Apples Product Development and Marketing Strategy

Apples Product Development and Marketing Strategy With the development of technology at high speed, particularly in the field of electronic products, some companies have launched brilliant products which are full of imagination and creativity. These products are exercising an invisible and formative influence on society. Among these products, the series of products from Apple Inc. (previously Apple Computer, Inc.) may be some of the most noticeable ones. Apple Inc., whose products have attracted peoples attention all over the world and have occupied considerable market share in global range, is one of the most successful international company currently. According to the statistics from NPD group, in the term of premium personal computer, Mac, which is the name of a series of Apples PC, revenue market share was 91 percent on June 2009. (Wilcox 2009). This consequence can be attributed to two major reasons: Apples product development and Apples extensive marketing (Schumacher 2009). In the meanwhile, Apples success affects society in two aspects, namely fashion style and changing peoples habits. This essay will expand the reasons mentioned above to analysis why Apple have achieved huge success worldwide, and then illustrate the positive effects on society owing to Apples products. Due to the success of Apple Inc. and its contribution to society, I would like to consider that Apple Inc. is one of the most outstanding companies at present age. Key Reasons for Apples Success Admittedly, the reasons which may bring about Apples success are various, nevertheless this essay mainly propose two most important reasons. Of major consideration is Apples product line, which is assuredly responsible for Apples success. Specifically, there are four sub reasons, which are constantly improving, innovative product line (Kingsley-Hughes 2009); simple design and user interface; high quality components; coherent hardware and software (Schumacher 2009), relevant to Apples product development. Apples product development First of all, Apples product line encompasses a series of brilliant and distinctive products, such as Mac (Macintosh), iPod, iPhone and iPad; and in the mean time the designers of Apple Inc. are improving and innovating on their product line constantly. Innovative spirit of Apple Inc. has been approved across the world. In 2005, Boston Consulting Group held a poll whose is called Top 20 Innovative Companies in the World, and collected the statistical data from 940 senior executives in 68 countries. The result of this investigation revealed that Apple Inc. was appraised as the most innovative company in the world and accounted for 24.84% of the entire vote (Nussbaum 2005). For example, iPod, as one of the representative product of Apple, was launched in 2001. Initially, although it attracted consumer attention, it only supported the Macintosh operation system, which meant that it could only be used on Macintosh computers and lost many other users who used windows operation system. The n, in 2002, Apple Inc. launched the second generation of iPod, which began to support Windows OS. As a result, iPod became more widely popular with both Macintosh and Windows users. Three years later, a new generation of iPod, which can play not only audio files but also video files, was launched on 12th October 2005. Moreover, for users convenience, the battery life was longer than before. In 2007, the newest generation with larger capacity which can store up to 4000 songs or 100 movies, was launched. (Identifying iPod models 2010) During the process of iPods development, we can see that Apple Inc. is improving their products constantly and adding innovative elements on the products to offer distinctive and unique user experience. The second element, which is considered to be relevant to Apples products, is their simple design style and friendly user interface. To take a panoramic view of Apples product line, whether an iPod, an iPhone or an iPad, they retain the simple design consistently. There are only a few buttons and different parts embedded into Apples products. The appearance of these products is one whole piece of technology and has no splicing traces on them. The simple user interface is a distinctive character, as well. For instance, an iPhone have no different submenus or other ways to display the menu, it is easy for users to reach the function which they want to use directly and avoid unnecessary confusion (Schumacher 2009). Thirdly, high quality components could lead to the success of Apples products. These products do not tend to integrate newest hardware and offer highest available capacities. That is to say, Apples products use suitable components to provide suitable functions, which ensure these products can run stably. For example, although there may be only have a 2 mega pixel camera integrated into an iPhone and this camera could not satisfy any user to take photos, the moment it is necessary for people to take a picture, the camera is ready and gives full scope to photography. (Schumacher 2009) Finally, the cohesion of hardware and software brings the success of Apples products. Apple Inc. not only focuses on developing the hardware but also developing the software, which enhances the performances of these products. For example, in order to improve iPods performances and provide convenience to users, Apple Inc. developed the software named iTunes, which is a software supporting a Mac or a PC. It arranges and plays audio and video files on a computer. Moreover, all media stored on a computer can be synchronized with an iPod, an iPhone and an iPad. In the meantime, it is a digital store on a computer and other apples products with a large quantity of music and movies (What is iTunes? n.d.). Additionally, iTune is updated on Apples website regularly, so that users can use newest version to enhance their iPods. In brief, Apple Inc. insists on improving and innovating on the product line to develop brilliant products constantly. And these products offer friendly user interface and simple design style for users who can operate these products easily. Moreover, high quality components are integrated into Apples products to enhance