Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Essays

Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Essays Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Damage February 25, 2000 A new oral vaccine has offered new hope because of its effectiveness in protecting laboratory rats against brain damage from epilepsy and stroke, and might one day be used to help humans with the same conditions. The vaccine blocks a protein in the brain called NMDA, but does so only when epilepsy or stroke occur. The vaccine is released in the brain as needed and is protected from any side effects. During and colleagues immunized another group of rats and after five months induced stroke in them by blocking an artery in the brain. The rats still experienced strokes, but the size of the brain damage was 70 percent less in immunized rats compared with animals that didn't receive the treatment. This concept could be useful in treating other neurological disorders as well. NMDA is a receptor that responds to the chemical glutamate in the brain, the glutamate/NMDA complex is responsible for many normal brain functions like the development of neurons, learning and memory. Blocking the NMD A receptor in general could have damaging effects. However, the NMDA receptor is also involved in a chain of events that contribute to neurological damage from epilepsy, stroke and head injuries. To create the vaccine, the researchers added the gene that codes for the NMDA receptor to a virus. When this gene and virus combination enter the animal's bloodstream, the immune system creates antibodies to both the virus and NMDA. These antibodies circulate in the blood, but are prevented from entering the brain by the blood brain barrier, a tightly packed group of cells that line blood vessels in the brain. The blood brain barrier is a protective mechanism that prevents many large molecules, such as these antibodies, from entering the brain. Yet during times of neurological insult, like epilepsy and stroke, the blood brain barrier is compromised, and the antibodies do enter the brain. They then seek out and block the NMDA receptor, preventing some brain damage from occurring. Soon afterw ards, the blood brain barrier is restored, and the antibodies no longer have an effect on the brain. The biotechnological aspect of this article is evident because of the lengthy research and use of lab rats to secure the validity of this new approach to reduce the risk of brain damage after seizures or strokes. The scientists involved first isolated a receptor in the brain, understood its functions, and then found a way to block its effects that can be detrimental to the brain after a stroke. Although this new form of treatment has not been tested on humans, I believe that this will lead to some very helpful discoveries. The potential this treatment has is immense and usefulness unknowable. If one of my family members were to have a stroke and come out nothing like his/her former self I would certainly wish that there had been something to prevent the brain damage from occurring. Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Damage February 25, 2000 An oral vaccine has proven to be effective in protecting laboratory rats against brain damage from epilepsy and stroke, and might one day be used to help humans with the same conditions. The vaccine blocks a protein in the brain called NMDA, but does so only when epilepsy or strokes occur. Therefore, the brain is helped by the vaccine in times of need, yet is protected from any side effects like deficits in movement, learning and memory that could result from blocking NMDA during normal brain functioning. ''We've known for a long time about the mind-body connection how the brain talks to the immune system,'' said Dr. Matthew During, professor of neurosurgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. ''Here, we're saying the opposite the immune system talks to the brain and that can be used as a very powerful tool, almost a scalpel, to target specific receptors in the brain.'' The researchers, led by During, began by giving the vaccine to 100 rats, and a month later, induced epile ptic-like seizures in them with a drug called kainate. Although normally 70 percent of rats given kainate would have seizures, only 20 percent of the rats that were

How any two functions of management can Assist an organization manage workforce diversity

How any two functions of management can Assist an organization manage workforce diversity Executive Summary The world we live in today is full of business activities almost in all sectors of the world’s economy. This has in some instances led to increased competition or demand and in rare cases both situations happen concurrently. As such, it is important that the modern managers are well equipped with the essential skills required in the management of these organizations (Valentine Woods, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on How any two functions of management can Assist an organization manage workforce diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is because of this, that the key management functions were laid down for the managers to follow in order to ensure the success of their businesses. Among the key functions of management, include planning, controlling organizing and directing. The aim of this report is to analyse two of these key management functions and determine how they can be eff ectively integrated into the business to achieve a diverse workforce. The report will be based on a fictional company in the banking industry known as the Urban Bank Ltd. Later on in the report, factors that hinder or support the implementation of the key management roles to achieving