he is. In countless interviews and talk shows Lil Wayne is asked about his notorious drug abuse. He gives the same response each time showing no shame, I will stand up for marijuana any day Im a rapper. That’s who I am†¦ I am a gangster and I do what I want. And I love to smoke. And I smoke(all access). In his mind what he does is not wrong and as Kwame Anthony Appiah understands, â€Å"A good deal of what we intuitively take to be right, we take to be right just because it is what we are used to.†Who can say that what Lil Wayne does is wrong? Right and wrong at the most basic level is man made. What he believes is right is what makes him happy, and it is only because we are used to marijuana being illegal or we are used to frowning upon his life style that it is considered â€Å"wrong.†For someone who does a lot of ‘wrongs,’ he is overwhelmingly successful. Lil Wayne has a net worth of 75 million dollars, â€Å"Following the drop of his sixth studio album Tha Carter III in 2008 he was nominated for eight Grammy’s, the most for any artist that year taking home four awards. Wayne†¦ was named #2 on MTV’s list of hottest MC’s in the game behind Brooklyn bred rapper Jay-Z†(Celebnetworth). Lil Wayne is only 28 years old yet h as more success than most can ever dream of obtaining. â€Å"Some call him the best rapper to ever live others say he’s self-destructive but whatever you believe Lil Wayne has become a staple in American music and will remain there, indefinitely†(Celebnetworth). People aren’t used to a successful â€Å"gangster†like Lil Wayne coming from nothing and breaking the law while reaching the top. Lil Wayne embraces his vice-filled lifestyle, and thrives off of it. Like his hit song ‘I’m me’ expresses â€Å"Baby, Im me, so who you? Youre not me, youre not me.†(metrolyrics) He knows he is one of a kind and he knows he is the best. This is the attitude that attracts so many of his fans. His confidence and arrogance is what really defines him and his success just adds to his ego. While arrogance is not usually good, he gives off a confidence that many people can learn from when engaging in any of his conversations. At first look he may not appear to be very intelligent, but what many people do not realize is that Lil Wayne received straight A’s while in school. For me, it was always a way of showing someone my intelligence, a way of showing someone who I really am, Wayne says about his music(all access). When listening to Lil Wayne converse with Katie Couric, he is actually a very articulate speaker. Even through his lyrics one can see how descriptively he express his mind. Even the way he creates his rhymes is impressive. Lil Wayne never writes lyrics down before he records his songs. Every time he records a new song he raps impromptu, putting together rhymes as he goes. The ability to think that quickly and produce coherent thoughts unrehearsed in the form of music is astounding. The majority of people I’m sure do not know this about Lil Wayne and would never think of him as genuinely very intelligent. His intelligence confuses most people who immediately profile this black thuggish rapper as brainless. As Appiah understands â€Å"Understanding one another may be hard†(25). To fully understand Lil Wayne or any person is not easy, and those hidden characteristic of people, such as Lil Wayne’s genius, is what conversation can unveil. The complexity of this 28-year-old rapper allows for extremely beneficial conversation, changing first impressions and providing new perceptions. Lil Wayne uses music to reach the world exposing his intelligence and talent to millions. I believe that music is another form of news, he tells CBS News anchor Katie Couric. Music is another form of journalism to me so I have to cover all the areas with my album(allaccess). In many of his songs Lil Wayne will address current events. Katrina was a very sensitive subject to many and Lil Wayne having grown up there and lost ones who were close to him as shown in his lyrics. â€Å"To those restin in peace, those dead and deceased, soon again we meet†(metrolyrics). Lil Wayne donated $200,000 To Hurricane Katrina Relief Project to help the area where he grew up(Gigwise). Through the medium of his music he expresses his feelings, and has a vast amount of influence. This is what Appiah believes is necessary; to influence others and exchange ones own ideas like little Wayne does through his music quoted above. Whether people like it or not Lil Wayne is a leader. There is a reason he is so loved by his fans and has had so much success. He is a success himself and what people all over the globe strive to achieve. Alternatively when examining his habits and way of going about life it is hard see him as a positive influence in any respect. He does illegal drugs, possesses illegal weapons, and is known to be a womanizer in many of his lyrics. Recently he was arrested for possession of weapons without a permit. To many teens this looks â€Å"cool†and just adds to his notoriety. Illegal activity isn’t the key to success for most people, yet as he proclaimed, he is a gangster and can do what he wants when he wants. This cocky attitude gets him in a lot of trouble, but it also fuels his greatness. With every hero there is a flaw and Lil Wayne’s flaw is breaking the law. Most of his followers understand that some of his actions we should follow; instead following his confidence and individualism that yield success in an increasin gly competitive world. During the CBS interview Katie Couric asked if he views himself as a positive role model, Lil Wayne replied, I’m not an example for how people should live their lives, Never in my life would I ever set out to be an example for people on how to live their lives. If you need an example for how to live, then you just shouldn’t have been born.†Practicing what he preaches Lil Wayne does not live for anyone but himself. It is this attitude that intrigues people and causes conversation. Every time he makes a new song that tops the billboard charts he is reaching out and sharing himself with the world. Lil Wayne has conversation everyday when he makes his music, sharing himself with many different types of people each with their own varying backgrounds. Appiah would agree that Lil Wayne is someone people of differing cultures can learn from being as unique as he is. His uniqueness allows for good conversation by crossing boundaries like done in the CBS interview with Katie Couric, while still being able to connect easily with society as shown through his fame. Lil Wayne has always been himself and while many times misunderstood he will keep being Weezy F Baby, â€Å"The Best Rapper Alive.â€
