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Meditation and Its Health Benefits

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Introduction

Meditation has its roots in various religious practices; however, since its spread and popularity to different cultures worldwide, it is equally used in other aspects of life such as health and business. In recent years, the practice of meditation has become more popular due to its ability to promote mental clarity and promote overall calmness. Moreover, through its techniques, individuals learn to their awareness and attention, thus promoting a more positive and stable state of wellbeing. Though meditation has its roots in religion, its spread and popularity across different cultures worldwide has made this practice applicable to different non-religious practices. Overall, it is apparent that the techniques used in this practice are beneficial to one’s mental health, and they help promote physical health and emotional wellbeing. Meditation helps promote general wellness; hence, frequent practice promotes health and overall stability.

Mental Health

Meditation promotes mental health as it helps in relieving stress and anxiety. One of the techniques of meditation is mindful meditation. This form of meditation has been proven to reduce stress levels by lowering cortisol released in the body (Moral, 2017). By reducing stress levels in the body, one can feel more relaxed and thus improve the mental state of an individual. Moreover, mindful meditation involves repeating mantras and phrases, which has proven to calm the mind and reduce feelings and thoughts of distraction. Other than mindful meditation, transcendental meditation has also proven to have similar results; hence this form of meditation also increases a sense of stability in an individual. Other than reducing stress levels, individuals that frequently practice meditation experience reduced levels of burnout and depression, factors that further enhance the mental health of individuals.

In instances in which individuals already suffer from anxiety and depression, mindful meditation has helped manage the symptoms of these diseases. As meditation involves training minds to focus on the present, individuals who suffer from anxiety and depression can use this technique to ground themselves and avoid thinking about stressors that trigger anxiety and fuel depression (Payne, 2013). In addition to calming minds, this technique can also help people suffering from depression and anxiety improve their mood and sleep, further enhancing mental wellbeing and health. Therefore, the practice of meditation is not only useful to healthy individuals, but it can also complement existing mental health treatments to treat and alleviate the suffering of individuals battling various forms of mental health diseases.

Physical Health

Other than mental health, meditation is also helpful in promoting physical health. Meditation incorporates physical activity by promoting meditative exercises such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong (Strowger, 2018). These exercises involve the body’s movement, focusing on body positioning, breathing, and a clear state of mind. Therefore, unlike other exercises, meditative exercises promote mental clarity and encourage people to move their bodies, enhancing physical fitness. Moreover, these exercises promote a deep sense of relaxation, encouraging harmony between the body and mind.

Meditation also improves physical health by helping people fight addictions. Meditation has proven to alter brain receptors associated with addiction; hence frequent practice can help alcoholics and drug addicts fight off their addiction urges (Varma, 2018). Through techniques such as mindful meditation, individuals struggling with addiction also become more aware of their cravings hence are better able to control themselves and ride out their cravings. Besides controlling urges, studies have also shown that mindful meditation is a useful tool in preventing relapses. In addition, the calming effect meditation provides people can further help recovering addicts avoid substance use as their brain receptors are altered with time. This practice produces a healing effect that helps regulate how the body and brain experience pain and pleasure.

Emotional Health

Lastly, meditation also has a positive effect on the emotional wellbeing of an individual. Part of an individual’s emotional wellbeing is tied to their ability to associate with other people lovingly and harmoniously. Meditation helps people become more compassionate and understanding by reinforcing the brain circuits that focus on other people’s emotions. Therefore, an individual who practices meditation can achieve a state of calmness and become more aware of other people’s emotions, hence avoid causing harm to other individuals.

Another way that meditation improves emotional wellbeing is by promoting self-awareness and self-esteem. As meditation encourages people to reflect on themselves, individuals increase their self-awareness and can therefore focus on their positive attributes, a factor that helps boost self-esteem (Totzeck, 2020). Moreover, the mantras used in mediation are positive and encouraging; hence, one focuses more on becoming better, further boosting self-awareness.

Conclusion

As highlighted above, meditation helps promote general wellness positively affects one’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. The frequent practice of meditation should be encouraged to promote a state of calmness and overall stability and wellness.

References

Moral, A. (2017). Guided meditation: A regimen for mental health. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 8(2), 180.

Payne, P., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2013). Meditative movement for depression and anxiety. Frontiers in psychiatry, 4, 71.

Strowger, M., Kiken, L. G., & Ramcharran, K. (2018). Mindfulness meditation and physical activity: Evidence from 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Health Psychology, 37(10), 924.

Totzeck, C., Teismann, T., Hofmann, S. G., von Brachel, R., Pflug, V., Wannemüller, A., & Margraf, J. (2020). Loving-kindness meditation promotes mental health in university students. Mindfulness, 11(7), 1623-1631.

Varma, P. (2018). Mindful meditation for addiction disorders. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), 202-204.

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Descartes Discourse on Method and Meditation

Introduction

Generally, Rene Descartes is considered the father of modern philosophy. He is the maiden figure of rationalism, a philosophical movement, and a way of understanding the world using reason as a way of attaining knowledge. Rationalism and empiricism, which insist on using sense perception as opposed to reason, were at the center of Enlightenment. The idea of enlightenment is a cultural movement that revolutionalized Western worlds during the 17th and 18th centuries. In conjunction with icons such as John Hobbes, Voltaire, and John Hobbes, Descartes managed to spur society and re-examine its institutions and traditions which led to a huge social disruption. The French and American revolutions were founded on the theory of enlightenment and how we approach philosophy, science, and mathematics, and the notion of self became radically transformed at the time. Descartes’s work, Discourse on Method and Mediation, cemented his fame as it addressed some concerns and attempted refutations sent to him by various readers. The theories discussed here-in were meant to change how individuals viewed their bodies and minds. The text follows principles of philosophy that attempt to diminish the universe to a mathematical foundation. Discourse on Method and Meditation attempts to explain Descartes’s reasoning and thoughts even at a time when he had most difficulties. The work was not written in Latin but rather in French so that all people with a good sense including women could read the work and train themselves to think for themselves. In Descartes’s view, every person was capable of telling truth for false by employing the natural light of reason. He used reason to search for the truth in the sciences. For instance, in Meteorology, he explained the rainbow, developed the formula for retraction in Dioptrics, and gave an exposition for analytic geometry. Furthermore, Descartes devised a system for representing known numerical quantities including unknowns with cubes, squares, and numerical superscript powers making algebraic problems easier to solve. Worth noting, Descartes developed a provisional moral code while seeking truth. The moral code exuded Descartes’s dedication, stoicism, conservatism, and decisiveness.

