Tuesday, November 26, 2019

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China Population: 22,000,000 (2010 estimate)Land Area: 6,487 square miles (16,801 sq km)Bordering Areas: Hebei Province to the north, west, south,  and part of the east and the Tianjin Municipality to the southeastAverage Elevation: 143 feet (43.5 m) Basics About Beijing Beijing is a large city located in northern China. It is also Chinas capital city and it is considered a direct-controlled municipality and, as such, it is controlled directly by Chinas central government instead of a province. Beijing has a very large population at 22,000,000 and it is divided into 16 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties.Beijing is known as being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (along with Nanjing, Luoyang and Changan or Xian). It is also a major transportation hub, a political and cultural center of China, and was host to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Geographic Facts The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Beijing.1)The name Beijing means Northern Capital but it has been renamed several times in its history. Some of these names include Zhongdu (during the Jin Dynasty) and Dadu (under the Yuan Dynasty). The citys name was also switched from Beijing to Beiping (meaning Northern Peace) twice in its history. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China,  however, its name officially became Beijing.2) It is believed that Beijing has been inhabited by modern humans for about 27,000 years. In addition, fossils from Homo erectus, dating back to 250,000 years ago have been found in caves in Beijings Fangshan District. Beijings history consists of struggles between various Chinese dynasties which fought for the area and used it as Chinas capital.3) In January 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beijing, then called Beiping, and in October of that year, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and renamed the city Beijing, its capital. 4) Since the founding of the PRC, Beijing underwent many changes to its physical structure, including the removal of its city wall and the construction of roads intended for cars instead of bicycles. Most recently, land in Beijing has developed at a rapid pace and many historical areas have been replaced by residences and shopping centers.5) Beijing is one of the most developed and industrial areas of China and it was one of the first post-industrial cities (meaning its economy is not based on manufacturing) to emerge in China. Finance is a major industry in Beijing, as is tourism. Beijing also has some manufacturing located on the western outskirts of the city and agriculture is produced outside of major urban areas.6) Beijing is located at the tip of the North China Plain (map) and it is surrounded by mountains to the north, northwest,  and west. The Great Wall of China is located in the northern part of the municipality. Mount Dongling is Beijings highest point at 7,555 feet (2, 303 m). Beijing also has several major rivers flowing through it which include the Yongding and the Chaobai Rivers.7) The climate of Beijing is considered humid continental with hot, humid summers and very cold, dry winters. Beijings summer climate is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The average July high temperature for Beijing is 87.6 °F (31 °C), while the January average high is 35.2 °F (1.2 °C).8) Because of Chinas rapid growth and the introduction of millions of cars into Beijing and surrounding provinces, the city is known for its poor air quality. As a result, Beijing was the first city in China to require emissions standards to be implemented on its cars. Polluting cars have also been banned from Beijing and are not allowed to even enter the city. In addition to air pollution from cars, Beijing also has air quality problems due to seasonal dust storms that have developed Chinas northern and northwestern deserts due to erosion.9) Beijing is the second-largest (after Chon gqing) of Chinas direct-controlled municipalities. The majority of Beijings population is Han Chinese. Minority ethnic groups include Manchu, Hui and Mongol, as well as several small international communities.10) Beijing is a popular tourist destination within China because it is a center of Chinas history and culture. Many historic architectural sites and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are within the municipality. For example, The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City,  and Tiananmen Square are all located in Beijing. In addition, in 2008, Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games and sites constructed for the games, such as the Beijing National Stadium are popular.To learn more about Beijing, visit the municipalitys official website.Sources: Wikipedia.com. Beijing - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing

Saturday, November 23, 2019

A Short History of Bluetooth

A Short History of Bluetooth If you own a smartphone, tablet, laptop, speakers or any of the array of electronic devices on the market today, theres a good chance that, at some point, youve paired at least a couple of them together. And while virtually all our personal devices these days are equipped with Bluetooth technology, few people actually know how it got there. The Somewhat Dark Backstory Strangely enough, Hollywood and World War II played a pivotal role in the creation of not only Bluetooth, but a multitude of wireless technologies. It all began in 1937 when Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-born actress, left her marriage to an arms dealer with ties to Nazis and fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and fled to Hollywood in hopes of becoming a star. With the support of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio head Louis B. Mayer,  who promoted her to audiences as the worlds most beautiful woman, Lamarr notched roles in films such as Boom Town starring Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, Ziegfeld Girl starring Judy Garland, and 1949 hit Samson and Delilah.   