Mary Kay free essay sample

The VIP automobile program is our problem child. The cost of all three automobile incentive programs is eating our lunch. These words were spoken in the summer of 1989 by Dick Bartlett, president and chief operating officer of Mary Kay Cosmetics. tC In 1984, the company had introduced the VIP (Very Important Performer) car program to motivate its top-performing, nondirector beauty consultants (i. . , independent saleswomen). The program, which originally awarded the use of compact size Oldsmobile Firenzas to eligible beauty consultants, was modeled after the company’s acclaimed pink Cadillac program, introduced in 1969, for which only director-level consultants were eligible. The pink Buick program, Mary Kay’s third program, was also reserved for sales directors, but was based on less difficult performance criteria than the Cadillac program. Under all three car programs, Mary Kay awarded the use of a new car to eligible beauty consultants who sustained the required sales and recruiting levels for the designated number of months. We will write a custom essay sample on Mary Kay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Winners maintained the use of their cars for two years as long as they continued to meet the required sales volumes on a monthly basis. The company bore all the costs associated with leasing the new General Motors cars from ARI Leasing, insuring the cars, and then selling the used ones as consultants returned them. No The car programs had proven to be very effective motivators, helping company sales through a period of market stagnancy in the mid1980s. Over time, however, the cost of running the programs had escalated substantially. The cost of the VIP program in particular had skyrocketed in the late 1980s, with the number of leased cars approaching 3,000 in early 1989. In addition, there were approximately 1,000 Cadillacs and 1,000 Buicks in force in 1989. The number of car winners as a percentage of the total number of beauty consultants had doubled from 1. 5% in 1986 to 2. 5% by yearend 1988. Do Mary Kay’s management now faced the difficult challenge of containing further program cost increases without upsetting the powerful incentive system that was the firm’s primary source of growth and success. In addition to reducing total car program costs (especially VIP costs) as a percentage of sales, management was interested in redirecting the dollars behind other elements of its incen tive compensation plan for greater cost effectiveness. Also, management wanted to provide reward and recognition for a range of performance levels that was broad enough to meet the varying career interests of current and prospective beauty consultants. Hilary Weston prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Robert Simons as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 1990 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www. bsp. harvard. edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) Company Background op yo rP os 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc. was an international manufacturer and distributor of premium skin care, hair care, and body care products. Mary Kay products were not available through retail stores. In 1988, its products were sold throughout the United States exclusively by a network of over 175,000 independent (self-employed) women who ranged in status from beauty consultants to national sales directors. (Mary Kay also sold internationally in seven countries. ) This sales force met directly with customers in their homes and offices to demonstrate and sell Mary Kay products. The firm’s 1,436 company employees worked out of its Dallas headquarters and manufacturing facility and its five regional distribution centers. In 1988, the company’s 25th anniversary, Mary Kay Cosmetics achieved record sales of $406 million, up 26% from $326 million in 1987. The original mission of company founder Mary Kay Ash had been to be a â€Å"teachingoriented† organization that provided women with exceptional opportunities for professional achievement, economic success, recognition, personal development, and independence. The organization had remained true o this goal, but had expanded its mission during the 1980s to include greater emphasis on consumer needs, product innovation, and quality. As revised in 1987, the Mary Kay Mission was â€Å"To achieve preeminence in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of personal care products by providing personalized service, value, convenience and innovative solutions to consumer needs through our independ ent sales force. † Company Philosophy The â€Å"Consultant’s Guide† book provided to new beauty consultants stated the firm’s philosophy as follows: tC From the beginning, the Company has grown based upon the same philosophy: every person associated with the Company, from Chairman Emeritus to the newest recruit, lives by the Golden Rule, â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you† and the priorities of God first, family second, and career third. In describing the company’s commitment to the independent sales force, Chairman Rogers asserted, â€Å"Every aspect of the Mary Kay system is aimed at promoting a successful career for the beauty consultants. It’s through her succeeding that we all succeed. . . We’re committed to total customer satisfaction; and to the customer, a beauty consultant is Mary Kay. † No A director of sales development explained the relationship between the company and its sales force: There are five things that all consultants seek. We refer to them as STORM: Satisfaction with a task well done (self-worth); Teamwork (a sense of belonging); Opportunity (to succeed); Recognition; and Money. These five needs are being met through various aspects of our business. Do Company Ownership and Structure In 1984, after several years of extraordinary growth, a decline of 14% in sales and 8% in earnings had triggered a sharp drop in the corporation’s share price. In December 1985, in response to both the depressed share price and to their own desire to manage for the long term rather than for quarterly earnings, Chairman Mary Kay and her son, Richard Rogers (president and CEO at the time), led a management leveraged buyout for a price of approximately $315 million. Mary Kay and Richard also wished to avoid the impact that public financial reporting could have on sales force 2 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 op yo rP os t attitudes during a sales and stock price decline. Negative attitudes could easily trigger further sales and recruiting declines. Two years later, in November 1987, Mary Kay assumed the title of chairman emeritus and Rogers, 44, became chairman (retaining his title as CEO). Dick Bartlett, former executive vice president of Marketing, was named president and chief operating officer (COO). Mary Kay management prided itself on its lean internal staff. President Bartlett placed himself at the bottom of the organization, surrounded by staff support functions. Above him were the four operating divisions—Marketing, Sales, RD/Manufacturing, and Distribution—which â€Å"served† the sales force. Bartlett placed Mary Kay’s customer base of 15 to 20 million households at the top of the organizational structure. Exhibit 1 depicts the internal organizational structure and Exhibit 2 shows the hierarchical structure of the sales force as well as the profile of a typical beauty consultant. ) Bartlett explained the role of his internal organization and how it operated: Our goal is to support the independent sales force of 175,000 beauty consultants, because our sales force is our lifeblood. Our job in supporting the consultants involves a cont inual effort to update and improve the quality and selection of our products and to refine our facilities and procedures. We also have to anticipate and respond to the consultants’ needs. This all requires creativity and flexibility. tC One of my first challenges as president was to break down departmental fiefdoms. I instituted three types of meetings that bring together managers from different departments. The weekly Sales and Marketing meetings are religiously attended by top management. I never miss those meetings. They’re where the hot topics are raised and discussed. We’ve also created what we call â€Å"CATS†Ã¢â‚¬â€Creative Action Teams. These cross-functional temporary task forces are formed on an ad hoc basis whenever any employees identify a specific problem or opportunity which they think they can take on, especially those affecting quality