The Cause and Effect of a Great Marriage Essay Example for Free

The Cause and Effect of a Great Marriage Essay The causes for marriage are to maintain and appropriate relationship with one of the opposite sex. While gaining a bond with the person that you hope to share the rest of your life with. Many people are okay with the fact that they love someone and they are in their life. When you love someone you want to take it a few steps further. By making that person apart of who you are because once you are married you do become one. The initial meeting of someone is a time that we might not take as serious as when we decide to allow feeling to take control of us. Once there are feelings come into play we have progressed to more than friendship. Those feeling then help you to see if this person is someone that compliments who you are. There should be steps that are taken to be sure that this is the one for you. In marriage you never want to move too fast because once you are in the relationship you should want to stay. We see people getting married and walking away from the person all of the time. This is a step that we want to stay away from and we can with preparation. One of the steps would be one trying to get to properly know the person that you are friends with. This does entail asking for background information on the person and there family. Some people might believe that questioning someone’s family as well as friends might be a bit too much. If you are marrying someone you want to know that they are safe and will love you. Sometimes we have to go the extra mile as well as cross lines to see who we are with. I also push buttons; this is to see if he is dangerous in any way. You never know a person, so I am told unless you live with them. Although, I do believe that to be true I also believe that you can do your best to get close to them. By getting close you find out information that you might have never been told. There are a lot of dangerous people in the world and they have not been caught. So by probing for information you can know the situation before it is too late. I have taken many steps to get to know the person that I have taken to get to know the guy that I am dating. I do believe that it has made him work harder as a man and has made me a better person. I am able to say that because whatever it is that I ask of him I do also myself. This can only make for a great marriage, I also want him to see that if it is something that you really want then you have to work hard at it. I must say that I am definitely a lot of work and I only want the best. So while I strive for the best I want to be just that also. With all of that being said, marriage is a lot of work and if you have a great friendship the marriage will only be better. The first cause is love and the second is the will to make things work. With lose too combined and the faith in God while allowing him to guide the relationship. One article wrote â€Å"A Oneness Marriage is formed by a husband and wife who are grafting intimacy, trust, and understanding with one another. Its a couple chiseling out a common direction, purpose, and plan. A Oneness Marriage demands a lifetime process of relying on God and forging an enduring relationship according to His design. Its more than a mere mingling of two humans—its a tender merger of body, soul, and spirit.† Oneness Marriage.† Oneness Marriage (2013)

Business Plan For London Friend Chicken Marketing Essay

Business Plan For London Friend Chicken Marketing Essay Business plan is a document which is of very much importance. It is a plan which sets up the outline for doing a business and ascertaining its direction for growth and making profit in the future. In this report, a business plan is developed for the purposes of a new business which is to be started. The business plan is at the helm of every business where the planning, formulation of strategy, designing of the process and the setup of the business in performed. This document is of a prime nature and of valuable importance for the company which is planning to do the business from the start. This plan will set the objectives of doing the businesses and the overall strategy to follow so that the business will succeed. The strategy and projections for the business are set in this plan so that it is known well before in advance that in which direction the company / business will going to move. Here in this report, we will initially define the basic terms that are commonly to be used. This will than be followed by the discussion of the business plan, the objectives of the business, the products that will be offered by the business, an analysis of the market, a summary of the overall strategy and implementation, web plan, summary for the management and the financial plan will be discussed in the below paragraphs in this report. This report will comprehensively cover the aspects that are required for the purpose of a new and successful business plan. Some of the key definitions are discussed here under for the sake of creating an understanding for the users of this report: 1.1. BUSINESS PLAN: Planning plays a very important role in ascertaining how a business will perform and the level of success that it will achieve. Therefore, the essential and required aspects for the success of a business are the identification of the relevant goals and the development of the strategies for the purpose of obtaining and achieving those goals. A business plan is a significant aid and tool using which the business can actually organize their goals which it wants to attain and the objectives it has set for itself. This is basically a dry run of the company or in other words we can say that this is what a company will look like on paper. The business plan is used by the companies irrespective of the size and / or stage of the development process. It is used by the companies to bring improvement into its operations and to do marketing and give description of the business to those who will finance the project. The business plan generally follows a standard format for the purpose of this plan . By effectively utilizing a business plan the companies can not only attain and obtain their goals but even can do much better than that. Hormozi, A. M., Sutton, G. S., McMinn, R. D. Lucio, W., (2002) The level to which a business plan shows and incorporates costs and overheads and the resource allocation like the research, production, warehouse, storage, transport, distribution, training, head office, wastage, vary with the needs of the business. 