Management theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management theories - Research Paper Example The behavior of organization members influences both its functioning, structure and the principles on which the organization can be managed. There has been enough evidence from the studies that human elements are the main factors in the failure or success of an organization. In most studies, it has indicated that human beings prefer to be consulted instead of receiving information or orders. Less resilience on the application of power is preferred. The elements that are the foundation of the behavioral management theory and how the theory identifies the roles and the skills of the manager are as explained below (Davies, 2010). The behavior of an individual is closely connected to that of the group to which he belongs. The person’s change in behavior is indicated by the group he belongs to, as he observes the work principles approved by the group (Brandon, 2006). Informal leadership instead of formal authority of the organization’s managers is crucial for enforcing and setting the principles of the group of performance. A manager or leader can be more acceptable to the subordinates if he applies the democratic style of leadership. Another element is participation of the employees. If the subordinates are permitted to participate in establishment of goals, there will be a positive impact on their attitude towards work. When workers are involved in designing, planning the jobs and making decisions, they will resist less, changes that are effected in the work techniques and technology (Davies, 2010). Another element is that naturally, most individuals are motivated by self-development and self-control and in this, they enjoy working. Managers ought to identify and offer essential conditions that are conducive to the adequate and proper use of the individual potential. The attitude of the manager towards the behavior of the workers should be positive. He should know that the average

How was the La Pachuca symbolized during the Zoot Suit Riots Research Paper

How was the La Pachuca symbolized during the Zoot Suit Riots - Research Paper Example The La Pachuca symbolized the concept of complete equality between men and women, as well as a race, while using style and statements to show a sense of identity to the time frame. Defining La Pachuca The concept of La Pachuca rose at the same time as the Zoot Suits of the Chicano movement. The main ideal was based on creating a sense of identity in which all individuals from Mexico, Spain and the Latin decent had a combined identity. The Zoot Suits were the masculine interpretation of creating a modern and new style which set apart this sense of identity. The main concept was to remain as outsiders from the rest of society because of the ethnicity and decent. However, this was combined with the modernist approach of the Zoot Suits, which mimicked the time frame and other concepts of culture. Typically, those who wore these suits were attributed with gang violence and the ethnic race. The La Pachuca mimicked this ideal with the same association of belonging to the Chicana movement wh ile intertwining contemporary style with ethnicity from the feminine style of the time (Ramos, 562). The main approach which the women used in the Zoot Suit movement was based on creating a male like mimic and counterpart to the men of the movement. The women wore baggy pants with a high waste, followed by a t-shirt or blouse. The hair was pulled back with a â€Å"puff† on the top or a short cut of the hair (see Appendix A). This particular style was followed with the more feminine approach. This included a pencil skirt which went to the knees and also which had a high waste. This was accessorized with fishnet stockings, platform heels or sandals. The women would wear this with suspenders and a v-neck sweater or blouse over the top. If the hair was placed down, then it would be curled but would keep the same high top as the other styles used for the time. The women were also known for wearing darker lipstick and were often dressed with the same tattoos as men. The ideology wh ich was created, while moving into a slightly feminist approach, always mimicked the male Zoot Suiters and the style which was taken to distinguish them as Latin American and a part of the rebellion and movement of the time (Ramirez, 1). La Pachuca as a Symbol of Equality The first way in which the representation of the La Pachuca became a symbol was through the definition of equality which was exhibited. The subculture of the Zoot Suits was based on creating a sense of equality in American society for Chicanos that had immigrated to America and were interested in working with the same opportunity as other ethnicities in the country. The inability to have the same equality led many to gang activities and to outbreaks to try to point out the need to have this equality. The Zoot Suit Riots were a symbol of this desire and gathered attention in the national community to begin changing the consciousness of those in society toward culture in general. The Pachuca dressed similar to the me n and was known to have the same identity while taking place in the riots of the time. The representation of this showed that both the men and women of the Chicano / a ethnicity were looking for the same equality in society and deserved to be shown equal merit in terms of national identity (Ramirez, 9). The similarity of the zoot suit and the dress of the La Pachuca were furthered with the overall symbolism that

Development economic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Development economic - Term Paper Example In addition, corruption tends to increase with poverty. Thus, the richer countries tend to be significantly less corrupt than the poorer nations. It has been discerned that corruption is one of the cardinal causes for bringing about the downfall of economic progress in the developing nations. Some of the questions that naturally arise, with regard to corruption are given in the sequel. First, what is the damage caused by corruption and what constitute the best methods for eradicating corruption from institutions. Second, can the promotion of whistle-blowing lead to the desired consequences. Third, does the facilitation of transparency and the provision of advice to citizens regarding the submission of complaints, and the introduction of institutions to deal with the resulting cases, provide pragmatic and tangible solutions (Global Economic Symposium, 2014). As such, the system of corruption tends to be pervasive and very powerful in the developing nations. Any person who opposes corruption is sidelined. In fact, civil servants who oppose corrupt practices are dismissed from service, after being falsely implicated and charged for offences that they have not committed. A businessman who opposes the corrupt bureaucracy is compelled to overcome obstacles at every stage of his enterprise (Hors, 2000). It is in this milieu that the civil service of the developing nations is regarded as the least risky option for acquiring enormous wealth in a very short time. The majority of the citizens do not believe that the civil service has been constituted with the objective of implementing their rights. The developing nations have monolithic bureaucracies. The latter are governed by arcane procedures and rules that promote confusion and provide various interpretations. This leeway proves to be of great benefit to the corrupt bureaucracy, which takes decisions or

