Evolutionary relationships between organisms

Evolutionary relationships between organisms What makes a good character when determining evolutionary relationships between organisms? Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships and the history between species. Phylogenetic trees can be used to illustrate phylogenetics. It is important in showing the gradual changes that have occurred between organisms which has caused one species to develop into the next. Without phylogenetic trees we would not be able to trace back to common ancestors and discover from whereabouts certain characters have emerged. Biological species is the most widely accepted definition of a species; individuals that can interbreed with each other to produce fertile offspring. It is directed more towards the idea of interbreeding. The morphological species concept, on the other hand, is based on the appearance of the organism rather than their ability to interbreed. This concept should only be used when the biological species concept cannot be used, for example when fossils are the only obtainable evidence as the organism no longer exists. A character is a feature that separates one species from another using the morphological species concept or behavioural or molecular attributes. A morphological example would be the presence or absence of a tail. To determine whether a character is good or less-good, the organism and its habitat must be taken into account. A good character will increase the chance of a species survival. The presence of wings in birds is clearly advantageous as all birds have wings. A less-good character to use would be one that is not so commonly found throughout the animal kingdom, indicating that it has no real advantage, for example hair found only on mammals. Shared ancestral characters and shared derived characters have an effect on phylogenetic trees. A shared ancestral character is where the common ancestor of a taxon has that particular character and has passed it on to its descendants. A shared derived character is where a character evolves and the common ancestor did not have that character. The shared derived character is what is needed to separate species when constructing a tree because it determines the evolutionary relationship. If systematists were to define humans using the character ‘hair it would be fairly useless as all non-human mammals also have hair, therefore making the character ‘hair in this case a shared ancestral character for humans. Systematists use parsimony to construct phylogenetic trees. Concerning phylogenetics, parsimony is the least complex and most likely evolutionary pathway. For example, it is more likely that a backbone only evolved once, producing vertebrates, rather than several times for many different species of vertebrate. To construct a phylogenetic tree the biological species concept can be used as well as the morphological one. Systematists use characters that separate different taxa in order to construct such trees. Examples of characters that could be utilised include the absence or presence of hair, teeth, eyes, a hinged jaw, vertebral column etc. A computer programme is used to construct the tree accurately. Having carried out a practical experiment I can now use evidence to support my ideas. During the practical I constructed two trees. The initial tree was inaccurate as very few of the organisms were placed next to their closest relative. The absence or presence of eyes was a less-good character to use for my classification because it didnt separate the different species correctly. It is not specific enough and it is a shared ancestral character, therefore not reflecting an evolutionary relationship. The character unicellular or multicellular was, on the other hand, a good character to use because it separated the Amoeba from the other organisms. After having reconstructed the tree by changing some of the characters, improvements were made , but it was still not entirely accurate. The oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and Brontosaurus are grouped together which correctly suggests they are related, as dinosaurs are an ancestor of birds. However, the whale (Cetacea sp), human (Homo sapien) and badger (Meles meles) should be grouped together as they are all mammals. The mistake I made was choosing some characters that were analogous as opposed to homologous. Analogous characters are when species may look alike but are genetically completely dissimilar. They have been subjected to selection pressures which has caused them to develop similar characters needed to survive in their environment. A good example of this is the bat wing and the bird wing. They have not evolved from a common ancestor, but instead have converged from different ancestors. Homologous characters are when species may look completely different but they are very similar genetically because they have both descended from a common ancestor. These characters are useful for the classification of species and should therefore be used for constructing phylogenetic trees. To conclude, the most useful characters I used for this practical were unicellular or multicellular as this separated the Amoeba from the others, and the presence of a backbone as this grouped most of the vertebrates together. A homologous character is the most use when creating a phylogenetic tree and should be used in preference to analogous characters. Â   Bibliography Lecture notes Campbell and Reece Robyn Beck

History of Table Tennis Essay

