Packaging for Saffola Rice

Contents * Introduction and Background * Research Objectives * Variables * Type of Study * Sampling * Hypotheses * Research Design * Assumptions * Delimitations Background Packaging is a very important marketing strategy to glamorize your product in order to attract the consumer’s attention. Sometimes packaging is so important that it cost more than the product itself in order to lure the consumers to buy it. Most consumers judge a product by its packaging before buying. So it is logical to say attractive packaging is crucial in order to get the first time buyers to buy your products. There are many elements involved in the success of a product and packaging is one of the key drivers of purchase. This report is to understand the role of packaging in the success of the product, it is important to know the key elements in packaging which are working or not working for the consumer. The various forms of packaging types that are available to us are Tetra pack, Plastic bags, Tins , Paper bags, Plastic bottles, Tubes, Soft pouches, Nozzle bottles, Gunny bags, Paper boxes. In the case of Rice purchase it is observed that packaging is seen important however not critical. Most consumers were buying branded rice in 20 kg jute bags and were driven more by price vs. packaging. ) Research Objectives To evaluate the new packaging for Saffola rice. Basic studies have reflected on the need for a new packaging. Once the packaging is confirmed at the outset, it is imperative to notify the credibility the packaging lends to the rice inside and to understand the drivers of these impr essions. Also it gives an opportunity to capture cues for improvement. Variables Dependent :Purchase Preference, * Independent : Overall packaging * Intervening: Introduction of a new packaging concept by competitor, change in requirement/ need. * Control : Income group, Gender, Occupation Type of Study * Process – Exploratory * Type of data – Qualitative * Content – Empirical * Period – One time study * Setting – Field Sample The Sample should be people who have bought a product or who are thinking of buying a product. They should be buyers and not specifiers. They may be multiple purchasers. During the course of our research when the probable sample was listed there was a temptation to say – â€Å"yes, all of these† but considering that the greater the scope of the project the more it will cost and the longer it will take we decided to stick to a sample size of 50. Our Target profile a. Females -SEC A, B b. Must be a primary cook in the house i. Must cook at least one meal on weekdays and weekends c. Decision maker in purchase of household items d. Regular buyers, decision makers and consumers of rice. The segmentation was based on Working Women and Housewives who were aged between 24 to 45 years.

Albert Einstein- the 20th Century Science Hero Essay

Albert Einstein is considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century. He is known for developing the theories of relativity. He is also noted for his mathematical formula of E = mc? (David Bodanis). Although he was not directly involved in the Manhattan Project, which was responsible for creating the atomic bomb, but he is still considered the mastermind because of his breakthrough formula. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize for physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). The Einstein’s were a secular, middle class Jewish family. Albert’s father Hermann Einstein was a salesman and an engineer who owned a company that manufactured electrical equipment and his mother Pauline Koch was a house wife. They were living in Ulm, in Wurttemberg, Germany, when Albert was born on March 14, 1879 (Whittaker). In 1894, Hermann Einstein’s company failed to get an important contract to electrify the city of Munich and he was forced to move his family to Milan, Italy. Albert was left at a boarding house in Munich to finish his education (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). It was at this location, that Albert began elementary school at the Luitpold Gymnasium, where he excelled in his studies. He enjoyed classical music and played the violin. However, he was not fond of formal education and made it his business to teach himself math and science (Whittaker). One of the books Albert was intrigued with was a children’s science book in which the author imagined riding alongside electricity that was traveling inside a telegraph wire. Einstein began to wonder what a light beam would look like if you could run alongside it at the same speed. If light were a wave, then the light beam should appear stationary, like a frozen wave. Yet, in reality, the light beam is moving. This paradox led him to write his first â€Å"scientific paper† at age 16, (Whittaker). â€Å"The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields. † This question of the relative speed to the stationary observer and the observer moving with the light was a question that would dominate his thinking for the next 10 years (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). While his parent remained in Italy, Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland. In 1896 Einstein attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics (Whittaker). Five years later, he earned his diploma, and acquired Swiss citizenship. Also at this time he was unable to find a teaching post, so he accepted a technical