1.2. STRATEGY: This sets the direction of the plan as how and in what manner it will work. This is usually set by the owners of the business or the shareholders of the business or the top management of the business sets the strategy for the business. This strategy sets the manner in which the company is going to operate and will strive for the purpose of obtaining the profits and goals and objectives of the company. The strategy needs to be set at the point of inception before anything is or could be done so that the business thrives and prospers as per the direction it has set for itself and the plan that it has made for attaining that objective and strategy. 2. DETAILED BUSINESS PLAN: This report now discusses the business plan of the business which is going to be set up. This business will thrive to make profit by making a good format, plan and strategy so that the company can be able to survive as well as than it can be able to make the profits. In this detailed business plan we will discuss the nature of the business, the objective of the business, the mission of the business, the strategy by which the business will operate and the pattern and mode in which the business will achieve the profitability. 2.1. NATURE OF BUSINESS: The nature of the business is a fast food restaurant chain having restaurants in three locations in London. The name of the business is proposed to be London Fried Chiecken LFC. This is a locally based and self owned fast food outlet chains. This will be positioned and made an international brand of the fast foods restaurants throught the creativity and approach in respect of the image of the outlets. This fast foods restaurant chain will provide very high quality food at value prices on buying this in combined. This food will be served in high quality presentation and layouts. London Fried Chicken is to be opened in relation to an increasing demand for snacks and fast food. This food is in demand especially when the people when the customers do window shopping or they walk in a shopping mall. In highly competitive environment of todays, its becoming more and more difficult to differentiate one outlet of fast food from another. London is the economic hub of not only the United Kingdom but also to most of the European Countries. With more than 11 million people visiting yearly, mainly from neighboring countries particularly in the European Union, Londons retail sector is very strong in the region. We have set out our main priority for opening the outlet in the central London, preferably in the central London or may be in one of the prominent malls for shopping in London. Later, through this effort we have plan to further develop more retail outlets in the areas surrounding. This business plan is being prepared for obtaining a location for initially launching of the concept. Additional finance amount will be required to be obtained for the purpose of opening two outlets subsequently, which we anticipate to open in  the thirteenth month and then in the third year after it. The amount of finance form the capital contributed by the shareholders will result in London Fried Chicken to open successfully and in doing expansion of the business within two to three years. The initial amount of capital invested will allow LFC to provide its valuable clients with a valuable and good experience through the creativeness of its founders. London Fried Chicken will  attract more youngsters in bringing their family and friends with our environment which is innovative, fresh cut Belgian fries, and other selected and unique dipping sauces. 2.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE BUSINESS: The following are the objectives of the London Fried Chicken: Making LFC a place to visit for eating for those who do shopping in malls. To establish its presence in London as  a successful fast food restaurant chain and gaining a market share in Londons industry of fast food. To do expansion into many outlets by the year three of business, and also sell our franchise to our neighboring metropolitan cities, like Paris, Spain, Bulgaria, Istanbul etc. 2.3. MISSION: The main aim and target of London Fried Chicken is to be among the most successful outlets of fast food in London, starting with one main outlet located in the main central London located as market tester. London Fried Chicken will strive to make itself a premiere local brand in fast food in the marketplace. We want to provide our customers the total all-in-one experience when visiting our place and also our website as they will know more about our new pop culture. We will be selling the products and goods from sauces which are pre-packaged and also t shirts, potato cutters etc, all with our own corporate brand name attached with it. Our main focus will be serving high-quality food at a great value. 2.4. KEYS TO SUCCESS: For being successful in the business we need to: Be innovative, having entertaining menu and creating a unique experience for customers, that will differentiate us from the other competitors. Controlling our costs at all times, in various areas and implementing a more conservative approach to our policy of growth. Although, as we want to be on the safe side in doing business, so we give more than required fund for opening more than one outlets. Selling products which are of the high quality, while keeping our customers happy and satisfied with our various product categories of food. Encourage the two most important values in fast food business: brand and image, as these two ingredients are a couple of main drivers in marketing communications. Providing 100% satisfaction to the clients and maintaining the level of excellent services among other competitors. Promoting good values of our business culture and philosophy of doing business. Get access to high-traffic shopping malls near the target market. 2.5. SUMMARY OF THE COMPANY: What London Fried Chicken is? London Fried Chicken sells  our French fries in a cone  with a  choice of sauce. We are using the concept of Belgian Fries, where the fries are prepared from fresh potatoes and fried two times. Our business also provide clients with excellent and good customer services to support fun ambience, and an energetic and youthful living style.   