The Case of Martha Stewart On Improper Actions

The Case of Martha Stewart On Improper Actions Introduction One of the most intriguing cases, the one of the famous Martha Stewart, offers quite a lot of food for thoughts. With help of the mystery that has been created about the case, the popularity of the celebrity has increased immensely. However, it cannot be denied that Martha suffered greatly, trying to prove her innocence – unfortunately, in vain.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Case of Martha Stewart: On Improper Actions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the guilt of the celebrity has already been proven, it must be admitted that the case, quite complicated and entangled, requires certain clarifications. It seems that there are certain issues that might bring the entire case into conflict and prove that the fault of the convicted was far not that great as the court has emphasized. One of the women known for her TV shows with her recipes for a comfortable life in a cozy house, the supers tar of our times is now considered guilty of selling the Erbitux medicine, which resulted in ImClone Systems company suffering certain losses in their trade. Quite a precedent to be discussed in the court, this story could have led to rather sad consequences for the film star. However, as it has turned out, it was not the very issue of selling the medicine in the improper way that turned Martha into the accused – but the improper behavior! This is quite a reason to feel concerned, it seems. On the one hand, there is no doubt that the high standards for the behavior of the world celebrities must be somewhat coordinated, and some standards must be set, yet the accusations themselves seem ridiculous. The Struggle Begins: the Sufferings of the Celebrity Despite all the emotions concerning the social status of the accused and her attempts to plead not guilty, there is no doubt that the woman is to be charged for the negligence of laws. No matter how hard this might result in her c areer, the case was supposed to be carried on until it had resulted in either conviction or the exoneration. Such are the postulates of the law – it must be kept in mind that all people are equal when it comes to facing the justice, and the social status does not matter in this case. Thus, it is absolutely clear that Martha Stewart, â€Å"charged only with lying after the fact about the stock sale† (Turrow 64), should have received the penalty, which she actually did. Therefore, the sentence passed by the jury can be considered well-grounded and completely just. However, certain details must be kept in mind. On the one hand, Martha’s guilt has been proved, which leaves no place for doubts. Yet the way in which the woman was treated makes one doubt if the basis for the conviction was just enough. Logically, Stewart should have been penalized for the unjust behavior and for selling the medicine that she had no right to. Yet at present all the details of the case p oint at the fact that the attitude towards the accused was shaped because of the way she treated Douglas Faneuil.Advertising Looking for essay on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Into the Details: The Charges According to the official charge, the woman was accused of selling the shares of the ImClone Systems company, which led to its considerable drop of rates. Therefore, the celebrity was accused of the unfair manipulations and charged. However, that was the official version of what had happened. According to the comments that the public made after the judgment was passed, the decisions of the jury were based on the celebrity’s behavior – the woman treated Douglas Faneuil in rather rude way and behaved in the manner that was considered as an â€Å"inappropriate† for a woman. Therefore, it can be considered that the sentence passed was based mainly on the personal impressions of the ju ry. That Is Unfair, or On Personal Opinions Based on the testimonies of Larry Stewart, the court decision seems rather unfair. Although the official sentence was based completely on the facts and the actual pieces of evidence, the following question can be raised: once the celebrity behaved in a â€Å"proper†, â€Å"female† way, would the decision of the jury the same? â€Å"Are we punishing Martha Stewart for refusing to fulfill expectations?†, Lisa Nuss (4) asks. It is quite doubtful that, once Martha displayed the emotions that one is â€Å"supposed† to in the given situation, and behaved in the most composed and modest way, the sentence passed by the court would have been the same. It is necessary to emphasize that the decision of the court seems to be based on personal opinion rather than on the evidence that was displayed. Conclusion Therefore, it must be considered that the case of Martha Stewart is much more complicated than it used to seem. Unles s the case had been so emotionally rich and filled with personal likes and antipathies, it would have been able to find out whether Martha had been convicted justly or not. Yet with the controversy of the present situation, it is impossible to claim for sure whether the sentence passed to Martha was well-grounded. Thus, it seems that the appellation could be used in this case. Only reconsidering the details of the case, one can pass the right verdict, with impartial judge and the jury that would not base their convictions on the gossips and the prejudices concerning women’s behavior.