assistant position in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor’s degree (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). During his stay at the Patent Office, Einstein had a lot of down time. This is noteworthy because it was in this spare time, that he produced much of his remarkable work. Some of these great accomplishments included being appointed Privatdozent in Berne, becoming Professor Extraordinaire at Zurich, also Professor of Theoretical Physics in Prague, and returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post (Whittaker). In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. Einstein’s accomplishments were on the rise and became very important works which include the Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English translations, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution of Physics (1938). Among his non-scientific works, About Zionism (1930), Why War? (1933), My Philosophy (1934), and Out of My Later Years (1950) are perhaps the most important (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). Albert Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. During the 1920’s he lectured in Europe, America and the Far East and he was awarded Fellowships or Memberships of all the leading scientific academies throughout the world. He gained numerous awards in recognition of his work, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1925, and the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1935 (Whittaker). He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945 (Whittaker). While Einstein was touring much of the world speaking on his theories in the 1920s, the Nazis were rising to power under the leadership of Adolph Hitler. Einstein’s theories on relativity became a convenient target for Nazi propaganda. In 1931, the Nazi’s enlisted other physicists to denounce Einstein and his theories as â€Å"Jewish physics (A. Calaprice & T. Lipscombe) . † At this time, Einstein learned that the new German government, now in full control by the Nazi party, had passed a law barring Jews from holding any official position, including teaching at universities. Einstein also learned that his name was on a list of assassination targets, and a Nazi organization published a magazine with Einstein’s picture and the caption â€Å"Not Yet Hanged† on the cover (A.  Calaprice & T. Lipscombe). In December, 1932, Einstein decided to leave Germany forever. He took a position a the newly formed Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey, which soon became a Mecca for physicists from around the world. It was here that he would spend the rest of his career trying to develop a unified field theory—an all-embracing theory that would unify the forces of the universe, and thereby the laws of physics, into one framework—and refute the accepted interpretation of quantum physics. Other European scientists also fled various countries threatened by Nazi takeover and came to the United States. Some of these scientists knew of Nazi plans to develop an atomic weapon. For a time, their warnings to Washington, D. C. went unheeded (David Bodanis). In the summer of 1939, Einstein, along with another scientist, Leo Szilard, was persuaded to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to alert him of the possibility of a Nazi bomb. President Roosevelt could not risk the possibility that Germany might develop an atomic bomb first. The letter is believed to be the key factor that motivated the United States to investigate the development of nuclear weapons. Roosevelt invited Einstein to meet with him and soon after the United States initiated the Manhattan Project (M. Talmey). Not long after he began his career at the Institute in New Jersey, Albert Einstein expressed an appreciation for the â€Å"meritocracy† of the United States and the right people had to think what they pleased—something he didn’t enjoy as a young man in Europe (David Bodanis). In 1935, Albert Einstein was granted permanent residency in the United States and became an American citizen in 1940. As the Manhattan Project moved from drawing board to testing and development at Los Alamos, New Mexico, many of his colleagues were asked to develop the first atomic bomb, but Eisenstein was not one of them. According to several researchers who examined FBI files over the years, the reason was the U. S. government didn’t trust Einstein’s lifelong association with peace and socialist organizations. FBI director J.  Edgar Hoover went so far as to recommend that Einstein be kept out of America by the Alien Exclusion Act, but he was overruled by the U. S. State Department. Instead, during the war, Einstein helped the U. S. Navy evaluate designs for future weapons systems and contributed to the war effort by auctioning off priceless personal manuscripts (David Bodanis). One example was a handwritten copy of his 1905 paper on special relativity which sold fo r $6. 