a diverse workforce in an organization will be looked. In addition, rrecommendations on how managers can effectively improve their skills to ensure a diverse workforce will be mentioned. Introduction Business has become an integral part of the modern society. Almost all activities carried out in each society revolve around businesses ranging from academic institutions, companies, banks, to churches just to mention a few (Valentine Woods, 2010). This is an indication of how important business enterprises are to the people in the society. However, for these businesses to be successful and overcome the current global competition being experienced, they have to be properly managed. The top rated personnel of the enterprise, referred to as the managers, normally carry out these management functions (Carrol and Gillen, 1987, p.30). The managers are obliged to carry out four main management functions, which include, directing, organizing, planning, and controlling. Other duties of the managers such as staffing and disciplinary may be delegated to special departments such as the human resources department.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This report will address two of the main functions of the management and analyze how these functions can assist an organization manage its workforce diversity. The report will be based on a fictional company in the banking sector named as Urban Bank. In order to address this issue effectively, data from related companies in this case, the banking industry will be used to make inferences. Such data is available from journals and compan ies’ publications. In writing the report, several assumptions will be made given the fact that Urban Bank is a fictional company. Some of these include, assuming the existence of the company in the real market, whereby Urban Bank will be expected to be trade its stock in the stock market. Background The Urban Bank Ltd is one of the latest entrants in the Australian banking industry. Just like most of the other banks, Urban Bank began as a money lending institution of the low-income workers in the country. As a cooperative society, it catered for the needs of the people with low income such as factory workers, workers in the construction industry and farmers among others. It operated as a cooperative society for 15 years before being elevated to the level of a bank. Its expansion eventually led to more operations, which required more workforces. This is because it now serves more people than it served before. Given this demand, it therefore, essential that the entire workforce of Urban Bank be trained on the huge task ahead, and how they can possibly handle it to ensure success of the company. In this, the report will evaluate two of the key functions of management and discuss them in detail before looking at factors that support and constrain the management in ensuring a diverse workforce. Lastly, recommendations will be made by giving suggestions to be implemented by the management team of the bank. Discussion An evaluation of the two management theories As mentioned earlier in the report, this section will evaluate two of the key management functions in organizations. These functions will be geared towards the achievement of a diverse workforce in organizations. The management functions to be discussed are planning and organizing functions of managers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on How any two functions of management can Assist an organization manage workforce diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Planning is a crucial function of the management, which essentially entails looking at the future and determines the action to be taken in the present or later to avoid problems in the future (Management Study Guide, 2008, p.1). Several scholars have defined the term planning: â€Å"According to Koontz O’Donnell, â€Å"Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do, and who is to do it. Planning bridges the gap between where we are to, where we want to go. It makes possible things to occur which would not otherwise occur† (Management Study Guide, 2008, p.1). According to Urwick, â€Å"Planning is a mental predisposition to do things in orderly way, to think before acting and to act in the light of facts rather than guesses†( Management Study Guide, 2008, p.1). In planning, several factors have to be put into consideration including the determination of the available and prospective resources of the organization. These resources ent ail the human and physical resources. On the other hand, the organizing function of the management is responsible for bringing together the resources of the organization in a bid to achieving its goals and objectives. One scholar by the name Henry Fayol defined organizing as the provision of the organization with all its needs such as capital, raw materials, and personnel. Planning at Urban Bank Ltd Just as it is in other organizations, planning is the most crucial function of the management in the banking sector. Given the risks that are associated with banks, it is of essence that Urban Bank Ltd take the planning function with great significance. As such, all plans should be tested for their appropriateness before being implemented in the organization. For example, when it comes to the forex market trading, the bank is required to keep on making new plans given the outcome of the situation in the market. This means that the bank managers will remain on toes to ensure that the bank does not incur losses. It can thus be concluded that planning is an operational risk function of the banking institutions. Types of plans It is important that the planning function be carried out systematically given its sensitivity in the success of the organization. Once the management has laid down the goals and objectives it would like to achieve, they get down determining the types of plans to be put in place. The list of plans to be put in place by the management of the Urban Bank is endless.