Law of Trade Marks and Brand Names Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law of Trade Marks and Brand Names - Essay Example ng (1) it is justifiable based on the premise of customer welfare and informed decision of consumers (2) it is not justifiable since it creates unfair competition. Before 1994, a number of English laws have been restricting but never prohibiting comparative advertising. For instances, under section 4(1) (b) of the Trade Marks Act 1938, it is considered an infringement of trademark if a third party uses the trademark of another in its advertising regardless of the nature of such advertisement. However, this all changed when Trade Marks Act (TMA) 1994 was enacted, English law then took a firm stand on comparative advertising. Following the provisions of s 10(6) of the TMA, comparative advertising is now permitted. Section 10(6) of the TMA has been interpreted as to allow comparative advertising â€Å"as long as the use of the competitor’s mark is â€Å"honest†.2 In the words of Laddie J is the case of Barclays Bank v RBS Advanta (1996) 3, â€Å"there is nothing wrong with telling the public of the relative merits of competition goods and services and using registered trademarks to identify them.† In most cases brought before the Courts, the question has been on the issue of justifiability of unfavourable comparisons employed by competitors. Would unfavourable comparisons be a kind of breach to the benchmarks of honesty as indicated in Section 10(6) will result to infringement of trademarks? â€Å"If the use is considered honest by members of a reasonable audience, it will not infringe†.4 In the Court’s decision in the case of British Airways Plc V Ryaniar Limited, Jacob J said that people are already very much exposed to advertising and already know better that believe everything that is being said in advertisements. â€Å"They expect hyperbole and puff.5† The fact that â€Å"the advertising pokes fun†6 at the competitor’s goods and services with great emphasis on the benefits offered by the advertiser is not enough to warrant infringement as this considered normal

Internship Paper Essay Example for Free

Internship Paper Essay My role with the _____ County circuit courts varies pretty much daily. Originally I was assigned to circuit court three. As it turns out though, they have had a high school intern coming since the beginning of the semester also, who is interning for a class she has. I believe she comes in three times a week. In addition to this, they have a floater who rotates through all of the courts, there are seven, so they have more than enough help in their court. Most days when I go in, I start in court three, and then end up going to court services to help the ladies out there. When I am in court three, I basically do the filing that has accumulated throughout the day. Depending on the day, and if the other intern or the floater has been there, there might be anywhere from ten minutes to an hours worth of filing to do. After this is done, I might pull the mail, meaning pull any files that correspond with mail the court has received. These might be warrants, certified mail, requests to continue, follow up letters referencing a court case, etc. A few times, when there has been a computer available, I have been able to enter information into the JUSTIS system, mostly through certified mail cards. Sometimes I would enter information for small claims cases, and then if the attorney or plaintiff/defendant would need copies of the information, I would mail those out. I would say the majority of my time spent at the courts was spent in court services though. Here I would do a lot of work for Mary, who is in charge of juvenile cases. A few weeks ago, I did many spreadsheets with data about juveniles who were either in detention centers, or placed in treatment centers, ranging from 1998-2002. She has to have record of this and needed the material in an organized data format, so I did a lot of that. Ive also made many calls to agencies to see their per diem rates, or rates for those placed in those facilities per day that they stay. Another project I have done for Mary was tracking her mileage as she has traveled from facility to facility to visit the juveniles placed there. These facilities are located in various other places around the state, so  she often has to travel long distances to make these trips, and needs to track her mileage for record and compensation. These records also went back to I believe 1998 or 1999, and were recorded to the present date, so there was much tracking I had to do to figure out her total mileage per day, and then per year. Ive also worked several times with Lisa helping her. She is in charge of jurors and jury duty. She sends out notices once a month to those who are being called for jury duty for that month. I have helped her sort these names, put together the notices, and get them sent out to the potential jurors. This is a big job, as when it comes time to do it, she usually has boxes and boxes of notices needing to be sent out. Something else I have done for court services would be to take their daily outgoing mail and run it through the postage machine to be sent out. This must happen about 5-6 times a day would be my guess. I have only done this a few times, but each time I have gone back, there was a replenished supply to be sent out. Also, sometimes I would take documents that needed to be mailed out from circuit court three to court services and put them in their corresponding lawyers mail slots, or send them out with the outgoing mail. Also, a few times I have had to take packages or documents for someone in court services down to the courthouse. I have really enjoyed working in the court system, both in circuit court three and in court services. As a criminal justice major I think it has been a really good experience for me. I plan on graduating in December, and am hoping to go into Federal Investigations. Another interesting aspect of the internship where I did it was that I got to work somewhat along side of a fellow criminal justice major that I have known since our freshman year. She and I have had every criminal justice class together except for P100. We both applied for the internship, but never knew we would end up in the same place, since there were quite a few options of places to work! Also, my resident assistant from freshman year also works part time in the court system, so I was