improvement. The purpose of the CATS is to nurture creativity and keep the organization flexible. We track the progress of all CAT projects at our weekly meetings, and employees are usually recognized for successful completion. The main personal link between the company and the sales force was the group of six regional sales development directors. One of them described his role: Do No The job of the six of us is to bridge the gap between the growing sales organization and the company. We picture ourselves as their voice internally. Each of us covers a geographic region containing 700 to 800 sales directors and 30,000 to 40,000 beauty consultants. We wear a lot of hats—information conduit, administrator, motivator, personal and financial advisor, and so on. Also, there’s an expectation on the part of each consultant that their own personal considerations will be taken into account. Let’s say a woman works all year and misses a director’s goal by $18, we’d destroy her if we didn’t give her a break. We need to be flexible, so we make those kinds of calls. Sales Force Support In addition to personal contact with the field, Mary Kay Cosmetics employed an elaborate set of tools and programs designed to motivate, recognize, and develop its beauty consultants: Communications The company produced a constant flow of written material for the sales force, including a monthly magazine, weekly newsletters, training manuals, and product brochures. It also 3 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t provided video and audiocassettes (for recruiting, training, and motivating), promotional sales aids, and a telephone hot line for advice and answers. Mary Kay also regularly solicited feedback from consultants and customers by conducting surveys and focus groups. The company used this information to improve existing products and packaging and to develop new products and selling tactics. Events Mary Kay sponsored a variety of contests, conferences, and other events for the consultants, which combined all three elements mentioned above—motivation, recognition, and education. The biggest event was the annual seminar, which in 1988 was attended by 25,000 consultants. (The three-day event was divided into four back-to-back identical sessions because of its sheer size. The seminar was open to all consultants and directors; however, registrants paid their own way to attend and participate in the festivities and training sessions. The climax was a gala awards night in which consultants of all levels were honored and rewarded for their achievements before an applauding crowd of thousands. Rewards ranged from ribbons, jewelry, furs, and luxury trips to the crowning of â€Å"queens. † Sale force activities Ongoing support within the beauty consultant networks was another important ingredient in the Mary Kay formula for direct selling. Despite the high level of company support, the vast majority of a consultant’s interaction was with her unit director and the other 30 to 150 consultants in her unit, and not directly with Mary Kay management, which had no formal control over the sales force. 1 tC Because Mary Kay Ash believed that people could be â€Å"praised to success,† the company fostered a sale force culture based on positive reinforcement and recognition. This was achieved through several means. First, the company did no sales force recruiting; the independent consultants personally chose heir own new recruits. This personalized approach increased the likelihood of successful director-consultant relationships. Also, the company provided guidelines to assist the independent sales force in motivating and training its members. For example, the companysuggested Monday unit meetings were the primary forum for the sharing of product information, selling tips, and success stories, as well as group praise. These weekly unit meetings not only served as a support group and training class, but also created peer pressure to succeed. In â€Å"Memo,† the company’s weekly newsletter to directors, and in the Director’s Guide, the company provided directors with many kinds of creative tips and tools for training and developing their units and conducting effective meetings. Do No Recognition and prizes The majority of beauty consultants did not attend the annual seminar or receive cars and other large prizes. All active consultants, however, were motivated to increase their sales and recruiting by a constantly available array of prizes and recognition for incremental progress. Company-sponsored gifts and prizes were offered for achieving sales and recruiting goals and winners’ names were listed in Applause, Mary Kay’s monthly magazine for consultants. In addition, directors, at their own expense and discretion, rewarded their unit members for achieving various milestones. The gifts and prizes handed out by directors to beauty consultants usually took the form of jewelry and other accessories, often with the Mary Kay logo on them, and were usually awarded in front of a group. (Exhibit 3 lists a representative sampling of the type and cost of directors’ gifts to unit members. For example, upon signing up her first recruit, each consultant received a string of imitation pearls and congratulatory applause at her unit’s weekly meeting. At each step in her Mary Kay career, a consultant received additional recognition and status symbols, including â€Å"ladder† pins with varying numbers and types of gems, which indicated her level of 1The signed agreement between an independent beauty consultant and the company stipulated certain basic guidelines that the consultant was required to follow, such as her legal responsibility to represent the company and its products honestly and accurately. Mary Kay Cosmetics, however, had virtually no management control over the independent contractor sales force. 4 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 op yo rP os t achievement. (See Exhibit 4 for the hierarchy of nonfinancial sales force incentives. Senior Vice President of Sales Bart Bartolacci described the role of recognition as an incentive: As Mary Kay herself would say, â€Å"A $5 ribbon plus $20 worth of recognition is worth more than a $25 prize. † In other words, give them a check, but give it to them on stage. Then they will really respond. I would never take away the recognition element. It would be like putting my head on a chopping block. Some of the women really don’t need the money at all, but the recognition is addictive. In fact, the top people in our sales organization motivate their units through recognition, not expensive prizes. Financial incentives The financial incentives, however, were also considered an indispensable ingredient in the firm’s direct selling strategy. According to management, the power and appeal of Mary Kay’s incentive system were rooted in the carefully designed combination of compensation, advancement opportunity, prize incentives, and recognition. According to the Mary Kay Marketing Plan (i. e. , the incentive compensation and advancement plan), a consultant’s income was determined by a very clear and objective method, based on her selling and recruiting activity. No organizational constraints limited the pace at which a consultant could advance her status and increase her income. In 1988, the highest paid sales director earned over $400,000 and roughly 90 others had six-figure incomes. The company, via its beauty consultants, aggressively advertised the Marketing Plan’s objectivity and unlimited earning potential to attract new recruits. The specific components of the plan were based on the following premise, as explained by Sales Group Executive Vice President Barbara Beasley: tC There are three things we want beauty consultants to do: order products, sell products to customers, and recruit new consultants. Recruiting is really the big source of growth because sales per consultant can rise only so much. That puts a limit on both company growth and consultants’ earning potential. Moreover, because approximately 70% of consultants drop out each year, we need new recruits just to maintain sales. We currently recruit about 10,000 consultants per month and lose 7,000 per month. I know that turnover rate sounds high. But, in fact, our rate is the lowest in the direct-selling industry, and lower than most retailers’ sales staff turnover. No But a good director must sell as well as recruit. Her best source of new recruits is her customer base. Also, her role as leader, teacher, and motivator involves setting an example for her unit members. We also need the sales