Leadership Talents of Jack Welch Essay Example for Free

Leadership Talents of Jack Welch Essay Jack Welch was a successful Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Electric Co. (GE) for twenty years (1981 – 2001). He was admired and feared for the â€Å"new vision† that was implemented at GE. Jacks talented strategies were based on how he saw the hierarchy layers of management, how he analyzed the 42 strategic business units, and how he implemented the culture of GE to have the feel and the passion that he had been striving for. These strategies received a lot of positive and negative attention and as a result the company’s value increased by 4,000% during his tenure at GE. Jack Welch was born John Francis Welch, Jr. on November 19, 1935. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1957. Then he went on to earn a M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1960. He was introduced to Carolyn Osburn through a mutual friend, and then approximately six months later they were engaged. By November, 1959 they married two days after Welch’s 24th birthday. In 1960, Dr. Dan Fox offered Welch a chemical engineering position to work on a new project on a new thermoplastic called polyphenylene oxide (PPO) at GE. PPO was described to withstand high temperatures, which could replace hot water copper piping and stainless-steel medical instruments. Welch realized after his first year at GE that he disliked GE’s bureaucracy, which nearly drove him to leave based on the standard predetermined $1,000 raise he received in 1961. He was fed up and walked up to his boss Burt Coplan and quit. Coplan’s boss, Reuben Gutoff (Reg) called Welch and offered to meet for dinner. Gutoff took Carolyn and Jack out for dinner and promised a bigger raise, more responsibility, and would keep the bureaucracy out of his way. In addition, Gutoff added another $2,000 raise on top of the $1,000 raise Coplan already given him, which showed Welch he was serious about his promise. In 1972, Jack was named the company’s youngest Vice President then was elected Vice Chairman in 1979, then was elected the eighth chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1981. Jack held this position until he retired in 2001. During his twenty year term as CEO Jacks reputation In 1999, Forbes magazine named him â€Å"Manager of the Century† and the Financial Times named him one of the three most admired business leaders in the world today (General Electric Company). During Jacks twenty year tenure at GE he was able to step outside of the box and change the way the game was played. (Business Pundit, 2008).

Economic Situation in Bulgaria after EU Accession Essay Example for Free

Economic Situation in Bulgaria after EU Accession Essay Bulgaria has passed a long way between the fall of communism, transition to market economy, and up to EU accession that has become the culmination of Bulgarian economic transformation. Undoubtedly, Bulgarian economy has substantially benefited of becoming a full member of European Union. Despite the fact that Bulgaria does not have sufficient experience in managing various marketing processes, the whole process of transition from Central European priorities to European integration has been smooth and mostly positive. In this work, we will critically examine the impact of EU accession on Bulgarian product and labor markets, agriculture, and FDI. We expect that profound multifaceted analysis of Bulgarian economy will help determining the major economic benefits and problems of Bulgarias accession to EU. Historical background Before the end of the 1980s – the beginning of the 1990s, Bulgaria has been one of the largest communist states in Europe. After the general collapse of socialism and communism in Europe at the edge of 1990s, Bulgaria faced a choice between integration with other Eastern European countries or the developed Western Europe. In distinction from Romania and Hungary, Bulgaria was not characterized by high income per capita or its economic openness to foreign trade relations. However, Bulgaria was well known for its excellently trained workforce and well developed labor markets (Bevan, Estrin Grabbe 23). Bulgaria was characterized by high level of government involvement into economic affairs, and Bulgarian authorities had to develop new strategies for eliminating government intrusion into the newly formed free markets. In general, Bulgaria has experienced relatively smooth transition from dissolution of communism to the development of well-organized market oriented structures. At that time, most of the initiated processes, such as privatization, were postponed, and a series of new problems arose including the substantial damages to infrastructure and housing, a rapidly growing number of refugees, and a breakdown of trade and capital flows (Anusic Rohatinski 48). By the end of the 1990s, after the deep economic crisis of 1997, Bulgaria managed to resolve all economic issues, and to become prepared to further accession into European economic structures. Economic profile Since 2002, the European Commission has considered Bulgaria as one of the best performing market economies in Central Eastern Europe. Since 2006, useful steps were taken to contain the external deficit. The privatization process and the liberalization and restructuring notably of utilities have well advanced. Some additional progress has been made in improving the business environment and reducing non-wage labor costs (Baldwin Portes 127). Currently, Bulgarian GDP per capita equals to â‚ ¬7500 (32. 1% of the EU-25); economic growth: 6. 7% in 2007; inflation rate: 4. 9%; unemployment: 11%; government budget surplus: 2. 7%; exports to EU countries: 68% of total exports; imports from EU countries: 59% of total imports (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 303). It is expected, that by the end of 2008, the total economic output of Bulgarian markets will further increase 0. 