Analyzing Varying Theories Of Motivation Essay - 2447 Words

Throughout this essay I shall be critically analysing varying theories of motivation in the context of the workplace, so as to assess the validity of the statement â€Å"Employees only go to work to earn money† Generically speaking there are a multitude of perspectives when looking at theories of motivation; the first of these being Content Theories, which examine the prominent motives behind behaviour. Content theories â€Å"focus upon the values and needs which motivate people.† (Thompson, 1996:9) One of the most influential theories which would fall under this category is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The theory derives from the idea that everyone strives to achieve what he terms as â€Å"self-actualisation.† In order to do this, one must first achieve everything below self-actualisation on the pyramid starting from the bottom. â€Å"According to Maslow only if the lower needs are satisfied, a higher need can become active.† (Rakowski, 2011:4) Self actualisation is the act of achieving your full potential and being the best that you can be. It has also been defined by Murphy as being â€Å"the ultimate goal of a man who constantly tends towards growth.† (Worth, 2010:6) Maslow’s theory could be interpreted, to an extent, as supporting the statement because in order to accomplish the physiological needs of food; water, warmth and rest, which is at the base of the pyramid, one must first earn the money to pay for these necessities. By going to work with the focus of earning money, one would be ableShow MoreRelatedGaming Strategies In The Classroom719 Words   |  3 PagesLeaning, M. (2015). 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Drug Addiction A Brain Controlling Disease - 823 Words

Unfortunately, in our society today, people have misused and became addicted to drugs. This drug addiction has left a major impact on the brains of each user. Drug addiction is a relapsing brain disease that is characterized by brain malfunction that alters the way the users think and behave. Normal balancing Mechanisms go haywire, allowing the drug to control the brain. Drug addiction has been a major concern for scientist in recent years. With research drug addiction is categorized as a neuron-disease from its large impact on the brain. Drug addiction is a complex brain disease characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persist, despite potentially devastating consequences. Scientists are calling drug addiction a developmental disease. It usually starts in adolescence or even childhood and can last a lifetime if untreated (Volkow, 2010). Drug addiction changes the brain over time. The changes in the brain caused by repeatedly using dru gs can affect a person’s self-control and his decision making. It also causes intense impulses to take drugs. These changes in the brain, is what makes it so hard and impossible like for the person to stop abusing drugs (addiction, 2010). Even though drug addiction is such a power and brain controlling disease, it is very curable. Scientific discoveries of drug abuse have proven that with the proper treatment, drug control, and medicine drug abusers can be cured quiet easy (volkow, 2010).Show MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Drug Addiction974 Words   |  4 PagesWhen people think of diseases, what do they think of? 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Once these drugs are ingested, it enters into the brain, gets into the synapse and binds itself to the receptor. This then causes the inappropriate release o f neurotransmitters and alter the breakdown and recycling of neurotransmitters

Happening in the story Essay Example For Students

Happening in the story Essay In the play Russell makes the two twins become Blood Brothers, this creates dramatic irony amongst the audience because we know that they really are brothers, we see this when Mickey introduces Eddie to his mother, Mickey says Mam Mam this is my brother. Mrs Johnstone is very stunned by the fact that this has come up, so to try and avoid the twins knowing shes says what Mickey thens replies to that my blood brother, Eddie. This shows that Mrs Lyons telling Mrs Johnstone that if the twins find out they were once brothers, they will die has worked because she acts dull when Mickey says Edward is his brother. During the play we see that Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons get treated differently by members of the authority, such as a police man. We see this when the policeman goes and confronts Mrs Johnstone about her sons behaviour, we see this when the police man says he was about to commit a serious crime, love. Now do y understand that? You dont wanna end up in court again do y? We see in this quote that the policeman is threatening her about going to court again, he is patronising her and talks down to her. When the policeman goes to confront Mrs Lyons, he removes his helmet and holds a glass of scotch, the glass of scotch indicates wealth within the Lyons family. The police man then says to Mrs Lyons An er, as I say, it was more of a prank, really, Mrs Lyons. Id just dock his pocket money if I was you. He then laughs to make a bit of a joke out of it. The pocket money shows the Lyons family can afford to give their kids pocket money. The police man then says But, one thing I would say, if y dont mind me sayin, is well, Im not sure if Id let him mix with the likes of them in the future. The fact that he says if y dont mind me sayin shows he has a lot more respect for the Lyons family. As the police man is about to leave he says hes a good lad, arent you Adolph? this shows great respect and is a polite thing to say, hes even enjoying the joke that Eddie started. As the two twins get older, their lives change a lot, they grew apart from each other, we see this when Edward goes to university and Mickey has to work. Edward becomes a lot more care free, he is having more fun, we see this in many different ways through out the play, we see this when he says you can do exactly as you choose sir. You can take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut! But you shall not take my locket! This results in Edward getting suspended from the university, this shows that he doesnt care as much anymore. Edward also says I havent been to so many parties in my life, this shows that during his time at university he has become a typical teenager who parties a lot. Where as Mickey is a lot more responsible now that he is working. We see this in many ways including when he says Ill have to go home and get some money this shows that now he is working he has money. We see Mickey has become more responsible when Edward says to him why is a job so important? If I couldnt get a job Id just say sod it and draw up a dole, tilt my hat towards the world and say screw you. .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .postImageUrl , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:hover , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:visited , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:active { border:0!important; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:active , .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588 .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4242bc7118dce33e7a2e13ca10a27588:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analyse the portrayal of the character of Mercutio as the vehicle of Shakespeare's tragic outcome in the play 'Romeo and Juliet' EssayMickey says you dont understand anythin do y? I dont wear a hat and tilt it at the world. this shows that beside Edwards attempts to tempt Mickey into going on the dole, Mickey has basically said no, this shows that he is more responsible and thinking about his family, this is like role reversal, Mickey is now the sensible one. We see during the play that the cycle of poverty and lack of money suffered by Mrs Johnstone is continued when Mickey and Linda are together, we see this in many different ways but one way is when Mickey takes up Sam mys offer to do a little job for an extra i 50, on the one hand this shows desperation for some extra money but on the other hand this shows that he is thinking about Linda because he tells her to be ready by eight o clock so they can go out dancing and have a slap up meal. During the play, Mickey and Lindas relationship can become quite confusing at times, we see this when Mickey bosss her about by saying look, stop arguing he also says now shut up this can be quite annoying and intimidating when in a relationship because you feel as if you dont have a say. We realise that Mickey and Lindas relationship becomes full of arguments, they are always arguing about petty little things and this makes the relationship quite un-successful, we see this when Mickey and Linda are arguing about Mickeys tablets, we also see it when Mickey mentally abandons Linda, she feels as if she is being blocked out of Mickeys life. The relationship between Mickey and Linda seems to be slowly breaking down, we see this when they both drift away from each over, we see this hen Linda wants to meet up with Edward to talk, they eventually kiss and walk off together hand in hand, this shows that Linda thinks just as much about Edward as she does about Mickey. I think Willy Russell has done very well to present two contrasting worlds, he shows us the many differences between the two familys. We see this in many ways and Russell has used many effective terms to make us recognise this. The many effective terms he has used has provoked many different thoughts into our heads and he has made his style of writing very catchy. I think his style of writing is very successful because as we are reading the story we can almost visualise what is happening in the story.

Media And Politics Essays - Public Opinion, Public Sphere, Structure

Media And Politics The media is an intricate part of American government, intertwined with the practice of democracy, but to what extent does the media influence public opinion? To answer that several aspects of media coverage have to be explored. The first fact is that the media is America's basic resource for all the news concerning American politics. The second aspect is that the opinion expressed by the press influences the opinion adopted by the public. Lastly the issues the media deem important help set the national agenda. The most basic way the media influence public opinion is by offering knowledge about government decisions and access to government information. Daily the press deliver the raw information to the nation, whom in turn form into opinions. Without the media it would take the public longer to become educated about governmental proceedings. The media send messages across the nation. Before the advancement of such media as the television, radio, and the Internet, a much smaller percentage of Americans were informed about the issues concerning the nation. The second way the media can influence public opinion is through their ability to convey an overall tone to their readers and viewers according to their own sentiments. Often a newspaper's own feelings on a certain issue are expressed in their articles. When the public reads about such issues they can adopt the attitude which the media portrayed. The press my frame stories in a way that enhances the overall tone toward government and politics. Unfortunately the most common trend is to hold a negative attitude toward government. This negative tone has led to a national decline in voter participation. A greater portion of the country now attains a skeptical view of the American government. Most likely the largest way the media impact the public opinion is through agenda setting. Because of the vast number of issues plaguing America today, the press has to decide which they will cover and which they will not. Their reporting has a vital connection to what the public comes to believe are the important issues in the country. If the press repeatedly covers the gun control issue, then the nation itself comes to believe that it is significant. What The New York Times run on their front cover today is what constituents across the nation begin to feel is important. Because the nation deems it important, than it is introduced into legislature tomorrow. The press possesses the capability to create the impression that certain problems are of greater urgency than others. Given the fact that both time and space are money to the press, those certain problems are usually about political strategy, political infighting, political scandal and the private lives of politicians. These tend to over take the less entertaining, but more substantial stories because they do not make money. One of the most ironic ways the media influences public opinion is by bringing the candidates personally to each constituent through the use of television and radio. Could one honestly say that Abraham Lincoln could be elected if he were running today? Lincoln was not a very attractive man and did not have a very refined voice. How would Lincoln have looked and sounded on television and radio? The public may be stubborn to admit it, but it is true; the nation judges possible candidates upon appearances and performances. If a presidential candidate could not speak in front of large groups, he could never be elected in today's society. It would not matter that his or her policies were better than their running mates. Guaranteed by the first amendment, the media will always be there to inform the public and to decide what issues are important. Americans rely more and more on this media to judge how our leaders campaign, govern, shape public policy, and communicate their ideas. Being an independent check on all three branches of government, the media serves as a fourth branch of government. However essential the media is to the balance of government, the public must learn to make their own opinions and not just adopt those portrayed by the press. Politics Essays

Attention has been focused on the emergence of radical groups associated with Islam in Indonesia. Discuss if this is a new phenomenon in Indonesia.