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Gambling in the United States Essay examples -- Gaming Casinos
Gambling in the United States      Gambling has increased in the last couple of years. Is it because people are addicted? There are two types of gambling: Compulsive Gambling and pathological gambling. Compulsive Gambling is when people have a hard time resisting to gamble. Pathological Gambling is when there is a need to gamble for money or for large amounts of money. Also people don’t know when to quit when they are pathological gamblers. Both types of gambling have major side effects, and can both lead to serious gambling problems.               â€Å"Studies show that 82% of people gamble. In 1975 only 61% gambled (Richard E. Vatz).†Gambling has increased rapidly in the United States. Many Americans who gamble often lose more than they win. It is a bad habit that many people develop. As people are young the gamble for fun, as It carries on some may become addicted, and can become a â€Å"Pathological or Compulsive†Gambler.      â€Å"One third of Problem gamblers who receive treatment for compulsive gambling also received treatment for either chemical dependency or mental health problems (Lee S. Weinberg).†This is why people don’t know when to quit because some may have mental problems. If someone has a gambling problem, it is a serious behavior disorder that can cause psychological, financial, emotional, marital, and legal difficulties. Gambling effects peoples lives and families, not just the person who is gambling.      There are many signs when people have gambling p...
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Dbq- Trade
In the times of the early modern world, there was an increase in desire for new goods and resources, which led countries to explore different lands. More trade routes were made, allowing trade to erupt all around the world. Trade became an important force of change and had many effects on society and foreign relations. From 1300-1800 many European countries wanted to expand and make their lands more bountiful with more resources and goods from other places. Countries wanted what other countries had; for example different types of food and spices.This desire for new goods and resources drove countries to explore new lands and trade with other places so they can attain those things. For example, there was Vasco de Gama of Portugal who travelled to Calicut, India, claiming that he wanted to befriend the ruler of Calicut (document 4). In truth, the reason Vasco de Gama came to India was because he knew that other countries were bringing goods to India and he was interested in discovering what goods and resources they had.As more trade routes were being made, and more countries were exploring different lands; trade became an important force for change due to the exchanging of different resources and ideas. The Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere each had a lot to offer (document 2) and through the many trade routes that were made through the European sea trade (document 5), a lot of goods were now being exchanged. So a variety of lands now had different food, animals, metals, and diseases.In this new modern world, changes began to happen in different areas; lands were now being exposed to different resources unlike what they were used to because of the different goods and resources they were receiving. Another change that occurred because of this age of exploration and trading is the rising of a new merchant class (document 3). The merchants, not only did the trading of goods and resources but also of ideas. Since trading became so big, the merchants who w ere in charge of it became very wealthy and were always in demand for the goods that they had.These changes stuck in society, and there became a wider variety of goods, resources, and ideas all around the world. Trade provided the world with new resources that they have not seen, which also allowed relationships between countries to interact and improve. For example the letter from the governor of Sijilmasa in southern Morocco, to the king of Ghana in Western Africa (document 1). Even though these two kingdoms are not from the same religion or place, they have put aside their differences and agreed on the issue that merchants should not be imprisoned.Trade has let completely different people interact and communicate humanly even though they are not the same. Another example is what Pope Innocent III granted to Venice (document 6). Under normal circumstances the pope did not allow Venice to trade with Muslim because they were at war with them, but due to critical conditions, an accep tion was made, to allow the people of Venice to live well. Venice was now allowed to trade with the Muslims, so the relationship between those two lands were mended slightly due to this.In general because of the European sea trade and all the trade routes that there were, countries were forced to interact more with each other, so just in that aspect itself it improved relationships between countries, different lands, and leaders themselves. In the 1300’s to the 1800’s, goods and resources became more desirable so trade routes flourished throughout the European sea trade. Trade introduced new resources and ideas to different countries and lands, and came up with a new merchant class. It improved different countries relationships with each other and helped countries interact better.
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