The Exercise of Accounting Clothes Personal Statement - 2

The Exercise of Accounting Clothes - Personal Statement Example I thought that I had only few purchases that were made from China but I did not expect that majority of them were actually from China (there were 22 clothes that I bought coming from them). This misimpression is due to the fact that even if the brand is patently American, if we bother enough to check the label on where it is made, it is in fact made in China. For example, my sport apparel Nike. We know that Nike is an American company and we would like to think that it is also made in America. But no, check the labels and you cannot even read them because it is written in Chinese character. It is in fact made in China. This led me to think and do some basic research. I begun to understand the supply chain that companies employ in order to save cost and become competitive. But again, this led me to think if the main motivation really is to save on cost to sell their products more affordable then are their prices are saying otherwise? Nike is still priced at premium even if they had ou tsourced their manufacturing to some sweatshops in China. These companies are raking billions of dollars in profit. The motivation of having their manufacturing somewhere else must be the drive to profit more by finding ways to cut cost by looking for people who can do the job the cheapest way possible. Sadly, this takes jobs away from Americans and kills our local garment industry. This also makes the salary of those who works in our textile industry low because of competition of the dirt cheap salary of textile workers in Bangladesh and Cambodia. Worst, this outsourcing has brought new evils in the country that they were outsourced such as China and countries in South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines). News about the old labor, unreasonably long working hours and dangerous working conditions are prevalent that it defeats the benefit of giving people jobs because they are being exploited. Also, the quality of the textiles deteriorates because the manufacturing process of the countries they are from cut corners. Also, I noticed during the process of my accounting my clothes that some have labels of being recyclable (the ones made in USA) while many do not. I understood it because of our stringent laws about the environment and our general concern about the environment. I checked the labels on the other clothes that I have that were made overseas and there were no labels that the clothes can be recycled. This led me to think that these manufacturers must have no concern for the environment after making the sales or even during the manufacture of these clothes. Come to think of it, if they cared less about their workers, employing them in hazardous working conditions and giving them oppressive salaries whose ill effects can be immediately observed, how much more about the environment whose effect can only be felt many years ahead? Also, the quality of the fabric can readily be distinguished because those that came from the USA are noticeably of better quality. We just came from a financial crisis and to some extent, we are still reeling from it.

Corporate and Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate and Global Strategy - Essay Example Such organizations bring out the best in people. Some people research on an organization’s culture before they job-hop, so that they know whether they will be able to gel in the organization. It would be very practical to perceive leaders as both architects and products of an organization. This is because a good organization develops the leader and a good leader develops the organization. Even individuals, who are effective in one team, might not be effective in another or fail to make a substantial contribution. An organization is an artificial person and has an identity. This identity is given to the organization by its leaders and employees. Besides that, leaders also impact how the organization interprets its surroundings and what are its values, which relationships are important, which feedback matters and what information is available etc. The organization’s norms and boundaries shape leader’s behavior and view. Even after joining a new job, an employee obs erves the things that are important to his boss or CEO to determine the organization’s value system and expected employee behavior. Organizations that have established an identity for themselves stand a better chance of experiencing cooperation. This in turn leads to goal alignment and overall performance tends to show an upward-moving trend. Collective identity is more important from an organization’s point of view because it creates a sense of commitment to the organization, enriches the organizational culture and augments cooperation. Leaders shape culture through modeling, teaching and coaching (Northern Leadership Academy, 2012). Influential leaders also affect ethical behavior of the organization as a whole and this can be better understood through the A-B-C model (where A is the ethical lapse, B is the leader’s behavior as a response to this lapse and C is the result of the leader’s behavior). An organization’s ethical behavior and moral con duct is either weakened or strengthened by the conduct of its leaders. Take the case of an accounting clerk who manipulates results to conceal errors; if the leader does not take any effective action against number manipulation then the practice of manipulating figures to cover up errors is strengthened in the organization. Similarly if one employee bullies another and the leader takes serious action against it, then the tendency to bully is greatly weakened in the organization. For instance, leaders who are morally correct will not bend the rules in any case and voice their resentment in case of an ethical lapse. However there are some leaders who are indifferent to an ethical lapse and let unethical things happen in front of them. The character of the leader builds the character of the organization. So a leader’s behavior shapes the organization’s future behavior. Where it is true that a leader has the capacity to influence the organizational behavior, it is also imp ortant to note that a leader also has to come up with ways to shape organizational behavior favorably. If a leader wants to bring about a change, he has to mold himself for the change first and then expect the whole organization to follow his footprints. Changing one’s behavior for the organization is not easy as it requires a lot of loyalty and responsibility on the part of the leader. A good leader will always place the organization’s interest above his self-interest. He is not reactive but instead proactive. He nibs the evil in the bud by clearly informing employees which unethical

Conflict is the essence of drama Essay Example for Free