their performance. In addition, Apples Inc. develops software to support their products in order to providing convenience to users. Therefore, Apples product development is the basis of Apples success. Apples s marketing Assuredly, Apples product development is a necessary premise to Apples success. On the other side, Apples extensive marketing plays an important role as well. Apples marketing strategies can be summarized as two primary sides. One is advertising; the other is the communication style. Firstly, the success of Apples market could be caused by Apples advertising strategy. The slogans for Apples products can be seen in almost every place, such as in the streets, at the bus stops and on the large screens of squares. With Apples products, the slogans are creative and attractive, for instance, The first music player that talks to you (iPod shuffle n.d.) and Soon there will be 2 kinds of people. Those who use computers, and those who use Apples (Alex 2006). Due to these dense and eye-catching advertising with memorable slogans, Apples products are deeply rooted among the people quickly and accepted by people. Secondly, one of the most brilliant points of Apples marketing strategies is the communication style. Midgley and Midgley decribe a successful communication style as Golden Circle in the following words: If a company aligns itself with the customers values and consistently delivers its product or service in accordance with those values, then the customer will consistently utilize the companys offering. Consistent utilization of a companys offering will ensure a healthy top line. A healthy top line, in turn, produces healthy cash flow. (Midgley and Midgley 2005, 6) Apple Inc. is performing this kind of communication described in Midgley and Midgleys book. Apple Inc. develops their products based on consumers requirements and values, and then transmits its ideas and service to consumers in various ways. For example, in Apples stores all over the world there are lecturers propagating their products and explain why these products are consistent with consumers requirements and values. Besides the open lectures, Apple stores hold a series of events regularly to show the brilliant ideas integrated into Apples products. Via the interaction between Apple Inc. and consumers, how Apples products satisfy consumers values is accepted by consumers in global scope. There is a diagram about the golden circle theory, which illustrates the marketing strategies of Apple Inc. vividly. According to the description in the figure below, Why, How and What means Beliefs, Tactics and Results, respectively (Gartland 2010). At first, Apple Inc. establishes the beliefs to meet consumers values, and then it realizes the beliefs via the development of its products. At last, Apples products are world wildly accepted by consumers. Therefore, Apple Inc. communicates with users in an inside-out way which is a remarkable way and has achieved huge success across the world in marketing. Figure1: the golden circle Source: (Gartland 2010) In sum, Apples products infiltrate into peoples daily life via dense advertising, and these products, which benefit from the communication style of Apple Inc, are accepted by people. Hence, the marketing strategies of Apple Inc. are another key reason that brings about its success. Effects on Society The reasons mentioned above have led to Apples success. Two consequences may emerge, owing to Apples success, which are fashion style and changing peoples habits. Fashion Style With the increasing popularity with Apples products, an iPod or an iPhone is not only an mp3 player or a mobile phone but also a fashion symbol. Especially an iPod has become a synonym for an mp3 player. Lavey described the effects of Apples products on fashionable style as the words below: After the iMac came out, suddenly things werent cool if the product name didnt have a lower-case i in it, and the word pod after the iPod became popular. (Lavey 2009) Thus, the names of Apples products have become fashionable words. Moreover, the exquisite and simple design style has also become the world trends being pursued by people. Changing Peoples Habits Another effect brought by Apples products is the change of peoples habits. The Nike/iPod Sport Kit (Nike + iPod n.d.) is a typical example. It can track individual exercise performance of jogging and verbally report their results the moment users have progress. So that users can supervise their pace and distance circumstantially. While people usually use a stop watch record the total time they have run and then roughly calculate their average speed before using the Nike/iPod Sport Kit. Following this further, people used to prefer jogging with partners in order to motivating each other; however, it is not easy to find a partner who runs at the similar pace and duration (Shannon, Florian 2007). In order to resolve this problem, a piece of research was conducted in 2006 and showed that technology is helpful to motivate people to be active and allow for social communication (Consolvo et al. 2006). The Nike/iPod Sport Kit has realized the research theory because of the interaction betwee n users and it. Therefore, according to the example mentioned above, we can see that Apples products have changed peoples habits in some aspects. Conclusion In conclusion, Apples product development and its extensive marketing have resulted in the success of Apple Inc. As a premise factor of the success, Apple Inc. persists in developing innovative products with friendly user interface and simple design style. Moreover, high quality components integrated into Apples products ensure the stable performance. In addition, coherent software and hardware of these products provide more convenience to users. Besides brilliant products, the marketing strategies of Apple Inc. are remarkable as well. peoples daily life is infiltrated by Intensive advertising of Apple Inc. and then its communication style is also approved by consumers in global range. Owing to the success, Apple Inc. have guided a new fashion style and changed peoples habits in some fields. Therefore, it is evidently reasonable to consider that Apple Inc. is one of most outstanding companies in the world currently.

