Organizational Entrepreneurship Free Essays

string(90) " babies try to grab almost everything – they are fearless and fascinated by everything\." Introduction There was a time when only a few companies use to sell either similar or same products or services in any particular market. The demands of potential customers were rarely sophisticated and the product life cycles were relatively long. This was true for most of the 20th century, throughout which, businesses usually operated as independent bodies. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Entrepreneurship or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each had their own products and markets, and there were a few constraints and relatively low level of competition. In such market conditions, organizations were required to have a business plan supported with a feasibility to start and run a successful business at best. A corporate strategy was necessitated only in the late 1970s onwards to stay ahead within a market (Orcullo, 2007). However, it is not true anymore. The ever growing population has primed up the insistence for a wide range of products and services. The heightened demand has paved way for more and more businesses to enter markets, subsequently heightening the level of competition and increasing the concerns of businesses in outperforming others. Growing competition has fastened the market evolution, reducing the life cycles of products and services and made the prevailing business environment much more complex. All this has rendered entrepreneurial activities within organizations much more important. Without entrepreneurship, organizations in the modern business environment may often run into the shadows of nothingness. This essay discusses the organizational and managerial factors which influence the degree of innovation and entrepreneurial activity occurring within an organization. Firstly, this essay will discuss several theories regarding organizational life cycle and size that are relevant to their entrepreneurial tendencies. Moreover, it will discuss leadership and management styles that foster organizational innovation and creativity within organizations. Lastly, this essay will link these theories with practice through an extended example. Defining Entrepreneurship This part of the essay looks into some important definitions. Creativity – â€Å"the ability to develop new ideas and to discover new ways of looking at problems and opportunities.† Innovation – â€Å"the ability to apply creative solutions to problems or opportunities to enhance or to enrich people’s lives.† Entrepreneurship – â€Å"the result of a disciplined, systematic process of applying creativity and innovation to the needs and opportunities in the marketplace.† (Zimmerer and Scarborough, 2002) According to Hisrich (2001) â€Å"Entrepreneurship is the process of creating something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary, personal satisfaction and independence.† Nafziger (1997 and 2006) mentions that entrepreneurial activity involves coordinating production factors such as land, labor, and capital; making decisions under uncertainties; innovating; solving problems through creativity and fulfilling a market gap with an input. Leadership and Management Kanter (1988) contends that every successful change, innovation and developmental project is typically steered by a visionary leader who has done well in selling his ideas and vision to his subordinates. Similarly, leadership is also crucial in fostering an organizational culture that accumulates innovative ideas from down up i.e. from his/her subordinates. Leadership is the most important factor that fosters entrepreneurial culture within an organization. The literature regarding leadership has a general consensus upon several leadership styles namely: autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership. Autocrat leader characterized as directing leaders who gather others towards their goal and vision. They are commanding in their directions and hardly accept any input from their inferiors. They tend to make decisions and try to solve problems relying upon their own expertise. The information typically flows in a top down way in one direction; from executives or top managers to subo rdinates. The management literature often perceives them as ‘narrow-minded and heavy-handed in their unwillingness to share power, information and decision making in the organization.’ (Lawrence and McDaniel, 2008 p. 162) On the contrary, democratic or participative leaders share their decision making powers with those working with them and group members. They openly discuss problems and present option to others. They are consensual and consultative in their conduct. They seek consensus of all the stakeholders (or the majority) before making a final decision (Lawrence and McDaniel, 2008). They seek views and inputs of others while retaining their final say. Information flow always two directional i.e. from superiors to subordinates and vice versa (Hamilton, 2010). Lastly, the laissez-faire leadership style empowers subordinates to set their own goals and make decisions accordingly. Laissez Faire is originally a French phrase that means ‘leave it be.’ (Arnold, 2008) This leadership style does not deliberate a specific direction and turns most of the authority to every individual/group. Leader rarely gets involved in business matters and delegates employees with all the authority. Employees are under obligation to achieve organizational goals without violating company policies. Organizational Structures Organizational structures often go with a hands and glove relationship with leadership and management styles. Organizations that are lead by autocrat and directive leadership often have a centralized, hierarchical structure. On the other hand, democratic leaders prefer a flat and decentralized organizational structure. It should be noted that various others factors may come into play in determining an organization’s structure. Generally, decentralized structures are favorable for analyzing new products, services, and processes, and are more likely to implement entrepreneurial endeavors as compared to centralized firms as â€Å"concentrated power often prevents imaginative solutions of problems.† (Thompson, 1969) Organizational Life Cycle and Entrepreneurship According to Greiner’s (1972), organizations have a history in terms of evolving and revolutionizing, a factor that impacts upon its entrepreneurial tendencies. Lessem (1989) contends that the development of organizational strategies is affected by stages that are akin to the developmental stages of human beings; what and where we are determines what we do and what we get out of our lives. Lessem (1989) presents a four stage life cycles model for organizations. These stages are: primal, rational, developmental and metaphysical. The primal stage of development is typified by a youthful company which is grasping, learning, instinctive and entrepreneurial. It wants to explore and try everything that it gets its hands upon. The primal stage is similar to the early childhood stage in which babies try to grab almost everything – they are fearless and fascinated by everything. You read "Organizational Entrepreneurship" in category "Essay examples" This reflects upon the contention that young companies are ‘success hungry’ and have a willingness to try anything in its pursuit. They are not scared of change. At the rational phase, organizations moved to the stage of reason with emphasis upon structure and order. Organization puts down procedures replacing gut instincts with intelligence. The management becomes intelligent by suppressing opportunism which eradicates mistakes by employing some tested methodological approaches. The next stage is the developmental stage where organizations renew them selves in face of a mid life crises situation when they seek to answer ‘what else is there?’ Organizations reflect upon their past, in their quest to find new directions. At the final metaphysical phase, transformation is likely to take place. Organizations become wise and try to define themselves through terms other than profit. Often moral and ethical issues run concurrently with material goals. The entrepreneurial tendencies of an organization depend on where an organization is in its life cycle. An organization cannot pursue a strategy for a stage it hasn’t reached. â€Å"The age, size, resources, desire or fear inherent in an organization may cause it to or not allow it to act independently but rather behave in accordance with external or internal forces such that strategic management is ultimately deterministic.† It can be inferred from this theory that organization at the rational stage tend to be most entrepreneurial in their approach as they retain the exuberance of youth while have the rationality to eradicate mistakes through methodological approach. Lessom (1989) recognizes that organization can concurrently undergo several different stages. For instance, the marketing department or RD of an organization can be deliberately kept at a primal stage to foster innovation and creativity. This sort of strategy can be pursued by large and old organization to infuse or retain entrepreneurial culture. Firm Size and Entrepreneurship It has been argued that organizational size also impact upon its entrepreneurial tendencies. The management literature is split between those who argue that large firms have advantage over small firms in pursuing entrepreneurship and those who contend otherwise. Large firms are said to be more entrepreneurial because they have monopolistic powers which enable them to better realize the rewards of innovation. They are also in a better position to finance research and development internally. Internal financing is helpful in two ways. Firstly because in order to obtain external finance, firms are often required to disclose some information regarding their entrepreneurial projects, and secondly because internal financing provides better flexibility in achieving success in case of an exhaustive developmental process. Large firms can achieve scales of economies in research and development. They can better exploit the results of their research and spread the fix cost of innovation. Scale of economies can be achieved in the research and developmental process itself from a technological perspective as well as the productivity of the researchers Kaimien and Schwartz (1982) suggest that large research groups increase the chances of serendipitous discov eries. Interaction of colleagues having special familiarity with a problem at hands can be helpful in generating insightful solutions. Considering the advantages of large firms for their entrepreneurial tendencies, Nooteboom and Rothwell and Dodgson (1994) argue that the strengths of large firms are predominantly material namely; economies of scale and scope, easy access to cheap financial resources, ability to spread risks, better capacity to specialize in both human resource and well and technologies. On the other hand, there are those who argue that large and monopolistic firms are less likely to innovate as they are less likely to be threatened by rivals (Scherer, 1980) or because the pursuit of new products may come at the cost of existing ones. Mansfield et al. suggests that large firms can often get entangled in longer chain of commands, managerial coordination inefficiency, and less flexibility. Firms may become too bureaucratic as they grow in size. Researches and other personnel within large firms may be less motivated to innovate due to lesser personal gains in comparison to smaller firms. Moreover, premature ideas can often get discarded and lost in the shuffle in large firms. Nooteboom and Rothwell and Dodgson (1994) content that the relative advantages of small firms in entrepreneurial pursuits are behavioral. For instance â€Å"greater innovation in management and labor, due to interwined ownership and management, and more variation and innovation in tasks of workers , tacit knowledge in unique skills, more efficient communications, and flexibility.† (Nooteboom, 1994) Case Study: Google A salient example of an organization that operates in a very complex environment and successfully fosters an innovative organizational culture in pursuit of entrepreneurship is Google. Technological innovation and creative solutions is the corner stone of the organization’s corporate culture. Through its diligent innovations, the company has become a market leader in a relatively short time as compared to other organizations. The leadership and management style Google is very critical in infusion entrepreneurship. The company’s highly participative and somewhat free reign approach Employees input is valued and considered in every step of decision making and information sharing is viewed to be crucial in bringing about the best from employees. Eric Schmidt, the current Executive Chairman and former CEO of Google, mentions that â€Å"in traditional companies, the big offices, the corner offices, the regal bathrooms, and everybody dressed up in suits cause people to be afraid to speak out. But the best ideas typically don’t come from executives.† (Manyika 2008) The organizational structure at Google is purely flat and non-hierarchical. According to Schmidt, Google is a â€Å"very flat, very non-hierarchical, very much informal in culture and ideas – ideas come from everywhere. †¦ Part of the job of being a CEO in a company like Google is to have an environment where people are constantly throwing you their best ideas as opposed to being afraid to talk to you.† (Carlson, 2009) Moreover, Google follows the â€Å"70/20/10?, meaning that its employees spent 70% of their working hours on core activities; 20% those activities that are linked with the core ones and 10% on projects that are of their own personal interests in line with the organizational goals. Schmidt himself used to follow this strategy spending his time in three separate rooms for each type of activities (Battelle, 2005). Furthermore, Schmidt contends that â€Å"new ideas emerge with freedom from thinking about obligations† (Manyika 2008). Adhering to this line of thinking, the company allows its core engineers to spend 1 working day each week in pursuit of new idea, without having them follow up on their regular duties (Battelle, 2005). Such approach allows Google to sustain a primal and rational developmental stage as part of its life cycle, while proceeding to the developmental and metaphysical stage concurrently. Moreover, the company successfully retains the behavioral advantages o f small firms for entrepreneurship through such deliberation while enjoying the material advantages of large firms as well. Personal Development Plan and Reflection As part of my personal development plan, I intend to focus on developing my leadership skills, keeping in mind its importance in fostering an overall culture and mindset that leads to entrepreneurship. According to Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1973) leadership styles range between relatively directive to participative The following figure the range of leadership styles as described by Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1973). More participative TellsSellsConsults NegotiatesDelegates A different leadership theory by Edgar Schein (1987) contends that leaders can have three different approaches when they are manage change, solve problems, or manage projects. They are namely: the expert mode, the doctor-patient mode and the process consultation mode. The expert mode: In this approach, the leader initially identifies a situation; which can come as either mitigating a threat, capitalizing upon an opportunity or pursuing an entrepreneurial project, and provides direction based upon his own expertise. The doctor-patient mode: It involves the leader being a bit more consultative in term of assessing a situation by considering the inputs of others. However, the expertise of the leader is detrimental for further directions. The process consultation mode: Here, the leader is essentially participative, in which the ownership of every situation and the subsequent response of a business is collectively determined by the entire workforce. It utilizes the knowledge and insights of others. Viewing both these theories, I conclude that I will generally focus upon being a participative leader, adhering to both the doctor-patient approach as well as the process consultant approach. I am of the view that as part of the participative and consultative