Conflict is the essence of drama Essay The effect of conflicts in drama is profound, and conflicts contribute to a great extent in making drama attractive for audience to watch. Conflict basically forwards drama, while in the meantime it leads to changes that attract audiences as it progresses through time. Conflict shows character, their realizations, and also realizations of audiences, all of which make drama interesting to attract audiences. It projects meanings and gives vividness to drama, thus it makes drama interesting in order to attract audiences. Conflict forwards drama by introducing changes that keeps the audiences sited. Audiences find an unchanging play that follows routine to be boring and hopes to find differences. Thus, changes are necessary in drama for it to demand a reaction from the audiences thats maintained, so that they can keep focused to the play. In Oedipus, changes occur from the beginning of the play to the end. Oedipus doesnt go through a normal life as being a king or live a happy life with his wife, but experiences through a catastrophe that influences his life. Critical changes are brought out by conflict at certain moments and introduce newness to drama, for example when Jocasta discovers that Oedipus is the child she sent years ago. The conflict is within Jocasta herself, of sinfully being both a wife and mother of Oedipus. Also the conflict is between her and people of Thebes, including Oedipus, where the normal relationship has been destroyed. These two conflicts mean a dramatic change in Jocasta herself, and for the play, as it moves on acknowledging the effects of these changes. Similarly, in Macbeth, changes are brought out throughout the play, enriched by conflicts within characters, such as Macbeth, and conflicts between characters, such as between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. The two monologs of Macbeth shows his inner conflict between his consciences and his ambition, which slowly drives him towards murdering the king. The vast change in his inner mind based on the conflict sets the basis for the play and leads to the potential consequences that happen later. Conflict between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth occurs when Lady Macbeth accuses her husband of not being a man to have the courage murder. Changes are brought out as Macbeth becomes more firm and aggressive towards the murder, which then affects direction of the whole play by moving closer towards the murder and gives the audiences anticipation towards the killing. Thi s brings a sense of delight in the audiences to keep them focused to the play. By having conflicts which leads to changes, drama is forwarded along with the reactions from the audiences. At the same time conflict forwards a play, conflict also shows character of the characters. In Oedipus, conflict is presented between characters such as between the Terisias the priest and Oedipus. The technique of stichomythic dialogue is used when the two have a conflict in their conversation, to show the characters emotions, especially Oedipuss pride. Short, fast sentences are used when Oedipus hears Teiresiass accusation on him, he says Shall I bear more of this and Teiresias answers I will. The stichomythic dialogue shows Oedipuss jealousy and his tyranny behavior. By being not able to see the warning language of Terisias, hes also shown to be arrogant. His conversation with Creon further shows his arrogance and hubris. Again, stichomythic dialogue is used when Oedipus says By no means. I would have you dead, not banished and Creon answers if you can show in what way I have wronged you. In Macbeth, conflict within Macbeth himself shows his character. In Shakespeares portrayal of Macbeth, theres resolution and irresolution, theres decision and indecision, all which describes his character. During the two long monologs, his relentless ambition fights with his conscience, showing the opposing two sides of his inner character. When Macbeth sees the dagger hanging in front of him, he mentions he thinks not of them and that theres no such thing, but it is indeed ironic because hes mind is actually focused on them. The irony shows his character, the fighting between trying to remain conscience by not thinking of them and murdering the king. He mentions the dagger as a false creation, but in his deep heart desires to use it. Along with showing character, conflict shows their realizations, and more, makes also the audiences to realize. With Oedipus, audiences realize the effect of hubris of people, after seeing how Oedipus experiences his downfall. Audiences realize how the dominating emotions of arrogance, jealousy, pride affect Oedipus in refusal to recognize his wrongness. The paradox of Terisias of being physically blind but sees things correctly in terms of morality further contrasts with Oedipuss emotion, and further encourages the audiences to realize hubris. Although in Oedipus, realizations happen while the audiences have a certain outline, some knowledge on the play, audiences still experience the play differently, since it is live. However, this is not true with Macbeth, as history of the play is made up as going along. Audiences realize the consequences of Macbeth after murdering the king by seeing that, in the end, he dies in the battle. Characters themselves also have realizations in drama, usually at critical moments where conflict makes the play changes its plot dramatically. Oedipuss realization of him being the son of Laius comes slowly, but also catastrophically. Again, the tension of the realization is built up using stichomythic dialogues. Oedipus realizes that he can never go back to where he was. His conflict lies in that he wishes to return to being the king as before, but the truth does not allow him to do so. Similarly, In Macbeth, realization of Macbeth comes with his action of murdering the king. There is clearly a feeling of being scared of others discovering their actions inside Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after murdering the king, as they rhetorically question the noise of the surroundings. Also, Macbeth mentions Ill go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done, suggesting he realizes the dangers that would occur to him if his actions were discovered. Conflict in drama projects meaning, though it might not project a resolution to the problem at the end of the play. The end of one conflict in the play doesnt necessary mean that there will be no future conflicts. In Oedipus, the fall of Oedipus doesnt indicate the problem of the nation has been solved, but on the contrary, there might be other arrogant tyrants like Oedipus in the future. However, the story of Oedipus somehow teaches the audiences to be morally good, therefore it has a meaning. Similarly, in Macbeth, the tragedy of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth teaches audiences to realize that following a path similar to them will lead to destruction. Duncans speeches of gracefulness, loyalty, honor, honesty and integrity are meant to project moral rightness, therefore to teach morally. Still, theres no final resolution at the end of the play and it may mean that there will be other tyrants like Macbeth in the future. However, the play itself has projected meanings which, attracts audiences to watch it because simply no one would be interested in a play with no meanings. In conclusion, conflict does not only perform the basic functions for drama, such as forwarding the play, but conflicts main effect is that it makes drama more interesting, which is essential to attract audiences. Changes are brought out by conflict that introduces something different, and something new. Also, characters in drama are shown vividly through conflict. Conflict projects meaning, create realizations of the audiences and characters, with all of this, it makes drama fascinating and irregular.