kind of reunited with  her, which was quite a coincidence, considering how big this campus is! Last page: The last page of the paper is supposed to be additional comments about our good experiences and shortcomings of the internship. My good experiences would definitely be the people that I met and worked with there. They are a wonderful group of people, from the few I already knew, my fellow CJUS major and my R.A from freshman year, to everyone that I got to know and work with there. And Mary was wonderful especially. I felt like I could talk to her about school stuff since she graduated from IU also, whether it be to gripe about classes or get advice about the major/future plans. I think the shortcoming I can think of would be that I ended up being an intern for circuit court three, not because I didnt like it, just for the fact that they already had a high school intern and a floater, so there really was not much for me to do there at all. I literally would go in court three for about a half hour or so and then spend the rest of my time in court services. Honestly I wish I could have been a general intern for court services or a second intern to Mary. Court services was where I spent the majority of my time and I loved it. I also was told when I did my orientation that I would probably get to sit in on court a few times and observe. To date I have not been able to do that. I dont know if the time hasnt worked out for when Ive been working, or if there just hasnt been much Id be able to sit in on. I remember Mary telling me that court three did have drug court, which I have heard them talk about a few times, and I would have loved to sit in on this, because the Drug Enforcement Agency is one of the Federal agencies Im very interested in. I would have definitely liked to participate in this aspect more than I was able to. I would say this has definitely been my toughest semester. I ended up dropping a class early in the semester because I was trying to take 19 hours, including the internship, so it was really even more since I had to  dedicate 10 hours a week to being there. At the beginning of the semester I thought I could handle all 19 hours and the internship, but I really felt like I didnt have time to even sleep, let alone study, so something had to go. I was literally booked solid all week as I worked most of the day Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I had class from 8-5 and then Wednesdays I would work all day also. And while I didnt have classes on Fridays, I worked in my hometown at the job I have been working at for the past few summers; they let me come in part time and holidays so I can make some money. It was hard to juggle school, the internship, and my family situation this semester, but Im glad I was given the opportunity for the internship, I really do believe it was beneficial.

Developing Profit with Online Sales Promotions

Developing Profit with Online Sales Promotions Promotional Mix is consists of 4ps (Sales promotion, advertising, personal selling, and publicity/public relations) and has a very significant role to play in Business success .Basically, Sales promotion is concerned with ensuring that customer are aware of the different products manufactured by companies and makes available to their customers (Rowley J. 1998).Promotion alters consumer behaviour beyond the normal price/quantity trade-off, change in buying time of the product, as well as how much the customer buys (Blattberg et al., 1995). Marketing Communication is one of the very important Marketing activities and is generally preferred to the term PROMOTION. All of the Marketing communication activities are the form of promotion that is in one way or another try to promote product range brand and/or company (Rowley J. 1998). The Internet is a best tool to provide an efficient way for, Marketing communication. It has been observed that the adoption of the Internet is faster than any other media. Other Medias like Radio (took 38 years) and TV (took 13 years) to reach 50 million users, whereas Internet took only five years to achieve this level (Ellsworth and Ellsworth, 1997). Companies are also conducting promotional programs using social networking websites such as Facebook, Orkut, Hi5, and Twitter. Many researchers realized that Internet would improve the Marketing communication process and it will increase future sales. Internet websites act like an information provider, and organizations encourage customers to visit their websites. Tools such as print advertising, text messaging and broadcast are being used to bring about such visits (Harridge and March, 2004). The development of different tools of promotion, such as sales promotion, advertising and direct marketing have been improved by the development of the technology, which has offered the potential to communicate with customers ( Harridge and March, 2004).This has been done in order to maximize the effectiveness of the tools, but to achieve this a unified integration is needed ( Cornelisessen and Lock, 2001).The synergy generated by such a integration far outweighs the use of individual tools in isolation, although it has been suggested that the Internet has increased effectiveness and efficiency in communicating with customers ( Harridge and March, 2004). Promotions should not be considered as a simply price promotions, rather it should be considered in a broader content and will include advertising budgets, display allowance to the trade, as well as feature and display advertising activity direct to the customer (Blattberg et al., 1995). In order to meet the promotional objectives of any given promotion strategy an appropriate promotional mix must be created. The promotional mix is the mixture of two or more different promotional channels that is used to communicate a promotional message with customers (Rowley J, 1998). 1.2 Problem Discussion In year 2001, over a one third adults of the UK who accessed the Internet also purchased goods or services through it. This means remaining two-third do not shop online. Some companies have been criticized for apparently thinking that all the Internet shoppers are the same, instead of realizing that there are many reasons why a customer may visit a web site (ibid). On the other hand, due to very high competition in Market there is a massive pressure on marketers to increase their spending on the promotional mix. While at the same time top management has examined carefully that promotional expenditures are among one of the most promising areas left for cutting costs and increasing profits. This study puts extreme pressure on Marketers to develop and implement promotional programs within the constraints of tighter budgets and can contribute to their organizations. Hence, it is important to reexamine how promotional money is spent (Srinivasan and Anderson, 2008). In todays Businesses sales promotions are very important Marketing tools but they command a greater portion of the Marketing budget than advertisements. For example, in the USA investments amount on sales promotion is nearly 30 percent of what company spend on advertising alone (d Astous and Jacob, 2005) and in many European countries, expenditures on sales promotion are larger than advertising expenditures (ibid). However, advertisements are very popular and a big business on the Internet, sales promotions on the Internet are still limited. The reason behind this is that Internet is not so common in underdeveloped and developing nations and reaching customers using this technology is difficult because not everyone is accessing Internet (Kumar et al., 2005). Since there are many other problems on which research is needed and I will try to cover them in Dissertation. 