Editing Services for Graduate School Essays

Editing Services for Graduate School Essays There are several steps involved in the process of writing a quality graduate school essay. As previously covered, it is important to maintain a regimented work schedule in order to give yourself plenty of time to create a good outline as well as several written drafts of your paper. Once you have completed all of these steps and are satisfied with the content and structure of your paper, you can begin the final phase of editing. In my opinion, the most difficult part of writing a graduate school essay is having to edit it. As someone who has written several graduate school essays, I have found that after writing and rewriting a composition numerous times, it is very difficult to be impartial during the editing process. That is why I recommend that anyone working on a graduate school essay enlist the services of a processional editor to review his or her paper. There are many online editing services available to students working on graduate school essays. If you are interested in utilizing the services of a professional editor, I strongly recommend that you contact a reputable editing company. Make sure that the editor and/or editors reviewing your paper are well educated and highly trained in the editing process. Request to reveiw samples of previous work and dont hesitate to ask lots of questions. Hiring a professional editor to review my graduate school essay was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you are interested in learning more about editing services for graduate school essays or if you would like some tips on writing graduate school personal statements, please dont hesitate to click on the link provided. This link will direct you to an excellent online resource where you can find more info.

Why do Successful Companies Fail

Why do Successful Companies Fail Why do Successful Companies Fail? Essay: Why Do Successful Companies Fail? Introduction The most important thing any business should get motivated to is the ability to make profits. If the business is not directed to reaching that goal, it heads to fail. If the business is directed to make that move, it should concentrate on the things that make it raise profits. Every successful business has goals, vision, mission and strategies to drive it to the goals and achievements (Zoss). If the business changes its organization culture, it will finally fail to acclimatize to the new culture and fail. Abandoning the set plan to help the company achieve its goals is the surest way to make the company fail because the plan has the conventions that drive the business. In the plan, many factors are considered from the top management to the subordinates (Adams 24). The employees are the instrument that help the business achieve its goals. If they are not respected, they will be not motivated and stop being assertive to work for the achievement of the company. Lack of team work in the business means that there is disintegration and people are not focused in achieving one goal. Most of the companies stagnate because the feel contented about their position sand fail to work harder and fail to expand their clientele. This results to unachieved goals in the business (Zoss). If the leaders do not delegate duties, they get overwhelmed by work and this slows the speed of achieving the goals in the company hence the failure of the business. Authoritative leadership with not delegation only overworks the head and leads to the employees becoming negatives about the management. This slows the rate of achievement hence a failed business (Adams 25). High turnover of workers is an indication that they are not contented with the company management. They resign and, the business trains other workers. Before the new employees understand the rule of the company, there is a slowed rate of achieving targets which may lead to a failed business. Businesses which do not have mechanisms of checking their achievements through strategic management end up failing because there is laxity when employees are not monitored. Rewarding the employees motivates them because they feel as stakeholders rather than instruments of achieving goals in the company (Zoss). If this is not done, employees fail to deliver their all and bring down the company to non performance. It is a gradual process where targets are not reached and, it transcends to truancy of employees and finally underachievement which leads to the collapse of the business (Adams 25). Failure to consult experts in business is one way that leads the business to fail because it is difficult hard to operate a business with orthodox strategies in the wave of globalization. If a business does not embrace technology, for instance use of the World Wide Web, it is bound to fail due to the competition in the market. Encouraging fraudsters in the business make the company lose a lot of money which affects the running capital (Adams 24). It is imperative to treat strangers with the utmost care for one never knows what they might do. If a business does not have a SWOT analysis, it is difficult to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the market and business. This leads to blind operations without a specified goal to achieve. This leads the company to gradual collapse because it does not move in any given direction (Zoss). You can get custom essay writing help from our professional writing service. Our writers will write a custom paper on any Business topic for you!

Argument Supporting Work-Life Balance Initiatives Essay

Argument Supporting Work-Life Balance Initiatives - Essay Example Furthermore, many companies now make a block leave mandatory, along with implementing work cut off hours. In addition to that, companies offer volunteer-work leaves in a calendar year which an employee can use to perform his or her philanthropic work. All of these are very attractive to a very wide range of people. So companies that offer these initiatives are able to target more potential employees than companies that don’t. Â  Work life balance is not just about the employee and his benefit. Hall reports that businesses lose an estimated staggering value of $300 billion in a year as a result of over-stressed and unhappy employees (2006). Companies do not want burned out, unhappy employees with little creativity and imagination. In fact, the richer and deeper an employee’s overall life, the more productive and creative he is going to be at work. The personal life and experiences of a person give him this depth and perception. A work life imbalance has a full-circle do minoes effect which starts with the employee and affects his work, his family, the company, the community and the government. These losses are emotional as well as monetary. Â  When drafting the work-life balance plan, managers need to understand that this is not just about giving employees a so-called break, but also utilizing resources in such a way that the goodwill and creativity of the entire team is included in the mix. Clutterback (2003) argues that work life balance is a useful by product of effectively managed teams.... This is manifested through a range of work life balance initiatives that come in many forms and offer something to every age group and gender including work that is part time, telecom-enabled or adjusted working days. Furthermore, many companies now make a block leave mandatory, along with implementing work cut off hours. In addition to that, companies offer volunteer-work leaves in a calendar year which an employee can use to perform his or her philanthropic work. All of these are very attractive to a very wide range of people. So companies that offer these initiatives are able to target more potential employees than companies that don’t. Work life balance is not just about the employee and his benefit. Hall reports that businesses lose an estimated staggering value of $300 billion in a year as a result of over-stressed and unhappy employees (2006). Companies do not want burned out, unhappy employees with little creativity and imagination. In fact, the richer and deeper an em ployee’s overall life, the more productive and creative he is going to be at work. The personal life and experiences of a person give him this depth and perception. A work life imbalance has a full-circle dominoes effect which starts with the employee and affects his work, his family, the company, the community and the government. These losses are emotional as well as monetary. When drafting the work-life balance plan, managers need to understand that this is not just about giving employees a so-called break, but also utilizing resources in such a way that the goodwill and creativity of the entire team is included in the mix. Clutterback (2003) argues that work life balance is a useful by product of effectively

Formosa Plastic Cops. USA Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Formosa Plastic Cops. USA - Term Paper Example ed nearly the whole of the reactor facility and the adjacent warehouse igniting Vinyl chloride resins stored in a warehouse with smoke drifting over the local community who were then evacuated and the facility remains shut down. The initial fire was caused and fuelled by Vinyl chloride monomer, raw material for Vinyl chloride manufacture, which is highly flammable and a known carcinogen. The explosion occurred when the bottom valve of an operating reactor was opened spilling its highly flammable contents. The next section discusses the specific sections of 29 CFR 1910.146 that Formosa Plastics Corporation neglected. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Formosa Plastics Corporation did not comply with the Permit Required Confined Spaces 29CFR 1910.146. The sections of Permit Required Confined Spaces that were neglected are Training and Rescue and Emergency operations. Under the section of Training, Permit Required Confined Spaces requires that an employer provides training for the employees to understand, and acquire knowledge and skills vital for the safe performance and execution of duties within the confined space. It also requires training to be provided to the employee before being assigned duties, when duties are changed, when permit space operations are changed that are hazardous for which the employee has not been trained on, and if the employee feels that the permit space entry procedures have been deviated from or the employee has little knowledge of the procedures. The training is designed to establish employee proficiency in execution of the duties and new or revised procedures. After all the training has been done, certification should be made available with the name of the employee, trainers signature and the respective training dates. Formosa Plastics Corporation also neglected the Rescue and Emergency services regulations for confined space. The rescue and emergency operations require that the employer provides and trains

United Arab Emirates Essay Example for Free

United Arab Emirates Essay United Arab Emirates represent a federation of seven Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm-al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah, al-Fujairah. It was in the year 1971 the federal set up of these individual emirates was established which was the ninth year after oil was successfully exported from this Middle Eastern region. Until then the emirates remained tiny independent nations with no boundaries or basic necessities of newspapers, telephones, and even electricity (Tomkinson, 1975; Taryam, 1987; Codrai, 1990). Within a short span of time the export of oil has made the United Arab Emirates an extremely rich nation in that the country was ranking the wealthiest nation in the world at one point of time, on the basis of per capita income. The Gross National Product (GNP) of the nation at that point was US $ 28,000 – approximately close to US $ 100,000 considering the UAE nationals alone (Abdullah, 1985). The revenue from the oil exports accounted for almost 88 percent of the total income of the nation during the period 1975 – 1985 (Faris, 1996). With the help of ‘Oil’ UAE could break regional, and even international records in respect of the pace of urban development and the rate of economic growth. Despite the economic superiority the socio-economic scenario of the country poses a striking contradiction. It is a surprising fact that still 80 to 90 percent of the advance urban population coexists with some of the traditional systems of social interaction, gender-segregation, and tribalism. The socio-institutional format of the present day UAE is characterized by the mixed presence of tribalism, Islamism, urbanism, modernism, consumerism, and the welfare state which represent the vitally important components of the economy.