Actin Expression in Hela Cells by APAAP Immunocytochemistry

Actin Expression in Hela Cells by APAAP Immunocytochemistry Kunthavai Jeevananthan Isolation of mononuclear cells, cell counts, cell staining and immunochemistry Aims: to test the morphology of sheep’s blood smear and to calculate the number of viable cells and the percentage viability of live and dead mononuclear cells. To investigate and analyse actin expression in Hela cells by APAAP immunocytochemistry. There are three main components of blood these include erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells) and thrombocytes (platelets). Leukocytes are produced and store in a number of locations called lymphoid organs inside the body such as the spleen, thymus and the bone marrow through a process known as haematopoiesis. They are part of the bodies primary defence mechanism against infections caused by disease causing microorganisms entering the body. Leukocytes are constantly produced and released into the bloodstream where they circulate the body travelling from organs to lymph nodes where they are stored via the lymph and blood vessels. There are three different types of leukocytes known as granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes (Kara, 2011). The granulocytes include eosinophils and basophils which are involved in immune responses and also neutrophils ingest and kill any foreign body that enter the body such as bacteria and fungi. Lymphocytes help to protect against viral infections whereas others develop into antibodies against foreign invasions. Blood smears and differential staining techniques such as the Giemsa and Grunwald staining can be conducted to analyse the morphology of blood cells to help diagnose blood disorders. Mononuclear cells also known as agranulocytes are white blood cells containing one lobed nucleus. These include monocytes and immunocytes such as B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. Normal blood values vary from around 50, 00 to 10, 000 leukocytes per cubic millimetre. High values of leukocytes are known as leucocytosis and it is most commonly due to inflammations as a result of an immune response or blood diseases such as leukaemia (Marshall, 2008). Low values of leukocytes are known as leukopenia this occurs when the bone marrow is unable to produce sufficient RBC like for example neutrophils which leads to neutropenia, this can make the body more prone to diseases and infections therefore mononuclear cell counts are widely used in immunology, haematological malignancy, oncology and vaccine development to monitor immunological functions and to identify and diagnose blood related conditions. This can be achieved by the Ficoll-Hypaque technique; a density gradient method that separates lymphocytes from other formed elements in blood which can be removed and stained with trypan blue in order to be viewed on a haemocytometer under the microscope. Live cells have an intact cell membrane that is impermeable to certain dyes such as trypan whereas dead cells do not therefore viable cells with a clear cytoplasm and nonviable cells with a blue cytoplasm can be identified and calculated (Harlad and Heinz et al, 2004). Immunocytochemistry is the identification of a tissue by specific antigen-antibody interaction where the antibodies are marked with a visible label for examination under the microscope which was first described by Albert H. Coons in 1941. This technique was further developed in different ways by using different indicator molecules such as fluorescein molecules, biotin and enzymes i.e. peroxidase. APAAP (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase) is an alkaline phosphatase method first described by Cordell et al in 1984 (John, 2008). Antibodies are proteins known as immunoglobulins (Igs) which are further categorised in to different isotypes. The IgG isotype is most commonly used in immunocytochemistry as its biding is more consistent. Actin is a highly conserved and abundant cytoskeletal protein which exists in six different known isofroms in mammals therefore it can be used to detect cancer cells like Hela cells, a continuously cultured strain isolated from human cervical cance r cells, as they are rapidly multiplying and are rich in Actin. Beta and gamma actin are known as cytoplasmic actin as they are expressed in non-muscle cells. Mouse anti-actin antibody is used in this technique as they are a form of highly conserved globular proteins which are found in cell mortality, structure and integrity of all eukaryotic cells hence are often found around the nucleus in the cytoplasm (Richard, 2010). Results Figure 1 Figure 1.1 Red blood cell Platelets Figure 2Figure 2.1 Figure 3: Hela cells only Figure 4: No Primary control Figure 5: Isotype control Figure 6: Actin Discussion The Giemsa and Grunwald staining of the sheep’s blood smear show the all the red blood cells are approximately the same shape and size however the number of red blood cells present appears to be fairly lower than expected. There are a number of reasons as to why this could have occurred such as lack of iron lead to failure of haemoglobin production therefore the number of red blood cells lost cannot be replaced efficiently. Other causes that may result in decreased numbers of erythrocytes may be due to bone marrow damage or disorders, internal or external bleeding and kidney failure. The red blood cells were all however the same shape and size which shows that there is no cause of concern for diseases related to abnormal shapes of RBCs such as sickle cell anaemia. Although the cells appear spherical in figure 1 this may be due to the low magnification and resolution therefore in order to confirm spherocytosis further analysis in higher resolution and tests need to be carried o ut. The light pink staining in the centre of the RBC shows that the area is less dense indicating the absence of a nucleus and the biconcave structure. The mononuclear cell count shown in figure 2 does not show any live mononuclear cells. There are a number of reasons as to why this may have occurred like for example when pipetting the separated white blood cells layer on top of the ficoll layer may have been taken from the wrong layer of cells. Another point to taken into consideration is that when removing the supernatant the live cells may have also been accidentally removed with it. As sheep’s blood cells were used instead of human blood the layering in ficoll is likely to be slightly different therefore in order to obtain a better sample of live and dead mononuclear cells the white blood cells should be removed closer to the bottom of the tube just above the red blood cell