directors to stay on top of customers’ needs and their reactions to new products because the directors are our strongest tie to the marketplace. Do Although all consultants fell into one of two general categories, nondirectors and directors, there were multiple titles within each group. The financial success of the more senior consultants and of directors depended heavily on their ability to recruit new consultants and on the ongoing performance of their recruits. Exhibit 5 summarizes the compensation for all levels as described below. An entry-level beauty consultant’s income was the difference between the retail value of the products she sold and the wholesale price (usually 50% of suggested retail) at which she bought 5 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t products from Mary Kay. A nondirector consultant also received a 4% to 12% commission2 on the sales of all her personal recruits. Once she had at least five recruits, her title became Team Leader and she could try to qualify for the use of a VIP car. In order to win the use of a VIP car (a red Pontiac Grand Am) and keep it for the entire awarded period of 24 months, a consultant had to reach and maintain three types of targets over that period: (1) team monthly production volume (i. e. wholesale value of all her recruits’ orders); (2) personal monthly wholesale production; and (3) number of active recruits. Each VIP consultant was given a fixed â€Å"allowance† she could draw on to make up for shortages in particular months, so that she would not have to relinquish her car because of one or two bad months. The allowance could be increased (and thereby â €Å"banked†) by performance above the minimum requirements in any given month. Once a consultant became a sales director (the qualifications were again tied to personal and team production and number of recruits), several additional avenues of income opened up to her. In addition to receiving an 8% to 12% commission on her personal recruits’ wholesale orders, she received a 9% to 13% commission on the production of the entire unit she directed, which included her recruits’ recruits. In addition, she received a sliding-scale monthly bonus of $400 to $2,500 if her unit’s total monthly production exceeded $4,000. Thus, if a director’s unit achieved the $4,000 threshold, the compensation system rewarded her doubly for the unit’s performance. Finally, a director also received a $100 to $400 bonus for each month in which her unit of consultants recruited at least three new active consultants. As soon as one of a director’s unit members became a director herself, the former became a senior sales director. In addition to the sources of director compensation, senior directors also received a 4% commission on the monthly production of all their â€Å"offspring† units. If they had eight or more offspring units, the commission increased to 5%. tC A national sales director—the highest position in the Mary Kay independent sales force—did not directly work with nondirector beauty consultants. Her compensation was based on the wholesale production of both her first-line and second-line offspring units. She received a commission of 5% to 8% and 2%, respectively, for the two tiers of units. History of the VIP Car Program No Between 1983 and 1989, Mary Kay’s car programs increased from a base of 1,100 cars on the road to over 5,000 cars. Most of this increase was due to the VIP program, which was introduced in 1984. By mid-1989, VIP cars in force numbered 3,000. The number of VIP car winners had grown rapidly despite increases in program qualification requirements in 1986, 1988, and 1989. Increased VIP participation was accompanied by several external cost trends: The costs to Mary Kay of leasing the cars had increased with interest rates. Automobile insurance premiums had escalated faster than both inflation and prices of Mary Kay products. Do †¢ †¢ General Motors discontinued the Oldsmobile Firenza, reducing the resale value of the one- and two-year-old cars. 2Commissions were based on wholesale orders and the percentage level depended on the number of recruits a consultant had. 6 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) 190-103 The Current Challenge op yo rP os t All of these trends had contributed in driving up the cost of the VIP program. The cost increase was further magnified by the decline in car â€Å"tenure†: an increasing proportion of the consultants who had qualified for VIP cars were unable to maintain the required sales and recruiting levels for the 24month period. As a result, Mary Kay often was forced to reclaim cars that were substantially less than two years old. The newer a car when Mary Kay reclaimed it from a consultant, the greater the disparity between the car’s unamortized book value and the (much lower) resale price that Mary Kay received for it. In short, the company absorbed larger losses on cars that were in service for shorter periods of time. Mary Kay’s top management was seeking a broad solution to the rising costs—and corresponding diminishing returns—of its incentive plan, the VIP car program in particular. According to Richard Wiser, vice president of Financial Planning and Analysis: Over the last several years, we’ve watched the cost of the car programs and of commissions creep up relative to sales. [See Exhibits 6 and 7. ] Car expenses in particular have really jumped up since 1985. In the past, we’ve always gone for incremental cost savings. We took a egative approach: we simply raised the program qualification requirements when we wanted to reduce the cost of the program. Now, we want to be more creative. We have Finance, Marketing, and Sales all working together to identify innovations that would save money for us but, at the same time, keep the sales force morale up and boost the effectiveness of the incentives. tC We haven’t been getting a bang for our buck from all VIP consultants. Unless they are trying to qualify for directorship, many feel no motivation to increase their sales and recruiting efforts above the level needed to maintain the use of their cars. We’re not tapping their full potential because we’re not rewarding them for achieving it. President Dick Bartlett continued: No Richard is right. In fact, those VIP consultants who really do want additional income and recognition may rush into directorship prematurely. They may qualify before they have a large, strong team base and sufficient experience. That’s bad for everyone. The consultant must fight a frustrating uphill battle to retain her director status. And from our perspective, her unit’s size and performance may deteriorate. A weak director hurts unit morale and development. The problem trickles down: when a weak or negligent consultant loses a customer, it’s a lost sale for Mary Kay. Customers can’t buy our products in retail stores and the customer is not likely to seek out another consultant. Do Bartlett and his management team summarized the objectives of the Marketing Plan modifications they sought: †¢ To improve profit margins by reducing overall beauty consultant compensation (particularly the costs associated with the car programs) as a percent of sales—a ratio that had been escalating yearly. †¢ To enhance the beauty consultants’ career path with more distinct milestones and forms of reward. Bartlett was particularly concerned about two issues that had adversely affected many top-performing VIPs: 7 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. 190-103 Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t 1. Many had worked extra hard to achieve director status but were ill-prepared for the extra demands of continuing director-level performance. . Many had stagnated at a â€Å"maintenance† sales level simply to retain their VIP cars. †¢ To make cost reductions elsewhere in the Marketing Plan while preserving sales force morale and motivation. †¢ To minimize the cost to the firm of maintaining low-performing consultants, i. e. , those with very few recruits and no indication of ambitious growth goals. At the conclusion of their interview with the casewriters, the managers reemphasized the extreme sensitivity of beauty consultants’ actions to changes in the Marketing Plan. They cited an example: in 1984, an announced increase in VIP qualification criteria resulted in an enormous â€Å"rush† for VIP status before the effective date of the program change. As a result, the number of VIP car winners temporarily increased dramatically, rather than tapering off as intended. (Refer to Exhibit 6. ) Moreover, many of those consultants who had rushed to obtain cars had relatively low tenure with Mary Kay. So, they did not have the experience and team strength to maintain their VIP status. As a result, they had to forfeit their cars prematurely, which was demoralizing for them and costly for the firm. Do No tC In general, any change in the Marketing Plan that was not well-received by the sales force of over 175,000 beauty consultants could be disastrous to the company: not only would sales drop off in the near term, but the sales force attrition rate could increase and the recruiting rate decrease over the long term. Aware of this danger, management had scheduled the first â€Å"Mary Kay Summit Meeting† and invited all national sales directors (the top of the independent sales organization) to be involved in designing changes in the Marketing Plan. Management wanted to bring to the Summit Meeting their own draft plan as a starting point for discussions with the national sales directors. 