Fashion Taste and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fashion Taste and Ethics - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Taste and Ethics" discovers the taste in fashion. If the word can be taken within this context, ways in which the word culture is used seems to be fine. However, there arguably seem to be a different view concerning the term culture ought to be viewed. Perhaps this can enlist some reaction. With a view to help people appreciate the wholesome significance of a culture for the better understanding of humanity it is it certain that there is meaningless distinction between low cultures and high cultures. This thus implies that it is impossible for a certain group of people to be said to be more cultured or otherwise have more cultures than others. It goes without saying that the term culture from the anthropological point of view has a different distinctive meaning away from what it is known. This paper, therefore, investigates the word culture with a view to provide a fairly precise definition. In this paper, other terms that encompass the term culture shall be discus sed. The paper shall cover some pertinent elements of culture, as well as elaborate how essential culture is as far as human species is concerned. The paper shall sum up with explaining the modern anthropological view concerning how physical or biological differences and cultural differences between the human populations are closely related. The most widely celebrated technological developments are those pertaining to culture. These technologies are widely celebrated because they have broken physical barriers, transforming the world. into a village. The eventuality is that the current era is characterized by increased interaction of people across all cultures in the world. Therefore, it cannot be disputed that, as far as intercultural interactions are concerned, communications remains a pertinent subject. Indeed, communication barriers are not uncommon in communication, especially in communications involving low context and high context cultures. What may make the subject further cr itical is when nonverbal communication is involved. Eye-contact non-verbal communication is one of the critical areas of concern in high-context and low-context intercultural communication. Eye contact is not only an important form of verbal communication, buts also a human form for communication; animals are often disturbed by eye contact (Salas, 1992). A substantial focus has been directed to understanding intercultural eye-contact communication, in order to foster cultural competence and minimize cultural conflict. However, few studies have focused on assessing the implications of eye-contact on instruction adherence, especially in the multi-cultural learning environment. In the early phases of human revolutions, most human activities were limited to organized groups, that is, societies. As time went by, the interaction among these societies opened up, extending across regions, cultures, and languages. Undoubtedly, trends in business activities followed the same trend. Even intri guing is the fact that the world has evolved to the extent that globalizations has made human activities subject to cultural interactions. The world is now a global village, where people across diverse culture and all regions of the world interact more frequently than ever. To this extent, it cannot be overemphasized that human beings, as well as

Synopsis on the Broadway Musical Wicked Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Synopsis on the Broadway Musical Wicked - Essay Example She tells Elphaba that she may meet the Wizard of OZ, a great honor. Elphaba insists that Madame Morrible include Galinda in the Sorcery classes. This act touches Galinda and she declares Elphaba her best friend. Galinda falls in love with Fiyero, a handsome prince. Fiyero, however, encounters Elphaba and falls in love with her instead. Elphaba involves herself in fighting for the rights of animals in OZ. She eventually meets the Wizard of OZ and realizes he is behind the oppression of the animals. Madame Morrible, who works for the wizard, pronounces Elphaba wicked when she refuses to join forces with the Wizard. Elphaba flies to the West as a manhunt is launched for her. Years later, Elphaba returns to OZ. She laments that everyone she ever cared about is dead because of her. Galinda, now Glinda the Good, tries to save Elphaba from the mob, but Elphaba resists. She asks Glinda to tell the true story of her life, as she is doomed to be seen as evil by society. Dorothy bursts in and melts Elphaba with water. In the Emerald City, the wizard realizes he is Elphaba’s father when Glinda gives him Elphaba’s bottle, which is similar to his. It is revealed that the floor where Elphaba melted was a trapdoor beneath which she hid. Elphaba and Fiyero escape from OZ and live happily ever

Orlando Is My Favorite Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Orlando Is My Favorite Place - Essay Example As one walks along the main areas of the city, one can see that it has a number of renowned eateries and restaurants as well as art based activities for people, for the purpose of recreation, entertainment attractions, and hanging out. It is very well built in terms of infrastructure and is very actively lived in the city. The sounds of Orlando include traffic noise as well as the hustle and bustle of people roaming around trying to absorb the sights of the city. On the east side of the city, there is beautiful landscaping along with lush greenery and a clean environment for people to live in. This area mostly consists of residential places to live and has very well planned areas with convenience with respect to shopping, transport, eating out as well as schooling and education. Most of the roads in Orlando are well connected to each other, thus providing only 30 minutes of travel and commute time from the corners to some of the city’s main attractions. Orlando is soon becomin g a haunt for urban people as the suburbs are becoming sprawled with homes to live in as well. The aromas of various cuisines waft all around Orlando as it is dotted with food stalls at every corner and road. Shopping malls adorn the main areas as well as making it easier to see women, men and children moving along happily feeling good. The place is very overwhelming for many people as they are about to do almost everything they want to and thus it makes it gives for a very exciting buzz in the air.

How Fuel Costs Have Affected the Airline Industry Essay

How Fuel Costs Have Affected the Airline Industry - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to discuss all of this, as well as all characteristics and factors involved in the matter of how fuel costs have affected the airline industry. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The six most primary airlines in the United States have been ailing since 2001; four out of these six were in fact forced to file for bankruptcy in 2005. According to some analysts, the entire airline industry is on the brink of collapse altogether; the primary cause being that of ever-increasing fuel prices. "It's very bad right now, it's unsustainable," said Kevin Mitchell, Chairman of the Business Travel Coalition based in Pennsylvania. "It's as bad as it gets. If (oil) goes up another couple of dollars it's going to be more of a pain but it's going to be hardly distinguishable from the pain that the airlines are feeling right now." (Delaney, 2006). In fact, according to Mitchell, the American airline industry basically refused entirely even to recognize the shift in the marketplace five years ago. "They failed to understand that consumers were demanding everyday, low, affordable airfares. The carriers in Europe recognized that and began to take action in 2001 and 2002 to become competitive with low-cost carriers. The US carriers were stubborn throughout the whole time, thinking that as soon as the economy would rebound, so would business travelers willing to pay $2500 for coast to coast fares, and of course that never happened." (Delaney, 2006). In fact Northwest Airlines, the nation's fourth-largest airline which is based in Eagan, Minnesota, has made many headlines since the year unfolded. "It reported $450 million in losses the first quarter of 2005, it's stock prices are declining, it's fuel costs are rising, it asked its labor unions to freeze their current pension programs in lieu of new contribution plans, it is attempting to cut annual labor costs by $1.1 billion, and on July 1 the union representing its mechanics authorized a strike vote." (Oo, 2005). The current spike in oil prices is especially taking its toll; taking the airline industry into uncharted territory and raising many questions about the economic viability of many players in the industry. Increasing fuel prices have also had effects on global trade, which is one of the United States' most profitable resources. "No doubt increasing oil prices are likely to dampen global trade. Air cargo traffic is a leading indicator of any economic slowdown. The air cargo industry itself, in which fuel accounts for 20-30% of the operational cost, is poised to be the prime casualty of the new era of expensive oil," says a report entitled 'The Oil Crisis and its Impact on the Air Cargo Industry.' "Jet fuel prices have almost tripled in the past four years. As a result, the world's airlines spent over $100 billion on fuel in 2005, a 50% increase over 2004. At reasonable oil prices of $30-$40 a barrel, world air cargo traffic was projected triple over current traffic levels." (IAGS, 2006 ). Fuel expenses rank in as the number-one or number-two cost category in regards to the airline industry, and because of this, airlines have an enormous built-in financial incentive to reduce consumption;

Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay Example for Free