4% (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 303). EU Accession and Product Markets After accession to EU at the beginning of 2007, Bulgaria has acquired additional opportunities and resources for further trade liberalization with European partners. Bulgaria has ultimately entered the Single Market; the administrative barriers to trade with the rest of Europe have been eliminated or reduced to levels that were acceptable among other EU members. Bulgaria had to re-consider the system of its external tariffs and to adopt it to the new European requirements; as a result, the tariffs have been liberalized compared to those exercised by Western European towards other third tier countries. The discussed tariff liberalization has seriously contributed into trade diversification and the growing portion of more expensive EU suppliers in the trade structure of Bulgarian economy. Bulgarian product markets have not only acquired free access to European trade potential; they have also been involved into European Structural Funds. This participation has reduced the risk of default for Bulgarian economy by almost 33%; consequentially, numerous political risks have also been reduced (Lejour 22). EU membership has greatly constrained arbitrary trade policy and indirect tax changes. It has locked in well-defined property rights, has codified competition policy, state-aids policies, and has secured open capital markets and right of establishment, assuring investors that they could put in and take our their money (Bevan, Estrin Grabbe 87). Here, we should pay more attention to the economic affects of Bulgarian accession to the EU internal markets and its trade effects. Lejour has developed a mathematical model for calculating the specific trade effects of EU accession onto various sectors of Eastern European economies. In terms of Bulgaria, Lejour has revealed the most promising trends within agriculture, food processions, textiles and apparel. Similar economic emphases have been made for Romania, Poland, and Hungary (Basci, Togan Hagen 54). Furthermore, Hungary and Poland have promising perspectives in Transport equipment and transport services with the rest of EU members. However, at the edge of Bulgarian accession to EU, the country has already experienced substantial liberalization of trade relations with Europe; 62% of Bulgarian exports were already distributed among other EU member countries (Basci, Togan Hagen 32). As a result of such preliminary trade liberalization, the net effect of accessing the EU market for Bulgaria has almost equaled zero. In distinction from Bulgaria, Hungarian GDP growth has been additionally increased by trade effects of EU membership. The abolition of trade barriers with old EU members has boosted Hungary trade. The countrys trade performance was impressive given the increased competition posed by its EU membership (Baldwin Portes 134). This is not the case with Bulgaria: the country has not experienced any trade boost, and there can be several reasons for that. First, we have already mentioned the effects of pre-accession trade liberalization with EU (exports from the European Union was increasing 6. 4% annually, to finally achieve 68% of total Bulgarian exports). Second, Bulgaria has spent only 18 months as a full EU member, and many positive long-term economic effects have not yet become visible. However, Bulgaria faced a challenge in the form of intensified import competition that has somewhat lowered inflation and has weakened European-directed domestic macroeconomic policies. It is expected that with further integration to Common Agricultural Policy and Single European markets Bulgaria will acquire additional opportunities for expanding its trade. In terms of agriculture, EU accession is anticipated to triple the total amount of trade, and to increase exports to other European and non-European countries by more than a third (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 307). In general, EU accession has developed stable confidence among the major Bulgarian trade partners towards Bulgarian economic environment and economic relations with the country. As with the other EU members, EU accession has and will result in further GDP growth within Bulgaria, with the subsequent impact on general EUs GDP. EU Accession and FDI Foreign Direct Investment has played special role in Bulgarian economy. For Bulgaria, FDI growth was critical to further promote restructuring processes within all sectors of Bulgarian economy. FDI has been particularly important for privatization and developing the confidence of investors towards Bulgarian economic environment. In this context, Bulgarias accession to EU has become the turning point towards further liberalization of all economic areas. It has been important to finance the acquisition of plants and equipment and the transfer of technology (Fiala 189). Before Bulgaria entered EU, the country could not boast high FDI inflows. Compared to other European countries, Bulgaria was lagging behind its major Eastern European partners – Croatia and Hungary. In Croatia, FDI inflows accounted for â‚ ¬2,800 per capita, while Hungarian FDI inflows equaled to â‚ ¬3. 