Want and New Trendy Shoes Free Essays

Through the passing of time, the reach of advertising has become even more widespread in society and the underlying desire for consumers to buy â€Å"stuff† has been constantly growing. Some analysts say that this desire stems from fears and insecurities. Others say that corporations use advertising to exploit consumers as early as in childhood, and through magazine ads and trends. We will write a custom essay sample on Want and New Trendy Shoes or any similar topic only for you Order Now If you think about society before the invention of advertising, they never had the urge to go shopping and buy new cars, gadgets, clothes or the hottest new trendy shoes. Fair desires were more closely tied to their needs such as food, shelter and basic transportation.Advertising and consumerism have magnified these desires within us. Today more than ever, we are always wanting to buy and spend more. In the 1960s, typically only one family member needed to work in order to support everybody else. Today, most families need to wage earners. And people are more in debt than ever before. We rarely take the time to ask ourselves: why do we need all this stuff? Why are we working so hard just to have clothes we don’t need, stuff we won’t use, and trends that I don’t even really care about? What we need to ask ourselves is: do I really need this, or is this just a desire created by marketing and commercials?Commercials and advertising feed off of our peers by making this deal like we’re not good. If we don’t have the latest bottle or are not wearing the latest style, then we are not as good as the person who does. That’s why trends change every season and new models come out every year. It’s an endless cycle of phones, cars, cameras, MP3 players, T-shirts, and shoes. If we can take a step back and see the reality of what advertising does to us, we can save ourselves a lot of stress and money by differentiating queen needs and unnecessary wants.It is possible to slowly let go of desires. Wish gradual effort, we can learn to be more conscious of our impulses and reasoning behind why we want to buy something new. Often times, we don’t really need to buy something. Over time, if we distance ourselves from these desires, we can simplify our lives by buying less, spending less, getting into less debt, and earning less. Most importantly, we can be happier with what we do have, rather than dwelling on what we don’t have. How to cite Want and New Trendy Shoes, Papers

My Life of Serving Essay Example For Students

My Life of Serving Essay Ever since the first Christmas I can remember, Ive loved giving things. Id rather buy a gift I know my friend will love than receive one or buy something for myself. When I have a friend that is sick, Ill make them a â€Å"care package† with their favorite snacks, movies, and juice. I try to do things like this often because I love the way people’s faces light up when I communicate how much I care about them and they realize they are special. My favorite part of serving others is seeing someone understand how remarkable they are in a world where it’s hard to find pride in themselves. I have learned that a simple smile can be quite powerful. While Ive always enjoyed making people happy and putting others before myself, I really fell in love with service when I went on a mission trip to Fort Worth, Texas to serve the homeless. It was an extremely humbling experience for me; I spoke with people who had been through hardships I’d never even imagined. I found that in the week I was in Fort Worth, even if I couldnt personally make a long-term effect in most of the people I encountered, I could at least make them smile. From talking with them, I gained advice and wisdom and they were grateful for a compassionate, listening ear. The advice they gave me has helped me lead others away from dangerous situations. One of the events on that trip was called Kids Club, where hundreds of children from the poverty stricken areas of town came to our host church for a day of fun. I played with kids, helped them with their lunches, sang, acted out Bible stories, painted faces, and participated in skits. Watching their happiness over simple things like bubbles, piggyback rides, snow cones, hugs, or even a smile brought a great feeling of fulfillment over me. I knew that it was something I wanted to continue. When I came home from the trip, I took every opportunity to become active in serving people, especially on an individual basis. If I knew someone was having problems paying for a babysitter, I’d babysit for free. I spent time every possible weekend at the local no kill animal shelter. I worked hard to make sure that I balanced my life of school, work, and band so that I could include serving the people around me with the free time I had left. I hope to continue my love of serving people in the future by working in a field which will allow me to have direct communication with people and to help people in need. Using this passion for service and my aptness for the medical sciences, I plan to attend the nursing school at USM and work the rest of my life to help heal people. One day after I get my degree, I hope to join the navy and use my skills to give more of those smiles around the world.