8 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) op yo rP os t Mary Kay Organizational Structure Do No tC Exhibit 1 190-103 9 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) Exhibit 2 op yo rP os t 190-103 National Sales Directors (60+)a Average Income: $160,000 Executive Senior Directors and Senior Directors (1,700) Average Income: $44,000 Directors and Star Directors (3,000+) Average Income: $23,000 Team Leaders (including VIPs and Directors-in-Qualification) (3,300) Average Income: $9,200 Star Recruiters, Star Consultants, and All Other Active Consultants (gt;175,000) Average Income: $1,900 PROFILE OF A TYPICAL BEAUTY CONSULTANT b †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 24 to 54 years old arried with children holds another job has some college education †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ lives outside a major urban area spends approximately 8 hours per week on Mary Kay work earns less than $5,000/year through May Kay work holds $2,500 to $3,000 worth of inventory (at suggested retail value) in her home Do No tC aNumbers in parentheses represent headcounts bBased on entire sales force. Directors and above, however, do Mary Kay work full-time. This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] arvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A) Director Prizes for Unit Membersa (representative sampling) Item op yo rP os t Exhibit 3 190-103 Cost to Director Ordered Through Mary Kay Director Supply Department: Business card case Checkbook cover Ask Me About Mary Kay luggage tag Mary Kay pencils (pkg. of 12) 1. 25 Gold money bag 1. 50 Mauve ring binder Pearls of Sharing bracelet 3. 00 Pearls of Sharing necklace 5. 00 Mary Kay pens (pkg. of 25) 5. 00 Glamour Face sweatshirt 10. 00 Ordered through independent distributors of promotional products and specialty gifts: Mink key rings Costume jewelry Picture frames Belts .75 2. 75 (all $5 to $20) Wrist watches .50 tC $. 50 Do No aThese prizes were purchased by directors at their own expense to award to eligible beauty consultants at weekly unit meetings. 11 This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. This document is authorized for use only by Hamid Akbari at University of Ontario Institute of Technology until October 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. [emailprotected] harvard. edu or 617. 783. 7860. Personally recruit three or more Active Consultants Personally recruit five or more Active Consultants Maintain team production of $3,000/month, personal production of $600/month Attain a unit size of at least 30 Active Consultants and at least $14,000 wholesale unit production within a four-month, qualification period Have at least 1 off-spring director (Executive Senior Directors need 5 off-spring) Have at least 10 first-line off-spring directors, 8 of whom are senior directors Star Recruiter Team Leader VIP Sales Director Senior Director National Sales Director 190-103 -12- rP os t aThis list of awards was supplemented by a continual variety of company-sponsored and director-sponsored contests for specific time periods, as well as personal congratulatory letters from Mary Kay Ash for achievers of various milestones, and lastly, lavish awards and recognition for year-long efforts (before 7,000 people) at the annual Seminar. Contest prizes ranged from calculators and costume jewelry to furniture. Top-line Cadillac; Annual Summit Meeting; special suit; Presidents Circle Awards; Millionaire Club recognition Any commissions paid to sales directors on products repurchased by the com pany were charged back to the directors to whom they were paid based on the companys premise that commissions are earned by sales directors only on products which consul ants buy and resell to the ultimate t consumers. aCommissions are calculated and paid out on a monthly basis. Note: National Sales Directors: Senior Directors (and Executive Senior Directors): All Directors: †¢ tC No Recruiters, Star Recruiters, Team Leaders, VIPs, and all Directors: All Consultants: Compensation Receiveda Mary Kay Marketing Plan (all sources of financial compensation)

For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay Example

For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay Example For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay For a tragedy, there is plenty of comedy to be found in Romeo and Juliet. Essay There is comedy present throughout Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, but what has been a typical romantic comedy until the pivotal Act III Scene 1 then rapidly descends into a tragedy. The humour is still there, but turns more to black comedy.The obvious humour is provided by the deliberately comic characters such as Mercutio and Nurse. Peter and the musicians have smaller parts but are brought in specifically for comedy. Mercutio can be described as witty or even fantastical, whereas Nurses personality gives us the crude and earthy comedy.The play opens with a type of comedy but underlying it is a sense of danger and violence. Sampson and Gregory are bickering over how working is difficult and express their hatred for the Montagues through some very crude jokes about rape and thrust his maids to the wall; yet it is all delivered in a comic manner. The famous line Do you bite your thumb at us sir? is the beginning of a comic but violent sequence of events.We can see examples of Mercuti os comic part in such scenes as Act II Scene 1 and Act III Scene 1. In Act II Scene 1 we have Mercutio trying to draw Romeo out to him by provoking him using elements of comedy. He tries to irritate Romeo after his fantastical Queen Mab speech by making rude gestures about Rosaline: By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, And the demesnes, that there adjacent lie,. Benvolio comments on Mercutios unorthodox methods to drawing Romeo out, but Mercutio insists he is doing the right thing.In Act II Scene 4 Nurse had been sent to seek out Romeo by Juliet and inquire about the wedding plans. When Nurse arrives she is met by Mercutio and Romeos rude comments, A sail, A sail and A shirt and a smock and throughout the scene, the nurse is mocked by Mercutio fiercely. When he lifts up her skirt (a very indecent thing to do) which makes the scene very comic yet Nurse, who is meant to have a comic part, is a victim of Mercutios cunning wit and crude humour. Mercutio vulgarly puns An old hare hoar, and an old hare hoar, Is very good meat in lent.Mercutios constant puns and imaginative humour can also bring out the comedy in other characters who we would not necessarily have thought would have a comic side. For example, during Act III Scene 1 we can see that Mercutio and Tybalt are play fighting. Whilst Mercutio provokes Tybalt using witty comments and strange humour, he surprisingly brings out the comic side of Tybalt! Throughout his part in the play he also brings out the comic side of Romeo too, even though he mocks him: in fact he makes it clear Romeo is designed to be a comic hero. After they have had a comic battle of wits, Mercutio is delighted to say Now art thou Romeo.Nurses crude and earthy personality can be seen throughout the scenes in which she is with Juliet or Lady Capulet. For example, in Act I Scene 3; comments such as A bump as big as a cocks stone, I would say thou hadst suckd wisdom from thy teat and Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days a re actually said in front of Lady Capulet.The nurses crude comments are ever present throughout the first half of Romeo and Juliet and include such unsubtle phrases as: No less, nay bigger women grow