Fresh and youthful surroundings Following the patterns and footsteps of Starbucks and KFC, which also represent our core target market majority, between ages18 to 35 years of age. Our store will have live cooking of our main feature Belgian Fries from cutting to frying. Our client can be able to read our in-house brochures in respect of all the knowledge about Belgian Fries and our featured sauces. The store we have will be decorated with fast food setting, such as a bright counter and display menus on the wall. Quality food Each  of our outlet will  offer good quality service and food form our freshly fried Belgian fries, sandwiches and variety of other sauce blends, all served with old-fashioned home-style care. Open everyday The opening times of the store will be everyday from 11 am to 11:30 pm. Variety, variety, variety A new range of sauces will be displayed every three months and we will also change our Italian soda flavors to accompany our fries. 2.6. OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY: London Friend Chicken is a privately held business. It will be registered as a Limited company in the UK, with ownership 25% Tim, 25% Joseph, 25% Carol, 25% Amanda. Tim and Joseph have more than 10 years of experience in the food business. Both are currently working as Corporate Staff of a Company. Tim holds an MBA degree from University V. He is an entrepreneur by heart and his latest entrepreneurial project is a diamond store in the hub of London. Joseph holds a BA degree in Graphic Designing from the Arts Academy. His projects are widely varied from product design to developing brands of several reputable companies. Carol holds a MS degree from an Institute Y. She completed many projects and also served as project manager for multi-national companies in London. Amanda holds a BS degree from University Z. She has majored in Management and Information Technology. Prior to her return to London, she has held several management positions in a U.S.-based IT company. 2.7. LOCATION OF THE FACILITIES OF THE COMPANY: London Fried Chicken size of location will range from 50 70 meters square and will have seating from  18 to 30 guests. First of our locations will be on the larger end of this range. This venue will have features such as its own display of merchandise and other attributes for brand building. The outlet will be equipped with modern furniture and  aim for  calm and an  open feeling. We are currently searching at various possible venues around London Bridge or Oxford Street central London areas.. The venue will be selected based upon the following criteria: Tourist destination. Community size: minimum of 800,000 people within a radius of 8 kilometers. Large percentage  of teenagers in the community. Easy access. All of the above features are consistent with London Fried Chickens aim of providing a top class fast food experience. We want our best form of marketing to be word-of-mouth, where our customers value our brand as something exciting and cannot resist from telling to their friends and neighbors. London Fried Chicken will be competing directly with several other fast food giants inside the selected shopping mall. 2.7. COMPANYS PRODUCTS: We want to focus only on selling fries. Alcoholic drinks will not be sold in our outlet, as Fresin Fries promotes a healthy and positive Singaporean lifestyle. Instead, we will offer Italian Soda  to complement the fries. In promoting  the  Fresin Fries  lifestyle, we will offer various merchandise  with our logo and colors, from hats to t-shirts to potato cutters to our signature sauces, so that our customers can enjoy Fresin Fries at home. Our signature sauce is exclusively manufactured by Company Q. They can be also purchased at selected retailers. 2.7.1. DESCRIPTION OF OUR PRODUCTS: London Fried Chicken will sell friend chicken, burgers and fried together with our  unique sauces for dipping. Main products sold are: Chicken Roasted, Chicken Hot Burger, Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Burgers, French Fries, Special Dip sauces etc. Also we will be having available Belgian-style fries in large 2 dips, or small 1 dip, with addition of garlic Fresin (add  £0.25). There are more than twenty flavours available for the dips for Belgian style fries which also be served with sandwiches. These dips are available in more than 20 flavours: Satay Sauce Pesto Mayo Thai Chili Ketchup Teriyaki Sauce Roasted Pepper Mayo Creamy Wasabi Mayo Black Pepper Sauce Lava Cheese Barbecue Curry Ketchup Caribbean Islands Jalapeno Ketchup Traditional Sambal Hot Chili Sauce Korean BBQ Garlic Dip 2.7.2. COMPARISON WITH COMPETITORS: London Fried Chicken will have several advantages over its leading competitors. These are: A high degree of enthusiasm is expected by us and we offer a store with fun having friendly staff, that reflects the culture of youth and energy at LFC. Unique concept based on fusion of dipping sauce. We do not use frozen fries as compared to other competitors and our fried potato is made 100% fresh. We have innovative packaging which is more entertaining than our competitors; we serve a single cone with cup which is reserved for dipping sauce. Our dipping sauce is made fresh by us without adding preservatives. 2.8. SOURCES OF OUR RAW MATERIAL: Our suppliers will deliver fresh halal chicken along with fresh potatoes will be delivered on a per week basis by our supplier who is based in Scotlan. We also undertaken an agreement with  Organization Q for exclusively manufacturing our crispy chicken, signature dip sauces. Our merchandise items will be printed and produced by our partners office in China. 2.8. PLAN OF SALES: We have set almost similar patterns of marketing for each of the LFC stores. Below are the programs that we have setup for opening of each of LFC locations. 2.8.1. OPENING IN A GRAND MANNER: We will be putting outdoor signs on each outlet as soon as possible for grasping orders in advance for parties etc. This signage will be supported by banners before opening of the stores. 2.8.2. POINT OF PURCHASE: We will be using the concept of tray toppers for the purpose of explaining our business and style. We will also be selling to our clients the gift certificates, announcing future jobs openings, and possibly will also mention about franchise opportunities. 2.8.3. DIRECT MAILS: Also, direct mails will be sent to the customers starting from a stand-alone piece, which will be folded, will be produced in good colours on good quality weight papers. Inside the brochure there will be all the required and essential details of LFC, explaining our menu, house of operation, prices and a map to find our location. 