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Wednesday, January 29, 2020

An American Gaucho in Argentina Essay Example for Free

An American Gaucho in Argentina Essay I. Identification of Problems With the development of economic integration globally, man is beginning a new era of global negotiation. Cross-cultural business negotiations that between business people who from different countries with different mentalities and cultures are becoming more and more frequent. At present, people gradually concern the problems, which are triggered by cross-cultural business negotiations. American Great Plains Foods was a manufacturer and marketer meat products that was founded in 1896. It grew into international company that people relied on for Great Plains strong brand. Comidas Gaucho is well-known Argentina food processor which was targeted by Great Plains look into forming an alliance for South American market. Peter Fuller was sent out as Great Plains representative to reach a cooperative agreement with Comidas Gaucho. Peters Argentina trip which takes place over a period of three days, is not as what is originally expected. The main reason for the failure of Peters Argentina trip is that a lack of understanding Argentina business etiquette, as well as cultural differences. Peter ignored the cultural differences of cross-cultural business negotiations had a significant impact. Most of the problems in case are caused by the lack of understanding of Argentinian advance by Peter. For example, wearing a short shirt, Peter appeared in Ezeiza International airport is filled with people who are wearing coats, which is sufficient to prove that Peter didnt prepare at all for his Argentina trip. II. Analysis and Evaluation The chart below is based on Hofstedes five cultural dimensions (Geert-Hofstede, 2014). We can see one of the largest score difference is on uncertainty avoidance between Argentina and U.S. According to Hofstede, â€Å"Uncertainty Avoidance is referring to a lack of tolerance for ambiguity and a need for formal rules and policies. This dimension measures the extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations.† (Hofstede, 1980) The UAI was designed to test how comfortable are people with changing the way they work on live (low UA) or prefer the known systems (high UA). With high score of 86, Argentinian senior managers tend to focus on the daily  operations of the organization. They advocate conscientious with strict formal management system, the decision-making are must talking to the experts. However, on the uncertainty avoidance, the United States at a score of 46 which is roughly half that of Argentina. American senior managers are willing to spend more attention to the organizations strategies, the managers tend to use their personal experience and intuition to make decisions. In this case, Peter was anxious to make a showing alliances and intentions. Even Comidas Gaucho managers eschewing his proposal, or they cannot make such important decision in any time soon, Peter have tried to established the strategic alliance with Comidas Gaucho out many times. As mentioned before, Comidas Gaucho is a high UA organization which is like a precision machine, its parts match exactly an integral part of. The staffs in all levels of the organization are work in close conjunction with each other to eliminate uncertainty the maximum extent possible. However, Americans have consciousness of competition. As well as they pursuing speed and profits, which created American businessman resolutely commercial style. They will try to shorten the time in all aspects of the negotiations, and strive to make each a negotiation can be a quick fix. The one true measure of how a negotiation process, is depends how many problems have solved. Americans have a unique sense of value for time: time is money. It is reflected in the use of English words, such as: Time is on, it is kept, it can be borrowed, it can be used, it can be saved, it can be spent, it can be wasted, it can be lost, it can be given, it can be killed, and so on. Americans schedule decide what they do, what not to do, and what need to be done first. Time totally weaving a network of American life, decisions and coordinates the relationship between the Americans. Peter was very dissatisfied with Comidas Gaucho representatives late, but Jorge is irrelevant. Concept of time in some South America countries are not so strong, late for them is not unforgivable. According to Creegan (2012), â€Å"the Argentines descended from the boats†, most of Argentines are descendants of European migrants, with emphasis on British and Italians (Creegan, 2012). Thereby, Argentine business man generally pay attention to clothing, demeanor and generous rules. Peters casual attire is not perceived as appropriate in doing business. He also overlooks some other business etiquette of Argentina. Argentine are eager to share their yerba mate with  the guests, but Peter shows obvious objection of the yerba mate, while Argentine would see this as Peters disrespect for the local traditions. Argentine run away from the controversial issues as politics and religion issues, but Peter discussed the sensitive matter Falklands with Jorge around their dinner tables. (Durrer, 2006) III. Recommendations People often think that others ideas will be roughly the same as themselves, but it is dangerous for cross-cultural communication. In the process of cross-cultural