7 billion in 2004 immediately after including Hungary into the list of full EU members (Lejour, Mooij Nahuis 223). Although Bulgaria did not experience FDI growth equal to that in Hungary and Croatia, the level of FDI increase after EU accession has been substantial. In 2007 following EU accession, Bulgaria marked a record of FDI for the last decade. Since EU accession implies secure environment for investors, it is not surprising that an estimated â‚ ¬1,790 per capita entered the country in 2007 (Lejour 49). Surprisingly or not, but Bulgaria and Romania have been among the states the least likely to be included into EU before 2015. This is why in this research numbers are less important than the quality of the emerging investor relations within Bulgarian financial structures: EU accession has significantly increased transparence of the financial and investor relations between Bulgaria and member (non-member) states. Similar situation has also been reported in relation to Hungary and Romania (Fiala 192). EU Accession and Labor Markets â€Å"While FDI, GDP growth, exports and inflation have developed evident positive tendencies since EU accession, unemployment has had ambiguous development† (Feldman 218). Currently, Bulgaria has one of the highest unemployment rates among EU state-members. For example, Hungary has been experiencing the rising rates of unemployment that have later reached 7. 2% in 2006 (Anusic Rohatinski 90). At that time, Hungarys unemployment rates were average for Europe, but the highest in the region. After EU accession of Bulgaria, its unemployment rates have gone up to 11% (Kolev 30). As a result, thousands of workers have set up their minds to reach other more developed labor markets. Simultaneously, â€Å"following EU accession Bulgarian perennial low labor participation and long-term unemployment showed positive signs† (Kolev 31). It is expected that by the end of 2008, Bulgaria will be able to decrease long-term unemployment to 9% (Kolev 34). EU accession has resulted in the emergence of new open labor markets which Bulgarian workers could easily reach. Migration is characteristic of all newly accepted EU members, and with unfavorable employment prospects for Bulgaria, other European states had to adopt a set of restrictive measures, to decrease the growing inflow of Bulgarian (and Romanian) workers into more developed EU states. â€Å"Member States do, however, have discretion to restrict migration of workers for up to seven years. The UK government chose to impose restrictions for an initial two-year period, to be reviewed on an annual basis. Low-skilled Bulgarian and Romanian nationals may only apply to work as seasonal agricultural workers or on sector-based schemes. † (Feldman 221) Bulgaria’s accession to EU has causes the two significant impacts on Bulgarian labor markets. On the one hand, immigrants have already created a â€Å"small net gain in terms of per capita income to Bulgaria† (Feldman 218). On the other hand, EU accession and the comparatively slower rates of Bulgarian economic development have already distracted large labor flows from Bulgarian towards other international labor markets. Although the net impact of Bulgarian migration has not been fully analyzed, the examples of other EU countries suggest that migration can undermine the stability of Bulgarian economy after EU accession: for Hungary, migration of local workers has resulted in 2% productivity decrease; in Poland and Czech Republic, productivity has fallen 3% (Basci, Togan Hagen 138). Researchers estimate that in the nearest 3 years current migration patterns will decrease Bulgarian economic productivity 3-5% (Feldman 222). Certainly, Bulgarian workers are willing to work for lower wages compared to those European countries pay to their citizens. As a result, accession of Bulgaria to EU creates serious pressures on other domestic labor markets. Here, Bulgaria should address its economic and labor misbalances, to promote equal labor opportunities for its workers, and to prevent the negative impacts of Bulgarian migration on other European economies. EU Accession and Agriculture Bulgarian agriculture has perceived the biggest and the brightest impact of Bulgaria’s accession to EU. EU accession has â€Å"significantly impacted the agricultural and food sectors because of its integration into the Single Market and its adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy† (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 304). Since the beginning of 2007, Bulgarian agricultural sectors have faced a challenge due to the absence of appropriate state support of livestock business. The first payments from the common European budget funds have reached farmers by the end of 2007; before that, Bulgarian farmers had to deal with the growing financial uncertainty and restrictions put on payments from national budget funds (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 305). However, Bulgarian economy and EU have been able to resolve all agricultural market issues. Between 2008 and 2010, Bulgaria will receive total â‚ ¬4. 3 billion to support its internal agricultural policies, to create cohesion funds, and to further promote effective agricultural policies within and outside Bulgarian economy (Davidova, Gorton Ratinger 309). Conclusion During the first 18 months of Bulgarias membership in EU, the countrys economy has not been able to fully perceive long-term benefits and failures of its accession to the Single European market. However, EU accession has already created multifaceted impacts on all economic sectors, among which labor and agricultural markets have been influenced the most. It is expected that in the two-three years Bulgaria will be able to stabilize its economic relations with Western Europe, and to benefit of opportunities which EU market opens to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Works Cited Anusic, Z. Z. Rohatinski, Z. A Road to Low Inflation: 2003-2006. Zagreb: Government of Republic of Croatia, 2007. Baldwin, R. E. Portes, R. â€Å"The Costs and Benefits of Eastern Enlargement: The Impact on the EU and Central Europe†. Economic Policy, vol. 24 (2007): 125-70. Basci, E. , Togan, S. Hagen, J. Macroeconomics Policies for EU Accession. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007.