How to Show Popular Posts in the WordPress Sidebar

Why show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar? Well, when a visitor arrives on your site, you dont usually want them to look at one page and then leave. Instead, it is almost always in your best interest to keep them on your site, browsing around and looking at multiple pages.There are a lot of reasons for this. If you display any kind of ads, such as Google AdSense, the chances of your visitor clicking on an ad during their visit increase with each page they view. Even if you havent monetized your website with ads, a more engaged visitor is more likely to sign up for your mailing list, follow you on social media, or even purchase your services compared to a visitor that bounces right away.To keep visitors moving around your site, it is a good idea to practice good internal linking habits. For example, by linking to related content on your blog from within each article, you are giving them related information to check out. You can use a related posts plugin at the end of your artic le to dynamically suggest other on-site content they may be interested in once theyve finished reading the article in front of them. Furthermore, your sidebar is prime real estate for linking to your best content – this is a great place to add links to your most popular posts.If youre new to WordPress, it can be confusing to add popular articles to the sidebar. However, be following the steps below youll learn the quickest and easiest way to promote your most successful content to your readers on every page of your website, from the WordPress sidebar.How to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar with JetpackJetpack is a plugin by the creators of WordPress, Automattic, that contains a lot of bonus features that dont come with WordPress by default. One of those additional features is a few extra widgets you can use on your site, including a popular posts widget.Using this widget is the easiest way to display links to the most popular posts on your website, especially if yo u already planning to install Jetpack.So lets get started with our guide on how to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar. If Jetpack is already installed and configured, you can skip ahead  to step two.1. Install JetpackIf you use the WordPress installer provided by your web host, Jetpack often comes automatically included and activated with the base install; you just need to connect it with your WordPress.com account to turn it on.If it isnt there, just go to Plugins / Add New and it will be in the list of Featured plugins. Click Install Now, then Activate Plugin:You will see a bright green banner at the top of your Plugins page prompting you to connect to WordPress.com. This allows the Jetpack services that are run through their servers to function on your website. This includes the Site Stats and Publicize modules. Click the Connect to WordPress.com button:If you do not have a WordPress.com account, it will guide you through the account creation process. If you do, and yo uve logged into it recently, it will just ask if you want to connect to that account. If so, click Approve:Next, Jetpack will prompt you to Jump Start, which turns on recommended features. You can click the blue button to quickly get started, or click Skip if you prefer to customize the settings you want turned on or off. Either way, you can edit the settings later, so unless you are already familiar with Jetpack I would suggest just clicking Jump Start:On the next screen, you can edit which settings are turned on or off and edit them if desired:2. Configure your widgetsNow that youve installed Jetpack, connected to WordPress.com, and configured your settings, we are ready to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar.Navigate to Appearance / Widgets. This is where you can drag-and-drop items into your sidebar and footer. Every theme is a little different and some have many widget areas while some have just a few.Scroll down your list of available widgets until you see one called T op Posts Pages (Jetpack):Drag this widget up into your sidebar configuration at the top of the page. It will expand to reveal a full set of options for how you would like to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar:From the top, there are a number of settings that you can change to customize how your popular posts sidebar widget looks.The title is optional. If you do not enter a title for the widget, it will simply appear in your sidebar without a heading. If youd like to add a title, some example titles you could use are Popular, Trending, or Top 5.The next box determines how many popular articles appear in your sidebar, up to ten. Remember that the more posts you include, the longer this section of the sidebar will be, especially if you choose to include images. Whatever you choose, make sure you view a few of your shorter pages and posts to make sure the sidebar doesnt extend ridiculously far beyond the page content.The next option lets you choose which types of content to in clude in your sidebar. If your website is set up like a blog, with the majority of the content added as Posts, I recommend unchecking Pages here.The final option has the biggest impact on how your widget will look.Text List is the simplest and most self-explanatory option; it will simply display a list of links.Image List is probably the most popular option, displaying the post title and a thumbnail of the featured image for each post.Image Grid will skip the post title altogether and just display a grid of featured images – which users can roll over with their cursor to view titles for.Heres an example of how your widget settings