Canadian Senate essays

Canadian Senate essays The Canadian Electorate: Good, Better, Best There is a tendancy to believe that ones own electoral system is the best way of choosing a government. For this reason and the fact that Canada possesses an overall efficient and fair system, there is usually not too much controversy among the general public about the way political officials are elected to office. The fact of the matter is that the issues surrounding the First Past the Post (or Single Member Plurality) system are serious enough to be considering a better alternative. Canada would, in fact, be better served with a different electoral system. The party system suits Canadians well, due to its cultural, regional, linguistic and other diversities. However, it is the brand of party system that is incorporated which is slowing down the electoral system. To better understand where the current system (FPTP) could be improved, a discussion of some major flaws will be addressed followed by the offering of the Proportional Representation as the best alternative. The first-past-the-post system encourages strategic voting which can be very compromising. Citizens are encouraged to vote for one of the two options most likely to win, even if it is not their most preferred option. An example of this type of voting could be easily recognized in the 2004 Canadian federal election; where many people were believed to have only voted for Liberal or Conservative, respectively, because one of these two forerunners was the lesser of two evils. New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton, expressed his concern immediately following the election that many potential NDP voters chose the Liberal alternative, only because of their distaste for the Conservatives. The reason why this type of voting comes to be is because the first-past-the-post system designates one clear-cut winner. Citizens become fearful that they will cast a wasted vote&ap...

Critical Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Critical Analysis Paper - Essay Example Along the kerbs and spaces in between the lines are trees and at some points are there are some overhead street lighting lamps in the parkway. On the rear of the painting of the parkway is a bridge below which the lanes of the parkway pass. Again, on the rear of the painting, the sky looks lighted, implying some source of natural lighting cast on the sky. In a similar way, hind sections of the parkway including the bridge and the surrounding sections are brighter as a result of the lighting. In contrast, the foreground of the parkway painting is not lit and creates an impression of some shadow. On the far rear of the painting, in the corner is equally lit storey building amidst several leafy trees. It is also noticeable that the trees around the storey structure are leafier as compared to the ones in between the lanes which look rather unhealthy. The painting of the Masholu Parkway also shoes a highway that is not up to standard since some sections of it look dilapidated. Proper planning of the highway also seems not to be sufficient no visible highway marks and directions to the highway users. Te lighting posts are also scanty in the painting of the Masholu Parkway. The textural surface of the painting and especially with relation to the tactile character of the highway is in agreement. The quality feel and coloration of the painting most resembles the fabric of what the highways are perceived and known to be. The grey color used in most parts of the painting correlates well with the usual nature and texture and the feeling of any road or highway. As to the areas in the foreground, middle ground and the background and the space around and within the objects of the painting, the highway itself is accorded sufficient space. The space occupied by the highway itself is much greater than any other object in the painting. In fact, the bridge and the highway lanes take up more than three-quarters of the space available. This, in effect enhances the main focus of

Renewable Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Renewable Energy - Essay Example In terms of expense, it is expensive to set up a wind farm. Furthermore, wind is unpredictable as it changes with weather and in other places; wind power cannot support a wind farm because it is too weak. Wind strength is also variable with time. Therefore, wind mills do not give out uniform amount of energy at all times. Sometimes, not even the slightest amount of power becomes generated (Kaltschmitt, Streicher & Wiese 96). If everybody is to turn to wind as an energy source, large tracts of wind farms would become needed to supply sufficient electricity. For instance, the most immense wind mill available in the United States is only able to supply electricity to about 400 homes. Solar energy is another renewable source of energy that people have failed to embrace fully. Solar energy has been in use since ancient times, with several technologies getting harnessed to collect heat and light from the sun with two main systems been used in this modern age (Boyle 89). These are photovolt aic, also known as solar cell and concentrated solar power systems. Concentrated solar systems have lenses which concentrate a significant area of light into a beam. The concentrated heat becomes used as a heat source. The photovoltaic cell, on the other hand, converts light into electric current. Solar energy gets applied in several fields, for instance industries located in remote places, use solar energy to power monitoring devices as well as corrosion protection devices (Johansson 66). Residents living in such areas use it to pump water, to cook, through the use of solar cookers, to heat and purify water and to dry fruits and herbs. Tests are underway on the use of solar powered planes. Recently, solar trash became designed in some of the big cities. Solar... Renewable Energy This essay demonstrates the comparison of different renewable energy sources types, their advantages, and disadvantages suitability, sustainability, and profitability if they are used during a long period of time. It talks about the possibility of fossil fuels replacement by new types of energy sources. Various researches are being carried out all over the world by scientists to come up with cost-effective, and environmentally friendly sources of energy. One of the analyzed sources is solar energy that people have failed to embrace fully. Solar energy is cost effective, easy to install, present almost everywhere, silent and do not pollute the environment to large extends. However, the initial cost to install solar cells is high, making it costlier to other traditional sources such as coal. It can also be limited by weather conditions, especially when clouds cover almost the whole sky all day. Another example of renewable energy is hydropower. This energy is generated from flowing water. It is the most affordable source of energy across the world. It is also readily available and pollution due to hydroelectric energy is minimal. It is, however, expensive to build and construct large dams. Furthermore, the giant dams have become associated with serious geological damage. Though, due to various shortcomings of these sources of energy, the non-renewable sources continue to be widely used. Therefore, the two sources become required to complement each other, but complete dependence on either of them is unwise.