by men. and Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days in Act I Scene 3.This scene involved Juliet and Lady Capulet having a serious conversation about her pending marriage but all seriousness is taken away by random inappropriate comments by Nurse in between sentences. Lady Capulet is very embarrassed by Nurse yet tries to hide the fact that she is even talking which adds to the comedy. Nurse actually brings out the comic personalities in Juliet and Lady Capulet here and in other scenes.Another example is Act II Scene 5, when Nurse arrives back to Juliet after her meeting with Romeo and Mercutio. Nurses constant delaying of her answer to Juliets questions is highly amusing to the audience (if frustrating to Juliet) At one point she even replies with, and a kind, and a handsome, and I war rant a virtuous, where is your mother?; this is a very off-the-wall comment which confuses the audience but is very funny. The audience notice that Juliet rarely uses comedy she is mainly a serious character focusing on the main aspect of the play, thus Romeo and Juliet. Nurse ends the scene with an anticlimax which destroys the meaning of this scene- she tells Juliet to go and ask Friar Laurence about the terms to the marriage while she searches out a rope ladder! This destroys all of the romantic tension that had built up in the scene but replaces it with yet more humour from Nurse.The audience also laughs at certain tragic characters such as Romeo because of how Shakespeare portrays him at the beginning of the play: his pathetic, hyperbolic speeches over Rosaline. Yet it is this immaturity of character which makes us laugh that is also what makes the unconscious sonnet (Romeo and Juliet build together when they first meet in Act I Scene 5) so poignant.After the death of Mercuti o and Tybalt in Act III Scene 1, the comedy is shown to be present in a different form even in a time of mourning. In Act IV Scene 1 We see Lady Capulet is talking is about Paris, whereas Juliet talking about Romeo thus, two conversations were happening at the same time, developing a sense of ironic humour. This is comic, and is a contrast form the original Juliet, who was not at all rebellious but her love for Romeo has given her a comic side which she did not have before This is ironic, considering the stage of the play. We notice the humour is now uncomfortable it is solely based on audience awareness of the two conversations and double meanings; this is where we see a transition between the types of comedy in the play.The second kind of comedy in the latter half of the play is the black humour. Most of the black comedy is meant to make the audience feel uncomfortable and anxious, as we see in Act IV Scene 4 when the preparations for the wedding are underway. Everyone is happy and busy Come, stir, stir, stir, the second cock hath crowd, yet they do not know that upstairs, Juliet is in fact dead. While there is fun and laughter downstairs, there is tragedy and sadness upstairs, and it succeeds in making the audience uncomfortable, yet there is a small element of humour because Juliet is not in fact dead. The ironic black comedy is ever present in this scene, especially when Capulet orders Nurse to wake Juliet Go waken Juliet, go and trim her up.In the scene directly after that, Nurse is sent to wake Juliet, but she does not know she is dead. For twenty lines Nurse waffles on; Sleep for a week, for the next night I warrant The County Paris hath set up his rest Nurse is making crude jokes to Juliet (which are indeed amusing). But then suddenly she realises Juliet is dead, Alas, alas, help, help, my Ladys dead and the comedy is at an end with Nurse genuine grief. This uncomfortable irony (Juliet previously mentioned she would rather kill herself than marry Paris) ends the Nurses humour and in fact, ends her part in the play. This black comedy is used for contrast and as an effect against tragedy itself.It is noticeable that comedy is in fact present through most of Romeo and Juliet, both where we would expect times of great joy and celebration (crude and earthy humour; Mercutios fantastical humour and the double entendres which are ever present in the first half of the play), and in times of sorrow and pain, which turns to black, ironic humour to make the audience feel uncomfortable, and throughout the play humour is used as a foil to contrast with the violent and later tragic undertones which threaten the peace.

Conflict at Disney Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict at Disney - Case Study Example Three stages of conflict are perceived, felt, and manifest conflict. Dysfunctional conflicts – Michael Eisner Conflicts in organizations are detrimental to the productivity of a company. During the tenured of Michael Eisner as CEO of Walt Disney Company his management style and personality clashed with a lot of key internal and external stakeholders. People skills are a critical success factor for managers today. The interpersonal conflicts he trigged became so distractive that it led to his demise as CEO of the company. Effective communications and managerial communication skills positively influence effective organizational behavior (Kondrat, 2009). Mr. Eisner created problems and conflicts with a lot of key and powerful players in Disney’s power hierarchy. I would categorize the conflicts Eisner had with the Weinstein brothers, the two board members, and Steve Jobs as dysfunctional. Dysfunctional conflict is an undesirable business practice because it hurts the moral e of the company and it lowers the productivity of the employees. It also disrupts the corporate culture of an enterprise. Some of the reasons dysfunctional conflict arises is associated with organization’s structure, policies, and processes (Landau, 2004). This type of conflict can be instigated by a person that does not listen to what others have to say and impose his belief system on others. The disruptive leader at Disney was its former CEO, Michael Eisner. Harvey and Bob Weinstein were key business partners of the company. They were the founders of Miramax which was a company of interest to Disney because the company negotiated the purchase of copyrights from them valued at over $2 billion. Michael Eisner made a mess of the negotiations and ended up causing a conflict over the financial details of the deal that had the potential of leading to a lawsuit. Lawsuits are an undesirable business outcome because it hurts the public image of a company. Eisner’s blunder wi th the Weinstein brother was not his only incident of dysfunctional conflict. During his tenured as CEO he was often confrontational and fought with two members of the board of directors, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold. These two board members often publicly criticized Eisner and on many occasions called for his resignation. The actions of Eisner were undesirable because the executive management team is supposed to work in alliance with the board of directors to accomplish the mission and goals of a corporation. A third dysfunctional conflict that Eisner instigated was with Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was the CEO of the animated producer Pixar. Michael Eisner publicly disrespected Steve Jobs and his company in front of Congress. After that incident the feud escalated and Jobs wanted to cut his relationship with Disney. In the end Michael Eisner was fired from his position at Disney due to his inability to build positive relationships with important customers and other power figures at Disne y. His actions led to the manifestation of several dysfunctional conflicts. Dysfunctional conflicts are risky due to the fact that they can escalate and lead to bigger problems for a company (Businessknowledgesource, 2010). Conflict with Steve Jobs – conflict stage Michael Eisner did a terrible job in his relationship with Steve Jobs. Steve was a very powerful player both in the computer and film industry. He had several disputes and conflicts with Steve in regards to their business