Attention has been focused on the emergence of radical groups associated with Islam in Indonesia. Discuss if this is a new phenomenon in Indonesia. IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a lot of attention focussed on the emergence and activities of radical or extremists groups associated with Islam in Indonesia. But such radicalism is not a new phenomenon in Indonesia. Indonesia has gone through many changes beginning with the occupation of the Dutch, then the Japanese during World War 2 and later when Indonesia became an independent nation. These changes were attributed to the politics and identity struggle. In the years after 1908, liberalism, nationalism, socialism and communism combined with Islamic influence gave rise to many political organisations and anti-colonial movements (Aspinall and Berger 2001: 1005). The place of Islam played an important role in Indonesias politics and identity struggle, bringing about independence, reformation and extremism. However, the name of Islam has too often been used to promote an agenda as in the case of Indonesian politics bringing with it death, destruction and deception in orde r to establish an Islamic state with Sharia as the state law.Dutch Consul-General Teppema, Madame Teppema and R...It is uncertain if these agendas were sincerely to establish an Islamic state, or it is a propaganda tool used by governments to influence its people to respond in a certain way, or it is a bit of both. The Bali and Jakarta bombings are examples of death, destruction and deception where only time will reveal the truth.Pre-independenceThe Bali and Jakarta bombings may have been the largest, but it is by no means the first. Indonesia has seen many terrorist attacks post independence, many of which used the Islamic agenda to promote their cause, but have shown to have Indonesian military involvement (Bruinessen 2002). Indonesia has a history of struggle with radical groups pushing forward their goals and changing the face of Indonesias politics and identity. Since the occupation of the Dutch, such groups whether it...

Perfect Blackjack Strategy 15 Charts to Help You Master the Game

Perfect Blackjack Strategy 15 Charts to Help You Master the Game SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the United States, and it's one of the most popular casino games in the world. You probably know how to play blackjack, but do you know how to play blackjack well? Do you want to win more money at the casino by learning blackjack strategy? If you play your cards right, you may be able to make enough money to see Cirque Du Soleil. Blackjack strategy lets you know the right play to make to maximize your winnings. It tells you what to do based on your hand and the card that the dealer is showing. If you perfectly follow the strategies outlined in this guide, you can reduce the casino’s advantage to less than .5%, making blackjack the most advantageous game to the player in a casino. Perfect blackjack strategy has been determined using probability theory and computer simulations which have figured out the best play in each situation. In this article, I'll explain perfect blackjack strategy and how to use it to your advantage. I've focused on playing at a casino, but the same strategies apply if you're playing online or at a home game. The Basic Rules of Blackjack The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. Before cards are dealt, players place their bets. Each player starts with two cards that are face up. Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11; whichever makes a better hand. One of the dealer’s two cards is face down until the very end after every player completes his hand. You can ask for another card (hit) or stick with your current hand (stand). You have the option to keep hitting until you’re satisfied with your hand, or you go over 21 (bust). If you bust, the dealer wins regardless of the dealer’s eventual hand. The dealer must hit until her cards total 17 or higher. Blackjack! (banspy/Flickr) Defining Blackjack Terms These are the blackjack terms you must know to determine the right play to make in each situation. I put the terms in alphabetical order. Blackjack: The best possible hand in blackjack. It consists of an ace and a card with a value of 10. At most casinos, blackjack plays 3:2. So for example, if you bet $10, getting blackjack pays $15. Bust: Busting is going over 21. As mentioned previously, if you bust, you automatically lose. Double Down/Doubling: Doubling down or doubling is when a player places an additional bet equal to his original bet and then receives just one additional card. You can only double down with your first two cards. For example, if you bet $5 and get dealt an 11, you can place an additional $5 bet and receive one more card. Regardless of whether you get a 2 or a 10, you can’t hit again. Hard/Hard Hand: Any hand that doesn’t contain an ace that can count as an 11. A 10 and a 7 is a hard 17. Hit: Hitting is asking for another card. Insurance: When the dealer shows an ace, the player can place a side bet of up to half of his original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, the insurance bet loses. Based on probability, you should never take insurance. Push: When you push, your hand ties with the dealer and you keep your original bet. For instance, if you and the dealer both have 19, you push. Soft/Soft Hand: A soft hand is a hand that includes an ace valued at 11 instead of 1. For example, an ace and a 6 is a soft 17. You can be more aggressive with soft hands because there’s no risk of busting. If you hit on a soft 17 and get a 5, the ace will be valued at 1 and you’ll have a 12. Split: If a player is dealt two equal cards, he can split them into two separate hands by placing an additional bet equal to his original bet. For example, if you bet $10 and are dealt two 8’s, for another $10, you can split your hand into two separate hands, each with one 8. Stand/Stay: Standing or staying is sticking with your hand and no longer asking for more cards. Surrender: Surrendering is basically giving up before seeing what the dealer gets. If you surrender, you abandon your hand and recover half of your initial bet. Surrendering is the best option when it’s extremely likely that you’ll lose given your hand and the card the dealer is showing. Unfortunately, many casinos don’t offer the surrender option. A casino blackjack table (Thomas Hawk/Flickr) Blackjack Basic Strategy To perfect your blackjack game and completely minimize the house advantage, there’s quite a bit to remember. However, if you can just memorize the basic blackjack strategy rules, then you’ll be well ahead of the novice player. Following these rules won’t always be the 100% perfect play, but it almost always will be, and again, these rules are much easier to remember than perfect blackjack strategy. Compared to absolute perfect blackjack play, following these rules will only cost you about one hand in 12 hours of play. Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart Here are the charts outlining basic strategy. They tell you what to do given the value of your hand (left column) and the card the dealer is showing (right two columns). HARD 2 to 6 7 to A 4 to 8 HIT HIT 9 DOUBLE HIT 10 or 11 DOUBLE DOUBLE if more than dealer* 12 to 16 STAND HIT 17 to 21 STAND STAND *This means that if you have a 10 and the dealer is showing 9 or less, you should double. If the dealer is showing 10 or an ace, just hit. Similarly, if you have 11, double if the dealer is showing 10 or less. If the dealer is showing an ace, just hit. SOFT 2 to 6 7 to A 13 to 15 HIT HIT 16 to 18 DOUBLE HIT 19 to 21 STAND STAND SPLITS (Yes or No)* 2 to 6 7 to A 2/2, 3/3, 6/6, 7/7, 9/9 YES NO 8/8, A/A YES YES 4/4, 5/5, 10/10 NO NO *If you don’t split, treat your hand like a hard hand. For example, if you don’t split with two 7’s, make the appropriate play for a hard 14. Additional Rules On top of the blackjack strategy charts above, here are a few additional rules to remember: Surrender if you have a 16 and the dealer is showing a 10. If the table doesn’t allow surrendering, then hit. If the strategy says to double but you’re not allowed, then hit, except you should stand with a soft 18. Never take insurance. When the dealer shows an ace, the player can place a side bet of up to half of his original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, the insurance bet loses. Similarly, never take even money when you get blackjack. If you’re dealt blackjack and the dealer is showing an ace, you’ll be offered an even money payout in case the dealer has blackjack. For example, if you bet $10, if you take even money you’ll win $10 instead of the $15 for a 3:2 payout. If you decline the even money and the dealer has blackjack, you’ll push and you’ll just get your original bet back. Perfect Blackjack Strategy While following the basic blackjack strategy will almost always have you make the right play, there are occasions when it won’t. If you’re really trying to master blackjack, then just following the basic strategy won’t quite cut it. The perfect blackjack strategy charts are based on the slightly different versions of the game. Blackjack can be played with a single deck or 4-8 decks. Most casinos I’ve been to have single deck or use six decks. Also, some casinos require the dealer to stand with a soft 17, and some mandate the dealer to hit with a soft 17. If the dealer has to stand with a soft 17, that will give you better odds. Perfect Blackjack Strategy Charts Here are the charts you need to memorize to get your blackjack strategy perfect. The numbers going horizontally at the top of the chart represent the card that the dealer is showing, and the numbers in the left most column are the value of your hand. This is the key to to the abbreviations used in the charts: H= Hit S= Stand Dh= Double down if allowed, if not hit Ds= Double down if allowed, if not stand Rh= Surrender if allowed, if not hit Rs= Surrender if allowed, if not stand Rp= Surrender if allowed, if not split P= Split Ph= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not hit Pd= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not double Ps= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not stand Single Deck Blackjack Charts These are the perfect strategy charts for single deck blackjack. The first set covers what to do if the dealer is required to stand on a soft 17 and the second set covers the strategy if the dealer is expected to hit on a soft 17. Each includes three charts that you can use depending on whether your hand is hard, soft, or split. Single Deck, Dealer Stands on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 5-7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 9 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 17 + S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph P P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P Ph H H H 4, 4 H H Ph Pd Pd H H H H H 6, 6 P P P P P Ph H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P Ph H Rs H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P Single Deck, Dealer Hits on Hard 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 9 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H Rh 16 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 17 S S S S S S S S S Rs 18+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph P P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P Ph H H H 4, 4 H H Ph Pd Pd H H H H H 6, 6 P P P P P Ph H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P Ph H Rs Rh 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S Ps A, A P P P P P P P P P P Do you think these fellows are following perfect blackjack strategy? 4- to 8-Deck Blackjack Charts The most common multi-deck blackjack I’ve seen is six-deck, but the same strategies apply for 4-8 decks. You’ll see that the charts are extremely similar to those for single deck. Again, the first set is for tables where the dealer is required to stand on a soft 17 and the second set is for tables where the dealer is expected to hit on a soft 17. Each includes three charts for hard, soft, and split hands. 4-8 Decks, Dealer Stands on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H Rh H 16 S S S S S H H Rh Rh Rh 17+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19+ S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 4, 4 H H H Ph Ph H H H H H 6, 6 Ph P P P P H H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P H H H H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P 4-8 Decks, Dealer Hits on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 16 S S S S S H H Rh Rh Rh 17 S S S S S S S S S Rs 18+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 Ds Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H H 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20+ S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 4, 4 H H H Ph Ph H H H H H 6, 6 Ph P P P P H H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P H H H H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P Rp 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P How to Learn These Blackjack Strategies You may be overwhelmed by the amount of charts and the information you have to remember to perfect your blackjack play. Start with learning basic blackjack strategy! Then, if you want, you can move on to perfect strategy. If you don’t have much time to learn, I recommend sticking with basic blackjack strategy. Remember that you’ll almost always make the right play with basic strategy, and the few mistakes you may make won’t cost you much. Some casinos will allow you to refer to blackjack charts while you’re playing, so you can also print them out and refer to them while playing. But the other players may get annoyed with you if you keep looking at your charts. If you want to learn perfect blackjack strategy, I advise you to learn one chart at a time. Also, if you know you’ll be playing a specific type of blackjack (e.g. 6 decks, dealer hits on soft 17) at a casino, just focus on the charts that are applicable to the game you'll be playing. Furthermore, once you think you’ve learned the blackjack charts, you’ll remember your perfect strategy by drilling it into your head by playing tons of hands and testing your knowledge. If you ever forget your perfect strategy while playing, just use basic strategy. Play the Best Game for You Finally, always remember that you want to play the blackjack games that offer you the best odds. There are many variations of blackjack at casinos that will impact your odds of winning. The ideal version of blackjack will allow doubling, doubling after splitting, splitting, and surrendering. If any of these aren’t allowed, your odds of winning will be lowered. Most are normally offered, but I haven’t found many casinos that allow surrendering. Additionally, your odds will improve if the dealer has to stand on a soft 17 instead of hitting on a soft 17. Finally, you want a table that will pay blackjack 3:2 as opposed to a lower payout (sometimes 6:5) or even money.

