Ebola Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ebola Virus - Essay Example Accordingly, there exists up to five Ebola virus species. Out of the five, only four can be accountable for causing diseases in humans. The Ebola virus disease is known to affect West and Central African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Guinea. In recent times, there have been plentiful reports of the illness finding its way to Asian countries and the United States a fact that has been made possible through the global travel of the infected persons out of Africa. Ebola virus was initially revealed in the year 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo near River Ebola, where the disease borrows its name (Peters and LeDuc ix). The illness was initially disregarded as a threat; consequently, no vaccine was developed. In addition, the earlier cases of the disease could be contained easily and in the event of fatalities, fewer deaths were reported. It took the attention of the United States military to study the possibilities of weaponizing the virus that made the disease widespread. However, the idea was dropped, and the current outbreaks are said to have originated from fruit bats. The virus was initially thought to be airborne; however, studies conducted by the University of Sussex revealed that it is transmitted through body fluids. Also, the virus finds its way into the human body through cuts on the skin and mucous membranes. The Ebola virus has also been found to be transmitted through sexual intercourse, physical contact by the infected persons and ingestion of breast milk. The disease incapacitates the immune system of the host victim. Persons infected with Ebola virus bear symptoms such as mild nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains, and bleeding from the eyes. The disease also halts the body from clotting blood resulting in gastrointestinal bleeding. This result to increased wear out of the intestinal mucous membranes and any cuts on the body will ooze blood endlessly (Brooks 32). The

Business Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Studies - Essay Example The customers interested in jeans do view Levi Strauss as a brand that could be trusted. Thus, the positive customer perception is further bolstered by the hold that the company has over the varied aspects of the apparel business that is purchase, production, marketing and sales. Besides, the company has also made salubrious inroads into the new product lines through diversification, which portends a positive future. The company does has the financial resources at its disposal to be invested into new product lines and entering new markets. However, it does need to be mentioned that the strengths acquired by the company came with a heavy price. The company did come out with some product lines like the permanent press slacks, the denim bathing suit and the disposable sheets and towels, which did not gel with the already existing product lines and lead to considerable losses. So the company needs to avoid entering into such flop product lines (Adcock 2000, p. 90). This may jeopardize th e strong brand image of Levi Strauss and dilute customer perceptions (Reddy 1994, p. 129). ... In that sense, Levi Strauss has a viable opportunity at its disposal to garner the ascending interest of these customers by expanding into such product lines. The biggest threat that the company faces is relying predominantly on the established product lines, which may fade away soon (Gilley 2005). Besides, a less than proactive attitude may give advantage to the other established competitors. Also, expanding into product lines that do not deliver the expected customer satisfaction may dilute the brand appeal of the company. Hence, the best possible way out for the company is to expand into product lines that cater to the proceeding tastes and requirements of the already loyal customer base, while desisting from venturing into lines that rub away the exiting brand reputation, while extending unwanted advantage to the established competitors. Reference List Adcock, Dennis 2000, Marketing Strategies for Competitive Advantage, Wiley, New York. Gilligan, Colin & Wilson, Richard MS 2003, Strategic Marketing Planning, Butterworth Heinemann, Boston. Gilley, Ann 2005, The Manager as Change Leader, Praeger, Westport, CT. Golembiewski, Robert T 2000, Handbook of Organizational Consultation, Marcel Dekker, New York. Reddy, Allan C 1994, Total Quality Marketing, Quorum Books, Westport, CT. Part II. McDonald’s and the Health Conscious Consumer It goes without saying that McDonald’s has been a leading fast food brand not only in the US, but in a more current context, the world over. However, with the consumers getting more health conscious and the commensurate health trends like the rising number of obese people within the population, many of the McDonald’s existing product lines that also happened to be high calorie products are