5 million, and is now located in the Library of Congress (M. Talmey). On August 6, 1945, while on vacation, Einstein heard the news that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. He soon became involved in an international effort to try to bring the atomic bomb under control, and in 1946, he formed the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists with physicist Leo Szilard. In 1947, in an article that he wrote for The Atlantic Monthly, Einstein argued that the United States should not try to monopolize the atomic bomb, but instead should supply the United Nations with nuclear weapons for the sole purpose of maintaining a deterrent. At this time, Einstein also became a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He corresponded with civil rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois and actively campaigned for the rights of African Americans (Whittaker). After the war, Einstein continued to work on many key aspects of the theory of general relativity, such as wormholes, the possibility of time travel, the existence of black holes, and the creation of the universe. However, he became increasingly isolated from the rest of the physics community. With the huge developments in unraveling the secrets of atoms and molecules, spurred on by the development to the atomic bomb, the majority of scientists were working on the quantum theory, not relativity. Another reason for Einstein’s detachment from his colleagues was his obsession with discovering his unified field theory. In the 1930s, Einstein engaged in a series of historic private debates with Niels Bohr, the originator of the Bohr atomic model. In a series of â€Å"thought experiments,† Einstein tried to find logical inconsistencies in the quantum theory, but was unsuccessful. However, in his later years, he stopped opposing quantum theory and tried to incorporate it, along with light and gravity, into the larger unified field theory he was developing (Whittaker). In the last decade of his life, Einstein withdrew from public life, rarely traveling far and confining himself to long walks around Princeton with close associates, whom he engaged in deep conversations about politics, religion, physics and his unified field theory.

American Weight Gain and the Primary Concern

American Weight Gain and the Primary Concern Introduction A primary concern for many Americans is undesirable weight gain, which relates to food choices made daily. But what if people are aware of their food choices, but not what is in the actual food itself? With obesity on a constant rise, as well as other major health issues, many individuals are searching for reasons and answers. As most humans are omnivores, we consume various amounts of carbohydrates, sugars, and other fatty substances. In particular, high fructose corn syrup which is found in many of the daily food choices we consume. Yet ask yourself do you know what high fructose corn syrup is, or where it is found? In a society where maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important people need to investigate what he or she is putting in their bodies, such as high fructose corn syrup. What is high fructose corn syrup? High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a fructose-glucose liquid inducement substitute to sucrose (also known as table sugar) which was first presented to food and beverage manufacturing in the 1970s. It is not expressively diverse in structure or metabolism from other fructose-glucose sweeteners like honey, sucrose, and fruit juice concentrates. High fructose corn syrup was extensively incorporated by food formulators, and its consumption increased around the mid-1970s and mid-1990s, mainly as a spare for sucrose. This was primarily because of its sweetness similar to that of sucrose, better-quality constancy and functionality, and ease of use. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also called isoglucose, is mainly a blend of two sugars, fructose and glucose. Soda and ice cream often merger 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, while the HFCS used in canned fruits and condiments is generally a 42/48 percent mix (with other ingredients). White sugar is a 50/50 split. In the United State s, heavy corn supports and sugar-import barricades have made HFCS some 20 percent cheaper than sugar. The United States accounted for nearly 80 percent of global construction in 2004 and U.S. patrons accepted 58 pounds of the syrup per person last year in numerous harvests, conferring to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Other producers include Japan, Argentina, the European Union, and China. Some claim that HFCSs global growth and the parallel rise in obesity are related. The troubled dietitians debate that, unlike glucose, which activates appetite-suppressing indications in the body, fructose does not tell its consumers to stop. The theory rests unconfirmed, but a growing body of literature has recommended the syrup may certainly respond the satiation-hormone leptin. Conflicting research, reinforced by the American Beverage Institute, claims HFCS is no dissimilar than other sweeteners and is safe in control. The food manufacturing began to substitute cane and beet sugar with HFCS after sugar prices quadrupled in the 1970s, and a few years later soft-drink businesses followed suit. The syrups affordability in the United States has aided soda businesses retail greater bottles and greatly expand ingesting of the calorie-rich drinks. You wont find it on the U.S.D.A. pyramid, but theres a food category that includes breakfast cereals, ice cream, granola bars, hot dog buns, baby food, soft drinks, yogurt, soup, ketchup and barbecue sauce. Those and countless other products found on the shelves of any grocery store are united by a common ingredient: high-fructose corn syrup. The increasing use of the sweetener over the past three decades roughly corresponds with a dramatic rise