Gene Technology Essays

Gene Technology Essays Gene Technology Essay Gene Technology Essay 010 Chapter 10 Gene Technology Student: _________________________________________________________ 1. Trimming certain genes out of molecules of DNA requires the use of special: A. digestive enzymes B. restriction enzymes C. enzymes from peroxisomes D. microscopic scalpels 2. To seal the cut fragments of DNA together, an enzyme called __________ is used. A. amylase B. peptidase C. trypsin D. ligase 3. Choose the correct sequence for gene transfer procedures. A. cleaving DNA, recombining DNA, cloning, screening B. screening, cleaving DNA, cloning, recombining DNA C. recombining DNA, screening, cloning, cleaving DNA D. cleaving DNA, cloning, screening, recombining DNA 4. The step that is most labor-intensive in gene transfer procedures is: A. cleaving DNA B. recombining DNA C. screening D. cloning 5. Some bacteria, through natural selection, have acquired some extremely potent enzymes that destroy viral DNA, thereby preventing the bacterial cell from becoming infected with the virus. These enzymes are called: A. DNA polymerases B. DNA ligases C. restriction endonucleases D. restriction ligases 6. When researchers wish to make multiple copies of a gene without first inserting it into a bacterium, they employ the: A. centrifuge B. pepsin activation reaction C. polymerase chain reaction D. gel electrophoresis 7. If a fragment of eukaryotic RNA is needed that is made up only of exons, the place to look in the cell to find this is: A. attached to the inner cell membrane B. inside the nucleolus C. inside the nucleus D. in the cytoplasm 8. Primers are: A. short sequences of nucleotides on either side of the gene to be amplified B. sticky ends of DNA fragments C. beginning nucleotide sequences in plasmids D. types of undercoating for paint 9. The enzyme used to carry out the polymerase chain reaction on DNA is: : A. transcriptase B. reverse transcriptase C. RNA polymerase D. DNA polymerase 10. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is also used to: A. clone entire organisms B. make polyploid copies of the human genome C. make DNA fingerprints in criminal investigations D. clone bacterial colonies 11. The enzyme used to make a DNA copy complementary to processed mRNA is: A. transcriptase B. reverse transcriptase C. RNA polymerase D. DNA polymerase 12. DNA fingerprinting is a highly accurate method of identifying a criminal from evidence, (blood, hair, skin, semen) left at a crime scene. True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False 3. Inserting a gene encoding a pathogenic microbes surface protein into a harmless virus is the way a(n) _________________ is produced. A. piggyback vaccine B. clone of antibodies C. virulent virus D. active disease-causing pathogen 14. A friend asks you a question after your biology class. Whats genetic engineering? Your answer is: A. Genetic engineering is the ability of scientists to remove a nucleus from a cell and place it into another cell. B. Genetic engineering is taking proteins from one organism and placing them into another organism of a different species. C. Genetic engineering is moving genes from one organism to another. D. Genetic engineering is removing structural components, for example a lysosome, from one part of a cell and placing those structures elsewhere in that cell. 15. Genetic engineering in agriculture has been employed to: A. make crops resistant to insect pests B. make crops resistant to certain herbicides C. make crops more nutritious D. All of these are correct. 16. Crop plants are made resistant to insect pests by: A. causing them to grow taller B. inserting a gene from bacteria that secrete Bt C. coating them with a gel D. All of these are correct. 17. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is a good choice for engineering plants resistant to it because: A. it is a powerful herbicide B. it is readily biodegradable C. humans are not affected by it D. All of these are correct. 18. Golden rice is so-named because it contains: A. vitamin C B. vitamin A and iron C. nitrogen D. golden bacteria 19. The introduction of bovine growth hormone into the diets of dairy cows is important because it: A. doubles the number of calves they produce annually B. makes them immune to infection by plasmids C. greatly improves their milk production D. improves the taste of their milk 0. A number of human genes have been inserted into bacteria to produce many useful human proteins EXCEPT: A. insulin B. factor VIII C. anticoagulants D. human hemoglobin 21. Moving genes from one organism to another is often referred to as ________________________. ________________________________________ 22. Scientists employ a method called ____________ _______ to visual fragments of genes they are attempting to isolate. ________________________________________ 23. EcoRI is an example of a ______________________. ________________________________________ 24. PCR is an abbreviation for _________________________. _______________________________________ 25. When RNA polymerase makes an unprocessed mRNA copy of DNA, the copy is called the ___________________. ________________________________________ 26. When the introns are removed to make mRNA that can be used in protein synthesis, the mRNA is now called __________________. ________________________________________ 27. A _______ is a tiny circle of bacterial DNA that is capable of replicating outside of the main bacterial chromosome. ________________________________________ 28. When genes are inserted into lung cells of cystic fibrosis patients, this kind of treatment is referred to as _______________. _______________________________________ 29. Combining the DNA of two different organi sms is called ______________ cloning. ________________________________________ 30. Plasmids or viruses can serve as _______________ to carry foreign DNA into the host cell. ________________________________________ 31. When the method is perfected, it will be possible to transfer healthy genes into cystic fibrosis patients via aerosol inhalants to cure this genetic disease. Is this type of gene transfer an actual cure or is it a treatment? In other words, could this person still pass along cystic fibrosis genes? 32. What is the advantage of using restriction enzymes to cleave DNA? 33. In gene transfer procedures, why is it necessary to use processed mRNA molecules to make DNA to transfer to another organism? 34. What are some of the benefits of transferring genes from one organism to another? 