pallet at the bottom. In figure 2 there were no dead cells present in the centre square therefore the percentage viability cannot be calculated by dividing the number of live cells by the number of dead cells. The red blood cell count varies from perso n to person as factors such as the altitude and gender. The normal value of male blood count is 4.5 to 6.0 x106 and in females it is 4.0 and 4.5 x 106 therefore when comparing the sheep’s RBC count of 9.3 x 106 calculated from figure 2 is high. A high number of red cell counts may be due to lung diseases, kidney tumours and polycythaemia vera (PVC). The APAAP immunocytochemistry method conducted shows that the Hela cells are a single lineage as all cells in figure 6 were stained brown when incubated with primary anti-actin antibody and secondary polyclonal Goat anti-mouse antibody which are complimentary to each other hence they will only bind to the same cell lineage with the specific antigen. Figure 5 shows a positive isotype control of hela cells incubated with purified mouse monoclonal. This confirms that the actin antibody specific background staining shown in figure 5 were not due to non-specific interactions of antibody molecules with the HeLa cell sample. Figure 4 also shows that hela cells without the secondary antibody alone without the primary antibody convey no significant background staining caused by DAB hence also supporting the fact the background staining is highly antigen specific (Stross and Jones et al, 1989). This method can be used to analyse the cellular contents, localisation and the distribution of cells in their surroundings and their relationship with other cells in peripheral blood smears, swabs, cell cultures, histological biopsy and bone marrow aspirates hereby giving definitive diagnosis to tumour and cancer diagnosis. An alternative immunocytochemistry method is Avidin-Biotin complex (ABC). Similarly like the APAAP method it involves the application of a primary antibody, secondary antibody however APAAP complex is replaced with Avidin-Biotin peroxidase complex (Buchwalow and Bocker, 2010). Reference Buchwalow, I. B, Bocker. W. (2010). Immunocytochemistry: Basics and method: Immunostaning enchantment. 48-52. Germany. Springer-Verlag. Harald, T., Heinz, D., Trosten, H. (2004). Colour Atlas of haematology: practical microscopic and clinical diagnosis. 63-66. German. Georg Thieme Verlag. John, B. D. (2008). Theory and practice of histological techniques: 433-438. United States of America. Elsevier Limited. Kara, R. (2011). Blood: Physiology and circulation. 16-22. New York. Britannia educational publishing. Marshall, C. C. (2008). Diseases and Disorders: Blood diseases. 103-106. Malaysia. Library congress Catalkukuoging-in-publication-data. Richard, B. W. (2010). Immunocytochemistry: A practical guide to biomedical research. 1-10. United States of America. Springer science and business media. Stross, P. W., Jones, M., Manson, D. Y. (1989). Automation of APAAP immunocytochemical techniques J. clin Pathol. 42(1), 106-112.

the civil war Essays -- essays research papers

Weapons in the American Civil War The American Civil War is known to be one of the bloodiest wars in history. Significant advances in weapon technology contributed to the unprecedented carnage. All types of weapons were being invented including side arms, shoulder arms, and artillery. Surveying the origins and design of only a portion demonstrates fire power had outstripped battlefield tactics by the mid-nineteenth century. Side arms, most useful only at close range, underwent important changes during the Civil War era. A particular standout was the La Mat revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexander Francois Le Mat, a French born New Orleans doctor. The La Mat revolver was one of the most famous pistols of the civil war#. What makes this pistol so unique is that it has two barrels. The main cylinder held nine .40 caliber rounds fired though the upper barrel and revolved around the lower .63 caliber barrel that held a charge of buckshot#. As many as 3,000 of these pistols found 1. they’re way to Confederacy. Confederate Generals including P.G.T Beauregard and J.E.B. Stuart # carried La Mats. The Colt Army Model 1860 was a more advanced model of the 1848 dragoon used in Mexican War. It quickly became the most popular sidearm of the Union Army#. What made this revolver so popular was the interchangeability of parts. The Colt model 1860 was a .44 caliber six shot weapon and weighed almost three pounds#. The cost of the Colt Army model 1860 was $13.75, which was more expensive than those made by Remington or Starr and the Government ceased the order for the gun in 1863. Another revolver used in the war was the Starr revolver. It was a .44 caliber, six shot, weighed tree pounds and was a double action, which means has no build in or intergraded safety. It fired a combustible cartridge and could also be loaded with loose powder and ball. Union soldiers in the western theater used the Starr revolver. In 1863 the U.S. Ordinance Department urged the Starr Arms Company to replace the double action revolver with a cheaper single action model, which the company did and sold the Union 25,000 weapons for $12 each#. During the course of the Civil War side arms became an important weapon for 2. both sides and helped contribute to the death toll. Side arms were very popular for Calvary units. The reason was because of the close range fighting that Calvary units took plac... ...onfederate War Department. It was a breech loading rapid-fire gun and was cranked operated. The gun was a very light artillery piece that shot a one-pound 1.57 caliber projectile with a range of 2,000 yards and could shot up to 65 rounds per minute. It was used in the Battle of Seven Pines and worked effectively that the Confederate War Department ordered 42 of them#. Even though this gun was so effective it had two major problems. The gun overheated very quickly and breech jammed because of the heat expansion. 6. The Union created the .52 caliber breech loading Billinghurst-Requa batter. It used a light carriage to mount 25 rifled barrels side by side and when loaded and primed, the barrels fired in a sequence. Some of these guns were used in battle but saw very little action. These two weapons show that weapon technology was at a new height during this era. Many things changed in warfare during the American Civil War. All fields saw some kind of change Ruther it was small arms, shoulder arms, artillery, or some new weapon. Weapon technology like the La Mat revolver or the first machine- gun helped make the American Civil War one of the bloodiest wars in history. 7.