Asseing Cultural History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Asseing Cultural History - Essay Example This essay will address the role of gender orientation, social skills and individualism vs. Collectivism degree in learning process and cultural belief of an individual Moreover, the essay will summarize the importance of history in shaping an individual’s culture. Cultural dimension theory of Hofstede is an important cross-cultural communication framework, proposed and established by Greet Hofstede. This specific framework describes the effect of culture of a society on the human values. There are six different dimensions in this framework. Individualism vs. Collectivism can be considered as an important dimension among those six dimensions. This plays an important role in shaping cultural beliefs of an individual. This is the measure to which the social individuals are integrated into a particular group. People of European countries rank high in this list. On the other hand, people of Asian countries rank low in this list. People of Western countries believe in individual goal development, activities and achievement. On the other hand, people of Asian countries believe in collective work, collective performance and group achievements. It is the cultural trend, family orientation and family environment of individual that drive them towards specific approaches. Two different family structures can be identified in this world, such as joint family and nuclear family. The concept of joint family can be identified in Asian countries. On the other hand, the concept of nuclear family can be identified in several western countries. In joint families, family members used to take decisions collectively. On the other hand, in nuclear families, the head of the family used to take individual decision (Ibro scheva & Ramaprasad, 2008). These specific cultural orientations and guidelines are also followed by people in workplaces and several social institutions. Therefore, it can be stated that the degree of individualism vs. Collectivism

Diversity and Belief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity and Belief - Essay Example The first aspect that Chaves discusses is ‘belief,’ the current trend towards belief is very different. Few Americans today are not enthusiast on a particular literal reading of the Bible as they did few years ago. And many are opting a diffusion of spirituality. One of the attribute that Chaves has described as the cause of lowering literal bible reading is due to education. Education system has been formulated with a very rigid curriculum that has cast aside the literal bible reading. The weakening in religion can also be attributed to the gradual drop of religious meetings, elderly congregation and less cohesive. In today’s world there is an increase of televangelists who are characterized with unending scandals and other disgraces that have surrounded a church like catholic. Most of the Churches that are likely to suffer this is the congregations that are more liberal, those that are conservatives seems to be affected in a minimal way. Chaves indicated that lo wer membership in liberal churches is not as a result of liberalizing ideas, on the contrary more people are to the opinion of liberal idea. A puzzling question regarding this thought is, are the liberal ideas religious or humanistic? One of the most amazing trend of American religion since 1970s is that conservatism and religiosity are embedded together. This a false sign that most people perceived since they thought that the force of religion was developing which was not the case. Another phenomenon that was perceived as a reason to dictate that religion was growing was the introduction of Mega churches, which focuses on crowds and programs. Many churches are not concerned about religious belief, they want to be perceived as huge churches with numerous followers.it is due to such reason that suggests that religion was developing gives untrue perception since only more people are

Microorganisms: Normal Flora

Microorganisms: Normal Flora The concept of infection in the host- parasite relationship is expressed in the bodys normal flora. Normal flora is a population of micro-organisms that infect the body without causing disease. Some organisms establish a permanent relationship, as E.coli is always found in large intestines of humans; others like streptococci are transient. Symbiotic associations between body and its normal flora exist at different levels. These may be in the form of mutualism or commensalisms. Lactobacillus in human vagina is examples of mutualism. They derive nutrition from vaginal environment and the acid produced by them prevents the overgrowth of other microbes. E. coli exists as a commenssal, though may also sometimes exist in mutualistic association. Normal flora exists on skin oral cavity, upper respiratory tract, latter part of small intestine and the large intestine. In intestines there are Bacteroides, Clostridium (spores), Streptococci, Gram positive rods including Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas, E. coli ,Candida albicans. Normal flora undergoes changes in response to internal environment of the body. Typically, when one says I have an infection they mean to say I have a disease, however the latter is not quite so socially acceptable. In fact, we are all infected with a variety of microorganisms throughout our entire lives. Incredibly, our bodies are actually composed of more bacterial cells than human cells; while the human body is made up of about 1013 human cells, we harbor near 1014 bacteria. This group of organisms, traditionally referred to as normal flora (although they are not plants) is composed of a fairly stable set of genera, mostly anaerobes. While each person has a relatively unique set of normal flora, members of the Streptococcus and Bacteroides make up a large percentage of the inhabitants. These organisms contribute to our existence in several ways. These normal flora may: à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Help us by competing with pathogens such as Salmonella à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Help us by providing vitamins or eliminating toxins (e.g. Bacteroides) à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Harm us by promoting disease (e.g. dental caries) à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Cause neither help nor harm (e.g. commensals). One of the most important functions of our normal flora is to protect us from highly pathogenic organisms. For example, in a normal (bacterially inhabited animal), about 106 Salmonella must be ingested in order to cause disease. However, when an animal has been maintained in a sterile environment all of its life (a gnotobiotic animal), the same level of disease can be produced by as few as 10 Salmonella. This dramatic difference is simply due to competition (wikiAnswers.com). To a microorganism, the human body seems very much like the planet Earth seems to us. Just like our planet, our bodies contain numerous different environments, ranging from dry deserts (e.g. the forearm) to tropical forests (e.g. the perineum) to extremely hostile regions (e.g. the intestinal tract). Each environment possesses certain advantages and disadvantages and different microorganisms have adapted to certain regions of the body for their particular needs. In developed countries, computers are used in the bedside area for multiple functions, including ordering, checking laboratory and image results, recording patients conditions, and accounting. Moreover, most computer devices, such as keyboards and mice, in many countries are not water-proof and not specially designed for hospital disinfection needs. Therefore, there is a good possibility that computer interface surfaces may serve as reservoirs for nosocomial pathogens. Besides, the rate of hand washing compliance in healthcare institutions is low (~40%), which is presumably related to the contamination of inanimate surfaces of medical equipments and hospital environment with nosocomial pathogens (Boyce JM,Pittet 2002). Studies have shown that the hands or gloves of healthcare workers (HCWs) can be contaminated after touching inanimate objects in patient rooms or after touching environmental surfaces near patients (Bhalla A et al., 2004 ;Hartstein AI et al.,1988).One study reported that microbial contamination of computer interface surfaces was so prevalent that various microorganisms were isolated from more than 50% of the keyboards of hospital computers (R utala WA et al., 2006). The levels of contamination varied with the proximity to the patients, the texture of inanimate surfaces and the frequency of contact. The hospital ward computer is found being less likely to be contaminated than bedside computers (Neely AN et al.,2005). Schultz et al. have reported that 95% of keyboards in close proximity to patient sites had bacterial contamination. However, only 5% of these were pathogens known to be associated with nosocomial transmission (Schultz M et al.,2003). Most previous