Human resource development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human resource development - Essay Example This process of changing employees’ behavior match with the concepts of cognitive theory. Ii Experiential learning is the process whereby knowledge is transferred through the transformation of experience (Reid, Barrington & Brown, 2007). This directly relate to the development of human resource development programs which trains employees to learn from the past to improve their present and future. Iii Situated learning theory explains that learning is a process of learning that emphasizes on the socio-cultural setting and the activities of the people within the setting (Smith & Sadler, 2006). This theory directly relate to the human resource development programs as they always seek to strengthen the individual employees; in their endeavors’ to pursue and expand their skills and experience in specific careers they may have opted to pursue. Experiential learning is a process, not necessarily in terms of outcomes but in terms of experience. It states that learning requires the resolution of conflicts between dialectically conflicting modes of adaptation to the real world (Reid, Barrington & Brown, 2007). It explains that learning by its precise nature is full of tension. The theory describes learning as the transaction that takes place between the person and the environment. Through this theory; the process of knowledge creation comes as a result of the transaction between social knowledge and personal knowledge. According to cognitive theory, individuals decide to lay their effort in the task that they believe they can perform and produce best expected result (Buckley & Capler, 2009). It argues that the decision about which activities an individual decides to engage in is based on the combinations of different factors like expectation, valence and instrumentality. This theory has a significant impact on the

Chaucers Prologue To The Canterbury Tales Essay Example for Free

Chaucers Prologue To The Canterbury Tales Essay Dave Tagatac English III Dec. 1, 2000 Canterbury Tales Essay #1 In Geoffrey Chaucers Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, there was a Friar to accompany the party traveling to Canterbury. Hubert, as he was called, embodied the traits from which friars were expected to keep their distance. Chaucer is successful in using this white-necked beggar to bring to the readers mind corruption, wealth, greed, and lechery, all hypocritical and immoral characteristics for a man of the church to possess. Although he is a merry man, full of joy and wantonness, these are mere irrelevancies when assessing Huberts value of character as a friar. Throughout Chaucers description of the Friar in the Prologue, Huberts corruption is evident. Probably the Friars greatest evil is suggested early in his description and mentioned several times more. When Hubert would marry a couple, he would give each Of his young women what he could afford her. The sexual connotation of this statement is enforced by the fact that He kept his tippet stuffed with pins for curls, / And pocket-knives, to give to pretty girls. Other evidence of corruption, although not as reprehensible as the defiance of celibacy, includes Huberts failure to befriend the lepers, beggars, and that crew, to whom friars were intended to be nearest. The narrator explains that their lack of money makes their friendship simply a waste of the Friars time. A friar is supposed to be poor, only taking what they need to survive, and giving the rest to those impoverished souls who need it. Hubert, on the other hand, was quite wealthy. I have never known the imbibing of alcohol to be a necessity of life, and yet this friar knew the taverns very well in every town / And every innkeeper and barmaid too. The narrator even states outright that his income came / To more than he laid out. Yet another extraneous possession for a friar was the extravagant dress Hubert wore, as contrasted with the rags friars were expected to don. All of these things demonstrate how the Friar, even when obtaining more than he expected, gave very little to the poor, and kept much for himself. This feeling is continued even augmented upon examination of Huberts greed. Highly beloved and intimate was he / With Country folk within his boundary. As mentioned above, he associated not with the poor, But only with the rich and victual-sellers. Anyone from whom a profit was possible was inherently the Friars friend. This greed is indisputable in light of a final piece of evidence. That is that Hubert would actually pay other friars not to beg in his district. Again, these are actions to be frowned upon in any man, let alone a religiously affiliated one. Finally, Hubert can be shown to be a leach, hanging around those from whom he can get money, and depending on them to support his opulent lifestyle. Although he had no permission to hear confession, this was one way for him to make money, and he did not hesitate to utilize it. He even targeted those who werent so wealthy in a never-ending quest for monetary gain: though a widow mightnt have a shoe / Â ¦ / He got her farthing from her just the same. When people of his district had a dispute, the lecherous Friar was there. Hubert could be found taking advantage of any opportunity he could find to make money honestly, or dishonestly. The Friar was well liked, and had a wonderful singing voice, but his contributions to society ended here. He, through his actions, has shown evidence of corruption, immoral opulence, greed to increase this wealth, and a terrible habit of leaching off others. He was considered a man of the church, but he was far from the piety the title friar conveys.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder which can afflict a person throughout his lifetime: "The individual who suffers from OCD becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are senseless and distressing but extremely difficult to overcome" (http:www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.htm). Obsessions and compulsions are the two main components of this disorder. The former are often highly negative such as an ever-present fear of germs. Compulsions such as repeated handwashings are rituals designed to lessen anxiety produced by obsessions. Depending on the severity, OCD can have an adverse affect on every realm of a person's life. The outlook is optimistic, however, because research has shown that even people suffering from severe OCD may benefit from medication, behavioral therapy, or a combination of the two. Researchers have gained much insight into the cause of the disorder by comparing OCD brains with "normal" brains. There is continued debate about whether OCD is caused by neurobiological factors, environmental influences, or both. There is at least evidence to show that the brains of OCD sufferers differ from "normal" brains in systematic ways: "Recent preliminary studies of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging showed that the subjects with OCD had significantly less white matter than did normal control subjects, suggesting a widely distributed brain abnormality in OCD" (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.htm). The white matter, which lies beneath the cerebral cortex, contains axons which connect neurons in the cerebral cortex to neurons in other parts of the brain. Lowered white matter content seems to suggest that there is less intracranial communication in the brains of OCD patients. Another study showed that "persons having OCD often exhibit abnormal rates of metabolic activity [in direct correlation with the severity of the disorder] in the frontal lobe and the basal ganglia [more specifically in the orbital cortex] of the brain" (http://www.mhsource.com/hy/naf-ocd.html). It has been suggested that the orbital cortex is responsible for stimulating a "worry circuit" consisting of the "caudate nucleus, a part of the basal ganglia that helps in switching gears from one thought to another; the cingulate gyrus, which wrenches the gut with dread, and the thalamus, which processes the body's sensory inputs" (http://www.schizophrenia.com/ami/diagnosi s/ocd.html). It is hypothesized that in OCD, these 3 respective brain areas become linked in action. Susan Swedo and her colleagues at NIMH have hypothesized that because OCD behaviors have been connected with antibodies attacking the basal ganglia, repeated strep throat infections in childhood may lead the formation of the fused "worry circuit.

Cartesian Compromise

Cartesian Compromise: Bridging Psyche and Soma Fionna Larcom History and Systems of Psychology Cartesian Compromise: Bridging Psyche and Soma Introduction In 1995, Blaine M. Yorgason published the true story of his adopted daughter, Charity. One Tattered Angel captures the Mind/Body Problem, proclaiming the existence of the spirit (mind) and challenging the connection to the body. On August 31, 1988 the Yorgason family was asked whether they would foster a newborn who â€Å"has some health problems. †(Yorgason, 1995, p. 8) Yorgason’s first impression description of Charity is that of a tiny, adorable infant, who was perfect – at least on the outside. The family agreed to take her into their home – following some medical tests ordered by social services. The nature of Charity’s health issue was revealed accidentally by a family friend. When Kathy told her we had a new foster baby, she began waxing eloquent over a tiny baby that had been born at her h ospital a couple of days before. â€Å"She was so cute! † she exclaimed. Even though she didn’t have a brain, she was the most alert baby in the nursery, holding her head up and looking around just like she knew what she was doing. † (Yorgason, 1995, p. 34) Charity had been born without a brain but with an intact brain stem. The autonomic nervous system, used exclusively by newborn babies, is controlled by the brain stem. This was what gave Charity the illusion of normality; an illusion which would shatter in a few short weeks when function control would shift to the two hemispheres of the brain.Philosophical Mind- Body Dualism From the Materialist perspective, a perspective that denies the existence of a psyche, Charity’s physical limitations would suggest no mind, thus no spirit, no personality; Yorgason would disagree. In her seven years of life, Charity defied the medical assertion that she â€Å"has very little potential for development beyond the in fant stage. † (Yorgason, 1995, p. 43).In her own small ways; her music preferences, her joy at taking a bath, and the radiant smile that attracted strangers, Charity echoed Descartes claim that â€Å"I exist† (Descartes, n. d. ). Descartes concluded that his existence â€Å"did not require any place, or depend on any material thing† therefore, his existence (mind and consciousness) existed on a plane outside of his physical body. The Principle of Nonidentity of Discernibles subscribes to the basic principle that â€Å"if two things do not have exactly the same properties, then they are not identical. (Lanhead, 2006, p. 209) While this may seem a reasonable premise, closer analysis finds that adherence to â€Å"this strict definition of identity, [allows that] so-called identical twins are different persons who have some very basic similarities, if nothing else, they differ (or are discernible) because they occupy different portions of space. † (Lanhead, 2 006, p. 209) Psychological Mind-Body Dualism The mind/body problem has evolved and diversified since the time of Descartes.One source of confusion – and ultimately contention between the differing concepts of dualism – is the inability to test nonphysical properties using the scientific principles of the physical world. While Philosophy has the luxury to entertain beliefs not yet supported by science, Psychology is not as flexible. In its quest for scientific validity, the ‘field’ of Psychology is in constant danger of neglecting the unique and unpredictable nature of human behavior.This danger has escalated in recent years as a result of advances in neuroscience and brain functionality but also from the blending of psychiatry and analytical psychology, i. e. psychoanalysis. W. W. Meissner addresses this blending in his 2007 article, Mind, Brain, and Self in Psychoanalysis, adding the psychological perspective to J. B Martin’s The Integration of Neu rology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience in the 21st Century. Martin comments: â€Å"A conjoined effort of neurologists and psychiatrists s necessary to understand how a disease of the brain results in an illness of the mind. Clinical attempts to categorize diseases as ‘organic’ or ‘functional’ become somewhat arbitrary† (p. 698) analysts can take this to imply that psychoanalytic efforts to envision pathogenic processes as exclusively mental and not simultaneously neurobiological are not only arbitrary but also increasingly obsolete, and this is not merely in areas of research and theory, but in the clinical work with patients as well. Meissner, 2007) Meissner and Martin may believe it arbitrary to source a diagnosis from the scientific perspective, however a clear understanding of whether an issue is based in the body or the mind is invaluable when it comes to treatment, thus the enduring question of dualism. Isomorphism The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psy chology and Behavioral Science asserts that â€Å"there is [a] general agreement that having a body is at least a part of the nature of being human. It is the mind (psyche, soul) – the question of whether such an entity exists, and how to define it – that is the crux of the mind/body problem. (Reuder, 2001, p. 961) The Berlin School of Gestalt Psychology chose not to define the mind, but rather ascertain the physical properties associated with actual somatic experiences compared with the cognitive (thought) experience, for example, the perception of being in motion while not actually in motion. What they found was that the form and structure of the biophysical and electrochemical processes of the brain were identical; the ‘brain’ in the physical sense could not tell the difference. Nonphysical LawThe Mind/Body Problem is puzzling, granted, however from the psychological point view – the non-therapeutic point of view, there is no difference between the mind and the body. The body will react whether the stimulus originates in the physical or nonphysical realm. The challenge comes in the form of true objectivity. It is easy to dismiss that which cannot be explained, it is also easy to believe that physical law is somehow superior or has more validity to its mysterious nonphysical counterpart. For Blaine M. Yorgason, a tattered angel opened his ‘mind’.References Reuder, M. E. (2001). The Mind-Body Problem. In Craighead, W. E. & Nemeroff, C. B. (Eds. ). The Cosini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science (3rd Ed). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Lanhead, W. F. (2006). The Philosophical Journey: An Interactive Approach (3rd Ed). New York: McGraw-Hill Meissner, W. W. (2007). Mind, Brain, and Self in Psychoanalysis: Therapeutic Implications of the Mind-Body Relation. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 2007, Vol. 24, No. 2, 333-354. Yorgason, B. M. (1995) One Tattered Angel. Utah: Gentle Breeze Publications.

