The Yellow Birds By Kevin Powers - 897 Words

Some believe that birds help express spiritual freedom and psychological liberation with the different colors of birds that are associated with various meanings; specifically the yellow bird means you should keep your guard up. In the novel, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, John Bartle becomes guarded and isolated because of his internal battles created by his experiences from war. Bartle struggles with the lack of control he has over the events that happen to him in during his time in the military. He fights with his helplessness when he tries to transition to his lifestyle at home. He also cannot control how he changes as a person. When we think of war we think of the physical damage we see on the exterior but what we cannot see is the psychological damage in the interior of a person. Bartle’s lack of control over the situations he faces in the military leaves him powerless. He soon realizes this early in the book as Powers writes, â€Å"the war came to me in my drea ms and showed me its sole purpose: to go on, only to go on. And I knew the war would have its way† (6) He understands that no matter what he does or whatever happens to him at war, the war will continue on. Bartle respects his sergeant, Sterling, because he is in control of his changing world; he know what it takes to be at war. But Bartle also hates him for the fact that Sterling has an authority to command whether he dies or lives. An example of his command is when he decides what happens to Murph’sShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Birds By Kevin Powers1489 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers you see characters that have the intent to do good, but come up short and fail. Everybody has instances throughout their lives where they will try extremely hard, but fail in the end. A lot of these instances may even be just the smallest things, but when they happen it is never a good feeling. You will get feelings of disappointment, and anger, but the pr oblems that occur in Kevin Power’s book are much more than that. The book The Yellow Birds is a fictionalRead MoreThe Yellow Birds1036 Words   |  5 PagesValerie Paz K88875155 03/27/13 10:00 In the novel â€Å"The Yellow Birds† by Kevin Powers the story is based on a twenty-one year old soldier and his experience in the war in Iraq. The twenty-one year old man’s name is John Bartle, a survivor of the war. The novel explains about the casualties and numerous amounts of times that John is surrounded by death and decay in Al Tafar, jumping back and forth through time explaining his experiences before and after the war. This novel is a very well writtenRead MoreRyan Smithsons Ghost of War1099 Words   |  4 Pagesit produces for war authors. When compared to Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds the difference between the typical ur-war story and what Smithson has written becomes obvious. The major issue with war literature is that the everyday civilian has no problem reading it however they are unable to connect to it. Typical war literature is to inform but the information is lost along the way with the abundance of bloody battles and psychological break dow ns. Powers has written war literature made to draw in theRead MoreThe Yellow Birds And Paul Haggis Movie1992 Words   |  8 PagesIn both Kevin Powers novel, The Yellow Birds and Paul Haggis movie, In the Valley of Elah the authors explore PTSD, pain and loss that many soldiers and their family members feel once they return. They explain these ideas with the help of the bodies of two soldiers. These bodies are the main focal point that they branch out and show the out reaching effects of their deaths. The biggest differences are between two of the main characters, Bartle and Hank and how they each handled their PTSD, pain andRead MoreJoker and Batman Essay9227 Words   |  37 Pagesplayboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detecti ve skills, technology, and physical prowess in his war on crime. Contents [hide] 1 Publication history 1.1 Creation 1.2 Early years (1939-1949) 1.3 The fifties and early sixties (1950-1963)Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesdetermining beginnings and endings that accord with major shifts in political and socioeconomic circumstances and dynamics rather than standard but arbitrary chronological break points. In the decades that followed the Great War, the victorious European powers appeared to have restored, even expanded, their global political and economic preeminence only to see it eclipsed by the emergence of the Soviet and U.S. superpowers on their periphery and a second round of even more devastating global conflict.Read MoreRÃÆ' ©sumÃÆ' © Marketing Management, 14th Edition - Kotler Keller26673 Words   |  107 PagesKOTLER RESUME Marketing Management Philip Kotler – Kevin Lane Keller SUMMARY PART 1 Understanding Marketing Management 4 Defining Marketing for the 21st Century 4 Developing Marketing Strategies and Plans 5 PART 2 Capturing Marketing Insights 13 Collecting Information and Forecasting Demand 13 Conducting Marketing Research 16 PART 3 Connecting with Customers 18 CreatingRead MoreHsc General Math Textbook with Answers153542 Words   |  615 PagesG K Powers CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sà £o Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia www.cambridge.edu.au Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521138345  © The Powers Family Trust 2010 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of anyRead MoreBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 PagesPressure To Compete On Price There are enormous pressures on nearly all firms to engage in price competition. In all industries from computers to cars to frozen dinners to airlines to soft drinks, price competition is at center stage, driven by the power of strong retailers, value-sensitive customers, reduced category growth, and overcapacity (often caused by new entrants and by old competitors hanging on, sometimes via bankruptcy). Retailers have become stronger year by year, and they have used thatRead MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 Pagesgo hand-in-hand. If every organization practiced a high level of social responsibility the consumer movement might never have begun. Consumerism is a struggle for power between buyers and sellers; specifically, it is a social movement seeking to increase the rights and powers of buyers in relation to sellers. Seller’s rights and powers are presented in the following list: To introduce any product in any size and style they wish into the marketplace, so long as it is not hazardous to personal health

Article Review Strengths And Weaknesses - 1053 Words

Article Critiques: Students will be assigned articles that address issues in research methodology and statistics. For each article, the student will be required to write a brief summary of the article, including the methods and findings. Students will then write a critique of the articles’ strengths and weaknesses (both must be included for credit). Critiques should not exceed two pages, typed. It is important to be concise and to highlight the most important points. Each article should begin with an APA-style citation of the article. Platt, J. (1964). Strong Inference. Science, 146(3642), 347-353. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1714268 Platt discussed how some scientific fields like molecular biology and high-energy physics†¦show more content†¦Having multiple hypotheses will help lead to disproofs, alternative hypotheses, and a strong inference. No scientist will be attached to his or her one hypothesis, as he will have multiple. Platt suggests that multiple hypotheses will not only lead to a strong inference, but also make the scientific search an intellectual and emotional motivation. Platt states that a theory is only a theory if it can be disproved by an experimental result. He further goes on to say that every alternate hypothesis is a pleasant prize of inductive inference. Strong inference helps scientists become more problem-oriented as long as they are willing to try new methods and not stick to just one. When experiments agree upon one or two decimal places, alternative hypotheses are not excluded, bur when an experiment agrees upon five decimal places, alternative hypotheses are excluded, but should still consider looking into alternative hypotheses. Platt states that qualitative science is better than quantitative science, but despite the kind of science proof and disproof are primary and essential. While scientists measure, define, compute, and analyze, they do not exclude, and exclusion is necessary to have progressive and fast scientific outcomes. Platt believes that strong inference can be the customary direction for potential scientific effectiveness . Strong inference can be taught and learned by nearly anyone if practiced regularly. Strong inference is the question that asks howShow MoreRelatedArticle Reviews : My Weaknesses And My Strengths1123 Words   |  5 PagesJacquelin Garcia English 071 September 29, 2014 Dear Sarah, While writing the article reviews, I saw my weaknesses and my strengths. I found that Sometimes it’s difficult for me to get started with an idea, but when I’m going through the writing process it breaks it down of me so I’m able to keep up and revise even better. When the time came to revise my essay in class I noticed proofreading strategies. 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Astrazeneca-report free essay sample

AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company that was created when the Swedish company ‘Astra’ and the British company ‘Zeneca Group’ merged in 1999 (Jerrang Goldberg, 2011). Since then, it has immersed itself into the competitive pharmaceutical market and become a very successful business that specialises in the â€Å"research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals† (AstraZeneca, 2011). PEST Analysis Political Regulations for testing the drugs could change Growing pressure to release more cost-effective drugs Becoming increasingly harder to launch a new drug onto the market because of the regulations enforced by organizations such as the F. D. A. Economical Invested heavily abroad in emerging markets e. g. China and India Increased pressure from shareholders, leads to more mergers and acquisitions Consumers choosing not to try new products Social ( Cultural) There will always be a market for new drugs, e. g. Aging population therefore there is a shift in the drugs needed Animal rights activists could prevent the testing of a new drug to take place Technological Improved IT communications between suppliers and itself