Before Breakfast

O’Neill, the master playwright, portrays strong, interesting characters with equally strong emotions in his plays. His play, ‘Before Breakfast’, deals with an exasperated woman confronting her husband’s joblessness and infidelity.This is a short play in the form of a monologue by the woman, Mrs. Rowland. Mrs. Rowland jabbers all through the play expressing desperation, anger, agony, and sheer disgust at her husband, Alfred’s penniless nature. Her full-throttled criticisation of Alfred’s ways leads to the denouement of the play—Alfred’s suicide. Character analysis of Mrs.Rowland The description of Mrs. Rowland’s small house in the beginning of the play portrays poverty. Mrs. Rowland wakes up tired and bitter. Her irritation is so intense that she goes to the extent of damning her apron whose strings refuse to oblige her in knotting up. In fact, the very first word that Mrs. Rowland speaks in the novel is â€Å"Damn†. It is from here that her character builds up. It was a fine day, â€Å"It is about eight-thirty in the morning of a fine, sunshiny day in the early fall,† but ironically did not seem to have any effect on Mrs. Rowland’s temper.Her demeanor is not at all pleasing, her hair is stuck up in a â€Å"drab colored mass†, her â€Å"shapeless stoutness accentuated by her formless blue dress† which is also â€Å"shabby and worn† speak volumes about her. This is hardly expected of a young woman in her early twenties. Even as her ranting of Alfred begins, we understand that she is definitely not the timid type of woman. She rebukes him in the most unrestrained manner. She had been working not just for one, but for both the people in the family. She had been contributing to the family in whatever small means she can.While he had been whiling away his time in poetry and in ‘playing the gentleman and loafing around barrooms with that good-for-nothing lot o f artists from the Square’, she had been working very hard. Even as Mrs. Rowland does regular household work like sweeping and cleaning, she doesn’t fail to rebuke him for dropping cigarette butts and ashes all over the floor. Her attitude borders on feminism advocating her opinion on the ground of equality of sexes. Why she only borders on feminism is because she does the job and doesn’t necessarily hand him over the broom to sweep the floor.This point is further accentuated when she tells him that she was making coffee for both. Yet to show her protest in some manner, she tells him that she wasn’t going to wait for him. Mrs. Rowland’s frustration towards his lackadaisical manner is so severe that she complains loudly of everything he does. Is she taking advantage of Alfred’s silence? She only seems capable of complaining, without having any effect on Alfred’s attitude or manner. Mrs. Rowland had developed a profound hatred towards h er husband. She suspects him of infidelity and hence stealthily searches his pockets for some kind of evidence.She pockets the letter from one ‘Helen’ addressed to her husband to later on pick a quarrel with him on that. She vociferously defends this act of hers by telling Alfred that she was his wife and hence had every right to read his letters. While she constantly voices her rights as an equal, the lines, â€Å"How about Helen? (She starts back from the doorway, half frightened)† show that she isn’t such a bold woman as she projects herself to be. Mrs. Rowland shows utmost contempt for her husband. She calls him a fool to have pawned the watch, calls him lazy to stay in bed all the time, and calls him incapable of getting a job for himself.She tells him that all he does is write â€Å"silly† poetries and short stories all day which â€Å"no one will buy†. She is quite proud of her capabilities when she says that, â€Å"I notice I can alw ays get a position, such as it is; and it's only that which keeps us from starving to death. † Well, well, is this what is ‘woman power’? It makes us wonder if Alfred were to respond to any of her remarks or if he were to shout back at her for being so loud, will she have continued in this manner? She would have, since she refers to the fight that they have had the previous night where Alfred made a â€Å"beast† of himself.She simply cannot forgive him for pawning things for survival. The last precious thing that they had was the watch, which too seems to have been pawned for a drink. Mrs. Rowland’s bitterness and disappointment is sometimes justified since Mr. Rowland was actually â€Å"the millionaire Rowland's only son, the Harvard graduate, the poet, the catch of the town†. Her position as his wife should actually had been an enviable one. By being an alcoholic and by possessing an unwilling attitude to work, he became a penniless wastrel. He had impregnated and married her before their child was stillborn.Added on to her feeling of betrayal is his infidelity. Mrs. Rowland is unperturbed by her husband’s stern and severe looks. She carries on and tells him that he cannot bully her with his â€Å"superior airs†. She reminds him that but for her he would be going without breakfast in the morning. She tries to win his pity when she speaks of her headache and the deplorable condition in which has to sew to earn their bread. She tries all possible means to provoke his pity and to make him seek a job. The rent for the house was due and there was nothing left for lunch.She doesn’t mince words in asking him to look out for a job: â€Å"Are you going to look for a job today