Slavery and the Making of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Slavery and the Making of America - Essay Example Americans hoped to join the Union in order to restore America’s lost pride and to reduce the danger of competing free slave labor in the development of the West. Following the Emancipation Declaration, the need to rebuild the South and the absorption of African Americans required the American nation to soften its stance on racial bias (PBS, 2014). Additionally, the need for cheap labor required the American nation to be more tolerant towards the African Americans. The shifting attitude of the American nation, namely the white population between 1863 and 1877, helped the African Americans win their fight for freedom on a recognized scale. However, the fight for individual freedom for African Americans for hampered for around a century to come. Although the black man had been freed through legislation, namely the Emancipation Proclamation, but he was still in chains everywhere due to social and economic pressures. The average African American, especially in the newly liberated South, was still at the mercy of an overwhelmingly dominant white population. The standard of living for the average slave on the plantation had still yet to register a significant increase. Since the African Americans were socially isolated and unable to assimilate into mainstream society, their individual character could not fully emerge. In order to resist the bulwark of an unforgiving society, the African Americans had to move within society as a group rather than as

An application of McLuhan's theories to television Essay

An application of McLuhan's theories to television - Essay Example In Understanding Media McLuhan declared that the media are extensions of our senses or faculties. He looks into how each of the media are capable of rearranging our social lives even to the extent of depersonalization and absolute alienation. The Mechanical Bride asserted that the real significance of the media lay in their ability to modify human relationships and perception. Although Understanding Media was published as early as in 1964, McLuhan had predicted along with his famous theory of media as extensions that one day there could be the collectivization and corporatisation of all information. It has been rightly pointed out that the Internet is nothing but an extension of one's powers of cognition. We open the 'home page' of a person the moment we choose to think of him. Then we proceed to click on links if need be. The retrieval of information in good time from the vast store house of the human brain is the pioneer google! Of the many theories that McLuhan has propounded, that of hot and cool media has gathered a lot of attention, especially in the light of the advent of computers which defy McLuhan's classification in the sense that it can be both hot and cold or neither hot nor cold. Before one discusses the complexities involved in the issue, a brief look at what McLuhan actually said in Understanding Media (1964) would be handy: A hot m... Telephone is a cool medium, or one of low definition, because the ear is given a meager amount of information. And speech is a cool medium of low definition, because so little is given and so much has to be filled by the listener. On the other hand, hot media do not leave so much to be filled in or completed by the audience. Hot media are, therefore, low in participation, and cool media are high in participation or completion by the audience (23). Communication is an ever growing phenomenon and is commensurate with the ways by which societies evolve. Although one can say that the moon and the tide communicate it has more to do with natural phenomenon than communication; the ant that discovers a drop of honey locks antennae with another that comes its way, but this apparent act of empathic communication is, according to Edward O. Wilson, based purely on genetic programming1 and not on will (the ant cannot choose not to communicate); only man can choose not to communicate, to communicate and yet not communicate, to lie, to imagine. The spectrum of possibility is too numerous to enumerate. So, as long as it is a human being who is the Receiver of the Sender's (mass medium) message, what if the former treats the hot as cool and vice versa. What if the silence from the other end of the telephone is construed as an acceptance of one's invitation to romance What if the very heat of the medium in describing everything makes the viewer turn off his sense/sensibility saying the medium is not cool enough McLuhan's theory sounds original but not comprehensive. It seems to lack an attention to corollaries. McLuhan's other observations that complement the basic premise of hot and cool media are more illuminating. He says that a

Genetically Modified Organisms In Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

Genetically Modified Organisms In Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay important environmental benefits with little or no risk. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been the subject of debate for many years, with many people either completely for or completely against their mass production and sale. But what exactly is a GMO? It is defined as an organism whose characteristics have been altered by the insertion of a gene from another organism using genetic engineering techniques, usually to give the recipient more desirable traits for human exploitation. In agriculture, this is most often increased pest or herbicide resistance in genetically modified (GM) crops. The question of risk associated with GM crops has divided opinion amongst both experts and the public; however there still does not seem to be any conclusive evidence for either benefits or risks on the environment where these organisms are cultivated. This essay will address some of the popular issues raised with regard to environmental benefits and risks and try to weigh up the pros and cons of GMOs in agriculture. With the ever-increasing human population, our planet is being put under more and more pressure as we try to keep up with the demands for resources. It is estimated that food production will have to increase by 70% by 2050 to provide the predicted 9.1 billion people with enough food (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2009). But with the continued expansion of human populations, we shall also see a further shortage of land suitable for agriculture. The answer to these problems came when genetic engineering allowed us to customise an organismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s characteristics to our desires; increasing crop yield, or reducing damage by pests, thereby allowing a greater quantity of crop to be harvested from the same amount of land. One of the main characteristics desired in a cultivated crop plant is a resistance to pests such as insects and weeds. Since their introduction in 1947, there has been a steady increase in the use of synthetic pesticides to reduce crop losses caused by insects, weeds and diseases (Phipps and Park, 2002). However, an estimated 43% of total world production of the major crops is lost each year, with a further 10% lost after harvesting (Oerke et al. 1995). The use of pesticides has been linked to negative effects in the environment; the loss of UK farmland biodiversity such as insects and bird species and the change in food sources of farmland birds (Ewald and Aebischer, 1999). In GM crops, insect resistance is achieved within the plant DNA itself, so the need for the spraying of pesticides is much reduced. The most common gene selected for insect resistance is extracted from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis because it produces toxins which are sensitive to a specific group of insects including the European corn borer, corn earworm, south-western corn borer and corn rootworm (Schuler et al. 1998). Plants containing this gene are called Bt varieties. In 2000, out of a global total of 5.3 million hectares of cotton grown, 3.2 million hectares were Bt varieties (James, 2000). China is one of the largest producers of cotton, with cotton farmers relying heavily on pesticides, however, in a survey conducted during 1999 and 2000, pesticide use on cotton plants was reduced on average from 55kg (on non-Bt varieties) to 16kg (on Bt varieties) per hectare, and the number of times sprayed was reduced from 20 to 7. Also, the survey reported that the use of toxic organochlorines and organophosphates was almost completely stopped (Huang et al. 2001). This evidence is supportive of the use of insect resistant GM crops because there is less need for the use of pesticides which have a negative effect on the biodiversity of the environment. However, this method may result i n the evolution of resistant pests, which would make the GM crop redundant and therefore re-establish the need for stronger pesticides until a substitute is found for the Bt gene (Hails, 2000). Furthermore, an Australian study has discovered that Bt toxin is found in the roots of modified plants at similar concentrations found in the leaves. This means that the toxins can pass into the soil easily, not only from degrading leaf matter, but also directly from the roots and could potentially lead to an accumulation of toxin in the soil or in the organisms which digest it; insect larvae and microbes. In this way, GM crops could have an indirect impact on biodiversity of insects (and their predators), non-target plants and the soil environment about which we still have only limited knowledge (Vadakattu and Watson, 2004). Alongside pesticide resistance, the other main desired trait of engineered crops is a tolerance to herbicides. 63.7% of GM crops grown in 2005 were engineered with herbicide tolerance (James, 2005). The plants are modified to be resistant to one powerful herbicide called glyphosate, which means that farmers can grow the crop and spray it with one application of glyphosate herbicide to kill any weeds, but the crop itself will not be affected. This is advantageous because it reduces the cost to the farmer and also reduces the run-off of sprayed herbicides into the surrounding ecosystem (Whitman, 2000). The average reduction in herbicide use on GM soybeans in the USA when studied proved to be around 10%, and although it made 16 herbicides redundant, the usage of glyphosate increased 5-fold (Phipps and Park, 2002). The biggest risk associated with herbicide resistance comes from potential gene transfer across species to close relatives, thereby creating an unregulated hybrid of a GM plan t. If this relative is considered a weed, resistance to the herbicide will result in a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"super weedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, where it cannot be killed using glyphosate and farmers must revert back to physical processes such as tilling, which in turn accelerates soil erosion and nutrient leeching (Hail, 2000). Yet there is remarkable evidence from canola oil seed farmers in Canada of the positive effects of growing the herbicide tolerant (Ht) variety; in 2000, when 55% of all canola grown was Ht, the total amount of herbicide used was reduced by 6 million kg, 31.2 million litres of diesel fuel were saved which in turn saved Canadian $13.1 million and 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere (Canola Council of Canada, 2000). The report also described how farmers have adopted a zero or minimal tillage strategy to control weeds, which has the environmental benefits of less soil erosion and less carbon released into the atmosphere; it is estimated that 