While there are various issues that Descartes addresses in his book, the main problem is how he suspends all judgment that pertains to beliefs that show even the slightest signs of doubtfulness. The scenarios in the text depict that all Descartes’s beliefs in his meditation at the very least that have to do with the physical world are all doubtful. Descartes’s objective was to propose a new school of thought that combines mathematical truths with the truths and intuition of human senses. In addition to having doubts about suggestions that his physical senses make, Descartes only claims to have trust only for his capacity for thought. One part of the text includes considerations about people in the sciences. This is the notion that individuals have a good sense which is their ability to tell truth from fiction. As such, people are mostly obstructed not by lack of ability but rather by their failure to heed to the correct school of thought. According to Descartes, his use of the correct path of thinking helped improved him to the typical thinker he was. Further, Descartes contemplated the various subjects and science he learned while he was a boy and concluded that it was flawed because they were ideas of men from many different eras. It is for this reason that he came up with his own set of rules keeping in mind the things he has learned about geometry, algebra, and logic. Among the lessons were that one should not believe anything unless they can prove it themselves, one should diminish each problem to its simplest parts, and as regards a person’s thinking, their thoughts should be orderly and must begin with the most simple going to the most difficult. His final rule was that it is always imperative to develop a long list of reasoning and to avoid leaving anything out when solving a particular problem. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the problem of judgment, and doubtfulness in beliefs as presented in the text by Rene Descartes. This essay discusses this problem alongside the thinkers that also agree on this notion. More specifically, the text discusses Descartes’s arguments on method and mediation including reason as a vital part of humanity, the attainability of knowledge, science that is based on reason, and how unreliable sense of perception can become. I agree with Descartes on the notion of the mind, the body, and God. Without a doubt, ideas can be innate, they can be external as with perceptions or they can be a product of our inventions.

Reason as the Core of Humanity

Firstly, Renes Descartes believed in and lived by the slogan “Cogito ergo sum” which loosely translates into thinking for existing. In his viewpoint, the proof behind the existence of human beings is the very fact that we are capable of thinking. Thoughts come from something; they have a source and a source is definitely a person. Without the existence of a person that does the thinking, thoughts cannot exist. In his argument, Descartes theorizes that although he is not sure he can prove anything that concerns the existence, for example proving beyond reasonable doubt that he possesses a body, hair, and hands, he is sure that he possesses thoughts and the ability to reason (Descartes, 18). According to Descartes, thoughts and facts are clear to him. They come as distinct and clear perceptions. He argues that all things can be observed using unique and clear perceptions and that anything observed using clear perception becomes a part of the importance of that what is being observed. Because reason and thought are perceived clearly, they are at the center of humanity. Therefore, Descartes opines that even without their hands, faces, or hair, people would still be deemed human. Additionally, Descartes opines that even other things that cannot be categorized as human beings do not have a face, hands, or hair. He also notes that while this is true, people would barely be human if they were without reason and that only human beings possess thins unique ability to reason.

Attainability of Knowledge

Secondly, Descartes strongly believed in the fact that reason is a native gift for human beings. He also maintained that real knowledge is not only gained directly from books but also from methodological application of reasoning. In this text, and most of his other others, Descartes aimed at presenting complex philosophical and scientific matters in a manner that enables his least sophisticated readers would manage to understand them. Since Descartes strongly believed that each human being has the natural gift of reason, his ideology was that if he provided his arguments in a logical fashion of thought, then any person would be capable of understanding them well and as such, people would not help being swayed in this direction. In the original edition of the text on the Discourse on Method and Mediation Descartes actually writes his declaration pointing his aim using the title “In which the Author…. Explains the most abstruse topics he could choose and does so in such a way even the persons who have never studies can understand them. This was in a bid to get to wider audience. Descartes also occasionally uses the French language in his writings, a language that his countrymen understood rather well. He avoided as much as possible writing the text in Latin, a language that was mostly used and understood by scholars to ensure that the people that did not have formal education could access the text, read what he was saying and interpret it for themselves.

The Sense Perception and its Unreliability

Thirdly, Renes Descartes did not trust the information we gather from our senses to be necessarily accurate. Descartes had a revelation following his November 10th experience which made him undertake his own personal intellectual rebirth. The first step was to get rid of every single thing he thought he knew. He refused to trust in even the most fundamental premise before he determined to himself that they were satisfactory to him. As he was demolishing and reconstructing, Descartes felt that tearing down each idea one by one would be a waste of time. As such, he opted to attack the things he felt that were at the core; the notion that sense perception communicates information that is accurate and he had developed various arguments to illustrate this notion. As regards the dream argument, Descartes maintained that on many occasions, he had dreamt of things which seemed rather real as he was asleep. He continued to talk about one of his dreams. He sat in a room with fire and he could feel the heat from the fire and that it felt as if he was waking up in his normal life although there was no fire. The mere fact that he could feel the fire did not allow him to differentiate between when he was awake and when he was dreaming. Additionally, if his senses could manage to convey to him a message about the heat from the fire at a time when he could barely feel it, it means that he could not trust the existence of the fire when he is feeling it in his normal life. Similarly, in the argument that has to do with deceiving God and Evil, Descartes notes that in his knowledge, there is the possibility that he was being controlled by an all powerful and supernatural being that is hell-bent on lying and deceiving him. In this situation, his body is completely non-existent and his brain was feeding on the illusions and information of beings that are all-powerful. Worth noting, it was not Descartes’s intention that his arguments be taken literally. He came up with the concept to prove a point; that even senses can be deceived. If as human beings we cannot trust our senses to give correct information concerning the world we live in and the world that surrounds us, then we have no business trusting and believing in the deductions that he arrived at from the grounds of our sense perception. Noteworthy, during the times when Descartes doubted the reliability of the sense perception, the position was mainly radical. He was of the opinion that scientific observation was an interpretive act which required to be monitored carefully. Descartes and his followers believed that true knowledge emanated from the use and application of reasoning.

Counterarguments

Moore’s Arguments About Knowledge

As opposed to Rene Descartes who believed that knowledge comes from reason, other philosophers such as Moore contended that something can only be certain if it is known. In essence, Moore believed that we cannot be certain about the unknown. In Moore’s viewpoint, knowledge has nothing to do with reason. Many philosophers have varied explanations and they disagreed on the relationship that exists between the concept of certainty and knowledge. Moore tried as much as possible to address the question of whether it is possible for a person to know about x without completely being certain about it. The main question he tried to answer is if knowing about y was possible without necessarily knowing about someone. Moore Wrote a paper in 1942 titled Certainty where he noted that the word certain was mainly used with four common types of idiom. The four idioms include I am certain that, I feel certain that, It is certain that and I know certain that. In his view, at least one use of it is certain that y…and I know for certain that y… is not true unless one is sure that y is true. Taking the example of the sentence, “I knew for certain that he would visit, he didn’t” and the statement “I felt certain he would come, but he didn’t”, the former statement is self-contradictory while the latter is not. Taking these considerations into context, Moore came up with the theory that something cannot be certain unless they are known. It is this fact that helps in distinguishing between the concepts of truth and certainty. As such, nobody might know that something is true unless they are certain. Because of this notion, Moore came up with the conclusion that for something to be true, the preliquisite was that someone must know it as true. Moore is therefore among the philosophers that dared respond negatively to the question of if it is possible to be certain about something without it necessarily being known.

Additionally, Moore also contended that saying “Person X knows that y is true” is not enough condition for being certain for y to be true. If the latter were true, it would be such that in all cases where a minimum of 1 person was aware that y was true, it would be a lie for anyone to say that ” It is uncertain that p” yet it is so evident that is not the case. If a person says that it is uncertain that Michael is alive, the person is not committing to the statement that nobody is sure is Michael is alive or not. As such, Moore is among the philosophers that are likely to answer and affirm the question of if it is possible to know y without being certain. We can refute Moore’s claim and argue that y is merely occurrent and not dispositional which implies the certainty of y. I tend to agree with the reasoning of Descartes more than with that Moore. This is because I am of the opinion that reason is the driver of knowledge and that without reason, people would never come across knowledge about life or the society that we live in general that would be of help to them.