35. Do you feel there is any harm in cloning mammals? Why? Why not? 010 Chapter 10 Gene Technology KEY 1. Trimming certain genes out of molecules of DNA requires the use of special: a. digestive enzymes B  Ã‚  restriction enzymes c. enzymes from peroxisomes d. microscopic scalpels 2. To seal the cut fragments of DNA together, an enzyme called __________ is used. . amylase b. peptidase c. trypsin D  Ã‚  ligase 3. Choose the correct sequence for gene transfer procedures. A  Ã‚  cleaving DNA, recombining DNA, cloning, screening b. screening, cleaving DNA, cloning, recombining DNA c. recombining DNA, screening, cloning, cleaving DNA d. cleaving DNA, cloning, screening, recombining DNA 4. The step that is most labor-intensive in gene transfer procedures is: a. cleaving DNA b. recombining DNA C  Ã‚  screening d. cloning 5. Some bacteria, through natural selection, have acquired some extremely potent enzymes that destroy viral DNA, thereby preventing the bacterial cell from becoming infected with the virus. These enzymes are called: a. DNA polymerases b. DNA ligases C  Ã‚  restriction endonucleases d. restriction ligases 6. When researchers wish to make multiple copies of a gene without first inserting it into a bacterium, they employ the: a. centrifuge b. pepsin activation reaction C  Ã‚  polymerase chain reaction d. gel electrophoresis 7. If a fragment of eukaryotic RNA is needed that is made up only of exons, the place to look in the cell to find this is: a. attached to the inner cell membrane b. inside the nucleolus c. inside the nucleus D  Ã‚  in the cytoplasm 8. Primers are: A  Ã‚  short sequences of nucleotides on either side of the gene to be amplified . sticky ends of DNA fragments c. beginning nucleotide sequences in plasmids d. types of undercoating for paint 9. The enzyme used to carry out the polymerase chain reaction on DNA is: a. transcriptase b. reverse transcriptase c. RNA polymerase D  Ã‚  DNA polymerase 10. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is also used to : a. clone entire organisms b. make polyploid copies of the human genome C  Ã‚  make DNA fingerprints in criminal investigations d. clone bacterial colonies 11. The enzyme used to make a DNA copy complementary to processed mRNA is: a. transcriptase B  Ã‚  reverse transcriptase c. RNA polymerase d. DNA polymerase 12. DNA fingerprinting is a highly accurate method of identifying a criminal from evidence, (blood, hair, skin, semen) left at a crime scene. TRUE 13. Inserting a gene encoding a pathogenic microbes surface protein into a harmless virus is the way a(n) _________________ is produced. A  Ã‚  piggyback vaccine b. clone of antibodies c. virulent virus d. active disease-causing pathogen 14. A friend asks you a question after your biology class. Whats genetic engineering? Your answer is: a. Genetic engineering is the ability of scientists to remove a nucleus from a cell and place it into another cell. b. Genetic engineering is taking proteins from one organism and placing them into another organism of a different species. C  Ã‚  Genetic engineering is moving genes from one organism to another. d. Genetic engineering is removing structural components, for example a lysosome, from one part of a cell and placing those structures elsewhere in that cell. 15. Genetic engi neering in agriculture has been employed to: a. make crops resistant to insect pests b. make crops resistant to certain herbicides c. make crops more nutritious D  Ã‚  All of these are correct. 16. Crop plants are made resistant to insect pests by: a. causing them to grow taller B  Ã‚  inserting a gene from bacteria that secrete Bt c. coating them with a gel d. All of these are correct. 17. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is a good choice for engineering plants resistant to it because: a. it is a powerful herbicide b. it is readily biodegradable c. humans are not affected by it D  Ã‚  All of these are correct. 18. Golden rice is so-named because it contains: a. vitamin C B  Ã‚  vitamin A and iron c. nitrogen d. golden bacteria 19. The introduction of bovine growth hormone into the diets of dairy cows is important because it: a. doubles the number of calves they produce annually . makes them immune to infection by plasmids C  Ã‚  greatly improves their milk production d. improves the taste of their milk 20. A number of human genes have been inserted into bacteria to produce many useful human proteins EXCEPT: a. insulin b. factor VIII c. anticoagulants D  Ã‚  human hemoglobin 21. Moving genes from one organism to another i s often referred to as ________________________. genetic engineering 22. Scientists employ a method called ___________________ to visual fragments of genes they are attempting to isolate. gel electrophoresis 23. EcoRI is an example of a ______________________. restriction enzyme 24. PCR is an abbreviation for _________________________. polymerase chain reaction 25. When RNA polymerase makes an unprocessed mRNA copy of DNA, the copy is called the ___________________. primary transcript 26. When the introns are removed to make mRNA that can be used in protein synthesis, the mRNA is now called __________________. processed mRNA 27. A _______ is a tiny circle of bacterial DNA that is capable of replicating outside of the main bacterial chromosome. plasmid 28. When genes are inserted into lung cells of cystic fibrosis patients, this kind of treatment is referred to as _______________. gene therapy 29. Combining the DNA of two different organisms is called ______________ cloning. transgenic 30. Plasmids or viruses can serve as _______________ to carry foreign DNA into the host cell. vectors 31. When the method is perfected, it will be possible to transfer healthy genes into cystic fibrosis patients via aerosol inhalants to cure this genetic disease. Is this type of gene transfer an actual cure or is it a treatment? In other words, could this person still pass along cystic fibrosis genes? Unless it is possible to correct the genetic defect in the persons gametes, they will still be able to pass on the genes for cystic fibrosis. However, the inhalant treatment is an important milestone in the treatment of this disease, especially if it can put a halt to the lung damage so characteristic of the cystic fibrosis patient. The life expectancy for these patients is short otherwise. 32. What is the advantage of using restriction enzymes to cleave DNA? Hundreds of different restriction enzymes are known. Once the scientist knows the nucleotide sequence on either side of the gene to be excised, the appropriate restriction enzyme can be used to cut the DNA at that particular spot. The advantage is that restriction enzymes cut the DNA so it has sticky ends that can match up with complementary sequences elsewhere. 