might look once they are all filled out:If you would like to customize where the popular posts do and dont show up, you can adjust these settings by clicking the Visibility button.Click Save and youre all set up. You can now visit your website to check out your new popular posts sidebar widget.Wrapping upNow you know how to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar. Displaying links to popular articles in your sidebar is a great way to encourage visitors to stick around and see more of your website. Jetpacks Top Posts Pages widget is one of the easiest ways to add this functionality to your WordPress website.It is worth mentioning that your list of popular posts can take a little while to update. It is based on the last day or two of Site Stats, so if a post suddenly spikes in traffic, it likely wont be reflected in your sidebar for a few hours minimum.What is your favorite way to show popular posts in the WordPress sidebar – with Jetpack, or do you prefer another plugin? Share your favorite method in the comments below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

MBA Online Program at Cleveland State University Essays

MBA Online Program at Cleveland State University Essays MBA Online Program at Cleveland State University Essay MBA Online Program at Cleveland State University Essay Cleveland State University has a long history of MBA programs. It was founded in 1964 and offers various undergraduate and graduate programs. The online MBA program goes under its Monte Ahuja College of Business where students can find many areas for getting a final degree. This business has been accredited by AACSB which represents the best accreditation an online MBA course can have. The accounting program of this school has also received AACSB accreditation. The only thing you need to do is file up the application and get ready for getting advanced knowledge in your field. The Cleveland State University online MBA programs are preparing the students for life after they graduate. Their curriculum has been made to serve any student in order to become the best in his/her area. They tend to cover many areas of interest for the students to find their perfect place. The students will be able to find many eye-catching and advanced courses such as Labor Relations, Human Resources Management, Marketing Management, Financial Management and Managerial Accounting. If you are interested in any fields in particular, be sure that you will get the best education. The students won’t feel any difficulty getting these programs. The staff is online 24/7 enabling you to get through any technical issue that might come up. They have very simple programs that will get you through online learning and provide you with easy assistance. The Cleveland State University wants to assure you that every question you might have will be answered right away. All students will be required to take a standard admission test. There are couple of ways you can avoid being tested for admission, but most of the students will have to take it. The score for passing the test is 50% and above for getting qualified. The tuition for signing up for these online MBA programs here is the same like in the other universities. The difference here is that Cleveland State University offers financial aid for all students to get into their courses. All students have the right to apply for financial aid. So far, 70% of all students have used financial aid from the university. The tuition includes course materials and books, iPad 4G with Verizon contract for each student until the end of the program. Cleveland State University offers flexibility. You will be able to gain access to the required materials every time you need them. The only thing you need is an Internet connection. The professors are also able to interact with the students and provide them with additional materials for learning. Choosing Cleveland State University gives you the right to be among the best.

Employment Relations in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Employment Relations in Britain - Essay Example Research evidence suggests that the availability of agency and short-term contracts flexibility in UK accommodate and provide the employment opportunity for people with limited working experience, under-qualification, or under-developed skill level (DTI, 2007, p.7). Considering the increasing importance of temporary agency workers’ sector in Britain and beyond, the European Commission (EC) has introduced proposals for a European directive in order to prevent the discrimination against agency temps (EC, 2002a cited in Forde and Gray, 2005, p.249).In its analysis of whether the availability of agency working and short-term contracts expand new opportunities for secure employments or it leads to the exploitation of vulnerable workers, the paper identifies that the former claim may be true to some extent, it does not compensate for the later. A closer look at the recent changes in British labour market reveals an incredible but neglected trend of rapid temporary agency growth. Onl y 50,000 workers in mid-1980s (Casey, 1988) increased to more than one per cent of all employees’ jobs that amounts to about 270,000 workers (cited in Forde and Gray, 2005, p.1). ... in sectors and occupations, agency workers are most likely to be hired in professional ,secretarial, process/plant/machine operations, administrative occupations, and personal services, such as, social careers, workers in hospitality, and class room assistants(EMAR,2008,p.12). Two main sections in this paper analyse the prospects of new opportunities for secure employment and exploitation of vulnerable workers. Opportunities for secure employment