Wittgenstein also maintained a rather radical position on the matter of certainty. He maintained that certitude and knowledge are radically different from each other and none of the concepts is linked to the other. As such, it is, therefore, possible that a person can be knowledgeable without being certain and that one can also be certain without being knowledgeable. For Wittgenstein, certainty should be associated with apprehension or seeing and without acting. Propositions can be certain meaning that they are true and presupposed within various social activities in a community. He said that giving grounds to justify evidence might come to an end but the end is uncertain and propositions come off as true. This is not a kind of seeing but rather it is the acting that lies at the bottom of the game of language.

Conclusion

While Descartes’s work Discourse on Method and Mediation highlights various problems as regards reasoning and thought, at the center of this discussion are his beliefs as regards mediation and the physical world. In addition to having doubts about suggestions that his physical senses make, Descartes only claims to have trust only for his capacity for thought. In his arguments, Descartes believes that reason is a vital ingredient for the attainment of knowledge, science and humanity in general. In Descartes’s view, without the existence of a person to engage in thinking, thoughts cannot exist. Descartes strongly believed in the fact that reason is a native gift for human beings and maintained that real knowledge is not only gained directly from books but also from methodological application of reasoning. Notably, Renes Descartes did not trust the information we gather from our senses to be necessarily accurate. Owing to the above-discussed arguments, as human beings, we now have a clear understanding of the ideologies that lie behind knowledge and reason. As human beings, we are now best placed to choose which ideology we would like to abide by and believe in. One might end up not trusting their physical senses as a result of this knowledge while other people’s minds end believing that reason is the ultimate native gift. All in all, this is rather evident; human reason is at the center of knowledge.

Works Cited

Descartes, R. (2020). Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Broadview Press.

Investment Pros

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“Low-Risk Investing Without Industry Bets” Article Review

The authors begin by informing the reader that low-risk investing is based on the concept that safer stocks deliver higher returns than riskier stocks when all the risks are adjusted. They refute the notion that the high returns are delivered because of the fact that industry bets favour stable industries. They argue that the strategy of investing in safer stocks delivers positive returns in all industries irrespective of bets. The authors specifically tested the extent to which the benefits of low risk investing tilt within industries. Low-risk investing is thus not purely driven by low-risk industries or the value effect. They considered various Betting-against Beta (BAB) factors. The study disclosed that when more risk is hedged by investing in low-risk stocks, one can attain higher returns.

The reason why safe stocks tend to result in higher returns is because many investors cannot leverage beyond a certain extent, therefore raising the required return for risk-averse investors (Bodie et al., 2013). Low-risk investments work across industries and deliver higher returns when more leverage is needed per unit of risk. Industry neutral BAB investments deliver positive returns in every industry in the United States and in most global industries. The fact is true for every 20-year period since 1929 in the United States and since 1986 in the international markets.

The study conducted by the author reveals that low risk investment is useful both for selecting industries and for selecting the most optimal stocks within an industry. Betting against high-risk stocks earns positive returns for both industry and industry stock selection when the risk level is adjusted. This is true for 60 out of 70 global industries and for all 49 industries in the United States. The statistically and economically strong low-risk investment phenomenon is neither driven by betting on industries nor by exposure to value. It is an independent variable that functions on its own as an automatic response to routinely established investment patterns.

The article is very articulate and straight to the point as the authors express sentiments that are backed by evidence and can be evidenced by the trends in national and global stock markets. Risks lie at the core of every investment and are the driving force of the investment world. A basic principle of investment is that investors tend to settle on the assets with the highest expected percentage of return for every unit of risk. They then use leverage to match their personal preference for risk. Safer stocks tend to have higher returns because it is not all investors who can use leverage and some investors are completely precluded from any form of leverage. Marginal requirements act as a leverage barrier for some investors.

According to Assnes et. al (2014), risk-seeking investors often undermine the power of leverage by tending to overweight risky securities resulting in the overpricing of such securities. The ability to exploit overpricing is often limited through prohibition by charters, the high expenses of shorting, and the unwillingness of investors to accept such risks because of the high possibility of incurring unlimited losses. High-cost stocks tend to have lower returns because the prices often go up then come down, forcing investors to liquidate at a loss. The authors are, therefore, right when they state that safer stocks result in high returns across all industries. This is because the risks are less in such stocks and prices continue to be relatively stable irrespective of the industry. Low-beta stocks capitalize on leverage to earn higher risk-adjusted returns.

In conclusion, low-risk investing is based on the concept that safer stocks deliver higher returns than riskier stocks when all the risks are adjusted, at least according to the authors of the article. In this regard, Low-risk investments work across industries and deliver higher returns when more leverage is needed per unit of risk. Subsequently, low risk investment is useful both for selecting industries and for selecting the most optimal stocks within an industry. Whether low risk or high risk, it is important to note that risks lie at the core of every investment and remain the driving force of the investment world.

References

Asness, C., Frazzini, A. & Pedersen, L. (2014). Low-Risk Investing Without Industry Bets. Financial Analysts Journal, 70 (4).

Kane, A., Marcus, A. J., Bodie, Z., & Mays Business School. (2013). Investment analysis: FINC 421: special edition for Texas A & M University. Boston: McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions.



Lush Company Integrated Communication Marketing Plan

Contents

TOC o “1-1” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425627” 1.0 Background PAGEREF _Toc373425627 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425628” 1.1 History PAGEREF _Toc373425628 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425629” 1.2.1 Scope of this Integrated Marketing Communications Plan PAGEREF _Toc373425629 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425630” 1.2.2 Marketing Objectives PAGEREF _Toc373425630 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425631” 1.2.3 Communication Objectives PAGEREF _Toc373425631 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425632” 1.2.4 Issues and Challenges PAGEREF _Toc373425632 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425633” 2.0 Situational Analysis PAGEREF _Toc373425633 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425634” 2.0.1 Strengths PAGEREF _Toc373425634 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425635” 2.0.2 Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc373425635 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425636” 2.0.3 Opportunity PAGEREF _Toc373425636 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425637” 2.0.4 Threats PAGEREF _Toc373425637 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425638” 2.1 Product History PAGEREF _Toc373425638 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425639” 2.1.1 Product Background PAGEREF _Toc373425639 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425640” 2.1.2 Current Problems Facing Products PAGEREF _Toc373425640 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425641” 2.1.3 Current Marketing Situation PAGEREF _Toc373425641 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425642” 3.0 Target Audience PAGEREF _Toc373425642 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425643” Figure 1: Cosmetic Distribution with Co-relation to age PAGEREF _Toc373425643 h 7

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425644” Figure 2: Age Segmentation and Market Positioning PAGEREF _Toc373425644 h 8

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425645” 4.0 Competition PAGEREF _Toc373425645 h 8

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425646” 4.1 Product Comparison PAGEREF _Toc373425646 h 8