Lichen Planus Treatment Research Study

Lichen Planus Treatment Research Study Aim: Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease. Its treatment is often symptomatic and includes topical and systemic corticosteroids. Although corticosteroid therapy is usually successful, but because of its side effects, an alternative treatment is favorable. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of topical curcumin and triamcinolone on the treatment of oral lichen planus. Materials Methods:  In this study, 50 patients with the age range of 38 to 73 with oral lichen planus (OLP) were randomly divided into two groups. Each group received 0.1% triamcinolone or 5% curcumin oral paste 3 times a day for 4 weeks. Measurement of appearance score and severity of pain was done at the baseline and at the end of week 2 and 4 and recorded in the patient’s questionnaires. Results: In the evaluation of pain reduction in curcumin group, 9 patients (36%) and in triamcinolone group, 8 patients (32%) had complete remission. In the evaluation of appearance score in both groups, one patient (4%) had complete remission. No statistically significant difference was seen between two groups. Conclusion: Herbal medicines can be a suitable alternative for synthetic drugs, covering their side effects, costs and probable shortages. Clinical Significance: Application of curcumin because of its desirable anti-inflammatory effects and little side effects is suggested for the treatment of OLP. Key words: Curcumin, Lichen Planus, Triamcinolone  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ Aim Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an immune mediated disease of unknown etiology with the mediacy of T cells (1), in which the symptoms of the patients decrease simultaneously with an increase in (CD4à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ º) counts (2). OLP lesions can be of reticular, papular, plaque-like, bullous, erythematous (atrophic), and ulcerative forms. Ulcerative lesions are the most debilitative forms of OLP (3), which develop painful symptoms and interfere with eating, speaking, swallowing and brushing (4). Corticosteroids are usually successful for controlling the symptoms of the disease (5); but because of frequent side effects of long-term corticosteroid therapy such as: secondary candidiasis ,telangectasis, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal suppression (6, 7), mucocutaneous atrophy, and increased potential of systemic absorption, it may be better to avoid long-term use of them (8). Curcuma longa is a perennial plant belonging to Zingiberaceae family (9), which for its anti-inflammatory effects has been used for centuries in Indian traditional medicine (10). Its main ingredients are three curcuminoids including curcumin (the primary ingredient and the one responsible for its yellow color and anti-inflammatory effect), demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Chainani-Wu in a systematic review (11), and others (9, 12-16) confirmed the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, wound healing, anticarcinogenic effects and safety of curcumin. Clinical studies assessing curcuminoids have evaluated its utilization in inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, postsurgical inflammation, and chronic uveitis.(11) The curcuminoids, at the same time having anti-inflammatory activity, are safe even in high doses and few side effects were seen (11). Since it seems that oxidative stress may have a role in pathophysiology of OLP (17), and by noting that OLP is a chronic inflammatory disease (18), the herbs which have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect concurrently, may act better in improving the disease process. Antioxidant effect of curcumin against oxidative stress was shown previously (19), Chainani-Wu et al in 2007 and 2011 assessed the efficacy of systemic administration of curcuminoids in treatment of oral lichen planus (10, 20). Efficacious results were obtained in controlling signs and symptoms of oral lichen planus, using high doses of this herb. Concerning noticeable side effects, reported by patients who consumed corticosteroids (21), chronic nature of OLP, risk of oral candidiasis upon usage of topical corticosteroids, and fewer side effects, safety and anti-inflammatory properties of curcuminoids, we aimed to clinically evaluate the efficacy of curcuminoids in treatment of oral lichen planus, compared with conventional corticosteroid therapy. Materials and methods: In this clinical trial 50 patients (36 women and 14 men) participated with age range of 38 to 73 and mean age of 50.66 years. The patients had clinical signs of OLP (atrophic and ulcerative forms) which was confirmed by clinical and histopathological examination. Patient exclusion criteria included pregnancy and lactation, current use of anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents (curcumin has inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation) (22), existing orthodontic treatment, history of gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, gallstones (curcumin may induce gastric irritation and stimulate gall bladder constrictions) (23), hepatic diseases (curcumin may cause hepatotoxicity in some mammals including mice and rats) (11), any existing malignancy or viral infection in mouth, receiving any topical treatment for OLP in the past 2 weeks or any systemic treatment for OLP in the past 4 weeks, consuming azathioprine, cyclosporine or receiving PUVA, UVA or UVB in the last month, a history of allergy to cort icosteroids or curcumin (6). The crushed roots of C. longa L. were purchased from drug store in Rasht city of Iran and identified by a research fellow. The grounded herbal root (1 g) was extracted with 10 ml of 96% ethanol boiling in water bath for 3 min and the least volume of solvent was added to the given aliquot. Each sample was centrifuged at 8000Ãâ€"g for 10 min, then the supernatant was filtered with a syringe filter (0.45 _m). This mixture included Curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and in less amounts, bisdemethoxycurcumin. Patients were given complete explanations on their disease and also about curcumin and triamcinolone pastes and then were asked to participate in the study by signing an informed consent and this study was registered at IRCT. ir (IRCT2001105012950N2) which is a Primary Registry in the WHO Registry Network set up. Patients were randomly divided into two groups each group including 25 patients. The sample size of 25 was based on expected and actual enrollment of study subjects over a 2-month time period. Because of feasibility reasons the enrollment was stopped at 25 subjects. A blocked randomization (block size of 6) was used. The Guilan University of Medical sciences pharmacy packaged the curcuminoids