approach, when working with individuals who hold similar expertise as mine, or relatively little more or less in any particular field, a process consultant approach with be highly suitable for getting valuable insights of all to bring about the best ideas on table, whereas a doctor-patient approach can be viable when my expertise a superior. However, reflecting upon this assignment and specially from the case of Google, I believe being open and sharing decision making is always the best overall approach. For this, I will focus upon improving my communication skills; learn about formal and informal communication. Moreover, I will also try to gain a deep understanding of team/group work theories. The Authors Entrepreneurial Attitude Considering the four entrepreneurial attitudes namely activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatist, which were identified during the course work, I find myself to be more of an activist. Reflecting upon this assignment, the activist approach is likely to create and sustain a primal developmental stage in any work environment. The weaknesses of this attitude coincides with pitfalls of the primal stage and therefore, it is wise to proceed towards a rational developmental stage which is a mix of both activist and reflector attitude. References Arnold, G (2008) Examining the Relationship Between Leadership Style and Project Success in Virtual Projects, ProQuest. Battelle, J (2005) Google CEO Eric Schmidt gives us his golden rules for managing innovation. CNN/Money. {online} http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/12/01/8364616/index.htm (accessed on 14th May 2012) Carlson, N. (2009) Google CEO Eric Schmidt: We Don’t Really Have A Five-Year Plan. Business Insider {online} http://articles.businessinsider.com/2009-05-20/tech/30099731_1_google-ceo-eric-schmidt-googlers-google-people (accessed on 14th May 2012) Hamilton, C (2010). Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions. Cengage Learning Hisrich, R.D (2011) Entrepreneurship. Tata McGraw-Hill Education Kamien, M.I and Schwarz, N.L (1982) Market Structure and Innovation. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge Kanter, R. M (1988) in Robert L Kuhn (1988) Handbook for Creative and Innovative Managers, McGraw Hill Lawrence J. G and McDaniel C (2008). The Future of Business: The Essentials, Cengage Learning Lessem, R. (1989) Global Management Principles. Prentice Hall. Manyika, J (2008) Google’s View on the Future of Business: An Interview with CEO Eric Schmidt. The McKinsey Quarterly. {online} http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Googles_view_on_the_future_of_business_An_interview_with_CEO_Eric_Schmi t_2229 (accessed on 14th May 2012) Nafziger, E. Wayne (1997), The Economics of Developing Countries, Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey Nafziger, E. Wayne (2006), Economic Development, 4th edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Nooteboom, B. (1994) ‘Innovation and Diffusion in Small Firms: Theory and Evidence’, Small Business Economics, Vol. 6, pp327-347. Orcullo, N. (2007) Fundamentals of Strategic Management. Rex Bookstore, Inc. Rothwell, R. and Dodgson, M. (1994) Innovation and Size of Firm, in The Handbook of Industrial Innovation, Editors M. Dodgson and R. Rothwell, Aldershot Hants: Edward Elgar, pp310-324. Schein, E. (1987) Process Consultation II, Addison-Wesley Scherer, F.M. (1980) Industrial Market Structure and Economic Performance, 2nd. Edn., Chicago: Rand McNally. Tannenbaum, R and Schmidt WH (1973) How to choose a leadership pattern Harvard Business Review May-June Thompson V.A. (1969). Bureaucracy and Innovation. University of Alabama Press, Alabama. Zimmerer, T. W and Scarborough, N. M. (2002) Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (3rd ed.) Prentice Hall How to cite Organizational Entrepreneurship, Essay examples

Understanding the Business Economics and Environment

Question: Describe about the understanding the Business economics and environment. Answer: In considering the fundamentals of demands, it can be inferred that demand refers to the quantification of the service or products demanded by the purchasers. Mohammed, Guillet and Law (2015) explained that the quantification of the demands is representing the approaches of the customers who are willing to purchase the product or services with a specific pricing structure. On the other hand, supply process has been indicating the amount of the products or services that the market can offer to the purchasers. It is to be noted that the prices in school holidays is always based on the high demands (Davidoff 2015). During the school holidays, people can get their free time and most of the families plan their vacations outside. The students also get the free time from their student life and studies. The vacation time is the best period to set for a holiday. Hence, it is quite clear that the people would opt for the holiday mostly during this period. Hence, the prices of the holiday packa ges or tour accessories would be higher. In addition, it can be stated that the demands would be higher. The analysis is shown in the following diagram. Business economics is considered as the applied microeconomics. Generally, it fulfills the gap between the business practices and pure economic theory. Therefore, the business economics is counted as the fusion of mathematics, decision science, logical science and economics that helps in taking rational and optimal business decisions. This incorporates the economic theories with the business practices. Thus, it is known as science of decision making. It has been found that the scope of business economics is much narrow than the pure economics. The business economics covers various aspects. These include firstly, demand analysis and forecasting, secondly, cost analysis, thirdly, profit analysis and fourthly, capital management, fifthly, production analysis, sixthly, price determination and methods of price detection, objectives of the organization and the business environment (Pindyck and Rubinfeld 2013). The economic factors that is required for the tour operators or the economic factors that are taken into account in selling the price of their package holidays include cost of travel, cost of services, competitive prices and exchange rate. Cost of travel The cost of travel is an important economic factor for a tour operator. The reason behind this is that any organization or any business totally depends on the cost or expenses. As the inflow of the money should be more than the outflow of money as this situation only helps an organization to bring in profit. For the tour operator, the travel is the essential factor of the business. Thus, before setting the prices of the tour packages, the tour operators calculate the expenses of travelling and total tour package, such that on the basis of the total expenses of travelling, the tour operator fixes or decides an amount for the tour package (Smith, Round and Perloff 2014). This helps the tour operator to earn a profit percentage based on the total cost of travel. Cost of services The tour operators provide various services to the customers that are the tour operators provide food and lodging to the customers (Krugman and Wells 2013). They also provide travelling vehicles to the customers in order to travel from one place to another. All these services are provided by the tour operators to their customers on a basis of a fixed cost. Depending on this cost, the rate of the holiday packages is fixed by the tour operators in order to earn a higher amount of profit and also to satisfy the customers by providing first class service to them. Competitive Prices Nowadays the tourism industry has a continuous growing prospect. The demand of the people for the packaged tour has increased to a larger extent. Thus the total numbers of competitors that are the numbers of tour operators have been increased in the market with the passage of time (Perloff 2012). Therefore, it can be said that the competition in the tourism market has increased. So, it is an important factor that the particular tour operator has to keep in mind about the costs and the expenses that are incurred by the other tour operators in the same market. As if the other tour operators or the competitors