1.3 Research purpose and research questions. The Purpose of my Dissertation is to provide understanding on the use of online sales promotions in todays competitive market. How it can be improved and make it more profitable? In order to achieve this purpose I have constructed the following research questions. Que1-How can the types of sales promotions for consumer goods be described? Que2-How can online environment (i.e. Internet) providing types of sales promotion be described? Methodology Purpose of Research According to Yin (2004) the purpose of Research study can be described in three categories: exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. According to Zikmund (2000) good researchers strive for descriptive precision. Descriptive Research includes: Surveys (questionnaires, Delphi method, normative, interviews) Case studies Job Analysis Co relational studies Documentary Analysis *Development studies and, I will try to conduct questionnaires and include case studies to my dissertation. Descriptive Research is useful to find out the answer of who, what, when, where, and how, and to find the need, difference, Characteristics, and features of subgroups (ibid). Explanatory Research is conducted when we are supposed to identify the causal relationships, among variables (Zikmund, 2000). It helps in determining the best research design, selection of subjects and data collection methods. It relies on secondary Research such as literature reviewing, qualitative approaches such as informal discussion with consumers, management or employees and formal approaches through focus groups, case studies, etc. The Research purpose and questions show that this Dissertation is going to be mainly descriptive and somewhere I will use explanatory Research also to explore and find out the answers to Research questions and to draw conclusions. Research Approach In this study qualitative approach will be used. Qualitative research is used to determine the answer to Why not the How through case studies, emails, interviews, customers feedback forms, photos and videos. It is used to understand peoples attitudes, concerns, behaviours, culture or lifestyles, motivations and helps in taking Business decisions (Yin, 2004). According to Amaratunga et al., (2002) it is difficult to make accountable speech on Qualitative Research in Business economics. The purpose of my Dissertation is to enhance understanding on the use of online environment for sales promotions. On the basis of above discussion Qualitative approach is suitable and hence I will use Qualitative approach. Data collection method According to Yin (2004), for data collection, participant observations are one of the most important sources of case study. These observations provide strength of being real, contextual, and also provide understanding of interpersonal behaviour and motives. It is a mode of observation where researcher is not a passive observer. Instead, researcher may have to play many roles within a case according to situation and may participate in the events being studied (ibid). Therefore, for this Dissertation data would be collected by participant observation. Sample Selection According to Gragiano and Raulin (1997), it is not possible to collect and gain data from all the available sources to solve the research problems and to find the solutions. Techniques provided by sampling reduce the amount of data that is needed to collect from a sub-group (Saunders Thorn hill, 2000). Sample for case studies can be chosen in many ways (Yin, 2004). For my dissertation I will use judgmental or purposive sampling. According to Saunders (2000) purposive sampling enables researcher to use judgment to select cases that will best enable researcher to answer research questions and to meet objectives. It can be use when we have to work with very small samples such as in case study research. http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx

The Effect of Different Antibiotics on Bacteria

The Effect of Different Antibiotics on Bacteria Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. Bacteria can cause infections such as strep throat, ear infections, urinary tract infections, and sinus infections (sinusitis). There are many types of antibiotics. Each works a little differently and acts on different types of bacteria. Dont antibiotics cure everything? Antibiotics are powerful medicines, but they cannot cure everything. Antibiotics do not work against illnesses that are caused by a virus. They do not help illnesses such as: Common colds. Influenza (flu). Most cases of acute bronchitis. Most sore throats not caused by strep. Runny noses. These illnesses usually go away by themselves. If you take antibiotics when you do not need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to have some bacteria that the medicine does not kill. Over time these bacteria change (mutate) and become harder to kill. The antibiotics that used to kill them no longer work. These bacteria are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These tougher bacteria can cause longer and more serious infections. In order to treat them you may need different, stronger antibiotics that cost more. A stronger antibiotic may have more side effects than the first medicine. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria also can spread to family members, children, and friends. Your community then will have a risk of getting an infection that is harder to cure and costs more to treat. Some antibiotics that doctors once prescribed to treat common infections no longer work. Taking antibiotics you do not need will not help you feel better, cure your illness, or keep others from being infected. On the other hand, take them when unnecessary may cause harmful side effects. Those side effects include: Nausea. Diarrhea. Stomach pain. When antibiotics kill the normal bacteria in your intestine and allow the C.difficilebacteria to grow, this causes diarrhea, fever, and belly cramps. In some rare cases, it can even cause death. This condition is known as Clostridium difficilecolitis or C. difficile colitis which is the swelling and irritation of the large intestine, or colon. Women may develop vaginal yeast infections from taking antibiotics. Rarely, antibiotics can cause a dangerous allergic reaction that requires emergency care. The right way to take antibiotic: Take it exactly as directed. Always take the exact amount that the label says to take. If the label says to take the medicine at a certain time, follow these directions. Take it for as long as prescribed. After the first few days of taking the medicine, you might feel better. However, it is important to keep taking the antibiotic as directed and usually until it is finish. Full prescription is always needed to get rid of those bacteria that are a bit stronger and able to survive the first few days of treatment. Bacteria that an antibiotic cannot kill (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) can develop if only part of an antibiotic prescription is being taken. Most importantly, leftover medicine must not be saved for the purpose of future use. Antibiotics are usually safe despites of all the side effects. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. In women, antibiotics can lead to vaginal yeast infections. Some minor side effects are inevitable. In rare cases, antibiotics can cause a dangerous allergic reaction that requires emergency care. Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in modern medicine. Antibiotics cure disease by killing or injuring bacteria. After the first antibiotic, penicillin which was accidentally been discovered from a mold culture, there are now over 100 different antibiotics available to cure minor discomforts as well as life-threatening infections.Although antibiotics are useful in a wide variety of infections, it is important to realize that antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics are useless against viral infections such as the common cold and fungal infections ringworm. Types of Antibiotics Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics. Penicillins such as penicillin andamoxicillin Cephalosporins such as cephalexin(Keflex) Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), andazithromycin (Zithromax) Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin(Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), andofloxacin (Floxin) Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim) Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex) The use of right antibiotic is crucial as each antibiotic cures only certain types of infections but not all. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy which should not prescribe amoxicillin. Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered too. In some cases, laboratories may help to decide which antibiotic to be used. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing infection. This is because certain bacterial species will take a stain while the others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic. Escherichia coli E. coli is a common type of bacteria that can get into food, like beef and vegetables. E. coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. The strange thing about these bacteria and lots of other bacteria is that theyre not always harmful to you. Theodor Escherich first described E. coli in 1885, as Bacterium coli commune, which he isolated from the feces of newborns. It was later renamed Escherichia coli, and for many years the bacterium was simply considered to be a commensal organism of the large intestine. It was not until 1935 that a strain of E. coli was shown to be the cause of an outbreak of diarrhea among infants. The GI tract of most warm-blooded animals is colonized by E. coli within hours or a few days after birth. The bacterium is ingested in foods or water or obtained directly from other individuals handling the infant. The human bowel is usually colonized within 40 hours of birth. E. coli can adhere to the mucus overlying the large intestine. Once established, an E. coli strain may persist for months or years. Resident strains shift over a long period (weeks to months), and more rapidly after enteric infection or antimicrobial chemotherapy that perturbs the normal flora. The entire DNA base sequence of the E. c oli genome has been known since 1997. E. coli normally lives inside your intestines, where it helps the body to break down and digest the food. Unfortunately, certain types of E. coli can get from the intestines into the blood. This is a rare illness, but it can cause a very serious infection. Someone who has E. coli infection may have these symptoms: bad stomach cramps and belly pain vomiting diarrhea, sometimes with blood in it One very bad strain of E. coli was found in fresh spinach in 2006 and some fast-food hamburgers in 1993. Beef can contain E. coli because the bacteria often infect cattle. It can be in meat that comes from cattle and its also in their poop, called manure. E. coli is a consistent inhabitant of the human intestinal tract, and it is the predominant facultative organism in the human GI tract; however, it makes up a very small proportion of the total bacterial content. The anaerobic Bacteroides species in the bowel outnumber E. coli by at least 20:1. However, the regular presence of E. coli in the human intestine and feces has led to tracking the bacterium in nature as an indicator of fecal pollution and water contamination. As such, it is taken to mean that, wherever E. coli is found, there may be fecal contamination by intestinal parasites of humans. Physiologically, E. coli is versatile and well-adapted to its characteristic habitats. It can grow in media with glucose as the only organic constituent. Wild-type E. coli has no growth factor requirements, and metabolically it can transform glucose into all of the macromolecular components that make up the cell. The bacterium can grow in the presence or absence of O2. Under anaerobic condit ions it will grow by means of fermentation, producing characteristic mixed acids and gas as end products. However, it can also grow by means of anaerobic respiration, since it is able to utilize NO3, NO2 as final electron acceptors for respiratory electron transport processes. In part, this adapts E. coli to its intestinal (anaerobic) and its extra intestinal (aerobic or anaerobic) habitats. E. coli can respond to environmental signals such as chemicals, pH, temperature, osmolarity. Therefore, in a number of very remarkable ways considering it is a unicellular organism. For example, it can sense the presence or absence of chemicals and gases in its environment and swim towards or away from them. It can stop swimming and grow fimbriae that will specifically attach it to a cell or surface receptor. In response to change in temperature and osmolarity, it can vary the pore diameter of its outer membrane to accommodate larger molecules (nutrients) or to exclude inhibitory substances. With its complex mechanisms for regulation of metabolism the bacterium can survey the chemical contents in its environment in advance of synthesizing any enzymes that metabolize these compounds. It does not wastefully produce enzymes for degradation of