Life Experiences Are What Makes a Persons Personality Essay -- essays

Life Experiences Are What Makes a Persons Personality An individuals experiences, past and present provide a significant basis for the type of person they will become. Relationships that are established during childhood and adolescence are important for the shaping of someone's personality, as most personality development occurs in the early stages of life. Experiences that someone must deal with in the present sense also contributes to their personality. Dominick Birdsey in Wally Lambs novel I Know This Much Is True, suffered his entire life experiencing every emotion humanly possible in his current stretch of forty five years. The sad and stressful episodes of his life began to take their toll sending Dominick began to grow into a depression and question his reason for living. Dominick Birdsey, his twin brother Thomas, his mother Connie, and stepfather Ray, "Ray is not our real father. We don't know who our real father is. I don't even know if Ma knows." (91) live in Connecticut. Dominick and Thomas had to form an alliance to stand up to Ray, as he had a tendency to use his belt rather than words to punish. He was extremely strict, clearly in charge of the house, and showed little or no emotion, not even towards his wife. As a child of about eight years old, Ray has Dominick and his brother believing that part of being a man is not showing emotion, so the two grow up as little boys feeling very lonely, resulting in a lonely adulthood. The way Dominick remembers his childhood is feeling obligated to frequently rescue his brother from Ray's abuse. Ray was always much harder on Thomas as he felt he was a mamma's boy and had to be toughened up. "These days they called Ray's kind of 'toughening up' child abuse." (63) D... ...realize that all they have is each other. Ray regrets not expressing love towards both his wife and his sons and vows to grow old with Dominick and be the best father he knows how to be for the remainder of his life. Dominick Birdsey was clearly the stronger twin. All his life, from a child to a middle aged man, he had to take care of someone, namely his brother Thomas. It is very difficult to be constantly giving and getting nothing in return as such was the case with Dominick. Finally, to be showed love by Ray, (the one man who Dominick thought was incapable of love) Dominick accomplished a sense of rest and settlement. Perhaps the reason why Dominick was so strong was because he had to be, as people were dependent on him. His childhood and his everyday battles made him the person that he thought he would never become. He was finally in control of his life.