2.9. PRODUCTS FUTURE: Initially we will focus on capturing market share by selling our dipped and fried chicken and our good French fries and signature sauces. However, when grow ahead, we will also bring new additional categories to our menu, such as Buffalo Wings and Belgian Sandwiches. Our future growth strategy will be to offer franchises of our LFC brand to other food businessman in the region. There various examples of success of various organisation in the same business line on growing globally. 2.9.1. MEALS WITH VALUE: The LFC deals come with value for the customers. Sales of our products will not only generated from the sales of our Belgian Fries, but also will be generated by the concept of innovation in our packaging menu which is called the value meal. It is a deal which consists of combinations of our sandwiches, or burgers with featured Belgian Fries at much better value instead of us selling the individual items. We can also do customize sales by selling a fries which are of bigger size called Uber Fresin to attract price sensitive clients 2.9.2. LARGE PARTIES OF PRIVATE NATURE: We can also handle private parties and handle banquets, in addition  to our brochures which will be listing our entrees on a daily basis. 2.10. SUMMARY OF MARKET ANALYSIS: Consumer spending on fast food sector in London is rising steadily from rose during the end of the year 2008, followed by the recovery of UKs economy from recession. The increasing number of new outlets such as fast food restaurants, fancy restaurants and gourmet bakeries around UK has been showing a significant growth in this sector. Food spending is high as a percentage proportion of total consumer expenditures in UK At the weekends there is a much broader appeal as a large number of customers go to the outlets and malls at a very broader perspective. At the weekend there is saturation of the activities. Market consists of: Age   Youngsters who are single and currently enrolled in college and high school. Family units   Young families along with children. Gender   Both the sexes will be targeted for the purposes of generating sales.. People from medium income and individuals and other lower medium income bracket people will be more likely to visit us. As per a survey conducted of young people aged 15 45 years, 80% of those interviewed like fast food. 90% of them like fast food on a regular basis, and 10% of them claimed that they like fast food very much, or love fast food. The following reasons were also provided by the survey for purpose of positioning and increasing popularity of fast food: Usually people have 12 months with 52 weekends and there will be three long holidays a year. Most of UK people love to shopping in high streets and malls, and when they do strolling around the shopping centers, they require a quick bite to accommodate their activities. Parents give more money to kids and students to buy lunch. Fast food is naturally their first choice, because of the brand building effort that heavily targets their age group. White-collar workers in offices have stopped bring lunch, and enjoy chicken, hamburger, pizza or other fast food joints in the vicinity. People in UK do not perceive fast food is a luxury,  and they enjoy it by bringing their family, particularly if they have small kids. 2.10.1. SEGMENTATION OF MARKET: Our target market segment is the younger generation as our primary market. Due to high extra-curricular activities among UKs youth, it is common for the youth to have lunch inside shopping malls, and not at home. The secondary market that we have chosen is the Working class. There are various major shopping malls across London,  including  Westfields, Bretncross etc which are the biggest shopping mall in the nation, employing more than 50,000 workers. LFC is the alternative for a quick bite while shopping the fancy boutiques in the area and is also a delicious attraction for tourists. 2.10.2. NEEDS OF THE MARKET: LFC sees out target markets as having a broad range of needs.  A recent analysis of consumer trends by Euromonitor has identified the below needs among our target markets. Our core group: Looking for speed in services Likes to have variety and flavors in the foods, preferably something fried Insists upon a friendly, clean, and attractive environment Wants an entertaining and fun experience Adopts a global lifestyle Comes from various ethnic backgrounds Enjoys eating out Is computer literate Has an active lifestyle There is large potential and growing market needs that can be served by LFC despite of the fact that there are so many competitors in the market. Yet London Fried Chicken feels that its great taste and unique services and offers will be able to attract more and more clients. 2.10.3. COMPETITORS IN THE MAIN AREA: Our main competitors in this fast food restaurant segment are the food outlets within the 2 miles radius along the Oxford Street. In our location, there is Pret-a-manger, pizza hut, KFC, Subway, and others. Therefore the following are the main competitors of LFC: Pret-a-manger Pizza hut KFC Subway McDonalds These are the brands of international fame and it can only be possible to attract clients by making oneself more competitive and tasteful in compared to the above. 2.10.4. STRATEGY FOR SALES: The sales strategy is building and opening new locations at different outlets in order for increase the revenue. However, this plan will be put into execution and implementation when the one market tester outlet at first showed potential growth. As each individual location will continue building its local client bases over a benchmark period of say first three years of operation, the goal of each store is  Ã‚ £109,460 in annual sales, with the original flagship store expected to earn almost  £225,000 per annum. 2.10.5. FORECAST OF SALES We anticipate the highest peak on the months of July and August in our volume of sales forecasted, due to the summer seasons and than in November and December season due to Christmas holidays. Millions  of people from the EU countries visit Britain each year, mostly for shopping purpose and dining. Then there are also tourists anticipated from Asian countries as well, this explains the jumped of sales in these last two months of the year. (all sums in below graph are estimated numbers in  £) 2.10.6. MILESTONES: During the initial phase of company being set up, the 4 founders (Tim, Joseph, Carol, and Amanda) will conduct planning and implementation in constructing the brand name and image and the making of LFCs first outlet. The planning and construction will take approximately 8 to 9 months. This is in addition to the process of refinement and revision which will take the remaining of the 12 month period before our opening in middle of the year 2010. 