in obesity and related health problems among Americans, and some experts on nutrition say thats no coincidence. The question of whether high-fructose corn syrup presents a distinct health threat or is unfairly blamed for the effects of general overconsumption is a divisive one, spawning disagreement even among scientists with no financial stake in the answer. For decades, processed foods were usually sweetened with liquified sugar, also called sucrose. But food researchers in the 1970s found a way to modify cornstarch into a syrup with a higher level of fructose, or fruit sugar, in relation to glucose, another form of sugar. Because the corn product is cheaper, easier to use and more durable than sugar derived from cane or beets, food manufacturers quickly adopted the new ingredient. (Diet sodas and other products contain newer sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and sucralose th at carry few or no calories.) The increased use of HFCS in the United States mirrors the rapid increase in obesity. The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption. Thus, the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. The digestive and absorptive processes for glucose and fructose are different. When disaccharides such as sucrose or maltose enter the intestine, they are cleaved by disaccharides. A sodium-glucose cotransporter absorbs the glucose that is formed from cleavage of sucrose. Fructose, in contrast, is absorbed further down in the duodenum and jejunum by a non-sodium-dependent process. After absorption, glucose and fructose enter the portal circulation and either are transported to the liver, where the fructose can be taken up and converted to glucose, or pass into the general circulation. The addition of small, catalytic amounts of fructose to orally ingested glucose increases hepatic glycogen synthesis in human subjects and reduces glycemic responses in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (12), which suggests the importance of fructose in modulating metabolism in the liver. However, when large amounts of fructose are ingested, they provide a relatively unregulated source of carbon pr ecursors for hepatic lipogenesis. The metabolism of fructose differs from that of glucose in several other ways as well (3). Glucose enters cells by a transport mechanism (Glut-4) that is insulin dependent in most tissues. Insulin activates the insulin receptor, which in turn increases the density of glucose transporters on the cell surface and thus facilitates the entry of glucose. Once inside the cell, glucose is phosphorylated by glucokinase to become glucose-6-phosphate, from which the intracellular metabolism of glucose begins. Intracellular enzymes can tightly control conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to the glycerol backbone of triacylglycerol’s through modulation by phosphofructokinase. In contrast with glucose, fructose enters cells via a Glut-5 transporter that does not depend on insulin. This transporter is absent from pancreatic ÃŽ ² cells and the brain, which indicates limited entry of fructose into these tissues. Glucose provides â€Å"satiety† signals to the brain that fructose cannot pro vide because it is not transported into the brain. Once inside the cell, fructose is phosphorylated to form fructose-1-phosphate (26). In this configuration, fructose is readily cleaved by aldolase to form trioses that are the backbone for phospholipid and triacyglycerol synthesis. Fructose also provides carbon atoms for synthesis of long-chain fatty acids, although in humans, the quantity of these carbon atoms is small. Thus, fructose facilitates the biochemical formation of triacylglycerols more efficiently than does glucose (3). For example, when a diet containing 17% fructose was provided to healthy men and women, the men, but not the women, showed a highly significant increase of 32% in plasma triacylglycerol concentrations (27). In the United States, HFCS is found in almost all foods containing caloric sweeteners. These include most soft drinks and fruit drinks, candied fruits and canned fruits, dairy desserts and flavored yogurts, most baked goods, many cereals, and jellies. Over 60% of the calories in apple juice, which is used as the base for many of the fruit drinks, come from fructose, and thus apple juice is another source of fructose in the diet. Lists of HFCS-containing foods can be obtained from organizations concerned with HFCS-related allergies (33). It is clear that almost all caloric sweeteners used by manufacturers of soft drinks and fruit drinks are HFCS (4, 34). In fact, about two-thirds of all HFCS consumed in the United States are in beverages. Aside from beverages, there is no definitive literature on the proportion of caloric sweeteners that is HFCS in other processed foods. HFCS is found in most processed foods; however, the exact compositions are not available from either the manufactur er or any publicly available food-composition table. What’s in the name of HFCS? Corn is high in starch, which is simply chains of glucose molecules held together. When chains are broken apart, individual glucose molecules are released and form glucose syrup. In the 1970s, scientist learned how to convert some of that glucose into fructose, and the resulting product was named high- fructose corn syrup. At the time, all other corn syrups were made of glucose. Although accurate relative to the term glucose syrup, the