Financial Difficulties Facing Power Companies in Brazil :: Energy, electric, Utilities

Due to the size of the losses and their impact on the income of power distribution utilities, this issue has become a matter of much concern to these enterprises which must estimate them properly and draw up solutions to curb them effectively. Another pressing problem on the power market is payment in arrears . Over the past decade, the capacity to make prompt payment for essential services has been dropping sharply in Brazil, whether they are provided by the Government or by public utilities private enterprises. With rising unemployment and shrinking income, many consumers are forced to postpone payment of their electricity bills, particularly in view of steady tariff increases, which rose an averagea total of 231.24% between 1995 and 2004 . (ANEEL, 2004), well over the inflation rate, as a result, it is estimated that unpaid electricity bills in Brazil reached R$ 3.15bn (US$1.3bn) in 2002. The composition of these overdue payments, as per customer group, shows that R$760mi (US$304mi) was caused by unpaid electricity bills from medium and large clients, supplied with high and medium voltages (Group A); R$1,6bn (US$640mi) corresponding to debt built up by residential consumers, small commercial and industrial companies, much from Government facilities, and street-lighting, all supplied by the low voltage network (Group B); and R$800mi (US$320mi) owed by Governments. AGAIN? WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS? An important point issue is the strong relatiosnships between electricity losses and unpaid bills. These two phenomena are so closely linked that a reduction in one may prompt an increase in the other. A customer caught stealing power is connected up properly to the grid and is then charged for the stolen power, in addition to a fine, payable in installments. If the costumer fails to pay thiese unpaid electricity billss and/or fails to pay the installmentscharges, the power supply is interrupted after some a short time. A customer without power may well return to stealing, again becoming again a loss problem. This same cycle may also be triggered by unpaid electricity bills: when customers have their power supply cut off because they are unable to pay their bills, they may start to steal through clandestine connections, with similar consequences. The cycle may start with unpaid electricity bills. A customer unable to pay his/her bill has his/her power supply cut off, which ca n lead him/her to steal. In other words, a more severe reaction by public utilities in relation to unpaid electricity bills may have as an unintended and undesirable consequence to turn a defaulters into a â€Å"thieves†f.

Mercury Drug Research Essay

Mercury Drug Corporation is the Philippines’ dominant pharmacy group. The Quezon City-based company operates a national chain of more than 450 drugstores, including company-owned and franchised stores. Mercury Drug is estimated to sell as much as 60 percent of all medicines sold each year in the Philippines (the country’s hospitals sell about 12 percent of medicines). Mercury Drug’s pharmacies follow the American model, combining drug and medical equipment sales with over-the-counter medicines, personal care items, basic household needs, cosmetics and other beauty products, and the like. Most of the company’s stores also are equipped to store and sell serums, blood plasma, albumin, and similar biologically active medical products. In addition to its drugstores, Mercury operates a chain of Mercury Drug Superstores. Generally attached to the company’s pharmacies, the Mercury Drug Superstores extend the group’s assortment to include convenience store and fast-food items. By the mid-2000s, Mercury Drug Corporation operated more than 150 Mercury Drug Superstores. Founded by Mariano Que, who first sold pills from a pushcart in the 1940s, Mercury Drug Corporation remains a privately held company. Leadership of the company also remains in the family: The company’s president is Mariano Que’s daughter, Vivian Que-Ascona. Mercury Drug is a subsidiary of the Mercury Group of Companies, which governs other Que family interests, including the 10*Q convenience store chain and the Tropical Hut fast-food group. In 2003, Mercury Drug’s revenues amounted to nearly PHP 43 billion ($8.8 billion). Founding a Filipino Pharmacy Giant in the 1940s Mariano Que started his career working in a Manila drugstore in prewar Philippines. There he came into contact with many medications, including the newly discovered class of sulfa drugs, including sulfathiazole. These new drugs, developed by German scientists in the early 1930s, were quickly hailed as new â€Å"miracle† drugs. Indeed, the sulfa drugs enabled the treatment of many illnesses, such as pneumonia, gonorrhea, and other bacterial infections, that previously had been difficult, if impossible, to treat. Despite the fact that the sulfa drugs later were shown to have a number of undesirable side effects (they formed deposits in the kidneys, and bacteria quickly became resistant), they were credited with saving millions of lives around the world through World War II. The end of the war and the liberation of the Philippines by U.S. forces brought new business opportunities in the country. During the occupation, supplies of medicines had become scarce, and the immediate postwar period saw a surge in demand for sulfa drugs, and sulfathiazole, considered by many to be a virtual cure-all. With most of the country’s businesses, including its pharmacies, destroyed during the war, much of the country’s trade shifted to its busy marketplaces. Mariano Que, inspired by the new entrepreneurial spirit, used his drugstore experience to launch his own business. At first, Que bought and sold medical vials and capsules. After he had generated sufficient savings, however, he took PHP 100 (worth about $1.50 at the time) and bought a bottle of sulfathiazole tablets. Que brought the sulfathiazole bottle to Manila’s busy Banbang market and sold the pills—in single doses. The method of selling, known as â€Å"Tingi-tingi,† became extremely popular in the poverty-stricken Philippines, bringing life-saving medications within financial reach of many more people than before. Que invested his profits in purchasing more pills, and before long he had generated enough revenue to buy a pushcart, which he filled with an expanding assortment of pharmaceuticals. The unregulated nature of the country’s drug market, especially its pharmaceutical black market, led to abuses by sellers, who sometimes peddled fake or dangerous formulations, or sold medications long out of date, often at extortionist prices. Que, however, built a reputation for the quality and freshness of his products, and also for the fairness of his prices. Before too long, he had built up a steady clientele, and in March 1945, Que opened his first store. Que named the Bambang-located store Mercury Drug, after the Roman god and bearer of the caduceus, the symbol of the medical profession. Branching Out in the 1970s Mercury Drug remained a one-store operation into the 