2.11. FINANCIAL PLAN: The company is now privately owned by Tim, Joseph, Carol, and Amanda. Future shares will be offered after two consecutive years of operating in UK. 2.11.1. START-UP FUNDING: Currently, company is being owned its four original founders, who each will contribute  £220,000 for the same amount of share, 25%. This will be the amount which is more than the amount required to cover start-up requirements, and provide the business with a cash margin so that it can use for expansion over the first three years. (all figures below are imaginary and assumed numbers. Funding at startup Fund for expenses at Start-up  £71,700 Funds for Start-up Assets  £51,300 Total amount of funds required  £120,900 Assets Non cash Assets at the Start-up  £41,500 Start-up Cash Requirements  £68,500 Additional amount of Cash Raised  £698,300 Cash Balance at the Starting Date  £810,400 Total Assets  £861,200 Liabilities and Capital Liabilities Current amount of Borrowing  £0 Long term Liabilities  £0 Accounts Payable (Bills Outstanding)  £0 Other Current Liabilities (interest-free)  £0 Total Liabilities  £0 Capital Planned Investment Tim  £220,000 Joseph  £220,000 Carol  £220,000 Amanda  £220,000 Requirement for Additional Investment  £0 Planned Investment total  £880,000 Start-up loss (Start-up Expenses) ( £69,600) Total Capital  £810,400 Total Capital and Liabilities  £810,400 Total Funding  £880,000 2.11.1. BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS: The breakeven analysis performed by us show that we need unit sales over 9,700 per month to break even. It is not expected to make a profit upto the year three. Break-even Analysis Monthly Units to Break-even 9,706 Monthly Revenue for Break-even  £32,104 Data Assumptions: Per-Unit Average Revenue  £3.31 Per-Unit Average Variable Cost  £0.73 Monthly Fixed Cost Estimated  £24,979 2.11.3. PROJECTED PROFIT AND LOSS: The below is the projected Profit and Loss account which shows LFC will run at a loss for the initial two years, using up some of the cash reserves initially invested by the founders. As sales will rise, LFC can expand into new locations to aggressively spread the recognition of brand. This increase in visibility will allow us to take up less expensive locations off of Oxford Street, while maintaining our flagship operation, the first store, in a  prime spot. Pro Forma Profit and Loss Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Sales  £289,173  £659,328  £1,127,654 Direct Cost of Sales  £62,956  £134,916  £258,837 Other Costs of Sales  £0  £0  £0 Total Cost of Sales  £62,956  £134,916  £258,837 Gross Margin  £226,217  £524,412  £868,817 Gross Margin % 78.23% 79.54% 77.05% Expenses Payroll  £88,200  £262,000  £449,600 Marketing/Promotion  £10,000  £10,010  £10,020 Depreciation  £0  £0  £0 Rent  £174,010  £248,010  £298,020 Utilities  £2,550  £5,000  £8,000 New location setup  £25,010  £50,010  £50,020 Total Operating Expenses  £299,770  £575,030  £815,680 Profit Before Interest and Taxes ( £82,523) ( £140,557)  £53,146 EBITDA ( £82,523) ( £140,557)  £53,146 Interest Expense  £0  £0  £0 Taxes Incurred  £0  £0  £0 Net Profit ( £82,523) ( £140,587)  £53,226 Net Profit/Sales -29.57% -25.18% 4.77% 2.11.4. PROJECTED CASH FLOW The following is the table that shows a Projection of the Cash Flow for LFC: Pro Forma Cash Flow Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Cash Received Cash from Operations Cash Sales  £279,163  £558,327  £1,116,654 Subtotal Cash from Operations  £279,163  £558,327  £1,116,654 Additional Cash Received Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Received  £0  £0  £0 New Current Borrowing  £0  £0  £0 New Other Liabilities (interest-free)  £0  £0  £0 New Long-term Liabilities  £0  £0  £0 Sales of Other Current Assets  £0  £0  £0 Sales of Long-term Assets  £0  £0  £0 New Investment Received  £0  £0  £0 Subtotal Cash Received  £279,163  £558,327  £1,116,654 Expenditures Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Operating Expenditures Spending in Cash  £88,200  £262,000  £449,600 Payments of Bills  £244,265  £430,245  £599,286 Subtotal Spent on Operations  £332,465  £692,245  £1,048,886 Additional Cash Spent Sales Tax, VAT, HST/GST Paid Out  £0  £0  £0 Principal Repayment of Current Borrowing  £0  £0  £0 Other Liabilities Principal Repayment  £0  £0  £0 Long-term Liabilities Principal Repayment  £0  £0  £0 Purchase Other Current Assets  £0  £0  £0 Purchase Long-term Assets  £0  £0  £0 Dividends  £0  £0  £0 Subtotal Cash Spent  £332,465  £692,245  £1,048,886 Net Cash Flow ( £53,301) ( £133,918)  £67,767 Cash Balance  £677,899  £543,981  £611,748 3. CONCLUSION: As discussed in detail above, a business plan is a comprehensive document which requires a lot of efforts to be undertaken for its preparation. The above chart and table in particular the PL and the cash flow clearly shows that the company can turn into profitability in the year three as compared to the initial two years. Also there are positive cash flows of the business. This shows that the business is viable and can be undertaken on a genuine basis.

Study Proposal: Causative Mutations in Optic Neuropathy

Study Proposal: Causative Mutations in Optic Neuropathy Optic neuropathy refers to degeneration of optic nerve. It is often described as optic atrophy that means loss of few or most of optic nerve fibers [1]. It can be symmetric or bilateral based on toxic or nutritional ( vitamin B12 or folate deficiency) insults and genetic defects [4]. In genetically inherited optic atrophies, retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve fiber layer are damaged. This damage can be focal (affects macular beam of optic nerve) or generalized [6]. The axons of retinal ganglion cells arise from retina and from optic nerve. The optic nerve enter cortex via optic disc where input signal is processed into vision. The retinal ganglion cells or nerve cells of inner retina form 1.2 million nerve fibers [1]. The key features of optic neuropathy results from death of these nerve cells or neurons. Autosomal recessive optic atrophies (ROAs) indicate loss of nerve fibers that form optic disc, optic nerve, optic chiasm and optic tracts [net bookmark]. The only key feature of isolated ROAs is optic nerve degeneration. To date defects in genes coding for mitochondrial proteins leads to isolated ROAs [4]. The genetically inherited atrophies can be familial that follows Mendelian pattern of inheritance (X-linked recessive, autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant) or non Mendelian (mitochondrial) [2]. In autosomal recessive Mendelian pattern of inheritance, two copies of mutant allele in affected person and one copy of mutant allele in carrier are present. When two carriers mate, there is an equal chance (25%) of being affected and unaffected. There is a 50% chance of being heterozygous (unaffected carrier). But in autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, affected individuals have one mutant copy of allele so every individual has 50% chance of being affected or being normal. In the pure congenital autosomal recessive optic atrophy, symptoms like visual impairment appear very early and are present at birth or appear in first year of life. Affected individuals are severely impaired visually leading to visual disability or complete blindness. It is never associated with neurological disorders. It can be diagnosed very early, usually before the age of 4 years. Fundus examination reveals optic disc pallor temporally or bilaterally. A cupping may develop with age [3]. Affected individuals suffer from central scotoma, photophobia and also have red green color confusion [6]. Family history is critical for diagnosis [Hereditaryà ¿opticà ¿neuropathies: from clinical signs to diagnosis]. Clinical diagnosis involves fundoscopy, visual field testing, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography scan of the retinal nerve fiber layers, color vision analysis and standard electroretinogram. Damage from optic nerve atrophy cannot be reversed [4].To clinically distinguishes it from LHON flourscene angiography was done which fails to show any peripapillary microvascular changes, beside this retinal activity is also normal confirmed by electroretinogram. Pathology of arOA is confirmed by testing visual evoked potential which was totally absent in affected individuals. Central or cecocentral faults are diagnosed through visual field testing. Lesion in the fovea or papillomacular bundle leads to cental scotoma which ultimately affects the central fixation. Thinning of retinal nerve fiber layer is diagnosed through optical coherence tomography scan [3, 4, clinical diagnosis]. Papillomacular bundle leads to the extension of cecocentral sctoma towards blind spot. There is no effective treatment for optic atrophy because degeneration of nerve fibers is irreversible process. Although further damage can be prevented by early diagnosis and by treating underlying causes of the disorder [ net bookmark]. As environmental factor play their role in every aspect of life likewise in this disorder alcohol consumption and smoking should be strictly prohibited [Hereditaryopticneuropathies: from clinical signs to diagnosis]. Genetic counseling and proper awareness of people is very important to prevent such genetic disorders without any effective treatment. New therapies are being formulated by designing animal models or by clinical trial on affected humans these therapies mainly focuses in preventing oxidative stress. Animal models have been designed for testing the various treatments in case of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy [Treatment of hereditaryopticneuropathies]. arOA is divided into syndromic and non-syndromic form, syndromic arOA involve multiple organs other than eye which are effected just like wolfram syndrome [6, net bookmarks]. While in non-syndromic optic nerve is affected only and it also shows familial transmission more than one members of same family can also be affected [Hereditaryopticneuropathies: from clinical signs to diagnosis]. OPA 6 and 7 are the two loci which are characterized till now, mutation in any one of two leads to arOA. Disease causing gene has been localized at chromosome 8q21–q22 (Zmax of 3.41 at h ¼0 for D8S270). D8S1794 and D8S1702 markers present on OPA6 in a 12Mb interval [6]. OPA7 containing 40 known genes, only one gene TMEM126A screened as a causative agent of non-syndromic arOA [4, 7]. TMEM126A is homozygous nonsense mutation characterized as first known mutation in case of isolated arOA, this gene transcribed into mitochondrial transmembrane protein. TMEM126A helps in early nucleation of mitochondrial complexes that is why it is also termed as mitochondria-localized mRNA (MLR) protein. It play important role in function of retinal ganglion cells by arranging protein complexes essential for the proper functioning of RGCs. It is hypothesized that TMEM126A may accelerate the rate at which protein complex assemble, which otherwise occurs slowly that ultimately affect high energy demanding RGCs. While in other tissues the effect of this mutation may be substituted by some other protein of TMEM family [4, 7]. TMEM126A transcribe single ubiquitous transcript of 770bp that contain total five exons four coding and one non-coding exon. TMEM126A present on chromosome 11 and its span is 8.5 kb. Testis, fetal retinal pigmentary epithelium (RPE), fetal retina, brain (whole), cerebellum, fetal brain and skeletal muscle are the sites where strong expression of TMEM126A has been observed. Substantial amount of specific mRNA in the ganglion cell layer, optic nerve head, the outer ellipsoide length of photoreceptor inner segments, and the outer plexiform layer is detected by the process of insitu hybridization in mouse i.e. 8 month old. In the photoreceptor outer segments and outer nuclear layer (ONL) no labeling is noticed. Mitochondria specific Alpha subunit of the ATP synthase is Immunolocalized on retinal sections of the same mouse which resulted into the same pattern of expression. So it is confirmed that TMEM126A transcribe mitochondrial localized m RNA. Linkage analysis is the process helps in finding mutation or gene resulted into arOA. Potential functionality of genes with their chromosomal location is associated through this statistical method. During chromosomal recombination markers present closely or on the same area on chromosome will remain attached together are transmitted as such in offspring’s this idea is exploited in linkage analysis. If in an individual disease gene is transmitted along with some specific markers it means disease causing gene is present close to these markers. Those disorders that follow Mendelian inheritance pattern can easily be analyzed through this process [5]. This study will be the first step which further helps in identifying the causative gene responsible for arOA in Pakistani population and also help in designing therapeutic tools for the benefit of affected persons. By conducting these type of studies we can also aware our population about such type of rare disorders.