Somehow she also found time to do some inventing on the side. Using her drafting table, she experimented with concepts that included a reworked stoplight design and a fizzy instant drink that came in tablet form. Although none of them panned out, it was her collaboration with composer George Antheil on an innovative guidance system for torpedoes that set her on a course to change the world. Drawing on what she learned about weapons systems while she was married, the two used paper player piano rolls to generate radio frequencies that hopped around as a way to prevent the enemy from jamming the signal. Initially, the U.S. Navy was reluctant to implement Lamarr and Antheil’s spread-spectrum radio technology, but would later deploy the system to relay information about the position of enemy submarines to military aircraft flying overhead.   Today, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are two variations of spread-spectrum radio. Bluetooth’s Swedish Origins So who invented Bluetooth? The short answer is Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. The team effort began in 1989 when the Chief Technology Officer of Ericsson Mobile, Nils Rydbeck, together with a physician named Johan Ullman, commissioned engineers Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson to come up with an optimal short-link radio technology standard for transmitting signals between personal computers to wireless headsets that they were planning to bring to the market. In 1990,  Jaap Haartsen was nominated by the  European Patent Office for the European Inventor Award.   The name Bluetooth is an anglicized translation of Danish King Harald Blà ¥tands surname. During the 10th century, the second King of Denmark was famous in Scandinavian lore for uniting the peoples of Denmark and Norway. In creating the Bluetooth standard, the inventors felt that they were, in effect, doing something similar in uniting the PC and cellular industries. Thus the name stuck. The logo is a viking inscription, known as a bind rune, that merges the kings two initials.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of Competition Given its ubiquity, some may also wonder why there arent any alternatives. The answer to this is a little more complicated. The beauty of Bluetooth technology is that it allows up to eight devices to be paired together via short-range radio signals that form a network, with each device functioning as a component of a larger system. To achieve this, Bluetooth-enabled devices must communicate using network protocols under a uniform specification. As a technology standard, similar to Wi-Fi , Bluetooths isnt tied to any product but is implemented by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, a committee charged with revising the standards as well as licensing the technology and trademarks to manufacturers. For instance, Bluetooth 4.2 (released in 2014) uses less power and features improved speeds and security compared to previous versions. It also allows for internet protocol connectivity so that smart devices can be linked.   That isn’t to say, however, that Bluetooth doesn’t have any competitors. ZigBee, a wireless standard overseen by the ZigBee Alliance was rolled out in 2005 and allows for transmissions over longer distances, up to 100 meters, while using less power. A year later, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group introduced Bluetooth low energy, aimed at reducing power consumption by putting the connection into sleep mode whenever it detected inactivity.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Inverted perspective and the axiom of realism Essay

Inverted perspective and the axiom of realism - Essay Example Similarly, Arnheim defines art as the nature of visual perception together with the nature of medium of representation. That is, art combines what is seen in nature and the way it is represented. Consequently, it is quite common that an artist will use linear perspective, whereby the lines in the artistic representation tend to converge at a common point at a distant horizon. This aspect tends to represent the artistic work in relation to the axiom of realism. On the other hand, Arnheim claim that use of inverted perspective is inherent in the history of art. Inherently, this paper looks at the Arnheim argument in relation to different artistic representation. Inverted perspective The aspect of inverted perspective was introduced in 1907 by Oskar Wulff. The term inverted perspective means the opposite of traditional linear perspective. Compared to linear perspective, which develops the illusion of space through having images in the distance become smaller and smaller with everything demonstrating a single vanishing point. 