communication, the negotiator have to constantly remind ourselves that people have different cultural backgrounds, different customs. Peter must learning to observe Argentine culture, also need to contrast Argentine culture with American culture, in order to gradually improve his cross-cultural awareness. Patience is very important during do business with Argentine. Peter cannot expect the strategic alliance could be formed by one meeting. Peter could accepted what Eduardo suggested. May be Eduardos Iowa trip could promote the two companies agreement. References Creegan, J. K. (2012). The Argentines Descended from the Boats: Migration in Argentina Retrieved from: http://www.argentinaindependent.com/top-story/the-argentines-descended-from-the-boats-migration-in-argentina/ Durrer, H. (2006). Ways of Perception. On Visual and Intercultural Communication. White Lotus Press, Bangkok, 2006, ISBN 974-4800-92-5. Anonymous. (2014). What about Argentina? The Hofstede Centre. Retrieved from: http://geert-hofstede.com/argentina.html

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Johann Sebastian Bach Essay -- essays research papers

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in the town of Thuringia, Germany where he was raised and spent most of his life. Due to a shortage of expenses, he was confined to a very limited geographical space, as was his career. This greatly affected his, in that his music was not as widley known as other composers of the time. On traveling he never went farther north than Hamburg or farther south than Carlsbad. To look back on the life of Bach many have referred to him as â€Å"one of the greatest and most productive geniuses in the history of Western music†, particularly of the baroque era.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born to a family that produced at least 53 prominent musicians within seven generations, Bach received his first musical instrument from his father. Johann studied music with his father until his father’s death in 1695, at which point he moved to Ohrdruf to study with his brother, Johann Christoph. In the early 1700’s Bach began working as a chorister at a church in Luneburg. In 1703, he became a violinist in the chamber orchestra of Prince Johann Ernst of Weimar, but later that year he moved to Arnstadt where he became church organist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1705, Bach took a one month leave to study with the renowned Danish-born German organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude who was staying in Lubeck. Later, Buxtehude’s organ music would greatly influence that of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s stay was so rewarding that he overstayed his leave by two months to be greatly criticized for his breach of contract by the church authorities. Fortunately, Bach was too highly respected to be dismissed from his position.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1707, Bach married his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach, he also moved to Mulhausen as organist for a church there, but, 1708 brought him back toWeimer. He came back as an organist and violinist at the court of Duke Wilhelm Ernst, where he stayed for the following nine years to become concertmaster of the court orchestra in 1714. In Weimer he composed about 30 cantatas, including his well-known funeral cantata â€Å"God’s time is the best†, and also wrote organ and harpsichord works. Bach also began traveling throughout Germany as an organ virtuoso and a consultant to organ builders.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...sical equivalents of verbal ideas, such as an undulating melody to represent the sea, of a canon to describe the Christians following Jesus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bach’s ability to assess and exploit the media, styles and genre of his day enabled him to achieve many remarkable transfers of idiom. For instance, he could take an Italian ensemble composition, such as a violin concerto, and transform it into a convincing work for a single instrument, the harpsichord. By devising intricate melodic lines, he could convey the complex texture of a multivoiced fugue on a single-melody instrument , such as the violin or cello.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The controversial rhythms and sparse textures of operatic recitatives can be found in some of his own works for solo keyboard. Technical facility alone of course was not the source of some of Bach’s greatness. It is the expressiveness of his music, particularly as manifested in the vocal works, that conveys his humanity and touches listeners everywhere. That is why Johann Sebastian Bach was considered one of the greatest musical composers, but more specifically one of the greatest baroque composers of all time.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Advanced topics

