The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2440 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/02/14 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Autism Essay Did you like this example? The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder has nearly doubled in recent years, and the numbers are staggering: nearly 1 in every 59 children are diagnosed with autism in the United States alone. Yet, there are so many questions surrounding the complexity and increase in diagnoses of this condition that affects so many in such diverse ways. (Autism Speaks) How autism originates in the first place and its impact on communication, both verbal and nonverbal, are questions that need to be continually scrutinized in order to better accommodate those who are affected, and, in turn, educate those who interact with the disorder in the most meaningful ways.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder" essay for you Create order According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), â€Å"people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty with communication and interaction with other people, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, and symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life.† (National Institute of Mental Health) Although autistic characteristics can manifest themselves in so many different ways, concern surrounding communication reverberates as the trademark characteristic of ASD, with symptoms of the disorder, such as â€Å"difficulty with social communication and interaction, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors† usually showing by the age of two or three. (Autism Speaks) For instance, a child might not understand how to work cooperatively in a group or look someone in the eye and make an introduction. Children with autism also often have trouble understanding the point of view of others, matching facial expression with what is being communicated, and having an â€Å"unusual tone of voice† that often sounds flat. (National Institute of Mental Health) Although symptoms of autism â€Å"must be present in the early developmental period,† often, understandably, many of these symptoms do not make themselves evident until a child is placed in situations that require more complex use of these skills, such as a school or another educational setting. (Autism Speaks) In order to begin to delve into the impact of ASD symptoms on modes of communication, it is vital to understand the complexity and uncertainty around the anatomical origin of autism in the first place. While there is no known specific biological cause, one of the strongest cases is for a genetic link, with â€Å"research suggest[ing] that genes can act together with influences from the environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD.† (National Institute of Mental Health) This, in turn, influences how neurons, the specialized cells that are responsible for transmitting nerve signals, â€Å"connect and communicate with each other in the brain.† (Bhandari, Tamara) In reference to this statement, a study conducted at The University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis found that rats that lacked the gene absent in many of those with ASD in turn displayed an overabundance of connections between brain neurons, and this, in turn, influenced their basic abi lity to learn (Bhandari, Tamara). According to Azad Bonni, the head of the Department of Neuroscience at Washington, â€Å"This study raises the possibility that there may be too many synapses in the brains of patients with Autism.† (Bhandari, Tamara) According to Bonni, this overabundance of synapses and â€Å"miscommunication among neurons in the developing brain, correlates with impairments in learning, although we don’t know how.† (Bhandari, Tamara) There are six genes, called ‘ubiquitin ligases,’ which â€Å"attach a molecular tag called ubiquitin to proteins† at the focus of this study. (Bhandari, Tamara) These genes tell the brain which proteins should be kept and which should be thrown out. The same study looked specifically at one of these six genes: RNF8, the gene that is believed to mutate in those with ASD. This gene was removed from neurons in the cerebellum of mice, and â€Å"researchers found that neurons that lacked the RNF8 protein formed about 50 percent more synapses than those with the gene.† (Bhandari, Tamara) Although the mice walked normally, associated with motor function of the cerebellum, they were unable to learn new motor movements, a key symptom of ASD. Those with autism often display difficulty building social skills and simple skills like eye contact, bouncing a ball, or gauging how much energy to exert when lifting or pushing. (National Institute of Mental Health) The mice without an RNF8 gene were also unable to pick up a basic new skill, learning to close their eyes when a puff of air was blown at them: closing their eyes only ? of the time compared to those with a functioning gene closing their eyes ? of the time, a delayed and misunderstood reaction. (Bhandari, Tamara) Those with autism often can’t focus on one task for too long, or become consumed with a task, such as trying to put a puzzle together or sort objects. The study also reverberates the importance of the cerebellum â€Å"in higher cognitive functions such as language and attention, both of which are affected in autism.