Business Model and Strategic Plan Essay INTRODUCTION Why do businesses need innovation is simple, the world is changing at a rapid speed and no one can predict what is coming in the future. Organizations are facing many new types of vulnerabilities everyday. Innovation helps to determinate the strategic management within an organization and prepares organizations for the unforeseeable change and to make the change. Although very organization have different priorities, or balance the unique issues of their own, ignoring the innovation, or implementing the strategic plan inefficiently can bring risks of losing key employees, inefficiency of the operation, and lose competitive advantages to the competitors. This paper will create a new division for Starbucks Coffee Co. Using this division as an example to explain the importance of the innovation in companys vision, mission, and values, and how it related to strategic management. THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL Starbucks Corporation, doing business as Starbucks Coffee, is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Today, with more than 21,000 stores in 65 countries, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. And with every cup, the company strives to bring both their heritage and an exceptional experience to life. (Starbucks.com) Since the first Starbucks opened in 1971, the company has a goal to share great coffee with friends and help make the world a little better place. (Starbucks.com) To better server Starbucks Coffees customers, and provide quick and easy coffee for the people who have to fight the morning or anytime traffic, Starbucks coffee co. has purposed a new business model of Self Severed Coffee Machine. This new Machine will be located outside of Starbucks stores, shopping centers, and large office buildings to better server the consumers who does not have time to wait in line and get their favorit e cup of coffee. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES In this tough economic climate, Starbucks needs to compete smart, this means to stay a step head on ensuring the best response to customers need and demand. It is often to see a line of customers either inside the store or in the drive through. While we appreciate the their patience to wait in line, we also share their frustration. It is our intention to ensure everyone loves his or her coffee. While we are proud that every cup is made to earn our customers satisfaction, we are also spending a considerable amount of time on making them. The Self Served Starbucks machine has an ability of produce majority flavors of the coffee, which our customer likes. Simply pay the cash, wipe the credit card, or scan the mobile Starbucks App on your smartphone, the machine will make a fresh brew cup of coffee in just 45 seconds. With this machine outside of store or mall, our customer can save time on waiting in line. Even more convenient, the machines outside of the office building not only can save our customer a trip to the coffee shop in the morning, also be able to enjoy a hot fresh coffee when they sat down by their desk. This new machine can ensure the competitive advantage by its product differentiation, more focused group on customer service, and operational efficiency. MISSION VISION AND VALUE Starbucks mission is a reason for the companys existence. With the unique style of combining both, our vision and mission statement is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. (Starbucks.com) To align with this mission statement, our new divisions mission statement is to bring the best quality coffee and convenience to our customers on the go, one machine at the time This mission statement reflected the company value and beliefs to show our costumers that we care, it will also guide our employees on understand and establish what the company truly does. A good mission statement inspires employees and provides a focus and direction for strategic planning. While mission statements vary from organization to organization and represent the distinctness of each one, they all share similar components. (Mission and Vision Statements, 2010) The new divisions mission statements include descriptions of Starbucks target market, the geographic d omain, and concern for survival, growth, and profitability. SWOTT ANALYSIS Being the giant leader of the coffee and snacks industry, Starbuck coffee company needs to develop a strong strategic plan through the analysis of SWOTT. SWOTT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends. A SWOTT analysis identifies strengths and weaknesses within a company, and outside opportunities and threats. The most important parts of a SWOT analysis specify the actions that correspond to the elements the company identify. By using the results of the analysis to improve the situation of the new division, we can reduce the likelihood of developments that negatively affect the business while improving performance. (Smallbusiness.Chron.com) EXTERNAL SWOTT Starbuck is currently in the retail coffee and snacks industry. The  self-serve coffee machine will be able to satisfy customers not just a cup of coffee but also tea, water and juice, which Starbuck currently provide in the store. The loyal based reward programs provide customers with convenience, giving presents, and increasing frequency of the machine visit. Although there will not be any customer service involved, but the efficiency of leveraging technology with the capability of mobile App will still attract customers. The machine will provide extra ideas on the screen related to recycling and reducing waste; this is a great way to communicate with people about the social responsibility initiatives of the company. Due to the economic crush in 2008, this industry has experiencing a major downfall in sales. Because of the sensitivities to the macroeconomic factors, most of industry consumers have to give up extra expenses such as over priced drinks, snacks, and food. However, with economy slowly recover, consumers will start feeling the relaxation of the financial situation, it is safe to say, this industry will has a considerable amount of growth in the near future. With Starbuck having the most of market share in the industry, they have a monopolistic competition. By far the biggest threat the company face is the mature stage of the industry. Dunkin donuts, McDonalds, or Petes coffee are all the main pressure on Starbucks. Starbucks brand recognition and the convenience of the self-severed machines differentiates itself, the brand and the machine will draw more customers attention, gain competitive advantages for the company. INTERNAL SWOTT The self-served Starbucks coffee machine will be located in some of the most prime and strategic location across the city such as universities, office buildings, and grocery stores. They will primarily targeting mid-income individuals and students. This strategy will gain competence due to the customer convince factor. The Starbuck coffee-pricing factor does pose a weakness to some targeted consumers; however, the self-severed machine will be 5% cheap because there are no labor costs involved. Expansion into a global market is an opportunity for these machines. Starbucks has a great growth potential in further expanding into the emerging and developing  markets. The company can leverage their size, experience, financial prowess and efficiencies to make new market share. (Forbes.com) Starbuck has putting significant amount of time and money on training their employees. Their employees are known for highly knowledge and experienced. They are the main assets of the company and they are provided with great benefits like stock option, retirement accounts and a healthy culture. This effective human capital management translates into great customer services. It was rated 91st in the 100 best places to work for by Fortune Magazine. (CNN.com) The internal threat for Starbucks currently is the change of life style and taste choices of consumers. More and more customers are shifting towards healthy foods and drinks; this treading can hurt the coffee culture of the company, even to industry in the future. BALANCE SCORECARD The Balanced scorecard is a management system that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. It also provides an organization with feedback of both the internal business processes and external outcomes, which allows for continuous improvement of strategic performance and results. Develop the strategic objectives for the new division of the Starbuck in the balanced scorecard format in the context of key trends, assumptions, and risks. The strategic objectives are measures of attaining the new vision and mission. Below are the three strategic objectives for each of the four balanced scorecard areas identified (Financial, Customer, Process, Learning and Growth). FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE How to gain the market share is the objective in financial perspective. This is aggressive strategy the new division can use to power our organization and weaken the competitors. The new Self served coffee machine can gain market shares by: One: New technology. This market has always been a high growth market, and high growth markets has less competitors, it means they will not fight our  efforts as fiercely. Two: Innovation. This new machine is absolutely a breakthrough innovative idea once it is release into the market. Innovation can help the new division obtain large market share. Three: Strategic Alliance. The new machine can advertise other products, which is great choice when drinking coffee. If the alliance company can help with founding, we can lower our coffee price. This is efficient way to lure customers from competitors. CUSTOMER VALUE PERSPECTIVE How do we create value for our customers are the objective for the customer perspective? Customers are the key factor to an organization success. Creating value for our customers in three ways: One: New Value. This is the most challenging way to impress customers. By setting new machines by the office buildings or school parking lots will be most convenience for people do not have time to stop for coffee in the morning, or anytime during the day. Two: More value. The machine will provide the same product as in a Starbucks coffee store, but cheaper. Three: Better Value. To expend on the existing value, the customer will be able to purchase snake from the machine. The addition product provided will simply delivering more powerful impact to consumers. PROCESS OR INTERNAL OPERATIONS PERSPECTIVE How we measure the new division performance? The new division will have its own survey attached to the machine. Customers are the top choice for us to know what does the new division do to make them come back for more. Also, customers can leave feedbacks and advice via Facebook, Yelp, or preferred  