The sport got its start in England towards the end of the 19th century when, after dinner, some upper-middle class Victorians decided to turn their dining room tables into miniature versions of the traditional lawn tennis playing field. Several different every-day objects were employed in constructing the sport. They used a line of books as the net. Rackets were lids from empty cigar boxes, and a little later, parchment paper stretched around a frame. The ball would be either a ball of string, or perhaps more commonly, a champagne cork or rubber ball. Before â€Å"Table Tennis.† When the game first started it was called by a number of different names. â€Å"Whif whaf,† â€Å"gossamer,† and â€Å"flim flam† were commonly used to describe it. The words, as can be assumed, were derived from the sound that the ball made when hit back and forth on the table. In 1901 though, English manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd registered one of the more popular names, Ping-Pong, as a copyright. He later sold the trademark to the Parker Brothers in the United States. Then in the 1920’s the name and the sport were revived in Europe as table tennis. Evolution The turn of the century brought many other refinements to the sport. Players started using celluloid balls after the English man James Gibb discovered them during a trip to the United States in 1901 and proved them to be perfect for Ping-Pong. In 1903, E.C Goode replaced parchment paper and cigar box lids with pimpled rubber on light wooden â€Å"blades† as rackets. And after the world championships in Prague in 1936, where two defensive players took over an hour to contest one point, the net was lowered to make the pace of the game-play faster. (In another effort to make the game more fast paced and entertaining, rules were again changed in 2001- see Rules). It Spreads Also around this time, the sport spread to other European countries and to the United States. Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan are understood to have learnt about it from British Army officers who held posts in those places. There was an unofficial world championship held in 1901, but the first official world championship was held in London in 1927 by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ITTF was founded in Berlin in 1926 by England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. Asian Factor Although it may seem today that the sport, in the professional realm, is dominated by Asian countries like China and Korea, it wasn’t always that way. Before the late 1950’s and early 60’s, European players from Hungary especially, but also from France and Sweden seemed without competition. But in 1952, Japanese player Horoi Satoh introduced the foam rubber paddle. The paddle made the game faster and spinning the ball became an even greater factor. Japan became the main winner in the world competitions in 1960, and by the mid 1960’s China took over the reigns through to the early 1980’s. Their absolute domination of the sport was finally subdued with the entering of table tennis into the Olympic Games in 1988 and the participation of players from Korea and Sweden. Table Tennis and the Cold War On April 6th, 1971, the US table tennis team was invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to play in China. Four days later, nine players, four officials and two spouses crossed the bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. They were the first group of Americans to be allowed into the country since the communist take-over in 1949. One of the first signs during the Cold war of improved relations between the United States and China, Time magazine called it â€Å"the pong heard throughout the world.† It was shortly followed with a visit to China by President Nixon. Facilities and Equipment The Table The playing surface, should be rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor .The playing surface should not include the vertical sides of the tabletop. The playing surface should yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark colored and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white center line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the center line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court. The Net Assembly The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing surface. The Ball The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm.and weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt. The Racket The racket may be of any size, shape or weight but the blade (wooden face) shall be flat and rigid. The covering material (rubber sheets) shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material. The surface of the covering material on a side of the blade, or of a side of the blade if it is left uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other. Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of color due to accidental damage or wear may be allowed provided that they do not significantly change the characteristics of the surface. Rules of the game Serving The server shall project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm and then falls without touching anything before being struck. The ball shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his doubles partner and as soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm shall be removed from the space between the server’s body and the net. If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service he may, on the first occasion in a match, declare a let (see below) and warn the server. Any subsequent service of doubtful legality of that player or his doubles partner will result in a point to the receiver. Whenever there is a clear failure to comply with the requirements for a good service, no warning shall be given and the receiver shall score a point.

Asda Marketing Plan

Abstract The following report considers the ethical position of ASDA, noting the external environment in which it operates and its marketing plan.The report finds that ASDA’s focus on low prices has somewhat disengaged it with ethics, with the business more focused on selling volume, as opposed to selling sustainable products. However, given changes in the external environment, and the rise in the discount retailers, ASDA has now been faced with higher competition. To combat this, the report suggests that ASDA looks to change its strategy to focus more on a sustainable supply-chain, potentially one which is focused on UK food and products. While this may lead to higher prices from the retailer, it could improve its image when it comes to sustainable food retailing, and so warrant higher prices to consumers, especially if the introduction of local products develops an emotional attachment for customers. Introduction The following assignment will consider ASDA, considering the external environment in which the business operates as well as its ethical consideration, determining whether the current strategy should be maintained or whether a change is needed, with the assignment then making recommendations.Company OverviewASDA is a UK-based grocery retailers owned by U.S. listed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ASDA has been part of the UK’s ‘Big 4’ retailers in the UK grocery sector, also compromising of Tesco, Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s, however it recently moved from 3rd from 