† (Bhandari, Tamara) While it would be thought that an increase in neural connections would increase brain function, it actually lead s to a repetitive and remediated nature of thought and action. Two trademarks of Autism are language delays and intense attachment to specific objects, both of which directly correlate with some lack of higher level thinking skills. (Bhandari, Tamara) Another study at Columbia University Medical Center adds more meaning to these findings, by associating this overabundance of synapses in the brain with a â€Å"slowdown in a normal pruning process during development.† (Gudsnuk, Kathryn, et al) Normally, â€Å"a burst of synapse formation occurs in infancy, particularly in the cortex, a region involved in autistic behaviors.† (Gudsnuk, Kathryn, et al) Normally, pruning takes out about half of the synapses, but, in the study, which looked at brains of those with autism who died from another cause, the pruning process had not done its job to the extent that it does in most brain cortexes. (Gudsnuk, Kathryn, et al) While this is just a correlation between a few studies, the new light it is shedding on brain formation and ASD is vital. It is also worth examining the function of the superior temporal sulcus in those with autism, which controls processing of visual information, and its role in â€Å"inability to interpret body language, facial expression, and gestures.† (Driver, Janine) Those with ASD often mistake gestures or do not realize the significance of what body language is communicating. This symptom of ASD was put to the test in research conducted by the University of Durham in 2009. The study presented autistic individuals with cartoon pictures showing specific emotions (happy, sad, angry), directions, and gestures without the use of faces or language.The participants had to rely solely on body language, such as skipping or clapping to come to a conclusion about how the figure was feeling. The study concluded that â€Å"participants had a tremendously difficult time reading the emotion and/or deciphering the direction of movement,† which is believed to be related to the gene mutation referen ced earlier which directly affects social ability. (Driver, Janine) According to Janine Driver, a contributor to Psychology Today, â€Å"These individuals are unable to decipher the communication cues bombarding them; resulting in not only a diminished capacity to properly communicate their wants to others, but an inability to feel empathy or socially relate to those around them.† (Driver, Janine) It doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t feeling, they are just unable to show it the way most people do. For example, during a pep rally, a student with ASD may misassociate cheering and noise as scary sounds, rather than excitement and become nervous. There isn’t a same mechanism present for decoding these sensory signals and reacting accordingly. Another study conducted by Dr. David Matsumoto interestingly examined body language of Olympic athletes. He saw a trend in how these people reacted to feeling certain emotions. While this doesn’t seem revolutionary, some of his subjects were blind, and yet still responded with basic physical movements and gestures representational of the emotion they were feeling. He therefore came to the conclusion that â€Å"it is reasonable to conclude that many of the behaviors, gestures and expressions we use to convey our feelings are deeply imbedded in our distinctly human code.† (Driver, Janine) This provides evidence that although there may be environmental risk factors for developing ASD, a genetic link cannot be ignored. While autism is not exclusionary to a specific race, gender, or socioeconomic class, there are some possible environmental risk factors associated with ASD, such as having a sibling with the disorder or older parents, having certain genetic conditions such as Down Syndrome, and a very low weight at birth. (National Institute of Mental Health) Some risk factors have also been debated more than others. According to Autism Speaks, â€Å"prenatal exposure to the chemicals thalidomide and valproic acid has been linked to increased risk of autism.† (Autism Speaks) Other possible environmental factors include deadly viruses or infections, such as rubella, and childhood immunizations. While none of these risk factors are completely inclusionary of those with Autism, many factors alongside observation of behavior are used in diagnosing ASD. After taking into account some of the possible biological causes and environmental risk factors associated with autism, it is also important to acknowledge a more individualized aspect of ASD: the environment that is created around the individual. As a special education teacher, I witness, everyday, the effects that educational and social influences can have on those with ASD and their communication skills. I have one student, in particular, who reminds me every day that genetics don’t paint the entire picture of what he is capable of. He is a freshman in high school, nonverbal, and speaks in only short phrases, characteristic of ASD, and often speaks in a repetitive nature. This is called echolalia, and is a â€Å"repeating of words or phrases.