social Media. Our new division will make huge impact on the organization, because it will release the busy traffic in the morning for the store location. LEARNING AND GROWTH (EMPLOYEE) PERSPECTIVE There is no employees turn over or retention involved with the Self served machine However, the mechanics are needed for the daily maintenance and refill. The new technology will notify the mechanic department if the machine needs any attention or checkups. COMMUNICATION PLAN While having a strategic plan, mission and vision Statement is crucial for the new division, but crafting and developing this plan is only the half of the battle. To have a communication plan is one of the most important factors after the plan and analysis is finalized. Although the new division will not have any human operating the machine, there are still the needs of new policies and procedures to be carried out. The effective of these policies and procedures are most likely effect the success of the plan. For example, machines maintenance schedule, or refill of the machine. Failure to take communication plan into account can cause disastrous. MONITORING AND CONTROL Our new business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines key elements of how we going to operate this new division. The plan typically includes an assessment of the market and the competition, operating budget breakdown, and short and long-term business goals. (smallbusiness.chron.com) There are three suggest way to monitor and control our new plan: CREATE PLAN REVIEW DATES Any new business plans within an organization needs to be reviewed on a regular basis, especially the expectancy of the busy traffic with the new  self-served machine. The new division management needs to set a date, this can be quarterly or annually, to review the long-term and short-term goals. Conducting the comparative analysis will help to ensure the strategic plan is on the right path. DEVELOP A TRACKING SYSTEM The management team of new division needs to develop a new tracking system to assess how the sales are doing regularly. For example, if the target sales goal is 5000 cups per month, then track the sales weekly or twice a month to monitor and control the process. Monitor key elements frequently. Key elements of the business plan include research on the market and competition as well as revenue projections. Each of these elements is subject to rapid change, and the management team should remain aware of where you stand with regard to these issues. (Smallbusiness.chorn.com) COORDINATE BUSINESS AND MARKING PLANS Our new division will have both business and marketing plans. Sometimes, they overlap in several ways. For example, if the Marketing plans calls for a major launching campaign with the media, but the business plans revenue prediction rejects that plan, then the managers needs to revise the plan to stay on track. ETHICS WITHIN THE NEW DIVISION Ethical behaviors and organization social responsibility is one of the key factors to bring large benefits for the business. With the new self-served coffee machine, it attracts customers with Starbucks signature products, thereby to boosting sales and revenue. It will create more jobs, therefor, help with unemployment. It will also attract more investors and keep the companys share price high, therefor, protecting the business and employees benefits. CONCLUSION The fact is brutally simple: the accelerated change within the business world is unavoidable. Evidence shows in current business world, customers are changing their needs and interest each day, markets are relentlessly unstable, and competitors are more aggressively capture any chance possible at new ideas. With technology advances faster and faster, and modifying the traditional strategic management that it touches, Innovation has become what shapes the current strategic management trends, and the right strategic management is the key to business success. References: Starbuck. Retrieved from: http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/our-heritage Mission and Vision Statements. Retrieved from: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Mar-No/Mission-and-Vision-Statements.html History of Starbuck. Retrieved from: http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/our-heritage How to Monitor Control Your Business Plan. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/monitor-control-business-plan-41401.html by Lisa McQuerrey, Demand Media The new plan of the Starbuck coffee. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2013/01/31/starbucks-global-coffee-giant-has-new- growth-plans/ Why Perform a SWOTT Analysis? Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/perform-swot-analysis-5050.html 100 best company to work for. Retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2013/snapshots/94.html

Hat factors affect your choice of career Essay Example for Free

Hat factors affect your choice of career Essay Career choice is a complex phenomenon that can be better appreciated through a study of its key components, i. e. career and choice (Websters Dictionary, 1998). Dating back to the seminal works of Hughes (1937) and Goffman (1968), career has been the focus of many studies. However, the contemporary formulations of the concept by critical realists embody a layered conception that embraces subjective experiences and objective structures of work in interplay (Layder, 1993). The definition (choice) incorporates two components: First is the availability of alternatives, which presents an objective reality, and the second one, the act of preference, which involves a subjective process. If a reference to career choice is made, availability of career choices and the dynamics of choosing a career should be examined. Hence, in order for career choice to take place, there should be alternative career routes available and there should be an individual preference between these career options (Marshall, 1989). Career choice is a subject which has attracted academic, professional as well as public attention, due to its multifaceted nature. Since career is a result of the interplay between individuals within organizational and social structures, it yields well to analysis from diverse perspectives ranging from occupational psychology to organizational sociology. Research on career choice is not uncommon on occupational groups such as accountants and health care professionals (see Morrison 2004, Hallissey et al. 2000, Kyriacou and Colthart 2000). The aim of such research is often to predict career choice behaviors based on personality as well as demographic distributive factors. The present study aims to investigate students perception towards a career as Chartered Accountants. The topic is of interest since it is estimated that by 2020. Malaysia needs 65. 000 Chartered Accountants to fulfill industry needs (Abdullah, 2001). However, to date (as at 2010) only a number of 65. 000 accountants are mainly available. Given such statistics, it is almost impossible for the professor to meet the demands in the years time. As such, this study will shed some light or what is the perception of students toward these professors. The results could enable us to understand more the issue of career choice by accounting students. In Malaysia, accounting graduates from the public universities who are interested to register as public accountants are required to become members of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). At present, MIA only recognized accounting graduates who graduated from the public universities or from professional accounting studies such as Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). That is, MIA only accepts candidates for membership who hold the relevant academic qualification listed under the Accountants Act 1967. It is therefore, arguable that the public university students would register to become public accountants as their qualifications are recognized by MIA. Several studies in the education literature have identified that students share a common belief that the accounting environment offer a higher supply of jobs compared to other areas of business (Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Wheeler, 1983; Cangelosi et al. , 1985; Kochanek and Norgaard, 1985). Of consequence, such belief plays an important role in choosing their career decisions. Further, these studies found their respondents preferring to become public accountants compared to other accounting profession (Carpenter and Strawser, 1970). In Malaysia, several studies have shown that accounting profession is still popular amongst the students (Goon, 1975, Samidi and Tew 1995; Hashim et al, 2003 and Said et al. , 2004). For example: Goon (1975) found that the majority of her respondents had chosen accounting as a profession. Samidi and Tew (1995) reported that the profession is still the most popular choice 20 years later. Said et al. (2004) found that the accounting profession ranked amongst the two most preferred careers given by the public and private university students. The previous research internationally has examined high school and perception of tertiary students of an accounting profession and their intentions to pursue accounting career as the choice to the main thing in accounting can be made at any educational level. However, in results are many inconsistencies. The most of these prior studies are quantitative surveys whose results are statistically analyzed using a variety of methods including univariate, multivariate and factor analysis. A small number of these papers also utilize a theoretical framework based on the Theory of Planned Behaviours (Cohen Hanno, 1993; Felton, Dimnick Northey, 1995; Allen, 2004; Tan Laswad, 2006). As such, there has been no attempt to determine the reasons behind the perceptions and intentions or to provide any insight into why there are differences. Some accounting education researchers suggest a need for further research that considers these areas, conceivably by using qualitative research approaches (Hardin, OBryan ; Quinn, 2000; Byrne ; Flood, 2005; Sugahara, Kurihara ; Boland, 2006). So this current study sheds insights into the factors that affect a students vocational pathway. It focuses on both undergraduate and graduate students in UUM. The rest of this paper is as follows. It first discusses the prior literature in the area and then outlines the