Water Billing System with Short Messaging Services Notification

WATER BILLING SYSTEM WITH SHORT MESSAGING SERVICES NOTIFICATION ——————————————————— A Special Problem Presented to the Faculty of The College of Information and Communication Technology LAGUNA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ARTS City of Calamba ——————————————————— In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE ————————————— By MARPURI, MARK ANTHONY S. OCAMPO, JONATHAN M. October 2012 Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND IntroductionThe Laguna Water Company, Incorporated (Laguna Water) is a subsidiary of Manila Water that provides potable water at affordable rates to urban poor communiti es. This company supplies water in Laguna, betting the acquisition will help it serve more customers in one of the Philippines highly-developed provinces. The Laguna Water currently serves around 120,000 customers (out of around 600,000 populations which it expects to increase to around 1 million within fifteen years). Currently, all of their customer’s information including the water consumption was stored in the customers’ database using spreadsheet.Since the Laguna Water Corporation is using a manual process, they are wasting a lot of time to store, manage, update and retrieve all the information of thousands of its customers. Also, there are possibilities of pending transactions for other work activities such as saving the important customer data, registering the new customer and retrieving the important files regarding to their previous water bills. The Laguna Water Company is one of the most helpful companies in Laguna province. In terms of billing process, the c ompany’s meter consumption analyst (MCA) goes to the house of all customers to read the water consumption.After five (5) days, the MCA delivers the water bills to the customers by riding through motorcycle. Sometimes, the home owner is out for work or sometimes is out of town. In that case, the MCA puts the notice somewhere in the parts of the house such as the door, window or gate. By then, the home owners don’t have any idea if their water bill for the current month is already given or not. Thus, the payment for their water bill will be delayed until it comes to its due date because the bill is misplaced. In addition, the company has many manual paper works in order to manage the important data of their customers.Some customer wants to follow-up some documents regarding to the water billing, so the employee needs to retrieve those documents manually. In line with this, the proponents came up with an idea to design and develop a Water Billing System with Short Messagi ng Service Notification, a more convenient and economical mobile communication technology which is the easiest and fastest way for the consumers to remind them and to inquire their water bills. Sending SMS text messages is very convenient. This is very suitable way for sending the notification to consumer reminders.It can also send the inquiry regarding to water billing consumption in a current month (Muhammad, 2007). Conceptual Framework According to Hunter et. al, (2009), the billing operations identify and calculate all the charges for a specific customer account, generate the actual bill and apply payments and credit against that bill. It is therefore needed to analyze and identify on what is the appropriate method to compute all of the customer’s charges the easiest way. The billing system gets whole information about the customer and the services. They get information about how and when the telecommunication provider delivers those services.Within the billing environmen t, billing systems process large quantities of time and location – specific usage data into customer – specific usage information. They figure out how much to charge for the usage, as well as for other non-usage based services. They generate a readable bill format and print or electrically distribute the bill. Billing systems also get information on payments and apply those payments to customer accounts. They track delinquencies and flag accounts for â€Å"treatment† – collection activities including service suspension. They may generate letters to effect collection or give notice of discontinuance of service.Figure 1 shows the conceptual paradigm of the proposed Water Billing System with Short Messaging Service Notification for the Laguna Water Corporation. The input includes consumer, water consumption reading and the bill inquiry syntax. The consumer is a person or group of people who avails the services and the primary users of water that supplied fro m Laguna Water Company. The residence in Cabuyao, Binan and Sta. Rosa is the first priority as consumers of Laguna Water Company. The water consumption reading is a meter that regards to water consumption in every period of time.It is a data that gathered by Meter Consumption Analyst (MCA). The bill inquiry syntax is the syntax that should be sent by the customers through cell phone whenever they are about to inquire for monthly billing. For example, the customer wants to inquire their monthly bill. They should send their account number followed by registered name and the month that they wish to inquire. The process includes read and validate the syntax and querying the results from the bill database. The consumer’s consumption is the data which can be found on the meter billing database.The amount of bill inquiry syntax is the data subjected to be read and validated. The outputs of this study are fast and effective response to bill inquiry, computerized record and keeping an d printing the billing statement of consumers. The consumers will have a convenient way of inquiring their bill and faster response on the part of the Laguna Water Company. The importance of feedback in this study is that whenever some outputs are not expected by users, in that case, the users can go back to input to find errors. Figure 1 Conceptual Paradigm Statement of the ProblemThe Laguna Water Company has many activities work, since the company has a thousand of customers, it is hard for employees to work easy and fast, particularly to computing the customer’s water consumption, deliver the notice in every end of month and the other is to retrieve some data regarding to customer’s water billing. The specific problems that encountered are the following; 1. What is the easy way to compute the amount of the customer’s bill? 2. What is the best way to inform or notify all customers regarding to their due date and also the amount of their bill? . What is the eas iest way for the employee to retrieve and verify historical billing information of the customer? Objectives of the Study The general objective of the study is to design and develop a Water Billing System with Short Messaging Service Notification for Laguna Water Company. The specific objectives of the project are the following: 1. To provide an easiest way of computing the amount of the customer’s bill. 2. To give the best way of informing or notifying all customers regarding to their due date and also the amount of their bill anytime and anywhere. . To help employees for minimizing the time for retrieving the previous data of consumers regarding to their bills. Significance of the Study The proposed SMS (Short Message Services) Computerized system will be of great help to the management and employees of Laguna Water Company. It will lessen their manual work, speed up processing and produce accurate reports that will minimize the problem of the management and the employees. I n addition, the study will be essential to the company for good decision-making. Good decision-making means high productivity.To Laguna Water Company, the study will be beneficial to the corporation most likely by automating their water billing transactions, speeding up data processing and providing new avenue of distributing notifications to their customers. The study will surely transform the corporation into a more knowledgeable organization and will help them establish good relationship with the customer. To the Administrator and Employees, they are the common users of the proposed system who are able to manage, update and retrieve the customer’s information regarding to billing in a more efficient and effective manner.This will lessen the inconsistency and redundancy of records and eliminate other human errors. Employees will be more productive and will surely help them to perform their work easily. To the Customers, through automation of water bill with integration of S MS application the customers will be updated with the status of their bills anytime and anywhere. To Future Researchers, the study will be able to contribute additional information when they want to conduct same study about the computerized water billing system with SMS notification.To the Proponents, it gives them a chance to apply the knowledge they acquire in their years of studying. It also gives them opportunity to enhance and practice their ability and creativity. They will obtain guts and confidence to pursue and believe that they can make this study possible. Scope and Limitations The study focuses on the bill inquiry from the consumers of Laguna Water Company of Cabuyao, Laguna. It can only provide a service for all registered costumers. In addition, this study does not cover the signals of network and cannot be used as a replacement for the computerized notice for it only views the customer’s bill.