1With the inverted perspective, the reality of space in the ground is denied. The images in the ground are sometimes larger compared to those in the foreground and the diminishing points are over and over again in the foreground. This keeps a person’s attention in the foreground between the object of veneration and the viewer. Examples of Inverted perspective include: Buddhist mural which open up and expand hence increasing the viewer’s sense of awe. 2Arnheim also puts across the difference between the representational and intellectual concepts and consequently depicting the distinguishing factors in intellectual development and representational abilities. According to Arnheim, the early forms of representation have formal qualities. Moreover Arnheim claims that the linear perspective is not actually privileged whereas he terms the inverted perspective as a misnomer owing to the fact that it is genetically and naturally privilege d. In actual sense, the inverted perspective is advantaged by the fact that it can be in a position to render size together with volume unambiguously. Notably, Arnheim has described various ways through which images are perceived differently due to the difference in our learning. The Arnheim’s law of differentiation suggests that a perceptual feature should be presented through the use of structurally simplest of its entire number of interpretations. This is because the consequences of interpretation can be great. More importantly, Arnheim suggests that inverse perspective offers a functional approach towards simple interpretation. According to Arnheim the inverted perspective is a pictorial device that is normally used by the artists who are not aware of geometry of perspective, as in the western paintings or who have actually decided not to obey it. More importantly, the inverted perspective serves as a perfect example that is used in illustrating two diverse ways of accoun ting theoretically, the deviations which result from the projective realism. First, is due to the prejudice that comes from specific convections of western art and secondly it provides the psychological base used to explain pictorial phenomena. Features of inverted perspective Clearly, inverted perspective solves a number of issues that other perspectives are not in a position to. Despite the fact that the isometric perspective illustrates an artistic expression of nature just

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Self Evaluation-Educational Objective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Evaluation-Educational Objective - Essay Example I personally believe that time management will be the biggest challenge during this course. The balance between family life, work and academic area will be a difficult thing to do. Proper planning and following those plans are helpful in maintaining good balance between these 3 crucial areas of a person's life. I intend to properly distribute time and following my plans to achieve my goal of attaining this degree. The concept of diversity and globalization are not new for anyone today. I have faced diversity in the workplaces and I am familiar with the barriers that people face. I have always been a rational person and avoid discrimination at all instances. I will contribute to the diversified learning environment by keeping my decisions, work and relationships balanced with everyone and by encouraging teamwork. I work as a leader to a group of 8 employees. I personally believe that I lack management skills and leadership traits which are important for my job. Education undoubtedly h elps us in gaining better designation. This MBA program will be helpful in gaining reputation in the work field, promotion by application of modern concepts and better job performance. I have a goal to become the head of the department in my workplace. I lacked the master's degree which is the requirement of that position.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Creative Writing Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Essay Brooke stood outside of his trench now, leaning against the outside wall and smoking a cigarette. He inhaled and breathed out slowly, his eyes brimmed with tears as he stared up at the black sky, which every so often lit up with white light from an explosion somewhere. He closed his eyes and he willed away the tears, but rather than disappearing as he had hoped, they rolled down his dirty, pale cheeks and stung his rough lips. He watched indifferently as men went back and forth carrying stretchers laden with moaning men with horrific injuries. Once they came by carrying a young boy who Brooke thought could not have been any older than eighteen, he was covered in blood and had taken a serious blow to the head as he was blown back by a shell landing nearby. He was still and unmoving as the stretcher-bearers hurried him back to the infirmary barracks. Finally, a sergeant named Truman tentatively approached him. Sir? Yes, what is it? , he replied wearily. Sir, Private Atkinson is hysterical sir, hes frightening the other men and Sergeant Williams cant control him. Williams says can you please come, Sir? Brooke sighed. A deep long sigh. Yes all right, tell him Im coming. When the two men entered the trench all the men in the first battalion looked up with faces as dark as storm clouds and expressions which could melt a heart of stone. Brooke nodded at them as he strode past but they had no effect on him anymore. He marched straight up to where Atkinson and Williams were and sat down beside Atkinson. The boy lay shaking and muttering, he was hugging himself and rocking back and forth with his eyes tightly shut. As Brooke sat down next to him his muttering became louder and louder until he was almost shouting it. Theres no place like home. Theres no place like home. Theres no place like home. Theres no place like home. He kept saying it over and over again. Tears streamed down his face and his movements became more and more rigid. Brooke looked at Williams and then around the trench. Twenty faces stared back at him, watching his every move. He shivered. Atkinson? Atkinson, do you hear me? Atkinson nodded and continued muttering. Brooke noticed a large red mark across the young boys right cheek. Did you do this? he snapped at Williams. Williams shook his head. Brookes sharp grey eyes bore into him; he nodded and looked away. Brooke glared at him then, slowly with all the gentleness of a mother caring for her child, reached out and lifted the shaking Atkinson up to lean against him. The boy buried his head in his commanding officers shoulder and grasped at his shirt, sobbing. Atkinson he said, then continuing in a kind but stern voice. David, control yourself. David, we are all scared, but we must not let our emotions overcome us. Do you hear me? Yes Sir. Now, when you go home to your mother, you will meet a nice young girl whom you love very dearly and you will go on to spend the rest of your life with her. However, to do that you must first get through this. Now, you will survive this, but you have to try. Will you do that for me? Will you do that for your mother? Yes, Sir.   