and triamcinolone in similar oral paste and generated the randomization sequence using the random number generator in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp, Seattle, WA). Both participants and investigators were blinded to the treatment assignment. All the patients were examined and the age, sex, medical history, smoking, form and location of the oral lesions, duration of the disease, and type of treatments the patient had received, severity of pain and appearance score were recorded. Then patients received triamcinolone 0.1% or curcumin 5% paste for 4 weeks and asked to apply the drug 3 times a day after eating and brushing, and then they were advised to avoid eating for 20 minutes. Measurement of appearance score and severity of pain was done at the baseline and at the end of weeks 2 and 4 and recorded in the patient’s questionnaires. For determining the severity of pain, we used VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) and subjects ranked their severity of pain on a 10-cm horizontal line marked 0 to 10 which 0 indicated no pain and 10 indicated the most severe pain (24). For determining the appearance score, we also used Thongprasom criteria with the below classification: 0: no lesion, normal mucosa 1: mild white striae, no erythematous area 2: white striae with atrophic area less than 1cm ² 3: white striae with atrophic area more than 1cm ² 4: white striae with ulcerative area less than 1cm ² 5: white striae with ulcerative area more than 1cm ² (25) In this work complete remission was referred to the case in which signs or symptoms showed 100% reduction, good response was the case that signs or symptoms showed 50% or more reduction and still less than 100% and in poor responders signs or symptoms had less than 50% reduction. If the status of lesions showed no change, the case was considered as no response. Data were analyzed by SPSS 17 software, using Mann-Whitney; Fisher exact test and Spearman`s correlation analysis. P value Results: Fifty five patients participated in this study. Five patients were missed because of refusing to return for follow up visits. The remaining 50 patients consisted of 36 female and 14 male (female -to-male ratio was 2.57) with a mean age of 49.24 years and age range of 38-73 years. The curcumin group consisted of 15 women and 10 men with mean age of 49.24 years (range 38-73 years), while 21 women and 4 men with mean age of 52.08 years (range 38-73 years) formed the triamcinolone group. Mean duration of the disease before beginning the study in curcumin group was 23.96 ±15.49 months and in triamcinolone group was 28.52 ±15.72 months. 21 patients had atrophic lesions (42% or 9 patients in curcumin group and 12 patients in triamcinolone group) and 29 patients had ulcerative lesions (58% or 16 patients in curcumin group and 13 patients in triamcinolone group). All the individuals complained of pain. Mean severity of pain in curcumin group was 5.84 ±2.01 (VAS) and in triamcinolone gro up was 5.47  ±3.12 (VAS) (table 1). The buccal mucosa was the most common site for OLP followed by the gingiva, tongue, palate, labial mucosa and floor of the mouth (table 2). Mean VAS score in curcumin group was 5.84 ±2.01 at the baseline which decreased to 3.08 ±2.01 and 2.64 ±2.98 at second and third follow-ups . Mean VAS scores in triamcinolone group was 5.47 ±3.12 at the baseline which declined to 1.90 ±1.58 and 1.76 ±1.78 at second and third visits . Mean Thongprasom scores in curcumin group was 3.88 ±0.78 at the baseline and decreased to 3.28 ±1.36 and 2.64 ±1.29 at second and third visits. Mean Thongprasom scores in triamcinolone group was 3.95 ±1.07 at the baseline, decreased to 3.38 ±1.07 and 2.95 ±0.97 at second and third visits . In the evaluation of pain reduction in curcumin group, 9 patients (36%) had complete remission, 4 patients (16%) had good response, 6 patients (24%) had poor response and 6 patients (24) showed no response to the treatment. In triamcinolone group, 8 patients (32%) had complete remission, 8 patients (32%) had good response, 4 patients (16%) had poor response and 5 patients (20) showed no response to the treatment. There is no significant differences between two groups in each of the follow up visits ( Mann- Whitney ; P>0.05 ; power of analysis =0.74). (Table 3). In the evaluation of appearance score in curcumin group, 1 patient (4%) had complete remission, 6 patients (24%) had good response, 12 patients (48%) had poor response and 6 patients (24) showed no response to the treatment. In triamcinolone group, 1 patient (4%) had complete remission, 2 patients (8%) had good response, 12 patients (48%) had poor response and 10 patients (40) showed no response to the treatment. Two groups had no significant differences ( Fisher exact test ; P>0.05) (Table 3). Using Spearmans correlation analysis, there was no meaningful relation between mean severity of pain and mean appearance score in both groups with age, sex and duration of the disease. (p > 0.05). At the end of the study in curcumin group, few patients complained of burning sensation, itching, mild swelling and xerostomia, which was disappeared at the enf of first week of drug consumption. Most of the patients also complained about undesirable yellow color of the drug particularly on the gingiva. In triamcinolone group, only one patient complained about burning sensation in the first week of applying the drug, and one patient complained about mucosal desquamation in the entire duration of treatment. Discussion Oral lichen planus, is an chronic autoimmune, mucocutaneous condition, which commonly involves oral mucosa. This lesion can cause oral discomfort and even in some cases, transform into squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, OLP is considered to be a potentially harmful and malignant disease and attracts many attentions of clinicians.