research method. It is accompanied by results, the analysis and related discussion. Work at last represents the conclusions of the study, its limitations and opportunities of the future research. LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION. There have been many previous studies that have examined the choice of accounting as a career by students, including the factors and people (referents) that influence their choice, their level of interest in accounting, and their perceptions on careers as chartered accountants. PERCEPTIONS OF THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION. Some studies have found that people perceptions depend on many factors that influence their career decisions (Holland, 1966; 1973). Students perception effect them toward the accounting profession Marriot and Marriott (2003) term, the experience of students at the university and profession impact for pre decision. Therefore the monitor of public perception and students perception is very important for accounting professions, the relation between students perspective and perception of accounting (Nelson et al. , 2002, p. 282). Albrecht and Sack (2000) found that the important reason for declining the number of accounting graduate because they dont have more information about the meaning of accounting and accountants job. (Albrecht Sack, 2000, p. 28). Previous studies in USA identified that are many factors for those accounting students had no plan to accounting major and no idea to choose accounting as a career considered the accounting work environment (Cohen Hanno, 1993; Hermanson Hermanson, 1995; Saemann Crooker, 1999; Fransisco, Noland, Kelly, 2003; Allen, 2004). However, other research suggests the negative perception of accounting in Australian accounting university (first-year accounting students) (Jackling Calero, 2006), but the research in Canada suggests that the students have a high accounting perception (Felton et al. , 1994). Another research in New Zealand, found that the profession as boring for the final year of accounting students at five universities (Ahmed et al. 1997, p. 333). In addition, the study by (Laswad Tan, 2005, p. 61) suggests that business students have the impression that accountants are dull, boring, number crunchers. LEVEL OF INTEREST IN ACCOUNTING. Many studies suggests that those the accounting students (high school) have a more positive attitude towards accounting or becoming a CA, and those students more likely to study at university (Felton et al. , 1995; Hermanson Hermanson, 1995; Bryne Willis, 1995; Sugahara Boland, 2005; Hartwell et al, 2005; Tan Laswad, 2006). the students at high level they effect on those that choose a CA career Felton et al. (1994). Other research found that the students at the high school have experience and interest or matahematics those who choose accounting major (Paolillo Estes, 1982; Cohen Hanno, 1993; Allen, 2004; Bryne Flood, 2005; Hartwell et al. , 2005). In contrast, based in the study by Tan and Laswad (2006) suggests that skills and a background in mathematics are not an important of performance in accounting courses. Another study suggested that the accounting students (first or introductory ) has been argued the first year or introductory is good stage can effect for interest levels or accounting perception and they can impact on tertiary students career (Cohen Hanno, 1993; Felton et al. , 1995; Chen, Jones, McIntyre, 2005; Jackling Calero, 2006). Nonetheless, Saemann Crooker (1999). INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC CAREER RELATED FACTORS. A number of studies have indicated that the important factor for accounting students to discipline choice is job satisfaction (Paolillo and Estes, 1982; Gul et al 1989; Ahmed et al. , 1997; Auyeung and Sands 1997). However Paolillo and Estes, 1982 and Ahmed et al. , 1997 also suggests that the lower importance of intrinsic for accountancy. This is in contrast to the findings of Linden (1987), Adams et al. , (1994), Felton et al. , (1994) and Jackling and Calero (2006), who demonstrate that intrinsic factors are very important in career decisions made by accounting students. Some studies found that the interest and enjoyable in the subject is very important to choose accounting major Adams et al. , (1994) and Mauldin et al. , (2000), Saemann and Crooker (1999) this finding was further supported by results of Jackling and Calero (2006) suggests the enjoyment of the accounting topics can affect for students career in accounting. Other studies have found that many students believe the accounting curriculum impacts on students perceptions of the work of the accountant and their desire to pursue a career in accounting (Zeff 1989). Prior research has found misconceptions of what the level of interesting in accounting subject and accountants job are not the only factors that students dont choose accounting as a major Albrecht and Sack (2000) suggest that the high degree and career options are the reasons for declining of the number of accounting graduate. Therefore, intrinsic and extrinsic career related factors might also affect the choice of accounting as a career. There are many factors related to Extrinsic factors such as the job market, financial and career considerations, the costs of becoming a CA have also been examined in prior research. Job variety, availability, security and opportunities have all been proposed as possible factors that effect for accounting choice (Hartwell et al, 2005). Financial factors such as initial salaries and career consideration (potential long-term earning, prestige, career prospects) are the reasons for declining the number of accounting graduate Albrecht and Sack (2000), for example in the US school students 40 % focused opportunities for career promotion and 10 % valued financial rewards (Hartwell et al, 2005). The results for Japan study, suggests that the tertiary students were also attracted by career prospects and social status and prestige (Sugahara Boland, 2005). However, social status or prestige is not so important to Australian tertiary students (Jackling Calero, 2006). But some researchers suggest that the financial rewards dont impact for accounting choice and not as important as intrinsic factor (Paolillo ; Estes, 1982). However Sugahara ; Boland, 2005, they suggests initial earning were very important for tertiary students to choose their career. The result of New Zealand study argued that both initial and long term earning are important (Ahmed et al, 1997) MAJOR HUMAN INFLUENCERS OR REFERENTS. Prior studies suggests that the human or referents very important factor that impact for students for their career or to became CA ,some examination of the literature surrounding potential influencers or referents indicates there are five possible groups: parents/caregivers, friends, accounting/business professional members, university instructors and high school teachers/career advisors. Ahmend et al (1997) . (Cohen ; Hanno, 1993; Allen 2004). They use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as its theoretical framework have identified that tertiary students make a choice of major, in part, based on what their relevant referents think they should do This was also the case in the Tan and Laswad (2006) study. Regarding the importance of parents. Sugahara ; Boland, 2005 found that the most importance or significant is parents to influence of students choice . However, other US studies have found them to be less important (Paolillo ; Estes, 1982; Hermanson ; Hermanson 1995; Maudlin et al. , 2000). When combined with friends, family was found to be significant (48%) by Hartwell et al (2005). However, friends on their own were seen to be less important in the studies by Paolillo and Estes (1982) and Hermanson and Hermansson (1995). Japanese study found that the members of accounting or business professions were the most influential referent for accounting students career(Sugahara ; Boland, 2005) and the second most influential one for US accounting majors (Cohen ; Hanno, 1993; Hermanson ; Hermanson, 1995; Allen, 2004). US research has further demonstrated that accounting professionals can have an impact on the perception of accountants and the accounting profession when they make planned presentations to introductory accounting courses (Fedoryshyn ; Tyson, 2003). The high school teacher and high school career advisor found by previous studies. Hermanson (1995) and Hartwell et al. (2005) . Some research such as Hermanson and argue that in the US, high school teachers / career advisors only influence 5 to 12% of their students career choice. They were also found to have a weak influence on Japanese students (Sugahara Boland, 2005). However, the studies in US and Ireland has identified that the influence of teachers for students to their accounting perception (Paolillo Estes, 1982; Mauldin et al 2000; Byrne Flood, 2005; Byrne and Willis, 2005). Even though the results are inconsistent, any misconception of accountants and the accounting profession by these high school teachers and career advisors has the potential to change a students major or career choice. Wells and Fieger (2005) in a New Zealand based survey of high school teachers found that there was a mismatch between high school teachers perceptions of accounting and accountings actual role and that the teachers had a low opinion of accounting as a career option for students. These results are similar to two other studies that utilize the same survey instrument, those of Hardin et al. (2000) and Sugahara et al. (2006). These two research studies suggest that high school teachers consider accounting monotonous and boring (Sugahara et al. , 2006, p. 416) and that the accounting profession has a serious perception problem among high school educators (Hardin et al. , 2000, p. 216) when compared to other professions such as medicine, law and engineering. Furthermore, the Wells and Fieger (2005) results support those of Fransisco et al. (2003) who conclude that, in addition to the boring image of accounting, some high school teachers in the US are not encouraging their brightest students to consider accounting as a career. High school career advisors perceptions of the accounting profession have also been investigated. Pollock, Papiernik and Slaubaugh (2002), in a US-based study suggest that career advisors thought that the accounting profession