David Koresh, Leader of Deadly Branch Davidians Cult

David Koresh, Leader of Deadly Branch Davidians Cult David Koresh (August 17, 1959–April 19, 1993) was the charismatic leader of a religious sect known as the Branch Davidians. During a deadly standoff in Waco, Texas with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Koresh and more than 80 of his followers were killed. Early Years David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell) was born in Texas to a fourteen-year-old mother. He never knew his father, who broke up with his mother before she gave birth. The young Koresh Howells mother later moved in with a violent and abusive man. When Koresh was four years old, he was sent to be raised by his maternal grandmother, but when he was seven, his mother got married and he went back to live with her and her new husband. However, he still attended religious services regularly with his grandmother, who took him to her Seventh Day Adventist church. As a teenager, Koresh struggled with dyslexia and was placed in special education classes. He was considered awkward and unpopular. He dropped out of school before his senior year of high school, and in his early twenties, he committed statutory rape, resulting in a 15-year-old girls pregnancy. He was later thrown out of his mother’s evangelical church after pursuing the pastor’s teenage daughter and saying that God had ordered him to marry her. By the early eighties, he moved to Waco, where he joined the Branch Davidians at their Mount Carmel Center. Within a year or so, Koresh was claiming to have the gift of prophecy. Sygma via Getty Images / Getty Images The Branch Davidians When Koresh joined the Branch Davidians, it is believed he was involved in a sexual relationship Lois Roden, the wife of Branch Davidian founder Benjamin Roden. Koresh said that God wanted him to father a child with Lois, who was 65 years old at the time, and that this child would be the â€Å"chosen one.† His interest in Lois soon waned, however, and in 1984 he claimed that God wanted him to marry a 14 year old named Rachel Jones. In 1984, Jones parents gave her permission to marry Koresh, who had at this point adopted the Koresh name (though he would not change it legally until 1990). After escalated infighting between Koresh and the Roden family, particularly Lois’ son George, Koresh and Jones left in 1995, along with 25 other members of the group. They moved to Palestine, Texas, 90 miles away from Waco, and lived in buses and tents for several years. Koresh used this period to recruit new members, not only from Texas but from California, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Following Lois Roden’s death., Koresh and George Roden found themselves battling for control of the Waco compound. George challenged Koresh to a spiritual duel of sorts, involving the resurrection of a corpse. Koresh took advantage of the opportunity to go to law enforcement and get George out of the way once and for all. He was told he’d need to provide evidence that George had illegally exhumed a dead body, and when he and seven supporters arrived at the compound, a gunfight erupted. George Roden was injured, and Koresh and his men were arrested. When they explained that they were on the property to gather evidence of abuse of a corpse, they were acquitted of the charges of attempted murder.   In 1989, George Roden was himself charged with murder after killing one of his own supporters with an axe (the man had claimed to be the true Messiah). Once Roden was sent to a psychiatric prison, Koresh and his followers were able to raise the money to purchase the Waco property themselves. Accusations of Abuse There were repeated accusations against Koresh of statutory rape and â€Å"spiritual marriages with underage women. Koresh claimed to have fathered children with several women and girls in the group; he said he had received a revelation from God, telling him to father two dozen children to serve as leaders once the Rapture came. There were also claims that Koresh and other members of the group were physically abusing children. One incident involved the beating of Koresh’s three-year-old son Cyrus. A lengthy investigation by Child Protective Services was launched. Michelle Jones, one of the alleged victims, was assigned a surrogate husband to throw investigators off the trail. The investigators ultimately failed to turn up any concrete evidence. Meanwhile, Koresh and his followers had begun stockpiling weapons, forming an â€Å"Army of God,† to prepare for the apocalypse. Koresh claimed to have cracked the code of the Book of Revelations and warned that the End Times were near. Shelly Katz / Getty Images The Waco Standoff In February 1993, federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) went to the Waco compound to serve a warrant for illegal firearms and take Koresh into custody. The raid turned into a four-hour gunfight. At its conclusion, four ATF agents and six of Koresh’s followers were dead. This led to a standoff, which lasted 51 days.   Did You Know? In the years since Waco, law enforcement officials have spent time studying the failed raid and the standoff itself in an effort to determine what went wrong. As a result, several changes have been made to federal law enforcement protocols in cases of hostage situations.   Negotiators from the ATF and the FBI worked endlessly to end the standoff, and a few of the Branch Davidian members were able to exit the compound safely. However, more than 80 men, women, and children, remained inside.  The ATF and the FBI used tear gas in an effort to end the siege. In response, the Branch Davidians continued the gunfire. As a result, the compound caught on fire. A few people managed to escape the fire, but 76 were killed. Most died when the compound collapsed during the blaze, while others were killed by gunshot wounds, including Koresh, who was found shot in the head. It has never been determined whether Koresh killed himself, or whether he was shot by another member of the group. Nearly two dozen of the dead were under the age of 17.

8 Expressions with the Word Quick

8 Expressions with the Word Quick 8 Expressions with the Word Quick 8 Expressions with the Word Quick By Maeve Maddox The English word quick is related to Latin vivus, â€Å"alive.† The version of the Apostle’s Creed I grew up with contains this sentence: â€Å"Thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.† The line echoes 1 Peter 4:5 (KJV): ‘Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.† The â€Å"quick and the dead† are the â€Å"living and the dead.† When a fetus begins to move in the womb, it is said to quicken, that is, â€Å"show signs of life.† Because motion is an attribute of being alive, quick has come to have the additional meaning of â€Å"rapidity of movement.† The OED entry for quick offers numerous definitions, but this post is limited to eight idioms that employ the word in its senses of â€Å"living† and â€Å"rapid.† 1. quickie In the 1920s, quickie was Hollywood slang for a Grade B movie because such a film was made quickly, often in a few days. By the 1930s, the term was being used to mean â€Å"a quick act of coitus.† Nowadays, the sexual connotation seems to be the most common for the noun, but attributively, the word quickie is used to indicate that something took place quickly or was of brief duration, for example, â€Å"a quickie divorce,† â€Å"a quickie interview,† â€Å"a quickie nap,† etc. 2. quick and dirty The OED entry shows that quick-and-dirty was in use at the turn of the 19th century in reference to a restaurant or diner that served cheap, quick meals: â€Å"I was far too proud to ever think of becoming a house maid or a waitress in one of those quick and dirty lunch places† (1896). In modern usage, the phrase means â€Å"done or produced hastily but effectively; makeshift†- a meaning similar to that of â€Å"jerry-rigged.† 3. quick fix Although in use in the 1960s, the expression’s popularity began to rise in the 1980s. A â€Å"quick fix† is â€Å"a quick and easy remedy or solution.† Such a remedy is often expedient but temporary and fails to address underlying problems. 4. quick on the draw The stereotype of the Western gunslinger is that of a man who could draw his gun from its holster instantly. Another idiom that references the quickness of the gunslinger is â€Å"quick on the trigger.† Both mean â€Å"quick to act or react.† 5. quicksand Quicksand is a bed of sand usually saturated with water. Because it is semi-liquid, it tends to suck down objects that rest on its surface. The name derives from the fact that the bed shifts as if it were alive and breathing. Figuratively, quicksand implies something treacherous, dangerous, and difficult to get out of. For example: â€Å"It may be the only policy that can save us, long-term, from sinking into the  quicksand  of endless  war  and bankruptcy or nuclear Armageddon.† 6. quickset Stories set in the English countryside frequently include mention of quickset. Farmers separate fields with fences and hedges. Fences are made of dead wood. Quickset is a living hedge. Plants with thorns are preferred for this use, usually hawthorn. 7. quicksilver Anyone who has ever broken a thermometer and played with mercury can understand why the element is also known as quicksilver. Shiny silver in appearance, the substance moves as if it were alive. Figuratively, quicksilver is used in the sense of very fast or mercurial. It’s often used as an adjective. For example, â€Å"Colbert was as  quicksilver with  his  wit  as Fred [Astaire] was  with  his feet.†Ã‚   8. cut to the quick If in trimming your nails you cut too far, the pain informs you that you have cut yourself â€Å"to the quick.† This quick is the flesh below the nails or skin that hurts when it is cut. Figuratively, this kind of quick represents the essence of one’s being. The expression â€Å"to be cut to the quick† means, â€Å"to be deeply hurt.† For example, â€Å"His remark cut her to the quick.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Rules for Capitalization in TitlesStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

States Where Recreational Marijuana Use Is Legal

States Where Recreational Marijuana Use Is Legal Eleven states have legalized  recreational marijuana use  in the United States. They are Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.  Washington, D.C., also allows the recreational use of marijuana.   They are among 30 states that allow the use of marijuana in some form; most others allow for use of the substance for medicinal purposes. The eleven states where recreational use is legal have the most expansive laws on the books.   Here are the states in which marijuana use is legal. They do not include states that have  decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana  or states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. It is also important to note that growing and selling marijuana is illegal under federal law, though that rule is not enforced by the U.S. attorney general. 1. Alaska Alaska became the third state to allow recreational marijuana use in February 2015. The legalization of marijuana in Alaska came by a ballot referendum in November 2014, when 53 percent of voters supported the move to allow use of the substance in private places. Smoking pot in public, however, is punishable by a modest fine of $100. Private use of marijuana in Alaska was first declared a right in 1975 when the state Supreme Court ruled that possessing small amounts of the substance was protected under the state constitutions guarantee of the right to privacy. Under Alaska state law,  adults 21 and older can carry up to an ounce of marijuana and possess six plants. 2. California California state lawmakers legalized the recreational use of marijuana with the passage of  Proposition 64 in November 2016, making it the largest state to legalize pot. The measure had the support of 57 percent of the legislature. Sale of marijuana became legal in 2018. Cannabis is now legal in the most populous state in the country, dramatically increasing the total potential size of the industry while establishing legal adult use markets across the entire US Pacific Coast given the legalized states of Washington and Oregon, stated New Frontier Data, which tracks the cannabis industry. 3. Colorado The ballot initiative in Colorado was called Amendment 64. The proposal passed in 2012 with support from 55.3 percent of voters in that state on Nov. 6, 2012. Colorado and Washington were  the first states to legalize recreational use of the substance. The amendment to the state constitution allows any resident over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce, or 28.5 grams, of marijuana. Residents can also grow a small number of marijuana plants under the amendment. It remains illegal to smoke marijuana in public. Also, individuals are not able to sell the substance in Colorado. Marijuana is legal for sale only by state-licensed stores similar to those in many states that sell liquor. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, officially proclaimed marijuana legal in his state on Dec. 10, 2012. If the voters go out and pass something and they put it in the state constitution, by a significant margin, far be it from myself or any governor to overrule. I mean, this is why it’s a democracy, right? said Hickenlooper, who opposed the measure. 4. Illinois The states General Assembly passed the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act on May 31, 2019, and it was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 25. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. It allows Illinois residents at least 21 years old to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana. The limit is 15 grams for non-residents. 5. Maine Voters approved the Marijuana Legalization Act in a 2016 referendum. Individuals can possess up to 2.5 ounces (71 grams)  of cannabis, up to three mature plants, 12 immature plants and an unlimited number of seedlings. The state did not, however, begin issuing commercial licenses to sell the drug immediately because state lawmakers could not agree on how to regulate the industry. 6. Massachusetts Voters legalized recreational marijuana in November 2016. Individuals can possess up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants at their homes. Homes with more than one adult can grow up to 12 plants. Pot must be locked up and not visible in cars, and smoking while driving or in public is illegal. The states Cannabis Advisory Board continues to work on regulations but is reportedly planning to allow use of the substance in retail spaces, unlike most other states.   7. Michigan Voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana in November 2018. The Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act allows individuals to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana outside their home and 10 ounces inside their home. Up to 12 plants per household  are allowed. Licensed retail businesses can grow up to 150 plants for sale. 8. Nevada Voters passed Question 2 in the 2016 election, making recreational marijuana legal as of 2017. Adults ages 21 and older can possess up to one ounce of cannabis and up to an eighth ounce of concentrate. Public consumption is punishable by a $600 fine. The measure had support from 55 percent of voters. 9. Oregon Oregon became the fourth state to allow the recreational use of marijuana in July 2015. The legalization of marijuana in Oregon came by ballot initiative in November 2014, when 56 percent of voters supported the move.  Oregonians are allowed  to possess up to an ounce of marijuana in public and 8 ounces in their homes. They are also allowed to grow as many as four plants in their homes. 10. Vermont The state legislature passed HB511 in January 2018, which allows an individual to possess one ounce of cannabis and two plants. No commercial sales are allowed. The law took effect on July 1, 2018. 11. Washington The ballot measure approved in Washington was called Initiative 502. It was very similar to Colorados Amendment 64 in that it allows state residents ages 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use. The measure passed in 2012 with the support of 55.7 percent of voters in the state. The Washington ballot initiative also put in place substantial tax rates imposed on growers, processors, and retailers. The tax rate on recreational marijuana at each stage is 25 percent, and the revenue goes to state coffers. District of Columbia Washington, D.C., legalized the recreational use of marijuana in February of 2015. The measure was supported by 65 percent of voters in a November 2014 ballot initiative. If youre in the nations capital, youre allowed to carry up to 2 ounces of marijuana and grow as many as six plants in your home. You can also gift a friend up to an ounce of pot.