33. In gene transfer procedures, why is it necessary to use processed mRNA molecules to make DNA to transfer to another organism? This procedure is necessary only when the gene to be transferred comes from a eukaryote. Eukaryotic DNA contains introns as well as exons, and bacteria have no way of removing introns because their DNA has none. So introns must be removed, and processed mRNA molecules have already had that done. 34. What are some of the benefits of transferring genes from one organism to another? First of all, we can get bacteria to mass-produce human proteins, such as the hormone insulin, that can be used to treat human diseases. Since the protein makes use of a human gene, it matches precisely that which would normally be produced in the human body. Second, many beneficial agricultural advances will surely come from gene transfers. For example, pest resistance in plants will lessen the need for pesticides that are costly and pollute the environment. 35. Do you feel there is any harm in cloning mammals? Why? Why not? Answers will vary.

LOVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

LOVE - Essay Example s him, and for that short duration, she feels that the world is on the tip of her fingers because of the happiness that is caused to her when he looks at her. A married couple in love with each other do small things for another everyday to make the other feel special and give them a feeling of something to live for. Love cannot be seen or touched but it exists for those that believe in its power; when someone loves another person, they tend to want to protect them and spend the maximum amount of time that they can with them, making every second count. Love thus makes people happy and makes them want to wake up every single day with a view to meeting that special person that they have a connection with. This can be understood by a simple test of bidding goodbye; people love those the most to whom saying goodbye is very tough. People in love tend to become extremely unhappy on saying goodbye to their loved ones; the tears in their eyes are the exact opposite of the happiness that they feel when they are with them. There have been a number of films, music as well as literature portraying love as a feeling that brings about the most amount of happiness in the world - â€Å"If we assume that mankind has a right to survive then we must find an alternative to war and destruction. "Dont ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn."† (King, Martin Luther) According to Martin Luther King, love brings compassion and happiness that can be used as a weapon against those that hate and enjoy causing destruction. The same theories were also propounded and experimented by Mahatma Gandhi who said that non violence or love is the answer to the world’s problems. The point of love is to make

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel Essay

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel - Essay Example Ironically, the way in which this motif permeates the poem gives rise to nearly all of the stages of the story. This essay will argue that the father-son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel demonstrates the implicit vulnerability of all patriarchal relationships; more particularly, this essay will explain how Dryden employs the father-son motif in order to highlight the danger of a patriarch loving uncritically, the danger of a patriarch offering mercy and restraint to enemies, and the painful burdens that patriarchal figures must endure if they are to survive in such a role. The poem begins almost as an apology; it is apologetic because patriarchs and fathers are forgiven in advance for the miseries to be encountered in the current age. This reference to simpler times is introduced in the first few lines, when Dryden offers that, "In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before polygamy was made a sin; When man on many multiplied his kind, Ere one to one was cursedly confined; When nature prompted, and no law denied, Promiscuous use of concubine and bride;" (1-6). The implication is that there was a time when fatherhood implied no predominant obligation; indeed, this reference to pious times views the father-son relationship without the imposition of certain conditions or risks. Having a generalized duty to many people, being promiscuous and without the curse of being confined, the father may pursue his life freely. The patriarch, in short, may interact with others when nature prompts, he may choose and discard his relationships arbitrarily, and he wi ll not be judged a legitimate or illegitimate father by others. The pious times, in effect, were without negative consequences. These pious times, on the other hand, are at an end. The father-son motif, particularly with the birth of Absalom, demonstrates the most immediate vulnerability of patriarchy. Patriarchal consequences arise and vest most forebodingly with the birth of Absalom. The indifference notable in pious times is notably absent; quite the contrary, King David, was borne a son described as "So beautiful, so brave,Whether inspired by some diviner lust, His father got him with a greater gust; Or that his conscious destiny made way, By manly beauty, to imperial sway" (18-22). The "imperial sway" language is particularly significant; it is significant because King David is creating a special place in his heart and in his monarchy for Absalom. There is no longer any indifference; more interesting, the son has been elevated to a position higher than that enjoyed by either King David's other children or by King David's subjects. It is easy to ascribe the villainy to come to Achitophel, and yet the first sign of a faction is created by the father himself. To be more precise, rather than maintaining a strictly patriarchal relation to all men, King David instead elevated the s on whom would later become his enemy and the cause of much sadness. Thus, if Achitophel might be blamed for taking advantage of this father-son relationship, then King David must accept responsibility for having given so much favor to Absalom in the