Implications of Pure Food Act in Bangladesh

University of Dhaka Faculty of Business Studies Department of Marketing IMPLICATIONS OF PURE FOOD ACT IN BANGLADESH Submitted to Shehely Parvin Assistant Professor Submitted by NADEEM NAFIS – 4119044 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 2 Adulteration runs rampant in the country. Dangers lurk in every food items. From vegetables, fish, milk, fruit, sweetmeats, ice cream, to spices, nothing is safe. Packaged and bottled drinks, both locally produced and imported, with harmful ingredients and chemicals are being sold in the market. Many of the dry food items available in the market are being produced in bewildering unhygienic locations.Oblivious of the dangers lurking in the everyday food items, parents now ask their children to eat foods that contain vitamins, iron and calcium. Though there is a law but still no effect or it is ineffective. However in doing this report I feel luck to aware myself and eventually it will give me knowledge to make aware others people around me. I would like to g ive a big thanks to Shehely Parvin, Assistant professor of Department of Marketing, University of Dhaka and course teacher of MKT-510- Business Environment. This course made me to undertake the responsibility of preparing a project on â€Å"Implications of pure food act in Bangladesh†.This report is required as a part of fulfilling the objectives of a project course (MKT-510) Nadeem Nafis 41119044 MKT-510 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Food adulteration in the country has assumed alarming proportions. Experts in medical biology point out that consumption of adulterated food affects people with kidney dysfunction, diabetes and cardiac problems. They further point out that one of the important reasons for infertility is the presence of residues of pesticides, growth hormones, heavy metals and mycotoxins in our food. The main reason for this is that our farmers are not properly trained in the use of chemical fertilisers.Absence of effluent treatment plants on one hand (ETP) and lack of train ing of the farmers, the factory wastes, fertiliser and pesticide residues are drained out at will into the farmlands, ultimately contaminating the farm at large. A study by the Institute of Public health revealed that more than 50% food samples including water which they had tested were adulterated. According to D. G. , BSTI the production of contaminated drinking water has been increasing in the country. BSTI revealed that about 1,000 drinking water factories exist in the country, only 400 of which have licenses from the BSTI.Bottlers of drinking water factories have mushroomed with little regard to compliance of standard or BSTI license. Despite BSTI cancelling the licenses of 139 bottling factories in the last 18 months, there has been no news in setting up new factories in new locations. The result: Children and aged people are facing constant threat of diseases even with the bottled water produced by these factories. Textile dyes are being randomly used to colour sweetmeats lik e kalojam, chamcam, pantua cakes and pastries. Urea fertiliser is used for whitening puffed rice.A section of factory owners, through use of other low quality oil and mustard colour, continue to market mustard oil. Sadly, in most cases they are using allyl isothiocyanate to give off a mustard oil extra bite. 3 MKT-510 When the import of soyabean oil becomes uncertain or the price shoots up globally, the local market manipulators resort to dishonest means. Unscrupulous millers resort to mixing soyabean oil with poor quality palm oil or super oil. In the domain of fruits and vegetables there prevails a total anarchy. Gullible consumers are buying fruits, locally produced or imported, from malls not realising what they are bargaining for.Many people in the country have stopped buying fruits, especially mangoes from the city markets after watching the destruction of formalin and ethofen-laced mangoes and grapes by the mobile courts on TV. Papya and bananas are artificially ripened by ch emicals like ethylene oxide and formalin. Experts in medical biology point out that ethylene oxide is carcinogenic and when used over food might invite a disaster. The key findings of the EPA study group suggest that many children may develop cancer sometime during their lifetime as a result of the pesticide or toxic-laden products they consume.The test conducted by BSTI-run mobile courts on fruit samples like mango, banana, lichis and jackfruit collected from Badamtali, Amin bazaar and Karwan bazar show the presence of formalin and ethofen, which in the short term will cause diarrhea, food poisoning and gastrointestinal disorder but in the long-term will accumulate to serious health implications. Fish is considered an essential protein for people of all categories and ages. Many fish sellers spray fish with formalin (formaldehyde gas mixed with methyl alcohol), an organic chemical, usually used for preserving tissues.It makes the fish appear stiff and fresh for a longer period of t ime. Regular intake of such adulterated fish and vegetables might cause cancer. The month of Ramadan will bring more such woes for Muslims because of the excessive fried items sold for a month. A section of restaurant owners use refined engine oil to fry chickens, kabab, peaju and potato crisps. Engine oil used as cooking ingredient makes food tasty, claim a section of the restaurant 4 MKT-510 owners. Defying health department regulations, many restaurant owners and street vendors use leftover cooking oil.This increases the peroxide limit of the oil, turning it toxic. The NRDC report goes on to charge that the governments of the countries surveyed are failing to adequately protect the youngsters from such dangers. Given the fact that children are consuming toxic food, they are likely to be more vulnerable than adults. Their organs may not be as efficient in removing toxic chemicals. In Bangladesh, we have allowed both pollution and food contamination to run riot. No agency other tha n BSTI has conducted any examination of the pesticide-residue levels or toxic chemicals in the food market.With a totally inefficient monitoring system, just having tough laws is not enough to keep unscrupulous traders from tampering with food items. BSTI sources revealed that it conducted 1,039 mobile courts across the country in seven months from July last year to February this year and detected rampant malpractice and adulteration in the food production centres. Some Tk. 23. 8 million were realised as fine during the drives while 1,086 cases were filed and 66 people were sent to jail. According to DG, BSTI, adulteration problem could be controlled easily if the DCC performed its job properly.The DCC is supposed to do so instead of BSTI.. DCC have their own magistrates while BSTI has to hire magistrates from the district administration. Despite the Pure Food Ordinance 2005, there was hardly any effort to enforce it. Even when the country's apex court issued orders again in 2009 fo r setting up food court and one food testing centre in every district, no effort was taken to implement it. With 50million people in the country known to be afflicted with complicated diseases by taking adulterated food, the administration has got to be scary.Given the political will, it is not very difficult to control this nefarious business by a handful of traders out to kill people slowly through poison; simply for minting money. 5 MKT-510 God forbid! What will happen if one of their near relations get affected with some deadly diseases by taking such adulterated food? 6 MKT-510 CONTENTS Description Page 9 9 10 11 12 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 23 27 29 30 30 30 7 1 1. 1 1. 2 Introduction Background of the report Scope of the report 2 2. 1 2. 1. 1 2. 1. 2 2. 1. 3 2. 1. 4 2. 1. 5 2. 2 Food safety: A public health priorityMajor issues in food safety Microbiological hazards Chemical hazards Surveillance of food borne dieses New technologies Capacity building Importance of food safet y 3 3. 1 3. 1. 1 3. 1. 2 3. 1. 3 3. 1. 4 Food safety & quality control framework in Bangladesh Laws , regulations & standards Laws & regulations Bangladesh pure food ordinance, 2005 in detail Analysis of food Bangladesh food standards 4 4. 1 4. 1. 1 Implications of pure food act in Bangladesh Using chemicals & industrial dyes to look food fresh & tasty Arsenic phosphorous & the carbide produces acetylene gasMKT-510 4. 1. 2 4. 1. 3 4. 1. 4 4. 1. 5 4. 1. 6 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 Fish in kitchen market are stored in formaldehyde Condense milk Sulphuric acid & industrial dyes Formaldehyde Do you have formaldehyde related symptoms? Adulterated food The drive against adulterate food Laboratory analysis of food 31 32 34 35 36 38 40 42 44 44 46 47 48 50 8 5 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 Implementation of food ordinance Administration & inspection Efforts by NGO’s WHO/FAO supported food safety program in Bangladesh 6 7 Conclusion & Recommendations References MKT-510 1. INTRODUCTION 1. Background of the Repo rt 9 Food safety legislation should be developed and updated taking into consideration specific needs of consumers and food producers, development in technology, emerging hazards, changing consumer demands and new requirements for trade, harmonization with international and regional standards, obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, as well as social, religious and cultural habits. The implementation of food safety legislation throughout the food chain is essential in establishing an effective food safety system.Effective national food control systems are essential to protect the health and safety of domestic consumers. They are also critical in enabling countries to assure the safety and quality of their foods entering international trade and to ensure that imported foods conform to national requirements. The new global environment for food trade places considerable obligations on both importing and exporting countries to strengthen their food control syste ms and to implement and enforce risk-based food control strategiesThe pure Food Act 2005 is the Bangladeshi food legislations that form the backbone of the food safety programme. The objective of the pure Food Act 2005 is to ensure that the public is protected from health hazards and fraud in the preparation, sale and use of foods and for matters connected therewith. MKT-510 1. 2 Scope of the report There are numerous types of implications are now occurring against pure food act of Bangladesh but we are unable to depict all of these fields of events. However in this report the major concerns are delicately depicted.Again due to time, information & synchronization stricture all details are not fully exposed. But in general if one goes through this report then he/she will find very interesting & can learn the impact not only on our society but also on the rest of the world. 10 1. 3 Objective of the Study This report has an objective to study, measure and analyze the implication, imple mentation & performance of Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 2005. This report has divided into five major chapters, mainly focuses on 1. To know about Pure food act of Bangladesh 2. Implications of pure act in Bangladesh 3.Recommendations for proper implementation of pure food act MKT-510 2. FOOD SAFETY: A PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY Safe food contributes to health and productivity and provides an effective platform for development and poverty alleviation. People are becoming increasingly concerned about the health risks posed by microbial pathogens and potentially hazardous chemicals in food. Up to one-third of the populations of developed countries are affected by food borne illness each year, and the problem is likely to be even more widespread in developing countries.The poor are the most susceptible to ill-health. Food and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases, for example, are leading causes of illness and death in less developed countries, killing an estimated 2. 2 million people annually , most of whom are children. 11 Diarrhoea is the most common symptom of food borne illness, but other serious consequences include kidney and liver failure, brain and neural disorders, and death. Food safety refers to the potential hazards associated with food that can cause ill-health in humans.Certain of these hazards are naturally-occurring (for example aflatoxins in groundnuts), whilst others occur through contamination (for example pesticide residues in fruit). The potential hazards associated with food include the following (Unnevehr and Hirschhorn, 2000; WHO, 2002a): Food safety is of particular concern in a developing country context not only because of the high prevalence of food-borne illness and other hazards associated with food, but also because of the considerable economic and social costs that, in turn, reflect prevailing levels of economic development. MKT-510 2. MAJOR ISSUES IN FOOD SAFETY Food borne illness can be caused by microbiological, chemical or physical haz ards. The nature and extent of these risks are being elucidated by an increasing body of scientific data, although several areas of information gathering, such as the surveillance of food borne illness, need to be strengthened. There is also mounting concern about new technologies and especially the introduction of genetically modified organisms into the food supply. 12 2. 1. 1 Microbiological hazards Food borne illness caused by microorganisms is a large and growing public health problem.Most countries with systems for reporting cases of food borne illness have documented significant increases over the past few decades in the incidence of diseases caused by microorganisms in food, including pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, and parasites such as cryptosporidium, cryptospora, trematodes. Approximately 1. 8 million children in developing countries (excluding China) died from diarrhoeal disease in 1998, caused by microbiologica l agents, mostly originating from food and water.One person in three in industrialized countries may be affected by food borne illness each year. In the USA, some 76 million cases of food borne illness, resulting in 3,25,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to occur each year. There are only limited data on the economic consequences of food contamination and food borne disease. In studies in the USA in 1995, it was estimated that the annual cost of the 3. 3–12 million cases of food borne illness caused by seven pathogens was US $6. 5–35 billion.The medical costs and the value of the lives lost during just five food borne outbreaks in England and Wales in 1996 were estimated at UK? 300–700 million. The cost of the estimated 11 500 daily cases of food poisoning in Australia was calculated at AU$ 2. 