provide the same tour packages for lower price, then all the customers will refer to them for any kind of travelling. Thus, it can be said that the competitive prices are an important element of economic factor. The particular tour operator or tour agent should fix a price for every tour packages or holiday packages depending on the prices fixed by the other to ur operators or the competitors of the market. The reason behind this is that the competitors play an important in the highly competitive market of the tourism industry. Exchange Rate The price of the currency of a nation in terms of another currency is termed as exchange rate of currency. Therefore, the exchange rate has mainly two components the foreign currency and the domestic currency and thus it can be quoted both indirectly and directly (Hubbard and O'Brien 2013). The economic growth rate can be increased by various types of exchange rate. These include strong exchange rate can lead to growth in economy, devaluation also causes a boost to economic growth and finally, the fixed exchange rate also helps in the economic growth. The tourism industry also involves travelling from one country to another. Thus, the exchange rate plays an important role in the tourism industry. Therefore, the tour operators also put focus on the exchange rate in order to run the business successfully, as the operations and the regulations of the tourism industry are directly related with the exchange rates (Krugman and Wells 2012). Thus, the exchange rate is also c onsidered as one of the important economic factor for tourism industry. Higher price in school holidays than in school terms Diagram 1: Demand curve during in School terms (Source: Created by Author) The demand curve shown above clearly illustrates that during school term the price of the tour tickets are high and henceforth the quantity demanded is low. Similarly during the holidays the price of the tour tickets are low and this is the reason for a higher demand of quantity. It can be further noted that the magnitude of the participant to avail the service is lower during the school term. This caused due to increasing demand during school holidays and decreasing demand during the term. Diagram 2: Demand curve during Holidays (Source: Created by Author) Similarly, during the school time, families of the student do not get the enough time to plan for the holiday tours. More specifically, students usually stay occupied with their studies, exams, and other curriculum activities. Hence, during the school time, the demand gets lower and prices also decrease. The demand and supply curve therefore suggest the lower level in this period. The decreasing demands and the prices are shown in the following diagram. The customer may perceive the decreasing level of prices, but during such time, the demands decreases. Risks based on the currency exchange rate It is noted that the transactions between the tourism firms and tourists usually suggest the larger amount, which includes the price of the production of holidays. On the other hand, Chen et al. (2016) argued that the prices structured by the tourists often involve the modest amount. However, due to the larger flow of the international tourism, the transaction is needed to be frequent. In such circumstances, it is much required to get the idea about the exchange rates, which are helpful enough in making the rational decisions. The tourism companies usually face the potential risks in such matter. When the tourists have to pay a certain amount for the fixed package, they usually do not pay the further money (De Vita 2014). In such cases, the changes in the exchange rate in another country can charge for the extra amount, which can be risky. For example, in New York, the price of hotel room with a breakfast may cost almost $100. If the tour operator deals with Euro as the nation curren cy, it will be equal to $1.2814 per Euro (1=$1.2814). If the tour operator asks the bank to transfer a certain amount of money in Euro currency, it may differ from the exact amount of the expenses required in American hotels. Therefore, this segment can be risky for the tour operators, as they need to identify the exchange rate, which converts the charges of all the inclusive trips in different countries. Simultaneously, the tour operator needs to inform the tourists about the exchange rates regarding the spot and forward prices (Chang, Hsu and McAleer 2013). It is to be indicated that the elimination of the risk factors related to such pricing structure can be possible if the information is flexible and fixed. Especially, the countries, which signify the direct offers, need to maintain such structural aspects while determining the costs related to the exchange rate (Adrian, Etula and Shin 2015). It is important for the tour operators to include this particular clause while structuring the catalog that is needed to be provided to the tourists before they take any tourism package. References Adrian, T., Etula, E. and Shin, H.S., 2015. Risk appetite and exchange rates. Chang, C.L., Hsu, H.K. and McAleer, M., 2013. Is small beautiful? Size effects of volatility spillovers for firm performance and exchange rates in tourism.The North American Journal of Economics and Finance,26, pp.519-534. Chen, J.M., Neuts, B., Nijkamp, P. and Liu, J., 2016. Demand determinants of cruise tourists in competitive markets: motivation, preference and intention.Tourism Economics,22(2), pp.227-253. Davidoff, T., 2015. Supply constraints are not valid instrumental variables for home prices because they are correlated with many demand factors.Available at SSRN 2400833. De Vita, G., 2014. The long-run impact of exchange rate regimes on international tourism flows.Tourism Management,45, pp.226-233. Hubbard, R. and O'Brien, A. (2013).Microeconomics. Boston: Pearson. Krugman, P. and Wells, R. (2012).Microeconomics. New York, N.Y.: Worth Publishers. Krugman, P. and Wells, R. (2013).Microeconomics. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Mohammed, I., Guillet, B.D. and Law, R., 2015. The contributions of economics to hospitality literature: A content analysis of hospitality and tourism journals.International Journal of Hospitality Management,44, pp.99-110. Perloff, J. (2012).Microeconomics. Boston: Pearson. Pindyck, R. and Rubinfeld, D. (2013).Microeconomics. Boston: Pearson. Smith, R., Round, D. and Perloff, J. (2014).Microeconomics. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia.

The Three Musketeers Essays - Swashbuckler Films,

The Three Musketeers Alexander Dumas ?Forgive me, Lady de Wardes,? he said, ?for rousing your hatred by my blackguardly conduct. I in return forgive you for murdering Constance Bonacieux and for your savage attacks on me. I forgive you and pity you. Die in peace.? Characters d'Artagnan- a young, attractive Gascon of eighteen. d'Artagnan is haughty, proud, and extremely intelligent. He is one of the main characters is the book, and we follow him through his many turmoils and triumphs; as he eventually defeats the evil of the real world. Porthos- a proud, experienced Musketeer. Porthos is a true friend with a quick temper, and a smart mouth. Nonetheless, Porthos is intelligent, cautious, and has a wild passion for everything he does. Aramis- a proper, friendly gentleman of twenty-three. Aramis is proud, yet demure, with a very clean-cut appearance. Aramis is a man of scripture and deep thought, often the one with the brilliant ideas. Athos- a cool, courageous Musketeer, strikingly handsome, and proud of his status. Athos lets nothing stand in his way, yet is polite and friendly, attracting friends easily. Planchet- d'Artagnan's servant, a tremendously devoted man, trusted and intelligent. Monsieur de Treville- a truly good man, captain of the Musketeers, who has a pure heart and a love for his Musketeers. Monsieur Bonacieux- a small wily man, not very gifted in the intelligence department, easily swayed by others' personal opinions. d'Artagnan's landlord. Constance Bonacieux- Monsieur Bonacieux's wife, a young, beautiful woman, with a good soul. D'Artagnan's mistress, and maid of the wardrobe of the Queen. Lady de Winter- an evil spy for the Cardinal, Lady de Winter is an extremely beautiful mastermind with the ability to make anything go her