(26) Most of the previous studies, assessed the effect of corticosteroids (4, 6, 27) and one immunosuppressive drug were compared and in all of them the results in both participating groups were the same and also successful; but since topical use of corticosteroids may lead to oral candidiasis and other side effects and also considering the chronic nature of OLP, it would be better to find an alternative for these types of treatment. Also it has been reported that tacrolimus and pimecrolimus may increase the risk of malignancy in patients using these drugs topically for their cutaneous psoriasis. These medicines should be used in limited situations and their consumption in human is advised to be in minimal doses and limited duration (3, 28-31). In current study we used curcumin, which its safety, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects have been confirmed in many studies (9, 11-16). Clinical efficacy of curcumin is compared with topical corticosteroid, which is the standard treatment for OLP. It was concluded that in addition to effectiveness of curcumin in the treatment of OLP, its effects are similar to topical corticosteroid, and can be an alternative for it. Chainani-Wu et al. in 2007 (10) used curcumin for the treatment of OLP in placebo controlled study. Curcuminoids were prescribed as tablets, at dose of 2000mg/day for 7 weeks. They concluded that systemic administration of curcumin wasn’t a successful treatment in managing OLP lesions. Systemic administration of curcumin in Chainani-wu’s study is different with topical administration in present study, which increases the topical efficacy of the drug. Chainani-Wu et al. Administered a primary dose of systemic prednisone (60 mg/day for the first 1 week) in both groups that was not done in our study which could affect the final result. Long periods of observation not only could interfere with patient compliance in less subject retention until the end of study, but also can affect treatment outcomes, as they concluded to design next studies in shorter periods of follow-ups. In the present study, last observation session was at week 4. Chainani-Wu et al. in 2011.(20) used higher dose of cucrumin in treatmen of OLP. They implemented systemic curcumin, with a dose of 6000mg/d. This dose is higher than the one in their previous study (2000 mg/d). Interestingly, they found curcumin efficacious in controlling signs and symptoms of oral lichen planus. It was well tolerated by the patients and safety was confirmed at this dose. Observation period was reduced to two weeks, which our study is more harmonious with, compared to 7 weeks of their previous study. Sample size of the present study is similar to this study, as they enrolled 20 patients. Concerning their findings, erythema, mucositis, ulceration of the OLP patients were significantly reduced, after using curcuminoids. The other thing we can add about current study was the little difference between two groups in patients’ responses to the reduction of pain and appearance score (There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P>0.05)). The number of patients responding to the reduction of appearance score in curcumin group were more than triamcinolone group (76% in curcumin group versus 60% in triamcinolone group); but the number of patients with reduction in severity of pain in triamcinolone group were more than curcumin group (80% in triamcinolone group versus 76% in curcumin group). This difference may be explained as: _ Some of the patients complained of burning sensation while applying the curcumin that might affect the pain and burning sensation during the treatment. _ Half of the patients which didn’t respond to pain reduction by applying the curcumin, had the same problem with triamcinolone paste in their history, this might be due to the topical form of the drugs, because the same patients didn’t have any problem with corticosteroid mouthrinse. At the end of the study, we asked the patients of curcumin group if they had used corticosteroid in orabase or mouthrinse, to compare the efficacy of them with curcumin. 20 patients (80%) preferred triamcinolone in orabase to curcumin. seven patients (35%) had only problems with undesirable yellowish color of curcumin particularly on gingival or other exposed areas. The other 13 patients (65%) had experienced burning sensation while applying curcumin. Larger sample size, using the drug in the form of mouthrinse and using the novel curcumin derivatives (curcumin-carboxy derivative, and curcumin protein conjugate) that improve the biological activity of natural curcumin (32), may be used in future studies. Conclusion: Corticosteroids as conventional therapy of this chronic disease, may lead to noticeable side effects and develop other conditions like oral candidiasis. Herbal medicines can be a suitable alternative for these synthetic drugs, covering their side effects, costs and probable shortages. Topical curcumin can be suggested for the treatment of OLP. It is recommended that a larger sample size and using the drug in the form of mouthrinse may be used in future studies. Clinical Significance: Application of curcumin because of its desirable anti-inflammatory effects and little side effects is suggested for the treatment of

Karl Marx and His Beliefs About Society Essay -- Karl Marx Philosophy

Karl Marx and His Beliefs About Society In the beginning of the nineteenth century, several aspects of life were coming together for those that lived in Europe, and especially for those that lived in England. The Scientific Revolution had ended in the late seventeenth century; consequently, leaving the lingering aspects of science as a proven way to show that some ideologies of the Catholic Church were incorrect. The Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century had caused all of England and Europe to decide where to let their lives lead them in terms of faith; either towards Christianity, or towards Protestantism. The final time period that had a major impact on the English and European society was the Industrial Revolution, which introduced new ways to make life easier in terms of the production of goods, and make life as simple as possible. These three main time periods gave Karl Marx the reason and drive to reform the way that society was run, as shown in the words that he wrote in the Communist Manifesto pertainin g to the life of the individual in terms of faith. The society in the time of Marx’s writing dealt with many past events in which their faith and social standing was questioned. The latter part of the Scientific Revolution, around the middle of the seventeenth century, greatly influenced a change in faith with the public as a whole due to the new developments brought about by scientists. Up to that point, the Church, which controlled the thought process of Europe throughout most of the previous centuries, had not ever really been challenged in terms of the theories taught. The Church said that Earth was the center of the universe, whereas philosophers, such as Copernicus and Galileo, proved oth... ... was ready to change the way life was lived. Endnotes: 1. Paulos Mar Gregorios, A Light Too Bright the Enlightenment Today: An Assessment of the Values of the European Enlightenment and a Search for New Foundations (New York: State University of New York Press/ Albany, 1992), 7. 2. Peter Gilmour, Philosophers of the Enlightenment, (Trenton: Barnes and Noble, 1990), 133-134. 3. Colin Gunton, Enlightenment and Alienation: An Essay Towards Trinitarian Theology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1985), 125. 4. UD Humanities Document Binder, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), 41, 52. 5. UD, 41,53. 6. Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 141. 7. Plantinga, 367. 8. UD, 41, 52.