6 billion annually. The increased incidence of food borne disease due to microbiological hazards is the result of a multiplicity of factors, all associa ted with our fast-changing world. Demographic profiles are MKT-510 being altered, with increasing proportions of people who are more susceptible to microorganisms in food.Changes in farm practices, more extensive food distribution systems and the increasing preference for meat and poultry in developing countries all have the potential to increase the incidence of food borne illness. Extensive food distribution systems raise the potential for rapid, widespread distribution of contaminated food products. Changes in food production result in new types of food that may harbor less common pathogens. Intensive animal husbandry technologies, introduced to minimize production costs, have led to the emergence of new zoonotic diseases, which affect humans.Safe disposal of manure from large-scale animal and poultry production facilities is a growing food safety problem in much of the world, as manure frequently contains pathogens. Changes in eating patterns, such as a preference for fresh and minimally processed foods, the increasingly longer interval between processing and consumption of foods and the increasing prevalence of eating food prepared outside the home all contribute to the increased incidences of food borne illness ascribed to microbiological organisms. The emergence of new pathogens and Pathogens not previously associated with food are a major public health concern.E. coli O157:H7 was identified for the first time in 1979 and has subsequently caused illness and deaths (especially among children) owing to its presence in ground beef, unpasteurized apple cider, milk, lettuce, alfalfa and other sprouts, and drinking-water in several countries. Salmonella typhimurium DT104 has developed resistance to five commonly prescribed antibiotics and is a major concern in many countries because of its rapid spread during the 1990s. These changes in microbiological hazards in foods have been recognized by the World Health Assembly and by Codex.The 22nd session of the Code x Alimentarius Commission and the 45th Codex Executive Committee requested FAO and WHO to convene an international expert advisory body similar to the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) on the microbiological aspects of food safety to address in particular microbiological risk assessment. The results of these risk assessments will provide the scientific basis for measures to reduce illness from microbiological hazards in foods. 13 MKT-510Effective management of microbiological hazards is enhanced through the use of tools such as Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems. Sound microbiological risk assessment provides an understanding of the nature of the hazard, and is a tool to set priorities for interventions. HACCP is a tool for process control through the identification of critical control points. The ultimate goal is improvement of public health, and both MRA and HACCP are means to that end. 14 2. 1. 2 Chemical hazardsChemicals are a significant source of foodborne illness, although effects are often difficult to link with a particular food. Chemical contaminants in food include natural toxicants such as mycotoxins and marine toxins, environmental contaminants such as mercury, lead, radionuclides and dioxins, and naturally occurring chemicals in plants, such as glycoalkaloids in potatoes. Food additives and nutrients such as vitamins and essential minerals, pesticide and veterinary drug residues are deliberately used to increase or improve the food supply, but assurance must first be obtained that all such uses are safe.Chemical contamination of food can affect health after a single exposure or, more often, after longterm exposure; however, the health consequences of exposure to chemicals in food are often inadequately understood. While assessments of the risks associated with exposure to pesticides, veterinary drugs and food additiv es are usually supported by extensive information, fewer data are available on the toxicology of contaminants in food. New understanding of the potential for chemicals to affect the immune, endocrine and developing nervous systems should continue to be incorporated into hazard characterizations of chemicals in food.Risk assessments must take into account the potential risks of sensitive population groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. They must also address concern about cumulative, lowlevel exposure to multiple chemicals. Testing procedures and other methods of assessment for adequate evaluation of these potential risks are being developed and validated. Estimates of the exposure of specific subpopulations are often hampered by inadequate data on dietary intake and on levels of contamination of food.This lack of information is exacerbated in developing countries, where MKT-510 little reliable information is available on the exposure of their populations to chemic als in food. Public awareness about chemicals in food is relatively high, and consumers continue to express concern about the risks to health due to the deliberate addition of chemicals to food. Increasing concern is also being expressed about the introduction of contaminants into the food chain from industrial pollution of the environment.Recognition that some pesticide residues and other chemicals may affect the hormonal system has further heightened public concern about persistant organic pollutants (POPs). The challenges for risk assessment of chemicals include consideration of susceptible populations such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, cumulative low-level exposure to multiple chemicals and effects on fetal neural development. Work is needed to develop and validate methods to evaluate these potential risks adequately.The Global Environment Monitoring System – Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment Programme (GEMS/Food) database should be expanded to i nclude more countries and more comprehensive data on the food intake of subpopulations and on the concentrations of contaminants in food commodities. Improved risk assessments with minimized uncertainty will provide a better, more acceptable basis for international and national standard setting and reduce concern about the safety of food. 15 2. 1. 3 Surveillance of food borne disease Outbreaks of foodborne disease attract media attention and raise consumer concern.However, cases of foodborne illness occur daily in all countries, from the most to the least developed. As most of these cases are not reported, the true dimension of the problem is unknown, and efforts to secure the resources and support necessary for the identification and implementation of effective solutions often fail. Effective control of foodborne disease must be based on evaluated information about foodborne hazards and the incidence of foodborne disease. Development of a strategy to reduce foodrelated risks requir es knowledge about the current levels of foodborne disease in Member States.It must also be based on an appreciation of the targets and time-frame for improving food safety. This should be an on-going process, in which new targets are set when old ones are achieved, and progress should be monitored continuously in targeted surveys. MKT-510 The absence of reliable data on the burden of foodborne disease impedes understanding about its public health importance and prevents the development of risk-based solutions to its management. Innovative strategies and methods are needed for surveying foodborne disease and food contamination.A laboratory-based surveillance system should be based on sentinel sites and regional and/or international laboratory networks. A necessary prerequisite for risk-based strategies based on optimized surveys is an interdisciplinary approach involving strong collaboration among all sectors dealing with foodborne disease surveillance and food safety in the health sector. 16 2. 1. 4 New Technologies New technologies, such as genetic engineering, irradiation of food, ohmic heating and modified atmosphere packaging, can be used to increase agricultural production, extend shelf life or make food safer.Their potential benefit for public health is great: for example, genetic engineering of plants has the potential to increase the nutrient content of foods, decrease their allergenicity and improve the efficiency of food production. However, the potential public health effects of these technologies have raised concern globally during the past decade. Some new technologies benefit the health and economy of communities and contribute to sustainable development. However, countries should be provided with the results of objective, rigorous assessments of the potential risks associated with these technologies before being asked to accept them.Moreover, countries should be assisted in developing capacities to evaluate such results. The basis for the safet y assessments should be easy to understand and well communicated, so that the public can be involved at the early stages of this process. The evaluation should be based on internationally agreed principles that include factors other than considerations of safety and risk, such as (health) benefits, socioeconomic factors, ethical issues and environmental assessments.These considerations should be developed with other WHO partners such as FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank. MKT-510 2. 1. 5 Capacity building Most developed countries continue to expand the capacity to protect their populations from exposure to unacceptable levels of microorganisms and chemicals in food. Public awareness of the risks involved is relatively high in these countries, and many governments have made clear commitments to improve food safety.Developing countries have many competing priorities in their health agendas, and food safety has not, in the past, been recognized as a vital public health issue. However, it is becoming clear that foodborne disease has a significant impact on health. The globalization of the food trade and the development of international food standards have also raised awareness of food safety in developing countries. Placing food safety on the political agenda is the first vital step in reducing foodborne illness. The consumption of locally produced food is more common in developing countries.Fewer processed and packaged foods are available, large volumes of fresh food are traded in traditional markets, and food eaten outside the home is typically prepared by street vendors. Most of the concern for food safety is related to inappropriate use of agricultural chemicals, poor storage of food, an absence of food inspection, lack of infrastructure such as potable water and adequate refrigeration and lack of awareness about food safety and hygiene. Many developing coun tries are poorly equipped to respond to existing and emerging food safety problems.They lack technical and financial resources, an effective institutional framework, trained manpower and sufficient information about the hazards and risks involved. The risks are especially great in countries where low national income coincides with rapid industrial and agricultural development. 17 MKT-510 2. 2 Importance of Food Safety †¢ Food safety and sanitation are considered to be a key issue to ensure overall food security in Bangladesh. †¢ Food is the major source of human exposure to pathogenic agents, both chemical and biological (viruses, parasites, bacteria), from which no individual is spared.The importance of food safety stems from: (1) food being the primary mode of transmission of infectious disease; (2) the intricate linkage with development- governs individual and community health, national productivity, and promotes export potential & thus earn foreign exchange; (3) emerge d as prominent sources of conflict in international agricultural trade. 18 †¢ Biotechnology has raised some food safety concerns as new scientific methods to assess the safety of food derived from biotechnology have yet to be developed and agreed upon internationally. †¢ †¢In Bangladesh ;90 % tube wells of 61 districts (out of 64) are contaminated with arsenic. Urban population are gradually shifting from cereal-based diets and would likely generate a demand for fish, livestock, horticultural, forest produce as well as processed items, in turn necessitating safety load of associated transport, storage and marketing infrastructure. MKT-510 3. Food Safety and Quality Control Framework in Bangladesh 19 Bangladesh has achieved a significant progress in health & nutrition of the people. In spite of this progress, still the infant mortality rate is 51/1000 and maternal mortality ratio is 3/1000 livebirths.Some one third of the children born with low birth weight and only 11 . 5 % of preschool age children are nutritionally normal. ‘Diarrhoeal diseases' is one of the major public health problems in the country. Some two third of these diarrhoeal diseases are food and water borne. At present, more than 30 million people are facing arsenic problem in drinking water and some 70-80 million people are threatened with the problem. Bangladesh is yet to develop a unified Food Safety Administration System and to formulate a Food Safety Policy.But it has a National Food and Nutrition Policy where attention has been given on food safety. There are significant activities in food safety and quality control are going on in the country. A number of Ministries, Departments and Agencies are involved in these activities with a major responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) which has a unique infrastructure to deliver its services throughout the country. Under this Ministry, Management Information System on food safety and food borne illne sses is some extent integrated with the Primary Health Care Programme.It may be mentioned here Bangladesh has signed the WTO Agreement. In Bangladesh, the food safety and quality control framework consists of Laws, Regulations & Standards, Administration & Inspection and Laboratory analytical services. MKT-510 3. 1 LAWS, REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS 3. 1. 