Invested heavily in software such as Lean Sigma to improve cycle time efficiency of the drugs Table 1: PEST Analysis Company Overview Porters Five Forces Image 1: Porters Five Forces In 2010, AstraZeneca’s most successful drugs were (Cooper, 2010): 1. Nexium: A drug for heartburn and stomach ulcers 2. Crestor: An anti-cholesterol drug 3. Symbicort: A drug that is used to treat asthma (respiratory drug) 4. Armidex: A breast cancer drug 5. Seroquel: An anti-psychotic treatment (SEROQUEL XR, 2011) Value Chain The value chain was developed by Michael Porter and can be a powerful tool when analysing a company’s organisation and performance. It allows key areas to be highlighted as it offers a quick but thorough overview of a company’s infrastructure allowing one to review it and determine any areas for improvement. The main point of a table such as the one below is to establish whether or not AstraZeneca PLC has any competitive advantages over its competitors. Firm Infrastructure General Management, Compliance, Global Commercial, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, Operations, Legal, Research and Development, Safety, PR, Quality Management, IT (Drew Fairchild, 2012) Human Resource Management Expatriate Management, effective and relevant training programmes, consistent policies for employees, recruiting and hiring new employees, motivating and rewarding employees Technological Development Increasing efficiency of employees, investment in technologies such as Lean Sigma to reduce manufacturing costs, ensuring specialised training is undertaken before implementing the various technologies, design for a new drug Procurement Restructuring, reviewing the prices of the drugs currently being sold, improving research and development costs, reviewing general and administrative costs, researching more cost effective options for buying high quality raw materials, constant monitoring of performance (Anon. , 2011) Inbound Logistics Storing and handling of raw materials Contact with suppliers Operations Manufacturing processes, research and development, human and animal testing, constant evaluation of products, clinical trials Outbound Logistics Delivery schedule that is efficient, distribution, cost-effective, transportation, fulfilling orders – predicting which products will be in demand, packaging, storage Marketing and Sales Costs, highly trained sales team, identifying target audiences and advertising accordingly, engaging the customers Service Guaranteed quality, instructions on how to fully utilise the product, extensive testing and post launch clinical studies Table 2: Value Chain for AstraZeneca PLC Business Model Key Partners Discovery: MRC Technology Columbia University University of Virginia Karolinska Institutet Merck Clinical development: Nektar (NKTR-118) Forest (Zinforo) Rigel (Fostamatinib) Launched medicines: BMS (Onglyza) Pozen (Vimovo) New Opportunities: Alcon Galderma Three-year collaboration agreement with IMS Health Key Activities Focus heavily on RD Very interested in using technology to maximise efficiency and cut costs. Channels Their customers (being mainly distributors) look towards organizations such as N. I. C. E. (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) and the FDA to approve the drugs they are interested in purchasing. New products are announced through the media along with statistics of how they compare with similar drugs on the market. Price is a main factor in obtaining customers loyalty as well as quality. Value Proposition Have personalised healthcare (PHC) where they match a patients characteristics to medicines for more effective treatment. (AstraZeneca PLC, 2010) Wide range of drugs available. Key Resources Suppliers Specialist employees, e. g. Dr. Mike Poole Invested heavily in supplier collaboration software from Ariba improved the speed of product development by reducing the time it takes to swap data with RD suppliers by 70%. (Clark, 2011) Use Lean Sigma software to maximise efficiency of manufacturing new drugs. (Johnstone, et al. , 2011) Customer Segments AstraZeneca PLC’s main target audience are healthcare professionals, such as primary care and specialist doctors. Their products are, however, marketed towards the distributors/local representatives as they are the ones that buy the products in bulk and sell them on. (Anon. , 2012) Customer Relationship Pharmaceuticals are rated highly and AstraZeneca is considered a reliable brand for quality Implemented a click-to-chat technology that allows consumers to contact a live AstraZeneca customer service representative (AstraZeneca US, 2011) They take all their complaints seriously. Cost Structure A lot of money is put towards research and development – Last year alone AstraZeneca invested almost $59 billion for only five drugs to be approved. This meant that each drug technically cost them nearly $11. 8 billion each. (Silverman, 2012) Buying start-up companies so that they can launch their drugs on to market Revenue Streams Revenue from sales New software used improves the infrastructure of the company, saving them money by being more efficient Shares Table 3: Business Model for AstraZeneca PLC Current News AstraZeneca to Sue FDA Over Anti-Psychotic Drug, Seroquel There has been a lot of hype surrounding the current law suit AstraZeneca has filed against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning the drug ‘Seroquel’ as it is a problem that is affecting a lot of the large pharmaceutical companies – patents are expiring and smaller drug companies are therefore releasing generic forms of the drugs immediately. Seroquel is marketed as an anti-psychotic treatment for patients with depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia (SEROQUEL XR, 2011). For AstraZeneca, this is a drug that generates a lot of revenue, approximately ? 