was uninteresting, stressful, time consuming and not that financially rewarding with accounting overall being viewed as boring. They were also not familiar with the CPA requirements. However, high school career advisors have not been examined in a New Zealand context. Many researchers suggests that the students not only influenced by own perception but there are many reasons such as teachers, parents, and friends that effect their choice in high school or university Harrison (1998), however prior studies found that the impact of teachers on a students very important in university to choose accounting as major (e. g. Paolillo and Estes 1982; Hermanson and Hermanson 1995; Geiger and Ogilby 2000; Mauldin et al. , 2000) Some studies also found that parents had strong influence on accounting decisions Inman et al. , (1989); Mauldin et al. , (2000) and Tan and Laswad (2006). The result about Asian students suggests that the important of human to effect of their opinions towards accounting major Auyeung and Sands (1997). Tan and Laswad (2006) also found that international students in particular regarded the views of parents and career counselors as important in their selection of intended major. METHODS AND DESIGN TARGET POPULATION. The target population of this study is the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), students studying of postgraduate and undergraduate Accounting course in 2010. SAMPLE. The sampling procedures relied on convenience and self-selection. All members of the sample were enrolled at university Utara Malaysia in one of the Malaysia universities. they were either in an Accounting-major class. For this study, there were two Groups, postgraduate and undergraduate students in UUM. INSTRUMENT. The instrument came in the form of a modified from Satoshi Sugahara and Gregory Boland (2005) study, the Accounting Profession as a Career Choice for tertiary Business students in Japan . 112 the questionnaire included 17 questions. Seven questions were related to Demographic information, five Questions related to Career choice, and five questions were related to perception toward the accounting profession. The Perception questions dealt with topics that affected specific perception toward the accounting profession such as background for accounting, occupational attributes regarding an accountant, difficulties to become a CPA. The career choice questions dealt with future career plans and goals as well as major selection and development, influenced by people, and factors for career options and development. DATA COLLECTION. The data set used in this study was collected via questionnaires completed by 150 students undertaking the accounting major as part of their undergraduate and postgraduate studies at a Universiti Utara Malaysia. This unit of study represents the first unit of accounting studied in the undergraduate and postgraduate degree that is only completed by students pursuing an accounting major. The questionnaire collected background information relating to entry pathway, country of permanent residence and factors important in decision to major in accounting The present study replicated several aspects of prior study of Satoshi Sugahara and Gregory Boland (2005) ,the Accounting Profession as a Career Choice for tertiary Business students in Japan , a factor analysis using the Accounting Attitude Scale (AAS) developed by Nelson (1991). The 150 questionnaires were distributed and collected directly from the classrooms at each Class. After eliminating unusable questionnaires, an effective 112 responses (74. 66% response rate) were used. Most of the unusable responses were due to the incompletion of the Questionnaires STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. Factor analysis was selected as the prime method for our study. This method is usually conducted by using a combination of factor extraction and factor rotation. It is possible that by using the factor extraction method we can identify any underlying latent patterns of relationships among students vocational attributes. This has the effect of condensing the gathered information into smaller and more meaningful components or factors. The factors were identified by determining the optimal combination of attributes, which enabled more of the variance in the data to be explained compared to any other variable combinations. Among several factor extraction methods available, the principal component analysis was selected for this study simply because it is one of the more commonly used today. The optimal numbers of factors were determined by applying the most commonly used eigenvalues- greater-than- one rule (Kim Mueller, 1978). From the samples used in our study, two factor analyses were conducted for both the postgraduate and undergraduate accounting students groups. As for the factor rotation procedure, the Promax rotation technique was applied to assist us in the interpretation of potential influential factors. This method has also been widely used in previous studies, for example Ahmadi et al. (1995). Following the analysis of these vocational attributes a descriptor was assigned to properly reflect the meaning of the factor and grouped attribute. In addressing students perceptions of the work of accountants the study uses descriptive statistics to examine the attitude of undergraduate and postgraduate students towards the accounting profession. The study explored students attitudes towards the work of accountants following the methodology by Satoshi Sugahara and Gregory Boland (2005). RESULTS INTRODUCTION. In this study, questionnaires were distributed to students studying the accounting course in the UUM. Of the 112 useable responses 74 were female and 38 were male. The distributions of students by race were 88 Malaysian students (46 Malay, 38 Chinese, and 2 Indian), 12 Arab, and 12 other international students. GENERAL PERCEPTIONS. The results of the present study show that the majority (32. 14%) of the respondents chose their careers during Pre-High school. This may imply that the recruitment campaigns at schools are fairly effective, but that career guidance teachers should provide more information to enlighten students regarding the pros and cons of the profession. This is in line with the findings of Hermanson et al. (1995) and Paolillo and Estes (1982). However, Sale (2001) and Graves, Nelson and Deines (1993) found that the majority of students made their career choice only once they had registered at a tertiary institution. CAREER CHOICE MOTIVATION DATA. PERCEIVED CONSTRAINTS OF THE PROFESSION. FUTURE CAREER PLANS. There are four factors were identified for accounting students. These results explained 73. 953% of total variance. The Promax method was selected for rotation, and all attributes with factor loadings of more than 0. 5 were retained for the purpose of this analysis. The first largest factor for accounting students was interpreted as Intrinsic and extrinsic career related factors (23. 154%) confirmed by the two attributes such as chance to make a contribution and nature of job. The intrinsic value was specifically defined in prior studies (Felton et al. ,1994; Ahmed et al. , 1997) as the factor relating to ones satisfaction derived from jobs, which Provide the chance to be creative, autonomous, intellectual challenging and working in a Dynamic environment. Prior New Zealand research (Malthus ; Fowler, 2003) has indicated that although extrinsic factors such as financial rewards, prestige and other market related factors are perceived as important when choosing an accounting career, they are inconclusive as to whether intrinsic factors such as job satisfaction are also important. The financial rewards factor. Financial reward has been regarded as an important factor that affects a students career choice decision in many prior studies (Paolillo Estes, 1982; Kochanek Norgaard, 1985; Inman et al. , 1989; Adams et al. , 1994; Felton et al. , 1994; Ahmed et al. , 1997) In the present study, this factor, comprising good initial salary and good long-term earning. Nevertheless, we believe that the attributes of financial rewards were integrated with other attributes to form different factors. As seen above, the attribute good long-term earning was combined with the largest Career Prospects factor. Similarly, the attributes for financial rewards, for example good initial salary, come with job availability. Another factor for accounting students was interpreted as Job Market Conditions. This factor also has been observed in previous studies (Felton et al. , 1994; Ahmed et al. , 1997). The two attributes of element of job variety adventure and flexibility in career options were basically incorporated into this factor. The factor of working environment. Although accounting students consider this as one of the influential factors. In accordance with this factor, Buckley McKenna (1973) similarly regarded some attributes, for examples the length of work hours and other physical working conditions, as crucial aspects of employers job motivation, which would affect ones career choice. However for this current study factors contained the three following attributes: sufficient time for social life, length of work hours and good physical working conditions. Research has suggested that at high school, the study of accounting, an aptitude for mathematics and/or an interest in the subject impacts on the choice of accounting as a career with this choice potentially being influenced by the students teachers and career advisors. The high school and tertiary students who were studying accounting generally had a more positive attitude towards accounting and accountants. The perception as to what skills and characteristics are required for an accounting career potentially affects the type of student the career advisors may encourage to study accounting at high school. Nonetheless, the results also indicate that other factors played a role in the career decisions the students made. The final factor for accounting students was interpreted as The Major human influencers or referents factor ranked relatively lower for both student groups in deciding their vocational choice. The empirical study by Inman et al. (1989), Silverstone ; Williams (1979) and Mauldin et al. (2000) reported that parental influence was relatively stronger. Similarly, Cohen ; Hanno (1993), Allen (2004) and Tan ; Laswad (2006) discovered that close friends and business friends have exercised significant influence on students major choice when studying accounting. Previous New Zealand Laswad Tan, 2005, Charting a course into accountancy, Chartered Accountancy Journal of New Zealand, 59-61 research suggests that the most important referent for New Zealand students is their parents (caregivers). However, international research suggests other groups may also be important. It was apparent from all the student focus groups that the main referents were the students parents and family members, teachers, and people. Other referents mentioned were friends, and university. CORRELATIONS. Correlation is a vicariate measure of association (strength) of the relationship between two variables. It varies from 0 (random relationship) to 1 (perfect linear relationship) or -1 (perfect negative linear relationship). It is usually reported in terms of its square, interpreted as percent of variance explained. The use of partial correlation is usually restricted to simple models of 3 or 4 variables, 5 at the most (Cohon, 1983). Correlation will also be attenuated to the extent there is measurement error, including use of sub-interval data or artificial truncation of the range of the data. Correlation can also be a misleading average if the relationship varies depending on the value of the independent variables. This section reports the correlation analysis results of maximum figures of inter-factor correlation were 0. 