Applied management project Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Applied management project - Dissertation Example The emergence of corporate communication was brought about by the need of organisations to build and maintain relationships with its key stakeholders in order to sustain the survival of the organisation's business in its respective industry. The management of communication functions has evolved from fragmented disciplines into a holistic setting. Previously, organisations have made use of communication disciplines as individual units that would serve its distinct purpose in line with the employed strategies. Through the course of communication development, organisations have realized the importance of an integrated approach towards managing communication functions. ... Aims and Objectives Communication is not just an integral factor between personal relationships and groups, it also applies to organisations. Success cannot simply be measured by performance and quality; it can be culminated through proper communication to form a clear and lucid relationship between firms and its publics. Most companies fail to see the importance of what integrated corporate communication can do to improve their businesses (Van Ruler & de Lange 2003). At present, the prevailing principle in regards to the basis of an organisation's survival in the industry depends on how it is perceived by its key stakeholders, which comprises of both internal and external publics. Internal audiences are investors, stockholders, shareholders and employees; whereas external audiences are the consumers and other members of the community such as the government, institutions and media (Argenti, Howell & Beck 2005). Such principle had been further proved by recent events such as corporate crises, recession, financial crisis and the liberalism of trade. These have led to the decisions of senior executives among leading organisations to fortify the reputation of their firms and place significant emphasis on it as one of their key strategic goals. This goal entails the process of formulating, maintaining and protecting the reputation of the firm. Such objectives are the core tasks of a corporate communication specialist. In spite of significance highlighted on the organisation's image and reputation, the purpose and the benefits provided by corporate communication is yet to be fully grasped (Marchand 1998; Van Ruler & de Lange 2003; Argenti et. al 2005). This concern has made specialists

Genetic Disease Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Genetic Disease - Case Study Example Rita inherited the recessive gene from her father and became a carrier. Since both Peter and Rita are carriers for the recessive gene, there is a 25% chance that their child could well be suffering from Tay-Sachs disease. The screening test (CVS) for fetal genetic defects confirmed that the fetus was indeed afflicted by the Tay-Sachs disease. Rita (43 years) and Peter (46 years) have been trying to have a baby for more than 2 years, Rita has conceived now. There is sufficient documentation to show that the peak fertility period for women is between 20-24 years of age, after which it begins to decrease and this explains the delayed conception. The website www.babycentre.co.uk states that "According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, "At 35 you're half as fertile as when you were at 25; at 40 you're half as fertile as when you were 35". This means that it can suddenly take much longer to get pregnant when you hit your late thirties or early forties and you may have problems conceiving at all." Another problem is that the odds of having a baby with a genetic defect increase as you get older. Figures from the Office of National Statistics for 2005, show that the risk of having a baby with a genetic abnormality such as Down's syndrome rises from 2 per 1,000 births at ages 35-39 years, to 4 per 1,000 at age 40-44 years up to 14 per 1,000 at age 45 years or over. If you're almost, or over 40, you should strongly consider genetic testing because the risk of genetic problems increases significantly. Both Rita and Peter have crossed their peak fertility age and are therefore in the high risk category for genetic disorders. The physician, ordered for a CVS to rule out any genetic defects in the developing fetus. The genetic screening pointed to Tay-Sachs in the fetus. Prior to this genetic screening neither Peter nor Rita ever suspected that they could be carriers for the Tay-Sachs disease. The Tay-Sachs disease is an autosomal recessive disease which is a result of mutation in both the alleles of the gene Hex-A seen in chromosome 15. As a result of the mutation, an enzyme called Hexosaminidase A is either not produced at all, or, is not produced in sufficient quantity. This insufficiency leads to an abnormal accumulation of a lipid called GM2 ganglioside in the nerve cells especially in the brain leading to progressive damage of the cells and eventual death of the cells. Children who suffer from this disease usually die before the age of five, because, by this age the nervous system is so seriously affected that it cannot support life. Knowing that it is a recessive gene that causes the disease, is good news for the Trosack couple. A recessive gene can express itself in a particular generation only if it is present in a double dose, this occurs only if the progeny has inherited the recessive gene from both its parents. The chance of the couple passing on the recessive genes to their progeny, so as to exhibit the condition is only