1 billion in annual sales (Cooper, 2012), and the expiration of their patent has created a sudden niche in the US market that many smaller pharmaceutical companies are looking to take advantage of. AstraZeneca has a lot invested in this drug therefore the law suit would seem personal; however, they also have a very legitimate reason for going to court. The injunction they have applied for to ban the FDA from approving the generic forms of Seroquel is based on the fact that these rival companies cannot carry all of the warnings for the drug on their labels. This is due to AstraZeneca including extra information after post launch clinical studies which is still protected by exclusivity agreements potentially until the 2nd December 2012 (Cooper, 2012). Obviously it is illegal to omit possible side effects of any drug which then makes this a very serious point as it is believed the generic forms would also have the risk of â€Å"high blood sugar† and â€Å"suicidal thoughts† (Cooper, 2012) associated with the chemical quetiapine fumarate (SEROQUEL XR, 2011). Despite this, if the FDA chooses to ignore the Citizen Petitions supplied by AstraZeneca and gives its final marketing approval for the generic forms of Seroquel, the company’s revenue for 2012 will plummet a lot more than anticipated. This is because of increased competition due to loss of exclusivity (Cooper, 2012). Share Buy-Backs AstraZeneca is planning to purchase almost ? 3 billion worth of stock by the end of this year, almost double what they bought in 2010. This is a clear indicator that the fact that their patents expiring and increased generic competition is hurting the business and this is the only option they have of keeping their investors happy. Unfortunately if AstraZeneca’s free cash flow generation is less than the amount of shares they buy-back, their gearing will increase by a huge amount as they will be forced to use the money on their balance sheet (Staton, 2012). The pharmaceutical industry is a much harder market to succeed in these days because of increased competition. There is a high demand for new, innovative products that take time to develop, approve and release and although AstraZeneca is working on new products, they do not always come to fruition. Recently they have had a major project declined by the FDA that they co-developed with Bristol-Myers Squibb: Dapagliflozin which lowers the blood glucose levels of consumers with diabetes. AstraZeneca has also attempted to protect another one of its best selling drugs, Crestor, from generic-drug companies but has been denied by the US Court of Appeals as the generic forms of the drug would only be used for â€Å"treatments not covered by the patents† (Decker, 2012). These are not an ideal situation to be in as with the market constantly changing and new drugs always being in demand it would not be hard for another pharmaceutical company to surpass AstraZeneca if they had a patent for an important drug. Acquisitions of start-up companies and their products is an option that AstraZeneca will begin to fully utilise as it saves them money on the research and development, although they are still heavily invested in their own RD, and, in turn, makes them a lot of money. Share buy-backs are clearly an indicator that AstraZeneca is reshaping the business in order to focus their efforts mainly on RD as this is an area that the company relies on to increase revenue and climb the ranks in the pharmaceutical industry. Financial/Investment Analysis Financial Ratios (Investopedia ULC, 2012) Return on Shareholders Funds (ROSF): This is a percentage of money made that is returned to the shareholders as equity. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): The ROCE is the amount of money that is being made from the company’s total capital. Liquidity Ratio: A company’s ability to meet its short-term debts. It is more desirable to have a larger value of the ratio as it then indicates that the company has a higher margin of safety and will be able to pay the debts. Current Ratio: This is a liquidity ration that determines whether or not a company can use their current assets to pay off their current liabilities. A positive number is desired as this means that a company is succeeding in meeting their short-term financial obligations. Interest Cover: How easily a company can pay interest on a debt they have already accumulated. Gearing: When a company requires outside funds then gearing occurs. Gearing is the comparison of a company’s long-term debt and its equity capital. We can then apply these definitions to the following table: 2010 2009 2008 2007 ROSF (%) 47. 29 52. 31 54. 56 54. 03 ROCE (%) 27. 90 28. 99 25. 94 24. 36 Liquidity Ratio 1. 40 1. 25 1. 09 0. 99 Current Ratio 1. 50 1. 35 1. 21 1. 12 Interest Cover 11. 62 10. 02 7. 59 8. 46 Gearing (%) 70. 01 89. 78 116. 53 150. 