Blaming External Pressure for the Tragic Decline of Tess in Tess of the

Blaming External Pressure for the Tragic Decline of Tess in Tess of the D'Urbervilles From the beginning of the novel 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy, it is clear that the main character, Tess, is not going to have an easy life. She is deliberately targeted by cruel "Immortals" as their sadistic plaything. This is symbolized during the club dance, where Tess is "one of the white company" but is the only one to have a bright "red ribbon" in her hair. The mark of blood is on her from the start. Whilst Tess is going to market she accidentally kills the family's horse. Her own guilt for this accidental death is the first stage in a long series of incidents leading to Tess's tragic death at the end of the novel. Social and environmental pressures rank high on the list of causes of Tess's tragedy. In the late 19th century there were many changes taking place in rural England. The advances achieved as a result of the Industrial Revolution meant that even in the countryside farming was becoming mechanized and there were fewer manual labour jobs for the simple peasant people to do. This meant many people had to leave their town where they had spent most of their lives to go and find work. So, for example, the Durbeyfields' departing from Marlott after the death of "Sir John", was only part of a greater rural upheaval. Tess's search for work to make up for the loss of her family's horse led her to the sinister and blatantly predatory Alec d'Urberville who she initially thought was a relative. The sexual double standards typical of late Victorian society were also clear at this point. Females who sinned paid a much higher social price for their mistakes. But Tess did not want to sin - she was pres... ... reach Stonehenge it is obvious that Tess's life of never ending pain and suffering will soon be over. Stonehenge is significant as it was a place for sacrifices in pagan times. The cruel "Immortals" have at last brought Tess to the place of sacrifice - they will soon end their sadistic "sport". I conclude that Hardy wrote this book to show that "individuals have no control over their lives, but are at the mercy of impersonal and inexorable forces", as stated in the resource notes to the Cambridge edition of the novel. From the beginning Tess's destiny was mapped out. She was born to suffer and eventually die. Tess was in the end a victim of the circumstances of late Victorian rural society, with all its cruel discrimination against erring females, but even more so of cruel supernatural forces who had marked her out as their victim from the beginning.

Free Essay - The Scarlet Letter and the Christian Utopia :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter and the Christian Utopia Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the Christian Utopia to present to the reader the ideals and way of life the Puritans faced. The main character, Hester Prynne, commits a crime so unfathomable by the society yet she was able to live her life independent from the norms and values. Judgments of society's moral transgressions have altered since the Puritan era in such a way that we are no longer severely condemned for our principles. People are forgiven for their sins, but nonetheless they are forever persecuted to live with the shame such as Hester did in the novel. The Puritans believed that the Christian Utopia could be achieved by obeying a certain rule. Spirituality played a key component in dictating their lives. Hester for example, did not go against her community on purpose, but acted independently and followed the path of human nature. She still possessed religious morals. Yet this is disregarded by her act of adultery. In society during that time period, no matter how much good one does, the latter is what takes hold. Thus Hester is labeled to wearing the scarlet letter "A", in addition to having to take care of her fatherless child. Today, people do turn to religion for guidance, but not to the point where religion commands every action a person makes. People have drifted away from the black and white customs and adapted color and emotion to the path of life. People are given the opportunity to give up a child born out of wedlock to an adoption agency. Single mothers can attend schools with daycares. This is far from what H ester could ever imagine. Hawthorne develops Hester's character in an exaggeration through the usage of symbolism, to further emphasis the level of severity of her crime. "She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real" (Hawthorne 41). The Puritans viewed man as an animal, as if people needed to be controlled. Hawthorne shows that the balance between Man and Morality is not equal in the face of the Puritans.

Ww2 Introduction

Introduction World War II began on September 3rd, 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany because they promised to help Poland if anything happened. From the end of the First World War, the Germans carried hate in their hearts for all Allied country leaders. This was because of a peace treaty called, â€Å"The Versailles Treaty†. The Versailles Treaty blamed Germany for everything. It allowed them not to have submarines or an air force.Land was taken away from them, and they were only allowed to have a small army. On top of it all, the Germans had to pay for all damages the war had caused and take full responsibility for causing it. The Germans thought this was really unfair, and never forgave their government for this. Most of them joined new parties that promised to get revenge. One of the party leaders was an ex-soldier in the German army who swore to destroy both Weimar Republic and the Versailles Treaty. His name was Adolf H itler. A HISTORY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY-BRYN O’ CALLAGHAN) When Hitler came into power, he started with creating a stronger, new and improved German army. Although the Versailles Treaty said that Germany should refrain from all of this, he still went on. He made weapons, build warships and even a German air force. The treaty also said that the Rhineland should be ‘demilitarized’ by the Germans. But in 1936, they marched into the Rhineland expecting a fight from either Britain or France. But to Hitler’s surprise no one tried to stop them.This gave Germany a boost of confidence that lasted throughout World War II. The League of Nations tried to prevent World War Two from happening but couldn’t, only made matters worse. Firstly, they couldn’t prevent a country from doing what they wanted. Secondly, if countries fought, the league could not do anything about it. Thirdly, Germany never liked them from the beginning. So if the Versailles Treaty m ade up the League of Nations, it was destined to fail. The treaty couldn’t keep tabs on one country, so how was it going to on many countries?