Hotel Opening Human Resources Case Study Essay -- Business Management

A. Tall Pines Corporate Strategy and Human Resource Management Strategy mutually interact through direct influences on each other and both are subject to effects of the economic conditions within their environments. Major economic conditions that exist in favor of Tall Pines are the growth in population and local government programs. The local population is at 1.9 million which is forecasted to steadily increase for the next fifteen years. Riverton has also put an Economic Development Committee into action which is highly supportive of the Tall Pines Center, especially considering the tax revenue they will be giving the city and the state. Other aspects of corporate strategy that may interact with HR strategy are Industry Structure, Distinctive Competence, Competitive Advantage, and Product/Market Scope. HR strategies that may interact with Corporate Strategy along with Economic Conditions are Skills and Values, Culture, and Labor Markets. B. "Any hotel is only as good as its personnel." This statement made by Gordon McGregor, the hotel manager, clearly portrays Corporate Strategy influencing HR policies and procedures. When Natalie Sharp the Director of Personnel, Gordon and the Supervisory Staff adjourned their meeting on contemplating how they might develop a good HR strategy to attract good work candidates, and fill the remaining available positions at the hotel. Another way corporate strategy influences HR strategy is through Distinctive Competence. Gordon has 15 years experience with this chain and for the last two years he has been highly involved in the planning of Tall Pines Center. Natalie has worked with 2 other hotel chains and helped open a new 100-room motel in the southwest recently. Their experience combined wi... ... portrayed to the work force. For this reason it is imperative for employees to understand the HR motto that "a hotel is only as good as its staff." The third stage is the evaluation stage, in which the workers training results are measured and compared with criteria. In the future Tall Pines should plan weekly staff development meetings, and problem solving conferences to help workers get used to common and not so common problems that may occur at Tall Pines. Help workers develop problem-solving skills, develop a mentor program that can discuss employee concerns and also be great feedback to the training program. Adding a training professional to the Tall Pines staff would be a huge benefit to all involved management and workers. This would highly benefit future training programs by learning from past mistakes and help in perfecting future training programs.

Chivalry :: essays research papers

It is apparent in today’s society that the definition and application of chivalry has changed through history. During the Middle Ages, chivalry was a code of brave and courteous conduct for knights. According to this system of morals and manners, a knight was to remain faithful to God, loyal to his king, true to his lady-love, and helpful to their less fortunate kinsmen. Chivalry is still alive today but to a lesser extent than in the Middle Ages. I think chivalry will exist in the future, but only time will tell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table molded chivalrous conduct. The Knights of the Round Table possessed many aspects of chivalry, but each of them had flaws. Sir Lancelot, for example, wasn’t entirely loyal to King Arthur because of his desire for Guenevere. He remedied the situation by fighting for his king in the battle against Sir Modred. While the chivalry of the Middle Ages is thought by most to have been reserved for royalty, this was not the case. Common folk also exhibited chivalrous conduct, though in less glamorous ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chivalry has greatly diminished since the Middle Ages. Respect, courtesy, and honesty have little meaning to today’s youth. There are exceptions to this. Helping the elderly, family, and friends are just a few things young people can do to resurrect chivalry. I don’t think it’s possible to be as chivalrous as the knights in the Middle Ages were because our lifestyles have changed so drastically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of now, the future of chivalry looks bleak. If society doesn’t change its ways soon, the quality of life and chivalrous behavior will continue to decline.