With increasing unemployment throughout the world, it seems logical that unemployed will turn to other means for earning and temporary employment through agency provides them they way out. Survey of Recruitment Agencies 2007(SORA) evidence proves that agency work provides a route to enter into permanent employment for several workers. During one year period, the survey identified that nearly 340,000 people got a permanent job stemming from their experience with a particular employer as a temporary worker (cited in EMAR, 2008, p.13). Accordi ng to Labour Force Survey (LFS) data (2006) approximately 25 per cent of temporary workers are employed at managerial and professional levels (cited in DTI, 2007, p.7).Furthermore, Labour Force Survey (LFS) data (2006) indicates that 24 per cent of UK’s agency temporary workers were either unemployed or inactive one year before (DTI, 2007, p.7). There are various reasons for working as temporary employee. According to Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) research, 63 per cent of temps decided to work temporarily because they were unemployed. Moreover, 39 per cent referred to other reasons, such as, earning during study or during career break. Labour Force Survey (LFS) put forth the same question differently and got 58 per cent of people mentioned that the absence of permanent

Portfolio Project Part 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Portfolio Project Part 5 - Essay Example Nonetheless, the general requirements of this job description include certification of an accountant by a professional accountant agency especially after the person training for the same has attained the basic college accounting and finance degree (Mason and Tarling, 2009). Despite the underlying specifications and different requirements, all accountants must be having fundamental principles including strong analytical and mathematics skills as well as vast accounting education. Hence, the first step to train an accountant is for them to attend basic college courses that provide them with basic accounting concepts. Accountants working for the small firms are usually responsible for keeping all books and financial records. Some of the records that are handled in the small firms include counts payable, payroll information, retail sales, account receivables, and the company investment information. This information is usually organized and kept in ledger form (Fulford, 2000). They must b e updated so that they reflect the financial health of the organization at all times. ... ached training will help the training accountant to understand and know importance of keeping company secrets especially financial secrets (Bragg and Roehl-Anderson, 2011). The training acquired in small firms will help the training accountant to improve in his accounting management skills and can apply the same in large firms as an accountant. The training accountant should know that there are slight differences in handling financial records of different firms, different in size. The accountants working in the large firms usually conduct internal audits to ascertain the accuracy of the company’s financial records. Notably, the larger firms usually have same degrees of biasness; thus, the accountants who handle such company financial materials regularly never handle such company audits. In this case, the company usually or it is advisable for the company to contract an outside accountant to audit such company material. This will reduce or eradicate the conflict of interest (Fu lford, 2000). Therefore, with different financial needs of different companies, the training accountant will be trained in different firms to have knowledge on how to handle different firms depending on size and financial needs. Other than the general roles of accountants, accountants usually tend to specialize within particular fields. In other words, accounting profession is vast and needs specialization. An accountant may decide to specialize in line with book keeping, taxation, or auditing (ACCA†¦, 2007). However, in most cases, some accountants usually venture in wide and different accounting fields in order to have vast and varied skills in managing accounting problems such accountant with varied skills and knowledge to serve their clients successfully and satisfactorily in different

Dangers of Escalation of Commitment in Accounting

Dangers of Escalation of Commitment in Accounting This report analyses the issue of escalation of commitment to a course of action from the perspective of the pharmaceutical industry. Escalation can be defined as a situation where a failing venture is supplied with additional resources beyond the point of feasibility. As such, escalation carries substantial dangers for organisations by generating avoidable economic losses. The report inquiries into the generic causes of escalation by examining subject literature. Accordingly psychological, social, organisational and project-specific factors are identified as common escalation activators. Exploration into the particulars of the said industry categorises profitability issues, market performance concerns, maturing products portfolio alongside development pipeline conditions as features amplifying pharma companies vulnerability to escalation. The point is supported by real-life case examples located in the appendix. Appreciation of escalation causes allows for development of effective prevention policies. The report suggests preventive measures aimed at reducing the occurrence of escalation triggers, such as challenging the individual and social causes. Approaches for reducing other factors impact on decision-making are outlined in the form of strategy