way. Kitty- Lady de Winter's innocently pretty maid, who falls hopelessly in love with d'Artagnan, and helps him in his exploits against Lady de Winter. Lord de Winter- Lady de Winter's charming brother, who helps in the temporary capture of the evil Milady. The Three Musketeers is set in the mid to late 1620s, in Paris, France. Paris in this period is the bustling center of excitement, trials, and betrayal. The Three Musketeers is about four grand friends and their amazing travels and exciting exploits. Living in glamorous Paris, France, d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis get deeply involved in the political aspects and scams of the day. With enemies wherever he turns, d'Artagnan is forced to go into hiding, sending his intelligent servant and his best friends to take care of business. Gradually, the complicated mess of French and English monarchy comes together, revealing a way to overcome the evil of the outstandingly beautiful Lady de Winter, one of the Cardinal's best spies. I. Three Gifts A. d'Artagnan arrives in Meung 1. The strange, dark man 2. Confrontation 3. Milady 4. Stolen! B. d'Artagnan enters Paris II. Monsieur de Treville's Ante-room A. Monsieur de Treville's house 1. The courtyard a. Porthos and Aramis III. The Audience A. Introductions B. Athos C. Letter to the Director D. The chase IV. Shoulder, Shoulder-Belt, and Handkerchief A. The sore shoulder 1. Challenge B. Another Accident 1. The shoulder-belt 2. Challenge C. The Handkerchief 1. Accusation 2. Challenge V. Musketeers and Guards A. Athos B. The Seconds 1. realizations C. The Cardinal's Guards D. Fight E. Friends F. Planchet VI. A Court Intrigue A. Finances B. Poor 1. Dinner Invitations C. The Small Man 1. Explanations 2. The Kidnapping VII. Relaying Information A. A Plan B. ?All For One and One For All!? VIII. Madame Bonacieux A. Ambush! 1. Monsieur Bonacieux's arrest B. Cross Examination C. Madame Bonacieux D. Rescue E. Constance F. Another Secret G. Love H. Escape I. Monsieur de Laport IX. The Plot Thickens A. A Curious Romantic Attachment B. Aramis's House 1. The cloaked woman C. Following D. Escort E. Athos's Arrest F. The Pair at the Lourve 1. The Duke of Buckingham X. The Man of Meung A. Monsieur Bonacieux's Attendance With the Cardinal 1. A new and Faithful Servant B. The Letter to London XI. Soldiers and Magistrates A. Athos's Cross-examination B. Athos's Attendance With the Cardinal C. Monsieur de Treville, the King, the Cardinal, and Athos 1. The Police report and the soldier's honor D. Release E. The Duke of Buckingham is Paris XII. The Keeper of the Seals A. Plotting B. Twelve Diamond Tags C. The Visitor and the Search of the Queen D. The Planning of the Ball 1. The request XIII. The Lover and the Husband E. Letter to Buckingham F. The Deadly Secret G. A Pledge 1. The Secret Discussion 2. The Truth Is Revealed 3. An Important Decision XIV. The Journey A. Four Friends Get Leave B. Breakfast in Chantilly 1. Porthos's duel C. Three Against Eight in Beauvais 1. The Ambush On The Road D. Two Friends in Amiens 1. Hullabaloo in the stables 2.

The Guard Family

The Guard Family The Guard Family The Guard Family By Mark Nichol Guard is the basis of a family of words pertaining to protection; these terms are listed and defined in the post below. Guard, from the French verb garder (formerly also spelled guarder and warder), meaning â€Å"defend† and related to the Old High German term warten, meaning â€Å"take care,† has several senses: It refers to someone (or a group) assigned to protect someone or watch something or to the act of defending someone or keeping an eye on something, or the state of being protected. It also pertains to a protective component or device, to an athlete who has a defensive or protective role in competition, or to a defensive attitude, position, or state. One can be said to be on guard, or in a state of readiness, or to be off guard; the latter phrase is generally seen in the phrase â€Å"catch (or â€Å"caught†) off guard.† It is also a verb, and the adjective is guarded, guardedly is the adverbial form, and guardedness describes the state of being alert. Guard appears in the open compound â€Å"guard dog† and the closed compound guardrail. It is the root of guardian, a word describing a person in a protective role (such as an adult who serves as a surrogate parent for a minor); the state of being a guardian is guardianship. The phrase â€Å"guardian angel,† based on the notion of a protective supernatural being, now often refers to a flesh-and-blood person in such a role. â€Å"En garde,† taken directly from French, means â€Å"on (your) guard† and serves in fencing as a spoken warning for competitors to be prepared to defend themselves. Regard, as a noun meaning â€Å"consideration† or â€Å"judgment† (with the antonym disregard) or, as a verb, â€Å"consider† or â€Å"judge,† is from the French verb regarder, meaning â€Å"look at.† As a noun, it also has the sense of â€Å"respect,† and as such is used in correspondence in plural form as a sign-off. Self-regard refers to consideration of oneself or one’s interests. Regardless is an adjective with the sense of â€Å"in spite of† or â€Å"without consideration†; irregardless is an unfortunate and unnecessary variant careful writers will assiduously be on their guard to avoid. An advance guard or vanguard was originally a military unit that preceded the main body of troops into battle; the latter term now usually refers to a person or group at the forefront of a movement. Avant-garde is the French equivalent, borrowed into English with that sense but now figuratively describing an innovative artist, musician, or writer, or a work of art or literary or musical composition that is ground-breaking, or an entire creative movement considered as such. A rearguard, by contrast with a vanguard, protects a retreating force, and by analogy the word also pertains to resistance to an overwhelming phenomenon. â€Å"Honor guard† refers to a member of the military who has a ceremonial function or to a small unit of military personnel with such a role. Closed compounds with guard as the second element include bodyguard, referring to an individual assigned or hired to protect someone or to a group or unit in that role; lifeguard, originally a synonym for bodyguard but now the designation for a person trained to rescue people from a body of water when they are at risk of drowning; and safeguard, which means â€Å"something that provides protection.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceStory Writing 101Drama vs. Melodrama

Article Review for Benefits of offering childcare in the workplace for Essay

Article Review for Benefits of offering childcare in the workplace for employees - Essay Example The main purpose of the research is to discover the relationship between providing childcare in the workplace and employee productivity. It is a well-written, well organized article with a meaningful research aim, relevant to the field of workplace childcare. However, there is a definite need for a summary review of the literature to provide a current context for the research which examines the need for childcare in the workplace. The author uses a narrative method to describe all the issues that surround the provision of childcare, and also cites examples to illustrate the effects of some of these issues. There is, however, a tendency to mention general points, and the author does not quote from any previous academic research. The article is not sufficiently justified either by statistics or evidence from a questionnaire or survey. There are no facts or figures, and there is no quotation from secondary studies. The author uses a number of points to prove the aforementioned premise. There is, for example, a great benefit for mothers who have babies and very young children. These women can return to work earlier and maintain close contact with their children in their lunch breaks. The children are close at hand, and so this means that there is less absenteeism, because workers can check on their children throughout the day if they are worried about them. Another factor to consider is the issue of lateness. Employees who have to drive their children to a childcare center far away are often late for work. Having a childcare facility in the workplace is much better. Parent and child arrive at the same time and they only have one journey together. There are some disadvantages for the employer in having a childcare center. It is expensive to run, and there are also maintenance costs. Insurance can be expensive for employers. Overall, however, the benefits for employers and employees are greater than the