carbon sources unless they are available, and it does not produce enzymes for synthesis of metabolites if they are available as nutrients in the e nvironment. Figures 1.1 1.2: Escherichia coli Staphylococcus aureus Figure 1.3: Electron micrograph of Staphylococcus aureus The Staphylococci Staphylococci (staph) are Gram-positive spherical bacteria that occur in microscopic clusters resembling grapes. Bacteriological culture of the nose and skin of normal humans invariably yields staphylococci. In 1884, Rosenbach described the two pigmented colony types of staphylococci and proposed the appropriate nomenclature: Staphylococcus aureus (yellow) and Staphylococcus albus (white). The latter species is now named Staphylococcus epidermidis. Although more than 20 species of Staphylococcus are described in Bergeys Manual (2001), only Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are significant in their interactions with humans. S. aureus colonizes mainly the nasal passages, but it may be found regularly in most other anatomical locales, including the skin, oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. S epidermidis is an inhabitant of the skin. Taxonomically, the genus Staphylococcus is in the Bacterial family Staphylococcaceae, which includes three lesser known genera, Gamella, Macrococcus and Salinicoccus. The best-known of its nearby phylogenetic relatives are the members of the genus Bacillus in the family Bacillaceae, which is on the same level as the family Staphylococcaceae. The Listeriaceae are also a nearby family. Staphylococcus aureus forms a fairly large yellow colony on rich medium; S. epidermidis has a relatively small white colony. S. aureus is often hemolytic on blood agar; S. epidermidis is non hemolytic. Staphylococci are facultative anaerobes that grow by aerobic respiration or by fermentation that yields principally lactic acid. The bacteria are catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. S. aureus can grow at a temperature range of 15 to 45 degrees and at NaCl concentrations as high as 15 percent. Nearly all strains of S. aureus produce the enzyme coagulase: nearly all strains of S. epidermidis lack this enzyme. S. aureus should always be considered a potential pathogen; most strains of S. epidermidis are non-pathogenic and may even play a protective role in humans as normal flora. Staphylococcus epidermidis may be a pathogen in the hospital environment. Staphylococci are perfectly spherical cells about 1 micrometer in diameter. The staphylococci grow in clusters because the cells divide successively in three perpendicular planes with the sister cells remaining attached to one another following each successive division. Since the exact point of attachment of sister cells may not be within the divisional plane and the cells may change position slightly while remaining attached, the result is formation of an irregular cluster of cells. The shape and configuration of the Gram-positive cocci helps to distinguish staphylococci from streptococci. Streptococci are slightly oblong cells that usually grow in chains because they divide in one plane only, similar to a bacillus. Without a microscope, the catalase test is important in distinguishing streptococci (catalase-negative) from staphylococci, which are vigorous catalase-producers. The test is performed by adding 3% hydrogen peroxide to a colony on an agar plate or slant. Catalase-positive cultures produce O2 and bubble at once. The test should not be done on blood agar because blood itself contains catalase. Figure 1.4: Gram stain of Staphylococcus aureus in pustular exudate Figure 1.5: Staphylococcus aureus Problem statement: Which antibiotic is most effective on bacteria? Hypothesis: Different antibiotics have different effect on bacteria. Ampicillin is the most effective antibiotic against Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to other antibiotics. Variables: Manipulated Variable: Types of antibiotics and types of bacteria. Responding Variable: The diameter of clear zone around the paper discs. Fixed Variable: Surrounding temperature, humidity, light intensity, size of paper discs. Apparatus: Agar plate, Bunsen burner, marker pen, autoclaved forceps. Materials: Bacteria E. coli, bacteria S. aureus, bench spray of disinfectant, 1% Virkon, soap and dettol, paper towels, antibiotic- impregnated paper disc, adhesive tape. Procedure: Hands are washed with dettol handwash. Disinfectant spray is sprayed thoroughly to the working area. Paper towels are then used to wipe the working area. Two sterile Petri dishes are labeled correctly. One is filled with the bacteria S. aureus and another one with E. coli. The label is pasted at the side of the Petri dishes. The apparatus needed: bottle containing sterile nutrient agar, micropipette with sterile tips, Bunsen burner, bottle containing bacteria cultures and sterile Petri dishes labeled correctly. 200ml of E. coli bacteria culture is pipetted into a sterile Petri dish beside a burning Bunsen burner. Molten agar is poured into the Petri dish until the bottom of the Petri dish is covered by the agar. The Petri dish is then covered and gently pushed back and forth and in all four directions to mix the bacteria well with the agar. The agar is then allowed to set. Steps 4 to7 are repeated for S. aureus. The 2 Petri dishes containing the agar lawn are allowed to set. One paper disc is placed in a solution of antibiotics named Ampicillin using sterile forceps. The paper disc is then soaked into Petri dish containing the agar. Steps 10- 11 are repeated for antibiotics Tetracyclin, Carbenicillin, and sterilized distilled water. The Petri dish is closed and the bottom of the Petri dish is labeled to identify the position of each paper disc. The agar plates are then left in 30.0 0C incubator for 24 hours. Hands are washed thoroughly again after working with the bacteria culture. After 24 hours, the agar plates are observed with the Petri dishes closed. The diameter of the clear region around the paper discs are measured and recorded. The results are recorded in a table Precautions: The bacteria must be pipetted into the agar before the agar is set so that the bacteria can mix well with it. During observation, the lid of the Petri dishes must not be lifted up as the bacteria are harmful to our healths. After working with the bacteria culture, hands must be washed with disinfectant in order to avoid any infections. Result: Antibiotics Diameter of the clear zone, cm Escherichia coli Staphylococcus aureus Ampicillin 3.2 3.0 Tetracycline 2.3 2.7 Carbenicillin 1.3 2.8 Distilled water 0.5 0.5 Discussions: Analysis of data From the result, it is found that the largest inhibition zone or clear region is formed around the paper disc soaked in Ampicillin for E. coli bacteria lawn, followed closely by Tetracyclin and Carbenicillin. Ampicillins paper disc caused the largest area of inhibition zone in E. coli. This showed that Ampicillin is most effective in inhibiting the growth of the