In general, these challenges relate to identifying, evaluating, and making tradeoffs across national, organizational, and personal contexts. Thus, we will discuss formulation- and implementation-related challenges as well as generate solutions to ‘international marketing dilemmas. Learning Methods: Case discussion; Role plays; Mini-debates; Mini-lectures Assessment methods: Class participation; Case presentation; Final exam CLOI . Understand the international marketing environment; Contemplate and analyze international marketing opportunities.CL02. Gain an understanding of international marketing effort related to the market entry and marketing mix strategies CL03. Identify, interpret and evaluate information sources related to multinational marketing with the emphasis on information technologies (Internet). CL04. Understand the principles of global retail management, such as site location, environmental impacts on retail planning and execution, global sourcing, and others. CL0 5. Develop critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills through experiential learning.CL06. Expand creative, research, analytical and writing skills by developing a comprehensive analysis of an international marketing program. COURSE TOOLS To fulfill our course objectives, we will rely on several tools: 1) case studies, 2) readings, 3) small-group projects, 4) multi-media, and 5) mint-lectures. There is no textbook for this course. Instead, you must obtain a course packet containing cases and readings. Please contact the Program office for more information. It is your responsibility to access the course material.COURSE ASSESSMENT Class participation Individual effort Presentations Group effort; Maximum group size = 8 persons Final Exam Group effort; Maximum group size = 4 persons 25% of the final grade 50% of the final grade a) Class participation. Class participation refers to making relevant and meaningful discussion that enhances the quality of our class meetings. Thus, t he content (i. e. , what? ) as well as the process (i. e. , how? ) of discussion are important. Class participation should not be confused with â€Å"air time. † We are interested in your arguments and, importantly, the Justification you offer in their support.Since there are no right or wrong answers, you will not be graded on whether you agree or disagree with the majority. Your failure to participate penalizes all of us. For example, i) you deprive us of your insights, ‘i) your opinions and ideas go unevaluated and unscrutinized, and iii) you lose an opportunity to develop important business skills. Unless there are truly extenuating circumstances, there will not be any make-up assignments in lieu of class participation and/or absences. Participation also includes your involvement in small-group exercises (e. . , mint-presentations, role play, resentation of assigned readings, and so on) as well as unannounced quizzes and assignments. We shall pursue such diversions whenever I feel they are necessary. Given this broad definition of participation, I strongly urge you to be fully prepared for every class. Details of small-group exercises will be announced when they are undertaken. In general, group assignments will be graded on the quality of your output and defensibility of your position. b) Case presentation. Each group must present a case study.All presentations involve a 25-minute oral presentation plus question-answer time. You must provide e with a legible copy of your overheads prior to the presentation. If appropriate, you may distribute case-related material to our class. Each group must sign-up for cases on a first-come-first-served basis. After sign-up, each group should confer with me as early as possible to identify the case decision/issue. Since no two cases are identical, the nature of my assistance will vary. Nonetheless, all assistance shall be related to a specific case and the discussion topic that the case aims to reinforce.Yo u must not research the case decision in preparing tor the presentation (or discussion). This is because such ex post information would not be available to a case protagonist when s/he was confronted with that particular case decision. Previous experience has repeatedly shown that gathering ex post information to reach a case decision is detrimental to the case presentation grade. Be creative in your presentation. Refer to the ‘Guide to Persuasive Presentations' reading. The use of standard analytical frameworks (e. g. SWOT) may be convenient, but contributes to a very dull and boring presentation. Keep your presentation interesting to engage the audience and retain their interest and attention. Regardless of your approach, a holistic presentation typically contains the following material. Of course, you can include other relevant slide(s) containing information you need to support/explain/articulate your analysis. Such slides should be inserted wherever appropriate. Slide-I: Names [Presentation case and group members], Slide-2: Issues [What is the case all about (e. g. , Effects of Globalization, and so on)? , Slide-3: Decision [Specific question(s) to which the decision-maker needs an answer], Slide-4: Cause [Fundamental reason(s) prompting the need to make the above ecision], Slide-5: External Analysis [Detailed analysis of context-specific factors, if any], Slide-6: Internal Analysis [Detailed analysis of company-specific factors, if any], Slide-7: Managerial Preferences [Detailed analysis of management preferences, if any], Slide-8: Options [Detailed discussion of the pros/cons of each feasible option], Slide-9: Recommendation [Selected option and Justification for its choice]. 