1 LAWS AND REGULATIONS 20 (a) The Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 1959: This is an ordinance to provide better control of the manufacture and sale of food for human consumption. Now, this Ordinance is under revision as ‘The Bangladesh Pure Food (Amendment) Act, 2004. Under this Act, it has been proposed to constitute aNational Food Safety Council ‘headed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as well as to establish Food Courts. (b) The Bangladesh Pure Food Rules, 1967:. In this Rule, there are generic standards for 107 food products. Now, this ‘Rules' is under revision. (c) The Special Power Act, 1974 (Act No XIV of 1974-as modified up to the 31st July, 1978): An Act to provide special measures for the prevention of certain prejudicial activities, for more speedy trial and effective punishment of certain grave offences. (d) The Food Grain Supply (Prevention of Prejudicial activity) Ordinance, 1956 (Ord. xvi of 1979): This ordinance provides special measures for prevention of prejudicial activity relating to the storage, movement, transshipment, supply and distribution of food grains. It provides basis for the protection of false statement or information. (e) The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Ordinance, 1985: This ordinance is to establish an Institution for standardization, testing, metrology, quality control, grading and marking of goods. Within the framework of this ordinance, Government has established the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).One import task is to certify the quality of commodities, materials, whether for local consumption, export and imp ort. The Ordinance has been amended as The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (Amendment) Act, 2003. Currently, BSTI is developing a ‘Policy on Labelling'. BSTI is the Codex Focal Point for Bangladesh. MKT-510 (f) The Radiation Protection Act, 1987: Under this Act, the Institute of Food and Radiation Biology (IFRB) of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission is primarily involved in food irradiation research and development in the country. g) The Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Act, 1989: The Government has enacted â€Å"The Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Act, 1989 for universal salt iodisation & banned noniodised salt from market, aimed at virtual elimination of IDD from the country. (h) The Essential Commodity Act, 1990: The purpose of administering this act is to stable, maintain or increase supply of essential commodities including foodstuffs. The mandate of Essential Commodity Act also includes broad spectrum of broad spectrum of activities like stora ge, transport, distribution, disposal, acquisition, use or consumption of any essential commodity. i) Fish and Fish product (Inspection and Quality Control) Rules, 1997: This section of the Fish and Fish products (Inspection and Control) Ordinance 1983 (Ord xx of 1983) and in conjunction with fish and fish products Inspection and Quality Rules 1989, and other related provisions made there under, the Government has made the Rules: Fish and Fish product (Inspection and Quality Control) Rules, 1997. These Rules are basically meant to develop quality improvement to promote export of trade. The quality control of fish and fish products in the country has earned reputation of the importing countries. j) Laws and Regulations: In addition, a number of other Laws and Regulations are existed in the country to ensure the safe and quality food viz. The Animal Slaughter (Restriction) and Meat Control (Amendment) Ordinance,1983 (it is under revision);The Pesticide Ordinance,1971 & the Pesticides Rules,1985;Destructive Insects and Pests Rules (Plant Quarantine),1966,amended up to 1989;Agricultural Products Market Act,1950 (revised in 1985);Fish Protection and Conservation Act,1950 (amended in 1995);Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983 and 21 Rules,1983;Procuremnet Specifications, Ministry of Food, Rice Mill Control Order etc.To protect the consumers rights and privileges a new Act i. e. Consumers' Protection Act, 2004 is to be passed soon. There are also a number of policies i. e. Bangladesh Food and Nutrition Policy, MKT-510 1997 and National Plan of Action on Nutrition, National Agricultural Policy, 1999; Integrated Pest Management Policy, 2002 etc are linked with the country's food safety and quality control. (h) Pure Food Act, 2005: Finding huge irregularities and unhygienic situation in the food sectors, the government has formulated a new law, the Pure Food Act, 2005. 2 MKT-510 3. 1. 2 Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 2005 in Details Manufacture and Sale of food Provisions r egarding manufacture and sale of Food 23 1. Prohibition of manufacture or sale of food not of proper nature, substance or quality (1) No person shall directly or indirectly (a) Manufacture or sell any article of food which is adulterated, or (b) Sell to the prejudice of the purchaser any article of food which is not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the purchaser. 2) An offence shall not be deemed to have been committed if the article of food contains the normal constituents and if any innocuous substance or ingredient has been added thereto, if such substance or ingredient (i) is required for the production or preparation of such article as an article of commerce in a condition fit for carriage or consumption, and (ii) is not so added fraudulently to increase the bulk weight or measure, or to conceal the inferior quality, of such article: Provided that the admixture of such substance or ingredient does not render such article to be injurious to health; . Prohibition o f sale or use of poisonous or dangerous chemicals, intoxicated food colour, etc No person shall directly or indirectly sale any food in which poisonous or dangerous chemicals or ingredients or additives or substances like calcium carbide, formalin, pesticides [DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane ), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl oil) etc. or intoxicated food colour or flavouring matter has been used in any food which may cause injury to human body. . Prohibition of manufacture or sale of food not of proper standard of purity No person shall, directly or indirectly manufacture or sell any milk, butter, ghee, wheat flour (that is to say, maida, atta or suji) or mustard or any other rape seed oil, or any other article of food which are not of proper standard of purity. MKT-510 Standard of purity of milk or skimmed milk or condensed milk or sterilized ilk or desiccated milk (1) In the case of milk other than skimmed, condensed, sterilized or desiccated milk,(a) the species of animal from which the milk is derived shall be specified by the seller in such manner as the local authority may direct by general or special order in this behalf;(b) the article sold shall be the normal, clean and fresh secretion obtained by the complete milking of the udder of a healthy animal of the species specified, not earlier than seven days after the calving and freeing of the colostrums of such animal; and (c) the article sold shall, whether such secretion has been processed or not, be an article from which no ingredient has been extracted and to which no water or other substance (including any preservative) has been added and which contains the normal constituents prescribed under clause (a) or sub-section (1) of section 5. 24 2) In the case of skimmed milk,(a) The container shall be labelled and marked in such manner as may be prescribed; (b) The article sold shall contain such proportion of the constituents of milk as maybe prescribed; and (c) The place at which such article is sold shall be specified by the seller in such manner as the local authority may direct by general or special order in this behalf. (3) In the case of condensed, sterilized or desiccated milk,(a) The container shall be hermetically closed, labelled and marked in such manner as may be prescribed; and (b) The article manufactured or sold, as the case may be, shall contain such proportion of the constituents of milk as may be prescribed. Standard of purity of butter In the case of butter, the article manufactured or sold, as the case may be, shall be exclusively derived from the milk or cream (other than skimmed, condensed, sterilized or desiccated milk or cream) of a cow MKT-510 or buffalo or both, and may be with or without salt and with or without the ddition of any innocuous colouring matter, and shall not contain a greater proportion of water than may be prescribed. Standard of purity of ghee In the case of ghee (that is to say, clarified milk fat), the article manufactured or sol d, as the case may be, shall contain only substances (other than curds) which are prepared exclusively from the milk of cows or buffaloes or both, and shall fulfil such other conditions as may be prescribed. 25 Standard of purity of wheat flour In the case of wheat flour (that is to say, maida, atta or suji), the article manufactured or sold, as the case may be, shall contain only substances which are derived exclusively from wheat, and shall fulfill such other conditions as may be prescribed.Standard of purity of mustard or any other rape seed oil In the case of mustard or any other rape seed oil, the article manufactured or sold, as the case may be, shall be derived exclusively from mustard or any other rapeseed, as the case may be, and shall fulfill such other conditions as may be prescribed. 5. Prohibition of manufacture or sale of anything similar to or resembling an article of food No person shall, directly or indirectly and whether by himself or by any other person acting on his behalf, manufacture or sell anything similar to or resembling an article of food notified or under any name which so resembles the ordinary name of such article of food as to be likely to deceive the public or which is in any way calculated to mislead the public as to the nature, substance or quality of that thing. 6.Prohibition of keeping adulterants in places where food is manufactured or sold A person cannot keep or sell adulterants near the premises of manufacturing process of food. If any kind of adulterants is found near a food premise or shop then the owner will be accused for breaking the law if the contrary cannot be proven. No person shall keep Guzi (niger seed) in any manufactory or shop. No person shall keep any quantity of white oil except under a license granted by a local authority. MKT-510 7. Prohibition of sale of diseased animals and unwholesome food intended for human consumption No person shall sell for human consumption any living thing which is diseased or unsound or sell or manufacture any other article of food intended for human consumption which is unwholesome or unfit for human consumption. 26 8.Prohibition of use of false labels No person shall, directly or indirectly use labels which falsely describes that the article is to mislead as to its nature, substance or quality. 9. Registration of certain premises The premises used for manufacturing, storing or selling food must be registered from authorized body. 10. Special provisions for seller of Ice cream and some other food The manufacturer and seller of certain dry food such as ice cream, ice, pickles, sweets, cake, biscuits, bread, flour, pulses etc must clearly write their address on the signboard and the transport the use to delivery. Prohibition of the keeping of bread-stuffs, etc, otherwise than in covered receptacles.No milk, bread-stuffs, cake, pastry, sweetmeats, confectionery or other article of food intended or commonly used for human consumption without further prepara tion by cooking shall be sold, exposed or kept or hawked about or stored for sale unless they be kept properly covered or otherwise guarded to the satisfaction of the local authority, so that they shall be protected from dust, dirt and flies 11. Certain diseased person not to manufacture, sell or touch food No person, who is suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis or any other disease which may be notified by the Government in this behalf, shall manufacture or sell any article of food, or will fully touch any such article which is for sale by any other person. MKT-510 3. 1. 3 ANALYSIS OF FOODProvisions regarding analysis of food 1. Right of purchaser to have article of food analyzed or otherwise examined A person who has purchased any article of food shall, on payment of such fee as may be prescribed, be entitled to have a sample of such article analyzed or otherwise examined by the public analyst appointed for the area in which the purchase was made, and to receive from such public an alyst a certificate in the form provided in the Schedule, specifying the result of the analysis or examination. 27 2. Providing samples for examination is obligatory Any Gov’t nominated person can order the buyer to sell certain products to him for the purpose of examination.He can also ask for the sample of the products to be kept for sale or transport or store. 3. Procedure for obtaining analysis or examination A person who intends to have analyzed or otherwise examined a sample shall-(1) forthwith notify in writing his intention to the person who sold or surrendered the sample;(2) divide the sample into three parts, and mark, seal or fasten each part †¢ One part to the person who sold the sample, or †¢ One part to the consignor, whose name and address appear on the container of the article, †¢ One part for purposes of future comparison; and(3) thereafter submit within seven days one part to the public analyst appointed for the area in which the sample was so ld or surrendered. 4.Duty of public analyst to supply certificate of analysis Every public analyst to whom a sample has been submitted for analysis or bacteriological or other examination shall(a) Analyze or examine such sample or cause such sample to be analyzed or examined; (b) not later than 14 days[ seven days in normal case and two days in case of emergency after the date on which he receives the sample, deliver to the person submitting it a certificate specifying the result of the analysis or examination, (c) Send a copy of the certificate to the local authority concerned. MKT-510 Provisions regarding inspection and seizure of food 1. Appointment of Inspector A person can be appointed as an inspector by the Gov’t or Gov’t monitor local authority. 28 2.Right to enter premises A person authorized, or an Inspector appointed, have the right to enter any premises at any hour of the day or night excluding the hours between midnight and day break. 3. Production of books , vouchers and accounts A person authorized, or an Inspector appointed, may by written notice require any person carrying on the trade or business in, or manufacturing or selling, any article of food, to produce before him for inspection all books, vouchers, accounts and other documents relating to such trade, business, manufacture or sale and every person on whom such notice is served shall comply with such requisition. 4. Power to seize food believed to be adulterated. The nominated person can inspect and examine the food any time (except midnight to dawn) and seize food believed to be adulterated 5.Destruction of seized living things and food The nominated person in front of two witnesses and with the written acknowledgement of the owner will destruct the seized food products MKT-510 3. 1. 4 Bangladesh Food Standards a. Under the Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 and the Bangladesh Pure Food Rules, 1967, there are 107 different generic, mandatory food standards. b. BSTI is the Standardisation body in the country. There are 50 mandatory generic food standards of BSTI. In addition, there are some 250 optional standards for different foodstuff. BSTI is also adopting Codex standards. 29 MKT-510 4. IMPLICATIONS OF PURE FOOD ACT IN BANGLADESH 4. 1 Using chemicals and industrial dyes to look food fresh and tasty The bananas arrive at Sadarghat before first light.One by one the trucks roar into the crammed Ahsanullah Road that charts the banks of the Buriganga river on Dhaka’s southern edge. The bananas, piled high in the hold, are offloaded into the numerous warehouses that line the streets. As the sky lightens up, the cargo is more visible. They are a deep green in colour and bitter to the taste. But by that same afternoon, miraculously, these same bananas will be bright yellow and sweet. As the trucks pull away an army of workers, spray-cans on their shoulders enter the warehouses and start spraying the fruits stacked on the floor. ‘It is a medic ine that helps the banana ripen better and get a nice yellow colour,’ says one local wholesaler. 30 4. 1. Arsenic phosphorous and the carbide produces acetylene gas The chemical, it turns out, is Calcium Carbide, and is extremely hazardous to the human body because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous. Once dissolved in water, the carbide produces acetylene gas. Acetylene gas is an analogue of the natural ripening agents produced by fruits known as ethylene. Acetylene imitates the ethylene and quickens the ripening process. In some cases it is only the skin that changes colour, while the fruit itself remains green and raw. When the carbide is used on very raw fruit, the amount of the chemical needed to ripen the fruit has to be increased. This results in the fruit becoming even more tasteless, and possibly toxic. We don’t know what the name of the chemical is but it works like magic,’ he says. Just go to one of the pharmacies in the Dhaka Medical Colleg e area and ask for medicine to ripe bananas,’ he adds. Visits to the neighbouring warehouses reveal that scores of banana wholesalers are MKT-510 using this same technique to transform cheaply bought unripe banana into a golden cargo, going on to supply it to Dhaka’s ever-growing appetite for sweeter, riper and bigger. Later in the morning, we visit one of the pharmacies in the DMCH area. They won’t say what the chemical is but sure enough, it is cheap and widely available. The chemical, it turns out, is Calcium Carbide, and is extremely hazardous to the human body because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous. 31 4. 