1960s. In the meantime, Que continued to drive innovations in the Filipino pharmacy sector. In 1948, for example, Que began a drug delivery service, becoming the first to use motorized vehicles for swifter delivery times. In the 1950s, Que expanded his store hours, introducing a 17-hour-per-day, seven-days-per-week opening schedule. Part of the motivation behind the move came in recognition of a Filipino tendency to auto-medicate their illnesses. By remaining open  longer, Mercury Drug responded to its clients’ demands for increased access to pharmaceutical products. Launched in 1952, the new opening schedule was expanded to 24 hours per day in 1965. Mercury Drug began its drive to become the Philippines’ dominant drugstore group in the next decade. At the beginning of the 1960s, the company was contacted by the Ayala Corporation, which was building a shopping center in Makati. Ayala offered to lease space to Mercury, in order to include drugstore services at the center. Mercury agreed, and once again revealed its penchant for innovation, opening the country’s first self-service pharmacy in 1963. Two years later, Mercury opened its third drugstore, in Quiapo, which became the company’s flagship and set the model for its further development. In 1967, the company opened a centralized warehouse to serve its growing store chain, introducing computer-guided temperature controls to safeguard its products. Then, in 1969, the company became the first to introduce biological refrigerators in its stores. This permitted the company to assure the quality of its life-saving medicines. Mercury Drug began building out its n etwork of drugstores, staying close to the Manila market for much of the early 1970s. The company also began branching out beyond pharmaceutical sales. A significant early purchase was that of Medical Center Drug Corporation (MCDC). Founded in 1946, MCDC focused on sales of pharmaceutical supplies, equipment, and basic surgical instruments. The purchase of MCDC, complementary to its existing drugstore business, led Mercury Drug to change its structure. In 1972, Que created the Mercury Group of Companies, Inc., which in turn oversaw Mercury Drug and MCDC. Both companies remained independent of the other; in 1980, MCDC changed its name, to Medical Center Trading Corporation (MCTC), in order to highlight its difference from Mercury Drug. MCTC then grew into the Philippines’ leading importer and distributor of medical, hospital, laboratory, and related equipment, with branches throughout the Metro Manila and surrounding region. MCTC was not the only venture by Que (who was joined by daughter Vivian Que-Ascona, later president of Mercury Drug) to expand beyond his drugstore empire. The introduction of the convenience store concept in the Philippines in the early 1980s represented both a new source of competition for Mercury Drug and a new opportunity. Mercury developed its own convenience format in response to the growth of competitors such as 7-11. Typically located next to its drugstores, the Mercury Drug Superstores expanded the company’s range of goods beyond drugs and into wider consumer categories, such as beauty and personal care products, fast-foods, and the like. Separately, the Que family added other interests, including the Q*10 convenience store format and the Tropical Hut fast-food restaurant chain. Nonetheless, Mercury Drug Corporation remained the focus of the family’s holdings. â€Å"Oligopoly† in the New Century Mercury Drug, meanwhile, continued to grow strongly. In 1976, the company expanded beyond the Metro Manila market for the first time, and over the next decades added locations in the Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions of the Philippines as well. Supporting this network was the implementation of a fully computerized warehousing, inventory, and order processing system, installed in 1985. Mercury Drug’s growth was impressive: By 1995, the company operated more than 270 stores. Less than ten years later, Mercury had expanded its number of branches to more than 450, giving it a near monopoly grip on the country’s drug sales. By 2004, Mercury controlled as much as 60 percent of all drug sales in the Philippines. Ironically, Mercury’s dominant position led the group, which had achieved its early growth based on its low prices, to be criticized for what many considered as its restrictively high prices. Indeed, as some critics pointed out, similar drugs could be purchased in India and other markets for as much as one-third the price Mercury Drug charged. In the early 2000s, the government began taking action to force the Philippines’ drug industry, including Mercury Drug, to lower prices on many life-saving medicines. As part of that effort, the country’s Trade and Industry and Health departments began encouraging the parallel importation of pharmaceutical generics from India, which had earned worldwide recognition for the quality of its generic equivalents. Company Perspectives: The company’s mission is continuously be the leading, trusted and caring drugstore. In 2004, the government stepped up its pressure. In September of the year, the government passed legislation expanding drug discounts for the country’s senior citizens. The country’s smaller independent drugstore owners protested the decision, in part because it was expected to serve only to increase Mercury’s dominance over the market—as the country’s largest retailer of pharmaceutical products, Mercury was easily able to negotiate discounted prices from its supplies. Also in that year, President Arroyo established the lowering of drug prices as one of the government’s priorities. In December 2004, the Filipino government announced a new plan to break what some were calling Mercury’s â€Å"oligopoly† on the country’s retail market. The Philippine International Trading Corp. (PICT), owned and run by the Filipino government, announced its intention to organize up to 300 of the country’s independent pharmacies into a new network of privately owned and operated drugstores, dubbed â€Å"Botika ng Bayan.† The new network would then sell drugs, sourced by PICT directly from drug companies, at prices as much as six times less expensive than â€Å"market†Ã¢â‚¬â€i.e., Mercury’s—rates. Despite these pressures, Mercury Drug Corporation remained a fixture on the Philippines pharmacy market. The company also remained one of the Philippines’ largest corporations, ranking in eighth place among the country’s largest corporations and third place among the corporations in the high-quality services/products br acket. Mercury Drug appeared to have discovered its own â€Å"miracle drug† for success. Principal Subsidiaries Mercury Drug Superstore. Principal Competitors Caltex; I-Mart International Corporation; Phils. Corporation; Easy Mart; Petron Corporation; Philippine Seven Corporation; Robinsons Convenience Store Inc.; Seaoil Philippines Inc.; Shell Philippines Inc.; Philippines Corporation. How did Mercury Drug Started? From its humble beginnings, Mercury Drug has gone beyond expectations. Shortly after the liberation of Manila from Japanese occupation, Mariano Que, realizing the need of