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a Essay

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a manufacturing company - Essay Example In this study, several items will be considered while analyzing the cost effectiveness of temporary workers. First, an overall analysis of the benefits as well as the drawbacks of temporary workers will be presented in comparison to the hiring of full-time employees. The presentation of this analysis will demonstrate that hiring temporary workers is, in fact, more beneficial for companies when trying to cut costs.Temporary workers allow for companies to adapt to fluctuating markets, and give them some control in an economy that has not provided much earning incentive. In order to resolve this and to adapt to changing times, temporary workers can be hired and maintained by companies for as long as needed. Skilled contingent workers are included in this study. While skilled contingent workers are often paid more than other temporary workers, and often more than full-time workers as well, their use still allows the company to save money. This is because they are usually brought on for s hort term projects, and then released when the projects are completed. The large salaries or hourly wages earned by skilled contingent workers thus will end, and the company can return to normal expenditure. There would therefore be no need to bring on another full-time employee to handle certain skilled situations that are needed for specific periods of time only, and this has helped to keep costs down for many companies. This study examined three companies throughout a one year, four quarter period. Costs were analyzed and determined as the companies transitioned into using more and more contingent workers. The results of this study demonstrate that companies achieved cost-cutting results that increased every quarter for each company that participated in the study. Therefore, this study helps to prove that temporary workers, whether skilled or not, can be used to help cut the costs of company finances. Based on the findings, it appears that the use of temporary workers does, in fa ct, cut costs for companies. Therefore, the key recommendations of this study are for companies to use temporary employees in order to save money in a worsening economy. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 3 CHAPTER I. Statement of the Problem 5 Statement of the Problem 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Research Objectives 5 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 Temporary Employees 6 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Temporary Agency 7 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Organization 8 Core Responsibility of the Temporary Employees 11 III. METHODOLOGY 13 IV. Data analysis 14 Who Are the Temporary Workers 14 What Jobs do Temporary Workers Perform 17 How Often Are They Used 18 Overview of the Model 20 Is Training and Hiring Employees Cost Effective 25 Company 1 - Illustration 26 Company 2 - Illustration 27 Company 3 - Illustration 27 V. Summary, CONCLUSION, Recommendations 28 VI. 28 REFERENCES 33 Refer to the Student Guide for formatting and titles of chapters, etc. Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem Due to the rise of the global economy, technological advancement and the growth of the service economy have promoted changes in the way organizations do business (Camerman, Cropanzano, & Vandenberghe, 2007). These require that business develop the ability to respond flexibly to the fast-changing environments. One such strategic decision is whether to engage temporary employ

EYMP3 3.2 welfare and welbeing Essay Example for Free

EYMP3 3.2 welfare and welbeing Essay EYMP3 – 3.2 Health visitor – works with the family will visit a child at home as well as see them at the clinic, they will record the child’s weight and height and carry out age milestone checks on the child. If the health visitor has any concerns they would then refer to the GP They would also give advice to the parent/carer or any information that they have. GP – would normally be the first port of call, they will monitor and keep all records of the health of a child, also give advice to the parents/carer and or make referrals if required. Speech therapist –They help child with speech, language and communication difficulties, they also give advice to parents/carer, pre-school and schools 2 Examples of professional advice for promoting the wellbeing of children and families Dentist – Regular check-ups and gives advice on how to keep teeth and gums healthy, cut down on sugary food and drinks, clean teeth every day morning and night and after every meal. Change 4 life – (www.NHS.uk/change 4lifechildren earlyyearsprovider For early years providers you can sign up as a local supporter, get regular news letters about campaigns and materials, as a childcare professional you can link up with the local community which puts you in a great position to spread the word â€Å"Change4life. Good habits are picked up early and a child will became used to eating healthy and nutritious snacks between meals every day as well as being active and have a great chance of becoming a healthy youngster enjoying a healthy life. To reap the rewards you can down load free posters and booklets that help you to help the children aged 2 – 5 years including games and activities that they can play on line to become more active and eat healthy food.