†(National Institute of Mental Health) If his social worker is coming after school, I usually hear about it intermittently throughout the entire day: it’s what he’s thinking about. Another trademark characteristic o f Autism that he exhibits is a narrow scope of topic and interest, but, nevertheless, there’s a brain process going on there. We affirm his thinking because it gives us a window into what is going on inside his head, and he is often excited when something he says is repeated back to him or if someone makes a connection to a movie he references. At the beginning of the year, he knew where Wisconsin was on a map. We learned two states every day, and he now knows forty-three states and counting and can put a map of the United States together by memory. I am reminded everyday that although his brain processes may be inhibited and limited, the science says so, and he he can’t have conversations with the depth that most can, there are a lot of processes occuring in his head, and I need to be cognizant of that. He has an amazing memory: almost photographic in some ways. He, and so may others, are capable of learning and thinking for themselves, we just need to give them the a venues to do so within their abilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder does not fit a specific mold, and small victories look different for every child. This specific student comes from a home of extremely low socioeconomic status, and I have reason to believe that most of his interaction and opportunity to communicate comes from interaction with social workers and school personnel. I have seen, first hand, how surrounding a child with caregivers and teachers who support a child with ASD in positive and meaningful ways can make all the difference in the student’s ability to be emotive and communicate. Students make a concentrated effort to interact with my freshman student with autism. They play sports with him and give him high-fives in the hallway. He will often laugh when someone says something he thinks is funny and he can point to objects he wants or doesn’t want. He can communicate, as basic as the interactions may be, he just has to be given the opportunity to do so. I witness everyday the bombardment of stimuli he tries to take in on a daily basis. He often covers his ears during lunch if there are too many discussions going on around him. He used to scream. I learn more every day about what it means to accommodate a student with ASD. Early intervention, creating a loving and supporting environment, and providing opportunities to communicate using an array of available modes, including talkboards, pictures, flashcards etc., are vital in supporting someone with ASD in and out of the classroom. One method of interaction, coined by Melanie Nind and Dave Hewett, authors of â€Å"Access to Communication,† is called Intensive Interaction. This practice â€Å"makes use of the range of interactive games that have been shown to occur in interactions between infants and their primary caregivers.† (Nind, Melanie Hewett, Dave) It takes into account the gap in basic ability to communicate present in those affected by ASD, and â€Å"incorporat e[s] interactive play intodaily routines in school.† (Nind, Melanie Hewett, Dave) One example that is given is using changing clothes, or â€Å"dressing situations,† such as putting on a jacket and boots, often a â€Å"non-personal and stressful routine† into a playful game, allowing for a more meaningful connection. (Nind, Melanie Hewett, Dave) This connection allows the student the opportunity to respond in a non-risk environment, creating a more enjoyable experience. Nind and Hewett found that, by using what they call â€Å"free-flowing interactive play,† that was integrated into a daily schedule, they were able to better gain the attention of the students and allow them opportunities to express themselves. I see, everyday, the importance of showing my students with autism that although they may not be able to completely express their emotions to me, I validate them and can still reciprocate the emotions I know they are feeling. It is important to be adaptable, modifying tasks, jobs, and communication modes so that they are accessible. The student I referenced earlier was, for the first time, given a talk board app loaded onto an iPad this year. I watched his face light up as he was able to use technology, something he loves, to point to movies he likes and to talk about or foods he is making in class that day. The words are repeated back to him through headphones. I have to remind myself on a daily basis to give him my all, because he deserves it. I don’t think, even with all of the research out there, that there is any replacement for that dedication.