the people for medicines, bought with his hard earned savings of P100 a bottle of 1000 tablets of Sulfathiazole and sold it â€Å"patingi-tingi† for P1.00 per tablet in the sidewalks of Bambang, Manila. Sulfathiazole is a wonder drug that cures all during that time. From pushcart – peddling and with his previous working experience in a drugstore before the war, he eventually opened his first small drugstore in Bambang Street. Mercury Drug has today grown into a vast network of over 700 company-owned and franchised stores nationwide. Mercury Drug Stores Success Mercury Drug believes that it owes its success to the millions of customers who have trusted and patronized the drugstore chain all throughout these years. Its feat could also not have been possible without its pool of professional and dedicated staff numbering close to 9,000 today. As a way of giving back to the people, Mercury Drug vows to bring quality, safe and affordable health-enhancing and life-saving medicines closer to the public. In the first place, it is what the name Mercury Drug stands for. In Roman mythology, Mercury is known as the god of commerce and manual skill. Being the messenger of gods, Mercury needed a winged feet for his swift flights. Mercury Drug remains committed to its name as seen on its corporate philosophy of total and speedy customer service: â€Å"To serve you, to have what you want, when you want it.† Aside from bringing its chain of stores closer to the homes of the people, Mercury Drug has constantly endeavored to reach the hearts of the customers. To achieve this, Mercury Drug has taken pride in the introduction of many firsts in the drug retailing business —all in an effort to satisfy, please and further serve the people. Mercury Drug Innovations In 1945, it opened a drugstore and one of its innovations is to sell â€Å"tingi-tingi† or piece by piece to those who could not afford to buy a whole bottle of medicine. Realizing that not everyone could go to the drugstore, Mercury Drug introduced the first motorized customer delivery service in 1948. Four years later, it commenced the 17-hour, 7 days a week drugstore service; in 1963, the country’s first self-service drugstore; in 1965, the 24-hour, 7 days a week service; in 1967, the first computerized temperature-controlled central warehouse; in 1969, the first drugstore chain to use biological refrigerators to preserve life-saving medicines and in 1976, the first drugstore chain to expand throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Mercury Drug believes that quality and life-saving medicines made affordable and accessible are as important today as it was then. Now more than ever, it is committed to introducing enhanced services to better serve the customers farther and wider, whoever and wherever they may be. For instance, Mercury Drug makes certain the availability of less common but life-saving medical products such as serum, blood plasma, albumin and the like that are stored in a Bio-refrigerator. This would require Mercury Drug to invest on modern technology and to continuously upgrade its facilities in its head office, stores and distribution centers. Aside from pharmaceutical products, it now carries basic household necessities such as food, health and personal care products and others for the buying convenience of its customers. It has also incorporated value added facilities and services in many of its drugstores. More and more branches are open on a 24-hour service all days of the week. Aside from cons istently complying with the 20% discounts to senior citizens, Mercury Drug has also launched its †Suki† card, a customer program as a way of expressing gratitude to its loyal customers. As a drugstore with a heart, Mercury Drug has been conducting â€Å"Operation Bigay Lunas† every March 1, on their anniversary day together with its business associates. For the past decade, this annual and all-day free clinic catering to the less-privileged provides medical consultations and free medicines to indigent patients in selected cities and municipalities nationwide. This year alone, it served more than 130,000 beneficiaries in around 63 cities and municipalities. In 2002, Mercury Drug, in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), has launched a program that has been helping rural and urban marginalized communities nationwide to have access to potable water system within their communities through the Artesian Well Project. The installation of this potable water system helped improved the quality of life of the beneficiaries by promoting better health and sanitation practices. Mercury Drug Perspectives and its Struggles with the Philippine Government In 2004, the government stepped up its pressure. In September of the year, the government passed legislation expanding drug discounts for the country’s senior citizens. The country’s smaller independent drugstore owners protested the decision, in part because it was expected to serve only to increase Mercury’s dominance over the market—as the country’s largest retailer of pharmaceutical products, Mercury was easily able to negotiate discounted prices from its supplies. Also in that year, President Arroyo established the lowering of drug prices as one of the government’s priorities. In December 2004, the Filipino government announced a new plan to break what some were calling Mercury’s â€Å"oligopoly† on the country’s retail market. The Philippine International Trading Corp. (PICT), owned and run by the Filipino government, announced its intention to organize up to 300 of the country’s independent pharmacies into a new network of privately owned and operated drugstores, dubbed â€Å"Botika ng Bayan.† The new network would then sell drugs, sourced by PICT directly from drug companies, at prices as much as six times less expensive than â€Å"market†Ã¢â‚¬â€i.e., Mercury’s—rates. Despite these pressures, Mercury Drug Corporation remained a fixture on the Philippines pharmacy market. The company also remained one of the Philippines’ largest corporations, ranking in eighth place among the country’s largest corporations and third place among the corporations in the high-quality services/products bracket. Mercury Drug appeared to have discovered its own â€Å"miracle drug† for success. Mercury Drug Mission Statement â€Å"Continuously be the leading, trusted and caring drugstore.