294 between factor 4 and factor 2 for accounting students, and shown the relationship between factor 3 and factor 1 were 0. 261, also the correlation between factor 3 and factor 2 were (0. 236). STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE ACCOUNTING STUDENTS. As noted above the results of our factor analysis for accounting students revealed that the major influential factor was Intrinsic Value. It would appear credible that such occurrences may quickly drive a students career choice away from accounting. To address this worrying issue, it is necessary to disseminate appropriate promotional activities that can negate such negative images and convince students of the attractiveness attached to a CPA profession. Our study also reports that the factor Career Prospects is ranked relatively higher for accounting students. From the authors experience. The empirical evidence supports this. However, our study suggests that this kind of information can be very harmful to our brightest accounting students. The findings also suggested that accounting students seem to be quite sensitive to employability when it comes to Job Market Considerations. While this factor was ranked for accounting students, the sub section for accounting students contained two specific attributes: namely job availability and security of employment. Working environment and financial rewards are in common in terms of physical benefits. Several prior studies examined and found that these factors have significant influences on a students career choice in relation to accounting (Paolillo ; Estes, 1982; Kochanek ; Norgaard, 1985; Inman et al. , 1989; Adams et al. , 1994; Felton et al. , 1994; Ahmed et al. , 1997). In contrast, the finding of our study in Malaysia indicated that these were ranked as only minor factors. The results again confirm that both the professional body and the accounting firms should give more attention to the intrinsic values rather than the physical factors when marketing the attractiveness of a CPA career especially for the accounting students. As for the remaining influential vocational factor for accounting students, Persons Influences, was rated the lowest. Prior studies discussed the effectiveness of this factor but have failed to agree on this issue. Some studies insisted that Persons Influence is very important to a students career choice (Paolillo ; Estes, 1982; Cohen ; Hanno, 1993) while other studies have not supported this impact (Gul et al. , 1989; Ahmed et al. , 1997). The analysis of this current study in Malaysia supports the latter cases, which indicate that promotional activities involving other persons could be relatively ineffective in encouraging accounting students. Job market considerations were also ranked relatively higher accounting students. This also suggests we need to emphasize the importance of the economical and physical conditions of an accounting career, rather than the mental factors such as occupational intrinsic values that were more important to accounting students. Therefore, in establishing a career pathway accounting students may be slightly driven by these attributes in the short-term. This aspect should also be considered by the professional body and accounting firms when developing remuneration schemes. CONCLUSION. The purpose of this study was to observe factors profiles in career choice for accounting students. The results of our empirical study indicated that there were four factors, our study also suggests strategies for the accounting professional body and the accounting firms to develop and maintain the attractiveness of the CPA in accordance with the results of the statistical analyses. As discussed, the strategies to promote the accounting profession. There are several limitations in this study. The strategies used to promote the accounting profession to accounting students and vice versa. Any contradiction between the resulting strategic will diminish if we can identify students future career perspective at an early stage of their career. Secondly, the study only asked students opinion regarding the attributes influencing their career decision. We ignored the effects on career choice of personal values, which is regarded as one of the cognitive styles, may influence a students career choice (Kolb, 1981). Thirdly, this study focused on the domestic population. Since some of the findings in this study were unique to specific traits identified in Malaysia, it is difficult to conclude discussion without comparative counterparts. International comparative studies within several countries regarding this topic will be required in order to finalize the issues. These limita

Literature Review: Looked After Children

Literature Review: Looked After Children Looked after children is the legislative term for children and young people in public care introduced in the 1989 Children Act and includes children who are subject to supervision and live with family members as well as looked after and accommodated children who live with foster carers or in residential schools or care homes. (Scottish Executive 2007) The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 adopted the term looked after, taking a lead from the earlier Children Act 1989 in England and Wales, because the expression in care had become pejorative and stigmatising. (Connelly, Seibelt and Furnivall 2008) These children have a right to expect to achieve the same educational outcomes the Government want for every child -to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to succeed in life, learning and work, now and in the future. (Scottish Executive 2004 to date) (Department For Children, Schools And Families 2010) To allow LAC to achieve these outcomes successfully, local authorities as corporate parents (meaning the formal and local partnerships needed between all local authority departments and services, and associated agencies, who are responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children and young people) should demonstrate the strongest commitment to helping every child to achieve the highest educational standards he or she possibly can. (Scottish Executive 2007) Looked after children and young people face many barriers to their success in education. We take these children into care to improve their life chances, though some do well, despite the difficulties faced in other aspects of their lives, the educational achievement of looked after children as a group remains unacceptably low. (Department For Children, Schools And Families 2010) (Scottish Executive 2007)(Connelly and Chakrabarti 2008) (Department For Children, Schools And Families 2009)(Coulling 2000) Table 1 shows both information about the expected levels for most children at different school stages and also a comparison between the assessed levels for looked after children and non-looked after children nationally in 2003. This information has only been made available publicly once and is no longer collected as a result of the developments associated with Curriculum for Excellence. The table shows clearly the overall low achievement of looked after pupils compared with their non-looked after peers. Table 1: National Assessment Data 2003 (Scottish Government 2004) School stage Level attained English Reading English Reading English Writing English Writing Maths Maths Not LAC LAC Not LAC LAC Not LAC LAC P2 A or above 52% 29% 42% 20% 76% 57% P3 A or above 88% 74% 85% 69% 95% 89% P4 B or above 81% 56% 75% 50% 79% 52% P5 B or above 92% 73% 88% 64% 92% 73% P6 C or above 86% 59% 75% 40% 80% 46% P7 D or above 73% 34% 60% 20% 69% 24% However, as stated by the Scottish Government, this information is not complete. It only contains information from two thirds of local authority areas. Lack of complete data on Looked after Children is an issue spoken about frequently in articles and reports. (Jacklin, Robinson, and Torrance 2006) However, it is believed that the overall trends, which show a widening of the attainment gap between children who are and are not looked after, with each school stage, are accurate. The Social Exclusion Units report A Better Education for Children in Care (2003) identified five key reasons why looked after children underachieve in education: their lives are characterised by instability; they spend too much time out of school; they do not have sufficient help with their education if they fall behind; primary carers are not expected or equipped to provide sufficient support and encouragement for learning and development; and they have unmet emotional, mental and physical health needs that impact on their education These reasons are mirrored in other reports (Scottish Executive date unknown)(Scottish Government 2008)(Connelly, Seibelt and Furnivall 2008) but these also suggest that some LAC face so many difficulties in their lives that schooling seems to be of low priority to them and to the