As the train pulled into the country station a man, around twenty-three years old stepped casually off and onto the platform. He breathed in deeply and looked around him; everywhere he looked he saw smiling faces and happy families. Dark memories of war clouded his mind; he shook them away and started at a brisk walk towards the town. He sat in the cool church watching the young couple stood at the altar beaming at each other. He listened to the vicar as he droned on, Do you David Atkinson take Anna Phillips? You see Thomas old chap? Life goes on.. Brooke thought to himself. Victoria Holland 11BM English Coursework Mrs Dukes Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Perfume Essay -- essays research papers

(Continue from page 310, after "For the First time they had done something out of love") Grenouille does not feel dead oddly enough. One would figure after being torn to shreds and devoured by cannibals that your life would be over and you would be no more. However why does Grenouille's feel alive as if life had just begun? He sits there, feeling no physical presence to call his own and yet he feels vibrant and exhilarated. Like the many scents memorized throughout his life, thousands upon thousands of options as to why life is still felt by Grenouille flow through his mind. He knows that this is not physically possible, so he must think of it in another arena, not just physically. After many days of transparent being and thought, Grenouille has come to a major conclusion. His quest for the perfect scent must not be finished and he must go on. There must be some scent, some odor that has eluded him and thus barred him from making the perfect scent and ending his journey. Now in his new form he must continue his work that he had once thought finished. Only this time Jean Baptiste had more than olfactory powers, he has found that like most lost spirits and souls, he has to some degree the ability to control and overcome a living beings body. Grenouille found this out by merely walking into somebody on the street while walking, and finding himself going the other way walking awkwardly. He took a moment and stopped himself to see what had just happened to him. After this revelation, he knew he had new and possibly powerful abilities. Grenouille realized this is more than just a power, but a close ally that will help him on his quest to find that scent with out much problem, like before. So for many months Jeean Baptisite toiled around town until the over heard a conversation in a local eatery that caught his fancy. It was Pierre Paul and his colleague at the traveling circus that was in town. They were discussing a young female they had seen on their journey here and were just remarking on her strange beauty and elegance. This peaked his interest because with such beauty, must come a scent. Grenouille followed Pierre home and took over his body. Having used Pierre Paul to find out which towns they have recently visited, Grenouille was off. Over the next few we... ... went to work. Only this time, in his new body, he didn't need to be as stealth. He quickly acquired her scent in the usual fashion and left the body, deprived of any scent or even that white hair, and left Montece. The tale of the murder spread quickly throughout the region and there was a new interest in finding Grenouille the killer. However, that name nor its presence was ever felt again by the people of France. Although that is not entirely true... There is a tale about a mountain in France that seems to make people happier. It is a mountain called Mount de Bobricke, which is south of Paris. Grenouille now resides in his old mountain home for eternity but as he has found his perfect scent he shares it with those that pass by his mountain. He continually makes it and sends it out into the surrounding air for people to enjoy. Over time, this mountain has become a vigil to some, almost a fountain of youth if you will. To this day, people visit Mount de Bobricke for the scents and beautiful atmosphere that his scents make around the surrounding area. They feel a presence and happiness while sitting around the mountain. Perfume Essay -- essays research papers (Continue from page 310, after "For the First time they had done something out of love") Grenouille does not feel dead oddly enough. One would figure after being torn to shreds and devoured by cannibals that your life would be over and you would be no more. However why does Grenouille's feel alive as if life had just begun? He sits there, feeling no physical presence to call his own and yet he feels vibrant and exhilarated. Like the many scents memorized throughout his life, thousands upon thousands of options as to why life is still felt by Grenouille flow through his mind. He knows that this is not physically possible, so he must think of it in another arena, not just physically. After many days of transparent being and thought, Grenouille has come to a major conclusion. His quest for the perfect scent must not be finished and he must go on. There must be some scent, some odor that has eluded him and thus barred him from making the perfect scent and ending his journey. Now in his new form he must continue his work that he had once thought finished. Only this time Jean Baptiste had more than olfactory powers, he has found that like most lost spirits and souls, he has to some degree the ability to control and overcome a living