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are no longer released, so one could say that GM crops may help reduce the rate of global climate change. At present, it appears that there are important benefits and disadvantages of herbicide tolerance, but that more research into the probability of hybridisation with non-desired species should be carried out in order to establish a balanced argument. Currently, the advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages, but this situation may change in the future if resistance spreads to other species. The question of hybridisation has always surrounded GM crops, but the risk of a hybrid plant surviving in the natural environment and establishing a population has always been considered extremely small. The potential for a crop to hybridise with a weed is dependent on numerous factors: the relatedness of the species, geographical location and sexual compatibility to name a few. However, even if a GM crop were to hybridise with a weed relative, the resulting cross would be dependent on a different set of factors in order to be successful and reproduce; it must overcome all normal plant limiting factors such as competition, nutrients, light etc. but also be able to reproduce itself and survive over many generations. The likelihood of a hybrid surviving in the wild is extremely small, yet it is important to remember that the risk does exist and that such a plant would have a higher fitness, be potentially more invasive and likely out compete its relatives, resulting in extinction throu gh hybridisation (Conner et al. 2003). In fact, extinction caused by the introduction of GM crops is a larger problem than originally anticipated. Farmers all over the world are favouring high-yield, Ht and pest resistant crops which gain more profit than their natural relatives, resulting in uniform monocultures. Currently, 1350 traditional crop species face extinction, with an average of 2 species being lost every week, because they are being replaced with engineered versions of themselves (FAO, 2003). Genetic engineering does not stop with crops. There exist today GM trees designed for better quality timber or ease of paper production, and GM plants used in biofuels. Much research is being done on GM animals for use as a food source and use in medicine, although none have yet been licensed to be sold. From an environmental point of view, one of the most interesting applications of GM comes in the form of phytoremediation. Scientists have genetically engineered bacteria to clean polluted and contaminated soil, and plants which can take up heavy metal residues from the soil (Meagher, 2006). Conclusion There has been and still is much debate over the safety of GMOs, with particular emphasis on GM crops because they have the potential to alter ecosystems, and because they ultimately end up on our plates. While the effects on human health are substantially risky, they are beyond the topic of this essay. The cultivation of GM crops has become more widespread since their introduction, with 25 countries now growing them commercially and many more growing them on a trial basis (James, 2008). With continuing research into genes, it seems inevitable that genetic engineering of crops will continue in order to produce the best, most desirable crop possible, while also minimising the environmental impacts. There is evidence for both sides of the argument concerning benefits and risks to the environment, however, not all GM plants behave the same way. The advantages of Ht canola in Canada are obvious, yet in other species the tolerance is not so great and additional spraying is still required. This may be down to geographical location, soil type or farming practise, but it is important to remember that there is no uniform behaviour of GM crops. The environmental benefit of pest resistance is a reduced use of pesticides thereby increasing biodiversity by only targeting specific problem pests instead of killing all the insects in the vicinity. However, this is met with many potential risks such as; accumulation of Bt toxin in the soil which may reduce soil biodiversity, possible evolution of resistance in target pest species and the need to stack genes for resistance to pests which are not affected by the Bt toxin. The environmental benefits of Ht crops include reduced spraying of herbici des which in turn will reduce run off and contamination of water sources, reduced tilling of soil which decreases soil erosion and requires less mechanical management of fields, which means less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to contribute to global warming. The main risk of Ht crops is the potential for hybridisation and invasion of a resistant weed species. From this analysis, we can see that one modified crop may have more advantages than disadvantages, yet for another gene there are more disadvantages than advantages. It is difficult to know what to think about the situation. While we still do not know the impacts these crops may have on the environment and the ecosystems they exist in, some may say that we should not grow them until we know more, but will we ever know how they will behave in the natural environment if we only experiment with them in a laboratory? To conclude with my own opinion, looking at the bigger picture, GM crops will not offer us any environmental benefits because ultimately they are grown for human consumption, meaning the human population will continue increasing because food is not a limiting factor. More food will result in more people, which will lead to the continued exploitation and destruction of our planet. As a species, we have overcome the forces of natural selection through the development of medicine and with the expanding use of GM crops, it looks like we are set to overcome the limiting factor of food availability.