2nd place on the list, being overtaken by Sainsbury’s after disappointing sales. The latest report from Kantar Worldpanel (2016) put’s ASDA’s market share at 15.3%, behind that of Sainsbury’s after suffering a 4.7% fall in sales, compared with a 0.7% fall in Sainsbury’s, and a 1.6% rise in sales at Tesco. To many UK consumers, ASDA has developed on the back of price co mpetition, with the retailer being heavily focused on being the UK’s best value supermarket. Due of its focus on price, ASDA in the past could have been seen to ignore ethical consideration, with some of the top places seen with premium retailers such as Marks & Spencer, who use their premium pricing to better consider the quality/ ethics behind their supply chain.Market EnvironmentHowever, it is this strategy which has been a downfall for the retailer, especially when put against competition from the expanding ‘discounter’s’, namely Lidl and Aldi (Ruddick, 2014). These retailers have aggressively expanded into the UK market on the back of offering low prices to consumers, with their focus on ‘prime-match’, similar of marketing conducted by ASDA against the other ‘Big 4’[1]. Given this, Aldi managed to record sales growth of 10% over the same period, beating all competition and increasing its market share to 6.2%. At the same time , Aldi also announced that it looks to take its store tally from 450 to 1,000 by 2022; Lidl also announced plans to open 40-50 new stores in the UK each year, noted by Gale (2016). This move in the market has been supported from a new business model and changing consumer habits. Discounters have benefitted from economies of scale, reducing the scale of choice to offer just one option; in turn allowing them to increase sales of that product and reduce the production costs. At the same time, these discounters have also expanded on a no-frills approach to stores, moving away from the ‘Superstore’ concept which became popular with Tesco and ASDA. This comes at a time when consumers have also looked to move away from superstores, preferring little-and-often shops to better budget. There also seems to a reduction in customer loyalty as consumers look for the best value.Marketing Situational AnalysisBuilding on the above, a SWOT analysis is shown below; Strengths  ·UK wide presence with 525 stores.  ·Still the UK’s 3rd largest grocery retailer – potential to increase share.Weaknesses  ·Recent marketing seems to have placed it in the ‘discount’ category when it comes to grocery stores – potentially restricting sales of some of its higher-value items. Opportunities  ·Recent improvement in UK economic fundamentals – coupled with rising wages may increase consumer disposable income.  ·Fall in ?GBP has put some spotlight on UK food/ products to escape price rises.Threats  ·Competition remains the biggest threat to ASDA, especially with discounters such as Lidl/ Aldi quickly expanding their store network, as well as expanding their marketing activities, with a focus on value. Ultimately, the analysis is suggesting that the main weakness in marketing lies within this continued focus solely on the price. This has come under pressure given new entrants into the market, with the discounters of Lidl/ Aldi coming into the market with business models which mean they can potentially undercut ASDA on prices. This is the main threat to the business, with ASDA still seeing a fall in sales, even with the recent buoyancy in UK retail sales. However, there are potential opportunities for ASDA to diversify, expanding its marketing to cover issues within sustainability and UK produce; improving the ethics when it comes to food sourcing, and issues such as food security and locality[2].ObjectivesIn the past, ASDA’S objectives have been focused on customer value, however given an expanding ‘discount’ sector, the retailer is now under more pricing pressure to maintain customers. With this, there is the expectation that the retailer may need to diversify, essentially look to attract more customers back to its stores. The objective for ASDA is to tempt customer’s back into its store; or tempt new customers back. Given continued expansion of Lidl/ Aldi, it could be expected that the new strategy will need to focus more on attracting new customers, be it from retailers such as Sainsbury’s.Strategy & SegmentationTo support its strategy, ASDA will look to segment the market into different consumers, based on demographics, location, income etc. Given marketing campaigns undertaken by the business, it would appear that ASDA has segmented the market; looking to appeal to those families of lower incomes. Its focus on being the cheapest is indicative of its primary target market. Because of this, the business has become somewhat specialised on this business model, a focus on low-cost, which in turn could impede quality. It has positioned itself in the low-cost end of the market, however given new entrants and intensified competi tion, is now finding it hard to compete and develop with new competition (Peter, 2011)[3]. The business model helped ASDA over the years of recession given constrained consumer income, however as economic conditions have improved, consumers have essentially traded-up. This has provided support to other retailers such as Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose which position themselves at the higher end of the market. With this, ASDA may feel that its business is currently positioned to narrow, targeting a consumer base which is shrinking which competition is increasing. There are two ways in which the retailer can broaden its consumer base, either through changes to marketing which will target a new market, or by differentiating the product to appeal to a broader base of consumers, noted in Armstrong et al (2012)[4].Tactics & ActionGiven the above, the main tactic for ASDA s to re-position itself in the market, remove this constant focus on price and look to focus more on ethical issues such as sustainability, which in turn may suggest quality. To do this, the retailer has a number of actions: ASDA will move to focus on local; putting its focus on supplying more UK produce in-stores, having dedicated aisles in superstores to local producers. The benefit here will not only be from higher sales of these goods, put also of the positive PR which could arise through supporting local farmers, and local communities. This is essentially classed as differentiation; the retailer will be