Student Athletes Should Be Paid For Their Sport - 1849 Words

Over the years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has had controversy on whether or not student athletes should receive money for the sport they play. For sports fans, this issue can turn into a heated debate. In some circumstances, certain people believe that student athletes already have enough privileges. To the latter group of individuals, student athletes do not get enough and should get money for the sport they play. As a matter of fact, most college athletes will probably tell you that they should be. Student athletes should be paid for their sport. Most fans do not support the idea of paying college athletes to play football, basketball or whatever the sport may be. This is primarily because fans believe college athletics are amateur athletics. Joe Giglio a writer for the Charlotte Observer says in â€Å"For Some Colleges Athletes, NCAA Ruling Means a Chance To Get Paid† says â€Å"the NCAA’s contract with CBS to air the men’s basketbal l tournament is worth a reported $10.8 billion over 14 years. The so-called â€Å"Power 5† conferences – the ACC, SEC, Pacific-12, Big Ten and Big 12 – have lined up an estimated total of $16.3 billion during the next 15 years for the television broadcast rights to their football games.† While people are failing to realize that the NCAA has outgrown its amateur roots. Probably the biggest reason used for why student athletes should not be paid extra money is that they already get a â€Å"free education,† if on scholarship. AlthoughShow MoreRelated Should College Athletes be Paid? Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pagescontroversies with sports is, should student athletes be be paid a salary? Some people believe that they should be paid and others would completely disagree. Even though they technically are being paid, they really are not. The only type of way the athletes would be paid is through financial aid or if they have a job. Only their education is being paid by the school. Although some people believe that they should be paid, it would not be a good idea at all. So college athletes should not be paid at all becauseRead MoreNCAA aAhletes and Pay 1142 Words   |  5 PagesShould college student-athletes be paid has become a much debated topic. The incentive for a student-athlete to play a college sport should not be for money, but for the love of the game. It has been argued that colleges are making money and therefore the student-athlete should be compensated. When contemplating college income from sporting events and memorabilia from popular sports, such as football and basketball, it must not be forgotten that colleges do incur tremendous expense for all theirRead MoreThe National Collegiate Athletic Association1227 Words   |  5 Pages(Suggs). With huge sums of revenue generated from college sports teams, players for the successful teams appear to be very marketable. â€Å"The National Collegiate Athletic Associat ion, the largest collegiate sports organization in the United States, oversees much of the business of American college sports. For 2011-12, the NCAA reported $871.6 million in revenue-- 81 percent of which came from a broadcast rights agreement with Turner/CBS Sports. Another 11 percent came from sponsoring championships, suchRead MoreShould College Athletes Get Paid?1742 Words   |  7 PagesShould College Athletes Get Paid? Should college athletes be paid? This has been a controversial topic ever since college sports started. Many people argue that they should. Many people argue that they should not. College athletes should get paid because they work extremely hard playing their sport. The people that say they should be paid argue that the amount of time athletes dedicate is equivalent to a full-time job, and maybe even more. The people that say they should not get paid argue that collegeRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1713 Words   |  7 PagesCollege sports are one of the largest and fastest growing markets in today’s culture. With some college sports games attracting more viewers than their professional counterparts, the NCAA is one of the most profiting organizations in America. Recently there has been controversy in the world of college sports as to whether the college athletes that are making their universities and the NCAA money should receive payment while they are playing their respective sport. Many believe that these athletes shouldRead MoreHow Much Is Too Much?896 Words   |  4 Pagesprofessional is one who engages in a sport for pay (Morehead 567). The definition of an amateur and a professional has one key difference: the word pay. Should student athletes be paid to play their sports? College athletes are amateurs who are playing a sport in which they have limited big time stage playing experience. College athletes are not professionals. Student athletes should not be paid to play their sports while attending college. Amateur student athletes are first and foremost in collegeRead MoreStudent Athletes Being Paid or Not700 Words   |  3 PagesStudent Athletes Being Paid or Not College athletics today are enormous compared to the size that it was many years ago, especially in the region that I live in which is SEC country, should student athletes that have contributed to this growth be compensated for their contributions or not. With many big television deals and high ticket pricing this has been a topic that has become a constant in the minds of many. This topic is beginning to gather legs and making a move to the forefront of the NCAARead MoreThe Best Athletes Money, Clothes, Cars1082 Words   |  5 PagesAnother argument is that these â€Å"full-ride† scholarships that are given to the best athletes do not actually cover all of their expenses. When this happens, schools have boosters. Boosters give the college athletes money, clothes, cars etc. Example of that is Reggie Bush, running back for the University of Southern California from 2003-2005. Bush was paid by boosters to attend USC, which violated NCAA rules. Bush was talked about bad when the violations were revealed and had to return his HeismanRead MoreShould College Athletes Get Paid?853 Words   |  4 PagesShould College Athletes Really Get Paid? The question whether â€Å"If college athletes should get paid or not?