Isolation And Observation Of Bacteria Using Pure Culture Methods Biology Essay

Isolation And Observation Of Bacteria Using Pure Culture Methods Biology Essay INTRODUCTION Bacteria are found everywhere (Campbell Reece, 2005). They have the ability to colonize almost all habitats which means they come in wide varieties of forms. Understanding bacterial structure can therefore make it possible to understand their functions and survival. For example, just by studying the capsule layer of bacteria, one can get an idea of the pathogenicity of the bacteria. But they grow among diverse and mixed populations, where it is impossible to study a single species of bacteria. Thus it is necessary that the pure culture of bacterial colonies be obtained for studying. Pure culture is defined as a mass or group of cells arising from the same parent cell. Pure culture techniques, such as streak plate, pour plate and spread plate, isolate bacterial colonies from mixtures so that colonies comprising of the identical organisms can be studied. Isolation of pure culture is vital for characterizing a single species of bacteria ­ otherwise presence of contaminants can lead t o inaccurate observations (Prescott et al., 2005) Then the isolated bacterial colonies undergo incubation at 370C for 24 hours for all the three plates, after which, a colony can be selected and isolated again to obtain pure cultures. Another step in the experiment is to perform a differential staining method known as Gram staining, which mainly differentiates the bacteria into two categories: Gram positive and Gram negative based on their cell wall structures (Campbell and Reece, 2005). The species of bacteria present in the given broth culture were Escherichia Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Bacillus Cereus. The appearances of these bacteria known in theory state that Escherichia Coli are Gram negative and rod-shaped; Bacillus Cereus are Gram positive and rod-shaped while Staphylococcus Aureus are Gram positive and cocci. So the experiment was carried out to see if it was possible to obtain pure cultures from mixed broth by applying streak, spread and pour plate techniques. AIMS The main objectives of this experiment were to understand the purpose, principles and techniques of Gram staining as well as the isolation of pure cultures. The experiment further aimed to compare the different isolation techniques, namely streak plate, spread plate and pour plate in terms of producing pure cultures, and also compare the morphological features of three types of bacteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS The procedure was carried out according to the instructions stated in the pages 32-36 of the Microbiology lab manual (MIC2011, Class Notes, 2011). RESULTS (combined with Morning Lab, Bench 1, Group A3) The entire experiment was carried out in three different sessions. Session 1 A broth culture, labelled as Culture 2, was provided and it was known to contain a mixture of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. Sample from the broth culture was heat-fixed and then gram stained for observation under the light microscope. Three different types of bacteria were seen and their identifiable characteristics were matched with the three kinds of bacteria known to be present in the mixture. Table 1 Observation of Culture 2 (the broth culture) and characterisation of the types of bacteria seen under the microscope Species Cellular Morphology Type of Bacteria Gram Stain Shape Arrangement Type 1 (Gram +ve) Purple Coccus Cluster Staphylococcus aureus Type 2 (Gram -ve) Pink Rod (shorter) Single/Pair Escherichia coli Type 3 (Gram +ve) Purple Rod (longer) Chain Bacillus cereus After the presence of all three types of bacteria was confirmed, loopfuls from the broth culture were taken in order to prepare pure cultures using three isolation techniques streak plate, spread plate and pour plate. Once the three isolation plates were ready, they were incubated overnight at 37 °C for the next session. Session 2 After overnight incubation at 37 °C, the colonies which formed on the streak, spread and pour plate were observed under the microscope to see the distribution and the morphology of bacterial colonies. These isolation techniques helped determine which bacteria were responsible for the colony morphology. Table 2 Distribution and observation of bacterial colonies present in streak plate, spread plate and pour plate, after one-day incubation at 37 °C Appearance of Bacterial Colonies Streak Plate Spread Plate Pour Plate Distribution Primary inoculum and initial streaks were overlapping while the final streaks were distinct and separate Overlapping and could not be differentiated Overlapping and could not be differentiated Density High Higher Highest Location Few large colonies present on the surface of the agar Overlapping