Jung, Gardner, and Freud Comparison Essay

In today’s society, education is more liberal, allowing people to think for themselves and providing them with a broader education. This differs from many years ago, when education was more conservative. Education was very basic, consisting of only academic classes and no electives. People with a more conservative education would never go against what they were taught. However, liberally educated people of today can go against what they are taught, research it themselves, and make new conclusions about their studies. A liberal education enables people to deal with the forces that control their life. It frees them from the restraints in everyday life. Having such a broad education allows people to deal with such forces. Four psychologists have written essays and constructed theories that can agree that liberal education is of a greater stature than conservatively educated. The essays are â€Å"The Theory of Multiple Intelligences,† written by Howard Gardner, â€Å"The Personal and Collective Unconscious,† written by Carl Jung, â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave,† written by Plato, and â€Å"From the Interpretation of Dreams,† written by Sigmund Freud. In Howard Gardner’s â€Å"Theory of Multiple Intelligences† he states that there are seven different kinds of intelligence. He alludes that everyone has the potential to be intelligent in an unconventional way. Gardner writes, â€Å"The question of the optimal definition of intelligence looms large in our inquiry. Indeed it is at the level of this definition that the theory of multiple intelligences diverges from the traditional points of view†(370). If one were to have a more conservative education, Gardner’s ideas would have been absurd because nobody would have understood them. People would have only understood intelligence as being smart in school. People with a conservative education would never look deeper into things. On the other hand, a liberal education teaches people to challenge what they have learned, if they do not agree with it. Gardner did just that. Alfred Binet believed that intelligence was measured by IQ tests. Gardner did not agree with this, so he did his own research on it. Because of Gardner’s liberal education, he was able to rise above those who received a more conservative education. Carl Jung’s essay, â€Å"The Personal and the Collective Unconscious† based itself on a liberal education because it talks about psychology, which falls under liberal education. Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. A liberal education allows people to study this; however, a more conservative education would not because studying the mind is not essential in academics. Psychology studies the things that people cannot see, such as conscious and unconscious states. It also allows people to not have to accept what other people say. In the essay written by Jung, he stated, â€Å"If in such cases we pursue our observations systematically and without prejudice, we shall find material which, although similar in form to the previous personal contents, yet seems to contain allusions that go far beyond the personal sphere†(345). Carl Jung did not agree with Freud’s theory, so he did his own research, and found Freud’s research to be inconclusive. Because of his liberal education and study in psychology, Jung was able to control the forces in his life and did not agree with what was thought by Freud. Plato’s, â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† shows that the prisoners of his story were unable to see the truth because of their lack of a liberal education. In fact, at first they could not see anything nor could they move their heads. With only the aid of a small fire were they able to see the shadows of pictures on the wall. However, in the end, one prisoner rose above the shadows and saw the truth when he was let out of the cave, but when he went back to the cave, he was terrorized. Plato wrote, â€Å"He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadow’s best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves†(317). The other prisoners were not liberally educated. They believed only what they saw, and they did not see what this one prisoner was saying. Plato showed that the prisoners were kept in darkness, unable to see the truth. When they finally were told the truth, they did not believe it because they had not seen it for themselves. During the story, the prisoners were kept in shadows. Today, society deals with the same problem. In today’s society, people have to deal with being lied to by the government and media, which only tell people what they want them to know, and in a sense, they disfigure the truth. With the authority figures, such as the media and government, keeping people in the shadows just like the prisoners, people do not always know what to believe. Sometimes people want to believe what they are told, even though they know it’s a lie. The difference between the prisoners and people today is that more people today have a liberal education. Those with a liberal education can see what the government and media may not want them to see, looking beyond what is given to them, but going out of reach and gathering other information. In the essay written by Sigmund Freud, â€Å"From the Interpretation of Dreams,† Freud analyzed people’s behaviors through their dreams. He had noticed that dreams played an important role in his analysis of neurotic and â€Å"hysterical† patients. Freud believed that sleeping dreams were nearly always, like daydreams, wish fulfillment. Wish fulfillment is such that it may be enrolled in the continuity of the intelligible psychic activities of the waking state; it is built up by a highly complicated intellectual activity. Freud went beyond the boundaries of education. Freud explains his reasoning about dreams, â€Å"[Dreams] are not meaningless, they are not absurd; they do not imply that one portion of our store of ideas is asleep while another portion is beginning to wake† (330). He took a different approach about the way he analyzed people. His liberally educated mind allowed him to get past the typical mental analysis and utilize dream interpretations to fabricate theories. Today’s education is more liberal than it has been in the past. A liberal education teaches people to think for themselves and it provides people with a broader education. The classes that are part of a liberal education are not just the general education classes, they are also electives. A liberal education teaches people to challenge what they do not believe, but a person with a more conservative education would never challenge what they were told. In challenging what they do not believe, they can further research it. In doing this it frees people from the restraints in their everyday life, and allows them to control the forces in their life.