Judicial Activism and Constitutional Interpretation Assignment

Judicial Activism and Constitutional Interpretation - Assignment Example The United States of America has a checking system of judicial activism to ensure that it is minimal and public interests are mostly protected. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, judicial activism is "the practice in the judiciary of protecting or expanding individual rights through decisions that depart from established precedent or are independent of or in opposition to supposed constitutional or legislative intent". The supporters of judicial interpretations have different philosophies and the most debated among them are strict constructionists and those who believe in the living constitution.   A strict constructionist is one who believes that the words and phrases used in the law and constitution are static and hence there are limited instances of interpretations. U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has been dubbed a "strict constructionist" -- someone who believes the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted exactly as its original authors intended† (Chadwick Alex).   The main outcome of this philosophy is that judgment is based on what is written in the law and not on what it should be. Some of the popular supporters of this argument include the Supreme Court of the United States Justice Hugo Black and former U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and Chief Justice of Australia, Owen Dixon. In contrast to the strict constructionism, living constitutionalists are of the view that the law words and phrases are not static and should be treated as living and dynamic and they must be interpreted in such a manner that they are useful for the changing societal needs. As opined by David Dieteman on a living constitution, it is â€Å"one of the most nefarious influences in the minds of Americans is the notion that the federal constitution of 1787 (the "U.S. Constitution") is a "living" document† (Dieteman David). Therefore, the words and phrases in the law and constitution framed by Congress do not mean the same thing at different time points.  

Newly Established Nations in World Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Newly Established Nations in World Wars - Essay Example At the beginning of the XX century, Asian and African countries were occupied and controlled by European states and the USA. For instance, British Empire controlled population of 458 million people. Belgium had only one colony, the Belgian Congo, but its territory was 76 times larger than Belgium. Germany, France, the USA and Russia controlled countries Asian and African continent. For these colonies World War I opened the door to a revolution in world politics in which several perspectives on international relations competed for attention in the period of intellectual ferment (King 23). Speaking about the establishment of the new states, historians speak about policy of countries involved in a conflict. For instance, German aggression was fueled by Pan-Slavic policy provided in Sarajevo. Usually, the common sense of war concerns the questions of national safety, and usually accepted and accomplished not on the basis of choice, but on the bases of force connected with the bureaucrati c system. The main consequence of the WWI was new division of power and new world order. New states emerged in Eastern Europe and after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire and Turkish Revolution. The large-scale death and destruction exacted by World War 1 destroyed the security that had made current history a comfortable approach to international politics. That catastrophic global war, begun in 1914, was a painful learning experience that stimulated the search for knowledge that could address contemporary policy problems-notably war-in a theoretical context (King 45). After the war, Great Britain became one of the biggest debtors; the USA, and Woodrow Wilson, followed policy of isolationism; France occupied the Republic of Alsace-Lorraine but suffered from destructions caused by the war. Many of its colonial solders returned to native lands and began anti-imperial movements; Russia suffered from the civil war and the revolution (1917); Germany was subjected with obligations and rep arations under the Treaty of Versailles. Bending to French pressure, the Peace of Paris (the Versailles treaty) insisted on the destruction of Germany's armed forces, the loss of territory, and the imposition of heavy reparations to compensate the Allies for the damage that German militarism had exacted (King 76-77). The World War II created new opportunities for colonies to preserve their self-identity and national spirit. Domestically, nationalism inflamed forceful recovery of lost territory and rationalized the expansion of German borders to regain provinces ceded to others and to absorb Germans living in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland (LaFeber 22). The rise of fascism animated this renewed imperialistic push. German aggression was fueled further by resentment of the punitive terms imposed at the 1919 Paris peace conference by the victorious World War I powers (France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States). A key cause the WWII was the failure of the British hope for Anglo-American collaboration to maintain world order. That hope vanished when the United States, in a fit of anger, repudiated the Versailles peace treaty and retreated