Mechanisms of Originality: Comparing Language Systems to Neural Systems :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Mechanisms of Originality: Comparing Language Systems to Neural Systems "When I was a boy I felt that the role of rhyme in poetry was to compel one to find the unobvious because of the necessity of finding a word which rhymes. This forces novel assocations and almost guarantees deviations from routine chains or trains of thought. It becomes paradoxically a sort of automatic mechanism of orginality ..." ---- Stan Ulam, Adventures of a Mathematician In a previous paper, I began exploring a comparison between language and DNA based on their function as information systems. In this paper, I would like to consider some of these issues further, as well as extend the comparison to the nervous system. The conversation was structured around the five "essential characteristics" of DNA; these are stability; variation; reproducibility; the ability to store information; and the ability for that information to be read. For this paper, I'd like to focus just on the criteria of stability by looking at what some researchers are saying now about the structure of language and the structure of the nervous system. One complication which is intrinsic to any kind of discussion like this is that the parallel lines one tries to pursue are only parallel in places; eventually they do overlap, and often they are indistinguishably tangled. The most obvious and forbidding example is that language is itself a product of neural function; thus, when one gets to the root of how sentences are understood and generated, the comparison to neural activity becomes moot, because in fact it IS neural activity (highly specialized and probably not easily generalized neural activity at that). Similarly, any discussion about the origins of language is also by definition a discussion of the evolution of the brain. I mention this only because I think that while the risk of chasing ones own tail is very real, the observations which arise from a consideration of the places where the two structures parallel one another (in an extremely basic way) are sufficiently interesting to warrant the attention. The simplest way to think about structure is in terms of building blocks or discrete units. With language, the most basic units are either letters or phonemes (9); the next level of organization is words; following words are series of words (which in Western languages are usually sentences). Interestingly, meaning is not acquired until letters have made the leap to words.

David Mccullough’s “1776” Essay

David McCullough, who has won Pulitzer Prize and National Book Awards two times impresses in his book† 1776 â€Å" that the year 1776 is one of the most significant years in annals of U. S. A . McCullough segregates his book not by key military skirmishes but by negligible incidents with major consequences on those skirmishes. McCullough in his book â€Å"1776† lucidly explains the triumphant American siege of Boston in 1775, the catastrophic defense of New York City against irresistible British troops in the late summer of 1776, the Continental Army’s close encounter with dissolution and failure and its excellent dead-of-winter success over the Hessians and the British at Princeton and Trenton as 1776 gave way to 1777. According to McCullough, General Washington was not without flaws but as a military inexpert who was out-generaled by his British adversaries. By demonstrating the intensity to which American fortune had descended by mid-November 1776, McCullough lauds the triumph in Trenton and illustrates that how American heroism is yet again demonstrated. McCullough restricts himself to events that occurred in a single calendar year and a little more. Further, he zeros in on a single person –General Washington. McCullough prose is stylish, sturdy and has a novelist style of structure and pacing. The choice of year 1776 is wise one as it was the year of roller-coaster ride in terms of American military triumphs. â€Å"1776† began on a high note when General Henry Knox, taking the benefit of severe winter weather, employed sledges and barges to transport about sixty tons of cannons and mortars down from Fort Ticonderoga in northern New York and across snow heaped Massachusetts countryside. 