E. coli. Meanwhile, Carbenicillins paper disc which caused the smallest area of inhibition zone in E. coli showed that it is the weakest antibiotic against E. coli. Similarly, Ampicillin is also the most effective antibiotic against bacteria Staphylococcus aureus as the area of inhibition zone around the paper disc soaked with Ampicillin solution is the greatest, which has a diameter of 3.0 cm. Followed by that is the antibiotic Carbenicillin and the least effective antibiotic is Tetracyclin which has a slightly smaller diameter of clear zone than Cabenicillin, which is 2.7cm. Therefore, it can be concluded that Ampicillin is the most effective antibiotic against both type of bacteria and being the broad spectrum antibiotic while the effectiveness of Tetracyclin and Carbenicillin towards both bacteria varied. This showed that different antibiotic has different effect on different bacteria as well. The inhibition zones are all circular. If it is not circular, it is sensible that the diameter should be measured by using two points which are furthest from each other within the clear region. The diameter of the inhibition zones is affected by the strength of antimicrobial properties of the antibiotics towards different bacteria. It is important not to always choose the antibiotic with the largest inhibition zone to treat the patients as some other factors should be considered as well such as the side effect caused by the antibiotics, the conditions of the patients and the risk of that particular antibiotics. Control In this experiment, the control used is the sterilized distilled water. Paper discs soaked in sterilized distilled water are also put in two of the Petri dishes. This is to show that the sterilized distilled water has no effect on the bacteria. This enables us to compare the results for paper discs with the antibiotics and those with the distilled water to show that the formation of the inhibition zone or the clear region is due to the antibiotics but not because of the presence of water. In this case, clear region cannot be seen around the paper disc soaked in sterilized distilled water in both Petri dishes. Therefore, the presence of clear region around other paper discs must be due to the antimicrobial property of the antibiotics. Variables Three different antibiotics are used in this experiment to manipulate the types of antibiotics and to compare the effectiveness of each antibiotic to inhibit the growth of the bacteria. The antibiotics used are Tetracycline, Carbenicillin and Ampicillin. Two different types of bacteria, E. coli and S. aureus are manipulated by putting them in different Petri dishes with the agar medium. This enables us to identify the varying antimicrobial properties of the same antibiotics on different types of bacteria. The responding variable in this experiment is the diameter of the clear region around the paper discs after 24 hours. The greater the diameter of the clear zone around the paper discs, that means the more effective the antibiotic inhibiting the growth of the bacteria. The diameter of the clear zone can be measured from one point of the circular clear region to another point through the centre point by using a ruler. The amount of different bacteria cultures used must be the same by pipetting equal amount of the two bacteria, which is 200 ml into the agar medium. The temperature, humidity and light intensity must also be kept constant throughout the experiment. All these factors may affect the rate of growth of the bacteria. This can be done by placing the two agar plates into an incubator at 30 0 C. The size of the paper discs should also be kept constant. Paper discs which are larger will absorb more antibiotics and may lead to a greater diameter of clear zone compared to the smaller paper discs in the same bacteria culture. This is done by preparing the paper discs using the same puncher to ensure all the paper discs are of the same size. Justification of apparatus and materials In this experiment, the antibiotics used are Tetracycline, Streptomycin and Carbenicillin solutions. These antibiotics are more common antibiotics which are more easily available. The antibiotics have already been prepared in solutions form. This enables the paper discs to be soaked in the solutions directly and easier. The bacteria used are S. aureus and E. coli, they are practically easier to be grown and culture in agar plates. However, these two bacteria may be harmful to our health, therefore the lids of the agar plates are not allowed to be opened during observation. This is to keep us from getting any infections from these bacteria. Bunsen burner is used in this experiment to minimize the contamination of the experimental sets while preparing them. For example, the forceps are being flamed before being used to pick up the paper discs soaked in the antibiotics solutions. Micropipette is used to transfer the 200 ml bacteria into the agar medium. The used of micropipette with sterile tips further improved the accuracy of the result. Validity and reliability of the results According to the result from another group, Ampicillin is the most effective antibiotic towards only E. coli bacteria. Cabernicillin is most effective towards S. aerues and this is different from the result of my group. This may properly cause by contamination which affect the accuracy of the result. However, for the bacteria E. coli, the diameter of clear zone caused by the paper disc soaked in Cabernicillin is 1.3 cm for my group while the result of another group showed no clear zone around it. Therefore, it can be concluded that Carbenicillin is the least effective antibiotics towards E. coli for two groups. Besides, in order to increase the reliability of the experiment, the variables are controlled carefully. The constant variables are kept constant while only manipulating the variables that are being studied. Sources of errors One possible source of errors may be the contamination of the agar medium. This occurred when saliva is accidentally being transferred to the agar during preparation. Another possible source of error could be the purity of the antibiotics used. Some of the antibiotics solutions may be contaminated by some impurities which could decrease their antibacterial properties. Also, human error can take place especially when measuring the diameter of the clear zones. Conclusion: The hypothesis is accepted. Different antibiotics have different effect on bacteria. Ampicillin is the most effective antibiotic against Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to other antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. Bacteria can cause infections such as strep throat, ear infections, urinary tract infections, and sinus infections (sinusitis). There are many types of antibiotics. Each works a little differently and acts on different types of bacteria. Dont antibiotics cure everything? Antibiotics are powerful medicines, but they cannot cure everything. Antibiotics do not work against illnesses that are caused by a virus. They do not help illnesses such as: Common colds. Influenza (flu). Most cases of acute bronchitis. Most sore throats not caused by strep. Runny noses. These illnesses usually go away by themselves. If you take antibiotics when you do not need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to have some bacteria that the medicine does not kill. Over time these bacteria change (mutate) and become harder to kill. The antibiotics that used to kill them no longer work. These bacteria are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These tougher bacteria can cause longer and more serious infections. In order to treat them you may need different, stronger antibiotics that cost more. A stronger antibiotic may have more side effects than the first medicine. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria also can spread to family members, children, and friends. Your community then will have a risk of getting an infection that is harder to cure and costs more to treat. Some antibiotics that doctors once prescribed to treat common infections no longer work. Taking antibiotics you do not need will not help you feel better, cure your illness, or keep others from being infected. On the other hand, take them when unnecessary may cause harmful side effects. Those side effects include: Nausea. Diarrhea. Stomach pain. When antibiotics kill the normal bacteria in your intestine and allow the C.difficilebacteria to grow, this causes diarrhea, fever, and belly cramps. In some rare cases, it can even cause death. This condition is known as Clostridium difficilecolitis or C. difficile colitis which is the swelling and irritation of the large intestine, or colon. Women may develop vaginal yeast infections from taking antibiotics. Rarely, antibiotics can cause a dangerous allergic reaction that requires emergency care. The right way to take antibiotic: Take it exactly as directed. Always take the exact amount that the label says to take. If the label says to take the medicine at a certain time, follow these directions. Take it for as long as prescribed. After the first few days of taking the medicine, you might feel better. However, it is important to keep taking the antibiotic as directed and usually until it is finish. Full prescription is always needed to get rid of those bacteria that are a bit stronger and able to survive the first few days of treatment. Bacteria that an antibiotic cannot kill (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) can develop if only part of an antibiotic prescription is being taken. Most importantly, leftover medicine must not be saved for the purpose of future use. Antibiotics are usually safe despites of all the side effects. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. In women, antibiotics can lead to vaginal yeast infections. Some minor side effects are inevitable. In rare cases, antibiotics can cause a dangerous allergic reaction that requires emergency care. Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in modern medicine. Antibiotics cure disease by killing or injuring bacteria. After the first antibiotic, penicillin which was accidentally been discovered from a mold culture, there are now over 100 different antibiotics available to cure minor discomforts as well as life-threatening infections.Although antibiotics are useful in a wide variety of infections, it is important to realize that antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics are useless against viral infections such as the common cold and fungal infections ringworm. Types of Antibiotics Although there are well over 100 antibiotics, the majority come from only a few types of drugs. These are the main classes of antibiotics. Penicillins such as penicillin andamoxicillin Cephalosporins such as cephalexin(Keflex) Macrolides such as erythromycin (E-Mycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), andazithromycin (Zithromax) Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin(Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), andofloxacin (Floxin) Sulfonamides such as co-trimoxazole (Bactrim) and trimethoprim (Proloprim) Tetracyclines such as tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmycin) Aminoglycosides such as gentamicin (Garamycin) and tobramycin (Tobrex) The use of right antibiotic is crucial as each antibiotic cures only certain types of infections but not all. Also, a person may have allergies that eliminate a class of antibiotic from consideration, such as a penicillin allergy which should not prescribe amoxicillin. Other factors may be considered when choosing an antibiotic. Medication cost, dosing schedule, and common side effects are often taken into account. Patterns of infection in your community may be considered too. In some cases, laboratories may help to decide which antibiotic to be used. Special techniques such as Gram stains may help narrow down which species of bacteria is causing infection. This is because certain bacterial species will take a stain while the others will not. Cultures may also be obtained. In this technique, a bacterial sample from infection is allowed to grow in a laboratory. The way bacteria grow or what they look like when they grow can help to identify the bacterial species. Cultures may also be tested to determine antibiotic sensitivities. A sensitivity list is the roster of antibiotics that kill a particular bacterial type. This list can be used to double check that you are taking the right antibiotic. Escherichia coli E. coli is a common type of bacteria that can get into food, like beef and vegetables. E. coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. The strange thing about these bacteria and lots of other bacteria is that theyre not always harmful to you. Theodor Escherich first described E. coli in 1885, as Bacterium coli commune, which he isolated from the feces of newborns. It was later renamed Escherichia coli, and for many years the bacterium was simply considered to be a commensal organism of the large intestine. It was not until 1935 that a strain of E. coli was shown to be the cause of an outbreak of diarrhea among infants. The GI tract of most warm-blooded animals is colonized by E. coli within hours or a few days after birth. The bacterium is ingested in foods or water or obtained directly from other individuals handling the infant. The human bowel is usually colonized within 40 hours of birth. E. coli can adhere to the mucus overlying the large intestine. Once established, an E. coli strain may persist for months or years. Resident strains shift over a long period (weeks to months), and more rapidly after enteric infection or antimicrobial chemotherapy that perturbs the normal flora. The entire DNA base sequence of the E. c oli genome has been known since 1997. E. coli normally lives inside your intestines, where it helps the body to break down and digest the food. Unfortunately, certain types of E. coli can get from the intestine