Psychology Topic is Genes and aging and Gottlieb contribution to this Essay

Psychology Topic is Genes and aging and Gottlieb contribution to this - Essay Example The process of aging has engaged the attention of people from time immemorial. People in the past generally did not include as a scholastic subject of inquiry. It was so obvious a facet of life that in the past people generally accepted it as a reality with which they have to cope up with. However, the desire to prolong life was very popular and a marketable thing, many charlatans and quakes occupied the field and various potions for prolonging life appeared in the market. Initially serious scientists did not venture to study the phenomenon for fear they will be mistaken to be a pseudo scholar. With the microscopic study of cell and genetics growing as an important subject aided by technology, aging also came to be studied. The role of genes in aging has been a forgone conclusion. But the insight into the importance of environment- interface in shedding light on development is one of the major thrust areas of Gottlieb's study. The present study is an examination of his contribution t o the process aging. Aging is the major hurdle to the quality of human life in affluent communities. The study of senescence can prolong human life, preserve health, prevent age related diseases and even might cure aging. Aging is assuming the dimension of a worldwide social and economic problem. However, some scientists feel this area should get more priority and funding (Miller, 2005). The study of senescence, while it is part of the global quest to address this problem facing humanity, is also a dream of achieving the experience of an infinite universe. What is aging Aging came under the purview of scientific enquiry only in the early part of the present century. We are all aware of aging in humans from our earliest years, through normal, daily contacts with family members, neighbors, and others who have reached an advanced age. Perhaps because aging seems such an intuitively obvious phenomenon, it was quite late in becoming an object of formal study (Clark, 2002, p. 3) However there has been, over the centuries, an ardent attempt to unearth the magic elixir that would prolong life or even confer immortality. The process of aging was so obviously present in the conscious mind that no one thought it worth the trouble to go in depth to study what aging is. Aging has many external visible signs, as well as the changes in the mind and in the molecular level. The external changes also psychologically impact the person as he or she becomes aware that time is approaching for saying adieu. There are also degenerative changes associated with age, which are the results of alterations in the cardiovascular system. Humans also are under higher risk from external sources due to the slow collapse of the autoimmune system of the body. The reproductive capacity also diminishes along with aging and in the female this process sets in faster than in the male. In fact there are a spectrum of changes associated with old age but there is no uniform pattern of occurrence for all humans nor is there any fixed time when aging sets in all people. Some people are old at forty but there are septuagenarians who are fit as a fiddle. In some, mental faculties are impaired with age while bodies remain

Neutralisation of False Positives using Presumptive Tests

Neutralisation of False Positives using Presumptive Tests   Jasnique Tiwana   The Neutralisation of False Positives using Presumptive Tests for Blood   Abstract Introduction This project emphasis upon neutralising presumptive tests for blood, this differs from other studies as they just test for false positives, instead of attempting to neutralise these known false positives. This project was conducted as there are no current obvious projects on the neutralisation of false positives. This is a crucial topic because it will save time at crime scenes when looking at a suspected blood stain, many false positives are known to interfere with the presumptive tests kits. However, if these can be eliminated at the scene, then it will save lots of time conducting confirmatory tests for a stain that is not blood. It will be interesting to discover whether one neutralizer can neutralise all or the majority of the unknown false positives. The aims of this project are to find out which substance/ products produce false positives, and whether or not these false positives can be neutralised. In addition, how many of these false positives work for both Kastle-Meyers and Leucomalachite green. Also whether the type of surface these false positives are found upon affects the ability for them to be detected. There are numerous amounts of different bodily fluids that can be found at a crime scene. Blood is one of the most common and important bodily fluid found at a crime scene as it can give an insight to a DNA profile and much more. The blood can either be from the offender this can help corroborate stories and give a deeper insight into what actually happened (The Forensics Library, n.d). In the criminal justice system blood is defined as a vital complex biological fluid containing red blood cells, which is present in vertebrate and may be shed during an accidental, intentional and/or criminal acts. (Wonder,2001). Blood consist of erythrocytes, leucocytes and platelets, hence presumptive assays test for the presence of haemoglobin located in the erythrocytes (Jackson and Jackson, 2007). However, at a scene it may not always be obvious as to whether or not the stain is actually blood, thus, presumptive tests are required to determine whether the stain could be blood or not. There are various different presumptive tests designed to identify whether the stain is blood, although, these are not a confirmatory test for blood. Blood found at a crime scene is essential as it can provide a DNA profile from both the victim and the suspect. (Gupta, et, al. 2016). This can then be collected for further analysis in the laboratory, to obtain DNA profiles etc. (Tobe, et, al. 2007). Over centuries various different attempted clean-up methods have been used for blood, including bleach, therefore, it is important to use a presumptive test which can detect microscopic blood stains. Presumptive tests Presumptive tests with the exception of luminol are not applied directly to a stain, instead, the suspected stain is lifted using a sterile swab or filter paper, the presumptive test is then carried out on the filter paper or the swab. This is to ensure that the suspected stain is not damaged. In certain cases, such as where the surfaces have been washed down, it becomes more appropriate to use luminol due to its high level of detection (Jackson and Jackson, 2007). Presumptive tests are used by forensic scientists worldwide to aid in the identification of unknown substances such as blood. However, a presumptive test does not provide definitive identification instead it provides useful information which helps to decide what further action if any is needed. There are numerous presumptive tests for blood, historically with the most common being benzidine which was first introduced in 1904 (after Kastle-Meyers) which was introduced in 1901). Moreover, this is no longer widely used in forensics as it was discovered to have carcinogenic effects. Tetramethylbenzidine has also been recognised as a carcinogen and caution should be applied when using either test (James,1998). Presumptive tests are not specific to Human blood as they will also give a positive result for animal blood. Commonly, a colour change is observed to determine whether it is positive for that substance, due to these presumptive tests are subject to false positives and false negatives. In screening tests for blood, the heam group is observed as this acts as a catalyst which is involved in the chemical reactions. False positive results can be obtained from