introducing new products to do so. ASDA will also look to introduce convenience aisles into superstores. This will be seen as segmentation,[5] looking to attract a new set of customers to its stores who may have previously left as they prefer to do ‘little-and-often’ shops. This can be marketed by ASDA to target these specific customers.BudgetThis section will now discuss the budget for such a change in strategy. The main costs to the business will be seen as the marketing. For instance, when it comes to the ‘convenience aisle’, it could be noted that the infrastructure is a lready there; the stores will simply have to shuffle around stock to create the new aisle. When it comes to introducing the new products, the costs may be more down to developing the local links, with the suppliers themselves bearing the costs associated with producing the goods. Rather than a major financial cost, the introduction of more local products may be more time consuming for ASDA, given that they will need to ensure that the new products are in-keeping with the goals of the business, both in terms of pricing and quality (Ferrell, 2012)[6]. Marketing will be done through all ’traditional’ channels given the mass-market appeal of ASDA and the fierce competition within the UK grocery sector. While this would involve a higher cost than say digital marketing opportunities, it would be hoped that print advertisements and TV commercial will draw more attention, and so inform more customers. However, digital marketing could also be used, especially when it comes to advertisements through social media, and targeted banner ads which can be used online.ControlControl remains an important consideration, both in terms of ensuring a level of consistency in the marketing message as well as also monitoring the return on investment (hereafter ROI). When it comes to consistency, while marketing could change to reflect changes in the marketplace, the business must look to maintain its ‘core’ message. For instance, while the focus on new marketing campaigns may be on local produce, the core message remains with the slogan ‘Save Money, Live Better’. Too much of change may lead to current customers becoming detached with the business and its values. Control will also come with ROI. Essentially, all businesses need to ensure that their marketing spend is generating business. New, digital marketing allows businesses to track this, with businesses able to use tools such as Google Analytics to view web traffic etc. (Chaffey, 2012)[7]. Traditional marketing may be harder to manage in terms of ROI, given that it is harder to distinguish how a certain poster/ TV commercial may have driven demand. However, if ASDA move forward with a unified campaign, so changing all marketing to reflect a single message, then the business can understand the potential ROI of the campaign. Recommendation/ Conclusion To conclude, ASDA has in the past focused its marketing plan on price, looking to drive consumption through low prices. This is itself would not be considered ‘ethical consumerism’, given that some of the lower prices products could be viewed as a damage to the environment. However, this strategy has now placed ASDA into a market segment which is seeing more competition, at a time when the size of the market may be slowing, given improving economics in the UK[8]. To combat this, ASDA has an opportunity to diversify its product range into a more ‘premium’ space; be it the expansion of their ‘Extra Special’ range, or through the introduction of more local products and brands (Perreault, 2010)[9]. The focus on UK produce could provide ASDA with a ‘Unique Selling Point’; which could allow the business to justify higher pricing, noted in Fifield (2012)[10]. This may also improve the organisations ethical position as it suggests that ASDA is considering sustainability in its wider supply-chain; given that more food is local, opposed to international, reducing the ‘distance’ of the supply chain, potentially being seen as more environmentally friendly. However, at the same time, the retailer must be wary that any change to its pricing may impact on its core customers. In the end, this may further impact on market share, however this is seen as a potential risk of an opportunity. The recommendation for ASDA is that is moves forward with a change in marketing, highlighting developments in both local sourcing as well as convenience. However, ASDA must look to control this movement, and potentially monitor the opportunity. This could be done through monitoring sales of, as well as monitoring footfall into stores. References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., & Brennan, R. (2012). Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Prentice-Hall, London. Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2012). Digital marketing, London, Pearson Higher Ed. Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. (2012). Marketing strategy, text and cases, London, Nelson Education. Ferrell, O. C., & Fraedrich, J. (2015). Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases, London, Nelson Education. Fifield, P. (2012). Marketing strategy, London, Routledge. Gale. (2016) [Online]. How long will Aldi and Lidl’s onslaught last?, Available at http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/long-will-aldi-lidls-onslaught-last/future-business/article/1386497, Accessed 17.12.2016. Kantar Worldpanel. (2016) [Online]. UK Grocery Market Share, Available at http://www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/grocery-market-share/great-britain, Accessed 17.12.2016. Perreault, W. D. (2010). Essentials of marketing: A marketing strategy planning approach, London, Pearson. Perreault Jr, W., Cannon, J., & McCarthy, E. J. (2013). Basic marketing, London, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Peter, J. P., & Donnelly, J. H. (2011). Marketing management: knowledge and skills: text, analysis, cases, plans, London, Pearson. Ruddick, G. (2014) [Online]. It may already be too late for Tesco and Sainsbury’s, the rise of Aldi and Lidl looks unstoppable, Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10974773/It-may-already-be-too-late-for-Tesco-and-Sainsburys-the-rise-of-Aldi-and-Lidl-looks-unstoppable.html, Accessed 19.12.2016. Wood, S., & McCarthy, D. (2014). The UK food retail ‘race for space’and market saturation: A contemporary review. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 24(2), 121-144.