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because of the many areas of operation within the banking system. Among the plans, include internal plans, product plans such as Accounts, loans and other products offered by banks, growth plans, investment plans, expansion and strategic plans (Berry, 1996, p.1). All the aforementioned plans are instrumental in almost all organisations with the only difference coming in the types of sectors. As for the case of Urban bank, it ought to put plans with regard to the services it offers to the public. For instance, the management should plan on how to attract more people into the bank by offering attractive interest rates. Other than this, the management should plan on the future investments to be made regarding the expansion of the bank among other developments. In addition to this, Urban bank is expected to put in place plans of providing training to its workforce, especially those that were part of the transition of the bank from a cooperative society. The plan should include t raining of all the essential duties of a bank, which are different from those of cooperative societies. Similarly, the workforce should be trained on being proactive given the high competition faced by banks in order to ensure the success of the Urban Bank Ltd. Environmental Audit Among the various issues that have to be planned by any banking institution, is that of the environmental audit. An environmental audit generally entails the valuation of management systems required to be put in place in order to ensure compliance to the environmental regulations. The environmental audits are carried out in a way similar to the regular financial audits carried out by almost all organizations. As for the case of environmental audits, they are of two types, which are the management systems audits and compliance audits. The compliance audits are carried out with the intention of determining if the operations of the organization comply with the regulations of the environmental bodies. The mana gement systems audit on the other hand is intended to determine if the operations of the organisation are in line with the organisation’s systems such as the famous ISO systems (Hill, Bowen, Soboil, 1997, p.27). Given the sensitivity of the matters of an environmental audit, it is important that the management of an organisation plan the process early enough to ensure its success. Similarly, due to the significance of the environmental audits to organizations, planning is a requirement to ensure the attainment of the goals and objectives of the audit. Therefore, Urban Bank Ltd has to ensure that proper planning of the environmental audits is done before embarking on the real process. Benchmarking This is yet another important duty carried out by the management of an organization through the planning division. In benchmarking, an organization compares the processes of its operations with those of its business counterparts in a bid to gauge its performance (Boxwell, 1994, p.22 5). For instance, Urban Bank could compare its results with those from other banks on the same level in order to determine its performance. From the data collected through benchmarking, an organization is able to know its position among other companies in the same industry, thus be able to fill any loopholes discovered. On the other hand, if the performance is okay, then the organization puts in place plans of making their performance even better. The Organising function at Urban Bank The structure of Urban Bank Ltd Urban Bank just like the other banks in the banking industry has an organizational structure whose duty is to ensure proper appropriation of the organization’s resources. The bank is structured in such a way that there is the front office, middle and the back office. In each of the three segments of the bank, different operations or activities take place. As such, different resources are required in each section. For instance, the front office is mainly composed o f the telling and clerical duties. Reception duties are also evident in the front office. This is an indication that the junior staff of the bank will be found in the front office. The middle office serves duties such as audit functions among other duties such as accounting. The back office is the most senior segment of the bank, which involves the top management team. As such, the back office is responsible for the key management roles such as decision-making. It is also important to note that the middle office acts as the intermediary between the front and back offices. HRM Resources The human resource of any organization is a crucial part of the organization as this department runs almost all duties. Despite the efforts of trying to automate almost all operations of organizations, there are still a big number of the operations that have to be carried out by the human resources. For instance, the banking systems have installed the ATMs for people to carry out their banking duties individually, yet you still find long queues in the banks waiting to be served over the counter by tellers. This is an indication that banks require human resource by a great deal. As such, the management of the bank ought to ensure that the human resources are properly organized to accomplish effectively the operations of the bank, hence its success. Factors that support and constrain the management in ensuring a diverse workforce During