or aren't you? † Despite all her bickering, when she sees blood in Mr. Rowland’s face the first time, she asks him to wipe the blood off his face and tells him to go to a barber’s shop for a shave since she found h is hands shaking heavily. This shows her concern for Alfred. She even warns him that one of these days he was going to cut himself seriously. But she is too preoccupied with her own taunts that she doesn’t catch the seriousness of the situation that ends in such a great tragedy.All through the play Alfred never makes an appearance. It is only through the eyes of Mrs. Rowland that we get to know the person. The plot, the action, the conflict all revolve around her. The plot brings out the strong conflict which Mrs. Rowland is confronted with. Though she complains a lot and beseeches Mr. Rowland to be more responsible, she takes things in her stride and carries on with her daily chores. The play strongly evokes emotions of pity and horror. All her calls of Alfred contributing to the family in some manner or the other seem to fall in deaf ears.In referring to Mr. Rowland’s affair with Helen, Mrs. Rowland threatens him telling that she would never divorce him. She gets vin dictive for all the injuries that he inflicted on her. She understands her rights as a woman very well. She knows that unless she agrees to the divorce, it can never happen. And, unless they divorce, he can never dream of marrying another woman. Conclusion Alfred is a sensitive man who commits suicide on being discovered by his wife about his extramarital affair. Comparatively Mrs. Rowland bears it all with much forbearing.Life had been much more difficult on her. She was the daughter of a mere grocer, she had become pregnant even before she could be married, despite marrying a man with some wealth to name she had to put up with poverty. In a way, it can be said that her strength of forbearance comes from her simple background. On the other hand, Mr. Rowland had been the only son of a millionaire father. Yet, when his father died, he should have been mortified to find that all that he was left with was a large amount of debt to be repaid. His faith should have been shaken with this. He had been personally proud of his position in society. As Mrs. Rowland once comments, â€Å"You were ashamed of me with your fine friends because my father's only a grocer, that's what you were. † Yet he had to marry her because of the slight he committed on her before their marriage. Mrs. Rowland never hesitates to fight for her rights. Within the portals of family life and considering her limitations, she voices her opinions and demands. This gives her the identity of a feminist. Her feminism raised its head mainly due to Mr. Rowland’s inability to provide her with the ba

Electrical Engineering Essay

1. Introduction Engineers have the potential of developing technology that will be used by hundreds, thousands, even millions of people. Since so many people are using this technology, it has to be safe and it has to benefit one population without making another suffer. As the engineers design new technology, they are the ones that have an ethical responsibility to ensure that it will not endanger lives or cause any suffering. The purpose of the essay is to explore the specific issues that face electrical engineers. The primary focus in this essay will be addressing the question: how can an issue be an ethical concern if it does not directly endanger human life or society? This is particularly important as in contrast to other branches of engineering, the moral issues surrounding electrical engineering do not usually affect a consumer’s health or lead to injury or death. A civil engineering dilemma could involve a building collapsing or roads falling apart leading to direct death or injury, s uch as the â€Å"L’Ambiance Plaza Collapse†1 in Connecticut, or the â€Å"Sampoong Department Store Collapse†2 in Seoul. However, as discussed in Fleddermann (2000)3, the problems faced by electrical engineers are no less important, and that the engineers in this discipline should be aware of the particular ethical dilemmas of this field. The field of electrical engineering covers a wide range of technology from power generation and transmission lines to integrated circuits used in computers. This essay will outline, using real-life examples, three major concerns in electrical engineering and explain how they impact the world on an international scale. The current solutions to the ethical dilemmas will be evaluated using ethical analysis, and alternative solutions will be provided. The following scenarios are an excellent illustration of the ethical issues that electrical engineers have to face and opens up a unique discussion about their responsibilities in both a national and international setting. Issue 1 – Quality of product vs. commercial success Electrical engineers are involved in the manufacturing of everyday household appliances. The circuitry that is designed is used in products that are sold by the manufacturer. Manufacturer’s can prioritise the commercial success of their product over the actual quality. This can result in a conflict of interest between manufacturer and engineer since the manufacturer can be  financially motivated, whereas an engineer is supposed to hold paramount the welfare of public in their professional duties (engineering code of ethics)5. An example of this is the manufacturing of the Intel microprocessor