beings body. Grenouille found this out by merely walking into somebody on the street while walking, and finding himself going the other way walking awkwardly. He took a moment and stopped himself to see what had just happened to him. After this revelation, he knew he had new and possibly powerful abilities. Grenouille realized this is more than just a power, but a close ally that will help him on his quest to find that scent with out much problem, like before. So for many months Jeean Baptisite toiled around town until the over heard a conversation in a local eatery that caught his fancy. It was Pierre Paul and his colleague at the traveling circus that was in town. They were discussing a young female they had seen on their journey here and were just remarking on her strange beauty and elegance. This peaked his interest because with such beauty, must come a scent. Grenouille followed Pierre home and took over his body. Having used Pierre Paul to find out which towns they have recently visited, Grenouille was off. Over the next few we... ... went to work. Only this time, in his new body, he didn't need to be as stealth. He quickly acquired her scent in the usual fashion and left the body, deprived of any scent or even that white hair, and left Montece. The tale of the murder spread quickly throughout the region and there was a new interest in finding Grenouille the killer. However, that name nor its presence was ever felt again by the people of France. Although that is not entirely true... There is a tale about a mountain in France that seems to make people happier. It is a mountain called Mount de Bobricke, which is south of Paris. Grenouille now resides in his old mountain home for eternity but as he has found his perfect scent he shares it with those that pass by his mountain. He continually makes it and sends it out into the surrounding air for people to enjoy. Over time, this mountain has become a vigil to some, almost a fountain of youth if you will. To this day, people visit Mount de Bobricke for the scents and beautiful atmosphere that his scents make around the surrounding area. They feel a presence and happiness while sitting around the mountain.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Supply Chain Risk Management

Supply Chain Risk Management is the concept of trying to foresee disruptions to timely supply of goods or services required by the organisation and creating systems to mitigate these at the lowest possible cost to the organisation and by so doing ensure that there will be continuity in the normal operations of the business. Supply chain risks have the potential to cripple a business’ operations and can have long and short term effects which may be difficult to recover from.A delay along a route is a short term problem whereas the presence of a monopoly supplier in the chain holding up stocks to force an increase in prices or shutting down for whatever reason is long term. Certain types of disruptions are both difficult to anticipate and rare, but very damaging when they occur; for example, natural disasters such as earthquakes are difficult to predict but have the potential to ruin entire factories and road networks wreaking havoc to the entire supply chain.Disruptions to supp ly can be anticipated and countered by building inventory or by having multiple redundant suppliers since it is highly unlikely to encounter a scenario where multiple suppliers are simultaneously disrupted. Both of these processes can be described as building supply chain reserves. Concept of Risk Risk can be perceived from various angles; one of its basic definitions being the probability of threat of quantifiable damage, injury, liability, loss or any other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities and that may be avoided through pre-emptive action.1 In developing an understanding of risk, it is necessary to incorporate its two fundamental facets; the first being the exposure to the uncertainty and the second being the actual outcomes upon occurrence of the event. 2 Hence, risk can be expressed as the product of probability and consequences of an event. Along with this, one must also be able to know the sources of the identified risk. 2 It is commo n to analyse risk by means of a matrix with 2 dimensions, probability and consequences but such an analysis has the main disadvantage of being reliant on risk perception.Risk perception depends on time, experience, location, attitude, position and possibilities to decide and scale of events. 2 It is also important to realise that risk has no technical value in and of itself, hence in developing a risk management process, the aim is to always do it at a minimum cost. 3 Risk Variety An overview of business risks in general is useful in understanding supply chain risk. Risks can be externally driven (environmental, external factors, competitors, customers, regulations), internally driven and decision driven.3 At times, managing supply chain risk may be difficult because of the interconnection of individual risks and actions that mitigate one risk may end up exacerbating another. For example, nitrogen gas used for bottling in large amounts may displace the local atmosphere and cause asp hyxiation. Increasing local stores may minimise the effects of a shortage of supply but immediately it increases storage costs and the possibility of leaks in a larger vessel.Broadly speaking, risks can be categorized as those that bring about delays in the supply chain and those that disrupt the normal flow. 4 Delays The occurrence of delays in material flows is the result of either of several possible factors such as; Inflexibility of suppliers hence inability to respond to changes in demand Poor output at supplier plants High levels of handling or inspections at border crossings In a scenario where these are frequent, historical