the execution of its functions in an organization, the management is bound to encounter factors that support or constrain its duties (Robbins et al, 2009). Some of the supporting factors include aid from the government, regulatory bodies as well as other organizations in the industry. For instance, in the case of Urban Bank Ltd, it may get the support of the central bank of the country of operation. This support could involve financial aid or advisory services, which will eventually lead to its success in the market. Some of the constraint factors include competition, insufficient information, the economy of the nation and uncooperative managers (Norman, 2012, p.1). These factors will prevent the functions of management from being carried out efficiently; something could adversely affect the organization from ensuring a diverse workforce. This is because in the event an organisation is not running smoothly, the workforce is also at risk. Conclusion From the discussion above, it is clear that the success of any organization is dependent on how it carries out the key management functions. In this report, two of the key management roles have been discussed, looking at how they can be effectively applied in organizations especially on the fictional bank, Urban bank Ltd in this case. Other than the two functions discussed in the report, all organizations should strive towards integrating all the key management roles for better achievement of the organizational goals (Robbins et al, 2009). As for the case of Urban Bank Ltd, its man agers should ensure proper organization of the human resources as well as proper planning of the organizational needs in terms of human resources in order to achieve a diverse workforce. For instance, the company should begin with training of the staff to make them acquainted with the new operations that emerged after the elevation of the bank. Recommendations The first thing the managers of Urban Bank should do is to plan on how they will train their workforce to suit their new status of a bank. The management should attend seminars of leaders in the banking sector so that they can get more information on the same. They should get down to benchmarking in order to gauge their performance. It is also important that as the company puts in place measures of ensuring a diverse workforce, it also find ways of overcoming the constraints of its goal achievement. This means that the organization should hold interactive sessions with the members of its workforce so that they may air out v iews on where they need improvements. Finally yet importantly, the management of the bank should find ways of motivating their workforce. For instance, they could give them incentives such as leaves, retreats, and gifts among others. Reference List Berry, T. (1996). The Different Types of Plans. Bplans. Web. Boxwell, R. (1994). Benchmarking for Competitive Advantage. New York: McGraw-Hill. Carrol, S., and Gillen, D. (1987). Are the Classical Management Functions Useful in Describing Managerial Work? Academy of Management Review 12 (1): 28-51. Hill, R.C., Bowen, P.A., Soboil J.H. (1997). The role of environmental management systems in construction. Australian Institute of Building Papers 8: 27-39. Management Study Guide. (2008). Planning Function of Management. Management  study guide.com. Web. Norman, L. (2012). What Factors Can Affect Planning Function of Management?  Chron.com. Web. Robbins, S., Bergman, R., Stagg, I. Coulter, M. (2009). Fundamentals of  management (3rd e d.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson. Valentine, T. Woods, M. (2010). Management in focus: The global financial crisis. Frenchs Forest: Pearson.

Hong Kong's Disneyland and Ocean Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hong Kong's Disneyland and Ocean Park - Essay Example Walt Disney mainly focuses its activities on fantasy by producing movies and owning intellectual properties. However, there is an uncertainty that its customers may change their tastes to demand more of products and services that focus on nature and reality. This will see the company record a sharp drop in its attendance, revenues and profits. The Hong Kong economy has been stable because of its dependence on high property prices. A drop in the prices of prices would result in the economy experiencing a recess. Many people will be unemployed hence they will not afford money for leisure and entertainment. There will be low attendance and the firm may be forced to reduce ticket prices in order to attract customers. This will increase the cost of borrowing for the company hence limit the capital outlay for investment. This is majorly because the company depends on borrowing to supplement its capital for investments. Lobby groups include environmentalists and labor organizations. The activities of such groups against Walt Disney may result in negative publicity for the business. This is because lobby groups may incite the public against visiting facilities owned by Walt Disney for a number of reasons. One of the reasons for the campaigns may be the violation of the laws of the environment. The overall effect of such activities is a reduction in the level of attendance. Walt Disney is planning to make a new entrance into the Hong Kong market. Customers may be reluctant to respond to the new products introduced by Disney hence leading to low attendances and losses for the business. Ocean Park was having a problem with its brand and logo. The problem was that its brand image was very poor and could not attract customers to its businesses. This is attributed to the fact that the firm had an unattractive brand logo that had a very low visibility and weak association to the park.  