73 Table 4: AstraZeneca PLC Financial Ratios (FAME, 2010) As can be seen from the table, both ROCE and ROSF have dropped from 2009 to 2010. However, it is still clear that AstraZeneca PLC is turning a profit as they are keeping their shareholders happy with a good percentage of money being returned to them and the company itself is making money therefore it can be assume that management is doing well. Their liquidity ratio has increased steadily through 2007-2010 which is a great indicator that AstraZeneca is able to meet its short-term debts and is gradually acquiring a higher margin of safety because of it. Coupled with the current ratio, this has also increased across the presented timeframe further illustrating that AstraZeneca is successful enough to meet its short-term financial obligations. The interest cover has increased from 2009 to 2010, showing that the company is earning more money making it easier for them to interest charges on their debt. However, the interest cover for 2007-8 suggests that AstraZeneca experienced some financial difficulties which could return in the future, despite its interest cover being as high as it now. This could be prevented by ensuring employees are happy with their work environments so they do not strike and continuously developing new products or modifying products. Although gearing has decreased significantly across the four years, it is still very high indicating that AstraZeneca will have the long-term debt it has accumulated for quite a while as the company is not generating enough revenue to pay it back quickly. This could be because they are choosing to spend their money on research and development rather than paying off their debt. Instead of relying on product revenue, AstraZeneca could look into consulting emerging companies and selling their expertise while building a relationship with them that they could use in the future. This generates more money for the company and offers a potential business partner. Overall AstraZeneca would not be a bad company to invest in as its debt it slowly decreasing and it has a history of gaining a profit at the end of the year therefore shareholders would not lose money. Industry Forces and the Market When analysing how well AstraZeneca PLC is doing, we must always consider their competitors. Competition is what motivates a company to perform to the best of their ability and deliver products of a high quality at a cost effective price, it is what drives them to discover and develop new drugs and meet all of their customers’ needs. As can be seen from the list below, AstraZeneca is ranked sixth in the pharmaceutical industry at the moment, however, with companies merging and patents expiring (Roth, 2011), AstraZeneca could attempt to climb the ranks with new, innovative ideas that fill a niche in the current market. List of the Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies in 2011 (Roth, 2011) 1. Pfizer 2. Novartis AG 3. Merck Co. 4. Sanofi-Aventis SA 5. GlaxoSmithKline 6. AstraZeneca 7. Johnson Johnson 8. Eli Lilly Co. 9. Abbott Laboratories 10. Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical companies are ranked in terms of revenue; whichever company generates the most revenue at the end of the financial quarter is considered the most successful within the pharmaceutical industry. With this in mind it is then interesting to consider the share prices for these companies and how the analysts would advise us to invest. Company Name Share Price ($) Change/% Change P/E Ratio EPS Novartis AG (NVS) 54. 79 +0. 48/+0. 88% 14. 37 3. 78 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 45. 18 +0. 17/+0. 38% 27. 55 1. 634 AstraZeneca (AZN) 45. 11 +0. 37/0. 83% 6. 13 7. 30 Sanofi-Aventis SA (SNY) 38. 90 +0. 07/+0. 18% 13. 74 2. 8265 Merck Co (MRK) 38. 03 -0. 03/-0. 08% 18. 84 2. 02 Pfizer (PFE) 21. 94 +0. 03/+0. 14% 17. 22 1. 272 Table 5: Leading Pharmaceutical Companies Investment Analysis (InvestorGuide, 2012) As can be seen from the table, although AstraZeneca is ranked sixth in the world, its share price is greater than the leading pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. This is a good sign as it shows that their reorganisation within the company has started to come to fruition and more people will be interested in buying shares. This is one of the main goals because, as can be seen by then they will have more money at their disposable to put towards further research and development. It can also be seen that their share price is increasing as the change is positive showing that AstraZeneca is gradually climbing up the market and becoming more and more valuable. When looking to invest in a company it is always better to get a second opinion and consult the analyst charts. The chart below was taken from ‘InvestorGuide’ and shows the personal belief of 7 different analysts and their recommendations history. Current 1 Month Ago 2 Months Ago 3 Months Ago Strong Buy 2 1 1 1 Moderate Buy 0 0 0 0 Hold 4 5 6 6 Moderate Sell 1 1 0 0 Strong Sell 0 0 0 0 Mean Recommendation 2. 57 2. 86 2. 71 2. 