Impacts of Immigrants to UK and UK Immigration Policy on its Labour Essay

Impacts of Immigrants to UK and UK Immigration Policy on its Labour Market - Essay Example The composition of the of the incoming immigrants is usually very different from that of the population of the receiving country on matters pertaining to demographic, cultural and socioeconomic attributes (Okkerse, 2008). As a corollary, the demographic and socioeconomic effects of international migration have become very apparent in the contemporary world and this has gained the attention of policy-makers and the society in general. This has consequently made the immigration process a playing field for numerous studies in the 21st century (e.g. Clark and Drinkwater, 2010; Macura et al. 2005) In theory, the effects of international migration on earnings and jobs for the population in the host country is critically contingent to the extent to which migrants’ skills are complements or substitutes to the skills of the population in the host country, and on how immigration impacts the demand for labour in the host country (Hatton and Tani, 2005). Apart from changes in salaries and employment Dustmann et al, (2008) asserts that there are at least two other adjustment mechanisms in which an economy acts in response to immigration. Besides enlarging labor supply, immigration has the propensity to increase the demand for labor (Saleheen, and Shadforth 2006). Immigrants increase the consumer demand for goods and services in the host country and in the long run, immigration can lead to more investment in the host country (Schmitt and Wadsworth 2007). As a result, this paper aims at identifying the effects of immigration to the UK and UK immigration policy on its labor market . An empirical and experimental research by Dustmann et al (2013) on the labor market impacts of immigration in the UK shows that immigration has a moderately insignificant impact on the average earnings and salary distribution low, medium, and high paid employees.  Ã‚  

Communcation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Communcation - Assignment Example Distinctive channels have diverse qualities and shortcoming. 4. Decoder: Decoder translates the encoded message to recover the original message. This procedure has to be correct and accurate, or else the message is lost completely. This encoding and decoding will be exceptionally help full in military and versatile correspondences. a) Super Low and Extra Low Frequency bands (SLF and ELF) normally occur natural. This can be very long antennae used by electricity authorities, called power lines radiating 50 or 60 Hz. The signal is experienced as hum. The largest natural source of this radio wave is the interaction between the solar wind and the ionosphere, which results in low frequency currents in the earth and oceans. They are usually studied by geophysicists to understand, inter alia, the availability of ore deposits whose electrical conductance is different from that of the surrounding crust. Like ULF (As illustrated in b) below), these bands achieve applications in communication with submarines, and uses very low information rates. b) 300 Hz - 3 kHz. Ultra Low Frequency (ULF). Water or the earth does not readily consume electromagnetic waves occurring in this range. As such, they might be utilized to communicate among or with submarines and with mines. One drawback is that, with such low frequencies, one can only be in a position to modulate the amplitude sufficiently so they cannot convey much data. This is not a disservice if the stage is needed, as is the situation for systems used for navigation. The wavelengths are long to the point that radio wires may be very long. d) 30 - 300 kHz. Low Frequency (LF). This band advantageous since waves can be propagated around the Earth, using refraction and reflections within the ionosphere or the earth surface. For this reason, these two wave channels form a waveguide for the radio waves in this range, which can hence be tapped for communication purposes across the oceans and around the world. e)

UNIT 4 IP Portion of GP Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

UNIT 4 IP Portion of GP - Term Paper Example lysis is used for various purposes: segmenting the markets and determining target markets, product positioning and new product development and selecting test markets. Cluster analysis is used in many restaurants, especially those that cater to people of different race. As in America, people of different races frequent famous restaurants. Thus, the cluster technique can be used to segment the market into these different races. The owners and managers then can specifically suit the need the specific race as to their eating habits and their tastes. Factor analysis is also used by business especially to analyze a large volume of measurements and to search for their interrelationships. â€Å"A restaurant chain might gather and conduct factor analysis for a large volume of data on consumer preferences in order to determine the relative importance of portion size, pricing, and perceived quality† (LoveToKnow, Corp.). On the other hand, multi-dimensional scaling is used â€Å"to detect meaningful underlying dimensions that allow the researcher to explain observed similarities or dissimilarities (distances) between the investigated objects† (StatSoft, Inc). Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (2009, September 2). Retrieved November 5, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org:

History Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History Final - Essay Example The Germans made an alliance with Australia while Belgium and Netherlands were neutral.UK alleged protection for Belgium. German declared war since it did not like the encirclement from the Russia and France. War communed when Serbia was fired from the Hungarian moved against Serbia while German helping them, Russia rose to defend the slave. The war began against Serbia by Austria- hungaria.This made Russia o come to defend the Serbia of which they invited their ally France to assist with the war German colluded with Belgium and France then moved to Russia. Paris was then evacuated in France causing the French warfare to start. This British were therefore killed by the French US in war.US entered in war in 6 April 1917 when German put a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. This was threatening America’s commercial shipping and they had to fight against these policies. The Second World War was as a result of the rise of dictatorial, military regimes in Germany, Japan and Italy, an occurrence arising from the Great Depression that was present in the world in the early 1930s. This part will examine the occurrence of the Second World War. The American depression produced effects especially in Europe. Germany had an economic disaster that resulted into social displacement. This made Hitler to rise. When the League failed to stop the second Japanese war in 1931, there were treaty violations. Hitler recreated German army in 1933 to prepare for war. In 1936 Hitler regrouped the Rhineland. Between 1935 and 1936 Mussolini won Ethiopia for Italy. From 1936 to 1939 the Spanish war started. Germany and Italy assisted the forces of Francisco to win the victory. â€Å"In 1938, Germany annexed Austria, and in September1938, the British and French policy of conciliation toward the Axis reached its height with the sacrifice of much of Czechoslovakia to Germany in the Munich Pact†. (Anonymous) In 1939, Germany engaged all of Czechoslovakia while Italy

Question and answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Question and answers - Assignment Example ge is the natural kind of affection as that of parents towards their children in which they tend to put up with their children despite their shortcomings. The last type of love is the Philia love in which it creates for the application of conditions before reciprocating for the affection showed. Using the story of Ruth in the Old Testament, Ruth demonstrated agape love for her mother in law by staying by her side after her husband’s death meaning that this was unconditional. On the other hand, Naomi demonstrated philia love by allowing her daughter’s in law to move on with their lives ten years after their husbands had died because she felt that there nothing to offer them in gratitude (Williams & Denney, 2003). In contrast, Orpah opted to take up her mother in law’s offer to search for a better life that Naomi could no longer provide them hence demonstrating eros. Abraham portrayed eros love towards his wife Sarah despite her not being able to bear children for him in accordance with the promise that God gave to him. Although God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s possessions but Job remained faithful to God. This demonstrated agape love in which Job did not seize to worship God because of the losses that Satan had forced on him making his love for God to be unconditional. On the other hand, the people that Job called friends beseeched Job to stop serving God because they said that God had abandoned him hence insinuating that they had eros love for God, which is a give and take way of portraying emotions. His wife also illustrated his eros love towards her from a sensual concept. God restored everything that Job had lost hence demonstrating that He rewarded his faithfulness even after giving the option of worshipping Satan inclining towards philia love. The second passage involves Abraham, where God ordered him to sacrifice his only son as an act of faith and his portrayal of his unconditional love agape. Further, God demonstrated philia love in

Refund Anticipation Loans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Refund Anticipation Loans - Research Paper Example In spite of the high fees associated with RAL’s, most of those coming from the poor families are the ones who usually apply for it. There is an on-going battle between the government, the consumer advocates and tax preparation companies on the continued offering of Refund Anticipation Loans. A refund anticipation loan is a type of short-term loan that is applied by a taxpayer, who wants an early claim on his tax refund. The amount that is acquired through the loan will be repaid by the taxpayer’s anticipated tax refund. It may also be called â€Å"Rapid Refund† or â€Å"Instant Money.† A contract is provided by the financial institution to be signed by the taxpayer that serves as an assurance that the loan will be paid back through the taxpayer’s tax refund (â€Å"Refund Anticipation Loan Fraud†). Common interest rates for RAL’s start from 50% up to over 500%, the basis of which is the length of the time that is needed to process tax forms at the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), that is According to the Center for Responsible Lending. Although this type of loan has been claimed as a way for taxpayers to have their tax refunds earlier in their pockets, more often than not it is advanced only for just a few days or less as compared to the actual date that the IRS releases the tax refund (â€Å"Tax Refund Resources for Consumers†). RAL’s give taxpayers the opportunity to get their tax refund at a sooner date and be able to use the money earlier rather than wait for a couple more days. Even so, problems occur when someone opts to use a refund anticipation loan. Basically the lender knows that the money borrowed will be paid no matter what since the guarantee is the taxpayer’s tax refund; therefore, it is considered as a safer type of loan compared to the other types, but then risking everything just to get the money sooner seems to not sound good at all (Pritchard).