Plz make my college app perfect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plz make my college app perfect - Essay Example I find this combination moving due to the depth of inspiration that I can derive from them. My faith and belief ultimately leads me to create how things I wanted to me, and religion which is a repository of countless arts forms of masters, both old and new, where man’s genius in art was and still is best illustrated is an excellent source of inspiration to draw upon. From these two potent forces, I then create my own art form through my paint that breathe life on my subjects be it on my canvass or other mediums that inspiration may find suitable. My artworks are mostly made of patterns which I use to expand my old way of doing a mystery piece by mixing my pattern design with a portrait. This method brings out a very powerful impression on my portraits that impresses a strong emotion. So far, it is also the best method that I have tried that could show more of my idea about ideal beauty. I also do it against the backdrop of many different cultures where I borrow what I feel to be best suited for my portrait to come up with unimaginable great result. I think many artists experience that feeling of being deeply immersed in their paintings that they lose track of time whenever they are engage with their work. Such is my case. I am very meticulous to details and spend a great deal time to be able to portray what I have in mind and I do not stop until I feel it is right. Being faithful to that idea of the ideal of giving truth to beauty is what animates me in my studio for hours as I explore the province of dreams through my artworks. I feel like that if I stop short of what I feel and believe is right, I am betraying my art. Such, I pursue it until I found the truth and had them manifested in my artwork. I do not mine the countless hours, days, even weeks that I will spend to achieve the ideal in my artworks. I am willing to do it again and again knowing that the opportunity to touch the human

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay Example for Free

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay In this research paper I’m going to describe about theater production technology which it is using digital production and how it is saturate to the mise en scene. Cinematic theater is term of using digital projection in contemporary theatre. That can be briefly described as a fusion of live performance and the magic of the big screen. By utilizing the best dramatic devices that each art form has to covey a story and entertain an audience; the possibilities to create interesting narratives and stage dynamics through the synergy of stage and cinematic design is exciting. Cinematic theatre is a contemporary style of drama that revolves around using pre-edited and live vision sequences to be projected onto screens and surfaces. These sequences are then integrated with the live performance to create dramatic meaning that interacts with the dramatic action on stage. The integrated use of projection during scenes and scene changes allows the stage action to become continuous, therefore creating a suspension of disbelief that engages the audience. In the ever increasing technological environment, more and more information and storytelling is being brought to us through visual images and screens; contemporary audiences are able to read layered visual texts. In developing a creative rationale for the utilization of cinematic sequences in live performance you have to consider various factors; how to use the projected vision without overwhelming the stage performance, creating a theatrical and visual design that enhances the dramatic meaning and the narrative choice between screen and stage action. To guide the creation and production of new work we have developed a description of the elements of cinematic integration for live performance. To accompany the Cinematic Theatre style they have devised a comprehensive creative rationale that we teach to educators and students using the conventions and elements that we utilize to produce visual performance work. Primary Conventions: The basic principle of Cinematic Theatre is to create a continual experience by using visual sequences projected onto screens or surfaces, in conjunction with set design and lives performance to create different dramatic spaces. The cinematic design should be active throughout the performance, to achieve this there are two primary conventions that are used to integrate the stage with the Visual design: Cinematic Backdrop is the live visual environment that works together with live scenes on stage to create a dynamic visual design to enhance the dramatic action. There number of ways to utilize the live backdrop: Cinematic Transitions are the visual sequences between the live stage scenes that allow the performance to continue during scene changes keeping the audience engaged. These transitions work very well with music and the use of popular songs to accompany these cinematic sequences to add meaning and action, especially if the music chosen is representative of the narrative. Visual Conventions: In producing a Cinematic Theatre production there are number visual conventions that can be utilized to create a genuinely integrated performance. Style Elements: When conceptualizing the visual component of a cinematic theatre performance it is important to address the overall style with reference to the script/ narrative/ context. In below describe technologies, which is using for the cinematic theatre. Screens and Surfaces: Traditionally projection has been used on one screen directly behind the stage action, much like a movie screen. With more mobile projectors and screens it is possible to think of new ways to place and project images. A number of screens can be used to create different effects, in What Simon Said? there rear projected screens were used to create the walls of the character’s room as the cinematic background. We envisage being able to create large-scale immersive environments to create distant horizons, urban architecture or multiple images. Stage design allowing the utilization of projected images on surfaces can create a dynamic canvas on which to apply vision. The applications are only limited by your imagination and ability to position the projector. Some examples include: a window space to see outside, a mirror to show symbolic representations of character, floor space to create a pool of water, smoke, curtains etc. Lighting design: It is important when incorporating video into live performance that you consider the effect of lights on the screen surface. One difficulty in setting lights is that they can significantly degrade the brightness and colour of the screen images if there is light either directly hitting or bouncing from the floor onto the screen. One solution is to set the screen up from the floor and placing some blocks/staging in front to block some of the bouncing light. When considering colour gels it is imperative to consider colours used in the screen images and try to match them as well as possible to give a blended effect. Mise-en-scà ¨ne Mise-en-scà ¨ne is a