71 Table 6: Recommendations for AstraZeneca Shares (InvestorGuide, 2012) As can be seen, 2 analysts recommend now is the best time to invest in AstraZeneca shares. Despite it appearing to be the best time to buy shares in 3 months, when compared with the 4 analysts who would prefer one ‘held’ their money and the other who thinks the best one could do with their share is sell it with hardly any profit, it definitely does not seem like it would be worth the risk anymore. However, another way of looking at it is that the share is currently at a relatively low price; therefore one could potentially save money by investing now. With this frame of mind, we must consider AstraZeneca’s share price history. Graph 1: Share Price Performance, Based on the Figures from (AstraZeneca PLC, 2007-2012) The website used for the investment analysis of AstraZeneca and its competitors is based on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) therefore the graph also reflects the American market so that it is more comparable. It is clear that, in general, from 2007 to 2012 AstraZeneca PLC’s share price has kept within a small range (approximately $55-45) despite there clearly being drops in the market, especially during 2009. Therefore, with the share price currently being at the lower end of this range it would be considered a good thing to invest now, however, one will probably not get any returns on it immediately as, from what can be seen in the graph above, AstraZeneca’s share price is more likely to get worse before it gets better again. This trend is unfortunate but at least it can be assumed that in the end, one would not lose that much money before they started making money. Technology Importance of Technology For AstraZeneca’s Chief Information’s Officer, Rich Williams, technology is the future (NGP, 2009). In 2009, he completely transformed AstraZeneca’s business infrastructure and made it the efficient and cost effective business it is today. By employing one type of technology and implementing it throughout the company he was able to reduce information systems (IS) costs by 30% and allow more time and money to be focused on research and development. Lean Sigma: Useful? Lean sigma is a type of software that is used to improve the performance of a company relative to its competitors using business improvement tools (Romeo, n. d. ). It is considered to be quite controversial as some specialists argue that it stifles creativity within a business due to the rigorous process improvement the technology commands, whereas others rightly point out that the software clearly helps companies save money by reducing manufacturing times (Johnstone, et al. , 2011). To understand both arguments, we must consider them separately. Lean sigma is considered a bad thing because it is perceived that the software could potentially inhibit an environment in which innovative ideas are able to flourish as it is not able to think outside the box. However, in practice it has been proven that despite the nature of the idea, the programme has been able to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the drug making cycle (Johnstone, et al. , 2011). The graph below summarises the stage of innovation (Johnstone, et al. , 2011) that are completed before every new drug is released: Image 2: The Stages of Innovation, Based on (Johnstone, et al. , 2011) It is important to note the â€Å"Learning and Feedback† arrows that are incorporated into earlier phases of the diagram in order to produce the best quality product. This method is used to enhance the â€Å"probability of success† and gain, at the end, the best possible solution to launch the new drug on to society. Software such as lean sigma, is perfect for such a thing as it â€Å"improves the speed, quality and cost of manufacturing and service industries†, and overall reduces cycle time by 50% (Johnstone, et al. , 2011). Therefore, to conclude, lean sigma is helping AstraZeneca improve their process excellence by saving them money on their manufacturing process which is in turn having a positive impact on their research and development. Lean sigma is a great programme to use to take ones business to the next level and it is a technology that AstraZeneca has done well to invest in (Johnstone, et al. , 2011). The Future AstraZeneca’s plans for the future are mainly hinged on an international reorganisation of the company, intended to make sure their focus is directed towards research and development. It has always been a main focus for the second largest drug-maker as RD is what most of its money gets spent towards, which can be seen in the ‘Business Model’. The pharmaceutical company has stated that it will begin to reduce the number of disease areas it focuses on so that it can in turn produce a more specialised, better drug. Not only will it reduce the scope of its research, AstraZeneca will also be focusing a lot of energies towards gaining external collaboration. This will reduce costs for possible failures of RD as they will be able to collaborate with an emerging market that already has the basis of a great patent. It will also continue to use business improvement programmes such as lean sigma to ensure the company performs to the best of its ability and has a more flexible approach to the projects it decides to take on (Anon. , 2011). Overall, AstraZeneca is adjusting to their current situation well and has made the right decisions regarding how to bring their company forward. With changes like these, they will be able to focus more on what they specialise in, RD, and deliver a quality product to their consumers. Conclusion SWOT Analysis Strengths AstraZeneca is an innovative company that is ranked sixth in the world of all the pharmaceutical companies Total turnover from 2007-10 has generally increased showing it is a successful company (FAME, 2010) It has vested interest in all areas of drug therapy and are consistently releasing relevant drugs for the market Weaknesses As patents are expiring they are not releasing suitable replacements therefore generic forms of the drugs are dominating the market They are not releasing enough new drugs, despite the ones they do release being very relevant Opportunities Has made many partnerships with other companies Buying back shareholders for a quick turn around Restructuring the business to focus on their RD Threats Generic forms of their drugs are becoming a serious threat to their revenue Generic forms can be offered to people who are not private practice