Troy Historical Accuracy Essay Example for Free

Troy Historical Accuracy Essay The epic poem the â€Å"Iliad† is arguably one of mans most well known novel or book behind the Bible and the Odyssey (sequel to Iliad). The Iliad, and Odyssey for this matter where ancient texts written by Homer. The Iliad is a story set approximately 1194-1184 BC about the Trojan War and the ten year siege of Troy. This battle has many famous mythical figures such as Achilles the leader of the Myrmidons, Helen the princess that ran off with Paris which sparked the battle. Helen was the wife of King Menelaus ruler of the Spartans. Paris is a prince of Troy and brother to Hector the air to the throne. The movie adaptation is focused less on the adventures the Spartans had while sailing to Troy and more on the short stint of pre battle and end battle. The movie suggests the battle of Troy was over the course of a few weeks when per the Iliad it latest ten years. Now this battle has never been proven for accuracy and may have never happened. However the movie has a very direct sense of what and how the war was. It shows the layout of the city of Troy, the characters mentality and fondness or lack there of, of the characters. The way battles started seems quite accurate. Before a battle the opposing armies would taunt each other. After this the major warriors, or best of the army would duel each other. Depending on the outcome of this the battle would ensue. This is shown a few times in the movie. Once between Paris and Menelaus, which started the war. Paris surrendered and went to his brothers ankles. Hector protected Paris from being slaughtered. It shows the ships, blood, and garb the persons would wear in this time frame. Or does it? The dates this war happened of approximately 1194-1185 (10 years) is during the bronze age. This plays a key role in the historical accuracy of it. The weapons, shields, and clothing for battle is all wrong. These items shown are closer to the dark ages. The uniforms or garb of the ancient Greeks and Trojans where slightly less than what is shown in the movie. The movie depicted a very if not identical uniform for every soldier. In reality only the middle and upper class soldiers would have these. Even at that, the uniforms were not identical like in the movie. They where typically handed down from generation to generation due to cost. The armor and shields where made of Bronze breastplates in a muscled style, a helmet that covered most of their head and shin protection made of bronze. This is the uniform of the very well off soldiers. The common man would have even less. They would use a linen reinforced with bronze plating or animal skin, this was called â€Å"Linothorax armor† which was priced much lower then the fully bronze uniforms for the wealthy. The Greeks also found range weapons to be cowardly and would avoid use of them. In the movie both the Trojans and Spartans (Greeks, who thinks range weapons are cowardly) had many bows and used them often. The weapons other than long range used by both armies where typically Doru, which were long spears. These Doru like in the movie were 7-9 feet in length and where the primary weapon. In the movie the swords were primary, which in reality these where secondary weapons. These swords, or Xiphos where for use after the Doru were snapped or lost in combat. The xiphos were 2 feet for the Trojans and a bit shorter for the Spartans. The Spartans blades were typically 1-1. 5 feet long. This was more advantageous for the Spartans when the lines got much closer. The movie depicts both blades to be equal size on either side of the war. The ships where also dated much later in time. The ships of the bronze age would not have the very large and ornate front (Stem, Bow, or Head) and the stern would be higher. In the movie it seems to be the opposite. Most of the ships had much larger and obvious heads than sterns. The bow and stern would also be more angled and arched up. The movie depicts the ships bow to be flat on many ships. The movie Troy is a great story about the war between Troy and the Spartans. It depicts Achilles as a great warrior and in a strange way kind man. It has the beauty of Helen and the Anger of Menelaus. Much of this movie has been done historically correct however there are major flaws in its accuracy. I highly suggest one to watch this movie as it is quite enjoyable and the epic it is based on should be read as that is quite great itself.

The Quest for Nirvana in Siddhartha Essay -- Hesse Siddhartha Essays

The Quest for Nirvana in Siddhartha    In Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha and his friend, Govinda, leave their sheltered lives as Brahmins, Hindu priests, to be Samanas, ascetics who deny themselves all pleasure. Some years after, they meet the Buddha, whom Govinda stays with to be a monk while Siddhartha leaves to continue on his own adventures. Toward the end of their lives, they meet again at a river bank and discover if they have truly achieved inner peace. Hesse uses Govinda as a contrast to Siddhartha. As displayed in excursions with the Samanas, with the Buddha, and on other adventures, Siddhartha is a character who is more independent and must learn on his own while Govinda is more dependent and feels he must be taught.    Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia      According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, Hesse was born in Germany in 1877. After rebelling from traditional education and being expelled from the seminary in which he was enrolled, he educated himself mostly through books. In his earlier years, he became a bookseller and journalist, which may have inspired his first book, Peter Carmenzind. Being a pacifist, Hesse moved to Switzerland during World War I. He came in contact there with renowned psychologist Carl Jung who inspired some of his better-known works.    Frank McLynn   Edwin F. Casebeer   Joseph Mileck   New Standard Encyclopedia   Ernst Pawel   Felix Anselm      Frank McLynn, a biographer of Carl Jung, states that Hermann Hesse, following a breakdown, began psychoanalysis with one of Jung's pupils. It was through this pupil that Hesse eventually came in contact with Jung in 1916. According to noted Hesse... ...dhartha and learn from what he sees without being taught. Theodore Ziolkowski notes that characters of Hesse have transformed from trying to escape their problems more toward trying to resolve their inner vision. Siddhartha and Govinda are both. The two characters try to escape their suffering by trying to learn how to deal with pain by exposing themselves to immense amounts of it while they are with the Samanas. However, they realize that this approach will not help the problem: human suffering exists as emotional as well as physical pain. They must learn how to separate themselves from this suffering, not hide from it; that is Nirvana. Their paths separate because Siddhartha's adventures are based on those of an independent man who will try to teach himself, whereas Govinda's are based on those of a dependent man who prefers to learn by example.   

Great Gatsby Novel vs Film Essay

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an iconic novel of American literature. It is seen as a definitive novel that highlights aspects of life and thinking in 1920’s America. Due to its cultural significance and popularity, numerous attempts have been made to translate The Great Gatsby from novel to film. The most notable presence of the film portrayed on screen, was the 1974 film, The Great Gatsby. The film starred big name celebrities such as Robert Redford as Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Daisy, and Sam Waterston as Nick. The movie also featured a script written by Francis Ford Coppola. While overall being considered a good film which stayed true to the novel, many thought it lacked heart and emotion. While Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is the fifth time, the novel has been filmed, it is only the second time a film adaptation of the novel will see a widespread general release. The Great Gatsby (2013) comes from Australian director Baz Luhrmann, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. The film like the book, is told through the narration of Nick Carraway. Carraway lives next to the mysterious Gatsby who has numerous large and extravagant parties. Gatsby is rarely seen by the public, and it is unknown to people how Gatsby became wealthy. The film follows Nick’s interactions with Gatsby and most notably the relationships between Gatsby, and the girl he loves Daisy Buchanan, as well as Daisy’s husband Tom. Much of the tension in the film stems from the class differences between New Money, and Old Money. People who belong to the class of Old Money are generally old aristocratic families, specifically highlighted by Tom and Daisy Buchanan. People who belong to the class of New Money are people who have recently acquired there fortune through various entrepreneurial ventures and jobs such as stock brokers. The main characters in the film who are part of New Money are Gatsby and Nick. The film is set against the backdrop of the wealthy society during the roaring twenties in and around New York and Long Island. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby tries to express the same themes as are found in the book. One of the main themes is the differences in the various classes in the United States. Gatsby has a very different outlook on life compared to that of Tom Buchanan. Gatsby is considered new money meaning his fortune is recent and self-made, while Tom is from old money, where legacy and familiarity with the wealthy lifestyle are more apparent. Tom tends to believe in class and education and finds Gatsby essentially a crude bootlegger. Gatsby while not having the sophistication or education of Tom believes he can win over Daisy’s heart with extravagant parties and money. The film also demonstrates the apparent dismissal of the new money as equals. Tom is seen as a bully and someone with less morals than that of Gatsby, highlighted through Tom’s affair with another woman. The film also highlights the recklessness of the 1920’s. The 1920’s are shown as a period where money was plentiful and people were not afraid to spend it. People were frequently spending money they did not have on things they did not need. Gatsby is shown to be a very flashy person with a pink suit and expensive cars. Historically speaking it is now known compared to when the book was written the consequences of the recklessness. (i. e. the great depression) It is clear that the main relationship that Luhrmann wanted to emphasize was the relationship between Gatsby and Nick. Throughout the course of the film there are various differences from the novel that highlight the emotional relationship that Gatsby and Nick share with one another. For example the film has Nick telling the story to a doctor at a centre for rehabilitation, while the novel does not specify who Nick is narrating the story too. Nick is apparently here for Alcoholism which demonstrates that his experiences with Gatsby and ultimately Gatsby’s death took a more traumatic toll on Nick’s life. Also in the film Nick’s relationship with other women, specifically Jordan in the novel, is virtually non-existent. In the film there is no evidence to show that Nick maintains or has a romantic relationship with anyone. This once again highlights the strength of his relationship with Gatsby. Perhaps the most interesting difference is the lack of anyone who shows up for Gatsby’s funeral in the film. Nick is the only one who attends the funeral and he is seen as heartbroken. In the novel however, people do attend Gatsby’s funeral specifically Gatsby’s father. The special relationship that Luhrmann creates for Gatsby and Nick may be suggesting that Nick is in fact in love with Gatsby. Being directed by Baz Luhrmann, anyone familiar with his previous work will know what to expect from The Great Gatsby. People who enjoyed the general story of the book will enjoy this particular film version, but as for getting a point across or inciting emotion the film tends to be very shallow. While Luhrmann likes to create a visual spectacle, one can only be distracted by pretty colours and lights for so long. The actors in the film, while all good, are clearly not the directors primary focus. Luhrmann is able to bring the spectacular parties and beautiful landscapes to life, he is not able to really create distinct relationships between the characters and actors of the film. The two most standout performances are that of Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, the relationship between Gatsby and Carraway is by far the most interesting part of the film. Carraway’s obsession and defence of Gatsby may lead one to believe that he wants to be more than just friends with Gatsby.