3 c) Final exam.The principal objective of the final exam is to promote your ability to synthesize your analysis† and our class discussion†of case studies and assigned readings. Your task is to clearly establish key takeaways that would help companies fulfill thei r international marketing agenda efficiently as well as effectively. Thus, these assignments require you to generate keen insights about how companies can compete in markets around the world. Note, the exam does not ask for a case summary or even your recommendations for solving a case. Likewise, the exam does not ask for a summary or critique of the reading.Another objective is to improve your written communication skills. Here, your task is to articulate your synthesis such that your intended message is communicated both concisely and coherently. Your goal should be to convince readers that the key takeaways you identified are indeed significant for competing in markets around the world. Given that the exam will be a â€Å"small† group effort, each group will be required to evaluate the contributions of its individual members. These contributions will be used to weigh the (group) grade for individuals in that group.Thus, depending upon his/her contribution, a individual may receive a higher or lower score than that earned on the graded assignment. Each response to a case study or assigned reading will be graded on a 15-point scale using the following criteria. Each criteria is worth 3 points: 1) Editorial considerations (e. g. , Grammar, spelling and punctuation, clarity of writing etc. ); 2) Format (Maximum 250 words per response, Times font, Size 12 font); 3) Connection between your response and the case or the reading (Is your response tied to the case/article you are responding to?Or is your response so general that it could be developed without access to the specific case/reading? ); 4) Lessons learned (How insightful are your takeaways? Are your thoughts expressed adequately, completely, and articulately? Does your response indicate a thorough nderstanding of the case issues/readings theme? ); 5) Significance of your responses (Why should anyone pay attention to your takeaways? What is it about them that should encourage others to read the case/ assigned reading?How do these responses facilitate a sophisticated grasp of competing in EMs? ). COURSE FORMAT 1 . The course will consists of nine 3-hour blocks (see next section) which comprise of various classroom activities such as mint-lectures, case discussion, and so on. 2. Our meetings will focus on conceptual and theoretical issues blended with examples and illustrations from actual cases. These meetings will follow an interactive seminar format. Consequently, attendance and participation (questions/ comments/ criticisms) in class discussions is critical.COURSE PLAN Class Topic Material [R] = Reading [C] = Casestudy Opening remarks & Course overview: Contemporary Challenges in International Marketing [R] Note on Case Analysis [R] Guide to Persuasive presentations Contemplating International Expansion: Developing a Framework to Evaluate Tradeoffs [R] Distance Still Matters†¦ [C] Ruth's Chris Ethics in Marketing: When in Rome†¦ and [R] Ethical Breakdowns [C] Medica l Equipment 4 t Help or Hinder? Global Sourcing ; Business Models: Do Benefits Justify the Costs? [R] Strategy ; Society†¦ C] IKEA'S Global sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs & Child Labor (A) 5 Developing Business Models for ‘Poor' Countries: Marketing to the Bottom of the Pyramid [R] Is the Bottom of the Pyramid Really for You? [C] Making Waves in Rural Kenya 6 Ethnic Marketing: Are Strong Ties and Entrepreneurship Sufficient? 7 Are Brands an Asset or Liability? : Brand Equity Versus Market Size 8 Dynamics of Luxury Marketing in Developing Economies: National Environments & Consumer Behavior Social Media Marketing: How Much Does it Really Matter?R] Advertisings New Medium: Human Experience [C] Pan Boricua [R] The Chinese Negotiation [C] Majestica Hotel in Shanghai [R] Harnessing the Science of Persuasion [C] Louis Vuitton in India [R] The Global Entrepreneur [C] saltnasear 9 CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Case: Ruth's Chris: The High Stakes of International Expansion a) What di d Hannah do to make a first cut in the list of potential countries? How did he get from 200 to less than 35 potential new markets? Which variables seemed more important in his decision-making? Which unused variables might have been useful? ) What would be your choice for the top 5 opportunities? The top 10 opportunities? What equation did you use to reach that conclusion? Why? c) Hannah was focused on franchising as his mode of entry. Do the critical variables change if a different mode of entry is employed? d) What are some of the internal and external challenges Hannah will face in moving from a list to actually opening the restaurants? Case: Medical Equipment Inc. in Saudi Arabia a) Is bribery or corruption a problem in your country? Why is it a problem? Give some examples. ) Does Grover understand the local culture? Is it possible such situations are Just cross- cultural misunderstandings? If so, does the â€Å"problem† become a less serious issue for international expans ion by firms operating in foreign environments? Grover considers the option of sending A1 Humaidi to a Medical Equipment showroom in France or the United States? How does that compare to paying a bribe to A1 Humaidi? d) If you were Grover, what would you do? How would you Justify your actions to: i) your self, it) your boss, iii) your competitors, and iv) government regulators?Case: IKEA's Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) a) How should Marianne Barner respond to the invitation for IKEA to have a epresentative appear on the upcoming broadcast ot the German video program? What actions