1 Negotiating anxiously in the night, General Washington troops successfully placed the artillery atop Dorchester Heights, facing Boston Harbor, in early March 1776. Though, the city was under the control of British, they were now openly exposed and the British had no other choice but to withdraw. The three key chapters of book are categorized as follows; ? The Siege ? Fateful Summer ? The Long Retreat In the first chapter â€Å"The Siege†, McCullough narrate the military features of war. It is to be recalled that the title â€Å"The Siege† was coined after the fortifications made at Dorchester Heights. In this chapter, McCullough recounted insight to the minds of combatants on each side of the skirmish with excerpts from letters written by soldiers. At that point of time, warriors on each side were under the impression that they had the enough motives to fight but did not realize that it would soon transform. Howe, the general on the British side was a man of action and had not any patience to wait and wanted to settle his score with American troop instantly. However, General Washington was most concerned about the inexperience and lack of knowledge of his warriors. Further, adding fuel to the fire, there was shortage of firearms and ammunitions on American side which had made General Washington to worry about. At this juncture, McCullough recalled the exact words used by General Washington when he narrated this precarious situation to his brother through a letter. â€Å"We had fewer bullets than riffles and not adequate riffles for every soldier and not enough soldiers to succeed into the war. † The shortage of firearms for rebels was such that General Washington had issued precondition to those who wanted to join him to fight against British to bring firearms with them from the farm. This scenario aptly illustrates how American side was in wobbly condition as regards to firearms and ammunition as compared to the mighty British army. Further, in this Chapter, McCullough describes the information exchanged by General Washington with his wife through letters which detailed the problems and pitfalls faced by rebels and how American army was handicapped and devised its strategy against the mighty British. However, as per McCullough, General Washington was highly diplomatic as he never revealed how frantic the scenario was to American soldiers at that juncture. In one another letter to his brother, General Washington was of the opinion that he wanted to be an enlisted warrior rather than holding the position of General and always concerned for the soldier’s morality. At the conclusion of the first chapter, McCullough narrates that fortunately General Knox arrived in Dorchester with much wanted cannons and due to this, the future looked very dazzling for the American soldiers. The second chapter has been named as â€Å"Fateful Summer† since General Washington was under impression that the destiny of unborn millions now reckon on his success. General Washington cautioned his troop that failure was not an option and at any cost, they must achieve success. Major portion of this chapter devotes to memoirs of General John Sullivan, Major Joseph Reed and General Rufus Putnam. McCullough recalls that there is absence of unity among colonies at that juncture. Since, majority of the generals were from South, they had feeling that they were superior to generals hailing from North. McCullough reveals this through the conversation that had occurred between General Washington and General Graydon as they vouched that â€Å"Yankees were despondently organized† and did not visualize that the northern regiments would be able to safeguard their position in battle. However, Southern leadership found that they had a misconception on the strength of the northern regiments when they vigorously wrestled and won in Bunker Hill and in Lexington. McCullough illustrates that majority of men who has joined the regiment at that juncture were from northern colonies. McCullough also refers General Washington’s quote that he did not envisage any concern with Negroes who have then freed from their slavery but was not especially consonant with them in his status and rank. McCullough also portraits young soldiers who have joined the regiment did not have any discipline as no proper training were imparted to these young new recruits. Further, these young soldiers were also affected by sexually transmitted diseases when they had relationship with prostitutes who roamed the New York City at that time and there was also shortage of medicine to cure them. According Washington estimate, he lost more 10,000 soldiers due to prevalence of small box and venereal disease. This chapter ends with note that though American suffered a big defeat, however they were united in their cause and had plans to flee away to New York to settle their scores in another day. The third and final chapter is named as â€Å"Fortune Frowns†. In this chapter, McCullough explains how Washington informed their defeat to Congress. McCullough uses most of the letters written by Washington to his wife in this chapter to narrate the incidents. However , Washington never exchange military or warfare strategies with his wife this time as in the past but gave instruction about how interior had to be organized in his residence. With defeat in the Battles of Long Island and Brooklyn, Washington, his troops and the nation were witnessing very hard time. In his letter to Governor Trumbull which was written on December 14, 1776, Washington mentioned that he wanted to assume risk to any extent and all that he needed was a bit of luck. Washington also unraveled in that letter that his strategy was to cross the Delaware during the dark and