Artists and Collective Groups

Question: Discuss about the Artists and Collective Groups. Answer: Introduction: Magiciens de la terre was staged by the curator Jean Hubert Martin on 14 August, 1989 in Paris. The exhibition portrays the work of hundreds of artists and collective groups from all over the world to create a juxtaposition effect. It aimed to eradicate the culture of ethnocentrism from the minds of people that was prevailing at that time. The European people back then would undervalue the art work of people from other cultures and values and none of the art exhibition would deal with the subject. Jean Martin took up the subject and portrayed over a hundred of artists at an equal level where 50 percent of the artists were non western. The attempt was made through the artistic representation that people cannot be discriminated based on geographical regions and they also deserve to receive equal respect from the society (Rapko, 2014). The curator chose to go for installation view for the exhibition in the gallery and selected the master work of Carl Beam and Richard Long. These works were chosen to signify the geographical regions across the world and renewed questions based on land and place and how the concept of art deals with the other geographical regions. The two works are being put together in a contrasting manner in order to make the audience think over the issues that have been prevailing in the society for such a long period. Richards long mud circle was made to hang near the Yuendumu community ground painting Yarla. Yarla is a traditional Australian piece of art that was made in the early centuries. The contrasting effect is created in order to showcase the issues that arise during the work. The exhibition also makes use of the Sarkis through showcases, screens, projections, reading tables and shelving (Friedel, 2016). Apart from that, unlike the traditional exhibitions, this exhibition also displayed how the preparation of the exhibition was carried out through a number of videos which shows that the work was not just taken abruptly and every projection has a reason behind it to be showcased. The exhibition layout and structure was not like a traditional finished exhibition rather the curator made sure to make the exhibition movable as much as he could in order to shed some light on the practices which were deep rooted in the European culture. The exhibition comprised of a number of texts and images to display the views of European people over the non western world. The non western artists were represented on the stage with full respect and dignity equal to their western counterpart. This act demanded their equal rights in artistic world from the European people. The scenarios in the exhibition were staged in a manner so as to show case the inequities of the world. The 113 artist were staged along with their geographical locations, biographies and artistic works from over 50 countries across the world (Africanah.org, 2016). The exhibition is displayed in parts to give a contrasting view of the world through portraying different artists from the world. Every act has a message at the end for the audience to ponder upon. The artists are from different geographical location from all over the world such is Australia, Tibet, China and many more. The exhibition makes extensive use of videos, documentary, images etc to highlight the ethnocentric issue. The exhibition starts with the Australian artists all together working on a painting on the ground. The artists talk to each other but their conversation which cannot be heard is not the focus here rather their art work ground painting is highlighted which is dreaming of rain. The scene depicts the hidden world of Dreamtime. The next part opens with a Chinese guy who first washes newspapers in the washing machine to make a wall installation out of it. At first, he tries to connect himself with the Taoists philosophy prevailing in China which does not encourage questions. The inability to seek answer from the philosophy disconnects him from the Chinese culture and he finds himself between the western artists with whom he reconnects himself. The third part shows some monks who are trying to create an art work with the use of dust and metal sticks. They work very hard to make the image and even start sweating in the process of making this complex art work. These people are actually working very hard and dealing with the complexities of the art work. The next part shows the conversation between two women American Indian and African. The African woman asks some questions