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425647” 4.1Barriers to entry PAGEREF _Toc373425647 h 8

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425648” 4.2Competitor Differentiation PAGEREF _Toc373425648 h 9

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425649” 5.0 Branding and Messaging PAGEREF _Toc373425649 h 9

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425650” 5.1 Branding Architecture PAGEREF _Toc373425650 h 9

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425651” 5.2 Positioning Statement PAGEREF _Toc373425651 h 10

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425652” 5.3 Value Propositions PAGEREF _Toc373425652 h 10

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425653” 6.0 Communication and Marketing Strategies PAGEREF _Toc373425653 h 10

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425654” 6.1 Social Networking PAGEREF _Toc373425654 h 10

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425655” 6.2 Direct Product Marketing PAGEREF _Toc373425655 h 11

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425656” 6.3 Customization and Internet marketing PAGEREF _Toc373425656 h 12

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425657” 6.4 Television Commercial and Bonus Schemes PAGEREF _Toc373425657 h 13

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425658” 7.0 Budget PAGEREF _Toc373425658 h 14

HYPERLINK l “_Toc373425659” 7.1 Tactical Calendar PAGEREF _Toc373425659 h 15

1.0 BackgroundLush Company is a limited retail company that has its headquarters in the UK. It was founded in 1994 by Mr. Mark Constatine and his wife Mo Constatine. They pioneered the first store at Poole and named it Cosmetic House Limited. It was however on 10th of April 1995 that Lush Company acquired its current name. Since then they have opened over eight hundred and thirty stores in over fifty one countries. The company manufactures and retails a number of cosmetic and hand made products. These include bubble bars, shower gels, face masks and hair conditioners among others. The company uses synthetic ingredients and bees wax to give their products a touch of authenticity and uniqueness. A notable event was when Mo and Mark were awarded an OBE award during the new year of December 2010 due to their contribution to the beauty and cosmetic industry (Wood 31).

1.1 HistoryThe source of what is considered as Lush Company can be traced to 1970 when the paths of Elizabeth Weir an accomplished beauty therapist collided with Mark Constatine and together they birthed the company called Constatine & Weir. The worked together and began experimenting by making simple beauty and bath recipes and selling them to clients. This attracted the attention of The Body Shop which was a company owned by Anita Roddick and based in the UK, She was contracted as their supplier and since then their success has been on a notable upward trajectory. A background analysis of the company will reveal unique and steady business growth and expansion strategies employed by the company’s management (Thorson and Moore 23).

1.2 Executive Overview

The marketing plan clearly outlines various marketing and communication tactics that help promote Lush Company and its products to give it a wider consumer scope. Lush will be able to do this through internet advertising, website promotions and television advertising among other tactics. The tactics implied by this Integrated marketing communications plan will ensure that Lush company is able to fully tackle any challenges relayed to sales and brand dominance to build client and consumer loyalty (Wood 25).

1.2.1 Scope of this Integrated Marketing Communications PlanThis ICM plan entails the various strategies, tactics and communication objectives required to ensure that integrated marketing is executed and implemented successfully.

1.2.2 Marketing ObjectivesThe overall plan is to ensure that purchase of cosmetic materials by a student base target group increases by a considerable 35 % by the end of the 12 months.

Have a significant increase in our market share before the end of the 12 months to approximately 18% through implementation of strategies and modalities laid out in this plan.

1.2.3 Communication ObjectivesEnsure that approximately 15% of our target audience is aware about Lush Company and our cosmetic products by the end of the 12 months.

We also aim to increase our site traffic by 35% by the end of the year through website promotions and search engine optimization among other strategies.

1.2.4 Issues and ChallengesWomen are our major target demographic and due to increased competition with regard to female cosmetic products we will face some very stiff competition. To help us counter this challenge, we aim to diversify our target demographic to include children and men so that we can have an effective marketing strategy through product target differentiation (Wood 21).

2.0 Situational Analysis2.0.1 StrengthsOne of Lush’s key strengths is the invention of fast cosmetic mixing technology which enables cosmetics to be mixed, graded and quantified very easily. This technology has put Lush as the market leader in this field. The company has also ventured into mergers and partnerships increasing its manufacturing capacities.

2.0.2 WeaknessesOne of the key weaknesses of the company is the fact that the major markets are in the USA. The current economic recessions and fluctuations have impacted the sales negatively and Lush is now venturing into Asia and Africa.

2.0.3 OpportunityThere is a lot of opportunity presented by the African and Asian markets. Inflation in Africa and East Asia has led to an increase in demand for cosmetics which are cheap and economical on pricing.

2.0.4 ThreatsRecalls on some cosmetic products have posed a major threat to the company. There have been cases of dysfunctional cosmetic products resulting to accidents and skin irritation in some cases. The company has recalled some of the products in the market and this has threatened business all over the country and the company is working tirelessly to rectify the problem with the cosmetic products.

2.1 Product History2.1.1 Product BackgroundLush Company Over a period of three years have built a team of highly creative employees with Mo Constantine being the lead and overseeing product development. The products are at times highly individualistic and in some cases it is important to educate customers. New products are launched roughly every week and such a product that became very popular with the company was bath bombs which fizz when dissolving in water. A lively online user community and discussion forum is a very useful source or Ideas and input to the creative process (Wong 24).

2.1.2 Current Problems Facing Products One of their greatest problems right now it the lack of a direct link to consumers in that certain clients cannot easily get Lush cosmetic products. Most of their target group demographic hence cannot easily get and purchase their products leading to a gap in product delivery and development (Smith and Ze Zook 15). Another key problem they are facing is consumer brand indifference. There is no brand loyalty especially from women who are their target demographic since there are many diverse cosmetic products to choose from (Smith and Ze Zook 16).

2.1.3 Current Marketing SituationLush company has a website through which it reaches most of its users and has built quite a sizable online community of clients. This is one of their key tactics and they currently do not have other supporting strong marketing tactics.

3.0 Target AudienceFour factors have been taken into consideration in defining our target market. These are:

Target Identification

Based on research and studies regarding the cosmetic market, we have chosen to employ a new approach and target college and university students as our target audience. We are targeting a segmented age range as a new marketing strategy which will help target a well-balanced and defined consumer population ages 19-29 and 32-50 as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Cosmetic Distribution with Co-relation to age

Source: Smith and Pulford 31

Market Segmentation

Most of our target market includes students and we were able to capture some analytical data to validate our segmentation of this market by asking some questions such as “How would you like to use Lush Cosmetics as your primary products?” and “Would you switch from your current cosmetic products to Lush Cosmetics?”. The response that we have gotten from respondents has given us a baseline to assure us that within the next 12 months we will achieve market segmentation of the said age bracket.

Market selection

By selecting the specified target market, we aim to capture a well- defined and balanced target group that will ensure even our products have age based diversity and appeal to both adults and young individuals.

Market strategies and Positioning

When most of the students were asked what had greater influence in their decision to purchase cosmetic products, about 56% said that price was the dominant factor. About 32% said that quality was the dominant factor. 21% of the respondents said the design and style was a dominant factor.