alteration as well as process management policies. The report finalises with suggestions on escalating situations management. Statement of Reference The aim of this 2000-word report is to inquiry the causes and dangers of escalation of commitment to a course of action from the perspective of pharmaceutical companies. This report is to assess the dangers of escalation of commitment to a chosen course of action through the perspective of pharmaceutical companies. In order to achieve the aim set, the paper first analyses the definition and threats arising from the phenomenon of escalation. Next, following the framework proposed by Ross Staw (1993) generic causes of escalation are summarised. Subsequently, the report looks at industry- and drug development-specific escalation triggers in an attempt to identify why the pharmaceutical companies are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of escalation of commitment. Then, escalation prevention provisions organised around tackling previously identified triggers are outlined. The report concludes with suggestions concerning the issue of escalating situation management. Escalation of commitment: Definition and dangers Escalation can be defined as a situation where an individual over-commits resources to a failing venture after receiving negative feedback on its performance. Having an option to discontinue, the decision-maker forgoes rational behaviour and devotes more money, time or effort in a false belief that greater involvement will bring the project to successful completion (Staw, 1981). Some examination suggests that escalation as such should not be automatically assigned negative connotation. Low level of employee commitment is also damaging to organisational performance; background factors might justify over-commitment (Heath, 1995). Another view assumes escalation to be a natural feature of the business decision-making that should be treated as an unavoidable expense (Bowen, 1987). The dominant notion supported by extensive research suggests that escalation of commitment should be acted against (Brockner, 1992) because of carrying dangers of: Ultimately leading to multiplication of avoidable losses; Introducing irrational decision-making; Undermining the basic premise of business activity: to maximise gains with minimal costs; Generating substantial opportunity costs Consuming unrecoverable resources, such as time. Appreciation of escalation triggers allows for development of efficient prevention methods aimed at reducing the occurrence of such factors, subsequently protecting the company from the aforementioned detriments. Generic causes of escalation Psychological Initial research suggested that escalation arises primarily from the natural incline of the human being to self-justify behaviour. Supplying the course of action with additional resources serves as unconscious defence technique: the individual reassures him/herself that the original decision made was rational (Staw, 1976). Self-justification need is heightened if the decision-maker holds responsibility for the resource allocation (Staw, 1981), which is typical for investment decision setting. Prospect theory applied to escalation suggests that self-justification is not vital prerequisite for its occurrence. Escalation is induced by the decision-maker using a frame to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty of results. The decision-maker views subsequent decisions in reference to outcomes of initial judgements in order to produce a coherent frame. The negative feedback on the initial resource allocation results in the subsequent distribution being viewed as a choice between definite and possible loss, or a negative frame. Subsequently individuals are prone to escalation by becoming risk-seeking: failing to accept a definite loss even at the cost of incurring greater in the future (Whyte, 1986). How the decision-maker perceives incurred costs, constitutes another escalation trigger (Garland Newport, 1991). Following prospects theory, the sunk costs effect suggests that costs incurred viewed in relation to the total expenditure induce a negative frame, leading to escalating behaviour. Linked with that, the dislike of waste provides another motivation to supply the course of action further, rather than face a definite loss (Arkes Blumer, 1985). Interestingly, excitement about the project outcomes (Schmidt Calantone, 2002), and sunk-time effect ­ (Navarro Fantino, 2009) aid escalation occurrence. Social Importantly, the aforementioned need to justify the correctness of behaviour is not limited to the individual and applies to the wider social context (Staw, 1976). Maintaining an image of a consistent decision-maker among peers proves equally, or more, important to meeting self-justification needs. The desire to obtain social approval is exacerbated under insecurity of the social status in the group, or in a presence of an adverse crowd (Staw, 1976). In such instances the individual is likely to model his/her behaviour to reproduce the model endorsed by the audience (Brockner, 1992). As the group replicates leader stereotypes that emphasize the need for decision-makers to be consistent in actions in order to be perceived as competent (Staw Ross, 1980), the individual aspiring to achieve consistency with the stereotypical image will over-commit not to distort others belief in their leadership potential, and to reaffirm position in the group structure. Intra- or inter- group competition can indicate escalation. The focus is shifted away from objective assessment of the possible outcomes of a chosen decision onto the motivation to win. The need to do whatever it takes to get a step ahead of the