chemicals containing strong oxidants such as bleaches and household cleaners. Plant peroxidases such as horseradish can also affect presumptive tests such as horseradish as they contain peroxidases they catalyse oxidation reactions thus causing a false positive. They are known to be sensitive to heat so heating up a plant peroxidase can inactivate it. A false positive is identified as a colour change before the addition of hydrogen peroxide (Li,2008). Li (2008) states that although uncommon false negatives can also occur, this happens when a strong reductant is present, this hinders the oxidation reaction. Luminol Luminol is referred to a chemiluminescent reaction which is oxidised by haemoglobin. It was a very early method used in 1937 to detect microscopic amounts of blood at a crime scene as it has a very small detection limit (in nanograms). Although, the test is sensitive it is also prone to false positives as with the other presumptive tests of blood. Sodium Hypochlorite is in bleach based substances commonly used for a clean-up, this would be detected by the luminol test (Quickenden and Cooper 2001). A limitation to luminol is that it must be used in total darkness to be able to see the reaction. It is different from the other presumptive tests as it involves illumination with a bright light (blue) (Webb, et al, 2006). Kastle-Meyers The phenolphthalin Assay is referred to as the Kastle Meyers test, it differs from phenolphthalein which is a class of dye indicator commonly used in titrations. Phenolphthalin is a colourless compound (the reduced form), the oxidized derivative is phenolphthalein which turns pink (Li, 2015). The Kastle-Meyers (KM) test is one of the most popular presumptive test used by forensic scientists, it is possible to detect blood up to 100,000x dilution (Bell, 2012). Figure 1 shows the oxidation of phenolphthalein causing a pink colour change when reacting with a peroxide. The Kastle-Meyers test is a presumptive test used to identify blood stains; it contains phenolphthalein, which reacts with the haemoglobin in blood with the addition of hydrogen peroxide leading to a pink colour change for a positive test. This test, however, is not specific for blood and can be subject to false positives, it is also not specific to human blood and will react with animal blood. Therefore, it is not a confirmatory test of blood. Leucomalachite green (LMG) is also a presumptive test of blood, however; it is not as popular as the Kastle Meyers test (Bell, 2012). A positive result for Leucomalachite green is a green-blue colour change. Leucomalachite green (LMG) Figure 1 to show the chemical structure of Leucomalachite green (Sigma Aldridge, 2017) Leucomalachite Green chemical symbol C23H26N2 (PubChem, 2005), this is also a colour change test it is not as widely used as Kastle Meyers but it is just as useful. Leucomalachite green is oxidised by haem causing a blue-green colour change it is colourless when in its reduced state. The reaction is usually carried out in acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide which acts as an oxidiser (li, 2015). It is used in a very similar way to Kastle-Meyers, as the test is almost identical, this test as with the Kastle- Meyers, therefore, it is also prone to a false positive, hence further analytical tests are required to confirm if its blood. Due to the false positives, it cannot be called a confirmatory test for blood. These tests are also not specific as they do not react to just human blood but other animal blood. Neutralising agents Various different neutralisers are available for bleach. Bleach is known to be a common false positive detected with Presumptive tests. The active ingredient in Bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite, therefore, research into is neutralisation was looked into. The most common one used is Sodium Thiosulphate another is Ascorbic acid which is used more commonly in water storage tanks to climate all remaining bleach making the water safe to drink (Tanguay,2013). Due to the neutralisation of peroxide both these neutralisers will be used to see if they neutralise all the false positives. Method Preparation of the reagents: The Kastle-Meyers test: The reagent is made by weighing out 12g of phenolphthalein, 120g of potassium hydroxide and 30grams of Zinc dust and 600ml of distilled water should then be added. This is then put onto a hot plate and stirred for 3 hours. (Langford et,al). The Kastle-Meyers was used as follows, the stain was moistened with ethanol (optional depending on how the stain was lifted) and this is rubbed over the stain, then two drops of the Kastle-Meyers is then added onto the stain, at this stage a colour change is indicative of a false positive, if there is no false positive at this point then continue to the next stage, and add two drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide, if there is an immediate pink colour change this indicates blood could be present as it is a positive result for blood. If there is no colour change then it can be almost certainly said that no blood is present, this is due to its high level of sensitivity. Leucomalachite green solution was made up using 0.11grams of Leucomalachite green powder, 66mL of glacial acetic acid and 33mL of distilled water, this was mixed together to form the colourless Leucomalachite green (cox, 1991). The same method mentioned above is used for Leucomalachite green with a blue-green colour change being a positive result for blood and a blue-green before the addition of hydrogen peroxide being a false positive. The initial Leucomalachite green solution is clear. Defibrinated horse blood was used due to its similarity to human blood, also because presumptive tests cannot differentiate between blood types. The swabs used were all in sterile packaging and all the pipettes had been autoclaved prior to use to ensure that all equipment used was sterile as not to allow any cross contamination. Blood was placed straight onto a sterile swab; this was subjected to the presumptive tests to ensure no other contaminants caused a colour change this acted as a positive control. Negative controls were created using a sterile swab and adding each of the reagents to make sure nothing else was interfering with the test. A positive control was also taken by swabbing blood from denim to see if it would still react or if there was an interfering factor. To determine the levels of sensitivity for both KM and LMG blood was diluted and put into test tubes. Blood was pipetted into test tubes using Finn pipettes in order to determine accuracy. Different concentrations of blood were made up using distilled water and blood. The solutions made up were 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000, 1: 10,000, 1: 100,000 were prepared. This was done by pipetting 1mL of blood into 9mL of water, from this solution 1mL was added into 9mL of water and so on. This method was used to determine the level of sensitivity of the presumptive tests used a sterile swab was dipped into each of these solutions and the Kastle -Meyers test was performed. The time taken for these to turn and the shade of pink in which they turned were recorded. Each swab was taken 3 times in order to determine accuracy, but also each test tube was made up 3 times, this gave a total of 15 test tubes, to make sure no extra or no less blood was added each time, and to check the reliability of the method a s the blood had begun slightly clotting. This was done over a series of days to see if the results differed in anyway. A series of household items and known false positives obtained from previous literature reviews were determined and these were placed onto the denim material, by rubbing the item onto the material. The items used were, horseradish, bleach, red onion, lemon, tomato, tomato ketchup (Heinz) and potato. These were then allowed to dry on the material before dampening the stain with distilled water. This was repeated three times and also repeated after 3 days when it had more time to dry. With a fresh batch of false positives, horseradish, bleach, ketchup and tomato were re tested to see if they reacted to the new Kastle Meyers and Leucomalachite green solutions. Once the false positives were established such as the use of bleach, then