French term and originates in the theater. It means, literally, put in the scene. For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and gen earl visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition. Mise-en-scà ¨ne can be defined as the articulation of cinematic space, and it is precisely space that it is about. Cutting is about time; the shot is about what occurs in a defined area of space, bordered by the frame of the movie screen and determined by what the camera has been made to record. That space, the mise-en-scà ¨ne, can be unique, closed off by the frame, or open, providing the illusion of more space around it. Four aspects of mise-en-scene, which overlap the physical art of the theatre, are setting, costume, lighting and movement of figures. Control of these elements provides the director an opportunity to stage events. Using these elements, the film director stages the event for the camera to provide his audience with vivid, sharp memories. Directors and film scholars alike recognize mise-en-scene as an essential part of the director’s creative art. Conclusion In this research I’m trying to explain ‘contribution of digital projections for approaching mise en scene in contemporary theatre performance.’ In the first part I briefly explain what is ‘Digital projections’, ‘mise en scene’ and ‘contemporary theatre performance’. Mise en scene is French term and it generally use for film appreciation or film criticism. But previously this term use for critic theatre productions. Actual meaning of mise en sence is ‘put in the Frame’. Frame is basically explained in both film and theatre. So I think using term of mise en sence is possible in theatre productions. For creating theatre sets, props and space generally using hard materials. But in this art form those things create by digital projections. This is major development of the contemporary theatre productions. Further more I’m explaining advantages and disadvantages of usage digital projection in this art form. Finally I’m talking about choreographers who use this art form successfully and showing few videos. Basically this is new art form. It is impossible to compare with other theatre performance, which is not using digital projections. Choreographers day by day create new art pieces using projections. So I think this is major occasion of digital media use in society.

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation Provide a hypothetical ROMI analysis if Virgin spent an extra  £5m in marketing based on a 25% margin, 10% for costs, against  £500m in sales, what is the break even on the  £5m extra investment, provide the calculations and critical analysis. INTRODUCTION The marketing department is certainly at the heart of any organization, since it is responsible for setting, implementing, and evaluating marketing strategies to meet the customers wants and needs, and to retain customers so as to build profit and sustain the business. Smith and Rapin (2008) stated that marketing success is always driven by a thorough understanding of the market and a set of strong marketing strategies. They have advocated measuring the marketing performances of many companies in recent years. This trend of measuring marketing activities also was noted by McDonald and Mouncey (2009), who observed that increasingly, boards of directors and marketers desire to evaluate market performances to show how marketing boosts shareholder value and whether a firm is accomplishing its marketing objectives. There is a need to understand the business, to develop a framework, and to quantify the performance of marketing objectives and programmes. Furthermore, Ambler (2003) defined the term marketing metrics, which is a measure of the whole businesss marketing performance, and suggested employing a portfolio of metrics to increase the accuracy of the results. Rust et al. (2004) found that a company employing market metrics to forecast future uncertainties and directions has enhanced resource allocation, since better decisions can be made by drawing on lessons from the past. Therefore, measuring marketing performance, a company can improve its marketing efficiency and effectiveness, identify its strengths and weaknesses, establish precise insights between the investment in marketing activities and the financial value that investment generates, and so forth. The purpose of this essay is to develop a practical framework of marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic Airways to measure its marketing efforts and identify its challenges. The essay begins by (1) presenting the business model for Virgin Atlantic Airways, (2) identifying the correct marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic and evaluating those, and (3) calculating the marketing performance by computing the return on marketing investment (ROMI) of the campaign spending and a break-even analysis of the airlines new offer. PART I BUSINESS MODEL OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Company Overview Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (Virgin Atlantic) is Britains second largest long-haul international airline. Apart from scheduled services, Virgin Atlantic operates cargo transport services, flies to 31 destinations around the world using 37 aircraft, the average age of which is approximately six years (it has one of youngest fleets worldwide), carries nearly six million passengers each year, and employs nearly 9,000 people currently (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 a; Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a subsidiary company and the best-known business in the Virgin Group Ltd. (Virgin Group), which possesses a 51% stake of it, with the remainder having been sold to Singapore Airlines so the two airlines could operate together as a strategic partnership (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic was founded in the U.K. in 1984. Its founder, Richard Branson, was motivated by three problems of the airline industry in that time: flights were expensive, companies lacked innovation, and long-haul flights were monotonous and uncomfortable (Twivy, 1986). Therefore, Richard established Virgin Atlantic and differentiated its brand with other airlines by positioning fun, quality, and innovation as its core brand values. This can be seen from the airlines vision statement: to provide the highest quality innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers. Its objective is to fly a profitable airline that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a company setting a new standard for the industry. It was the first to break the cabin hierarchy from a