A Complete List of Shakespeare’s Plays

Scholars of Elizabethan drama believe that William Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays between 1590 and 1612. These dramatic works encompass a wide range of subjects and styles, from the playful A Midsummer Nights Dream to the gloomy Macbeth. Shakespeares plays can be roughly divided into three genres—comedies, histories, and tragedies—though some works, such as The Tempest and The Winters Tale, straddle the boundaries between these categories. Shakespeares first play is generally believed to be Henry VI Part I, a history play about English politics in the years leading up to the Wars of the Roses. The play was possibly a collaboration between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, another Elizabethan dramatist who is best known for his tragedy Doctor Faustus. Shakespeares last play is believed to be The Two Noble Kinsmen, a tragicomedy co-written with John Fletcher in 1613, three years before Shakespeares death. Shakespeares Plays in Chronological Order The exact order of the composition and performances of Shakespeare’s plays is difficult to prove—and therefore often disputed. The dates listed below are approximate and based on the general consensus of when the plays were first performed: Henry VI Part I (1589–1590)Henry VI Part II (1590–1591)Henry VI Part III (1590–1591)Richard III (1592–1593)The Comedy of Errors (1592–1593)Titus Andronicus (1593–1594)The Taming of the Shrew (1593–1594)The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594–1595)Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594–1595)Romeo and Juliet (1594–1595)Richard II (1595–1596)A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595–1596)King John (1596–1597)The Merchant of Venice (1596–1597)Henry IV Part I (1597–1598)Henry IV Part II (1597–1598)Much Ado About Nothing (1598–1599)Henry V (1598–1599)Julius Caesar (1599–1600)As You Like It (1599–1600)Twelfth Night (1599–1600)Hamlet (1600–1601)The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600–1601)Troilus and Cressida (1601–1602)All’s Well That Ends Well (1602–1603)Measure for Measure (1604–1605)Othello (1604–1605)King Le ar (1605–1606)Macbeth (1605–1606)Antony and Cleopatra (1606–1607)Coriolanus (1607–1608)Timon of Athens (1607–1608)Pericles (1608–1609)Cymbeline (1609–1610)The Winter’s Tale (1610–1611)The Tempest (1611–1612)Henry VIII (1612–1613)The Two Noble Kinsmen (1612–1613) Dating the Plays The chronology of Shakespeares plays remains a matter of some scholarly debate. Current consensus is based on a constellation of different data points, including publication information (e.g. dates taken from title pages), known performance dates, and information from contemporary diaries and other records. Though each play can be assigned a narrow date range, it is impossible to know exactly in which year any one of Shakespeares plays was composed. Even when exact performance dates are known, nothing conclusive can be said about when each play was written. Further complicating the matter is the fact that many of Shakespeares plays exist in multiple editions, making it even more difficult to determine when the authoritative versions were completed. For example, there are several surviving versions of Hamlet, three of which were printed in the First Quarto, Second Quarto, and First Folio. The version printed in the Second Quarto is the longest version of Hamlet, though it does not include over 50 lines that appear in the First Folio version. Modern scholarly editions of the play contain material from multiple sources. Authorship Controversy Another controversial question regarding Shakespeares bibliography is whether the Bard actually authored all of the plays assigned to his name. In the 19th century, a number of literary historians popularized the so-called anti-Stratfordian theory, which held that Shakespeares plays were actually the work of Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, or possibly a group of playwrights. Subsequent scholars, however, have dismissed this theory, and the current consensus is that Shakespeare—the man born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564—did, in fact, write all of the plays that bear his name. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that some of Shakespeares plays were collaborations. In 2016, a group of scholars performed an analysis of all three parts of Henry VI and came to the conclusion that the play does include the work of Christopher Marlowe. Future editions of the play published by Oxford University Press will credit Marlowe as co-author. Another play, The Two Noble Kinsmen, was co-written with John Fletcher, who also worked with Shakespeare on the lost play Cardenio. Some scholars believe that Shakespeare may have also collaborated with George Peele, an English dramatist and poet; George Wilkins, an English dramatist and inn-keeper; and Thomas Middleton, a successful author of numerous stage works, including comedies, tragedies, and pageants.