Figure 2: Age Segmentation and Market Positioning

Source: Smith and Ze Zook 21

4.0 Competition4.1 Product ComparisonCurrently, there are a number of companies producing cosmetic products that target the youth especially college and university students. With our products being refined to suit this age segmentation bracket, we aim to have a competitive edge and capture most of this market segment share.

Barriers to entryLush company is facing a number of barriers that deter it from fully optimizing this market. Key of these is the lack of awareness of this age bracket to Lush products and services. The economic recession and downturn has also proven to be quite a barrier as more and more people are spending less on cosmetics and beauty products contrary to a few years ago.

Competitor DifferentiationCommunity Engagement: We would like to let our members experience an ownership of the products and services. We will involve the community majorly through the membership and management activity through or website.

Activities and events: Regular on our schedule will be activities and events organized by the Lush management, friends and partners, together with featured institutions. These include, launches, marketing, meet-ups, conferences and regular talks aimed at helping us market our cosmetics to a wider spectrum.

Cost Leadership strategy: Lush Company also aims to make cosmetic products available to this market segment at a cheaper and affordable price slated at a 10% discount compared to current prices of cosmetic products within the UK.

5.0 Branding and Messaging5.1 Branding ArchitectureThe company aims at using young women as the pioneering subjects of brand messaging. Lush say that they are trying to “tap” on the moral sense of young women, so that the market will be more supporting and favor them for their ethical movement. Research also shows that 11% of consumers would be interested in paying for beauty products by a new method of ups on Smartphone’s instead of a credit card (Smith and Pulford 26). Lush company seeks to employ a conjunctive model on its branding message since it is likely to appeal more to young women and students (Brannan 26). One is that for the conjunctive model users, the brand messages should highlight the more professional and corporate side of using cosmetic products than its leisurely aspects or strong points. Brand messages for the lexicographic model however, should highlight the leisurely aspect of cosmetic products than the more formal and stringent professional highlights as is the case with the conjunctive model.

5.2 Positioning StatementLush company hopes to build its brand and establish concrete links among the younger populations and its products. Increasing popularity of cosmetic products among the young individuals is the motivation behind this branding and messaging strategy.

5.3 Value PropositionsLush company aims to use a cost leadership strategy and highlight this in their brand messaging so that more young people can become aware of the cost difference between Lush’s cosmetic products and their competitors. This is set to attract a higher number of clientele and their product value is likely to increase significantly.

6.0 Communication and Marketing Strategies6.1 Social NetworkingSocial networking is a key strategy that Lush Company seeks to use to implement their integrated communication marketing strategy. Through social networking, Lush Company seeks to target the younger generation Y especially via social media. This is with the aim of influencing their decision making skills regarding cosmetic purchases and using social media as a platform to reach them. Research has shown that since businesses embraced social media as a major platform for marketing their products, most companies have experienced a steady increase in sells among the younger generation who are frequent users of social networks (Smith and Pulford 29). The place that social networking plays in undoubtedly very impactive in today’s business tactics and economy balancing to diverse clientele from different generations (Smith and Pulford 38). Online marketing is one of the companies’ marketing objectives and they aim to achieve this through social interaction and culturing a consumer objective for cosmetic products to this younger generation through this avenue (Clow, Kenneth and Baack 31). Through social networking Lush Company will be able to broaden their spectrum of influence to the target audience and this will go a long way in ensuring that their goals are met. The social media commands great influence over today’s generation and affects their position as consumers greatly (Sandhusen 34). Lush Company should hence capitalize on this avenue to increase and cement their marketing tactic through social networking (Boone and Kurtz 24).

6.2 Direct Product MarketingLush plans to use direct product marketing where certain characteristics are similar to those of service marketing but unlike in the latter, individual attention to clients is not always practical as it involves large-scale production of goods and products shifting focus to the production aspects for instance, raw materials, quantities, stocks, and prices (Semenik 21). This is because in order to reach their target market, direct product marketing of their cosmetic product is ensured through conformance quality which is more pronounced, as it is more likely to net a large portion of impressed and interested consumers unlike in service marketing where the service requires more flexibility to adjust to meet the varied particular interests of various clients in the service industry (Bothma 33).

6.3 Customization and Internet MarketingCustomization of products for customers is the most critical means of delivering true value to customers (Ogden 47). Lush company aims to customize their products in order to achieve superior competitive advantage in the marketplace. The company implements product configuration system as a way of achieving this practice (Linton and Morley 17). It provides a lead time for product reduction depending on the demands of customers (Schultz and Lauterborn 31). Therefore, the design of products is done in a way that attracts the attention of customers.

One of the corporation’s Internet marketing strategies employed in marketing their products is lowering of prices for cosmetic products any time all the year round. The company keeps on lowering their cosmetic products in order to compete with their competitors producing the same products (Belch and Michael 21). This is crucial because it strategy has enabled it to acquire more customers who order and buy products online. In 2006, the company cut their prices in an effort of maintaining their market share. It also cut profit margins of real products purchased by more than a half (Blythe 39). This is done for the purpose of maintaining existing customers and attracting more customers in the market.

6.4 Television Commercial and Bonus SchemesAdvertisement has been a very dynamic market that keeps on changing with current societal issues (Cateora and Graham 11). Companies have started using measures that are sophisticated, with many buying agencies and clients using combinations of surveys and “optimizer” programs to analyze the demographic and psycho-graphic characteristics of audience groups and then establish pricing parameters that fit the audiences various networks delivered (Sandhusen 34). Lush company aims at using this to their advantage by launching a series of advertisements targeted at television viewers. The output of these commercials would be a recommended advertising placement portfolio for a specific product campaign (Percy 36). Lush Company also aims to use bonus schemes to further the implementation of their integrated communications marketing plan. This marketing strategy aims at providing customers with bonuses for cosmetic products purchased (Pickton and Broderick 27). The company will offer their customers free bonuses for the products purchased, including skin and hair products. This is crucial, because it enables customers to demand more products from their company since they will be incentivized. They will also make promotions of their services and products online offering a wide range of bonuses in order to attract more customers (Varey 26). Lush aims to use the slogan of ‘Looking younger every day’ as a means of making their products known to customers and establishing their branding structure that a younger demographic can identify with.

7.0 BudgetA large percentage of our budget has been allocated to company promotions about 55% because statistics show that a significant 60% of the target market that we have selected prefer events and word of mouth advertising (Blakeman 25). Our second most dominant budget has been slated for television and commercial advertising which is about 25%. This is because results indicate that a considerable 50% of our target market prefer television advertising (Blakeman 36). Print and paper advertising has been allocated 15 % of our budget and lastly internet marketing and search engine optimization has been allocated 5 % of our total budget.

7.1 Tactical Calendar

References

Belch, George E, and Michael A. Belch. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009. Print.

Blakeman, Robyn. Integrated Marketing Communication: Creative Strategy from Idea to Implementation. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007. Print.

Blythe, Jim. Key Concepts in Marketing. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE, 2009. Internet resource.

Boone, Louis E, and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing. Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western, 2005. Print.

Bothma, Neels. Integrated Marketing Communication. Claremont, South Africa: New Africa Books, 2005. Print.

Brannan, Tom. A Practical Guide to Integrated Marketing Communications. London: Kogan Page, 1995. Print.