name high-fructose corn syrup has, over the years, been a source of confusion for consumers and scientists, alike. Commercially, various forms of HFCS are available with different percentages of fructose and glucose. The most commonly used are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 which contain 42% and 55% fructose respectively. Thus, despite the name, HFCS is not particularly high in fructose compared to sucrose. In 1983, the FDA approved HFCS as Generally Recognized as safe (GRAS), and that decision was reaffirmed in 1996. To be included in the FDA’s GRAS list, evidence must exist that the ingredient is safe under the conditions of its intended use, and the approval process involves an extensive review of the science, including estimated dietary intake. The FDA decision to approve and subsequently reaffirm HFCS as GRAS was based in part on the substantial similarity between HFCS and table sugar. Diabetes and HFCS Research is clear that sugar do not cause diabetes. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists identifies the following as risk factors for diabetes: family history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, over-weight or obese state, sedentary lifestyle, ethnicity previously identified impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, hypertension, increased levels of triglycerides and/or low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, history of gestational diabetes, history of delivery an infant weighing over nine pounds, polycystic ovary syndrome and psychiatric illness. Suffice it to say that diabetes is multifactorial. People who are old enough might remember that, Benefits of HFCS Compared with other sweeteners, HFCS has historically been relatively inexpensive. And while that HFCS is economical, HFCS is often the sweetener of choice because of its many positive attributes, which extend well beyond cost. HFCS sweetness and flavor profile is similar to table sugar. It also controls microbial growth more than sucrose and controls crystallization. High fructose helps retain texture in canned and baked goods. Another benefit of HFCS is that it reduces crystallization in canned, frozen and baked goods. It promotes ideal and controlled browning in baked goods and breakfast cereals. In the same way HFCS stables temperatures fluctuations and wide ranges of acidity. It blends easily with other ingredients. In the same way HFCS lowers freezing points which contribute to pourability of frozen beverage concentrates. High Fructose Conspiracy The use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has increased over the past several decades in the United States while overweight and obesity rates have risen dramatically. Some scientists hypothesize that HFCS consumption has uniquely contributed to the increasing mean body mass index (BMI) of the U.S. population. The Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy convened an expert panel to discuss the published scientific literature examining the relationship between consumption of HFCS or soft drinks (proxy for HFCS) and weight gain. The authors conducted original analysis to address certain gaps in the literature. Evidence from ecological studies linking HFCS consumption with rising BMI rates is unreliable. Evidence from epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials is inconclusive. Studies analyzing the differences between HFCS and sucrose consumption and their contributions to weight gain do not exist. HFCS and sucrose have similar monosaccharide compositions and sweet ness values. The fructose: glucose (F:G) ratio in the U.S. food supply has not appreciably changed since the introduction of HFCS in the 1960s. It is unclear why HFCS would affect satiety or absorption and metabolism of fructose any differently than would sucrose. Based on the currently available evidence, the expert panel concluded that HFCS does not appear to contribute to overweight and obesity any differently than do other energy sources. Research recommendations were made to improve our understanding of the association of HFCS and weight gain. Overweight and obesity have become increasingly problematic in the United States from an individual and a population perspective. According to the body mass index (BMI) categories defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 65% of the U.S. adult population aged 20-74 years is currently overweight. In addition, 31% of all overweight adults are classified as obese. In 1976-80, only 47% and 15% of adults in the United States were considered overweight and obese, respectively (CDC, 2004). About 16% of American children and adolescents aged 6-19 years are also currently overweight. Two decades ago, about 6% of individuals in this age group were classified as overweight (CDC, 2004). Prior to 1976-80, such dramatic overweight and obesity rates were not observed in the United States. Overweight and obese individuals are subject to societal stigmatization and are at increased risk for deleterious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and some cancers (CDC, 2004). Overweight and obesity increase health care costs (USDA, 2004) and mortality rates (Mokdad et al., 2004, 2005; Flegal et al., 2005). Overweight and obesity are influenced by many genetic and environmental contributors, including race/ethnicity, age, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, food consumption patterns, smoking, technological