three- to two-class system, to install individual televisions on the seat backs in economy class, to introduce a fully flat sleeping bed in upper class, and to fly using bio-fuel at 30,000 feet (Twivy, 1986 Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its innovative and unique offerings are great contributing factors to its having won many business, customer service, and trade awards worldwide. To sum up, the offers and value that Virgin Atlantic gives were a marked revolution for the airline industry. Business Map The map above is created by summarising from the student information pack, Financial Information Press Kit Full Press Information Kit 2009 at virgin-atlantic.com. (Notice: The customer section indicated above is only concerned with the passenger market). Appendixes A and B describe Virgin Atlantics current strategies and market segmentation. Industry Highlights The airline industry can be classified as either business logistics or passenger. Those that specialize in air-passenger transport can further divided into scheduled and non-scheduled services. In recent years, the low-cost carriers of the scheduled market have grown rapidly, while the high-cost carriers are continually struggling to grow (Manley, 2009). Many airlines offer three flying classes for its passengers-first, business, and economy class-and they set different prices for the different segments. In terms of the consumer, the purchaser may not be the ultimate user of the service, so it is necessary for airlines to recognise the different needs of decision makers and users. Recently, the industry has been suffering during the economy downturn. In such conditions, more companies tend to downgrade their travel policies, so first and business class flights are being decreased sharply (Shaw, 2007). For airlines to maintain their business, they always have to pay for high operating and fixed expenditures (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 b). Furthermore, economic, political, and legal changes, weather, and changes of fuel prices can have a significant impact on airlines (Manley, 2009). Many airlines attempt to cooperate with other similar airlines to serve more destinations, to be more convenient for customers, and to retain customer by rewarding with frequent flyer miles. (Appendix C describes Detailed Industry Overview) SOWT Analysis SWOT analysis is a tool that illustrates a companys strengths and weaknesses (its internal environment) related to its competitors and what opportunities and threats it faces (its external environment) (Capon, 2009). Virgin Atlantic strengths are its strong brand image, its innovation for setting a new industry standard, its excellent customer service products, its close interactions with its customers (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 a), and its strategic alliances with other quality airlines that offer more destinations (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its weaknesses are that it is too reliant on Branson (a sharp drop in sales occurred after Bransons death), weak in the economy class-leisure market, and offers only limited destinations. Its opportunities are to target new segments of customers due to the aging of the population, to improve its service quality to become a five-star airline in Skytrax, and to reach more destinations to increase its market share. It is vulnerable  (threats) to losing its customers due to the open-skies agreement (less regulation of flights between the E.U. and the U.S.), to intense pressure from the rapid growth of low-cost carriers, recession, new industrial regulations, terrorist attacks, and soaring oil prices. (Appendix D and Appendix E discuss PESTEL analysis of the airline industry and Competitors analysis for Virgin Atlantic) PART II MARKETING METRICS FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS After reviewing of Virgin Atlantic, I would recommend a number of crucial marketing metrics, which can be categorised into the following four performance aspects: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. The following paragraphs explain why these were selected and discuss the measurement needs and impacts on the decision-making process of each metrics. Finally, recommendations and limitation of the framework are drawn. Profit is the most important factor for a company to survive. Kerin and Sethuraman (1998) pointed out that marketers always monitor financial performance because increasing earnings and cash flow turnout increases shareholder values made, and all marketing activities are funding by it. Therefore it is need to measure the financial-related performance which at least three metrics can used to monitor Virgins profit and cost how efficiency of Virgin spend and generate profit-return on marketing investment (ROMI), return on sales (or profit margin), and net sales contribution. Firstly, return on marketing investment is the percentage of net profit generated by marketing activities divided by total marketing expenditures. ROMI measures how marketing expenditures contribute to profits and is used to insight into the profitability of Virgins marketing activities. Secondly, return on sales is the net profit as a percentage of the sales revenue, which measures how company efficiency generates profits from sales turnovers and downplays spending, since net profits are equal to sales revenue minus total cost. Virgin Atlantic can use the above metrics to understand itself and the market by comparing these metrics against its key competitors or industries. Other important indictors related to financial performance include sales, gross profits, profit before taxes, and liquidity ratio, which do not require metrics since they can be easily obtained from the companys financial statements. Ambler (2003) observed that managers always concern the financial performance, and ignore other non-financial activities, for instance, sales is driven by customers indeed. Therefore customer is definitely needed to measure. Before marketing department is responsible for attracting and retaining customers-without customers, identifying who target customers are is also important, how they generate profit to Virgin. So, retention and churn, customer profitability, customer lifetime value, and net sales contribution can include. Firstly, retention rate is the percentage of customers a company is able to retaining over time, which also measures customer loyalty, while churn measures the percentage of customers lost. If the retention rate is low, the company has to spend more effort to retain its customers since it costs less than attracting new customers. If it is