studies have reported the contamination of computer interface surfaces by potential pathogens such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Boyce JM et al.,1997;Bures S et al.,2000) and Acinetobacter baumannii (Neely AN et al.,1999), but few have studied the relationship between contamination of the ward computers and clinical isolates in hospitals with improved hand hygiene compliance and during a non-outbreak period. Clinically, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA cause th e most common nosocomial infections and their presence correlates with environmental surface contamination (Engelhart S et al.,2002;Sekiguchi J et al.,2007).We conducted a hospital-based surveillance study of these three important pathogens on computer interface surfaces in different ward settings and then examined the relationship of contaminated computer interface surfaces with the presence of clinical isolates in these wards during a non outbreak period. Skin provides good examples of various microenvironments. Skin regions have been compared to geographic regions of Earth: the desert of the forearm, the cool woods of the scalp, and the tropical forest of the armpit. The composition of the dermal micro flora varies from site to site according to the character of the microenvironment. A different bacterial flora characterizes each of three regions of skin: (1) axilla, perineum, and toe webs; (2) hand, face and trunk; and (3) upper arms and legs. Skin sites with partial occlusion (axilla, perineum, and toe webs) harbor more microorganisms than do less occluded areas (legs, arms, and trunk). These quantitative differences may relate to increased amount of moisture, higher body temperature, and greater concentrations of skin surface lipids. The axilla, perineum, and toe webs are more frequently colonized by Gram-negative bacilli than are drier areas of the skin. The number of bacteria on an individuals skin remains relatively constant; bacterial survival and the extent of colonization probably depend partly on the exposure of skin to a particular environment and partly on the innate and species-specific bactericidal activity in skin. Also, a high degree of specificity is involved in the adherence of bacteria to epithelial surfaces. Not all bacteria attach to skin; staphylococci, which are the major element of the nasal flora, possess a distinct advantage over viridans streptococci in colonizing the nasal mucosa. Conversely, viridans streptococci are not seen in large numbers on the skin or in the nose but dominate the oral flora. The microbiology literature is inconsistent about the density of bacteria on the skin; one reason for this is the variety of methods used to collect skin bacteria. The scrub method yields the highest and most accurate counts for a given skin area. Most microorganisms live in the superficial layers of the stratum corneum and in the upper parts of the hair follicles. Some bacteria, however, reside in the deeper areas of the hair follicles and are beyond the reach of ordinary disinfection procedures. These bacteria are a reservoir for recolonization after the surface bacteria are removed. Staphylococcus epidermidis S. epidermidis is a major inhabitant of the skin, and in some areas it makes up more than 90 percent of the resident aerobic flora. Staphylococcus aureus The nose and perineum are the most common sites for S. aureus colonization, which is present in 10 percent to more than 40 percent of normal adults. S. aureus is prevalent (67 percent) on vulvar skin. Its occurrence in the nasal passages varies with age, being greater in the newborn, less in adults. S. aureus is extremely common (80 to 100 percent) on the skin of patients with certain dermatologic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, but the reason for this finding is unclear. Micrococci Micrococci are not as common as staphylococci and diphtheroids; however, they are frequently present on normal skin. Micrococcus luteus, the predominant species, usually accounts for 20 to 80 percent of the micrococci isolated from the skin. Diphtheroids (Coryneforms) The term diphtheroid denotes a wide range of bacteria belonging to the genus Corynebacterium. Classification of diphtheroids remains unsatisfactory; for convenience, cutaneous diphtheroids have been categorized into the following four groups: lipophilic or nonlipophilic diphtheroids; anaerobic diphtheroids; diphtheroids producing porphyrins (coral red fluorescence when viewed under ultraviolet light); and those that possess some keratinolytic enzymes and are associated with trichomycosis axillaris (infection of axillary hair). Lipophilic diphtheroids are extremely common in the axilla, whereas nonlipophilic strains are found more commonly on glabrous skin. Anaerobic diphtheroids are most common in areas rich in sebaceous glands. Although the name Corynebacterium acnes was originally used to describe skin anaerobic diphtheroids, these are now classified as Propionibacterium acnes and as P. granulosum. P. acnes are seen eight times more frequently than P. granulosum in acne lesions and are probably involved in acne pathogenesis. Children younger than 10 years are rarely colonized with P. acnes. The appearance of this organism on the skin is probably related to the onset of secretion of sebum (a semi-fluid substance composed of fatty acids and epithelial debris secreted from sebaceous glands) at puberty. P. avidum, the third species of cutaneous anaerobic diphtheroids, is rare in acne lesions and is more often isolated from the axilla. Streptococci Streptococci, especially ÃŽÂ ²-hemolytic streptococci, are rarely seen on normal skin. The paucity of ÃŽÂ ²-hemolytic streptococci on the skin is attributed at least in part to the presence of lipids on the skin, as these lipids are lethal to streptococci. Other groups of streptococci, such as ÃŽÂ ±-hemolytic streptococci, exist primarily in the mouth, from where they may, in rare instances, spread to the skin. Gram-Negative Bacilli Gram-negative bacteria make up a small proportion of the skin flora. In view of their extraordinary numbers in the gut and in the natural environment, their scarcity on skin is striking. They are seen in moist intertriginous areas, such as the toe webs and axilla, and not on dry skin. Desiccation is the major factor preventing the multiplication of Gram-negative bacteria on intact skin. Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, and Proteus specie are predominant Gram-negative organisms found on the skin. Acinetobacter spp also occurs on the skin of normal individuals and, like other Gram-negative bacteria, is more common in the moist intertriginous areas. Nail Flora The microbiology of a normal nail is generally similar to that of the skin. Dust particles and other extraneous materials may get trapped under the nail, depending on what the nail contacts. In addition to resident skin flora, these dust particles may carry fungi and bacilli. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Mucor are the major types of fungi found under the nails. Oral and Upper Respiratory Tract Flora The oral flora is involved in dental caries and periodontal disease, which affect about 80 percent. of the population in the Western world.Anaerobes in the oral flora are responsible for many of the brain, face, and lung infections that are frequently manifested by abscess formation. The pharynx and trachea contain primarily those bacterial genera found in the normal oral cavity (for example, ÃŽÂ ±-and ÃŽÂ ²-hemolytic streptococci); however, anaerobes, staphylococci, neisseriae, diphtheroids, and others are also present. Potentially pathogenic organisms such as Haemophilus, mycoplasmas, and pneumococci may also be found in the pharynx. Anaerobic organisms also are reported frequently. The upper respiratory tract is so often the site of initial colonization by pathogens (Neisseria meningitides, C. diphtheriae, Bordetella pertussis, and many others) and could be considered the first region of attack for such organisms. In contrast, the lower respiratory tract (small bronchi and alveoli) is usually sterile, because particles the size of bacteria do not readily reach it. If bacteria do reach these regions, they encounter host defense mechanisms, such as alveolar macrophages, that are not present in the pharynx. (A) Scanning electron micrograph of a cross-section of rat colonic mucosa. The bar indicates the thick layer of bacteria between the mucosal surface and the lumen (L) (X 262,) (B) Higher magnification of the area indicated by the arrow in Fig. A, showing