False Advertising Essay

What they regret to inform you in the big print is that the only way to acquire these results is with diet and exercise, therefore they are misleading you. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission fined certain weight loss products for false advertising. These companies claimed that their product ranged from rapid weight loss to reducing the risk of cancer. Although these products were not pulled off shelves, they were advised to stop making false claims or prove their claims with scientific research proving that these products undoubtedly carry out the actions they claim to do. That’s just to show you that you can’t and shouldn’t believe everything you see. False advertising is also found widely in the food industry. There are many food companies that advertise their products on TV via commercials, such as Burger King, Quiznos, McDonald’s, and even supermarkets. These companies want you to visit their establishment by pulling you in with advertisements of their delicious products such as juicy burgers or bright red strawberries. The products look so good on TV, but when you arrive at the establishment and place your order, you receive something that doesn’t look as good as it did on TV. These companies falsely advertise what their products look like to draw you in so they can make money. If you have ever seen a Quiznos commercial, their sandwiches are advertised with an abundant amount of meat and vegetables, but when you go to purchase one, they are nothing close to what was advertised. The foods in the advertisements you see are not exactly edible. The agencies that are hired to create these products use cosmetic chemicals to enhance colors so the products appear to be fresh. They do this so they can boost its virtual appeal, concluding the point of not everything you see in advertising is necessarily true. Consumers are greatly affected by these deceptions. People who purchase a product and later realize that they did not receive what they thought they were paying for are dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction will eventually lead consumers to never purchase that product again, which will cause sales to drop for that company. By word of mouth, internet, and other means of communication these companies’ profits will plunge due to consumer discontent. Also, if companies are falsely advertising and fail to mention a certain aspect of their product to consumers and that consumer happens to be allergic to that certain aspect of the product, it may lead to a potential lawsuit. For example, the food label known as Spikes all purpose food seasoning declared their product had â€Å"no MSG added. † Further reading of the ingredients in this product, it contained hydrolyzed protein. This protein contains MSG; therefore this food label was false and misleading. Anyone who is allergic to MSG that consumes this product will get violently ill. Due to the lack of information the company failed to mention on the label, there is no way a consumer would have known the product contained MSG. To avoid situations like these, companies must be clear in stating every ingredient in their product. Not only in food products, but companies must also be sure to include every feature of their merchandise, so no one is being mislead.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. Many characters face imprisonment in the novel Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. This essay explores those imprisonments, be they literal or figurative."'Keep still you little devil or I'll cut your throat!'A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg."Early on in the novel Great Expectations, Dickens introduces the concept of imprisonment, a theme that is subtly intertwined throughout the story. In this first part, the man who is speaking is imprisoned by his leg iron. The person being spoken to is imprisoned by the threats of the other.Pip, the protagonist of Great Expectations, and also the person being threatened in the above quote, suffers from imprisonment on a day to day basis. As a child, he has a frightening encounter with an escaped convict. He carries the imprisonment of the many lies and secrets he must keep to himself as a result of this experience.English: Miss Havisham and Pip, in an illustration...As an adolescent, he has to suffer the impriso nment of his social class. He routinely laments about his chosen career as a blacksmith, since Estella looks down upon his for it. Pip's "prisons" are the ones that affect the tone of the book the most.Estella suffers from various "prisons" as well. Miss Havisham is an obvious one. Miss Havisham totally controls all the thought processes in Esteem's head. Estella is brainwashed to have "no heart." In this way, Estella is also her own prison. Her inability to feel emotions ultimately leads to her downfall. She marries Bentley Drummle because he does not expect her to feel anything towards him. Unfortunately, the marriage is an unpleasant and abusive one.Miss Havisham is in the most torturous prison of all, because it eventually ends up taking her life. Ever since she received that fated...

Battle of Paardeberg in the Second Boer War Battle

Battle of Paardeberg in the Second Boer War Battle Battle of Paardeberg - Conflict and Dates: The Battle of Paardeberg was fought between February 18-27, 1900, and was part of the Second Boer War (1899-1902). Armies Commanders: British Field Marshal Frederick RobertsLieutenant General Herbert Kitchener15,000 men Boers General Piet CronjeGeneral Christiaan de Wet7,000 men Battle of Paardeberg - Background: In the wake of Field Marshal Lord Roberts relief of Kimberley on February 15, 1900, the Boer commander in the area, General Piet Cronje began retreating east with his forces. His progress was slowed due to the presence of a large number on noncombatants that had joined his ranks during the siege. On the night of February 15/16, Cronje successfully slipped between Major General John Frenchs cavalry near Kimberley and Lieutenant General Thomas Kelly-Kennys British infantry at the Modder River fords. Battle of Paardeberg - Boers Trapped: Detected by mounted infantry the next day, Cronje was able to prevent elements from Kelly-Kennys 6th Division from overtaking them. Late that day, French was dispatched with approximately 1,200 cavalry to locate Cronjes main force. Around 11:00 AM on February 17, the Boers reached the Modder River at Paardeberg. Believing that his men had escaped, Cronje paused to allow them to rest. Shortly thereafter, Frenchs troopers appeared from the north and began firing on the Boer camp. Rather than attack the smaller British force, Cronje inadvisably decided to form a laager and dig in along the banks of the river. As Frenchs men pinned the Boers in place, Roberts chief of staff, Lieutenant General Horatio Kitchener, began rushing troops to Paardeberg. The next day, Kelly-Kenny began planning to bombard the Boer position into submission, but was overruled by Kitchener. Though Kelly-Kenny outranked Kitchener, the latters authority on the scene was confirmed by Roberts who was in bed ill. Possibly concerned about the approach of Boer reinforcements under General Christiaan De Wet, Kitchener ordered a series of frontal attacks on Cronjes position (Maps). Battle of Paardeberg - The British Attack: Ill-conceived and uncoordinated, these assaults were beaten back with heavy casualties. When the days fighting ended, the British has suffered 320 dead and 942 wounded, making it the single costliest action of the war. In addition, to make the attack, Kitchener had effectively abandoned a kopje (small hill) to the southeast that was occupied by De Wets approaching men. While the Boers suffered lighter casualties in the fighting, their mobility had been further reduced by the death of much of their livestock and horses from British shelling. That night, Kitchener reported the days events to Roberts and indicated that he planned to resume attacks the next day. This roused the commander from his bed, and Kitchener was dispatched to oversee the repair of the railroad. In the morning, Roberts arrived on the scene and initially desired to recommence assaulting Cronjes position. This approach was resisted by his senior officers who were able to convince him to lay siege to the Boers. On the third day of the siege, Roberts began to contemplate withdrawing due to De Wets position to the southeast. Battle of Paardeberg - Victory: This blunder was prevented by De Wet losing his nerve and retreating, leaving Cronje to deal with the British alone. Over the next several days, the Boer lines were subjected to an increasingly heavy bombardment. When he learned that women and children were in the Boer camp, Roberts offered them safe passage through the lines, but this was refused by Cronje. As the shelling continued, nearly every animal in the Boer lines was killed and the Modder became filled with the dead carcasses of horses and oxen. On the night of February 26/27, elements of the Royal Canadian Regiment, with assistance from the Royal Engineers, were able to construct trenches on high ground approximately 65 yards from the Boer lines. The following morning, with the Canadian rifles overlooking his lines and his position hopeless, Cronje surrendered his command to Roberts. Battle of Paardeberg - Aftermath: The fighting at Paardeberg cost the British 1,270 casualties, the majority of which were incurred during the February 18 attacks. For the Boers, casualties in the fighting were relatively light, but Cronje was forced to surrender the remaining 4,019 men in his lines. The defeat of Cronjes force opened the road to Bloemfontein and severely damaged Boer morale. Pressing towards the city, Roberts routed a Boer force at Poplar Grove on March 7, before taking the city six days later.

The Human Rights Act 1998 was a constitutional mistake. Discuss Essay

The Human Rights Act 1998 was a constitutional mistake. Discuss - Essay Example Thus, HRA has altered the style in which the UK courts would approach the domestic legislation. Further, the opponents of the HRA vociferously argue that since the rights violation is already covered under the common law, there is no need to legislate separate law namely HRA. The critics argue that the Human Rights Act 1998 was a constitutional mistake." This essay will discuss why there is a need to repeal the current form HRA in an analytical way and arrive at a conclusion. Whether the Human Rights Act 1998 was a constitutional mistake? Two main allegations charged against HRA is that it politicises the judiciary and take away the legitimate authority enjoyed by the elected representatives, and it advocates a blame or compensation acculturation whereby society turns to be progressively more contentious5. One of the serious allegations against the Human Rights Act 1998 is that it remains as a hazard to public safety and rights. For instance, immediately after 9/11 attack in USA, the then British Home Secretary made an open warning to the judiciary to cease applying the HRA in ways, which frustrated the UK government plans. The leader of the conservative party is of the opinion that suitable amendments should be made in the HRA to deport those who were encouraging terrorism in UK soil as the HRA was demonstrating to be a barrier to safeguard the lives of UK citizens. Conservative party is of the opinion that HRA has created a culture that has hampered law enforcement machinery and the control of convicted criminal and obstructed the deportation of terrorist suspects. Conservative is also of the opinion that HRA has not succeeded in safeguarding the corrosion of the traditional liberties and may have even offered a facade of respectability. Lord Chancellor during March 2009 viewed his anguish that HRA has been commoditised which was corroborated by those who stressed their privileges in a selfish way without having concerned with the privileges of others. Critic s are of the view that HRA is more concerned with rights thereby totally neglecting responsibilities from UK citizens. Further, there has been ongoing discussion, whether or not the HRA has clouted the exact balance between the courts, Parliament and the executive. Critics have come against the provision in the Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and deportation of terrorists which have placed the safety of the public at peril. Some critics vehemently argue that there should be a referendum, whether to retrench the Human Rights Act 1998 or not. Some critics have argued that there should be a referendum on any scheme to withdraw the HRA or to introduce the Bill of Rights which would basically cement some freedoms of individuals6. HRA will extremely impact statutory interpretation. HRA offers the court with the power and obligation to interpret and apply the law in a style that caters the ECHR obligations. It is alleged that HRA falls short of authorising UK co urts to annul legislation, which is not compatible with the ECHR. Clause 3 demands the UK court