colonies present on the surface of the agar Distributed on the agar surface as well as within the agar medium Other Features Various features were noted among different colonies Opaque, irregular, smooth and flat White and opaque Since distinct and well-isolated colonies were not found from the spread plate and pour plate techniques, selection of distinct and clear colonies of all three types of bacteria were made from the streak plate and observed under the microscope. Table 3 Morphology of the bacterial colonies Appearance Colony 1 Colony 2 Colony 3 Shape Circular Circular Irregular Size Small Medium Large Surface Smooth and glistening Smooth and glistening Rough and dull Elevation Flat Convex Raised Color Pale yellow Yellow White Edge Undulating Smooth Undulating Opacity Opaque Transparent Opaque Identity Staphylococcus aureus Escherichia coli Bacillus cereus Session 3 The isolated colonies were incubated overnight at 37 °C and inoculated onto new nutrient agar (NA) plates, after which pure plates of each type of bacteria were prepared and Gram stained followed by the observation of single colonies of bacteria under the microscope. Table 4 Observation of cellular and colonial morphology Type of Bacteria Colony Morphology Cellular Morphology Gram Stain Shape Arrange-ment Other Features Staphylococcus aureus Smallest in size; circular; flat; smooth surface and undulating edges; pale yellow and opaque (Gram +ve) Purple Coccus Cluster Pure culture was extracted. No contamination. Escherichia coli Medium in size; circular; convex; smooth surface and edges; yellow and transparent (Gram -ve) Pink Rod (shorter) Single/ Pair Pure culture was extracted. No contamination. Bacillus cereus Largest in size; irregular; raised; rough surface and undulating edges; white and opaque (Gram +ve) Purple Rod (longer) Chain Pure culture was extracted. No contamination. DISCUSSION (1) As seen in the table-4 of results, Bacillus cereus had the largest colony with irregular shape, raised elevation, rough and dull surface, undulating edges, opaque and white in colour. They are Gram positive and rod-shaped, which are arranged in chains. The moderate-sized colony was the Escherichia coli with a circular shape, convex elevation, smooth and glistening surface, smooth edges, transparent and yellow in colour. They are Gram negative and are seen under the microscope as short rod-shaped structures existing in pairs or single cells. The smallest of all colonies belonged to the Staphylococcus aureus, with a circular shape, smooth and glistening surface, undulating edges, opaque in pale yellow in colour. They are Gram positive cocci arranged in grape-like clusters and they do not form spores (Mahon et al., 2007). The cellular morphology of bacteria was observed by Gram staining while the colony morphology was seen using streak plate technique. The morphology of each bacterium observed in the pure cultures matched with those in the original mixture, but the colony size in pure culture was much bigger than those in mixed culture. The probable reason for this is that multiple bacterial colonies experience competition for nutrients while colonies in pure culture had sufficient food and space. No contamination was found and individual bacterial colonies were separated on an agar surface. (2) Among the three techniques used, streak plate is the most efficient way to produce well-isolated colonies, or in other words, pure colonies. In streak plate technique, the microorganisms containing many viable cells, were directly plated. However, in order for the technique to work well, there must be large populations of the organism in the original mixture (Sumbali and Mehrotra, 2009). Otherwise, the final streaks result in less or no colonies because in the streak plate method, the bacterial suspension is diluted more and more as it proceeds from the primary inoculums towards the latter streaks. Streak plate is a cost-effective and rapid-active method for separating bacteria in mixed cultures of high density and can also be repeated for achieving the desired purity. For these reasons, streak plate technique is widely used in laboratories (Pommerville, 2010). One disadvantage of streak plate is that the risk of contamination is higher since the plate is exposed to air for sever al times (Sumbali and Mehrotra, 2009). For more diluted populations, spread plate and pour plate are considered since they are easy to locate colonies among low density of evenly distributed populations (Willey et al., 2011). Serial dilutions reduce the microbial population (Willey et al., 2011). For spread plate, 0.1 ml of the bacterial suspension was taken from 10-2 dilution and spread over the agar whereas for pour plate, 1 ml of the suspension was taken from the 10-2 dilution. Although spread plate can separate a bacterial colony and it is more aseptic than