high, marketers should investigate the profitability of its relationships; to measure this, customer profitability can be emp loyed. Customer profitability is the profitability of customers based on the differences in customer revenue and cost, helps the company identify the most profitable customers. Farris et al (2006) suggest a process to calculating it: sorting customers net profits, grouping customers by the customers profits in 10 deciles, then it can show the distribution of profit generated by each group. Normally, the profitability of the top group is between 150 to 300% (ibid). Fourthly, customer lifetime value is an estimation of the customer value in the number of years the customer is expected to purchase a given product, which measures the worth of a customer as a loyal purchaser of the companys products or services. It is important to be aware that metrics are rough estimations since input data is difficult to predict and may change over time. Fifthly, net sales contribution is the sales generated from a specific segment divided by total sales. It measures how well the segment performed with in all segments and insights which segments contribute the most to sales. The metrics mentioned above are valuable to mangers to identify profitable customers and which marketing programs can be developed to reinforce the customer relationship with them (Davis, 2007). Other important indictors related to customer performance include purchase frequency, average amount per transaction or sales, and the number of customers or new customers from transaction support systems. Market performance and trends directly link to financial result, and are indictors for manger since they would know how potential of the market. No surprising, the measurement of market-related aspects is also needed. The break-even analysis, market share and growth, and category share, can be included. Firstly, break-even analysis is a tool for projecting the use of a new product or service, which measures how many units will be required at a certain price to reach the break-even point. It can show how changes in price affect sales levels or how many years it will take to break even (Paek, 2000). Therefore, if the market size is not big enough, it is probably not to serve. Secondly, market share is the percentage of Virgins shares owned within the whole market which can calculate by the number of customers or sales value. Market growth is similar to market share but shows the percentage increase of this year compared with previous years. Thirdly, category share is the percentage of the number of customers who purchased an item of a specific brand divided by the number of customers who purchased an item under a specific category, measuring the popularity of a brand. Over time, market share, market growth, and category share provides marketers insight about Virgins performance sales against its competitors by monitoring the growth of the company and its competitors and consumer trends within the market, but category share shows more details about category growth, for example, whether customers were acquired from competitors or if total users were gained under the same category. According to McDonald, M. and Mouncey, P. (2009), brand account for at least 20 % of the companys asset, it helps customer to distinguish the company and its product among competitors, so it is indispensable to measure, but the challenges are many approaches available and difficult to qualify. The measurement of brand-related for Virgin can include brand awareness and loyalty, and customer satisfaction. Firstly, Brand Awareness measure the proportion of potential customers and consumers recognised the brand while brand loyalty is measured by usage, how was the frequency customers purchased a brand. Awareness, loyalty top of mind (the first brand in a customer mind within a given category), attitudes (the degree of customer belief towards a given brand) can simultaneously be measured by conducting a survey. Those can insight the brand location in the customers heart which influences customer purchasing behaviours and the sales. More importantly, recognizing consumer and non-consumer g roup is needed since results of them is always different (Gupta Lehmann, 2005). Secondly, customer satisfaction is a rating to measure customers experiences on specific aspects, also measured by a survey. It shows how well of their offers meets customers expectations. However, the selection of survey respondent should be careful, high satisfaction may not mean all the customers are satisfied; some disappointed customers may simply leave from the company to competitors before the company noticed. Measuring marketing metrics is a continuous process, which should be done regularly (Patterson, 2005). Over time, metrics can illustrate the effectiveness of marketing strategies and tactics and market changes. More importantly, the measurement methods of metrics also changes over time; methods currently employed are considered state-of-the-art. Although Virgin can use the above models, still reminding other intangible factors cannot be measured, such as relationships, reputation and trust, culture and values, skills and competencies, knowledge, and processes and systems. These are important because of generating value for a company, and account for the majority of a companys assets (McDonald and Mouncey, 2009). In conclusion, the metrics recommended to asses Virgins marketing outcomes involve the following performances areas: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. Working with these metrics Virgin can monitor its revenue and spending, identify and retain the valuable customers, identify the chance expanding its market, insight customer perception towards the brand. PART III MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Marketing Challenge and Strategy Virgin Atlantic feared that the E.U./U.S. Open Skies Agreement, introduced in March 2008 (Stewart, 2007), would have a negative impact for the future of its market share. Virgin Atlantic may lose part of its customers, since 40% of Virgin Atlantics business class-travel now is between the U.S. and Europe (Foresight, 2008). No doubt Virgin Atlantic needs to retain its customers or to expand into other new markets. According to the World Tourism Organization, the route that serves the most passengers between the U.S. and London airports is between London and New York (ibid.). Virgin Atlantic plans to offer frequent business travellers an exclusive private luxury flight experience, operating a twice daily flight between London and New York, and pricing the ticket at  £1000. Virgin Atlantic