wage an attack on Trenton engulfing from three sides. This time there was excellent cooperation among the commanding generals. Washington strategy worked well and attack after crossing Delaware during dark was a remarkable triumph for Washington. McCullough in his concluding part of the book made a high note about the success in Trenton battle. McCullough in his book â€Å"1776† narrates several inspirational speeches delivered by General Washington to his soldiers from his horse back. It is to be observed that General Washington’s greatest talent was his capability to inspire even the most timid soldier to become courageous enough to wrestle. Success in Trenton has proved American heroism once again. McCullough wish to remind us that Americans have to value their ancestor’s grand sacrifice and if Americans fail to recognize the same, freedom may slip away from them. The moral of the book is that sole purpose to remind the battle against British in the year 1776 is to conserve the good deeds accomplished for Americans in the past so that American can prepare for the tasks and trials which still lie ahead. Hence, this is history as a structure of national rearmament that is why it harmonizes so nicely with the embattled nation temper. BIBILIOGRAPHY Countryman, Edward. â€Å"1776. † The Historian 69, no. 1 (2007): 120+. Daniel Lazare,†Patriotic Bore: 1776 by McCullough–book review,† The Nation, 281[7] [2005]:p. 31-37. Kingseed, Cole C. â€Å"1776. † Parameters 35, no. 4 (2005): 128+.

General Electric Medical Systems

1. Q 1. What is the underlying logic behind the global product idea? What are the costs and the benefits that are expected? Global Products Company(GPC) strategy is based on the following underlying logical premises: a. Markets for medical equipment are systems are becoming increasingly global in nature. They are no more restricted to only the developed First and Second World countries having advanced healthcare systems. The burgeoning market is that of emerging and developing economies. Thus, there is a need to meet the growing demand for affordable medical equipment in these economies and retain its market leadership b. Needless to say that low-cost leverage is the only way to win a large chunk of this new pie and therefore GEMS has to shift to a cost-efficient strategy c. GEMS realised the potential of tapping production & sourcing centres where there was parity in output quality and labour skill-sets but overall cost was much lower. d. The GPC strategy involved sourcing quality components from the most cost-effective suppliers and establishing the manufacturing bases in most cost-effective geographies. e. As most of the GEMS manufacturing involved sourcing complicated components from across the globe to two-three manufacturing/assembling centres and then distributing across the globe from these centres, the challenging aspect of GPC was in the development of intermediaries along the supply chain to ensure un-interrupted supply & production flows. The following are some of the costs and benefits of the above mentioned strategy of globalizing production to facilitate a low cost production: Benefits: 1. As materials form 80% of the manufacturing cost, sourcing of materials from low-cost countries would enable a significant amount of saving. The key would be to develop long-term relationships with local suppliers and once that is done, it means unparalleled cost savings in future. 2. Having manufacturing centres in low-cost-labour countries would also enable a substantial cost reduction as labour formed 20% of the manufacturing cost. 3. Now, as labour and materials form almost 85% of the total variable cost, substantial reduction in both would enable GEMS to have a cost reduction to he tune of approximately 30% in the total cost. It has to be noted that the incremental fixed cost in case of GEMS was close to nil (Exhibit 7). Costs: 1. In addition to the fixed costs that had to be incurred additionally to enter into the low-cost countries, other GPC-specific costs included inventory, logistics, documentation, and import- duty costs relating to moving materials and products around the world. 2. Developing a long-standing relationship with new suppliers in these low-cost countries was another area that required considerable allocation of time and effort. . Reducing investments in developed countries, from where bulk of their demand came, meant deteriorating relationship and loss of concessions from these countries. 