competitors introduces scope for irrationality and escalation as such irrational behaviour is common to both of the parties involved (Bazerman, 2006). Organisational Projects receiving strong organisational support are prone to escalation (Pfeffer, 1981 in Ross Staw, 1993), as the decision-makers identify them with the existence of organisation itself. Furthermore, the centrality of the project to organisational values and its entrenchment in the organisational structure account for the projects being continued despite reservations (Goodman et al., 1980 in Ross Staw, 1993). Unwinding the supporting infrastructure might threaten the very basis of working organisational structure; induce change that is often associated with risks and dangers. The costs of acceptance of status quo are perceived as minor to the potential dangers of modified environment. Maintaining reputation and consistency between values and actions prove to constitute forces inducing over-commitment from organisational perspective (Ross Staw, 1993). Companies having publicly announced success might be more hesitant to admit failure and discontinue with the course of action. Project-specific High development costs and risky market performance of the finished product, the acceptance of failures and losses as a feature of the RD process, and reluctance of decision-makers to emotionally detach from the prolonged projects account for greater escalation exposure of RD projects (Schmidt Calantone, 2002). Low potential reusability (Staw Ross, 1993) of the generated output results in reluctance to discontinue the venture in order to avoid waste. Negative framing induces the perception of exit costs, such as compensation packages as definite waste, leading to escalation. The advancement of the project on a timeline constitutes another threat due to sunk-cost effect (Navarro Fantino, 2009). Projects reaching advanced stages of development would be discontinued reluctantly because of accumulation of used resources, including time, and the perception of imminent availability of the anticipated gains. Industry-specific Escalation Triggers Profitability issues Recent data suggests that pharmaceutical companies are to face decline in profit figures in forthcoming years (Datamonitor, 2010). This can be attributed to steadily increasing drug development costs: the costs producing the final product exceed $1 billion, with as few as 20% of successful product entries achieving the break-even point (Innovation.org, 2010). Estimates suggest that pharmaceutical companies should launch two to four drugs annually to maintain steady profit margins (Gassmann Reepmeyer, 2005). However, due to high attrition rates the overall success of organisations strategy is often reliant on the success of a single project (Kola Landis, 2004). These factors pressurise the companies to continue with projects and disregard arising reservations to maintain profitability. Maturing product portfolio The reduction in new component approvals can be partially attributed to strengthening drug registration requirements. Other explanation lies in the controversial innovation deficit experienced by the industry (Schmid Smith, 2004). Lower innovation figures account for pharmaceutical companies being faced with maturing product portfolio. Consequently, the companies engage in a variety of innovative projects overly-optimistically assessing their revenue potential, failing to discontinue when reservations arise. Eventually, the companies face greater losses as the projects fail to generate anticipated revenues, but incurring avoidable losses (Appendix: Dimebon case). Concerns for market performance The pressure to persist is further reinforced by the need to be consistent with companys vision (Ross Staw, 1993). Endorsing the projects demonstrates consistence with the mission statement; reaffirms the reputation as well as reassures the market and investors on following the profitable trail. However, forgoing ethical and safety aspects of drug delivery over concerns for market performance and cost-cutting proves detrimental (Appendix: GSK Puerto Rico Plant). Development pipeline conditions The specificity of the drug development pipeline further adds to the vulnerability to the dangers of escalation of commitment. The drug development time is estimated to surpass 10 years, with the costs amplifying as the project progresses (Accenture, 2007). This suggests heightened emotional attachment and excitement towards results, as well as existence of supporting infrastructure as powerful motivators of escalation. Attrition figures reveal that escalation is common in the industry as the most projects are withdrawn after reaching the most cost intensive stage of advanced clinical trials that precedes the registration process; or are recalled after reaching the patient due to safety concerns that have been ignored earlier on (Kola Landis, 2004) (Appendix: Avandia case). Escalation: how to prevent it? Tackling individual and social causes Perhaps introduce appraisal procedures emphasizing ones ability to build on past actions, rather than progression of the project. This will reduce managers fear of negative consequences if the project fails. Confidential treatment of sensitive matters, such as personal failures, will reduce the reputation retention motivation for escalation (Simonson Staw, 1992). Consider developing positive leader stereotypes supported by convergent organisational values emphasizing the rationality of decision-making. Furthermore, introducing panel decision-making procedures contribute to preventing escalation by reducing individual responsibility for the decision taken (Simonson Staw, 1992; Schmidt Calantone, 