Cateora, Philip R, and John L. Graham. International Marketing. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. Print.

Clow, Kenneth E, and Donald Baack. Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.

Linton, Ian, and Kevin Morley. Integrated Marketing Communications. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1995. Print.

Ogden, James R. Developing a Creative and Innovative Integrated Marketing Communications Plan: A Working Model. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 1998. Print.

Percy, Larry. Strategic Integrated Marketing Communication: Theory and Practice. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Pickton, David, and Amanda Broderick. Integrated Marketing Communications. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.

Sandhusen, Richard. Marketing. Hauppauge, N.Y: Barron’s Educational Series, 2008. Print.

Semenik, Richard J. Promotion and Integrated Marketing Communications. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western Thomson Learning, 2002. Print.

Schultz, Don E, Stanley I. Tannenbaum, and Robert F. Lauterborn. Integrated Marketing Communications. Lincolnwood, Ill., USA: NTC Business Books, 1993. Print.

Smith, P R, Alan Pulford, and Chris Berry. Strategic Marketing Communications: New Ways to Build and Integrate Communications. London: Kogan Page, 1999. Print.

Smith, P R, and Ze Zook. Marketing Communications: Integrating Offline and Online with Social Media. London: Kogan Page, 2011. Print.

Thorson, Esther, and Jeri Moore. Integrated Communication: Synergy of Persuasive Voices. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996. Print.

Varey, Richard J. Marketing Communication: Principles and Practice. London: Routledge, 2002. Internet resource.

Wong, Ho Y, Kylie Radel, and Roshnee Ramsaran-Fowdar. Building a Marketing Plan: A Complete Guide. New York, NY: Business Expert Press, 2011. Internet resource.

Wood, Marian B. The Marketing Plan Handbook. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.

Appendix

* NRS Social grade is a classification system based on occupation:

Population %

A Higher managerial, administrative and professional 4%

B Intermediate managerial, administrative and professional 22%

C1 Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative and professional 27%

C2 Skilled manual workers 22%

D Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers 16%

E State pensioners, casual and lowest grade workers, unemployed with state benefits only 9%

Brief explanation of marketing communication strategies, 3ps

Push strategy: Create awareness of the brand with the ultimate goal of sale to the final target audience customer/consumer.

Pull strategy: Use Intermediaries, distribution channels and retailers to create awareness and develop strong distribution network to the final target audience customer/consumer.

Profile strategy: Create awareness and spread the communicational message among stakeholders to the final target audience company’s micro environment.

Black Leadership during Jim Crow’s America

Name

Institution Affiliation

Black Leadership during Jim Crow’s America

The author discusses mutual and benevolent aid societies as a component of the internal cultures of African Americans in contrast to a view of these societies as the result of African American response to prejudice after the Civil War.

African American women came together to form political groups, notably the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), which they used to rally themselves against acts of discrimination through racism and sexism. Powerful women of this era, including Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell. Worked towards the uplifting of women of color all across the nation without minding their social class or condition. Other notable figures in the fight against inequality at the state level were Janie Porter Barret and Mary E. Cary Burrell. The latter was actively involved in influential organizations for the advancement of the rights of African Americans, including the United Order of True Reformers, the Women’s Baptist Missionary, and the Educational Association of Virginia. Janie Porter Barrett became the president of the state federation that was founded in 1907 with the aim of coordinating women activities in raising to the highest level of morality, home, and civic life of Virginia residents of African descent. In conformation to its pledge to uplift the morality and spirituality of women, the federation pledged to build an industrial home to rehabilitate “wayward” girls. The activities of these women salvaged the dignity of people of color that had long been destroyed by the white man through unimaginable inequality.

Booker T. Washington was one of the most instrumental figures during civil rights activism at the dawn of the 20th century. He believed that African Americans would be liberated and enjoy full citizenship by achieving economic independence. He also went ahead to call for African Americans to halt their demands for civil rights in pursuit of financial freedom. This was the worst idea during a time like that as it was the time for colored people to stand for their rights as provided in the constitution as well as challenging laws that were not accommodating. His advocacy for education consisted of the idea of vocational training for African Americans with the belief that practical skills would allow the people to better their communities. He was not for what he termed “mere book learning.” Washington was, however, wrong with his idea as it meant keeping African Americans at the bottom of the hierarchy as vocational skills did not consist of leadership roles. It confined African Americans to working manual jobs like it was during slavery. Critics like W. E. B. Du Bois challenged this thought as African Americans required both economic independence and civil rights to achieve total liberty. The education system needed to produce more intellectuals that were vocal about the plight of cloured people as opposed to masons and artisans.

Niagara Movement, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the Tuskegee Machine were political movements that advocated for the rights of the people of color. The Niagara Movement and the NAACP were based on the belief that people of color needed education to free themselves from the inequalities presented by Jim Crow America.

However, the Niagara movement and the rest of the movements did not support some sentiments of the NAAC, which were basically the ideas of Booker T. Washington. They believed that the NAAC sold the idea that African Americans were inferior to the white man.

Black Lives Matter

Name

Institution

Date

Black Lives Matter and Use of Body Camera

Introduction

Black Lives Matter Movement was founded in 2013 after the death of Trayvon Martin. Talk of the killings and maiming of minority groups including statistical representation. 31% of police brutality cases accounts for killings related to African Americans.

Police brutality is the use of excessive force by police officers on its citizens. We live in a world where we thrive on law and order and part of the order is often maintained by law enforcers including the police. In a world where there is no law and order then anarchy would really thrive which may pose to be an unfavorable environment to live in. It is for such reasons that often law enforcers play a huge role in a country and they have been granted the power to do so. However, more often than not some officers often misuse their power by brutalizing the innocent. Police brutality is an issue that is often brought up in almost every country including the United States (Vanessa, 2018).

With the recants movements on black lives matter there is need to look on the matter. There are debates on all lives matter issue as well as black lives matter with all lives matter wanting to diminish all lives matter movement (Monica, 2018).

Thesis statement: This paper will generally examine Black Lives Matter movement, extensive research has been conducted on effect police brutality has on African Americans including fatal injuries inflicted, adverse psychological effect, racist public reaction, high incarceration rates and arrests and integrated oppressive structure.

Body: Extent of police brutality.

A good example is Dondi Johnson who was arrested in Baltimore and suffered injuries from police including broken limbs that he later succumbed from these injuries. Cases of African Americans that have succumbed from gunshots are quite too high as a result of brutality. The second reason is Psychological stress as most African Americans are often stressed if they may be the next victims. laws in place that seem to contribute of police brutality such as Stop and Search laws.

On the job trouble refers to the problematic encounters that law enforcers may encounter while carrying out their job. If protest occur, police are tasked with ensuring there is law and order and that protesters carry out the protest peacefully without causing harm or vandalism to others. In the job trouble refers to dealing with police as well as the legal bureaucracies where one has to explain their actions on the job. This may include an inquiry of police conduct after a protest. Police may create ‘in the job’ trouble for themselves when they become repressive as they try to maintain law and order avoiding “on the job” trouble (Jelani, 2017). In cases where police officers may avoid to use more of hands-off approach especially in a protest that has violent tendencies, then there is likelihood of lawlessness.