Twelve Angry Men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Twelve Angry Men - Essay Example It is about the group dynamics of the jury and how they change throughout the movie. To start with, the group comes from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs, but what is more important is how they view the purpose of their task. Most want to just â€Å"get it over with† regardless of the outcome. Because it does not affect their lives in any significant way, they do not apply much critical thought to the evidence. Instead, they assume because the police and courts are prosecuting the young man, he must be guilty. Thankfully for the defendant, one man, Juror #8, uses critical thinking and takes the instructions from the judge seriously. Twelve Angry Men can be divided into five sections of group development. The first stage, known as â€Å"forming,† begins the dynamic and usually involves working out of purpose, structure, and leadership. In the movie this part of the group development is portrayed at the beginning of the jury deliberations. Juror #1, the jury forema n (Martin Balsam), is ready to start and seems unclear on how to proceed. He clearly demonstrates that he is not really a leader type. He politely asks two of the jurors to have a seat so they can get started without seeming the least bit managerial. Then when the men assemble around the juror’s table, the foreman hesitantly discusses the various ways to proceed. He says he is not sure which is best and readily accepts the suggestion of one of the other men, a much more authoritarian type, that they take a vote so they â€Å"can all get out of there† (Henry Fonda). The foreman readily concedes and the vote is eleven to one in favor of guilty with Juror #8 (played by Henry Fonda) being the holdout. One of the more extroverted jurors says, â€Å"Boy oh boy, there’s always one,† which seems to imply that Juror #8 is only voting not guilty to cause trouble, gain attention, or for some reason other than the fact that he truly believes the defendant is not guil ty. The juror who implies this accusation acts passively aggressively to bully Juror #8. He wants Juror #8 to feel like everyone is against him, so that he will change his vote and then they all can â€Å"get out of there.† Yet, he does not come right out and say it directly. This leads directly to the next stage of group development, â€Å"storming.† Storming involves intergroup conflict and disagreement over who should be in control of the group even if it is not blatantly exerted. Juror #10 (played by Ed Begley) challenges the authority of Juror #1, the jury chairman, and Juror #3 (Lee J. Cobb) tells Juror #2 (John Fiedler) "to keep silent." Both Jurors #3 and #10 intervene when Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney) wants to give his opinion. Then, Juror #6 (Edward Binns) physically threatens Juror #3 because he does not think he is showing Juror #9, who is the oldest of the group, due respect. Another instance that reveals the personalities of the group occurs when Juror #11 ( Georg Voskovec) says, â€Å"I beg pardon. To which Juror #10 says, "I beg pardon? What are you so polite about?† And, Juror #11 answers, â€Å"For the same reason you are not: it's the way I was brought up† (Henry Fonda).  This clearly demonstrates that there are vast differences in background and personality in the group. From the revelation of these differences and likenesses, as with any group, small cliques begin to form. â€Å"Norming† is this clique forming stage and occurs when the group begins to develop close relationships among its members. Most of the group participants are encouraged to participate. In Twelve Angry Men, even the more silent members of the group (Jurors 2, 5, 6) were encouraged to contribute their opinions to the discussion. During norming, groups will generally demonstrate cohesiveness, yet in the movie, total unity never quite develops. In

Major Contributions Made By Ancient Egyptians And Babylonians To Essay

Major Contributions Made By Ancient Egyptians And Babylonians To Science - Essay Example The ancient Egyptians were masters of the arts of stone working and metal working and the production of faience and glass. Their products were used throughout the ancient world. Their understanding of astronomy was very advanced, and this knowledge was passed on to the generations that followed. In mathematics, they developed basic concepts in arithmetic and geometry. The ancient Egyptians understood the idea of fractions and knew how to add them. Some of the mathematical texts taught the finer points of arithmetic, geometry, and even word problems, and are not unlike modern primers. These and other texts indicate that the ancient Egyptians understood and could add fractions and could even find the area of a trapezoidal pyramid. Without the advanced mathematics they originated, the ancient Egyptians would not have been able to build the pyramids and other large structures (Encarta, 2005). Egyptian scholars wrote some of the earliest known medical texts. These texts deal with topics such as internal medicine, surgery, pharmaceutical remedies, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. Medical papyri taught physicians how to deal with both internal medicine and surgery (Encarta, 2005). Ancient Egyptians doctors were the first physicians to study the human body scientifically. They studied the structure of the brain and knew that the pulse was in some way connected with the heart. They could set broken bones, care for wounds, and treat many illnesses. Some doctors specialized in the field of medicine, such as eye defects or stomach disorders (Lesko, 1989).