in 19944. The microprocessor had a flaw in it that meant that a regularly used operation by users would give the incorrect results. The engineers knew of this problem, and rectified it for future version. Despite this, Intel continued selling the product. This error was found by users, and Intel decided it would only replace microprocessor with a good one to people who could demonstrate that they needed it. Should Intel have provided a replacement regardless? Since Intel was aware of the problem, was it unethical to withhold this information from the users? If this information had been given, and warnings had been included, does this solve the ethical problems for the company? According to Intel, since the error was so minor it would not affect the majority of users. However the few people would have ‘suffered’ from this flaw could have been rectified if Intel had offered to replace their microprocessor for free. This is what Intel did do and so according to utilitarianism principles their response was ethically sound. However, what was immoral was the fact that they did not bring up this issue themselves, and that they continued manufacturing and selling the product without warnings. They did not respect the dignity of their consumers enough to let them be informed consumers. By applying Kantian ethics, one can determine that Intel did not respect the dignity of their customers, and was merely using them as a means to an end. This was to maximise their profit margin by exhausting their faulty stock. There are a number of alternative solutions that Intel could have taken. Intel could have continued selling their product with a warning label so that further customer’s would be aware of flaw. A better solution would have been if Intel discontinued making this microprocessor and told their customers of the flaw straight away, whilst also offering a replacement chip. Issue 2 – experimental nature of electrical. The technology used by engineers to design equipment is complex, and outside the understanding of a majority of general consumers. In addition to this, the lasting effect of some of these technologies is unknown. Since electrical technology is designed on such a small scale, there can be  unknown effects due to our limited understanding of quantum physics. This raises an interesting issue that has sparked debate. Can we use technology that we don’t fully understand, but use on a daily basis? Is it safe to use this technology considering that there may be a potential risk that we have yet to comprehend? The nature of electrical engineering can be somewhat experimental. Transmission lines are used every day to transfer energy into our homes. There are inconclusive theories6 that suggests that these transmission lines which emit low-frequency electromagnetic radiation can be harmful to the general population. This ranges from causing headaches and muscles fatigue to an increased risk of cancer6. Is an engineer obliged to consider these potential risks in their design, even if there is little proof or knowledge into the lasting effects? Currently transmission lines are designed so that they are around 5-10 metres off the ground, this is both for efficiency as well as to remove them from the reach of the general public, avoiding electrocution. However, not many transmission lines have shielding to reduce or eliminate the effects of electromagnetic fields, as there is no quantitative evidence to suggest that shielding is necessary. If the observational theories were proven to be true, however unlikely, that would mean that the general public have been placed in a position of possible harm. In the unlikely case this was true, does the small probability of this being true outweigh the seriousness of the potential harm (cancer). An engineer should be morally responsible at all times, and so an engineer should employ some sort of safety measure. Even if there is only a tiny potential for transmission lines to have lasting negative effects, there should be methods used to combat this threat. This is applying contractualism principles. If engineers themselves believed that they could be exposed to these harmful effects, and knew that they could do something about it, they would integrate some shielding into their transmission line design. Issue 3 – sustainability and power generation, impact of cheap labour Power generation and sustainability is a key concern for all people in the world. Electrical engineers are a vital part of this global machine concerned with sustainability. Engineers primarily concern themselves with providing the most efficient means of power generation and distribution, but this can cause negative effects on the global community. Can a balance be achieved? Is it possible for an electrical engineer to be  morally responsible at all time? Our current primary energy source is dependent on a limited resource, coal and fossil fuels7. The utilisation of these materials results in emissions and waste that are harmful to the environment. Since an electrical engineer is only concerned with the production of energy and not of its disposal is this even an issue they should concern themselves with? It’s not just up to one person to be ethically responsible. An engineer is only a small part of a network of morally autonomous agents. An engineer can apply virtue ethics or kantian ethics, and create awareness of environmental issues. An engineer should have a virtuous nature