should she take regarding the IKEA supply contract with Rangan Exports? c) What long-term strategy would you suggest she take regarding IKEA's continuing operation in India? Should the company stay or should it exit? Be prepared to discuss the impact of such a decision and how you would manage it.For those recommending that IKEA continue to source carpets in India, would you sug gest that Marianne: i) continue IKEA's own monitoring and control processes or sign-up with Rugmark? , ii) continue to focus only on eliminating the use of child labor n IKEA's supply chain or engage in broader action to address the root causes of child labor as Save the Children is urging? Case: Making Waves in Rural Kenya What key consumer needs must be considered and to what extent are these currently being satisfied? b) Discuss the key stakeholders in this case and the role that each plays in the consumer's problem-solving process.What possible consumer segments exist for the proposed WaterHarvester? Who should be the primary target? How would you position the WaterHarvester to your possible target market(s)? e) As Hermann, what specific action plan would you recommend to FTC? Case: Pan Boricua: Developing a Market Strategy for the Hispanic Market in the United States a) Develop an opportunity analysis/ marketing plan for exporting goods to a region where locals (Puerto Ricans) are in exile in the US but still nostalgically looking for goods associated with their homeland such as Pan Boricua / Los Cidrines-branded bread in their neighborhood stores and supermarkets.Take into consideration the legal issues involved. Case: Majestica Hotel in Shanghai How many issues require resolution between Majestica and CPS? As Majestica, where, if anywhere, would you make concessions? As CPS, if Majestica refuses to make concessions, will you walk away? Why? Louis Vuitton in India Does a high-end brand have a market in a low-income economy? Where should this high-end brand find its niche? How should a luxury-brand company deal with changing customer profile? How should a luxury-brand company deal with changing concepts of luxury?Case: SalinaBear: Monetizing a YouTube Profile Visit the SalinaBear YouTube channel and view some of Siu's video's. Assess SalinaBear's success. Has Siu been successful because of good luck and timing or due to her careful and shrewd assessment o f the marketplace? What factors have ontributed to the site's growth? b) How does YouTube work in terms of monetizing videos? What critical success factors are associated with monetizing videos through YouTube? Siu maintains that content, findability, and audience are her key success factors? Do you agree?Are there other key success factors she has neglected? c) Which option†if any†should Siu pursue? NOTE ON COURSE READINGS The assigned readings have been carefully chosen to enhance your learning as well as facilitate a more sophisticated grasp of course topics. Moreover, the readings will form a part of final exam (that is worth 50% of the final course grade). Hence, I strongly urge you to carefully/regularly study and discuss all readings. The following guidelines should help you maximize your learning: a) Identify the readings main ideas and arguments. What is the readings core thesis? ) Try to establish a connection between the readings core thesis and the case study which is paired with the reading. To do this, identify the case studys dominant theme: What specific decision does the case require you to make? Broadly, what is the case study really about? c) Ask yourself how the reading can help the case studys decision maker. Uncover all ideas/concepts/suggestions contained in the reading that could benefit the decision maker. Does the article contain problem-solving principles/approaches you can leverage? Can you see interrelationships?How can the article's content help you to generate a managerially usable framework? Can you link main elements of arguments to form a bigger/better picture? And so on. d) Play around with the above thoughts, and let them simmer for a few days so that you can better distill their essence as well as link them to the case study. e) Be creative. Try to develop the big picture without being too general or vague. Ask yourself whether insights generated from a reading could be derived without having readi a yes then yo u need to think/tocus more caretully on the reading. ) Discuss your thoughts/ideas with your group members and peers. Rarely will a reading provide you with a straightforward guidance regarding a case study! g) Revisit your initial responses, and update your thinking. h) Leverage your brain power to generate a workable solution to a issue/problem/challenge facing a decision maker. i) Yes, this is a difficult exercise. Yes, it can†and has been†done!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Inside Animal Cruelty - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 931 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/16 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Cruelty To Animals Essay Did you like this example? According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), there were over 150,000 cases of animal cruelty in 2016. Organizations such as PETA, Animal Justice Project and the Humane Society of the United States have fought hard to protect animals from abuse every day. When we imagine an animal abuser, we probably picture a person who is very angry and violent. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Inside Animal Cruelty" essay for you Create order When thinking about animal cruelty, we probably imagine an animal being beat to death, neglected, or starved. There are laws to protect animals from these kinds of people because animals deserve respect. No one would be able to witness a local civilian purposely causing harm to his or her pet without alarming authorities, so why dont we hold our government officials to the same expectations? For years, we have been ignoring ongoing issues with animal cruelty within our country. Every day billions of animals are used as trial and errors for scientists, and props for soldiers to build kill confidence. There are more alternatives for these kinds of researches and military training, we should not give people the power to determine life or death, no matter the animal. The U.S. Government is involved in the deaths of more than 100 million animals per year. Organizations like PETA are currently fighting the government and military to prohibit the use of animals in anything that can potentially cause harm to them, including live tissue trauma training, the injection of deadly viruses into our non-human primates, or the horrifying sex experiments on mice and hamsters. These kinds of researches and training have no actual impact on bettering human life. We are simply harming animals for no reason because they are not humans and using them to prevent certain things from causing harm to humans is unreliable due to major biological differences. According to PETA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency legally requires that pesticides are tested on dogs that are locked in inhalation chambers. They are locked up in small metal cages and left to try and escape the poisonous fumes. Their purpose is to ensure that the pesticide will be safe for exposure to h umans, however, according to animal researcher and journalist Dr. Jarrod Bailey, dogs have a major difference from humans being that they obtain cytochrome P450 ?CYP enzymes, which cause the dog to metabolize drugs and intake chemicals differently from any other species. This is not the only pro-animal testing government program, others include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation and the National Toxicology Program. The biology of every species will be different and using non-human animals to conduct this kind of research will always give unreliable results. According to PETA, almost 4,451 experimental cancer drugs were founded and tested on animals between the year 2003 and 2011. The results of the tests on animals came out successful, however, 93 percent of the drugs failed after the first phase of human clinical trials, proving that we are harming animals for no reason. The U.S. Government is responsible for the deaths of animals in laboratories all over America. Unfortunately, animals are not only abused in labs but also in our military training courses. Live tissue trauma training is a course for soldiers to take in order to build their confidence in killing and torturing and for preparing medics in the Special Ops to react quickly in emergency situations. Billions of goats, pigs, and sometimes non-human primates get their limbs torn off, put on fire, or stabbed and killed by soldiers and this is all happening right now. If you visit tacmedics.com, you will find that they offer military training courses which have packages that are complemented with the inclusion of live tissue training. Our government officials keep forgetting that human beings and non-human beings will always be extremely biologically different. Not to mention, according to PETA, the military has developed high-tech human-like props that accurately represent human anatomy † unlike the animals. Opposers will argue that science has a responsibility to find cures and vaccinations that will better the quality of human life, even if that means sacrificing animals. Somewhere in the past, humans lost all value for animals and nature, so mankind has decided to spend lots of the taxpayers money on research that will never really benefit human life. At Yale University, experimenter Marina Picciotto gathered $10 million in taxpayer money for drugs such as nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc. She fed this to her animals and studied the changes in their brain and addiction patterns. Forcing an innocent animal into a life of addiction has no purpose and in no way mimics the suffering of a human addict. We are unwillingly funding these unreliable and pointless studies with money that could be used for drug treatments centers, where we can study addiction in humans and develop strategies for those who desire a drug-free life. There is no doubt that humans have evolved and have taken over. It is now our responsibility to preserve our wildlife and take care of our planet. There are endless alternatives to researching medicine and training military personnel. Technology is progressing, and it is time to put an end to spending government and public funds on causing harm to animals and start utilizing our resources and investing in new and improved technology. For example, a test on rats was performed to see if drugs or chemicals would harm a developing baby and it was only able to detect 60 percent of dangerous substances where a cell-based alternative was found to detect 100 percent of toxic chemicals. Animal testing is animal abuse, lets end it today.