4. Costs related to hiring less experienced workforce in these new locations, and human toll on the workforce as a result of long trips from home for the employees from both old locations and headquarters. If we analyse GEMS’s strategy mentioned in the body above using the AAA model, we can conclude that it is primarily using the arbitrage strategy of globalization with some elements of aggregation. Q. 2 Should the global product philosophy be changed or altered to suit the China market? Please identify both sides of the argument and take a position explaining the rationale behind your stand. Does it make economic sense? The choice between continuing with the current Global Product Concept(GPC) and adopting â€Å"In China for China† for the low end products is a very difficult call for GE managers. On one hand there are several advantages of adopting â€Å"In China for China† such as: In China there is a huge growth potential for medical diagnostics and as of now it is the world's third largest market for the same. By adopting â€Å"In China for China†, GEMS can design and customize products according to local needs in China and further the GE managers believe that China being a nationalistic country, domestically produced products will have greater demand than imported ones. There are other factors like low incremental fixed cost for moving facilities to China, avoidance of duties and tariffs, availability of cheaper local labor and low transportation cost all of which would help in cost saving for GEMS. On the other hand in order to adopt â€Å"In China for China† strategy GEMS will have to break the GPC concept which may result in ecreased quality due to lack of readily available skilled labor and reduced cost cutting efficiency. Also the management will have to address the challenge of development of suppliers which may result in inefficiency. GEMS do not have good history of managing joint ventures because of the unethical practices of the partner which eventually lead GEMS a cquiring the partners. As understood from the case there are two different market segments in China namely the high end markets served which is served only through imports and the low end markets which is served through domestic production. The adoption of â€Å"In China for China† strategy will result in the company distancing itself from high end customers which will end up in losing the revenue for the business to high end customers. Considering all these factors we suggest that it is better for GEMS not to adopt â€Å"In China for China† strategy and to stay with Global Product Concept. Q3. Should GEMS be aggressively pursuing genomics and healthcare-IT related opportunities in addition to or instead of the China opportunity? What priorities would you suggest? Explain your reasoning carefully? No doubt, being third largest healthcare market with tremendous growing potential in future, China is a lucrative market that GEMS can’t easily neglect. But at the same time, with the growth of technological advancement in the field of healthcare, genomics and healthcare-IT related products and services going to have an important role in the coming decades and the companies having those expertise will bound to dominate the global healthcare market in future for sure. So we think that GEMS should take both the China opportunity and the genomics and Healthcare –IT related opportunities seriously. We believe that GEMS has the capacity to look at both the opportunities simultaneously obviating the need to sacrifice one for the other. The company’s strong financial condition along with its strong emphasis on R&D would help the organization in meeting both the objectives. China Opportunity : But in doing so GEMS should initially put more focus on the China market than the R&D on genomics and healthcare-IT projects. Because it is very important for GEMS to catch hold of the China’s market before other competitors like Siemens, Philips. Also the gestation period of genomics and healthcare related projects are too high usually 5-10 years and in such a situation to maintain a good balance sheet GEMS should have a good market share in China. The low end product accounts for 20% of the global sales and to succeed in the low end , presence is Chinese market is a must for any company. Secondly, The China opportunity requires GEMS to shift the production from the other parts of the world to China. The incremental cost associated with that shift in production process is a mere $1 million which should not be an obstacle in GEMS China policy. So GEMS can easily do that without worrying too much about the financial aspects. Genomics and healthcare-IT related opportunities Genomics and preventive health care is going to play a deciding factor in coming decades. But these projects are far more complex than what GEMS did till now. Genomics requires not only technological know-how but also expertise on biomedical science which presently GEMS lacks off. So for better output from these R&D, Tie-up with pharmaceutical companies that develop viruses and chemical reagents would help GEMS to understand and increase their expertise on bio medical science. Collaboration with leading universities around the world on researches on topics relevant to these projects would also help GEMS. Funding for these researches, Supplying machines and tools to support those researches would help GEMS in getting good responses from R&D teams around the world. So with the steps mentioned above and few modifications to the present system, GEMS can take both the opportunities