George Floyd’s murder led to a lot of protests all over United States most people stating the protests are no longer peaceful. Colin Kaeprick did a protest where he knelt and got a lot of back lash including the fact that it was disrespectful but now people believe he was right. He lost his job including the NFL for taking a stand and later on in life people do believe that he was right and needed to be acknowledged. This brings the discussion on peaceful vs. non-peaceful protests. People pointed out that police officers may be using force to try calm BLM movements yet while the whites were protesting on need for the border to be opened they were treated differently.

Incorporate ideas of Malcolm X and Martin Luther on peaceful protest when it comes to matters of racism. While Martin Luther supported Gandhi on peaceful protest, Malcolm was seen to support violent protest.

Implementation of body cameras to help reduce police brutality. These cameras have been suggested as best ways to capture brutality cases (Dorothy, 2015). Capturing how all police officers get to interact with the citizens may help reduce police brutality cases.

Most police brutality cases are usually the words of the officer against the police use of cameras would help. Use of body cameras will help show the side of the story if excessive force will be used. Blue Code of silence is the leading reason as to why most police officers get away with brutality (Anthony, 2017).

Police will respond to various protest with different force depending on a couple of factors. Law enforcers protect economic as well as political interest of certain elites. Depending on the issue being protested against the force may be minimal or brutal. Issues such as police brutality are sensitive issues these is because a country like America has gone through years of changes in a bid to achieve racial equality (Alese, 2020)

Conclusion

Although racism has greatly reduced the issue of systemic racism is now visible when it comes to police brutality. Media serves as one key role in looking at police brutality cases as well as their effects.

Achievements that have been achieved by the BLM including firing of police officers implicated in George Floyd murder. There are several petitions that are being signed pertaining black lives matter.

There is need to eliminate laws that are targeting the minorities. Although all lives matter there is evidence that black lives do not matter is reason enough to protest.

Social media and improvement of technology has also helped in dealing with police brutality as now evidence can be captured where police are using force thus promoting transparency and accountability

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Alese Wooditch, C. D. (2020). Perceptions of Body-Worn Cameras: Findings from a Panel Survey of Two LAPD Divisions. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 426-453.

Anthony Braga, P. J. (2017). The Benefits of Body-Worn Cameras: . National Criminal Justice journal, 45-50.

Dorothy Charlse, Kathryn Himmelstern, Walker Keenan Nicholas Baried. (2015). White Coats For Black Lives: Responding to Racism and Police Brutality. Journal of Urban Health, 88-102.

Jelani Ince, F. R. (2017). The Social Media Response to Black Lives Matter: How twitter Users Interact with Black Lives Matter through Hashtag Use. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 14-30.

Monica Anderson, S. T. (2018). An Analysis of Black Lives Matter and other Twitter Hashtags related to political or social issues. Pew Research Center, 50-62.

Vanessa Williamson, Kristella Trump and Katherine Levine Einsten. (2018). Black lives Matter: Evidence that Police caused Deaths Predict Protest Activity. Cambridge University Press, 400-415.

Student’s name

Professor’s name

Course:

Date:

A review of “Dietary Fiber Confers Protection against Flu by Shaping Ly6c-Patrolling Monocyte Hematopoiesis and CD8+ T Cell Metabolism.”

The article is a scientific report on an experiment that illustrates the beneficial outcomes of SCFAs and dietary fiber in protection against infections such as influenza infections. To exemplify this, scientists conduct few experiments on laboratory mice. In the first experiment, they conduct an experiment that shows how the short-chain fatty acids and the fermentable fiber insulin protects against the pathology induced with influenza. The second one shows how short-chain fatty acids alter hematopoiesis by accelerating the bone marrow’s macrophage precursors. In the third experiment the scientists show how the short-chain fatty acids shape the functionality of the macrophage to lessen the damage on the neutrophil-mediated tissue. Ultimately, the last experiment shows how short chain fatty acids enhance the functionality of the CD8 + T cell by altering its metabolism.

An understanding on the beneficial roles that both short-chain fatty acids and dietary fiber have on protecting immunity against infections is very important. From the experiment, it is quite evident that dietary fiber and the short-chain fatty acids have benefits that allow the laboratory mice to control themselves against the influenza infection effectively. Additionally, this involves both dampening and enhancing the immune system’s discrete components such as the immunological tone that is set at a level that allows viral clearance and also avoids excess tissue damage. The scientists also observed that uncontrolled immune responses upon the influenza infection lead to tissue destruction that results in severe mortality and morbidity. However, reducing the neutrophils in the airways in an indirect way, butyrate and dietary fiber prevent both alveolar damage and immunopathology. This was achieved through a mechanism that involves a gut bone marrow-lung that is quite similar to what the scientists described for asthma.

The experiment is quite important as it shows how the effect of short-chain fatty acids and dietary fiber is important in boosting immune systems. It shows how the short-chain fatty acids and dietary fiber can alter the metabolism of the CD8 + T cell to enhance and increase the effector function. Just after stimulation, the CD8 + T cells from the mice fed with the HFD show increased masses on their mitochondria and increased spare respiratory capacity and increased maximal respiration, an indicator of enhanced capacity and capability of using oxidative phosphorylation. Similarly, the glycolytic mass of the mice is increased.

The T cells rely largely on the oxidative phosphorylation pathways so as to produce energy. Therefore, during the effector cell differentiation, cell metabolism switches to glycolysis that enhances the production of metabolic intermediates that are significant for cell proliferation and cell growth. The effector phase is characterized by a high glycolytic rate and the oxidative phosphorylation activities. The effector cells from the mice fed with HFD shows augmented functionality. The CD8 +T cells functional capacity is highly dependent on the availability of glucose and uptake, as Glut-1 is the main transporter of glucose in the T cells that translocate to the surface of the cell upon activation allowing glucose uptake. The mice fed with HFD showed an increased surface expression of the Glut-1, allowing enhance glucose assimilation. The next experiment that scientists should undertake should be conducting a single role of the short-chain fatty acids in preventing infections as they have highlighted a dual role in this experiment.

Student’s name:

Professor’s name:

Course:

Date:A Review of “Oral NaHCO3 Activates a Splenic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway: Evidence That Cholinergic Signals Are Transmitted via Mesothelial Cells.”

The article is a report on an experiment that describes how oral NaHCO3 intake normally invigorate anti-inflammatory pathways. To illustrate how splenic anti-inflammatory pathways are stimulated by the intake of oral NaHCO3, scientists’ experiment by loading oral NaHCO3 then shifting macrophage polarization from inflammatory (M1) to regulatory phenotypes (M2) and FOXP3+ CD4+T-lymphocytes increased in the blood, kidneys and spleen of laboratory mice. The scientists then clearly prove that the same anti-inflammatory changes that were observed in the macrophage polarization in the laboratory mice was the same as those observed in human beings’ blood following the ingestion of NaHCO3.