also decided to initiate a marketing campaign by using TV commercials and outdoor advisements near the airports to raise Virgin Atlantics brand awareness among business travellers who fly often between New York and London. The target audiences are frequent flight business travellers or upscale leisure passengers (those who fly an average of ten times a year), male, aged 25 to 65, with more than  £50,000 income per year. The following section employs two metrics, the break-even analysis and return on marketing investment, to forecast and measure Virgin Atlantics marketing performance. Assumptions: the objective profit margin for the campaign was expected to be 25 %; the 10% overhead on its sales generated; the extra sales generated by the campaign are  £15 million; the operational and variable cost for flights twice a daily per year is  £24 million; the extra marketing expenditure for the campaign is  £ 2 million; the price of a flight is  £1,000; the average number of flights per consumer is ten per year; the net profit contribution is 24 %; the year of customer loyal and purchasing the tickets 10 times a year is 5 years. Calculation of Break even for new business-classes flights Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Number of customers need to Break-even= operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 24m /  £12,500 = 1,920 If Virgin Atlantic can have 1,920 frequent flight customers who purchase the flight for 5 years, and 10 times per year, then this project will reach break even points. Calculation of ROMI Campaign profits = assumed profit margin * extra sales generated = 25% * £15 million = £3.75 million However, the campaign was overhead 10% in the  £15 million sales, Extra cost for campaign= overhead percentage * extra sales generated = 10% * £15 million sales = £1.5 million Net profit generated from the campaign = Campaign profits -Extra cost for campaign =  £3.75 million- £1.5 million =  £ 2.25 million. ROMI = (Net Profit generated from the campaign / Campaign cost) *100% = ( £ 2.25 m /  £ 2 m)*100% =112.5 % The result of ROMI is positive which means that marketing spending is deemed. As the extra cost  £ 2 million is needed for the campaign, the break even point will be changed as follows: Calculation of Post-Break even for new business-classes flights with extra cost in marketing. Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Total cost for flights twice a day per year = operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year + extra marketing cost =  £ 24 million + £ 2 million = £ 26 million Number of customers need to Break-even= Total cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 26m /  £12,500 = 2,080 The break-even analysis indicated that Virgin Atlantic will need 2,080 frequent flight customers who will purchase the flight ten times per year for five years to reach the break-even point for the whole new route with the new marketing campaign in play. After reaching 2,080 customers, the company will start to make a profit. The break-even analysis is computed twice to show the different outcomes if extra marketing spending is added. In fact, as the costs increase, the number of customers needed increases as well. Therefore, if the managers believe it is easy to reach the break-even point, the airline is likely to launch this route. As the break-even analysis uses customer lifetime equity for the calculations, it is possible for that the break-even point may fail to be met in the short term, but for long-term outlooks and for retaining customers, it still can be profitable (Dwyer, 1999). The positive ROMI indicates that the activity is healthy. If ROMI is equal to 100%, this means the marketing campaign will break even. To compute the ROMI, the cost is needed, as Amber (2003) mentioned that sales revenues may not increase immediately after advertising begins, and it is difficult to determine whether the costs belong to the marketing department. Furthermore, spending decreases can result in maximizing the ROMI, so balancing expenses with marketing expenses with ROMI is also important (Lenskold, 2004). (3392 words)

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Nights Dream b

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare In Pucks final speech of the play he says: â€Å"And this weak and idle theme No more yielding than a dream† It has been argued that Shakespeare structured the play around the notion of a 'dream.' Explore the significance of dreams and dreaming in the play, both as a theme and dramatic device. There are several definitions of a dream, although no one can really define a dream, it is what we make it. The first theory is that it is a mixture of images, accumulated from your thoughts or experiences, that happen whilst you are asleep. It could also be a fantasy you experience whilst your semi-conscious which you have no control over. It could also be simply wish fulfillment. All these definitions relate to the play as the fairy characters are fantasy, controlling the humans experiences and granting them their wish fulfillments. I think Shakespeare thought of the notion of a dream and from all these different ideas, ’dreamed’ up a story combining all of them, perhaps it was his wish fulfillment or came from a dream he once had. Puck’s ‘weak and idle theme’ is anything but, some cultures such as the Chinese believe you shouldn’t wake someone up whilst they are sleeping because their wondering soul would not have had time to reunite with their body, this relates to the play as all the characters appear to be wondering around in their sleep, not actually realizing they are asleep. The Elizabethan audience would expect all the images of magic, love and freedom from the name ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ and would expect it to be a light hearted roma... ...king as if they were handmade using only plants. The fairies’ hair is all golden, long and full of ringlets underneath a headdress of flowers. Shakespeare managed to present ideas of dreaming brilliantly throughout the play. The lovers fell asleep in their dream, what do you dream when you fall asleep in a dream? Is dreaming reality, or reality dreaming? What does a blind person dream if they have seen nothing they wish for or want to aspire to? These questions are created from the play. This shows that Pucks final speech â€Å"and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream† is not a weak theme after all but something, if messed with can go very wrong or very right. This is illustrated by the mixing up of the love potions in Hoffman’s film, something so harmful as love can create so much sadness and pain.