1. Fish in kitchen markets are stored in formaldehyde (used to preserve dead-bodies) The chemical fertiliser urea is used in our rice to make it whiter, fish in kitchen markets are stored in formaldehyde (used to preserve dead-bodies) to keep them fresh-looking, colours and sweeteners are injected into fruits, and Recent studies by the Food and Nutrition Institute, University of Dhaka, have also found Escherichia coli (E-coli), Salmonella, and Shigella bacteria in restaurant food and street food in the city. Eating contaminated food may cause diarrhoea, dysentery and other diseases. ‘Finding bacteria is very common in the restaurant foods. But the more alarming thing is that the restaurant owners do not throw out the leftover oil from everyday cooking, using the same oil the next day. As a result the peroxide value of the oil increases and it becomes toxic ultimately (CAB) — Bangladesh’s only consumer rights group — confirms that wholesalers do indeed use urea fertiliser in rice to make it whiter.Comsumers who eat husk paddle processed rice (red rice) will also find themselves cheated, as artificially colored rice is also available in the market, say members of the watchdog. This is common knowledge, they say. ‘While the rice is being processed, they use urea fertilizer in the rice to m ake it look more attractive, thus increasing its sale value,’ said Miftaur Rahman, a local rice dealer in Kawran Bazar, who claims his products are clean. Most of the red chilli powder used in the market is adulterated – in most cases the spices are mixed with brick dust. Fine sawdust is also often mixed with cumin and other ground spices, say MKT-510 CAB members.Honey is also frequently adulterated, as lab tests have found sugar syrup is often mixed with honey to enhance the sweetness. Nowadays, pure butter oil and ghee are also very rare in the market. Dishonest traders use a host of ingredients such as animal fat, palm oil, potato mash, and vegetable oil to produce fake butter oil. They even mix soap ingredients like steirian oil with ghee, to increase the proportions. 32 Rasogolla, kalojaam, and chamcham are the essential delicacies for all festivals in Bengali culture. But food and sanitation officers from the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) say most of these mouthwa tering sweetmeats, despite looking attractive in the shop displays, are made with adulterated ingredients and produced in a filthy environment.In a survey conducted by DCC officials found that 100 percent of examined samples of Rasogolla, kalojaam, curds, and sandesh were adulterated. Bangladesh’s Pure Food Ordinance (1959) states that at least 10 per cent milk fat is mandatory in sweetmeat. But in most cases, the percentage of milk fat is not more than five per cent. 4. 1. 3 Condensed milk Three years after it first emerged that condensed milk produced by Bangladeshi manufacturers contained little or no milk and was in fact condensed vegetable fat, the companies are continuing to supply their spurious product to the market on the strength of a High Court stay order on legal action against them. Brands like Starship, Danish, Goalini and Kwality are mostly producing condensed milk, which do not satisfy the ‘BDS 896: 1979’ code of the Bangladesh Standard and Testin g Institute (BSTI),’ said Shamsuzzoha, Information officer of Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh Bangladesh’s only consumer rights group. From the test conducted by the Public Health Institute, it was found that these two brands have a bacterial count level of 76,000 and 25,000, respectively,’ he said. The maximum count of bacteria in a gram of condensed milk is 10,000. ‘Despite the numerous test results, these brands continue to sell their adulterated products taking advantage of the fact that authorities tend to avoid their responsibilities at investigating such products and taking measures in ensuring MKT-510 consumer rights,’ he says.He explains that the ‘BDS 896:1979’ quality insists the need of actual cattle milk be condensed, mixed with sugar, then packaged and sold as condensed milk. According to the criteria, condensed milk should have a composition of 28 per cent solid milk, 8 per cent fat, 40 per cent sugar, 0. 3 per cent lactic acid and count level below 10,000 bacteria in every gram of the milk. 33 The Milk and Dairy Product section committee of BSTI finalised the BDS standard for condensed milk on May 22, 1979. The quality was designed in accordance with the condensed milk manufacturing procedure discovered first by scientist Gail Borden in 1896. The committee had also kept in mind the necessity of the International Standards Organization (ISO) standards while formulating this particular standard.This standard was later approved by the Agriculture and Food Products Divisional Council of BSTI. ‘These condensed milk lack the basic nourishing factors that natural milk has,’ said Zoha. He explained that natural milk consists of 80 to 90 per cent water. The rest includes protein, saturated fat, vitamin and calcium. ‘The most important element is lactose, a special type of galactose that aids digestion in the human system,’ he explained. The other elements in milk are alb umin, globulin, potassium, sodium, iodine and sulphur. ‘All these elements make the consumption of a litre of milk equivalent to the consumption of 21 eggs, 12 kilograms of beef and 2. 2 kilograms of bread by a human,’ he said. As most of these brands are using vegetable fat and powdered milk to produce condensed milk, consumers are missing out from the consumption of ‘real’ condensed milk,’ he said. In a report published by CAB in December, 1995 it was found that Danish Condensed milk (Bangladesh) imports 125 metric tonne of powdered milk. When tested by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy commission it was found that the radioactivity levels in their milk is much higher than the stipulated limit. The high court verdict was against the sale and production of this powdered milk. ‘We still cannot tell whether the company abided by the high court verdict,’ says one CAB official. Along MKT-510 with powdered milk, the brands are using Hoye powder, water, sugar, artificial colour, flavour and vegetable fat to produce condensed milk.Currently, 7,68,000 cans of condensed milk are sold daily. ‘The daily demand shows the massive consumption of condensed milk and thus the immense health hazard being faced by the nation,’ says one CAB official 34 4. 1. 4 Sulphuric acid and industrial dyes Some sweetmeat makers from rural areas are unaware of the existence of food colouring and use only industrial dyes in their products. The dough makers in different parts of the country put sulphuric acid in hot milk to make it thicken quickly. ‘They first put a paste of ground rice into the milk, followed by sulphuric acid to turn the milk into a thick dough within minutes,’ say DCC officials.In Dhaka City, famous sweetmeats brought from various parts of the country have been selling fast due to well-financed advertisement campaigns. Among these are Porabarir Chamcham, curds from Bogra, Rasogolla from Jessore, monda from M uktagachha, and Rosomalai from Comilla. ‘In most cases, these sweetmeat are not what they seem,’ says Abdullah, a worker at a city sweetmeat outlet. Sources at the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) — the government agency responsible for enforcing standards and issuing permits for the manufacture of processed foods — admit that a wide variety of products such as soybean oil, butter oil and mustard oil are being sold in the market with fake BSTI seals.In recent weeks, laboratory reports have revealed that fruits are ripened artificially using calcium carbide while traces of organo-phosphorus — an insecticide — has been discovered in vegetables in kitchen markets. ‘The nutritional elements that should be in fruits and vegetables, if adulterated with dyes and synthetic colours, are destroyed. Eventually the digestion of those poisonous fruits or vegetables may cause diarrhoea, dysentery and even death,’ says Professo r MKT-510 Sagormoy Barma, a nutritionist at Dhaka University. ‘The long-term impact of eating those foods is cancer,’ Barma warns. Meanwhile children are fast becoming the greatest casualty of the widespread adulteration. If children don’t get the vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables to rebuild tissues, the result could be severe malnutrition says Professor MQK Talukder, a paediatrician at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). ‘The most terrifying thing that can happen for not enriching a child’s body with the right nutritional elements are lack of growth and damage to central nervous system,’ Talukder says. 35 4. 1. 5 Formaldehyde Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling gas. It is an important industrial chemical used to manufacture building materials and to produce many household products.It is used in pressed wood products s uch as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard, glues and adhesives, permanent press fabrics, paper product coatings, and certain insulation materials. In addition, formaldehyde is commonly used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, and as a preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories. In 1987, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure (1). Since that time, some studies of industrial workers have suggested that formaldehyde exposure is associated with nasal cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer, and possibly with leukemia. In 1995, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that formaldehyde is a probable human arcinogen. Several NCI(National Cancer Institute, USA) studies have found that anatomists and embalmers, professions with potential exposure to formaldehyde, are at an increased risk for leukemia and brain cancer comp ared with the general population MKT-510 Mutagenic activity of formaldehyde has been demonstrated in viruses, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella typhimurium and certain strains of yeast, fungi, Drosophila, grasshopper and mammalian cells (Ulsamer et al. , 1984). Formaldehyde has been shown to cause gene mutations, single strand breaks in DNA, DNA-protein crosslinks, sister chromatid exchanges and chromosomal aberrations.Formaldehyde produces in vitro transformation in BALB/c 3T3 mouse cells, BHK21 hamster cells and C3H-10Tl/2 mouse cells, enhances the transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells by SA7 adenovirus, and inhibits DNA repair (Consensus Workshop on Formaldehyde, 1984). 36 When inhaled, acetaldehyde, the closest aldehyde to formaldehyde in structure, causes cancers in the nose and trachea of hamsters, and nasal cancers in rats (EPA,USA, Carcinogenicity Assessment for Lifetime Exposure. Substance Name — Formaldehyde,CASRN — 50-00-0, Last R evised — 05/01/1991. 4. 1. 6 Do You Have Formaldehyde-Related Symptoms? There are several formaldehyde-related symptoms, such as watery eyes, runny nose, burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches and fatigue.These symptoms may also occur because of the common cold, the flu or other pollutants that may be present in the indoor air. If these symptoms lessen when you are away from home or office but reappear upon your return, they may be caused by indoor pollutants, including formaldehyde. Examine your environment. Have you recently moved into a new or different home or office? Have you recently remodeled or installed new cabinets or furniture? Symptoms may be due to formaldehyde exposure. You should contact your physician and/or state or local health department for help. Your physician can help to determine if the cause of your symptoms is formaldehyde or other pollutants. MKT-510 Stage ChemicalHealth Risks Diarrhoea, nausea Respiratory disorders, bronchitis, s kin diseases, headache Burning eyes, nose, throat high blood pressure, bronchitis Wounds leading to Cancer Wounds leading to Cancer stomach problems, Soaking NaC1 37 Unhairing/liming KOH, Na 2 S03/bi Sulphide Deliming/bating Na 2 S03, NH 4 C1, Na2So4 Picling Chrome Tanning Sammying, splitting H 2 SO 4, H-COOH, NaC1 Dyes, fixing, agent, Condensation of urea Respiratory complications Buffing Liquid pigment, polymer, fixative, preservatives and aromatic ingredients. Cancer Shaving, dyeing Table: Health risk by unwanted chemicals MKT-510 4. 2 ADULTERATED FOOD ? Asthma Caused by toxic dyes used in most Chinese resturants ? Bananas: Chemicals calcium carbide and ethrel are used to artificially ripen Bananas. The other popular method is to ripen them through heating in a closed environment. Coconut Oil: Acid value beyond permissible limit found in major brands. ? Condensed Milk: Along with Star Ship, Fresh and Goalini, reportedly use vegetable fat instead of milk ? Dyes: Eating foods conta ining industrial dyes and colours causes violent allergic reactions, respiratory problems, asthma, liver disorders and kidney dysfunction and bone marrow disorders. Nowadays, coal tar dyes are being used in sweetmeats. ? Erythrosine: Red food colouring that can lead to tumour in thyroid gland, asthma, bronchitis and hyperactivity. ? Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde – normally used to preserve dead-bodies – is used to preserve fish bound for city markets. Greens: Fresh greens, so abundantly available, are the best way to go as far as vegetables are concerned. Shashya Prabartana offers the finest, pesticide-free organic variety. ? Iodine: Found in high quantities in most condensed milk brands. Indicate use of vegetable fat. ? Keya Coconut Oil: Accused of containing twice the acid value permitted by BSTI in its regulations. ? Lentils: Lentils are mixed with toxic colours to improve their colour and marketability. ? Mustard Oil: Most mustard oil brands contain iron beyond permis sible limits. ? Pesticides: When pesticides enter the body on a regular basis, they affect the liver until it is damaged permanently.Quality Seal Many products use forged and/or expired BSTI seals 38 MKT-510 ? Rice: A host of rice varieties available in the market are artificially whitened using the toxic fertiliser Urea Soyabean Oil Poorly produced Soyabean oil contains high levels of toxins which can lead to cancer ? Tartrazine: Yellowish orange food colour that can lead to cancer, headaches, allergies such as asthma, inflammation, eye irritation and runny nose. (Mubin S Khan and Adnan Khandker , Slate, October 2006) OTTAWA, March 17, 2005 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Afrocan Direct Imports Inc. are warning the public not to consume the Heritage brand Palm Oil described below.These products may contain a non-permitted colour, Sudan IV, which is considered to be carcinogenic. Sudan I and IV, red dyes, are not permitted as food colours in Canada. Sudan I, has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and these findings could also be significant for human health. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these prod