The scientists used cytometry flow as well as mRNA markers in splenic macrophages that are isolated so as to determine whether M2 macrophage polarization in the both the spleen and the kidney is promoted by the intake of oral NaHCO3. The scientists also investigated the effects of acute NaHCO3 loading on cell profiles in the human blood. They found out that gentle manipulation so as to visualize the spleen at midline during sham splenectomy was necessary to abolish the oral NaHCO3 anti-inflammatory response. The scientists then investigated the pathways in which NaHCO3 intake signaling can be transmitted to the splenic parenchyma. In addition, the scientists use both anatomical and functional evidence in which signals that mediate for these responses are transmitted to the kidney and the spleen through a neural-like function of the mesothelial cells. The study shows how the mesothelial cells have a role in transmitting signals at distal sites and how it combines with the secretion of gastric acid in promoting an anti-inflammatory response to oral NaHCO3.

This study is important as it details how anti-inflammatory response macrophage polarization; including both M1 and M2 are promoted by the intake of oral NaHCO3. The study also explains how intake of oral NaHCO3 increases FOXP3 +CD4+ T regulatory cells within the kidney and the spleen. The scientists were able to confirm that such phenotypic changes are associated with anti-inflammatory effects of using MLR. They were able to examine tissues from the Ls-fed Dahl mice and normotensive Spragie Dawley rats. The scientists also explained how the Dahl mouse model develops both renal injury and hypertension when fed with an HS diet.

The data from the study indicates that the effect of NaHCO3 on macrophage polarization is independent of elevated blood pressure and salt diets. This agrees with the findings of the mice, that oral NaHCO3 promotes anti-inflammatory response in blood. Indeed, the data was a demonstration that NaHCO3 ingested orally can promote powerful anti-inflammatory responses in both human beings and rats. The scientists however speculated that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway activated the ingestion of oral NaHCO3.

The next experiment that scientists should undertake should involve testing the efficacy of the intakes of oral NaHCO3 to regulate injury in inflammatory disease models in determining the potential of this therapeutic stimuli. This is because, the scientists in this study have only provided a cost effective and a safe method of activating splenic anti-inflammatory pathways in human beings thus may have an important therapeutic potential for the inflammatory disease.

Wassim Banihashemi

ENG 111

Nov 17. 2021

Essay #3 Draft

Black and White

 

Growing up without an address has its effects on people. Colin Kaepernick just at five weeks old was given up for adoption. His address then changed once he was with his new family. He is now an American civil rights activist and used to also be a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons.

Kapernick tells his story of how address affected his life. His mother abandoned him at 5 weeks old and he ended up with a white family in a rich neighborhood. You can see the social impact address has on Kapernick, he enjoys and feels like himself in the neighborhood that is considered low income and section eight housing. The low income and section eight housing made Kapernick feel more at home because of the black cultural and the way it was expressed in the community. You can also see how during his time, it didn’t matter what part of the country you went to try out, if you were black – you would never get picked. The people who live in Turlock, Ca consider NorthEast part of the city to be the safest. In the NorthEast part of the city Kapernick did not feel at home, was uneasy, and did not fit in due to the population being all white. He was unable to express the black cultural as he would in the community of others like him.

Turlock, CA is mainly a town of white people with a small section of colored people. You can see the character become alive while entering and being around the colored neighborhood. The street and main road that Kapernicks family was driving on daily had an officer there; his dad passed the officer everyday speeding the officer never pulled him over. While Kapernick was practicing driving with his white parents, the officer was more aggressive and racial profiling him. In Turlock, CA they had barely any police and they police they had were all white officers. In the section eight and low income community they had white and black officers, and more was around posted in the neighborhoods. When Kapernick drove the first time they pulled him over and put a gun on him. “St. Louis, still the most segregated cities in America, was, Gordon argues, the product of racial restrictions and failed city policies that isolated and marginalized St. Louis’s black community.”(Mask page 197)

Being on a team has its own problems that Kaepernick was facing. Schools are sectioned out by the different addresses and zip codes. States such as California divides up the areas and they are supposed to have one low-income neighborhood per each high-income neighborhood. In the communities and zip codes where there are more white people and less low-income housing, they have nicer things and communities are cleaner. In the low income communities they are not as clean and do not have nice things in their communities. Due to less funds going into those communities and the whites always donating and funding their own cities. “Segregation meant that African Americans often live in their own neighborhoods” (Mask pp 193) Due to the power struggle the white folks have they have divided up zip codes so that certain neighborhoods solely have all white people. Schools then success and favor the typical front page of the magazine white man. Kapernick was struggling as not many people in his school was colored and he was getting picked on, not noticed, and not given opportunities. It doesn’t have to be an address for you to get picked, if your black and note white you won’t get chosen to be on the team.

Kaepernick is a multisport athletic man has his pick of baseball scholarship offers but really wants to play football. He also wants to be like the other kids and have a “normal life” with popularity, friends, and a date. This movie tells a story by dawning awareness of differences in a town that a white friend calls “Whitey Whiteville”, by showing that different parts of the town and different addresses can affect your upbringing. Whether you live in the North, East, South or West of any city or state, there will always be a community better than another community that you may feel more at home in.  

Work Cited:

DuVernay, Ava, director. Colin in Black & White. Documentary/Show, 2021. Mask, Deirdre. The Address Book. St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 2020. 

P, James. NY Times , 27 Oct. 2021, Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.

A Response to Changes in Parenting and Gender Roles

Name of Author

Institutional Affiliation

A Response to Changes in Parenting and Gender Roles

In the essay Parenting and Gender Roles, the author seeks to outline the various changes and transformations that have occurred in the societal institution of parenting over time. Specific focus is on the shifts in gender roles of male and female parents. Thus, the essay seeks to answer questions as to which roles have changed, what changes are witnessed in homes, and their subsequent positive or negative resultant effects.

The author carries out a comprehensive analysis of the changes that have occurred in parenting and the gender roles. This starts with an analysis of developments in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual (LGBT) relationships. Noting that some children must grow in such relationships, an analysis of emotional effects, psychosocial impacts, and the fact of the possibility of more adoptions is also assessed. Reviewing the stereotypes of men’s involvement in mothering and child caregiving, the author notes the rising cases of single fathers and mothers and the challenges associated with it. Again, it is notable that couples or individuals change their parenting role by choosing not to have children, irrespective of societal prejudices. Ultimately, the author assesses increased participation of women in careers necessitating the sharing of household and parenting chores.

At almost every point, the author backs up their points with reputable academic sources. Three different sources used here include Aulette (2010), Ehrenberg et al. (2001), and Turner and Smith (1983). The timeline distribution of these sources is varied in a way that the views provide wholesome considerations. Again, the author views different situations, each in its context. For example, an analysis of LGBT and all associated facts, then the influence of career and all the rest. In essence, the author manages to answer the questions intended. Nonetheless, the essay does not have a summative introductory clause or conclusion. Again, it leaves out the aspect of families employing the assistance of the house helps and home-based caregivers.

References

Aulette, J. R. (2010). Changing American Families. Allyn & Bacon. Third Edition.Ehrenberg, Marion F. et al. (2001). Childcare Task Division and Shared Parenting Attitudes in Dual-Earner Families with Young Children. Family Relations, Vol. 50, No. 2 (Apr., 2001), 143-153.

Turner, Pauline H.; Smith, Richard M. (1983). Single Parents and Day Care. Family Relations, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr., 1983), 215-226.