† has been debated for many years. The debate is brought up every year during the NCAA men’s basketball, March Madness competition, and starts again when football season begins. College athletes do provide entertainment for sports fans, but all the benefits that they do receive should limit them from being paid. The benefits student athletes obtain is free tuition, health coverage, and an openedRead MoreEssay about Should College Athletes Be Paid?1220 Words   |  5 Pages College athletes should be paid because of the hard work, dedication and effort they put into their respective sports. These athletes are a major source of income for their schools and they are not receiving a penny for it. These college athletes deserved to be paid, colleges are using these athletes to get money and they are never given anything but a pat on the back and a good job. College athletes work and train extremely hard t o perform at the highest level possible. In most cases, they spend

Jealousy and Manipulation in Othello Free Essays

Jealousy and Manipulation in Othello He, who loves his wife for the lust, can run away from the situation that haunts him. But, he who loves his wife like he loves his god, loves to the death. Othello loved his wife so much, that if someone like Iago would plant seeds of lies and misjudgments into Othello, him and any other would go to the extreme as to kill her just to stop the pain. We will write a custom essay sample on Jealousy and Manipulation in Othello or any similar topic only for you Order Now Jealousy itself it self is like a predator searching for the weak. Othello quotes, â€Å"O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on. ~William Shakespeare, Othello. Iago, the predator, purposely imbedding jealous images into Othello’s head. Othello had no choice but to recognize how close his wifes relationship with Cassio really was. In his mind his closest friend is using their friendship to manipulate him into thinking they are friends just to get closer to Desdemona. â€Å" Get me some poison, Iago; this night! I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovid my mind again. † Iago’s manipulation is so great that Othello would kill the one he loved so much. Ruthless Iago knew that the only way to make the situation much worse was to convince Othello to murder his beloved with his bare hands. This away he could not get away with this action and he thought this would bring Othello to his own grave. So, Iago said â€Å"Do it not with poison, strangle her in the bed, even the bed she hath contaminated. † Now, I ago had Othello’s head wrapped around 2 things that this world has always had problems with – Jealousy Manipulation. But , the true situation that ran this whole operation was greed. This monster controlled many kings, families and any person who could not control themselves. Iago’s greed was to become a higher ranked person than Cassio. With this he used his manipulation on Othello and Cassio unsuspectingly in the dungeon. Foolishly tricking Cassio into talking about his girlfriend, but making it seem to Othello he was talking about Desdemona. Iago could not get rid of Cassio himself. This tension was created because of Iago’s jealousy of Cassio and his rank. Getting rid of Cassio would boost his rank and get one step closer to Othello. Thinking Cassio has mated with his wife Othello cries out he wants Cassio dead. Othello becoming blind because of hatred and jealousy led him into becoming a â€Å"caotic monster. Othello’s past and current position as a soldier helped him solve how to take care of a problem and to him killing a person got rid of the problems that occurred just like in the wars before. The problem here is not war, it is his extreme love for his wife and his blindness for honesty is what led him into killing. Not know ing the truth can prevent honesty. But, to be manipulated and becoming jealous only fuels the fire. Othello’s heart for love became a wildfire. In the end greed won the battle, but the truth from Cassio and Iago’s wife set the pathway to destruction and ending the battles. How to cite Jealousy and Manipulation in Othello, Papers

Business Development Report Ikea Company †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Business Report Ikea Company. Answer: Introduction and Company Information The IKEA company was started in 1943 and started selling furniture in 1956. By 2007, the company had already opened up different stores for its products in the various countries. The IKEA Company is based in Netherland and creates products regarding furniture and home appliances to make life at home better. Offering a full range of products with affordable prices and a better life for people is the vision of the company. This is a company that earns its money even before they spend it because of the make use of their resources and hence able to make future investments. IKEA offers quality products to people at fair prices, and they believe that, when people grow due to using the company's