Question and answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Question and answers - Assignment Example ge is the natural kind of affection as that of parents towards their children in which they tend to put up with their children despite their shortcomings. The last type of love is the Philia love in which it creates for the application of conditions before reciprocating for the affection showed. Using the story of Ruth in the Old Testament, Ruth demonstrated agape love for her mother in law by staying by her side after her husband’s death meaning that this was unconditional. On the other hand, Naomi demonstrated philia love by allowing her daughter’s in law to move on with their lives ten years after their husbands had died because she felt that there nothing to offer them in gratitude (Williams & Denney, 2003). In contrast, Orpah opted to take up her mother in law’s offer to search for a better life that Naomi could no longer provide them hence demonstrating eros. Abraham portrayed eros love towards his wife Sarah despite her not being able to bear children for him in accordance with the promise that God gave to him. Although God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s possessions but Job remained faithful to God. This demonstrated agape love in which Job did not seize to worship God because of the losses that Satan had forced on him making his love for God to be unconditional. On the other hand, the people that Job called friends beseeched Job to stop serving God because they said that God had abandoned him hence insinuating that they had eros love for God, which is a give and take way of portraying emotions. His wife also illustrated his eros love towards her from a sensual concept. God restored everything that Job had lost hence demonstrating that He rewarded his faithfulness even after giving the option of worshipping Satan inclining towards philia love. The second passage involves Abraham, where God ordered him to sacrifice his only son as an act of faith and his portrayal of his unconditional love agape. Further, God demonstrated philia love in

Impact of Oil Discovery on State-building in Saudi Arabia Essay

Impact of Oil Discovery on State-building in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Unlike other countries that have a diversified economy, Saudi Arabia depends on oil revenue to build its economy. However, oil prices have become very volatile with prices surging up and down, an aspect that affects the consistency of the country’s economy. The reason is that the country depends heavily on the global oil market which is faced by very high risks and uncertainties in order to make its future plans regarding the progress of the economy. With the increasing levels of globalization resulting from the liberalization of markets, efficient flow of information and integration of economies across the world, it has become very hard for a single country to make its single decisions without considering the effects of the global market. However, unlike other countries which have a diverse source of revenues, Saudi Arabia has stuck with oil in order to spearhead growth and development of the economy. Therefore, since the financial crisis which had a major impact on the spend ing of many countries, the Saudi economy has been greatly affected. This aspect has stalled very many projects which could have stabilized the economy. The oil discovery has enabled the country to establish various structures that make it possible for the country to achieve economic growth. Research indicates that the Saudi government has been critical in investing in the education sector. The country has improved the infrastructures in this sector. It has equipped its research centers especially the departments that deal with oil production.

Unstructured interviews to investigate violent crime Essay Example for Free

Unstructured interviews to investigate violent crime Essay Assess the strengths and weaknesses of using unstructured interviews to investigate violent crime. (15 marks) Violent crime is difficult to study in the context where it occurs; this is because by their nature, violent crimes are often swift and unexpected. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for a researcher to know when and where a violent crime is likely to be committed. Unstructured interviews are a research method which entails a sociologist asking participants a series of open-ended questions in an unstructured format. This method has both strengths and weaknesses, but is overall preferred by interpretivists as it provided qualitative data and is highly valid. This method is highly valid as it uses open-ended questions which allow for follow up questions to be asked. There aren’t any pre-set questions on the topic; the participant’s answer to a question determines what is asked next. This means that participants are more likely to answer questions about violent crime and they will be more inclined to give in depth answers which can be used to paint a true to life picture. However, unstructured interviews lack reliability, this is because they aren’t standardised. As the questions are created based on previous answers, no two people will have the same interview; they also cannot be repeated as it is unlikely that someone will provide the same answers on separate occasions. Also victims of violent crime are likely to answer differently to perpetrators as they have different experiences, for example, in cases of domestic violence. Another issue is representativeness as unstructured interviews are very time consuming, sociologists can only focus on small groups of people. Also as they are so personalised, they may not be representative of all who have a connection with violent crime. A factor in unstructured interviews is the interviewee’s view; participants can speak freely about themselves due to the fact that there are not set questions. The greater freedom allows the participant to bring in new ideas about themselves and what they have experienced within violent crime. One problem found with using interviews to study violent crime, is that victims are less likely to agree to participate, especially if the violence was recent (Crawford et al, 1990). Aldo investigating the perpetrators of violent crime after the event raises problems of cooperati on, memory and ethics. Unstructured interviews allow for the interviewer to form a rapport with the person being studied.

Normal Flora and their Benefits

Normal Flora and their Benefits Normal Flora and their benefit The normal flora is a bacteria found in or on ones bodies on a temporary basis without causing disease. In that respect are larger numbers of bacteria than cells present in ones body. The human body contains around 1013 cells, whereas the human physical structure is home to around 1014 bacteria. One-fourth of fecal weight consists of bacteria. They mainly inhabit the Large Intestine. They are likewise set up in the respiratory tract, particularly the nose, the Digestive tract, i.e., in the oral cavity and the terminal ileum and also in the Urinary tract. Discussion The normal flora of humans are extremely composite and comprises of more than 200 species of bacteria. The physical composition of a typical plant life gets influenced by several agents, including genetics, age, sex, strain, nutrition and diet of the mortal. The normal flora of the digestive tract The stomach contains fewer bacteria due to its high acidity nature. However, there are some bacteria that survive there like the Helicobacter Pylori whose human interaction got discovered in the 1980s and that is currently proving to be the cause of most cases of gastritis and peptic ulcers. Likewise, the small intestine contains small numbers of Streptococci, Lactobacilli, and yeasts, particularly Candida Albicans. Nevertheless, bigger numbers of these bacteria are found in the lower parts of the ileum, which is a section of the small intestine before the large intestine. The colon is the main site for bacteria in the body. Several bacteria like Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium, Coliforms (e.g. E. coli), Streptococcus, Lactobacillus and Clostridium reside in the large intestine. Approximately twenty percent of the faeces of an ordinary person consist of bacteria, most of which have come from the colon. The respiratory Tracts Normal Flora. A large number of bacterial species inhabit the upper respiratory tract since it lacks ciliated epithelium that is an efficient cleansing action. For example, the nostrils are always heavily colonized, with Staphylococcus epidermis. The Microbe of the Skin Man’s epidermis is not a fertile region for microorganisms to inhabit since the surface is comparatively dry and somewhat acidic. It, therefore, impede the development of many microbes but, however, inhabited by few that have adjusted to the skin. An example is the Propionibacterium acne and the Staphylococcus epidermidis. The Nostrils Normal Flora. Organisms’ nostrils are a habitat to the Gram-positive pathogens as Staphylococcus aureus. The Microorganism is recognised well for its duty in health centres in which it is the primary causal agent of systemic infection and surgical injury. Thither are many dissimilar types of kinship that the body can induce with the normal flora. These are: Mutualism. In this type of relationship, both the Microbe, and the host benefit from the relationship. For instance, the E. Coli. These organisms reside in the intestines, where they get nourishment, and in turn produce Vitamin K, that the human body requires for the cognitive operation of the blood coagulation. In essence, as the Microbe acquires a stable contribution of nutrients, stable environment, protection and interest, the host also obtains individual nutritional and digestive gains as well as the development and natural action of the immune system which protects it against the pathogenic infection by the microbes. Commensalism. Commensalism refers to a kind of kinship in which one collaborator of the association benefits, while the other collaborator neither benefits nor get harmed. Parasitism. This kind of relationship is one in which one organism benefits at the expense of the other. However, mostly, the Microorganism benefits at the cost of the ringmaster. For instance, an external parasite is said to cause infestation while an internal parasite is said to cause infection to the host. Pathogenic. This sort of relationship is one in which the microorganism causes destruction to the ringmaster during infection. An Opportunistic Pathogen causes an infection in the host that is physically impaired or debilitated. Mostly, the opportunist organism is harmless; however, it takes advantage when the hosts defenses are impaired, for example, when the immune system is being suppressed by drug treatment or other illnesses. Characteristics of the Normal Flora The Normal flora exhibit certain characteristics. These are: Not disease-inducing: They normal flora are also known as Microbiota and are not typical disease causing micro-organisms found in and on healthy individuals. Very abundant: The normal flora are extremely abundant in terms of sheer numbers. For instance, an ordinary human has approximately 1013 body cells and 1014 individual normal flora. All found externally: Normal flora are found more often than not on the skin, eyes, nose, oral fissure as well as on the throat and lower parts of the urethra and the large intestine Benefits of the Normal Flora There is an increased ability of the host to nourish itself since the bacteria Produce vitamins that the human body is ineffective to give forth like vitamin B12 and vitamin K. They help digest food as they break down foodstuffs that are normally indigestible by the host into forms that are easily digestible by the hosts. The Normal flora protects the host against infection by pathogenic organisms. similarly, this takes place as the normal flora out-competes the invader for available nutrients, therefore, starving the invader and preventing it from reproducing. Likewise, the normal flora may pre-occupy the favorable ecological niches for bacteria, e.g. the intestinal villi, so confronting the invading pathogen with the trouble of getting somewhere to anchor itself. Similarly, certain members of the normal flora produce anti-bacterial chemicals as a side product of their metabolism, therefore, taking a local antibiotic effect which hinders the invader. The Normal flora helps in hiking up ones immune system. The germ-free animals given birth to and brought up in a germ free environment are very susceptible to disease when transferred from the germ free environment since their immune system is still underdeveloped. Therefore, the presence of the Normal flora helps in protecting the human body from highly pathogenic organisms. They synthesizes and excrete vitamins in surplus of their individual wants, which are useful to the host and which can be taken in as nutrients. For instance, in humans body, enteric microorganisms produce and discharge Vitamin K and B12 whereas lactic acid microorganisms release vitamin B that are mostly utilized by the host as nutrients. The microbes as well harbor colonization by microorganisms by contending for attachment places as well as for the essential nutrients. Consequently, this is considered their most significant profitable effect, that presents itself in the mouth, the bowel, the epidermis as well as in the vaginal epithelial tissues. The Microbes induces the production of natural antibodies and thus contribute to the immunity in the human body. likewise by stimulating low levels of circulating and secretory antibodies, they enhance the bodies immunity. It may also counteract other microorganisms through the output of substances that stamp down and bottle up non-endemic classifications. The intestinal microorganisms fabricate a diversity of materials ranging from non-distinct fatty acids to distinct bacteriocins, that stamp and kill other microorganisms. The microorganisms induce the growth of particular body tissues which include the individual lymphatic tissues and the caecum within the GI region.The caecum of bacterium-free organisms is thin walled, filled with fluids a well as enlarged in size in comparison to the ones in standard animals. Likewise, found upon the capacity to withstand immunological stimulation, the enteric lymphatic materials of the Conventional animals are highly developed as compared to those of the germ-free animals. They stimulate an immunological response, in particular, an antibody-mediated immune response as they act as antigens in the human body. Low volumes of antibodies brought forth against the constituents of the microbes are acknowledged to respond with particular related microorganisms, and thus preventing infection as well as invasion of the human body. The antibodies fabricated against the antigen ingredients of the microbes are at times known as inborn antibodies, and which lack in bacterium-free organisms. Intestinal human flora carry out a diverseness of all-important metabolic reactions that give rise to various compounds. The compounds include vitamins B12 and K and gas. Conclusion The Normal Flora as well has limitations to the human body. For instance, Most flora are pathogens and; therefore, they may be agents of diseases. Similarly, if they gain access to certain issues, they may cause infections as well as destruction. Likewise, the Microbe may absorb some of the hosts’ nutrients due to competition, leading to the development of bacterial antibiotic resistance in humans. Works Cited Bitton G., and Marshall KC: Adsorption of Microorganisms to Surfaces. John Wiley Sons, New York, 1980 . English MP,. Microbes, Man, and Animals: The Natural History of Microbial Interactions. New York: Wiley. 1982. Print Hillman JD., Genetically modified Streptococcus mutans for the prevention of dental caries. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek .2002 Postgate JR. Microbes and Man. Oxford, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. 2000. Draser BS., and Hill MJ: Human Intestinal Flora. Academic Press, London, 1974. Relman DA, and Falkow S. The meaning and impact of the human genome sequence for microbiology. Trends Microbiol. 2001. Salyers AA., and Whitt DD. Microbiology: Diversity, Disease and the Environment. Bethesda Maryland: Fitzgerald Science Press. 2000. Staley JT., and Reysenbach AL. Biodiversity of Microbial Life: Foundation of Earth’s Biosphere. New York: Wiley. 2002. Print