Key Concepts of Creativity and Innovation Worksheet

Key Concepts of Creativity and Innovation  Worksheet University of Phoenix Sara Garski October 10, 2011 Key Concepts of Creativity and Innovation Worksheet |Concept |Application of concept in scenario |Citation of concept |Personal experience in your | |(Identify at least five concepts)| |in reading |organization | | |Best Snacks has been one of the leading companies |Jones, G. (2004). |In my organization the employees| |Exploitation |in their industry for several years. The company |Organizational |are always learning. Within my | | |has become |Theory, Design, and |team we are | | |complacent which has caused them to barely hold |Change. Upper Saddle|Encouraged to come up with new | | |the number two position. In order to remain and |River, New Jersey: |ways that will make the team and| | |gain back that competitive advantage, Best Snacks |Prentice-Hall. the company better as a whole. | | |must look at new ways of doing various activities | |One of my teammates | | |within the company. Exploitation is defined as, | |Came up with an idea | | |organizational | |To add to one of our | | |members learning of ways to refine and improve | |Current systems. After | | |existing organizational procedures (Jones 2004. | |The idea had went | | |Pg. 376). With the new CEO, Elizabeth Fairchild, | |Through the proper | | |joining the Company, she is determined to see why | |Channels, it was | | |Best Snacks is failing after being successful for | |Implemented. Although adding a | | |many years. She plans on working with vice | |Extra component to | | |president, Sabrina McKay, to help the company come| |An existing system, took awhile,| | |up with new and innovative procedures, that will | |it was worth the wait, | | |eventually | |Because it saved the | | |place Best Snacks back in the leading position. |Company money in | | | | |The long run. | | |Best Snacks has always promoted from within in the|Davila, T. , Epstein,|A radical Innovation in My | | |past. They have decided to do something different |M. , & Shelton, R. |organization | | |by bringing in a new CEO from outside with a |(2006). Making |Back in June of 2010. The | |Radical Innovation |different background. The new CEO, Elizabeth, |Innovation Work: How|company added | | |plans to have a new cultural change |To Manage It, |A regional office in the | | |program designed to increase |measure It, And |Franklin, TN area. The reason | | |employees’ creative thinking skills (Scenario 1). |Profit From It. |for the new Office was to assist| | |Elizabeth wants to see these changes made and |Upper Saddle River, |The abundance of Customers | | |results within one year. These changes are |New Jersey: Wharton |within the Middle Tennessee | | |considered radical innovation, |School Publishing. Area. The company | | |because is setting the bar for new | |Has continuously | | |changes within the company. Normally Radical | |Growed in a small | | |Innovations are set by a company within | |Amount of time. In the TN office| | |the industry, but Elizabeth, first wants to | |we have | | |accomplish | |Been able to meet | | |these changes from | |Goals, create more | | |within, then introduce the new | |Effiecent procedures, and handle| | |changes to competitors. |operations | | | | |That other offices | | | | |Have not been able to. | | |Best Snacks maintained a |Davila, T. Epstein,|My organization | |Business Model |successful Business Modal for |M. , & Shelton, R. |Changed its Business | | |many years, which contributed |(2006). Making |Model, to better serve | |Change |to their success. With |Innovation Work: How|It customers. They | | |competition steadily increasing, Best Snacks will |To Manage It, |Designed the Model | | |have to |measure It, And |Around their new face and | | |re-introduce and |Profit From It. |slogan, â€Å"Long Term Smart. † This | | |revamp their business model in |Upper Saddle River, |Simply is ensuring that | | |order to compete in the industry. New Jersey: Wharton |Customers get the rights | | |The company has went outside it’s Normal practice |School Publishing. |products for | | |and | |Them and their families. The | | |brought in a New CEO to put a different | |modal is | | |Perspective and spin on things. The CEO plans to | |Meant for consumers | | |show results within the company in 12 months. | |To think long term | | | | |Which will benefit them more in | | | | |the | | | | |Future rather than now. | | | | | | |Products and Services are the main part of any |Davila, T. , Epstein,|My organization | | |organization. Companies have to not only |M. , & Shelton, R. |offers many different | | |make sure that they are offering |(2006). Making |products and services | |Product and Service Offerings |products and services that the |Innovation Work: How|from life insurance to | | |consumers want. Companies |To Manage It, |annuities. The | | |have to ensure they are |measure It, And |company ensures that | | |constantly creating or offering |Profit From It. they have the | | |the newest products. In most |Upper Saddle River, |products that | | |instances consumers have |New Jersey: Wharton |consumers want. | | |been conditioned to expect |School Publishing. |Our agents go through | | |product innovation to such an | |extensive training | | |extent now it is ommon for | |to be able to provide | | |people to time their purchases | |and sell individuals | | |(Davila, Epstein, & Shelton 2006 | |products that are right for | | |Pg. 35). Best Snacks have | |them. If a certain | | |not been offering many products | |product is not | | |or service to consumers over the past couple of | |performing well, the | | |years. They have lost the customer loyalty base | |company evaluates it | | |and a huge part of the market. |and decides if it is | | |The old saying goes, â€Å"If you | |the best interest to | | |don’t do it, someone else will. † | |pull the product and | | |Best Snacks, needs to apply that | |offer a different one. | |same concept to their business. | | | | |Their competition is growing | | | | |fast and taking the customers | | | | |that once was committed to Best Snacks. | | | |Best Snack’s is faced with a |Jones, G. (2004). |In my organization, | |Organizational |serious problem of lack of |Organizational |Because of industry | | |creative thinking and new |Theory, Design, and |Decisions have to be | |Decision Making |innovation. Organizational |Change. Upper Saddle|Made in a timely | | |Decision Making is defined as |River, New Jersey: |Manner depending | | |the process of responding |Prentice-Hall. |On the problem. | |to a problem by searching for | |Sometimes decisions | | |and selecting a solution or | |Are made at the | | |course of action that will create value for | |higher level, | | |organizational | |whereas other | | |stakeholders (Jones 2004. Pg. | |decisions can be | | |368). Hopefully the new plan | |made by managers | | |that Sabrina will initiate to the | |Or even employees. I Personally | | |Staff will help the company get back on track. The| |had a | | |employees | |customer upset | | |have become complacent | |because of a certain | | |because the company has done | |process that was in | | |well for many years. In order for best Snacks to | |place and because she was going | | |gain their market | |to | | |share back they will have to | |another country, | | |change. The stakeholders have | |would create a | | |become apprehensive of Best | |problem for her. I made the | | |Snacks ability to perform and | |decision to | | |stay competitive. The new | |override this | | |changes and decision, will | |process As a | | |hopefully show the stakeholders | |courtesy. Once I | | |that the company is still capable | |was finished | | |of being on top. |handling the issue, I told my | | | | |Manager | | | | |what I had | | | | |done and she was | | | | |happy that I went ahead and done| | | | |that, verses causing | | | | |the customer to | | | | |escalate the | | | | |situation Further. |