† In the years to come, Mercury Drug will keep on looking for opportunities to further enable customers to have more access to quality, safe and life-saving medicines, thus enabling them to have more meaningful, healthier and longer lives. It will always pursue its commitment to better and further serve its customers whose trust and loyal patronage has allowed Mercury Drug to be of continued service to the nation. Mercury Drug Official Website: https://www.mercurydrug.com Mercury Drugstore| â€Å"This drugstore as I believe have also started as a small pharmacy and they grew to be a big chain of drugstores†inquire| â€Å"I like the idea of what they have presented to their clients and customers, you can have this Suki Card and earn points as you purchase in the mercury drugstores†inquire| â€Å"The best thing about mercury drugstores is that there are branches, usually near residential areas that have extended operating hours†inquire| â€Å"Mercury drugstore branches are also strategically placed in some shopping malls that is convenient for customers†inquire| | | | People in the Philippines, especially those who live in the urban areas are very much exposed to the drugstores called Mercury Drug. This is a local drugstorechain in the country that has quite a number of branches throughout the country. This drugstore as I believe have also started as a small pharmacy and they grew to be a big chain of drugstores. I like the idea of what they have presented to their clients and customers, you can  have this Suki Card and earn points as you purchase in the mercury drugstores; these points are then converted to cash to be used for your succeeding purchases. Known for having the most complete varieties of medicines, even those that are not very common, mercury drug sure has made their way to the top of the pharmaceutical industry as a retailer. Just a few years back, they have also put up some retail products sold in their bigger shops which is also good, since you can use your membership card with supermarket items like household products, or bread s, and chips. The best thing about mercury drugstores is that there are branches, usually near residential areas that have extended operating hours. This helps a lot to those families who will have emergencies and would need to buy medicines during these hours. They open early too, for those who will be going to the office, so they can purchase what they need first prior to their work time. Mercury drugstore branches are also strategically placed in some shopping malls that is convenient for customers; not only that, aside from the usual medicine, and healthcare products, Mercury Drug also are selling some medical equipments common to hospital patients and practitioners. The first Mercury Drug drive-thru The company began in 1945 with a single store. Today, Mercury Drug has more than 700 stores. Even with a wide lead over competitors, Mercury Drug still aspires to reinvent itself. I happen to pass by Madison St. in San Juan Greenhills and was surprised to see a Mercury with a drive-thru. Terms of UseCLOSE Please read this agreement carefully before accessing or using this site and its mobile applications. 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Accordingly, you agree to review the agreement periodically, and your continued access or use of this site shall be deemed your acceptance of the modified agreement. Miscellaneous This agreement and the resolution of any dispute related to this Agreement or the site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Philippines, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. Mercury Drug’s failure to insist upon strict enforcement of any provision of this agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. Any legal action or proceeding between Mercury Drug and you related to this agreement shall be brought exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction in the Philippines. Mercury Drug Privacy PolicyCLOSE Mercury Drug Corporation understands the value of your privacy and the individual confidentiality and security of your personal information. Your online privacy is very important to us. Hence, we guarantee that we do not disclose or share your personal information in a manner not specified in our privacy statement or without your knowledge and permission. Mercury Drug values your trust with utmost importance, and we shall do our best to protect the confidentiality and proper use of any personal information you provide to us. Collection of Information We shall only collect personal information that you decide to provide voluntarily when using our web site. Notwithstanding this, you can always visit our web site without disclosing or sharing any of your personal information. Moreover, you can use our web site even without creating a personal account but if you desire to maximize and take advantage of some of our web site features such as Order Online, it will be more convenient if you create your personal account. You can also use our web site, without disclosing your identity and without revealing any personally identifiable information, to learn more about Mercury Drug Corporation including but not limited to our products and services, promotions, company updates, special product offers and customer feedback. The personal information you provide when using the Mercury Drug web site such as your name, password, age, civil status, gender, mailing address, email address, telephone number, mobile number, Suki Card number, credit card information and other personal details are necessary information to allow you to use certain features and tools in our web site and for us to respond individually to your queries, provide  your required service, inform you of special product offers, process your order, conduct surveys or administer contests, if any. Disclosure of information All your personal information is not shared with or sold to any other third party entity or individual. We will not share or intentionally disclose your personal information other than to you, Mercury Drug Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates, your authorized representative(s) and agents, including medical professionals and our agents who are engaged or hired to perform functions on our behalf. These functions may include sending postal mails and e-mails, delivering packages, fulfilling orders, analysing information or processing payments. Our agents will not use your personal information for any purpose other than in performing their legitimate functions for Mercury Drug. By way of exception, we may share information about you with a third party whenever mandated or compelled by law, judicial proceeding or valid legal process (i.e. court warrants or subpoenas) , or to prevent harm or injury (such as product recalls or other circumstances). Links to Other Sites Mercury Drug’s web site may have links to other sites. Please be reminded that if you decide to access these links, you will be leaving our web site. Thus, we highly recommend that you fully and carefully read the privacy policies of those sites since Mercury Drug Corporation shall not be responsible for their contents, links or privacy policies. Security In our steadfast efforts to protect your personal data and information, Mercury Drug Corporation has adopted capable security measures and protection to safeguard your personal information. We utilize generally accepted standards for safeguards including administrative, technical and hardware measures. We also ensure that additional protections are in place for privileged or highly sensitive personal information. These safeguards and security protections are constantly updated, maintained and monitored by our qualified information technology professionals. Mercurydrug.com utilizes 256 bit encryption technology, thereby offering the highest level of encryption and security possible. 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