How Shakespear Makes Act 1 Scene 5 of Rome & Juliet Dramatically Effect

How Shakespeare Makes Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet Dramatically Effective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the start of Act 1 Scene 5 the guests at the Capulets’ ball have just finishes dining and Sampson and Gregory, the two head servants, are complaining that a number of the servants, especially Potpan, are not helping to clear up: â€Å"Where’s Potpan that he helps not to take away?† Most of the servants are trying to clean up quickly because they want to have their own party later. The scene then moves on to Lord Capulet inviting all of the guests to come and dance, he is making jokes and the mood seems quite relaxed and jovial: â€Å"You are welcome, gentlemen. Come, musicians play.† This first part of the scene presents the audience with a lively, laid-back and fun atmosphere and is more light-hearted than the previous scenes. It is a complete contrast from the fighting and arguing in the first scene.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the ways Shakespeare makes this scene dramatically effective is the way he portrays Romeos thoughts when he first meets Juliet. Romeo uses very poetic language and appears to be a bit of a romanticist. He likens Juliet to a dove among ugly crows: â€Å"Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear, So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows† Romeo is stunned by Juliet’s beauty. It is a case of love at first sight and Romeo is smitten with Juliet after this first passing: â€Å"Did my heart love till now?† Romeos form of speech is far more poetic then ...

China Essay

Given that the situation is in the context of the Han and T’ang periods in China, I expect for the musician to be in jeweled crowns with little jingling bells dangling from the edges. The musician might wear something like a court dress, which was the clothing worn during performance in sacrificial ceremonies. This clothing would have characteristics such as square sleeves, sloping necklines, red clothes, red shoes and a cicada-like hat. She would wear make-up as women in these periods wear make-up and even use little-make up boxes that carried their mirror, rouge, and lipstick. The musician is aesthetically pleasing, her eyebrows well plucked and designed, complimenting her face together with her make-up. Also, in the T’ang period, the female empress Wu Zhao was very much influential so I expect for the musician to be highly confident as women were empowered in that period. From the text, I think that Chou Yu is a strong man of authority. He is strict. He stands up straight and makes minimal movement but is very keen on the music the musician plays. According to research, Zhou Yu, or Chou Yu, was an important general during the Later Han period of the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan. He occupied the post of Leader of the court and later became governor of Jiangxa. He was aimed for development in China. He wanted an independent empire in southern China. As a woman, I think that Chou Yu’s strong personality and authoritative stature makes him a very desirable person. Being with someone who has so much power somehow makes you feel that you too, have that much power. The musician touching every wrong note now and then to get Chou Yu’s attention describes not only the characters themselves, but also, it describes well the dramatic situation between the two characters. The musician, although human and prone to error, committed errors by playing wrong notes every now and then. She was trying to gain Chao Yu’s attention. Maybe she was curious about Chao Yu or Chao Yu’s reaction to an error. Or more so, she wanted Chao Yu’s attention because she found her desirable. Knowing that Chao Yu is a man of authority, therefore being strict and keen on details, she thought of something that would very much gain Chao Yu’s attention, an error. During the T’ang period, concepts of women’s social rights and social status were perceived with a liberal-mind, although this was reserved only for urban women of elite status. In this period, also, men enjoyed the presence of assertive and active women. This only shows that her actions intending to get Chao Yu’s attention would most probably be appreciated by Chao Yu, if interpreted the way she wanted it to be interpreted. In this period, the government tried to pass a law forcing women to wear hats and veils to promote decency but failed. Women were much empowered in this time, wearing caps and sometimes, even no hats at all. They wore men’s riding clothes and boots and tight-sleeved bodices.