agencies providing support. They suggest that schooling is also often given insufficient priority when making and reviewing care plans. Despite the common perception in society that children in care are simply uninterested in learning, the vast majority (97 per cent) consider education important, with nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) giving future employment as the reason8. Many enjoy school, with around a third (35 per cent) identifying specific subjects or learning as their favourite aspect. (Social Exclusion Unit 2003) The stigma of being looked after can cause isolation, low self-esteem, difficulty in making friends, and bullying. Frequent moves of placement and school disrupt education. Difficult life events can affect concentration and the ability to make relationships. School can, potentially, be a very good and consistent experience for a looked after child or young person. (Scottish Executive date unknown) The children and young people themselves invariably say that education and educational attainment are important to them. They understand that how well they do at school with have an impact in their achievements in adulthood. (Scottish Government 2008) However, not all children in care have good experiences of school. They are 10 times more likely than others to be permanently excluded from school. Over a third say they have been excluded at some point. Six out of 10 say they have been bullied at school compared to roughly one in six of all children. One in eight missed five or more weeks schooling in 2001-2. (Social Exclusion Unit 2003) We believe the current levels of educational attainment can be transformed if the system is changed so that the joint efforts of all those who care about the learning of these children can have their maximum effect. (Department For Children, Schools And Families 2009) Executive, S., 2007. Looked after Children Young People : We can and must do Better. (Scottish Executive 2004 to date) Department For Children, S.A.F., 2010. Promoting the Educational Achievement of Looked After Children Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities, Connelly, G. Chakrabarti, M., 2008. Improving the educational experience of children and young people in public care: a Scottish perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(4), pp.347-361 Department For Children, S.A.F., 2009. Improving the Educational Attainment of Children in care ( Looked after Children ) Attainment of Children in Care ( Looked after Children ), Social Exclusion Unit, 2003. Social Exclusion Unit Report A better education for children in care., Scottish Executive (date unknown) About looked after children. http://www.lookedafterchildrenscotland.org.uk/about/index.asp [accessed on 7th October 2010] Scottish Government, 2008. Count Us In. Improving the Education of our Looked after Children., Scottish Government (2004) Childrens Social Work Statistics 2003-04. Available online at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20121/45478 [accessed 11th January 2011] Connelly, G., Seibelt, L. Furnivall, J., 2008. Glasgow Project Report Supporting Looked After Children and Young People at School : A Scottish Case Study. Assessment. Jacklin, A., Robinson, C. Torrance, H., 2006. When lack of data is data: do we really know who our lookedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ after children are? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21(1), pp.1-20. Coulling, N., 2000. Definitions of Successful Education for the Looked After Child: a Multi-agency Perspective. Support for Learning, 15(1), pp.30-35. Therapies for Cancer Treatment: An Analysis Therapies for Cancer Treatment: An Analysis Immunotherapy Better understanding of the biology of cancer cells has led to the development of biologic agents that mimic some of the natural signals that the body uses to control cell growth. Clinical trials have shown that this cancer treatment, called  biological response modifier (BRM) therapy,  biologic therapy,  biotherapy, or  immunotherapy, is effective for several cancers. Some of these biologic agents, which occur naturally in the body, can now be made in the lab. Examples are interferons, interleukins, and other cytokines. These agents imitate or influence the natural immune response of the body. By altering the cancer cell growth or by acting indirectly to help healthy cells control the cancer. One of the most exciting applications of biologic therapy has come from identifying certain tumor targets, called antigens, and aiming an antibody at these targets. This method was first used to find tumors and diagnose cancer and more recently has been used to treat cancer cells. Scientists produce monoclonal antibodies that are specifically targeted to chemical components of cancer cells. Refinements to these methods, using recombinant DNA technology, have improved the effectiveness and decreased the side effects of these treatments. The first therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, rituximab (Rituxan) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) were approved during the late 1990s to treat lymphoma and breast cancer, respectively. Monoclonal antibodies are now routinely used to treat certain cancers. Scientists are also studying vaccines that boost the body’s immune response to cancer cells. For instance, a 2009 lymphoma study looked at personalized vaccines made from tissue from each patient’s tumor. Encouraging results showed that patients who received the vaccine lived longer disease-free than those who did not. In 2010, the FDA approved Sipuleucel-T (Provenge), a cancer vaccine for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (prostate cancer that has spread and is no longer responding to hormone treatment). Unlike a preventive vaccine, which is given to prevent disease, Provenge boosts the body’s immune system’s ability to attack cancer cells in the body. This treatment helps certain men with prostate cancer live longer, though it does not cure the disease. Targeted therapy Until the late 1990s nearly all drugs used in cancer treatment (with the exception of hormone treatments) worked by killing cells that were in the process of replicating their DNA and dividing to form 2 new cells. These chemotherapy drugs also killed some normal cells but had a greater effect on cancer cells. Targeted therapies work by influencing the processes that control growth, division, and spread of cancer cells, as well as the signals that cause cancer cells to die naturally (the way normal cells do when they are damaged or old). Targeted therapies work in several ways. Growth signal inhibitors: Growth factors are hormone-like substances that help to tell cells when to grow and divide. Their role in fatal growth and repair of injured tissue was first recognized in the 1960s. Later it was realized that abnormal forms of growth factors or abnormally high levels of growth factors contribute to the growth and spread of cancer cells. Researchers also started to understand how cells recognize and respond to these factors, and how that can lead to signals inside the cells that cause the abnormal features found in cancer cells. Changes in these signal pathways have also been identified as a cause of the abnormal behaviour of cancer cells. During the 1980s, scientists found that many of the growth factors and other substances responsible for recognizing and responding to growth factor are actually products of oncogenes. Among the earliest targeted therapies that block growth signals are trastuzumab (Herceptin), gefitinib (Iressa), imatinib (Gleevec), and cetuximab (Erbitux). Current research has shown great promise for treatments in some of the more deadly and hard-to-treat forms of cancer, such as non-small cell lung cancer, advanced kidney cancer, and glioblastoma. Second-generation targeted therapies, like dasatinib (Sprycel) and nilotinib (Tasigna), have already been found to produce faster and stronger responses in certain types of cancer and were better tolerated. Angiogenesis inhibitors Angiogenesis is the creation of new blood vessels. The term comes from 2 Greek words: angio, meaning â€Å"blood vessel,† and genesis, meaning â€Å"beginning.† Normally, this is a healthy process. New blood vessels, for instance, help the body heal wounds and repair damaged tissues. But in a person with cancer, this same process creates new, very small blood vessels that give a tumor its own blood supply and allow it to grow. Anti-angiogenesis agents are types of targeted therapy that use drugs or other substances to stop tumors from making the new blood vessels they need to keep growing. This concept was first proposed by Judah Folk man in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until 2004 that the first angiogenesis inhibitor, bevacizumab (Avastin), was approved. Currently used to treat advanced colorectal, kidney, and lung cancers, bevacizumab is being studied as treatment for many other types of cancer, too. Many new drugs that block angiogenesis have become available since 2004. Apoptosis-inducing drugs Apoptosis is a natural process through which cells with DNA too damaged to repair – such as cancer cells – can be forced to die. Many anti-cancer treatments (including radiation and chemotherapy) cause cell changes that eventually lead to apoptosis. But targeted drugs in this group are different, because they are aimed specifically at the cell substances that control cell survival and death. Novel Approaches for Cancer Treatment Liposomes: Liposomes were first introduced by Bangham in 1965 and afterwards became the most popular and versatile tool in controlled and targeted drug delivery.Since liposomes were first described 45 years ago [19] they have gained interests for a variety of applications including drug delivery [20].Liposomes used for drug delivery are usually about 100 nm in size and are made up of a single bilayer. As liposomes comprise an aqueous core sealed off by a PL membrane both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs can be accommodated in their respective compartments [18].Liposomes consist of spherical lipid bilayers that can be produced from phospholipids and cholesterol. Liposomes can encapsulate a variety of molecules, such as small drug molecules, proteins and many other bioactive(s). These vesicles are generally considered as biodegradable and imperceptibly immunogenic,and