Forests and Forestry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forests and Forestry - Essay Example The evolution of deforestation in India has begun with the arrival of British government in India during 19th century. During the year of 1823, the governor of presidency during that period, Thomas Munro acted as a forest conservator with a belief that private business practices of forestry programs will be adopted soon to meet the balance of supply and demand. Due to this belief the country faced a continuous loss of forest resources for almost four consecutive decades. The developmental steps taken by the British government supported the act of deforestation in India. When the government realized the problem during 1864 the Governor-general Lord Dalhousie brought the German forester Dietrich Brandis to look after the problem and control the situation. Many more initiatives were taken afterwards in order to conserve the forests resources of India by recruiting manpower for the protection and control over the loss of the natural resource. It took almost another decade after these ini tiatives were taken up for the conservation of forest resource, to come into effect and proper law and orders were passed for the protection of the resource and resulted into Indian Forest Act in 1878. After the law and orders came into effect the situation was supposed to be under control but corruption adversely influenced them a lot and developmental activities were prioritized over the issue of deforestation. The corruption restricted the law and orders to show its proper effectiveness which is persistent till date. Deforestation activities can be beneficial also in cases where the cleared land can be used for the agricultural and farming activities. The technologies used for agricultural purpose still fails sometimes to sustain the farming and agricultural activities on certain tropical land formed by clearing of forest areas. Those lands are either made abandoned or used as less productive areas compared to other land used for agriculture and

An inconvenient truth (Movie report) Movie Review

An inconvenient truth ( report) - Movie Review Example Some men heeded Marsh’s call and forest reserves were established soon after. Meanwhile, John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club helped in the establishment of the Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Park because he believed that all living things had a part to play in the subsistence of the whole world, and must be preserved because they exist. From these early efforts sprung worldwide environmental organizations calling for a more ethical use of the earth’s resources. By 1972, out of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the Stockholm Declaration was born The Declaration recognized man as both a â€Å"creature and molder† of his environment, acknowledged the role of the environment in the sustainability of mankind, and mandated man to protect his environment (United Nations Conference on the Human Environment). It demanded accountability in all citizens and communities, enterprises and institutions to shape the future of the environment. From the early awareness of the importance of nature to man’s survival came an understanding that the Earth is a living being. In 2010, the Earth Declaration (World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth) afforded Mother Earth with equal rights as humans. It was perhaps the first document to compel nations to reco gnize the interdependence of life on the planet and that â€Å"in an interdependent living community it is not possible to recognize the rights of only human beings without causing an imbalance within Mother Earth† (World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth). I mention these developments in the environmental movement because I wish to believe that climate change will not end the world, instead, it will help man discover who he truly is. George Mash once said, The fact that, of all organic beings, man alone is to be regarded as essentially a destructive power, and that he wields energies to resist which,

Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction Essay Example for Free

Co-Occurring Disorders and Addiction Essay Treatment of drug and alcohol addiction is seldom as simple as merely addressing the particular chemicals addict is taking into his body. More often than not, addicts suffer from other disorders in conjunction with their chemical dependency. The clinical reference to such a condition is called co-occurring disorders (Doweiko, 2012). According to Arias and Kranzler (2008) an estimated 1. 