Dell Supply Chain Management Essay

1. Introduction Companies, nowadays have to face global competition in order to stay in the market. To be competitive, they have to employ new strategies based on new technologies. Supply chain management plays an important role in the success and growth of an organization. Efficient capitalization of supply chain management enables an organization not to bother about competitors in same line. Customer’s needs and demands play a vital role in making and implementing new strategies and reviewing the made ones time and again in order to stay in a market. Innovational steps in carrying out supply chain Management of an organization will help a lot to be competitive and leading in a same type of activities like enabling the organizations to transact online by improving transactions on traditional supply chain management arena to a technologically improved supply chain management. Web equipped supply chain management is an improved shape of technology these days. Dell a renowned follower of web equipped supply chain management technology is becoming famous among customers due to its real time dealing. Dell since 1984 is proving itself a hot cake for the customers all over the world. Disintermediation, just in time and technologically web based supply chain management made this product a real time choice of professionals. This results in competitivity growth, higher profits and more satisfied customers. 2. Literature Review First supply chain management will be viewed in the terms of already made studies and then Dell’s whole online operational process will be discussed including its founder, history, background, online process, supply chain management, benefits from online processing like just in time technique and its benefits towards human beings. A supply chain is a mixture of all participants involved, directly or indirectly, for providing convenience to customer request (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). We can say that a supply chain involves all organizational components that merge themselves to extract and furnished a complete package for the final customer. Supply chains can manage their structure differently in size, complexity and comprehension of relations between the participants of their carriage mean the operators and the location. In this sense supply chain has two main shapes: spontaneous or direct, in which only one supplier and one member of a party involved. Extendedly it works beyon d a supplier and a customer involving supplier’s supplier and a customer’s customer. Second the normal or general the supply chains have different appearances responding to the demand and thus involve systematically flowed information, gadgets i.e. products and resources between different stages (Lee, 2000). Supply chain management continues its journey with a motive to handle the appropriate needs and demands in the appropriate volume at the appropriate competitive cost (Cutting-Decelle et al., 2006), a situation that would respond highest level of services for the customer and highest reputed performance for the organizations. This proclaims that supply chain management considers the optimal appropriate management of operations between and among participants of the supply chain for the purpose of optimal profitability through the supply chain management’s operations.(Chopra and Meindl, 2003). Mentzer et al. (2001) suggested that Some researchers view supply chain management as a management interaction with structure approach, strategically oriented and custo mer oriented as its key focus, others used it in a sense to elaborate the group the systematic steps to disciplinal implementation of management concepts with integrated tendencies, commonly information sharing, risks and rewards, mutual understanding and collaboration of hardcore activities. Then the third step is a group of management activities (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). In this activity the researcher will follow the third term because it coordinates the others. Fugate and Mentzer (2004) described that the Dell’s phenomenal agenda related its supply chain is â€Å"the right mergence of activities and people elements† (Refer Table 2.1). This is clear from Michael Dell’s sense that â€Å"our research and development (R&D) keenly interested in activities and quality betterment in manufacturing† and that â€Å"one of our biggest challenges is finding managers who can share and respond to rapid changes† (Magretta, 1998). Michael Dell became the father of Dell in 1984, in spite that he was a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Initially the Michael Dell adopted the direct sales model. During this era the computers were sold over the phone and parts were joined according to the customer’s demands and specifications (Kramer et al., 2000). Retail channel was also introduced during the 1990 to 1994 and Dell again returned to direct model and furnished the Dell rapidly in the mid 1990s, In 1999 this made him the number one PC seller in the US and number two in the whole world (Kramer et al., 2000). Dell’s success was incredible because he made the Dell conceit. It became a big company of approximately 35,000 employees and over 25.000 million dollars’ sales in 2000 (Koehn, 2001), thus competing big rivals such as IBM and HP. By 2008, Dell had attained annual revenues of $61 billion and net income of $2.9 billion (Dell, 2009). Dell has decided to enter into new regions and to expand its product line i.e. Servers, workstations, printers, flat-screen TVs and digital cameras. Due to these certain reasons Dell changed its name in 2003 from â€Å"Dell Computer Corporation† into â€Å"Dell Inc.†, to â€Å"reflect the evolution and growth of the company from a computer manufacturer to a company that operates a wide variety of technology-related services† (Rivkin and Giorgi, 2004). The core ingredients of Dell’s business structure are its direct sales model, usually named as â€Å"direct model†, and the build-to-order mean just in time str ategy. Dell has operational facilities in Austin, Limerick, Ireland, and Penang, Malaysia. To make sure the uninterrupted flow of production supplies into these facilities, Dell has developed a two-ended strategy that follows different sourcing arrangements and supply schedules for custom and system parts. According to a recently published report by research firm IDC (Appendix 1), Dell’s hard competitors in its vital corporate PC market are IBM and HP. It faces competition from fellow direct vendor Gateway HP and Apple in the consumer and small business market. In the portable PC business, the key competitors are Toshiba, Lenovo, and HP. In the critical server and Internet infrastructure markets, Dell competes with Sun Microsystems, HP, and IBM. In Internet hosting, it faces competitors like Exodus and Corio, some of whom may also be Dell customers. Outside the United States of America (USA), Dell competes with regional and local vendors in many markets, such as NEC, Fujitsu, and Toshiba in Japan, Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer in European, and Lenovo in China. It also faces hard competition from HP and Acer in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Dell now has 13.7 percent of the world market, down from 14.6 percent for the same period a year ago. Kraemer and Dedrick (2001) claimed that the superior supply chain is driven by Information Technology (IT), e-commerce and virtual corporation. Online selling strategies are backed by online support and Infrastructure. According to Kraemer and Dedrick (2001), the mandatory principles for Dell’s business process are Build-to-order i.e. just in time, direct sales, customization, quality, quantity and periodical made changes. 3. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the systematic, strategic collaboration and coordination of the business functions that requires flow of materials, final goods and interrelated information among suppliers, company, retailers and ultimate consumers. The supply chain system must be rejoinder of customer specifications. Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines the supply chain management as it comprises the planning and management of all jointly held activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management. It also shows respect for the core elements and components of coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which are suppliers, intermediaries, service providers i.e. third party, and customers. Managing a supply chain is ‘supply chain management. A supply chain is a set of organizations directly linked by one or more of the upstream and downstream flows of products, processes, services, finances, information and operational model from a specific source to a customer. 4. Components of Supply Chain Management The under explained are five basic components of supply chain management. * Plan— This is strategically oriented phase of supply chain management. Organizations require a strategy for managing all the resources which are needed toward satisfying customer need and demand for their product or service. A big piece of supply chain management planning is developing a set of techniques to monitor the supply chain so that it is efficient, costs less and delivers high quality and value to customers. * Source— secondly companies have to choose suppliers after an in-depth evaluation to deliver the goods and services they need to manufacture their product. So, supply chain managers must develop a set of pricing, delivery and payment integrations with suppliers. * Make— This is the manufacturing and operational phase. Supply chain managers schedule the activities compulsory for production, assembly, testing, packaging and preparation for delivery. * Deliver— This is the part that many supply chain management examiners see it as logistics in which companies make sure to coordinate the receipt of orders from customers, develop a network of warehouses, and intelligently considers carriers to get products to customers and to set up an invoicing system to receive payments. * Return— This can be a head aching part of the supply chain for many companies. Supply chain planners have to create a responsive and flexible enough network for receiving defective and excess products back into their hunt from their customers. 5. Process approach in Business through SCM According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), in many companies management has reached the conclusion that optimal product flows cannot be managed completely without implementing a process approach to the business. The core supply chain processes stated by Lambert and Cooper (2004) are: * Customer service management * Procurement * Product development and commercialization * Manufacturing flow management/support * Physical distribution * Outsourcing/partnerships * Performance measurement * Warehousing management * Customer service management process The Customer Relationship Management totally explains the coordination and the relationship between the organization and its customers. Customer service is the only authentic source of customer information. It also provides the customer with real-time information on scheduling and product availability with the company’s production and distribution operations. Successful organizations follow the following steps to determine customer relationships: * Mutually backed goals for organization and customers * establish and maintain customer rapport * produce and prevail positive satisfactory feelings in the organization and the customers * b) Procurement process Strategic plans are planned in accordance with suppliers to support the manufacturing phase and the development of new products. The desired outcome is a mutual win-win relationship where both sides benefit, and a reduction in time span for the design circle and product development. The purchasing advancements developed a truly rapid communication system, such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and Internet linkage to transmit possible requirements. Obtaining products and materials from outside suppliers involve a number of activities like resource planning, supply sourcing, negotiation, order placement, inbound transportation, storage, handling and quality assurance, many of which include the responsibility to coordinate with suppliers on matters of scheduling, supply continuity and research into new sources or programs. * c) Product development and commercialization In recent days as product life cycles shorten, the quality products must be developed and successfully launched with ever shorter time-schedules to remain competitive. According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), managers of the product development and commercialization process must have to: * interrelate with customer relationship management to identify the actual customization * Arrange materials and suppliers appropriately with procurement. * d) Manufacturing flow management process Manufacturing processes have to be responsive to daily based occurring market changes and must address mass customization. Orders are processes operating on a just-in-time (JIT) basis. Activities like planning the essentionals, scheduling and supporting manufacturing operations which controls an array of activities like work-in-process storage, handling, transportation, and time phasing of components, inventory at manufacturing sites and maximum flexibility in the coordination of geographic and final assemblies of physical distribution operations are carried out in this process. * e) Physical distribution The customer is the final destination of a marketing channel in this phase. This phase requires the availability of the product/service of each channel stakeholder’s marketing tiredness. Due to the physical distribution process the time and space of customer service become a vital part of marketing, so it coordinates a marketing channel with its customers (e.g. manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers). * f) Outsourcing This is not just about outsourcing the strategic planning of materials and components, but also outsourcing of services. The reason behind this tendency is that the company will surely shift its focus on those activities in the value chain where it has a distinctive competitive advantage i.e. expertise, and will outsource everything else. This movement has been particularly evident in logistics where the provision of transport, warehousing and inventory control is increasingly subcontracted to specialists which are named as logistics partners. * g) Performance measurement Competences taken from supplier capabilities and diagnosing a long-term supply chain commitment with a tacklance of customer relationships can both be interrelated with organizational performance. A.T. Kearney Consultants (1985) noted that firms engaging in comprehensive performance measurement realized improvements in overall productivity. Internal measures are generally collected and analyzed by the firm itself including; * Cost * Customer Service * Productivity measures * Asset measurement * Quality. External performance measurement is examined through customer shifts and benchmarking. * h) Warehousing management Warehousing management as an important source of reducing company cost & expenses is carrying the valuable role in company’s success. Storing and office with all facilities, reducing manpower cost, dispatching authority with on time delivery, loading & unloading facilities with proper area, area for service station, stock management system etc. 6. Dell Computers Dell Computer Corporation founded in 1984, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Dell is now reputed as one of the world’s most preferred computer system icons and a provider of products and services that customers globally need to set up their information-technology and Internet infrastructures conveniently as Dell always favors the customization. Dell is only the owner of the market leadership ladder because it has a strong and persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer requirements. Direct online selling from manufacturer to consumer is a vital element of its strategy. The company was incorporated on a basic idea that Dell is at its best to efficiently understand consumer needs and to provide the most effective and suitable customized computing solutions. This online business model eliminated retailers because all the computer related dealing is totally made through internet and phones. This activity saved time and cost because each and every system was made regarding the made order, offering customers powerful, richly configured systems at competitive prices. With the passage of time Dell introduced the latest technology much more quickly than competitors with slow-moving and turning over inventory an average of every four days. Now Dell has become the number-one retailer of personal computers, outselling IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq. 7. Direct to Customer Model Dell Computer’s strength is its unique direct to customer model. Through the implementation of model, the company outsourced all the components but it still performs the assembly. In this process the Dell eliminated retailers and directly delivered the computers from its assembly to end customers. This activity enabled Dell Cost leadership holder among the players in the arena. By eliminating the retailers, consumers were buying from Dell without the extra payment to retailers. Another Dell’s strength is its better access to technology compared to its competitors. Dell introduces the latest technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. Currently Dell’s initiatives include moving even greater volumes of product sales, service and support to the Internet, using the Internet to improve the efficiency of Dell’s procurement, manufacturing and distribution process and further expanding an already broad range of valu e-added services. 