Effect of Standard Pricing Changes on Firm Operations

Effect of Standard Pricing Changes on Firm Operations The Rise and Fall of Standard Pricing and Its Effect on Everyday Operations For European and American Firms Table of contents (Jump to) Executive summary General overview Accounting overview Literature review Standard pricing as accounting practice Operations management Operations life cycle Continuous improvement Core value systems Discussion and conclusion References EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The overall purpose of this paper and study is to investigate cost or lean accounting within the operations management realm and how its unpredictable rise and fall allow organisations to continuously learn and utilize knowledge management as a core value. It was also important to use a larger organisation that has history of outstanding operations and customer centered focus upon services. This investigation will require an in-depth study of work processes, communication and leadership with regard to knowledge management as a value within the team construct while looking at how this reflects leaning accounting principles. What tools are available and what kind of evolution is Nestle undergoing in order to remain competitive in a changing economy? How does this change knowledge management and communication company wide? What this study argues is that accounting practices are changing due to the evolving business plan. This is a movement toward modern accounting and it is important to see the relationships between costing accounting, its fluctuations and how they impact the health of the organisation as a whole with regard to productivity and job satisfaction. How an organisation applies methods of costing into its framework for accounting of expenses and its direct rise and fall over the time period of the product life cycle, directly influences the production, operation, distribution and employee retention of the global company. In fact changes in accounting practices have led to many tried and true business models to no longer exist. Costing and its rise and fall can have a direct relationship with success and competitive advantage in the market place. However the purpose of this study is to explore and reflect upon how accounting practices change operations management and the supply chain management model as a tool of managers and team members alike. Really it is how accounting practices have changed business practices because of new legislation focusing on global companies in Europe and the United States. Accounting costs, expenses and losses reflects the health of the organisation and with change comes confusion. This study argues th at with such changes comes a lack of defining the company’s value within the market but also the value it has for its employees, as they become active participants and investors. GENERAL OVERVIEW How corporate accounting is handled is changing worldwide. How each expense is accounted for within an organisation’s financial sheets has been evolving. Such a proposal for change has received much commentary from not only the financial community and corporate America but also key members of Congress, European union leaders and the public. Such a response results from the uncertainty that such change will benefit businesses and economic growth. It is feared that such change will have the opposite effect and cause world leaders to lose its competitive edge in the global market. Still this has not stopped the fuel of the fire as the American Financial Accounting Standards Board (also referred to as FASB) has struggled for an answer to such a dilemma. The urgency for a solution has only been stressed recently in light of such debacles like Enron and Tyco. It is believed that companies do need to account honestly for expenses but at what price to its employees, the public and the economy? Part of the issue with current legislation to change the practice of accounting for employee stock options is that there is no real way to value their worth. This creates an unsettling feeling among investors and employees struggling to understand this benefit. ACCOUNTING OVERVIEW What this truly means for any corporation functioning globally or even locally this that effective cost accounting because a volatile issue for management to consider. One could argue that such rise and fall of how costing/pricing pays a part in the entire operation has a negative effect upon how the company’s valuation is seen on the open market. Costing at every step of the product life cycle plays a huge part in how this valuation is decided from inventory at the shop floor level, to everyday operations management, to an employee’s value with the company and their net worth personally. Changes within the global economy in the recent years the disappearance of tried and true business models leaves many with a poor taste in their mouths because one must understand how efficiency, affordability and effective leadership come into play. Effective pricing or costing of routine operations and corporate behaviours must be tracked and studied in order to carve the fat. This s tudy aims to look at exactly what the rise and fall of pricing or costing means to a global organisation conducting business on many levels. For the purpose of proving the argument that such changes in accounting practice has a negative effect on the organisation, one will look at examples from the shop floor to the employee’s estimated value with the company in the form of job satisfaction. Accounting for such expensing and pricing correctly is what makes the organisation strong but also accurate in valuation. With this in mind, traditional business models like Wal-Mart and Nestle are discussed because these are globally operating corporations. Debates about whether or not the fair value of the employee and the company stock options should be expensed on the income statement continue to rage among industry representatives, politicians, and pundits. Expense recognition of stock options can have significant impacts on net income and earnings per share, so this is a debate worth having. But many of those who analyze companies consider operating cash flow a better performance metric than income. One reason is that operating cash flow is thought to be free from the infection that makes income grossly weakened. In the case of employee worth and stock values, however, there is proof that this assumption is flawed. Option exercise affects operating cash flows in ways that analysts need to understand. Repurchasing shares to fund option exercise also results in financing cash outflows. The net cash flow impacts of options are often negative, but can be quite volatile from year to year. LITERATURE REVIEW STANDARD PRICING AS ACCOUNTING PRACTICE It can be difficult to assess why a product has a certain cost or price to the consumer. How is it that companies arrive at certain amount for a product or service? What are the factors that play into this amount and do they change over time while in the market? Mish defines clearly, price as being â€Å"the value or worth; the quality of one thing that is exchanged or demanded in barter or sale for another† (2004, p. 985). A mistake that happens to many companies is they allow the market to manage the price of the product and avoid strategic management of pricing in general. What is usually done according to Nagle is â€Å"they list the prices based on their own needs and then adjust transaction prices to based on what customers say they are willing to pay. Only a few companies question why someone is willing to pay no more that a particular amount or how that willingness could be changed† (2002, p. 1). In order to be strategic in pricing, a company must confident and understand that â€Å"pricing involves managing customers’ expectations to induce them to pay for the value they receive† (Nagle 2002, p.1). Fortunately, when it comes to financial products, many customers remain in the dark about product and services. Sometimes a service oriented company such as the Bank of England can take advantage of such undulation but as more information becomes available due to the Internet, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for a company to set the pace this way. More than not, more companies especially financial ones that rely on customer relationships, allow for a value-based price structure that is contingent on the customer paying when value is delivered. This type of pricing system relies heavily on segmentation of the demographic when it comes to offering promotions and incentives to buster customer loyalty. Much of this applies to financial type products that are well defined for the consumer either through education or these pr oducts are a must in life like the credit or loan product. Keeping this in mind, many financial products consist of high quality products and add-ons that when offered by one company allows that company to diversify and establish the price. The table here below aids in illustrating this point. Table 1: Pricing Strategies (Anderson Bailey 1998, p. 2) It is also important for a company to keep in mind demand for the product or service. This is why diversification and globalization are quickly becoming elements of strategy as companies look for new ways to target consumers and enter new areas where their original product has a new life cycle. This is a matter of economics but important for understanding marketing strategy with regards to cost switching or price switching. â€Å"The greater the price elasticity, the closer the company can price products to similar competitive products and vice versa† (Allen 2002). In an industry like the mortgage industry where homeownership is more prevalent in Western nations, elasticity is high and therefore, it is fair to remain competitive with other companies. Also a company like Nestle can bet that charging less may lead to more food products created as customers find they get more service for less money. In this respect elasticity can work either way. It really depends on degree of ri sk one company is willing to take. Still it remains to be found if such a tactic even works when it comes to customer loyalty, as this will be explored in greater detail later. However, it remains to be seen if price loyalty does exist. It seems â€Å"the key to effectively competing for loyalty is ensuring the quality of the customer experience, not the quantity of customer rewards or discount prices† (Compton 2005, p.1). However, the price needs to be adjusted for what the customer expects. It can be a cycle that changing continuously depending on the product or service. Carmona, and et al (2004), writes of the origin of activity based costing method of accounting or ABC that came into vogue in Europe during the 1920s. What ABC does specifically as Carmona, and et al (2004) speak of Vollmers’s work as: Deployed significant efforts to account for distribution and marketing costs, which ‘tend to be ignored today.’ This first event is then taken as record of the origin (both in terms of time and space), from which the new practice mainly spread both temporally and spatially. (p. 36) This is the start of a movement toward the double entry system and this saw delay and many weaknesses because it did not present a clear, complete picture of accounting. Its weaknesses were found in inefficiencies with charges and discharges. As a result, early double-entry systems were seen as unreliable and not useful to big business. It would not be until later that advanced book keeping procedures would take into account advanced operating processes in production. Carmona, and et al (2004) found these systems although not perfected were used in England and the Colonies as early as 1760 (p. 37). It seems this was the trend as no real streamlined, conforming system would be adopted until modern business practices came into place in the United States. Move to a global arena and model of production purposes and a more refined system is needed because a lot more is at stake. Global business is all about the details. It became common practice more investment applied, the more generally accepted accounting practices became as a diffusion of new technology. Accounting practices became more generally accepted behaviours as businesses became bigger and more prominent in communities across the world. Practices are implemented as Abu-Raddaha, and et al (2000) surmises the following: The information provided by accounting should facilitate international trade and capital flows, not hamper them. It should inform, not just report. More importantly the information demands of both domestic and international financing and other commercial relationships, have to be satisfied. (p. 19). Everything must remain in balance or presented as a well-oiled machine. How does an organisation get to this point of transformation with its accounting practices? Modern accounting asks for more participation and optimisation from the start to finish by the corporate accountant. The actions of the corporate accountants must change as the movement toward lean functioning continues to take place. It should not be a painful process but one of creativity, flexibility and growth. There is a concern that lean accounting requires one to turn off creativity and be boxed into one function or thought process. This will be explored late as a post-modern viewpoint of business where each person has a function within the total quality management or TQM perspective. Modern business may use this as a framework but the modern business model has evolved beyond this fixed view. The truth of the matter is that modern accounting practices could not be further from this view of being boxed in but rather goes beyond breaking the box and creating a different mindset where thin king is seen differently than before. Accounting is seen differently as not having finite possibilities but infinite reasoning. Traditional methods are flawed as proposed by Van Der Merwe and Thomson (2007), â€Å"the direct costing approach doesn’t absorb any overhead or even fixed costs†¦resource consumption accounting or RCA makes no arbitrary assignments at all† (p. 29). A lean, effective method allows for a more detailed account of capacity costs and a basic approach to data collection. Modern times call modern values and thought processes with regard to business seamless behaviour across the production floor. The lean method maintains a â€Å"one-touch flow system† (Van Der Merwe Thomson 2007, p. 29) for information diffusion across the life cycle. This one-touch flow system can be integrated with a supply chain easily and reflects this value added element as a method for better, honest accounting. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT A most important factor for facilities management to recognize is the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) or a variation of TQM. TQM according to David Steingard is â€Å"a set of techniques and procedures used to reduce or eliminate variation from the production process or service delivery system in order to improve efficiency† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). TQM fits with the facilities management way of doing things as many of their functions require repetition or constant monitoring of daily, weekly and monthly items. Because this is a modernist concept and the modernist movement believed in certainty and static methods of looking at the world, there is not much room for the uncertainty that change creates in today’s workplace using strictly TQM. Therefore either change in this environment must be controlled change or a variation of TQM must be used for the process to work and involve new technologies. Otherwise, TQM alone invents a work environment reminiscent of Franz L ang’s Metropolis and dehumanizes the employee. A variation TQM can be used in facilities management to aid defining team member responsibilities as it sees the whole team as a â€Å"machine creates a system of interlocking parts each with clearly defined use, centralized authority and high degrees of worker discipline culminating with the goal of routinised, efficient and predictable system performance† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). Each team member plays a role in the functioning of the machine. Still much like today’s business environment where change is constant, this system requires continued adjustment, modification improvement of function. TQM as way of defining a work process cannot operate entirely in today’s global market because it succeeds at the expense of innovation and the growth of the employee. It also does not leave room to incorporate change and new ways of improving functions. Still a memory of pure TQM feeds the â€Å"modernist machine of c onsumer capitalism which encourages over-consumption, planned obsolescence, ecological damage and depletion of natural resources† (Steingard 2002, p. 4). This memory has also burdened management as the obsession for perfection, control, consistency, productivity and efficiency increases over time. In today’s facilities team, there must be a healthy medium to not only use past methods for increased productivity and efficiency but also to include modern tools and equipment to make the job easier. In order to remain competitive, technology cannot be ignored, the systems it provides must be implemented in order for logistics to remain seamless and keep up with demand and customer expectation. For instance failure to embrace logistics and technology results in inventory costing a company more money to store than it is worth. McCullogh writes, â€Å"Right now sitting around the globe is a bunch of inventory (worth an estimated) United States $1 trillion—United States $1 trillion of boxes of stuff is just sitting around a warehouse† (‘Warning: Don’t Snub Logistics’, p. 1). This has the potential to represent about 60 percent of the average company’s working capital. This is capital in limbo that is not maximizing its investment potential. A sign of successful shop floor operations is reliance on very little warehousing. In other words, warehousing is measured as the amount of days per month a product sits in the warehouse and if logistics is implemented effectively, this number will decrease and stabilize. The retail average storage of inventory is 26 days of investment not being utilized, profit being lost and daily expenses being incurred in an endless holding pattern. In order to reduce the amount of days inventory sits means companies must create tighter relationships with suppliers via the web or perfect a system of communication between resources to cut out warehousing all together. Instead of inventory remaining stored because of wireless communication and data collection, the product can go straight from the supply source to the retailer’s shelves via a distribution centre that acts much like mail sorting centre. This can work because technology enables a retailer to send data immediately to the supplie r of products that are moving off the shelves with a click of a button. From this electronic message, the supplier knows what the retailer needs, what products are popular, how much and sends then instantly to the retailer’s distribution centre. In organisations the size of Nestle or Wal-Mart, logistics strategy requires much forethought and planning, as there are many branches and divisions that are involved in the process. The idea is to reduce expenses and increase value to the organisation by making the company more productive and efficient. This needs to be done as seamlessly as possible to continue brand loyalty and customer relations while maintaining market share and competitive advantage. In many ways, implementation of this strategy creates a delicate balance. In order to have better Business to Business or B2B relationships, one must understand the connection. Robert Thierauf and Hoctor (2003) explain, â€Å"B2B is about connecting shared businesses and information processes of the extended trading networks, planning, shipping and logistics, inventory management and customer retention to name a few† (Thierauf Hoctor, p. 181). In other words, an optimized planning process can save millions dollars and allow a multination corporation to carry out its objective and gain market share. This means applying advanced technology such as i2 used by Dell Computers and typical ERP vendors. In today’s act of doing business, B2B exchanges are based on supply chain management or SCM technologies (Thierauf Hoctor, 2003, p. 182). This will mean considerable investment in such technology but the benefit of market share will prove it to be a valued investment over the long-run (Burn Hachney 2002; Scerbo 1999). Running these centres effectively certainly poses a challenge of management. Manufacturers must develop new skills and confront channel conflicts with dealers, distributors and independent operators. Leaders in these positions must have an understanding of managing the conflicts in these channels. But well-managed distribution centres would more than justify the risks, as it would save the organisation a significant amount of overhead. With operating expenses as the main cost, it is possible to make the distribution venture essentially self-funding. Facilities can be rented on short-term leases and surrendered if the location isnt successful within a year or two. The cost of goods and labour can be managed as volume grows. Companies should remember that a manufacturers original warranty work usually accounts for about half of the labour expenses and for as much as 20 percent of the total value of services rendered, but these costs are typically charged back to the business unit rather than borne by the company’s distribution. In markets poorly served by local dealers or other distributors, for instance, a centre should gear itself to its company’s end users or consumers by choosing a high-traffic retail site. Profits at these locations are generated largely through the sale of accessories and optional services to walk-in or mail order customers; outlets thus need appealing product displays or sales pr esentations. Different kinds of retail distribution centres pursue different economic models. Although gross margins on sales to end-users are higher, orders tend to be smaller. Locations that focus on distributors can achieve scale faster and be just as profitable. The largely similar economics of service centres vary only according to which customer segment is best served at each location. Companies run their own centres and tie management bonuses to profit and growth goals at each site. Either way, some support functions, such as marketing, human resources and information and financial systems, are best managed at the corporate level. Warehouses and distributions centres are caught in a squeeze between customer service demands and cost drivers. The challenge for most organisations is create a network that can deliver on customer demands while keeping costs down. This is the number challenge in supply chain management. Supply chain management presents a huge undertaking when it comes to overhead operating costs. Many of the tools have come down in price because usability has gotten easier. As a result, more and more companies are adopting a supply chain management philosophy for distribution and are re-evaluating its effectiveness every two years as opposed to before at every five years. Management members are interested to see if the efficiency of the centre matches its service level provided. Research has found a direct relationship between the number of distribution points, transportation costs and customer service targets. The network and its design are driven by improvements so that the cost of transportation can be offset. This may include reviewing an organisation’s transportation arrangements. Loading patterns should also be examined to find ways to cube out containers and trailers (Trunick, p. 1). What possibilities can be used to have a cost-effective outcome for the distribution centre? Does this mean consolidating shipments or a move to parcel and less than truckload shipments? Can shipments be combined to make greater use of truck cargo space? Can the organisation hire rail or air as better shipping alternatives to using company trucks over longer distances? In addition to examining loading can the routes used by the trucks be adjusted to be add to cost-efficiency? An organisation would benefit using their state’s transportation management system or a department of transportation, DOT to map out distribution volumes and patterns. This would help in providing dynamic routing options that can be flexible to change distribution needs in the network. This can benefit the fleet by reducing fuel supply needs and help control costs and usage. These efficiencies would result because the routes would decrease in mileage and also wear/tear on the vehicles and insurance costs. Efficiency inside the four walls of the distribution centre can also be improved. Relatively speaking the size of the average distribution centre has grown from 300,000 square feet to one million square feet (Trunick, p. 2). This is simply due to operating space needed to move inventory from point a to point b. But the real reason the distribution centre is larger today is mainly because organisations have seen the need to put all operations under one roof. By putting multiple facilities into one larger distribution centre improves the time it takes to transport inventory. Still the larger centre is made possible because of improved transportation systems but also implementation new technologies that not only enhance a brick and mortar store but also a virtual one. Plus, the organisation has the manpower under one roof. The company only rents one building and keeps the inventory in one place rather than moving it from warehouse to warehouse. This allows the company to provide better service to the consumer. Because of these factors, information systems are critical to the success of the larger distribution centre. Data has the need to travel from one area to another and that is why more and more companies are investing in radio frequency terminals both handheld and vehicle mounted. Investment of these RFID systems is not inexpensive and many retailers such Wal-Mart and Target are looking for ways to enrich the present technology and systems without implementing a whole new infrastructure into the walls of the centre. By being able to enhance present systems proves to be cost effective because not only is an upgrade cheaper but also it is easier to train employees to run. It is a company’s ability to effectively handle investment of new technologies that allows the centre to run better. Still as Trunick writes, the concern is not found in hardware but in data. â€Å"Databases have traditionally been structured to feed a number of different systems, but that’s not a long term architectural solution† (p. 2). Part of the problem a distribution centre faces with data storage is being able to provide the data in real time and allowing the data to remain clean and not crowd. As a result many companies are searching for better solutions than using RFID in supply chain management. It has not proven to be productive in the distribution centre setting not like 8 percent in the warehouse setting (Trunick, p. 2). One new technology that was introduced to the Nestle facilities management team in 2006 was the use of a computerized tracking system for client user orders. This system was implemented to better track the status of job orders among the team members. This system acted to alert a team member of potential deadlines and current job load status. It also allowed management to better track individual and team progress. This resulted in a monthly recognition program to signify when quotas had been met or when a team member received a client user compliment. This system also had the capability to record the negative such as being late to a service call or failing to complete monitoring of weekly items for inspection. The system would then e-mail the team member and the direct supervisor if such conduct occurred (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 11). This system replaced the old process of â€Å"tracking† client user orders that consisted of logging each order into a spiral notebook. With the advent of the company’s intranet site, management hoped to improve communication between the facilities team and the client user by offering an electronic request system. This would reduce the amount of time the facilities team spent fielding phone called requested and allow for multi-tasking of various jobs. What management had hoped the system implementation would result in, did not happen mainly due to team member lack of communication and resistance to change due to a pre-existing TQM elements within the old process of handling client user orders. Management had hoped as the Business Open Learning Archive details, â€Å"automation would exploit available technology to speed up operations, make them more reliable and to reduce unit costs and their risks and costs. This would bring flexibility to the system already in practice† (Operations Technology 2005, p. 1). This type of new technology or just-in-time or JIT technology requires careful handling and extensive training. What facilities management team leaders had not prepared for was the team member response. Many of them despite being competent, responsible employees did not have knowledge of computer systems. Many of the team members had been with the company over twenty years and had been hired to the division. Many of thes e types, fall into the category of being older but also having a specific specialization in which they were in the field most of the time (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 24) not requiring any other extensive skills. Another factor management had not anticipated was a considerable language barrier as many team members who had worked together for years, continued working in their native tongue of Spanish. A final aspect of the mixed response for the team had more to do with timing than anything. Management provided a three-day training session and then allowed two weeks for the new system to be adopted. The transitional period was too short and was met with much resistance from many members of the team. Many did not accept the change or completely understand the new system. Many did not check their email or use the tracking component. Finally, despite company wide advertisement of the new online request feature, most client users did not use it and continued to phone in requests. This resulted in not a decrease in time spent on the phone but due to the new system’s lack transition and rejection by some of the team, the group received three times as many calls in one week (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 33). The team had to hire a temporary employee to aid in taking calls while team leaders provided on the job training and supervised walk-through of the new process. The period of six weeks it took the team to get ba