trends can be used to create a forecasting tool against which with proper demand planning, these effects can be mitigated.In the local case of SZL, sugar is may be delayed by a day or two at the Limpopo Border post and analysis of past trends has allowed a conclusion to be drawn that a minimum and maximum stock level of 3 days and 1 week cover is sufficie nt to both cover for these drawbacks and at the same time neither be too much of an impedance to the cash flow of the organisation nor create a significant rise in local storage costs. Disruptions Disruptions by nature tend to be infrequent, difficult to predict and forecast but very damaging when they occur.Examples that fall under this category include labour strikes, terror strikes and fires. Some disruptions have effects that transcend over various industries and can even be international such as earthquakes or the tsunami in Japan in recent memory. Disruptions also adversely affect material prices which can pose a significant problem to business operations. These can be countered by building inventories or having multiple redundant suppliers. The decision making process however as to which path of action is governed by the following factors; Cost of inventoryCost of keeping inventory Accuracy of prediction of the disruption and available information Rate of obsolescence of mate rial whilst in inventory Likelihood of disruption For instance, MM juice concentrates are a high cost in storage, requiring refrigeration to maximise on lifespan but the decision is made to keep a significant amount within stock because of the uncertainty of the supply delivery time and the reality that upon the sea, there may be unforeseen disruptions.However, in the case of bottle preforms, not more than a week’s cover is normally kept because of the usual reliability of the suppliers and low likelihood of low supply. A recent incident however has necessitated to review this as an intra-factory incident at Megapak caused a mini-crisis within the organisation. Risk Handling Often, the strategies employed by companies protect against recurrent relatively low impact risks in the supply chain but tend to ignore high impact low likelihood risks.Suppliers with quality problems represent a common recurrent problem (labels with SZL for instance). Top manufacturers will deal with th e range of supply chain risks encountered by holding reserves in the form of excess inventory, excess capacity and redundant suppliers. 4 The key challenge facing management is to intelligently position and sizing of supply-chain reserves with a minimum impact on profits i. e. attain the greatest possible profit regardless of the level of supply chain risk and achieving this in an efficient manner.To development a risk management strategy that will work, it is necessary to first create a shared organization-wide understanding of supply-chain risk and then determine how to adapt general risk-mitigation approaches to local organizational circumstances. 4 This is achieved by stress testing and tailoring. Stress Testing This is a team exercise that aids managers and their organizations to both understand and prioritize supply-chain risk. A what-if scenario analysis can be employed to assist the key players to focus on the supply chain 1-link at a time.It is a brainstorming exercise that helps the company prepare for unforeseen events rather than the platform to debate the likelihood of such events. Such an exercise allows for risk-mitigation priorities to be made for the near, medium and long term. In addition to this, it leaves all involved parties with a clear idea of what risks might have an impact on sales, procurement costs, revenues, prices and possibly even reputation. 4 Tailoring Tailoring is the process of suiting the response to a risk to the organization and continuously monitoring to ensure that procedures and systems in place are suitable for the purposes of the business. Supply Chain Risk Management Supply Chain Risk Management is the concept of trying to foresee disruptions to timely supply of goods or services required by the organisation and creating systems to mitigate these at the lowest possible cost to the organisation and by so doing ensure that there will be continuity in the normal operations of the business. Supply chain risks have the potential to cripple a business’ operations and can have long and short term effects which may be difficult to recover from.A delay along a route is a short term problem whereas the presence of a monopoly supplier in the chain holding up stocks to force an increase in prices or shutting down for whatever reason is long term. Certain types of disruptions are both difficult to anticipate and rare, but very damaging when they occur; for example, natural disasters such as earthquakes are difficult to predict but have the potential to ruin entire factories and road networks wreaking havoc to the entire supply chain.Disruptions to supp ly can be anticipated and countered by building inventory or by having multiple redundant suppliers since it is highly unlikely to encounter a scenario where multiple suppliers are simultaneously disrupted. Both of these processes can be described as building supply chain reserves. Concept of Risk Risk can be perceived from various angles; one of its basic definitions being the probability of threat of quantifiable damage, injury, liability, loss or any other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities and that may be avoided through pre-emptive action.In developing an understanding of risk, it is necessary to incorporate its two fundamental facets; the first being the exposure to the uncertainty and the second being the actual outcomes upon occurrence of the event. 