1 percent of the U. S. population has an alcohol use disorder with a co-occurring use disorder (DUD). This type of co-morbidity is sometimes referred to as homotypic co ­morbidity or dual dependence. According to Doweiko (2012), dual diagnosis clients refer to patients that suffer from a concurrent form of mental illness and an SUD. Co-occurring substance disorders include but are not limited to anorexia, bulimia, gambling, abuse (spousal), compulsive shopping, AIDS, and compulsive sexual behaviors (Doweiko, 2012). People who are active substance abusers or withdrawal from many drugs of abuse can magnify or simulate symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Addiction is common in people with mental health problems. Although substance abuse and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety are closely linked, one does not directly cause the other (Doweiko, 2012). In a dual diagnosis, both the mental health issue and the drug or alcohol addiction have their own unique symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others (Stinson, et al. , 2005). To make the situation more complicated, the co-occurring disorders also affect each other and interact. According to Stinson et al (2005) when a mental health problem goes untreated, the substance abuse problem usually worsens and when alcohol or drug abuse increases, mental health problems will likely increase as well. An essential step to gaining freedom from addiction involves understanding the dynamics of addiction. The addiction cycle describes the reoccurring process that takes place as person struggles with their addiction(s). Co-occurring disorders and addiction relation to the addiction cycle is that addictive behaviors offer a fake sense of escape, pleasure, and involve psychological or physiological dependence. According to Scalise (2012) the increased symptoms and challenging treatment process add to difficulties of breaking the addiction cycle. The addiction cycle begins with pain which leads individuals to reach their absolute lowest, which many calle â€Å"hitting bottom† and then seek relief (i. . treatment). The addiction cycle continues with the addictive behaviors leading the individual to feel good just before crashing and experiencing pain again, thus restarting the cycle (Scalise, 2012). Understanding co-occurring disorders is vital to the proper treatment of chemical dependency clients. If all co-occurring disorders are effectively dealt with, there’s no reason why the addict should not regain their life as a drug-free member of society.

Leadership Strategy Of KFC

Leadership Strategy Of KFC KFC was first introduced by Colonel Sanders. His first franchise was in year 1952. Under new management, the first sale was for $2 Million. In 1980, there were more profit and expansion of KFC was carried out. Within 50 years, the profit went up to $ 7 Billion. In 1952, Col. Sanders started franchising his recipe door to door financed by his $105.00. Col Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets in the US and Canada by year 1964. He sold his interest in his company for $2 million to a group of investors. In 1966, KFC went public. KFC was listed on the NYSE in 1969. Current Market Cap value on the NYSE is 7.2 Billion. A competitive marketing strategy in the international market focused on the Latin American countries is the reason why KFC can maintain a market leadership in the global fast-food industry. Key to continued growth was to find, motivate, and retain hard-working and entrepreneurial managers and franchisees around the globe .In addition to short term profits, store managers were also responsible for building local public relations, maintaining employee morale, developing customer good-will, keeping tab on the competing chains and creating a legacy of special chicken cooking recipe. KFC had a refocused international strategy to grow its company and franchise restaurant base all over the world. Their Competitive marketing strategy: was to developed three types of chicken, original recipe (pressure cooked) ,extra crispy (fried)and also tender roast (roasted) .Sweeping changes into the culture was initiated by the new management- this brings about demoralization to old KFC employees and even franchisees. Several restructurings led to layoffs throughout KFC, replacement of KFC managers with PepsiCo managers .Conflicts between KFC and PepsiCo cultures- this is manifested with PepsiCos stronger emphasis on performance rather than loyalty expressed by Col. Sanders to KFC employees over the years. According to SWOT ANALYSIS, the weaknesses of KFC are as follows.KFC finds difficulty in entering the German market (culture incompatibility) .KFC sales stagnated. There was widespread discontent among the franchisees, some of whom felt the new owners did not understand the chicken business and were not providing leadership expected from a franchisor. Company stores floundered and become underperforming the franchised operations, further convincing franchisees that the company did not know its own business. (KFC HQ acquired them to company-owned) .Overseas expansion with the rapid economic growth and trend toward two-income families that had fuelled the growth of fast-food industry in the 1950s and 1960s were appearing in the late 1960s in the other country.  [1]   Primary objective is to take advantage of the potential growth in other countries, to establish a strong position and to develop their image. Key Success Factors are ever continuing cost savings through RD, innovations and use of new technology to work efficiently. These success techniques will lower costs and increase profits in the industry. KFC uses an integrated low cost/differentiation leadership, since it can count on its brand name and original taste and recipes to be unique while at the same time compete on price using the benefits of cost savings from economies of scale. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that they should start by solving their internal issues such as management and restaurant menu before thinking about expanding. They should work on the management issues to create a good atmosphere where employees are happy to work in. I certainly do not believe that by treating employees poorly, a company can be successful. They also need to make sure that their restaurants offer a diversified menu, provide their customers with quality food, excellent service and restaurant cleanliness. KFC should always listen to their customers and try to follow the new trends on the market in order to fully satisfy their customers. Otherwise, competitors will satisfy them and will eventually outperform you as Boston did with its grilled chicken. Even though, KFC seems to have an emotional attachment to their original recipe that made their success, they definitely need to move on and develop new products that customers want in order to increase their financial performance and value. We have seen that Boston and Popeyes are stealing customers away from KFC because they understood what customers wanted and started offering healthier items. KFC should certainly do the same and enhance their menu.  [2]   On the other hand, it is time to talk about another local business success story and how can we talk about successful organizations without talking about Al-Baik. It is next to impossible that you are living in Jeddah or ever visited it without being to Al-Baik. The local fast food chain has been around since 1974. After 35 years by now, the restaurant is mainly operating in Jeddah with minimum number of branches in Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu and Taif. Arguably, Al-Baik possesses the highest market share and customer loyalty amongst its competitors especially in Jeddah; noting that when I say competitors, I mean international multibillion brands like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. For those of you familiar with the debate surrounding Porters Generic strategies, Al-Baik is a living proof that you could follow a strategy that combines both differentiation and cost leadership. Although there are a lot of restaurants serving fried chicken, the quality and taste of Al-Baik are certainly unique and its prices are way below the average. Al-Baik has very strong brand equity whether we are measuring it by evaluating the restaurants products or by studying its brand impact on customers. Al-Baik brand communicates strong messages of quality, fast service, trust, affordability, convenience, and social responsibility. Its management has been very smart emphasizing these values into the brand using different methods of advertisements, public relations, or even by spreading stories about the brand. The entrepreneurial story of its founder and how he struggled to raise his community awareness about eating outside the home which was strange back then and how he has been working alone in the restaurant preparing the food, serving it, and then cleaning the small shop are all meant to build some kind of connection with its customers. Also, some suspense and mystery would not hurt either; the secret chicken formula that is only known by few individuals is one of the most preferred stories amongst such food and beverages organizat ions. Whether we are talking about fast service, servicescape design, or cleanness of the restaurants environment; Al-Baik is providing exemplary services in all of that. Even more, Al-Baik is one of the few restaurants that introduced items to the menu based solely on customers suggestions. Al-Baik marketers are masters in choosing locations for their restaurants. One has never seen a branch of Al-Baik without it being packed with customers. The huge expansions they carried out in Jeddah have been built on population distribution analysis. That is why wherever you live in Jeddah now; there must be Al-Baik branch within your easy reach. Al-Baik has always been known for its socially related campaigns. They have a regular presence in Hajj seasons providing free meals to pilgrims and they are periodically campaigning for environmentally related causes like banning smoking in their restaurants or preserving the city clean image. Furthermore, their active participation in the aftermath of Jeddah floods by providing free meals to those devastated by the catastrophe is one shiny example of how organizations could be interacting with its society. Nevertheless, staying on the top is not an easy job. Al-Baik management has to deal with many issues to facilitate its growth. One of these important issues is on the mind of every fan who happen to live outside Jeddah; how much should they expand? Should they consider opening new branches in other cities at the Kingdom? What about being multinational or even global? Moreover, how Al-Baik should respond to the growing concerns raised by healthy and organic foods advocates. And most importantly, how its managers are going to maintain its competitive advantages and how are they going to nurture its sustainability strategy.  [3]   As conclusion, the best selling food in my view is KFC. People nowadays has less time to eat since they are busy working. Therefore, they would choose fast food restaurants as their choice. Thus, the managers of these restaurants need o ensure on cost leadership and make sure they can get the best way to keep the price reduced. This is a marketing strategy in a way to attract customers. More customers make the business more powerful and expand fast. (1505 WORDS)