a mass of bacteria (B) immediately adjacent to colonized intestinal tissue (T), (X2,624.) (Figure from Davis CP: Preservation of bacteria and their microenvironmental association in the rat by freezing. Appl Environ Microbiol 31:310,1976, with permission.) More information is available on the animal than the human micro flora. Research on animals has revealed that unusual filamentous microorganisms attach to ileal epithelial cells and modify host membranes with few or no harmful effects. Microorganisms have been observed in thick layers on gastrointestinal surfaces and in the crypts of Lieberkuhn. Other studies indicate that the immune response can be modulated by the intestinal flora. Studies role of the intestinal flora in biosynthesis of vitamin K and other host-utilizable products, conversion of bile acids (perhaps to cocarcinogens), and ammonia production (which can play a role in hepatic coma) show the dual role of the microbial flora in influencing the health of the host. More basic studies of the human bowel flora are necessary to define their effect on humans (Samuel 1996).Browse on Medical Microbiology à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Depiction of the human body and bacteria that predominate The skin flora are the microorganisms which reside on the skin. Most research has been upon those that reside upon the 2 square meters of human skin. Many of them are bacteria of which there are around 1000 species upon human skin from 19 phyla (Grice et al., 2009;Pappas,2009).The total number of bacteria on an average human has been estimated at 1012 (Todar) .Most are found in the superficial layers of the epidermis and the upper parts of hair follicles. Skin flora are usually non-pathogenic, and either commensals (are not harmful to their host) or mutualistic (offer a benefit). The benefits bacteria can offer include preventing transient pathogenic organisms from colonizing the skin surface, either by competing for nutrients, secreting chemicals against them, or stimulating the skins immune system (Cogen et al., 2008). However, resident microbes can cause skin diseases and enter the blood system creating life threatening diseases particularly in immunosuppressed people (Cogen et al., 2008).Hygiene to control such flora is important in preventing the transmission of antibiotic resistant hospital-acquired infections. A major nonhuman skin flora is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a chytrid and non-hyphal zoosporic fungus that causes chytridiomycosis, infectious disease thought to be responsible for the decline in amphibian populations. Ecology of the 20 sites on the skin studied in the Human Microbiome Project: There are three main ecological areas: moist, dry and sebaceous. Propionibacteria and Staphylococci species were the main species in sebaceous areas. In moist places on the body Corynebacteria together with Staphylococci dominate. In dry areas, there is a mixture of species but b-Proteobacteria and Flavobacteriales are dominant. Ecologically, sebaceous areas had greater species richness than moist and dry one. The areas with least similarity between people in species were the spaces between fingers, the spaces between toes, axillae, and umbilical cord stump. Most similarly were beside the nostril, nares (inside the nostril), and on the back (Grice et al., 2009). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an example of a mutualistic bacteria that can turn into a pathogen and cause disease: if gains entry into the blood system it can result in inflections in bone, joint, gastrointestinal, and respiratory systems. It can also cause dermatitis. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces antimicrobial substances such as pseudomonic acid that are exploited commercially such as Mupirocin. This works against staphylococcal and streptococcal infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa also produces substances that inhibit the growth of fungus species such as Candida krusei, Candida albicans, Torulopsis glabrata, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus fumigatus (Kerr, 1994).It can also inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori (Krausse et al.,2005). So important is its antimicrobial actions that it has been noted that removing P. aeruginosa from the skin, through use of oral or topical antibiotics, may inversely allow for aberrant yeast colonization and infection (Cogen et al. , 2008). Another aspect of bacteria is the generation of body odor. Sweat is odorless but Propionibacteria in adolescent adult sebaceous glands can turn its amino acids into propionic acid. Staphylococcus epidermidis create the other source of body odor: isovaleric acid (3-methyl butanoic acid) (Ara et al., 2006).In addition to these, people with strong foot odor this is due to Bacillus subtilis (Ara et al., 2006).

Decriminalization of Marijuana in Canada Essay -- legalization of marij

Marijuana is currently a hot topic of debate throughout Canada, and has been for the past few years. Marijuana was first banned in 1923 under the Opium and Drug Act, but since 1997 the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act have controlled it. In 2000, over 30,000 Canadians were charged with possession of marijuana. Currently, the marijuana laws are not enforced equally across the country, which has prompted the interest in changing the laws or possibly decriminalizing marijuana. Also, those convicted of marijuana related crimes usually don’t go to jail, but they do receive a criminal record. There are currently two committees researching the possibility of legalizing marijuana in Canada. One committee is the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs, and the other is The House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs. The Senate committee reported in September of 2002, and stated that marijuana is not a gateway drug. They also reported that marijuana should be treated more like tobacco or alcohol. The House of Commons committee’s report stated that although marijuana is unhealthy, the punishments for having even a small amount of marijuana are disproportionably harsh. The House is promoting the decriminalization of marijuana to make it legal to possess an amount of marijuana not exceeding 30 grams, which is about one ounce. These two committees seem to come to the same conclusion that marijuana is placed in the same class as more â€Å"hard-core† drugs such as heroin and cocaine, when it should not be, as they view marijuana as a safer d rug. As stated previously, the Senate states that marijuana is not a gateway drug. A gateway drug is the term used to identify drugs that are not narcotics, but their use will lead the user down the path to harder drugs like heroin. Support for the Decriminalization of Marijuana   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is actually a political party in Canada called the Marijuana Party of Canada, and it has many supporters. These supporters believe that the only route to take is full decriminalization of marijuana, which is not likely to happen. One argument of these supporters is that the current penalties for marijuana possession are too harsh. Realistically, there is not chance that marijuana will ever be completely decriminalized in Canada, as the effects from this would be damaging to Canada’s relationship to ... ...ere growing more than 50 plants, the maximum sentence would be 14 years in jail. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both sides of the issue make valid points, but I think anyone would agree that the opposition to the decriminalization of marijuana has a stronger case. After fighting such a hard war against drugs, it doesn’t make any sense to legalize small amounts of marijuana, although 30 grams is not that small. Canada needs to realize that the repercussions of decriminalized marijuana would be monumental, not only to the citizens of Canada, but also to the relationship that Canada shares with the United States. I do not think that Canada will ever decriminalize marijuana, even though some parts of government support it, the rest realize the implications. Marijuana is a gateway drug that has proven health hazards. You are decriminalizing marijuana, but at the same time running campaigns against cigarette smoking. That does not make any sense whatsoever. I’m sure that this issue will die out in the next few months or over the next year, or, it might be an issue i n Canada for years to come. Either way, I don’t see marijuana being decriminalized anytime in the near future.