related to a blanket to the other woman and after hearing the answer the African woman is relieved. The next scene portrays a father and a daughter making a sand painting and the same lady who portrayed as an American woman in the earlier scene is also standing there and watching them. The man erases the painting after showing it to his wife. The scene symbolizes that deletion of something would lead to creation of some other new possibility. The scene leaves a very deep message for the audience to think upon. The exhibition was under preparation for around four years with limited number of curators. The curators travelled across the globe for the exhibition to get themselves acquainted with the different socio culture and psychology of the people across the world. They travelled from North America to Australia, Japan, China, Tibet and other countries to explore the culture (Solal, 2016). The curator chose the installation mode of presenting unlike the traditional exhibitions, because he wanted to have a direct connection with the audience through the show. He did not want the audience to see the immovable objects through the finished objects which gives the feeling that they have been abruptly taken from their original context and the audience does not even get to know the real motive behind the scene. The installation approach gives the audience a different perspective of thinking by engaging it through different acts and scenes. The audience gets to understand the real essence of the different acts that the curator wants to portray. Since the light and technology was not even a close match that of todays, still the curator made use of best of the technologies that were prevailing at that time. The extensive use of projectors to show the videos demonstrate that the best technologies were chose of that time. The screens were used for the reflection part. Then there was use of reading tables and shelves for the exhibition. The light technology used in the traditional art works of Richard Long Red Earth Circle and Yuendumu, an Australian aboriginal community, is mesmerizing and demonstrates the excellent work of the curator. The work displayed by the curator is an excellent presentation of revolutionary art, which has become a global turn phenomenon in the history of the world. Around 300,000 visitors visited the exhibition and were amazed to see the art work by the curator. Though there was intensive criticism for the art exhibition by many critics for the theme being used. The work was criticized for hurting the religious sentiments of a number of people over the world (Modern, 2014). Though the curator clarified that the essence was to give the non western artist the respect they deserve and to not to focus on the mini details of the work and overlook them. Overall, the exhibition was an excellent effort by the curator through the extensive use of films, reference documents, notes and notebooks, films, catalogues and books, which shaped the concept of events. The visitors were enlightened by the field trips, the contact with the artists, the staging and the work of institutions. References Rapko, J. (18 May 2014). The Design Isnt Firm; Or, Why Do Curators Talk Like That?.NYAQ/LXAQ/SFAQ: International Art and Culture. Available at: https://sfaq.us/2015/05/the-design-isnt-firm-or-why-do-curators-talk-like-that/ [Accessed 12 December 2016]. Friedel, J. (12 August 2016). Magiciens de la Terre. Contemporary and Platform for International art from African perspectives. Available at: https://www.contemporaryand.com/magazines/magiciens-de-la-terre/ [Accessed 12 December 2016]. Africanah.org. (2 July 2014). Magiciens de la Terre, a look back at a legendary exhibition. Africanah.org. Available at: https://africanah.org/magiciens-de-la-terre/ [Accessed 12 December 2016]. Solal, A.C. Revisiting Magiciens de la terre. Stedelijk Studies. Available at: https://www.stedelijkstudies.com/journal/revisiting-magiciens-de-la-terre/ [Accessed 12 December 2016]. Steeds, L. (2013). Making Art Global (Part 2) Magiciens de la terre 1989. London: Afterall Books. Modern, T. (18 March 2014). In 1989 The Ambitious Exhibition Magiciens De La Terre opened in Paris, presenting the work of over one hundred artists, half of whom were described as non-western. Biennial Foundation. Available at: https://www.biennialfoundation.org/2014/03/in-1989-the-ambitious-exhibition-magiciens-de-la-terre-opened-in-paris-presenting-the-work-of-over-one-hundred-artists-half-of-whom-were-described-as-non-western/ [Accessed 12 December 2016]. Modern, T. Magiciens De La Terre: Reconsidered. Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/magiciens-de-la-terre-reconsidered [Accessed 13 December 2016]. Former West. Magiciens De La Terre Jean-Hubert Martin Editions du Centre Pompidou 1989 ISBN 102858504989. Former West. Available at: https://www.formerwest.org/ResearchLibrary/MagiciensdelaTerre [Accessed 13 December 2016]. Critique dart. FromMagiciens de la Terreto the Globalization of the Art World: Going Back to a Historic Exhibition. Critique dart. Available at: https://critiquedart.revues.org/8308?lang=en Accessed 13 December 2016]. JStor. Bilderstreit' and 'Magiciens de la Terre. Paris and Cologne. JStor. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/884068?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Accessed 13 December 2016].