2 Hence, risk can be expressed as the product of probability and consequences of an event. Along with this, one must also be able to know the sources of the identified risk. 2 It is common to analyse risk by means of a matrix with 2 dimensions, probability and consequences but such an analysis has the main disadvantage of being reliant on risk perception.Risk perception depends on time, experience, location, attitude, position and possibilities to decide and scale of events. 2 It is also important to realise that risk has no technical value in and of itself, hence in developing a risk management process, the aim is to always do it at a minimum cost. 3 Risk Variety An overview of business risks in general is useful in understanding supply chain risk. Risks can be externally driven (environmental, external factors, competitors, customers, regulations), internally driven and decision driven.At times, managing supply chain risk may be difficult because of the interconnection of individual risks and actions that mitigate one risk may end up exacerbating another. For example, nitrogen gas used for bottling in large amounts may displace the local atmosphere and cause asphyxi ation. Increasing local stores may minimise the effects of a shortage of supply but immediately it increases storage costs and the possibility of leaks in a larger vessel.Broadly speaking, risks can be categorized as those that bring about delays in the supply chain and those that disrupt the normal flow. 4 Delays The occurrence of delays in material flows is the result of either of several possible factors such as; Inflexibility of suppliers hence inability to respond to changes in demand Poor output at supplier plants High levels of handling or inspections at border crossings In a scenario where these are frequent, historical trends can be used to create a forecasting tool against which with proper demand planning, these effects can be mitigated.In the local case of SZL, sugar is may be delayed by a day or two at the Limpopo Border post and analysis of past trends has allowed a conclusion to be drawn that a minimum and maximum stock level of 3 days and 1 week cover is sufficient t o both cover for these drawbacks and at the same time neither be too much of an impedance to the cash flow of the organisation nor create a significant rise in local storage costs. Disruptions Disruptions by nature tend to be infrequent, difficult to predict and forecast but very damaging when they occur.Examples that fall under this category include labour strikes, terror strikes and fires. Some disruptions have effects that transcend over various industries and can even be international such as earthquakes or the tsunami in Japan in recent memory. Disruptions also adversely affect material prices which can pose a significant problem to business operations. These can be countered by building inventories or having multiple redundant suppliers. The decision making process however as to which path of action is governed by the following factors; Cost of inventoryCost of keeping inventory Accuracy of prediction of the disruption and available information Rate of obsolescence of material whilst in inventory Likelihood of disruption For instance, MM juice concentrates are a high cost in storage, requiring refrigeration to maximise on lifespan but the decision is made to keep a significant amount within stock because of the uncertainty of the supply delivery time and the reality that upon the sea, there may be unforeseen disruptions.However, in the case of bottle preforms, not more than a week’s cover is normally kept because of the usual reliability of the suppliers and low likelihood of low supply. A recent incident however has necessitated to review this as an intra-factory incident at Megapak caused a mini-crisis within the organisation. Risk Handling Often, the strategies employed by companies protect against recurrent relatively low impact risks in the supply chain but tend to ignore high impact low likelihood risks.Suppliers with quality problems represent a common recurrent problem (labels with SZL for instance). Top manufacturers will deal with the ra nge of supply chain risks encountered by holding reserves in the form of excess inventory, excess capacity and redundant suppliers. 4 The key challenge facing management is to intelligently position and sizing of supply-chain reserves with a minimum impact on profits i. e. attain the greatest possible profit regardless of the level of supply chain risk and achieving this in an efficient manner.To development a risk management strategy that will work, it is necessary to first create a shared organization-wide understanding of supply-chain risk and then determine how to adapt general risk-mitigation approaches to local organizational circumstances. 4 This is achieved by stress testing and tailoring. Stress Testing This is a team exercise that aids managers and their organizations to both understand and prioritize supply-chain risk. A what-if scenario analysis can be employed to assist the key players to focus on the supply chain 1-link at a time.It is a brainstorming exercise that hel ps the company prepare for unforeseen events rather than the platform to debate the likelihood of such events. Such an exercise allows for risk-mitigation priorities to be made for the near, medium and long term. In addition to this, it leaves all involved parties with a clear idea of what risks might have an impact on sales, procurement costs, revenues, prices and possibly even reputation. 4 Tailoring Tailoring is the process of suiting the response to a risk to the organization and continuously monitoring to ensure that procedures and systems in place are suitable for the purposes of the business.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Assess the Advantages of Judicial Precedent Essay