streak plate, it is not feasible for isolating colonies from a mixture because the method is time-consuming and the colonies are not easily differentiated. However streak plate can be used to count microbial populations (Prescott et al., 2005). Similarly, pour plates are also used for counting microbial populations. Although it has the least risk of contamination, the process is time-consuming and the colonies are hard to dis tinguish or count since the colonies also grow inside the agar, for which this technique is not used to isolated colonies from a mixture. Pour plate is used for isolating and counting anaerobic bacteria since these microbes cannot survive in atmospheric levels of oxygen and are therefore only found within the agar and not on the surface of the agar (Hogg, 2005). (3) Gelatin is colourless, brittle and translucent medium (Willey et al., 2011). In this experiment, agar was used as the culture medium. Agar is preferred over gelatin for making solid media because of several reasons. First of all, unlike gelatine, agar contains complex polysaccharides that cannot be nutritionally digested or degraded by most microorganisms to form precipitates, since the incubation temperature of agar is about 20 °C, which is below the optimum temperature of most organisms and this enables the agar to remain solid when microorganisms are growing on it (Hogg, 2005). Secondly, agar sets firmly and strongly, providing a stable culture medium (Willey et al., 2011). Moreover, agar has a wide range of pH from 5 to 8 and also solidifies below 40 °C, for which liquid agar can be poured over the temperature sensitive nutrients without damaging them. Furthermore, the melting point of solid agar is above 100 °C and therefore can be used to culture thermophiles (Bauman, 2006). Finally, agar, being porous, can also show motility of the bacteria (Prescott et al., 2005). (4) Unlike bacterial colonies with heavy growth, the well-separated colonies do not have shortage of food or space, which prevents over-crowding and competition for resources and thus the bacterial growth rate is higher, for which they appear larger. Growth rate of bacterial cells in well-separated areas is further enhanced by the higher diffusion rate of the oxygen uptake by the cells and releasing of toxic metabolites out of the cell (Willey et al., 2011). On the other hand, bacteria in areas of high growth face competition for food and space for which their growth rate as well as survival rate is lower. This is probably the reason why Staphylococcus aureus, grew initially, but then stopped. In this experiment, once the bacteria were isolated, they were Gram stained and checked to ensure that no contamination had taken place and that each colony had single species of bacteria. (5a) An individual colony might contain more than one type of bacterium due to contamination. Common reasons for contamination are improper sterilization of inoculating loop or absence of aseptic techniques or sometimes even under sterilized environments. Contaminants are also present in the extracellular slime layer of bacteria and also in those bacteria which are joined in a network of chains. Another reason for not having the same type of bacterium in a colony, although very rare, is mutation and this results in the presence of multiple mutant strains of bacteria being present in a single colony (Pommerville, 2010). (5b) Bacteria reproduce asexually by a process called binary fission where a parent cell divides into and subsequent divisions take place. In this way, a colony can arise from multip le cells of same or different species of bacteria which are deposited together on a solid medium and this is how a colony may not always have the same parent cell. Even when bacteria exist in clusters, not necessarily are they from a single parent cell (Hogg, 2005). (6) Passing the dried smear through the Bunsen flame is known as heat fixing. By doing so, the microorganisms are killed and attached firmly to the slide due to the coagulation of the proteins; otherwise they would wash off with the stains. Heat fixing also alters the structure of the microorganisms, preserving the general morphology, so that they become permeable to stains (Sumbali and Mehrotra, 2009). (7) A whole colony would result in a thick smear, which not only appear overlapping and crowded under the microscope, but also prevent the diffusion of the dyes across the cell, for which the alcohol would not be able to effectively decolorize the cells, causing majority of the cells to be stained purple. Also different types of bacterial cells have different staining methods which may get confusing. Therefore, it would get very difficult to identify individual cells. (8) There is no association between bacterial cell shape and reaction to Gram stain. Gram staining depends on the thickness of the bacterial cell