products, the company itself grows too. It has many locations globally that supply the furniture and home appliances to different parts of the world (Drzazga, 2014). The company has also included the selling of houses and flats so as to reduce prices for the first time buyers. The IKEA products and furniture usually designed in Sweden but mostly manufactured in developed countries so as to cut costs whereby the final assembly is done by the consumers (Edvardsson Enquist, 2011). Some of the IKEA competitors include; the Babyage that sells innovative products to make babies live richer and parents live easier. SHOP.CA sells online millions of goods across the world which include clothing, electronics, furniture, home appliances, jewelry, toys, video games, musical instruments and many other products. Move Loot is another competitor which is the easiest way to buy and sell online which include pick-up and delivery (Rask, 2014). The IKEA has different management styles which it applies in their operations such as autocracy style, democracy, laisse- fair, and lastly paternalistic management style. Innovation: Electronic shopping The world is changing globally because of the current technology, IKEA company has been facing different challenges in the busy world because some markets, especially in USA stores, are located mainly in urban areas, and this has made the shopping to be difficult because people have busy schedules and the stores are not within their reach. Electronic shopping is an innovation that the company is looking forward to developing even though they opted for Facebook and Twitter but it did not work, and hence they saw the opportunity to implement the e- shopping which is a digital marketing(Drzazga, 2014). Electronic shopping is whereby people can buy and sell goods and services from a seller over the internet. People usually find the product or the service by searching in the website which displays its items online and then orders for delivery. Earlier this year, the IKEA company was announced to launch an online shop for the customers in the Czech Republic whereby local consumers can be able to order the products online(Hassan, Sistani, Raju, 2014) Benefits of Online Shopping to IKEA The electronic shopping is important because it allows for peace of mind because there are secure payments that are done online. People can track their order and then select the necessary date for collection of their items. After the online shopping, the shoppers will have access to the online shopping experience. Also, online shopping leads to opening of many stores and outlets and pick up points for the online orders which are made accessible to customers at different destinations. Business model canvas This is a business model innovation that is used to describe the current business or future business model. This model contains questions that act as guidelines for the designing process of the business model(Massa, 2013). The IKEA business model canvas is made up of harvesters, manufacturing firms, transport firms, delivery companies and the outfitting firms. Their aim is to design modular furniture, manufacture modular furniture, advertise and market and offer after sale services to its customers. They offer affordable and cheap home products to their clients; it's easy to assemble and transport the furniture and their experience to their clients on childcare on site, dining options and also the whole family experience. To their family, IKEA offers exclusive discounts, and for loyalty, the storage is in low costs assembling, and delivery is for free. The customer segments include the cost-conscious consumers, college students, and small businesses. The key resources are infrastructure regarding megastores, actual furniture, trucks, lifting equipment, tools and skilled personnel regarding labor. The channels for transportation are superstores, catalogs, family email subscriptions and IKEA stores website. The cost structure includes the raw material costs, manufacturing costs, advertising costs, labor costs and transportation costs. The revenue streams are the furniture sales, food sales at the restaurant, service fees through delivery and assemble and accessories sale through yarn, tools and towing equipment. The goal of the IKEA business model is to create value within the industry of home furnishing(Euchner Ganguly, 2014). In the past decade, people could not afford the best quality furniture because of their budget and the company saw this need and created a variety of furniture with different sizes, culture and also prices. The company usually focus on the customer by shortening the distance between the creation of the product and its selling point. And this often lowers the costs of the products. The company does this by looking at the customers' needs, and this gives the information about the consumer and by doing this, they use this information to design the furniture that the client needs considering the space requirement. Different customers face different challenges regarding income, and this makes the company use low prices that the people can afford according to their incomes. The company looks at the tastes and preferences of the consumers so as to design the products that s uit those preferences. By doing this, better materials are used and useful techniques used. The model usually believes in the personal touch as compared to the name of the company which was named after its founder, the village and the farm where he lived. The value of the enterprise is to have the customers assemble their furniture at home. The furniture is packaged in the way that is easier to transport with