8. Dell’s value chain The value chain of a company is its entire product flow from the suppliers to the customers and managing the information flow in such a way that the customer receives maximum satisfaction while the company maximizes its profits. Dell Computer’s value chain is quite different because company sources all its components from vendors across the world and it undertakes the final assembly and sells it directly to the consumer. Dell’s direct model of selling and build-to-order supply chain i.e. just in time strategy have been the core at its policies and practical that have enabled it to gain competitive advantage in the computer industry. The value chain makes sure that all aspects are coordinated into attaining the firm’s stated goals. Dell makes sure that it monitors the value of its initiatives. Dell makes use of online value chain system. Such system helps the company control and coordinate business processes. It provides the company with a system with faster capabilities and lower cost and it eliminates the unnecessary steps which do not contribute the value chain and this also helps the Dell to make a decision regarding its employs’ promotion or demotion. 9. Dell’s Supply Chain Management Supply chain is an integral part of any business because through it raw material is systematically transformed into finished goods; these products are then sold to consumers for the company to have profit. In Supply chain management having a record of supplies is a valuable activity. Having a secured record of supplies gives a company benefits such as efficient list of supplies. Here products are received from a company’s suppliers and they are stored until they are needed on the assembly line of Dell then goods are moved around the organization. Dell relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell formulates its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaboratively work with it to achieve mutual success. Dell’s Process This process starts when Dell receives an order for a PC, it faxes or phones its requirements to suppliers who pick the ordered parts and pack them in reusable bins with cards attached. Trucks on a continuous connection between suppliers and Dell, known as a â€Å"milk run† deliver the sorted parts to the computer maker’s plant for final assembly. This process frees Dell from having to manage inventories and the costs associated with stock. Dell has made efforts to ensure that suppliers don’t get stuck with much inventory. The computer maker allows suppliers to participate in a â€Å"revolver program,† where they can sell parts stored at the warehouse to other customers than Dell. Dell’s supply chain competency comprises of four qualities which includes demand management, internal collaboration, leveraging partners, and financial fundamentals. Dell’s direct model enables the company to fully hold at demand management. The process of selling d irectly to customers and building product to order creates opportunities for true real-time collaboration between manufacturing and sales. Being in direct contact with the market, Dell can quickly see changes in customer demand. This allows Dell to respond more quickly to customer demand than its competitors can and this true demand management allows for highly accurate forecasts. Second integral aspect of Dell’s success is its ability to collaborate internally. This competency flourishes in a culture which values information sharing and empowers all employees. At Dell, â€Å"direct† refers not only to how the company sells but also to how team members communicate and attack issues to solve. Dell leverages its partners by linking suppliers’ planning and execution activities with Dell’s systems. The company uses information technology to gather and share a constant stream of data on supply and demand trends. Finally and lastly Dell’s entire supply chain is focused on fundamental business performance. Operating margin and not just profits or growth rate is the number that Dell cares about most to ensure long-term profitability. Dell thought differently because when Dell introduced the direct model at the same time its competitors were selling computers to end consumers via distributors. Dell sells directly to consumers and is continuously communicating with them and benefiting. Dell capitalizes the opportunities whenever they arise like seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs. The company also relies on customers’ knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model i.e. totally customized. The Dell supply chain management system handles a number of transactions and pieces of information, and includes multiple core components necessary to keep operations running smoothly. Some very important components are as follow: †¢ Configuration management; This component manages approximately over 1 million Dell part numbers every year with tackling approximately 200 product families, and over 2 million bills of materials (BOMs) every year. BOMs listing component part numbers are created for manufacturing facilities to build assemblies and subassemblies for Dell products. †¢ Procurement; The procurement component manages approximately 1.8 million purchase order lines every year from more than 5,000 suppliers worldwide. To smoothly process the procurement phase, Dell uses an automated application activity that includes workflow approvals and vendor communication and also enables services such as defective part replacement. †¢ Cost; This element runs smoothly to calculate the costs to Dell for all BOMs. The specific activity runs weekly, monthly, and quarterly, with each job aggregating total material costs. †¢ Inventory; The inventory component manages more than 3 million inventory movements daily from stock rooms to factory floors across all Dell sites. Dell also manages corresponding over 3 million messages transmitted to different systems for reporting, analysis, and factory scheduling. †¢ Accounts payable; this specific measure handles approximately 15,000 items per day which includes payments to Dell suppliers, invoices, and receipts. This component contains some important information under certain categories like vendor information section includes vendor ID number, location, negotiated terms, and contact 9. Significance and Advantages of supply chain management with a glance on disintermediation and Just in Time Explanation Dell’s supply chain consists of only three stages and these stages are the suppliers, the manufacturer (Dell), and the end users. The company’s direct contact with customers allows them to properly identify target markets demands, analyze the target requirements and profitability of each assignment and develop more accurate demand forecasts. Dell matches supply and demand because its customers order computer configurations over the phone or online. These computer systems are built from components that are available in suppliers’ jacket. Dell’s strategy is to provide customized, low cost, and quality computers that are delivered as on ordered time. Dell managed and implemented this strategy through its efficient manufacturing operations, better supply chain management and direct sales model. Dell reduces the cost of intermediaries of distribution channels that would otherwise add up to the total cost of PC for the customer by taking orders directly from the customers. This strategy also saves time on processing orders that other companies normally suffer in their sales and distribution syste m. By directly dealing with the customers Dell gets a clearer indication of market trends and relishes. This helps Dell to plan for the future and forecast properly besides better managing its supply chain. Another integral advantage Dell holds by directly dealing with the customer is that it enables itself to get the customer’s requirements regarding the software to be loaded. The elimination of a PC support engineer to load software, the customers gain both in time and cost. Dell computers have perceived 100% performance in performing a number of important activities which includes on-time delivery, and fill rate. Dell’s supply chain management most efficient trends include increasingly powerful private trading networks, increased transparency in measuring and monitoring the value chain performance, and outsourcing of non-core activities. Cost management techniques with taking practical performance improvement initiatives Dell have revolutionized the entire supply chain management process. Dell uses different software to follow and track its entire activities like Dell uses i2 Technologies software to track its supply chain activities. Dell monitors its supply chain time and again and this activity enables the Dell to make immediate changes (within hours) to respond the fluctuations in consumer demand. The software also alerts Dell to any supply shortages and Dell rapidly communicates order information including automatic replenishment requests to its suppliers through the internet. The company also uses the Web to interact with suppliers this interaction enables the suppliers to be up to date with its volume expectations and long-term planning data. Master production schedule updated after every two hours. Dell’s mass customization program enables 100,000 different computer configurations, 455 annual work-in-process turns, 52 annual inventory turns and a zero finished goods inventory. Dell Computer Corporation successfully uses a build-to-order(just in time) manufacturing program to hold down its inventory to only a five-day supply while shipping 95 percent of customer orders within eight hours. This strategy gives Dell an important competitive advantage as a low-cost producer. Dell can reap the benefits of lower material costs almost immediately and reflect that benefit in its consumer product prices. The Just-In-Time organization has a distinctive culture that gives it a competitive advantage which clarifies its standings among competitors. When big things change in its environment, Dell adapts successfully. People in the Just-In-Time organization are typically motivated more by values and pride in their company. The Coherence Index specifically measures the coherence or consistency of your organization’s strategy. Most Just-In-Time organizations will score moderately high in this area. Coherent companies have a clear set of capabilities that are in line with their strategy and that they use over and over again in their operations. The following are common patterns of behavior in just-in-time organizations. Just-in-time organizations often are often headed by a strong sense of mission. They want to chart new territory, inspire change, and make a big difference. Just-in-time organizations follow two different strategies. first the adventure-seeking and the more cautious professional managers. Adventure-seekers regard the unstructured environment and strained resources of the organization with a certain fondness. Second managers keep the joint running. What they lack in pure passion, they make up for in discipline and managerial skills. They are the more stable and reliable sorts. A great sense of urgency exists in the just-in-time organization. Everything is â€Å"life or death,† and the immediate emergency inevitably takes higher priority over so-called road building for the future. Every day brings fresh fires that need to be put out, and that’s where everyone directs their attention, even though yesterday’s still-smoldering ashes are not yet extinguished. 1 0. Cost effective and consumer friendly SCM of Dell A time when Dell was an infant its IT group ran its supply chain management database applications on large, expensive, proprietary servers based on the UNIX ® OS. As the company grew, servers lacking the necessary capacity had to be replaced with even larger, more powerful servers. The increased performance of industry-standard Dell PowerEdge servers has enabled Dell IT to create cost-effective, highly scalable systems using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) 10g. By sharing a large database across multiple PowerEdge servers, Dell IT can easily deploy additional low-cost servers when necessary to handle increased workloads rather than buying additional large, expensive, proprietary UNIX-based servers. Supply chain management is essential to Dell operations around the world, with both factory operations and internal systems dependent on supply chain management systems to provide real-time information about key business functions. Running these systems on Oracle RAC 10g clusters of industry standard Dell PowerEdge servers enables Dell IT to scale them efficiently and cost-effectively to handle increased workloads. By moving the systems to Dell servers when it did, Dell IT avoided significant additional expenditures for proprietary UNIX-based servers, enhanced performance, and provided a clear path for future growth. 11. Conclusion and recommendation The rapid development of Worldwide Web (WWW) technologies, Internet, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have generated the evolutionary online business solution and electronic-commerce (ecommerce) both of which are to provide support for both information and workflow control, and process management as well as enhance the communication. E-commerce technologies are perceived as a mainstream to improve productivity and information flow and communications which all have to process through a systematic phase of supply chain management. Technology based SCM allows the creation of extra value for the customer and have the goal to satisfy the client requirements in the best possible way and in real time. Migration to a technological based approach for SCM applications is required for streamlining Supply Chain activities, maintaining a consistent quality of service and controlled distribution of the data which otherwise cannot be achieved. A technological based supply chain management must have the components like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which forms groups of business software functions like production, purchasing, CRM. These applications have to be interconnected so that to provide complete reports on customers, demand, suppliers, supply, finance, manufacturing, delivery, etc. 12. Reference Fugate, B.S. and Mentzer, J.T. (2004) ‘Dell’s supply chain DNA.’ Supply Chain Management Review, Vol.8, No.7, p.20-24 Chopra, S. and Meindl, P. (2003) Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning and Operation. 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