wall which is composed of peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan consists of abundant teichoic acid, a thin layer of periplasmic space and a peptide interbridge (Prescott et al., 2005). Both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria come in various shapes. For instance, Staphylococcus aureus (coccus-shaped) and Bacillus cereus (rod-shaped) are both Gram positive. (9) The bacterial cell wall structure determines its Gram stain reaction. Bacterial cell walls are composed of peptidoglycan which maintain rigidity and shape of the bacterial cell and also give protection from osmotic lyses (Prescott et al., 2005). However, in Gram positive bacteria, 90% of the cell wall is made up of peptidoglycan, for which the cell walls in Gram positive bacteria is thicker than in Gram negative bacteria where the peptidoglycan content is only 5 to 20%. The decolourisation depends on the peptidoglycan content in the cell wall and therefore determines whether the cell will be Gram stained or not. Upon addition of alcohol, the pores of the thick peptidoglycan layers shrink in the cell wall of Gram positive bacteria, which results in dehydration of the layer and retaining of the stain, for which they appear purple under the microscope. As for Gram negative bacteria, the alcohol wash opens the pores of the peptidoglycan layer and the stain is not retained in the pept idoglycan layer (Prescott et al., 2005). (10) The step which is very crucial in determining the outcome of Gram staining is the decolourisation with alcohol. The cell wall structure of Gram positive bacteria allows the crystal-violet iodine dye complex (CV-I complex) to be retained within the thick peptidoglycan layer when alcohol is added. On the contrary, the cell wall structure of Gram negative bacteria allows the CV-I complex to be removed from the peptidoglycan layer upon addition of alcohol. It is for the decolourization step that the Gram negative bacteria appear pink when counterstained with Safranin and Gram positive ones appear purple, otherwise CV-I complex would be present in both types of bacteria and both would be seen purple under the microscope. (11) Nonetheless every step in Gram staining is necessary to obtain the correct result. If any of the steps is eliminated, the results can change and are misleading. The table below shows the various outcomes when the steps in Gram staining are changed. Table 5 Results from altered steps in the Gram staining process: A B C D Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) Pink Pink Dark purple Dark purple Escherichia coli (Gram negative) Pink Pink Dark purple Colourless Bacillus cereus (Gram positive) Pink Pink Dark purple Dark purple When crystal violet wash is eliminated in step A, none of the cells will get the purple colour and thus all cells are stained pink when washed with Fuchsin. In step B, when the iodine wash is eliminated, the CV-I complex does not form and the crystal violet molecules are not large enough to be retained in the peptidoglycan. Thus they are washed off with the water and alcohol, for which even the Gram positive cells appear pink. In step C, with the elimination of alcohol wash, decolourization is not done, for which all cells, including the Gram negative one where the CV-I complex masks the pink colour, are stained purple (Willey et al., 2011). When Fuchsin wash is eliminated in step D, no change is brought on the Gram positive cells, but the Gram negative cells appear colourless, the reason being that after washing off the crystal violet with alcohol, no counterstain is added to the Gram negative cells (Willey et al., 2011). A limitation in this experiment is not performing the Gram stain when the species of bacteria were identified on the streak plate and again streaked on the nutrient agar plates. The bacterial species were of taken based on their colony morphology. However a Gram stain could have confirmed if the colonies comprised of the expected bacteria or not. CONCLUSION It was mandatory that aseptic techniques be followed when experimenting with microorganisms. Compared to spread plate and pour plate techniques, streak plate was found to be the most efficient and also the easiest way to isolate bacterial colonies. Pure cultures of three types of bacteria that were obtained included Staphylococcus aureus (rod-shaped and Gram positive), Bacillus cereus (cocci-shaped and Gram positive) and Escherichia coli (rod-shaped and Gram negative). Other than that, importance of heat fixing and Gram staining was understood. Gram staining proved to be a very good method for observing the bacterial cellular features and hence, differences between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria were clarified. It was also understood that reaction of a bacterial cell to the Gram stain is determined by the decolourization step.