and consider all areas of society that they can impact. If an engineer applies Kantianism, their actions would involve trying to tell their managers that they are using the Earth’s limited resources as a means to an end, and the environment gets negatively affected by this. If an engineer raises concern about environmental issues, then they are ethically sound. Even if the situation does not change due to the opinions of higher up people, the engineer has done all that they can be expected to. Cheap Labour: An example of our global effect is found in a youtube video8 where cheap child labour is used to break down parts in a circuit board for further use. The toxic fumes emitted from deconstructing the components are extremely hazardous and can cause lasting health consequences. Companies source labour to developing countries because it is an extremely economical alternative. This is primarily due to developing nations not having as stringent workplace health and safety requirements, and also being able to obtain workers who would work for a much lower wage. Essentially this action will achieve the same outcome, for a lesser cost. These companies clearly priorities profit margins over social wellbeing. Is this an electrical engineers concern? An electrical engineer is part of the company that makes the decision to employ cheap labour, and so they can be in a position to influence this decision. A number of options are available. Employ 1st world employees to perform the same job locally This will mean that there is a higher cost for the company. However, this will take away work from third work countries. Cheap labour will no longer  be exploited, but the people of the country will no longer have employment, which could have serious roll-over effects on the society and economy. A better solution would be: Employ 3rd world employees, and provide better wages and working conditions. The major benefit of this is that a company can still provide work for the global community, while improving the working conditions and economies of the developing nations, rather than exploiting them. The downside is extra cost put into educating employees and providing good equipment to apply process. Both scenarios involve extra money input from companies, resulting in loss of profits, but this is weighed against the safety of the people contracted to the company. Value of human life is held paramount here which satisfies engineering code of ethics. References 1. http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/168/LAmbiance-Plazza.aspx 2. http://www.hazardcards.com/card.php?id=8 3. http://www.ele.uri.edu/courses/ele400/f12/cases.pdf 4. B. Crothers, â€Å"Pentium woes continue,† Infoworld, vol. 16, no. 48, pp. a. 1–18, Nov. 18, 1994. 5. http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au//sites/default/files/shado/About%20Us/Overview/Governance/CodeOfEthics2000.pdf 6. http://www.mcw.edu/radiationoncology/ourdepartment/radiationbiology/Power-Lines-and-Cancer-FAQs.htm#1 7. http://www.dg.history.vt.edu/ch2/impact.html 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeDw6yHQVbI

Osteoarthritis A Degenerative Arthritis - 1631 Words

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthritis, a condition in which joint cartilage degenerates or breaks down. New tissue, which grows at the ends of bones, now has no cartilage cap to control it. Instead, this new bone forms into strange lips and spurs that grind and grate and get in the way of movement of the joint. Osteoarthritis is common in older people after years of wear-and-tear that thin the cartilage and the bones. Osteoarthritis can also result from diseases in which there is softening of the bone, like Paget s disease in which the long bones of the body curve like a bow, or osteoporosis with its bowing of the shoulder called dowager s hump, or other bone degeneration. Other forms of arthritis can also cause a secondary†¦show more content†¦It seems to start more in the winter and after some siege of sickness, but it is not considered an infective arthritis. Nobody knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. There may be some hereditary trait, and there seems to be some connection to viral infections like German measles and serum hepatitis, the liver disease brought on by an injection of one kind or another. Because of this, scientists theorize that rheumatoid arthritis may be an autoimmune disease, one in which the body acts as though it were allergic to itself. The immune system gets mixed up and attacks normal joint tissue instead of the stuff it is supposed to attack. Polyarteritis Nodosa is also an inflammatory arthritis, fortunately it is a rare form of arthritis. It can lead to complications that are dangerous to life. It affects four times as many males as females, mostly young adults. There is joint and muscle pain, ulcers or sores on the legs and gangrene of the fingers and toes because of interrupted blood supply to those parts. The organs of the body are almost all involved, producing symptoms like sudden blindness, hemiplegia, and heart disease. Aggressive treatment prevents death, which at one time resulted within five years. Miraculously, some cases simply get better for no apparent reasons, called spontaneous remission. Ankylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory arthritis of the spine which causes ankylosing or fusing of the vertebrae. It is more common in young men that women, and more