advancements, and psychological factors (CDC, 2004; Columbia Univ., 2000; Rashad and Grossman 2004). Researchers, government officials, politicians, and activist organizations are contributing significant resources in an attempt to understand and reduce the overweight and obesity epidemic in the United States. All sources of energy consumed in excess of energy needs can contribute to increased BMI and risk of overweight and obesity. However, several arguments suggest that, in addition to providing energy, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of overweight and obesity via other mechanisms. In the United States, HFCS has increasingly replaced refined sugar (sucrose) in many foods and most sweetened beverages. Outside the United States, HFCS is not used extensively, and sucrose continues to be the primary caloric sweetener. Some evidence suggests that high consumption of fructose plays a role in the epidemics of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease. In the U.S., these epidemics have been paralleled by a rise in sugar consumption. High intake of free fructose (found in high-fructose corn syrup, but not in sucrose) is associated with hypertension and hyperlipidemia in animals and with dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in adults. Further, small particle size of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is associated with obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and central adiposity in older children and adults. Investigators in Switzerland examined the relation between dietary fructose consumption and obesity, distribution of body fat, plasma lipids, and LDL particle size in a convenience sample of 74 children (age range, 6-14 years) recruited from schools and pediatric clinics; 43 children were overweight (mean BMI, 23.4), and 31 were normal weight (mean BMI, 15.9). Dietary intake was measured by two 24-hour dietary recalls and a 1-day weighed food record. LDL particle size, triglycerides, and serum cholesterol were measured after a 12-hour fast. Overweight children had significantly higher plasma triglyceride levels, lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, and smaller LDL particle size than normal-weight children. LDL particle size was associated with overall adiposity and central adiposity. The only dietary factors that correlated significantly with LDL particle size were total fructose intake and grams of fructose per 1000 kcal consumed; higher fructose consumption was inversely associated with LDL particle size, independent of adiposity. Fructose intake did not correlate with any other lipid variable. Some claim that HFCSs global expansion and the parallel increase in obesity are linked. The concerned dietitians argue that, unlike glucose, which triggers appetite-suppressing signals in the body, fructose does not tell its eaters to stop . The theory remains unproven, but a growing body of literature has suggested the syrup may indeed counteract the satiation-hormone leptin. Conflicting research, supported by the American Beverage Institute, insists HFCS is no different than other sweeteners and is safe in moderation. The latest health concern stems from a recent Environment Health study that found mercury in samples from two HFCS manufacturers. Chemicals mixed during production to stabilize pH may have contributed the toxic metal, the study said. The industry accuses the research of using scant data of questionable quality. The environmental impact of HFCS depends on how the corn is grown. Conventional farming practices use significant water resources, pesticides, and fertilizers, leading to widespread water pollution and nutrient-depleted soil. Corn production has also become a major contributor to climate change. In The Omnivores Dilemma, author Michael Pollan estimates that between one-quarter and one-third gallons (about 1.0 to 1.25 liters) of oil are needed per bushel of corn to create the pesticides, fertilizers, and tractor gasoline, and to harvest, dry, and transport the corn. The U.S. high-fructose corn syrup industry used about 490 million bushels of corn last year, according to USDA. Fructose is a sweet tasting sugar that is found naturally in fruits and some vegetables and has been part of the human dietin modest amountsfor eons. The increasing consumption of sugar has dramatically increased our exposure to fructose (1). Sugar consumption has risen more than 40-fold since the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, and more than 40% of the added sugars in our diet are in sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit drinks (2,3). Thus, the principal sources of fructose in our diet are now sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, each of which has about 50% fructose. The intake of soft drinks has risen fivefold since 1950 (4,5) (Fig. 1) and with it the intake of fructose. The rise in the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages has paralleled the rise in the prevalence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome and is associated with the appearance of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (6-8). Although association does not prove causation, it has stimulated re search to understand whether current levels of fructose intake in beverages pose a health risk. Over the past decade fructose from either sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup has received growing attention as it has been associated with a widening group of health-related problems. Several meta-analyses have shown a relationship between the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and obesity (9-11). The relation of these beverages to obesity can be attributed to the increased caloric intake and to the fact that beverages do not suppress the intake of other foods to an appropriate degreethus beverage calories serve as add-on calories enhancing the risk of obesity (12) (Fig. 1). Meta-analyses have also suggested that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is related to the risk of diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease

Information Security Risk Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Security Risk Management - Case Study Example Organization face internal as well as external actor, which create uncertainty for organizations in achieving the objectives. Hall (2010) called that the risk management was a hybrid function that had bridged the number of disciplines to reduce or avoid loss for organizations. Proactive activities are attempted to mitigate or prevent loss in the organizations. Tavakkoli-Moghaddam et al., (2011) used the compromise ranking (VIKOR) and fuzzy entropy techniques in engineering, procurement and construction projects. Separate techniques for risk identification and risk prioritization are used. Qualitative assessment helps the management to prioritize the risks identified by calculating their impacts and impacts. Except these techniques, Monte Carlo method is most significantly used for risk identification. This method is based on probability and their impacts. Monte Carlo method shows the correlation between the identified variables for a project. Identification of vulnerabilities and threats through risk assessment helps in determining the impacts of each risk. However, risk assessment becomes a complex undertaking when imperfect information is provided. Value assignment to information system business processes including the costs, recovery and their impacts can be measured in indirect and direct costs. Exposure of sensitive information about a specific business area of the organization has wide consequences and impacts the reputation or regard of the organization. Attacker can falsify the information, which is important for future decisions. Both qualitative and quantitative risk assessment technique can be used (Carroll, 2009). Risk identification requires the risk treatment. Risk treatment is a range of options used for risk evaluation and plan preparation for risk treatment. Planning the risk treatment also requires plans’ implementation. In an organization, when risk about information security

Valhalla Partners Due Diligence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Valhalla Partners Due Diligence - Case Study Example Moreover, since 2002 it has been showing sustainable growth, and according to the projections, TX would achieve more than $50,000,000 million in annual revenue within four years with $5mm incremental profitability. Hence, in immediate future, the company would attain a considerable market position by maintaining an average deal size. The average one-time software revenue per deal point $250,000. Considering all these positive factors, Art Marks should vote to invest in Telco Exchange. As far as the risk factors are concerned, TX is led by a very traditional mode of the management team with a 70-year-old man as the CEO and his son as the CTO. However, Telco’s highly efficient software would address many of the so-called managerial limitations. Moreover, if Telco Exchange is ready to substitute the CEO with someone proposed by Valhalla, the issue cannot be counted as a constraint to the growth of the firm. As compared to the above stated competitive advantages, threats from comp etitors and managerial weakness are of little relevance to the investment plan. What Mark should assess more is the firm’s scope for business expansion and customer retention. Since investment memo evidently indicates the sustainable profitability of TX, Mark can vote to make an investment in this firm. 2. According to the investment memo, the most prevailing risk factor is the upcoming competitors. For instance, companies like Tango, Stonehouse Technologies, Teldata Control, Profile, and QUantumShift are more likely to come up with solutions for invoice processing through their software solutions. Secondly, a more advanced form of products can be expected from vendors who specialize in financial management. However, the most potent aspect of the TX lies with its ability to address rather basic problems through its integrated solutions which the rivals do not have in common. For example, Aberdeen’s solution tends to narrow its focus on cost management and does not addr ess strategic management. However, it is trying to complete outsourced solutions like dispute resolution services. Finally, as discussed earlier, the company’s mode of management is comparatively unproven and weak. However, this risk factor could be easily overcome once the TX is willing to agree with Valhalla’s proposal. As compared to other firms’ outsourcing approaches, Telco’s solutions’ direct strategies are highly effective. To be a bit skeptical about the consistency of the firm’s sustainability, one can point out the atypical track record of TX. To illustrate, TX has been seeking a series of financing since its beginning. Moreover, the emergence of the firm itself is strange in its nature. In fact, the company originated as an internal project of CICAT Networks which was also a subsidiary of Fairfax. However, since Telco Exchange has the provision to help to automate the ordering process, it can make the data available for all partie s involved. Hence, TX is highly leveraged with technological backup to meet the required standards of corporate policies. 