2002). Inviting members of relevant departments allows for assessing the projects success potential from a variety of angles limiting scope for escalation to arise. Ponder developing neutral decision frames by rotating managers in charge of the project so that different individuals held responsibility for initial and subsequent resources allocations (Simonson Staw, 1992). Additionally, foster for emotional detachment from sunk costs by introducing training in mental budgeting (Heath, 1995). Project evaluation and management Clear and achievable targets should be set out at the project initiation alongside exit points at various stages of progression (Schmid Smith, 2004). Measuring projects performance against set aims; assessing the efficiency with which resources yield results at the selected points allows for early estimation whether the project is following the anticipated pathway, thus allowing to avoid greater losses. Consider adopting attrite early strategy (Schmid Smith, 2004) as companys motto. Consider participation in multi-stakeholder analysis projects evaluating the potential value of innovative drug projects at early stages of development such as the consultations conducted within the European Healthcare Innovation Leadership Network (AstraZeneca, 2010). Ponder involving external parties in the project (Schmidt Calantone, 2002). Perhaps engage auditors to assess the success projects success potential at its outset or to devise effective contingency planning. This will ensure objectivity and independence of organisational politics. Consider outsourcing the project to subcontractors to avoid its institutionalisation in the organisational structure. Alternating middle-to-long-term strategy Consider renewing existing product portfolio and engagement in me-too drug developments. This ensures steady revenue generation from inelastic demand segments (Ganuza et al., 2009) and carries less risk comparing to reliance on anticipated gains from innovative compounds. Estimations suggest that involvement in drug-related sectors or focusing on advancement in licensed compounds constitute a potentially profitable alternative (Schmid Smith, 2004). Consider GSKs involvement in healthcare brands as an example. Managing Escalation Suppose the escalating situation arises, consider replacing the project manager or establishing panel assessment in order to remove the negative thinking frame, rid off the potential self-justification needs and assess realistically projects success potential (Simonson Staw, 1992). Consequently, ponder engaging external consultants to develop plausible solutions and introduce other point of view independent of the political and organisational influence. Otherwise, evaluate potential salvage value of the project towards establishing uses other than the initial one anticipated (Appendix: Viagra case). Furthermore, consider whether external financial support for advanced research is available; and if is feasible to use towards accomplishment of the projects aims. Otherwise, ponder engaging in partnership with a company undertaking research in similar compound in order to combine knowhow and reduce costs. Appendix Avandia case Recent withdrawal of GSKs highly innovative and best-selling diabetes drug, Avandia, in EU was caused by the linkages with deaths by heart failures among the patients on the medication (FT.com, 2010b). Allegedly, the company was aware of the severity of adverse effects, however launched the drug to the market (Avandia Recall News, 2010). Estimations suggest that GSK could face between $1.1bn and $6bn in compensation costs (FT.com, 2010a) that could have been avoided had the company ceased the project when safety concerns were brought to light. Additionally, bad publicity incurred after the allegations surfaced resulted in fall of GSK share prices, and the company facing negative profit accounts (FT.com, 2010c). Dimebon case Pfizer has recently withdrawn from advanced clinical trials (undertaken in partnership with Medivation) of highly anticipated Alzheimers disease cure, Dimebon, after the drug exhibited no promising therapeutic results (MedScape Medical News, 2010). The reservations about the curative properties of the compound have been raised at early stages of the process. It is assumed that the logic behind Dimebons miraculous effects was never properly investigated. Furthermore, similar compounds failed in previous trials (ABC News online, 2010). Escalating behaviour in such case could be linked to Pfizer losing patent rights the currently marketed Alzheimers treatment, Aricept and was in need of a profitable replacement. As a result of failure to investigate and evaluate promptly, Pfizer has incurred $725 million in RD costs (the Economist.com, 2010). GSK Puerto Rico Plant case GSK is reported to pay $750m in penalty payment to US government and other claimants following allegations on manufacturing malpractice and failure to adhere to safety standards in production plant in Puerto Rico. The allegations regarding mal-adjusted doses of active ingredients and ineffectiveness of drugs submitted to government programmes were revealed by a former employee and resulted in the company being charged with a criminal offence (Wall Street Journal Law Blog, 2010). Viagra case Initially Viagra was developed as a cordial drug aimed at decreasing blood pressure and preventing cardiac arrests. Clinical trials unexpectedly revealed potentially exploitable and marketable properties of the drug: high effectiveness in fighting erectile dysfunction in men. In the six months following its launch as a revolutionary treatment, in 1998 Viagra worldwide sales have exceeded  £300 million (BBCnews.com, 1999).