Challenges of Hong Kong Essay

Topic: Challenges of Hong Kong’s full service airlines facing today This essay examines the challenges faced by Hong Kong’s full service airlines nowadays. Air transportation serves not only to encourage trade and growth in the tourism industry in Hong Kong, but also to improve people’s mobility and to form a modern society. In this essay, full service airline is defined as traditional airline that provides services such as allocated seat, transfer of baggage between flights, blankets and meals. Full service airlines suffer several challenges in the aspect of production cost for developing advanced system and competition with low-cost airlines nowadays. For this reason, I would like to investigate the challenges in depth according to the above aspects and figure out possible solutions. Challenge 1: Low-cost airline invasion In recent years, the airline industry has undergone a revolution caused by the growth in population of low-cost carriers, which are airlines that provide discounted fares and no-frills service to passengers, and the increase in the number of low-cost carriers caused a huge growth in departure and arrival of regional airports and established a brand new market in short-break tourism. While low-cost airlines are gaining an increased market share within the industry, the full-service airlines are struggling. Numbers of full-service airlines are on the edge of bankruptcy, and some even had to sign agreements or mergers to ensure their long-run existence. To compete with the no-frills airlines, some full service airlines had set up their own low-cost subsidiary, but a few of them ended up in operational losses, forced to sell their subsidiary. Pels (2008) describes full service airlines as aiming to offer ‘quality’, whereas no-frills carriers aim to keep costs low. He states that although it may be difficult for low-cost airlines to earn money on ticket sales, they may gain profit on board by selling snacks and beverages, and from the airports depart from or land on. Moreover, most low-cost airlines promote themselves for their transparency in the pricing system, thus keeping air travel remarkably affordable, despite the high cost of jet fuel. As low-fare airlines ‘invades’ the airline industry, full service airlines will not only encounter fare pressure, but will also have to progressively  fight with the upstarts for takeoff, landing slots and gate space in Hong Kong or other crowded airports in Asia. In order to encounter this challenge, the airline should emphasize on the services it provides, and focus on improving their flights operations both in the air and on the ground, utilizing optimum flight management procedures and providing customers with sustainable products and services, in order to compete with the rising trend of low-cost airlines. Challenge 2: Managing destinations Full service airlines use the Hub and Spoke System, which enables passengers to travel from one smaller city to another smaller city via a hub or even two hubs. This system not only service more cities at a lower cost, but also maximizes passenger loads, thus saving fuels. Low-cost airlines use ‘simple’ point-to-point networks, as they operate routes which originate or end at a major airport, which allows them to enter any market they see fit. Thus, if the route turns out to be unprofitable, the low-cost carrier will close it down. According to Pels (2008), full service airlines cannot easily withdraw from a market, even if it is hardly profitable, because a full-service carrier’s link between a hub airport and spoke airport serves many different indirect markets. If this route is closed because of the decrease in load factor due to competition on the market between the hub airports and spoke airports, passengers and profits, in all other markets using this link a re lost. According to a survey by the Company Barclaycard, a relatively large number of the business travellers (71%) used low-cost airlines for business trips. This indicates that passenger preferences may be shifting to low-cost, less service airlines. The low-cost carrier attracts passengers from the full-service airlines, thus causes competition and reduces load factors and profits for the full-service airlines. In order to solve this problem, full-service airlines can offer more low-fare tickets on short-haul routes, and use short-haul routes as feeders for the global markets where they make most profits. Even though the competition for indirect travellers is very intense, they will allow conventional airlines to maintain a large network with relatively high frequencies. Challenge 3: Investment on the advanced technology With the rapid development in advanced technologies and popular use in mobile gadgets, reserving a seat on the plane is just one click ahead. Simply by browsing the website of their desired airline, customers will be able to get all the relevant information they will need to plan their trip, including the list of fares in specific dates and allocation of the seats on the aircraft. In addition, systems like automatic airport check-ins and ticketless air travel are getting more popular, and will be the future trends in the airline industry. Therefore, in order to provide the passengers accessibility in online reservations and to build up the image of a green airline, investments are needed to be made on improving the systems. Acknowledging the numerous benefits provided by the internet, airlines have been investing resources in their websites. Standing (2000) claimed that the Web has changed from pushing firms and services to pulling clients into value-added opportunities that a company provides. Airlines do not only compete among each other, they also compete with online travel agents such as Expedia. Thus, to solve this challenge, the airlines should entice travellers to book their trips via the airline’s website, by providing extra benefits to customers when they purchase online. Conclusion To summarize, the challenges that full service airlines in Hong Kong faced are the rising of low-cost airlines, the managing of destinations and huge investments made on developing and improving the systems for reservation and check-ins. It is crucial for airlines to understand that when passengers purchase an airline seat, they are not just paying for a seat in the aircraft; they also purchase the service behind. In order to attract a consumer’s attention, benefits or attributes of using full service airlines and low cost carriers such as price, safety, network connections, and service will be important. REFERENCES: Cooper C. and et al. (1999) Tourism: Principles and Practice, 2nd ed., Longman Publishing: Harlow. Driver, J. (1999). Developments in airline marketing practice. Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, 5 (5), 134–150. Law, R. & Leung, R. (2000). A Study of Airlines’ Online Reservation Services on the Internet. Journal of Travel Research, 39 (2), 202-211. Moiseiwitsch, J. (2012). Budget airlines find Hong Kong a tough market to crack. In South China Morning Post. Retrieved November 6, 2014 from http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1404255/budget-airlines-find-hong-kong-tough-market-crack Pels, E. (2008). Airline network competition: Full-service airlines, low-cost airlines and long-haul markets. Research in Transportation Economics, 24 (1), 68-74. Sigala M. (2003) The Information and Communication Technologies Productivity Impact on the UK Hotel Sector, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 23(10), 1224-45. Wang, J. & Lee, S. (2014). Asia’s Budget Airline Invasion. In Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved November 6, 2014 from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-13/asias-budget-airline-invasion-cathay-pacific-defends-hong-kong