Consumer Behavior Trends

Consumer Behavior Trends Free Online Research Papers Faith Popcorn identified 17 trends that drove the business and people’s life in her book â€Å"Clicking† ten years ago. According to BrainReserve, trends are not fads. They endure, evolve and represent underlying forces, first causes, basic human needs, attitudes and aspirations. They help us navigate the world, understand whats happening and why, and prepare for what is yet to come. This paper will investigate one of the trends Popcorn has identified – Fantasy Adventure – particularly focus on its development in the last ten years. I will examine related evidence observed in various industries and make the claim that this trend has not declined but further developed. Fantasy Adventure refers to the behavior that consumer crave excitement and stimulation as an escape from stress and boredom in essentially risk-free adventures.(Popcorn, 1998) The excitement are taken in small doses, and allow us to return to our â€Å"normal† life at the end of the day. They make us feel courageous, open to new exotic experience, and most important of all, they give us the sense of transforming to a better person. There are three underlying forces in creating this trend: the increasing stress brought to us by our routine yet increasingly competitive life, the rising number of cases of the unsafe, uncertain events happening around our environment and the advancement of technologies. In the 1990s only 40% percentage Canadians reported stress in workplace but the statistic had increased significantly recently.(JobStress, 1997) More than 6 in 10 Canadians reported in 2002 that they have experienced a â€Å"great deal of stresses at work because of the increasing difficulty to maintain work-life balance while managing the greater then ever demand at work. (StressMap, 2002) Popcorn (1998) pointed out in her book that we all want to retreat from the reality with Fantasy Adventures to relieve for a moment. The tight schedule most people have also means we are not allow to take off to a vacation or go away for a longer period of time to have a â€Å"real† adventure. With the increasing statisti cs of work-life stress, it is clear that demand for Fantasy Adventure has only increased during the recent period of time. Another component of Fantasy Adventure is the promises of safety. The environment is not safe as it was a decade ago, and consumers learn to choose a safer way of entertainment instead. Last but not least, with the improvement of technologies, people now can access more information about others’ lifestyles and can imagine larger possibilities. One thing worth mentioning is the evolvement of the trend Fantasy Adventure – the cos will be illustrated in the following sections. Roy William (2004) argued in his article that, the Fantasy Adventure trend had reached its end and sharply declined, as the people now ask for the truth. I agree that nowadays consumers may be more skeptical about the information and facts released by large firms, however the fact that people still in need of escape from reality does not change. There are more and more products available to fulfill this crave of fantasy especially in the media industry. A popular theme for television series is superpower for instance the â€Å"Heroes† and â€Å"Smallville†. Fantasy and horror movies are still a big hit and stay on top of the most popular movie categories. â€Å"Pirates of the Caribbean†, â€Å"Harry Potter† series and the â€Å"Lord of the Rings† Trilogy are just a few examples. These television series and movies grant consumers a room for imagination and indulge themselves in something not real, and of course, back to their normal life after these two or three hours. For television show, a common pattern could be observed: a group of ordinary people come out, compete with talents and there they are, the tomorrow super stars. Just to name a few: â€Å"So You Think You Can Dance†, â€Å"British Got Talent†, â€Å"Paris Hilton’s My New BFF†. Another powerful source of fantasy engagement is Manga, or comics. In Japan the best selling manga are always about adventures or super power. A perfect example is â€Å"One Piece† which is about a pirate with a rubber-like body (super-power) setting off to an adventure to look for the biggest treasure in the world, being the greatest pirate and have fun. These media are all common in the way they take the audience on the flight of imagination; allow them to have an imaginary adventure in their comfort zone. Food experience continues to be one of the greatest ways for many consumers to seek Fantasy Adventure. In Toronto’s restaurants, more exotic ingredients were brought to the once ordinary dishes, and there is increasing growing number of theme restaurant. In 2006, the first dark restaurant in Canada was opened in Montreal, where dinners undergo the entire dinning experience in total darkness. (Comm-odities, 2006) The theory is with one sense completely impaired, your other senses are fully heightened and the food will taste completely different. These restaurants provide extraordinary experiences to customers through different physical and emotional instruments thus offer a little adventure to the consumers. Among all products in the entertainment market, digital games may be the single platform that really fulfills the need of Fantasy Adventure. This includes video games, Role Playing games and Virtual network online. The Entertainment Software Association announced in 2007 that sales of computer games and video games have increased by 22.9 percent to $11.7 billion in the US. The average age of most frequent game player has shifted to 39 years old. (ESA, 2007) We can identify the trend that more people are willing to pay and indulge themselves in the form of video gaming. Video games has uncountable content, however may it be action, sports, role playing, shooting etc., the principle is the same: the player transform to a â€Å"Hero† and do the impossible. Figure 1. (a) Top Selling Game Genres in 2006 Figure 1. (b) Top Selling Game Genres in 2007 Figure 2. Frequency of playing games by frequent players In 2001, Microsoft released a sixth-generation video game console – the Xbox and entered the competition in the gaming console market. 24 million units were sold as of May 2006. In 2002, Halo 2, a shooting game, set the record of being the highest-gross release in entertainment history with over $125 million in the first day. Xbox was replaced by Xbox 360 in 2005 which made a even bigger success as over 30 million units was sold in mere 3.5 years. There were over 1000 games available in the end of 2008, labeling the success of Xbox 360. These numbers are only a part of the overall consumption of video game playing, which suggested that consumers continue to seek the imaginary adventures, buying into brand and products in order to escape reality. One unique feature of Xbox 360 is its online game feature on the platform Xbox Live. This feature enables the players to have interaction and communications when playing games with other players. This development makes the gaming expe rience more realistic then ever and thus more profoundly fulfill players’ dream of fantasy adventures. It also fits the theory of Baker that now consumers want a more active role in creating their Fantasy Adventures. Second Life, an innovative concept launched in 2003, is another example that illustrates how people escape the reality and embrace a second identity in the virtual world. Second Life is a virtual world that allows users to interact and socialize via the internet. There are no particular missions or goal to accomplish, and there is no winning and losing, unlike almost all the traditional online games. However the users cherish the complex capability of interaction in this virtual world, as well as the feature of customizing a personal avatar, and thus the ability to create a fantastic self via this creative toolset. In 2008, an average of 38,000 users was logged in at any moment, and the accumulate user hours reached 112 millions in the end of 2008. These soaring numbers show us exactly how a product that fits the consumer insight can quickly capture a large portion of the targeted market. Figure 3. Total signups of paid accounts for Second Life Figure 4. User Hours per Quarter for Second Life 2006-2008 The continuous trend of Fantasy Adventure could be utilized by marketers. For example the promotion video of the Red Light Social Center, an adult virtual community has the phrases like â€Å"enter a Realistic world†, â€Å"create a NEW you†, â€Å"it’s Safe†. Bingo! These are exactly what fantasy cravers look for. â€Å"The drift in advertising over recent decade has been toward limited factual information and more symbolic, emotional, humorous and fantasy-oriented meanings.†(Mick, 2008) Here I identify two approaches in advertising that are very common: the get-a-taste-of-something approach and transform-to-your-better-self approach. Recall the promotion campaign of Tropicana that â€Å"Offers a Taste of Tropic† and that of Kraft’s â€Å"a Little Taste of Heaven†. (Chiasson, 2009) They both suggest that with a little sip and dip you would feel like being in a fantasy or exotic place immediately, an escape from the reality. The second approach is even more observable, as majority of advertisements implies a transformation upon using the advertised product. There was a series of advertisements by SK-II with the slogan â€Å"Correct Your Age†, which they sold the idea that the anti-aging product helps you return to your younger self. Celebrity endorsement also falls under this approach because they suggest that using the product will let consumer be more like the popular icon. The above examples suggest that the consumer behavioral trend of craving excitement in small dose and in a safe manner has not declined. Moreover consumers now want a share in creating the fantasy by involving in the process. Video games and virtual network became one of the most significant platforms where consumers seek their fantasy escape. At the same time, marketers capture the psychology of consumer and make use of fantasy-oriented approaches in advertisement and promotion strategies. Fantasy appeal is most likely to continue to be one of the most influential approaches in the future marketing. Reference F. Popcorn L. Marigold. (1998). â€Å"Clicking: 17 Trends that Drive your Business – and your Life† P. K. Day. (2008). Faith Popcorn’s Prediction Five Years Later. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from chicagotribune.com/topic/la-et-popcorn-predicts01-2008oct01,0,5034903.story?page=2 on 4th June 2009. F. Rauh. (2007). Living the Dream. SPC Business. Retrieved form cosmeticsbusiness.com/story.asp?storyCode=1218 on 4th June 2009/ Dining in the Dark, a Feast for the Senses. (2006). Comm-oddities. Retrieved from cbc.ca/consumer/comm-oddities/2006/09/dining_in_the_dark_a_feast_for.html on 4th June 2009. R. H. Williams. (2004). A Feel for Real. The Monday Morning Memo. Retrieved from mondaymorningmemo.com/?ShowMe=ThisMemoMemoID=1508 on 4th June 2009. D. Mick. (2008). Degree of Freedom of Will: An Essential Question in Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology 18 pg 17-21. A. Baker. (2008). Understanding the Role of Co-Creation in Fantasy and Fun. Advances in Consumer Research 35. Entertainment Software Association of Canada (2007). Essential Facts about the Canadian Computers and Video Game Industry. Retrieved from theesa.com/facts/index.asp theesa.ca/pdf/esa_e.pdf ACNielsen. (2005) â€Å"ACNielsen Reports Continued Rapid Growth For Video Gaming Industry.† acnielsen.ca/News/VideoGamingFirstQtr2004Results.htm. Retrieved on 30th May,2009. L.J. Paul. (2005).†Canadian Content in Video Games† Author and Digital Games Research Association. Linden Research Inc. (2008) 2008 Result Review. Retrieved from https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2009/01/15/second-life-residents-logged-nearly-400-million-hours-in-2008-growing-61-over-2007 on 8th June G. Chiasson (2009) Tropicana Campaign Offers a Taste of the Tropics. Retrieved from pubzone.com/newsroom/2009/1x090122x041107.cfm on 7th June 2009 Research Papers on Consumer Behavior TrendsThe Fifth HorsemanInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Project Managment Office SystemThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseStandardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMind TravelMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

15 of the Best Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Authors

15 of the Best Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Authors 15 of the Best Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Authors As enjoyable and fulfilling as writing can be, the truth is that it’s often a solitary endeavor. While we might romanticize the focused artist typing away while imaginary worlds and narratives swirl inside their minds - authors know the truth: writing can get lonely. And moreover, when you’re working on a one-person project, it can be hard to remain motivated and accountable. That’s where writing communities come in.Writing communities are the perfect place to find answers to your writing questions and to discuss the ins and outs of the writing life with people who actually understand what you’re talking about.So, if you are tired of listening only to the voices in your head, take a look at our (non-exhaustive) list of top online writing communities. Which is the best writing community for you? Find out here! Top online writing communities1. Absolute Write Water CoolerWith over 68,000 members, this is a large and highly active community. Here you can find threads on every genre imaginable, as well as discussions about freelance writing, the publishing industry, pop culture, writing prompts and exercises, and much more.Perfect for: writers who are looking for a large and active community.2. AgentQuery ConnectWhile this forum will come in handy for any writer, it’s especially helpful for authors who have already completed their manuscript and are wondering what to do next. The site boasts a wealth of information on publishing topics such as querying agents, self-publishing tips, and book promotion advice.Perfect for: writers who are looking to connect with agents and learn more about the publishing industry.3. Camp NaNoWriMoIf you’ve ever wanted to go to a writer’s retreat but can’t afford it just yet, then this site might help scratch your itch. Holding online à ¢â‚¬Å"camp sessions† in April and July, Camp NaNoWriMo offers a digital space to encourage and empower writers at any point of their career. Here you can work on drafts, revisions, short stories, or any other writing project that involves word-count goals.Perfect for: writers who can’t wait until November to crack their writing goals.Do you belong to a writing community? Which one is your favorite one? Add yours in the comments below!