sodium thiosulphate and Ascorbic acid were added to the stains to see if they affected the tests and gave a new negative reaction. Sodium thiosulphate was made up using 0.25g of Sodium Thiosulphate and 5ml of water and mixed to make a 5% solution, the crystals were stirred and the remaining solution was colourless Ascorbic acid was made up using 0.25g of ascorbic acid in 10ml of water, this was then stirred and gives a clear solution. Firstly, a sterile was dipped into bleach and a few drops of the leucomalachite green were applied using a disposable sterile pipette each time, the colour change was then observed. Once this was established another swab was dipped into bleach but this time sodium thiosulphate was first added to the swab, (again using a disposable sterile swab) the sodium thiosulphate was applied all the way around the swab to ensure all areas were covered. In addition, lecucomalachite green was then pipetted onto the swab and observed for a colour change, the same thing was then repeated using ascorbic acid. The swab was held up against a white background to see if It had a slight reaction or not. It was tried with pure bleach and diluted bleach to see if the reactions were the same. The neutralising agents were also used with pure blood to see if it reacted the same with blood and caused a colour change, hydrogen peroxide was added to the pure blood stain. This was to determine whether or not it is a true false positive or not. The next stage was to repeat the following steps using Kastle -Meyers on pure bleach and diluted bleach. In addition, to determine whether or not the false positives worked on all peroxides, both Ascorbic acid and Sodium Thiosulphate were also used on horseradish, in an attempt to neutralise it, this was repeated three times. Results Firstly, a positive and negative control were taken to ensure a positive result was obtained for pure blood and a negative result for water, indicating there was no contamination. A serial dilution was made for the Kastle-Meyers to determine the level of sensitivity. It was measured to a 1 in 100,000 dilution as this is the results obtained from previous literature as to the level of sensitivity. Table 1 shows the intensity of the colour change from the dilution of blood, this was repeated three times. Table 1 a table to show the level of sensitivity of the Kastle-Meyers solution Dilution factor Repeat 1 Repeat 2 Repeat 3 X10 Bright pink Bright Pink Bright Pink X100 Positive Positive Positive X1,000 Positive Positive Positive X10,000 Faint pink Faint pink None X100,000 None None None False positives were first tested on denim to see if they reacted. The blood sample was placed onto the denim material first this was to determine whether the Kastle-Meyers kit was working correctly. The results of the false positives can be seen in table 2, each sample was firstly loaded onto the swab and the denim material, this was too see if there was a difference between the two methods. The highlighted results in table two show the false positives which differed on the denim and the swab. Table 2 shows the first experiment to test for false positives comparing it to the reaction it had on denim. Table 2 false positives using Kastle-Meyers on denim and directly to swab, with* meaning inconclusive result as it is the same colour in which the test kit changes, the samples reacted after 5 mins of the addition of Kastle-Meyers reagent False positive Negative/positive reaction on denim material Added directly to swab Horse Radish root Bleach(Sodium Hypochlorite) + Red onion Potato Tomato sauce + Red Onion Lemon + Tomato * Red radish Leucomalachite green was also tested for its sensitivity of blood This was then tested on pure blood with the addition of hydrogen peroxide. This was to check if the solution made up gives a blue-green colour change. Table 3 shown below shows a serial dilution for Leucomalachite green, the serial dilution was performed in the same way as in the Kastle-Meyers test and the colour change and intensity of the change was recorded Table 3 a table to show the dilution factor of Leucomalachite green after the addition of hydrogen peroxide Dilution factor Repeat 1 Repeat 2 Repeat3 X10 Strong Turquoise Strong Turquoise Strong Turquoise X100 Blue green Light Blue-green Blue-green X1,000 Light Blue-green Faint Blue-green Light Blue-green X10,000 No reaction No reaction No reaction X100,000 No reaction No reaction No reaction Table 4 shows the false positives on the denim material and direct application to the swab, the first repeat the same method applied as that in Leucomalachite green Table 4 false positives using denim material and direct application to the swab, this shows the first attempt using Leucomalachite green False positive Negative/positive reaction on denim material Added directly to swab Horse Radish root + Bleach(Sodium Hypochlorite) + Red onion Potato Tomato sauce Red Onion Lemon Tomato Red radish A fresh set of Known false positives were then used, this was tested with both Kastle Meyers and Leucomalachite green respectively, this is shown in table 5 and 6, each one was tested three times and the reaction and the intensity of the reaction are shown. This time instant colour changes were recorded, using a new Kastle- Meyers test Kit, this was done under a fume hood. This time a diluted bleach sample was used to see if it affected the results of bleach. Table 5 False positives tested using Kastle -Meyers where + means a positive reaction and is a negative reaction, instantaneous results False positive Repeat 1 Repeat 2 Repeat 3 Horseradish + strong pink + pink + strong pink Tomato Tomato Ketchup Bleach + Strong Pink +strong Pink + Strong Pink Diluted bleach + weak pink + pink + weak pink Table 6 false positives tested using Leucomalachite green where + indicates a positive reaction and indicates a negative reaction instantaneous False positive Repeat 1 Repeat 2 Repeat 3 Horseradish + light green + light green + dark green Tomato Tomato Ketchup Bleach + Strong blue/green +strong green + Strong green Diluted bleach + strong green + strong green + strong green Table 7 shows the neutralisation of the false positives identified in table 5 and 6 using ascorbic acid and thiosulphate Table 7 neutralising agents of the false positives for both Kastle-Meyers and Leucomalachite green. where + indicates a positive reaction (colour change) and indicates a negative reaction (no colour change) False positive Kastle- Meyers Leucomalachite green Sodium thiosulphate Ascorbic acid Sodium thiosulphate Ascorbic acid Horse radish + + Bleach + + + Diluted bleach Discussion       The test was repeated three times to see if the results were the same each time. Kastle -Meyers has a level of sensitivity up to 1 in 100,000. This was found to be the level of sensitivity by other authors. Blood was diluted with water; this was not only to test the level of sensitivity but blood is likely to be cleaned up with water of some kind. Leucomalachite green is not as widely used as Kastle-Meyers, as it has a lower level of sensitivity This was diluted in blood to check its level of sensitivity it got a reaction up to 1 in 1,000 rather than 1 in 10,000 as suggested by other literature reports. Denim material had ketchup, tomato, horseradish and blood added to it, however, it did not yield any results as the false positives did not change colour with the addition to lecuomalachite green. Bleach was tested with lecuomalchite green, this gave an instant colour change, bleach was then diluted in water to see if watered down bleach gave the same effect and this also gave a positive reaction. Sodium thiosulphate neutralised the effect of bleach as the reaction was barely visible using the Leucomalachite green, however, the ascorbic acid worked but not as well as the thiosulphate. This is because it was hard to tell whether the entire swab had been neutralised as it appeared a very faint green colour around the sides, compared to other swabs which appeared unaffected by the neutralising agent chosen. It was only tested on the bleach and horse radish because they were the only substances which had given a false positive reaction, None of the substances on denim gave a false positive, this leads to further research into indigo dye as a neutraliser.