3. Valhalla’s due diligence process seems brilliant from an investor’s point of view. Its due diligence calls identify the TX’s ability to compete with all other companies with its most integrated telecommunications management solutions. The diligence process has given higher emphasis on safe investment to ensure partners privileges. The memo clearly indicates the strong and weaker areas of TX along with very reasonable business forecasts.  Ã‚  

Detailed reasearch methodolgy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Detailed reasearch methodolgy - Essay Example The case between the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada and Bell Canada brought to the limelight the issue of free access to online copyrighted information. With it emerged demands from authors to enjoy royalty whenever their songs were accessed. The case also helps to bring out the limit to which individuals can access copyrighted information and how the original authors stand to benefit. The Canadian Copyright Laws are a perfect example on the protection against free viewing of copyrighted information over the internet (Michael, 2005; 45). The research will be conducted on a step by step basis. This will enable collection of all relevant data and compilation of the same from the beginning to the end. The first step of the research will be to identify the sources of information, methods to be used in data collection and how to use the identified methods. From there, the identified methodologies are used as required and visits paid to the relevant sources of information. The research is designed to ensure that no single information pertaining to the research objectives and questions is left out. The paper focuses on methods that can be used to gather information that will answer the listed research questions. The selected methods are essential as the issue of viewing copyrighted information has become widespread. The research methods used include: The research also utilizes various sources of information that have the relevant details required to achieve the stipulated research objectives. These include legal books, representatives of the law enforcement agencies and the body charged with copyrighting information in Canada. The research will also put into consideration the legal practices and beliefs that are directly linked to copyrighting information and determination of who has the right to access that information. All the facts presented in the Canada vs. Bell Canada are also considered important in

Radical Approaches in Journalism Research Paper

Radical Approaches in Journalism - Research Paper Example This paper will cover journalism in the western democracies and how the works of two philosophers have influenced the journalism process in these western parts. The two philosophers to be covered in this case are Slavoj Zizek and Jean Baudrillard. Slavoj Zizek was born in the year 1949 and is known to be a Slovene Philosopher as well as a cultural critic. He writes on a varied range of topics which include: culture studies, psychoanalysis, political theory, theology and film theory. Zizek is an individual who aims at provoking the society to think anew about many issues that happen around. His work in the eyes of many is seen to represent one of the two current notions of a progressive substitute- that of socialism rather than organizational imagination. There are two major themes of evaluation of ideas from Zizek which are lack of firmness in argumentation and failure to point out an effective alternative in his condemnation of current economic, social and political arrangements. Hi s political and philosophical positions have always been known not to be clear because of his lack of proper argumentation. He critiques have also made him known as a failure since he lacks consistency in his work. He has claimed to offer support to the revolutionary project by Marxist but one thing that has made the project unclear is his lack of vision. Zizek’s work is generally known to lack facts of history which makes his work be more provoking rather than infighting.sighting. In this case he is generally known to bring on confusion because he contradicts what is produced by other individuals. Information disseminated to the public through various ways is contradicted by his own findings because he lacks historical facts and has poor argumentation. This gives a clear impression that individuals who go through his findings are usually confused since they do not know whether to believe Zizek or other sources of information. It makes it difficult for people to understand th e happenings around them due to contradiction that occurs between the sources of information. In the western democracies, Zizek has played a role in undermining the importance of journalism because of his undertakings. Journalism is meant to brief people on all that happens so as to keep them posted but is has been difficult for them to understand because of Zizek’