can also be used for a large number of biomedical applications. Recently, DOX and fluoxetine encapsulated liposomes hav e been reported to be effective formulation against drug-resistant MCF-7 cells. It was observed that liposomes significantly reduced tissue bio distribution of anticancer agents with improvedcytotoxicity. Liposomes are simple colloidal vesicles with an aqueous interior enclosed by a membrane usually composed of phospholipid (PL) molecules. PLs, the major components of biological membrane are amphiphilic compounds with a polar head group and lipophilic acyl chains. PLs can be classified according to type of polar head group, fatty acid chain length and degree of saturation.When bilayer forming PLs are dispersed in aqueous media they will spontaneously align themselves in a manner to reduce interactions between the polar media and the hydrophobic fatty acid chains. Consequently, bilayer structures, i.e. liposomes, may be formed. Liposomes may consist of one or more bilayers (lamellae) and of sizes ranging from tens of nanometres to tens of micrometres in diameter. For a review see [17 ]. Liposomes are broadly classified into small unilamellar vesicles (SUV); single bilayer, size 10 100 nm), large unilamellar vesicles (LUV); single bilayer, size 100 1000 nm), multilamellar vesicles (MLV), several bilayers, size 100 nm 20 um and multivesicular vesicles (MVV), size 100 nm – 20um). Today there are about 15 liposomal based formulationdrugs approved for clinical applications or undergoing clinical evaluation,Liposomes in cancer treatment Conventional cytostatic used in cancer treatment are small molecular weight molecules [4]. Such molecules distribute non-specifically to both healthy and tumour tissue resulting in therapy limiting toxicities. To increase the therapeutic-to-toxicity ratio cytostatic can be encapsulated into small liposomes (~100 nm), which accumulate in tumours due to the 14enhanced permeability and retention effect [21]. Here, leaky tumour vessels allow macromolecules to extravagate into tumour tissue, whilst reduced lymphatic tumour drainage results in particle accumulation. First generation liposomes used for drug delivery suffered from fast clearance by cells of the monocyte phagocyte system (MPS). By coating liposomes with polyethylene glycol (PEG), i.e. PEGylated liposomes, adhesion of plasma proteins and opsonin to liposomes are decreased. Consequently, immune system recognition is reduced, decreasing MPS uptake and prolongs circulation time [22]. Today, most liposomes used for drug delivery are PEGylated. Cancer is a class of diseases. Which is characterized by out-of-control cell growth.There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. Nanotechnology has been extensively exploited to improve conventional cancer therapy in the recent years [1–5]. The designed nanocarriers for achieving precise drug delivery to cancer cells are expected to be non-cytotoxic, efficiently load the drugs, enhance the circulation time in bloodstream, and actively target the cancer cells[6]. The nanocarriers currently under intensive investigation can be divided into two categories in generalise. The lipid-based and the polymer-based with liposomes and polymeric nanoparticle as their typical representative respectively. Liposomes, the spherical vesicles formed by single or multiple lipid bilayer, have been widely used due to their high biocompatibility, favourable pharmacokinetic profile, high delivery efficiency and ease of surface modification. In the recent years, several liposomal drug formulations have been approved for clinical use [7]. Limitations of liposomal drug delivery: include insufficient drug loading, fast drug release, and instability in storage [8]. Historically, lipids have been used for several decades in various drug delivery systems including liposomes solid lipid NPs, nano structured lipid carriers, andlipid–drug conjugates. Over the last decade, lipid based nano carriers are viewed as potential tool to encapsulate and deliver variety of pharmaceutical actives[44,45]. The solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are the first and second generation of lipid nanoparticles, respectively. The SLNs are composed of solid lipid or a blend of solid lipids while NLCs contain a mixed lipid core (solid fat and oil)[45]. generally regarded as safe [GRAS] nature of lipid and the structural integrity of the polymer. Thus far, the polymers such as polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) [46,47], hydrolysed polymer of epoxidized soybean oil (HPESO) [48,49], dextran [50], polyethyleneimine (PEI) [51], LPNs, are prepared by at least three main components are i.e., the lipid, the polymer, and a drug. The fir st way to prepare the LPNPs is to mix the polymeric NPs with liposomes to form the lipid-shell and polymer-core nanoparticles such as lipoparticles where the lipid bilayer or lipid multilayer of the liposomes fuses on the surface of the polymeric NPs.[52–53] The second way to prepare the LPNPs has advantage over the first way in formulating the structured NPs in a single step and thus provides a simpler technology, which combines the nanoprecipiation method and the self-assembly technique to produce the desired structured NPs of lipid shell and polymer core [54,55]Folic acid is selected as the model molecular probe for targeted delivery of the drug to the cancer cells of folate overexpression such as certain breast cancer and ovarian cancer cells. Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), one of the most popular FDA approved non-cytotoxic and biodegradable polymers,is used to form the polymer core matrix, which is wrapped by the mixed lipid monolayer shell of three distinct functio nal components:(i) 1,2-dilauroylphosphatidylocholine (DLPC), a phospholipid of an appropriate hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value which is employed to stabilize the NPs in the aqueous phase;(ii) 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2k), a PEGlyated DSPE to facilitate stealth NPs formulation to escape from recognition by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and thus increase the systemic circulation time of the LPNPs[28,29],and(iii)1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphoethanolamineN[folate(polyethylene glycol)-5000] (DSPE-PEG5k-FOL), a PEGylated DSPE of longer PEG chains for the LPNPs to be functionalized by folic acid conjugation for targeted delivery purpose. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONS as delivery systems) Super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) have emerged as an MRI contrast agent for tumor imaging due to their efficacy and safety. Their utility has been proven in clinical applications with a series of marketed SPION-based contrast agents. Extensive research has been performed to study various strategies that could improve SPION by tailoring the surface chemistry and by applying additional therapeutic functionality. Research into the dual-modal contrast uses of SPION has developed because these applications can save time and effort by reducing the number of imaging sessions. In addition to multimodal strategies, efforts have been made to develop multifunctional nanoparticles that carry both diagnostic and therapeutic cargos specifically for cancer. Advances in nanotechnology have permitted new possibilities for theranostics, which are defined as the combination of therapy and imaging within a single platform [56, 57]. Nanotechnology is applied to molecular imaging in the form of imaging probes capable of enhancing the sensitivity of the image and the specificity toward the target tissue. Usually, the imaging probeconsists of nanoparticles conjugated with active targeting ligands [58, 59]. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) have a superparamagnetic iron core, which makes them useful as T2 contrast agents for MRI. SPION can be detected withhigh sensitivity, and both the iron and polymer components of SPION are biocompatible and degradable [60].The size of iron oxide nanoparticles plays a major rolein target cell uptake and elimination from the body. Spleen and liver capture nanoparticles of more than 200 nm in diameter whereas particles having sizes below 10 nm are selectively filtered by renal systems and eliminated from body [61].The majority of nanoparticles in development include drug conjugates and complexes, micelles, dendrimers, vesicles, core–shell particles, microbubbles, and carbon nanotubes [62]. Dendrimer-based Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment Nanotechnology has led to a remarkable convergence of disparate fields including biology, applied physics, optics, computational analysis, and modeling, as well as materials science. Because of this, the application of nano scale analytical, computational, and synthetic approaches to understanding and manipulating complex biological systems offers incredible potential for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Recent work has suggested that nanoparticles in the form of dendrimers may be a keystone in the future of therapeutics. The field of oncology could soon be revolutionized by novel strategies for diagnosis and therapy employing dendrimer-based nano therapeutics. Several aspects of cancer therapy would be involved. Diagnosis using imaging techniques such as MRI will be improved by the incorporation of dendrimers as advanced contrast agents. This might involve novel contrast agents targeted specifically to cancer cells. Dendrimers can also be being applied to a variety of cancer therapies to improve their safety and efficacy. A strategy, somewhat akin to the â€Å"Trojan horse,† involves targeting anti-metabolite drugs via vitamins or hormones that tumors need for growth. Further applications of dendrimers in photodynamic therapy, boron neutron capture therapy, and gene therapy for cancer are being examined.Most cancer therapeutics are small drug molecules that after being ingested or injected into the bloodstream can easily diffuse through vascular pores and the extracellular matrix to reach tumors. Complex therapeutics that involve drug delivery mechanisms or imaging moieties have tended to be much larger. While the exact size of molecules thatcan easily transverse vascular pores from the bloodstream and reach tumor tissue is unclear, it is probably limited to the size of proteins (