instructions on how to put them in place. The IKEA model requires time to time updates meaning that the furniture is changed from time to time. It takes the information that they receive from their customers, identifies any need arising and then makes changes to the design where necessary. Common sense and hard work is emphasized in this model and gives people a chance to change a house into a real home. Even though the resources of the people are limited, the IKEA business model continues to pay dividends to the people. Business Case Components Problems solved by the innovation The service by the name click and collect, many people have been able to select the items of interest online, pay through the credit cards and then have their orders shipped to their areas. The IKEA customers have demanded to make online buying, and the company is happy because it has met peoples' desires. Online payments have been made even though in the first week after it was launched, people needed to pick their goods from the stores (Hassan, Sistani, Raju, 2014). People are now able to get their orders delivered up to their door with an additional cost which depends on the cost of goods to be delivered and the IKEA branch bought from. Benefits of the innovation The e-shopping has helped people to have access to a variety of items as the goods are arranged in such a way that the company needs to see what people want to buy. The IKEAs catalog is necessary because it shapes consumers' behavior as people use it to see all the products and get any information or ideas from home and hence use it to make online orders (Euchner Ganguly, 2014). People use the augmented reality application to place their furniture at home, see how it looks and how it fits the space available. Strategic plans and responses In Swedish, IKEA will launch its electronic shopping business in Shanghai and start selling its products online by the end of August. All the furniture, home appliances, and accessories will be sold online except food and green plants. With this new shopping, people will be able to login to the IKEA website and then buy items through the portal, but both the online and offline products will have same prices and categories. By shopping online, the customers will be able to decide whether the goods will be delivered to their door or pick them from the stores. It also enables people to choose from a variety of products that are available(UDDENFELDT, 2014). The prices of transport and pick up are all the same for the people who order from the shop regardless of the weight of the items. IKEA company uses the electronic shopping so as to have a unique experience for its customers which is associated with the ability to feel and touch the products. The technological changes have contributed to the launch of electronic shopping, and it has created a better everyday life for so many people. The aim of the company is to build on their expansion story and expand their online presence so as to have a good relationship with their customers all over the world with a shopping experience. Due to this launch, IKEA has conducted services allowing for purchases to take place with set delivery dates that fit customers' needs and convenience whereby secure payments are made through the credit cards. Project options analysis The company has also launched an e-commerce shopping in Saudi Arabia whereby customers just click purchase items, and they are delivered to their doorsteps. The e-commerce is currently being practiced in selected areas, but soon it will cover the whole region of Saudi Arabia. A marketing manager of Saudi Arabia says that it has been the fastest growing e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa. By 2018, the company is planning to launch a modernized full-fledged e-commerce business because they see the click and collect service as being temporary. IKEA has also launched a home delivery and online shopping in Australia where customers will be able to order online and then collect in store or receive a home delivery. Recommendations For this reason, IKEA should encourage people to buy flat packed furniture online. Online shopping includes many services like picking and delivery and also assembling hence making shopping from home possible and convenient(Hassan, Sistani, Raju, 2014). Further, the management of the company should market the e-shopping innovation at both global and domestic level to gain as many customers as possible. Also, the company should establish competitive strategies to withstand the competitive pressure posed by competitors in the market; this will help the company gain a competitive edge against its rivals. Lastly, the human resource management of IKEA should recruit only the qualified personnel who have the right skills of providing excellent online shopping services to the customers. Conclusion Technology impacts significantly on the success and performance of a firm. Most companies have invested broadly in sophisticated technologies in the provision of services and products. Electronic shopping benefits both the customers and the companies using the technique. Doing electronic shopping is the best with the changing of the technology because it saves time as people just order for items they need and they are brought within their reach with prearranged delivery and assembly services. Therefore, companies should employ the right resources and invest heavily in online shopping for this will help them get competitive and position themselves firmly in the market. References Aversa, P., Haefliger, S., Rossi, A., Baden-Fuller, C. (2015). 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