The first advantage of judicial precedent is certainty; this means the lawyers are able to predict the outcome of the case due to Judges following the same rules and the same Ratios this is a good thing as it means Lawyers could prepare clients for the worse or the best to the best of their ability, and this could save time and money as well. Sir Rupert Cross-Doctrine of precedent has a particular emphasis on rigidity and certainty. Another advantage is flexibility; the law is able to develop in ways that reflect social and technological circumstances and does not have to wait for the permission from Parliament, it also allows the common law system to respond to new situations like in Mcloughlin O’Brien’s case where the Supreme Court extended the law on nervous shock to cover new situations within the case. Consistency, this means that similar cases are dealt with in the same way, and this makes the law fair and credible and makes our legal system respected in other cou ntries. Another would be its real and reals with real life situations, case laws deal with situations that arise in practice – real facts in real situations – unlike statues and if an unforeseen situation arises, judges can refer to existing precedents and adapt the law to meet the new situation. Another advantage would be Original precedents, this allows for new or original precedents to be created and this occurs when there is no previous decision on the matter or case and this therefore means an original precedent therefore makes legal provision on a matter for which there was no previously no. In Gillick V West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority the House of Lords had to decide whether or not girls under 16 could be prescribed contraceptives without parental consent. This matter had not arisen before the courts before, and parliament had provided no guidance.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Feeling of Rationality The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science

The Feeling of Rationality The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science The Feeling of Rationality is written by Rose McDermott and details recent advances in neuroscience and their implications for political sciences.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper is based on the fact that emotions play significant and pivotal roles on political decisions, and while its role in political science has not been studied in depth, McDermott observes that emotions can offer alternative grounds for explaining and predicting political decisions and action. McDermott begins by making reference to the Iraq war and how the Bush administrations’ decision to wage war against Iraq were motivated by a feeling of revenge against Saddam Hussein, who had tried to assassinate the president’s father. Such is the importance of emotional motivations in politics. Recent advances in neurosciences have offered a wealth of information on the workings of the brain and the interactive processes between the body and mind. McDermott begins by defining emotion as it is very central towards understanding the topic under discussion. She contends that there is no universally accepted definition of emotion and the aspects surrounding it. Nevertheless, she relies on Gerald Clore and Andrew Ortony who define the term as â€Å"one of a larger set of differentiated biologically based complex conditions that are about something† (McDermott, pp. 692). The author then proceeds to outline the various contemporary theories that have arisen to explain the nature of emotion. The paper presents five theories and their possible connection to political decisions. Studies show that emotion is a very important element in political decisions. Indeed, several of these studies have shown a link between facial expressions and voting, judgment and political behavior. Related studies in psychology have also had similar findings.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the emotional aspects that can affect political decisions is mood. McDermott point out that mood and memory are very important in decision-making as outlined by the theory of mood congruence. For instance, mood may affect information processing. Similarly, emotional memories can significantly affect political decision-making. Reference is made to a recent study which showed that hostile communications between two political leaders may increase the propensity for violence in the future. Further, it is shown that different emotions elicit different responses and this may greatly affect the political decisions made by a leader. Interestingly, the author mentions that emotions are affected by gender differences: men are known to be more predisposed than women. Further studies show that perceptions of risk are also linked to emotions. It has also been shown that the emotional responses after decisions play a significant role in future decisions. Emotional responses such as regret and disappointment affect decision-making and this finding is consistent with the predictions of the prospect theory. Besides, anticipated emotion to certain actions and events can also affect political decision-making. In making a decision, a person wants to maximize the likelihood of having happiness out of the decision, but minimizing grief. The fact that all decisions involve some prediction of how the outcome will make us feel only serves to show the role of emotion in political decisions. The final aspect of investigation into the link between emotions and decision making is found on the rubrics of memory. McDermott writes that people tend to best recall the peak intensity and the end of an emotional experience. Consequently, they repeatedly make choices that involve more instead of less pain.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The findings of this study have important implications for political science. The first relates to rational choice. McDermott writes that modern formulations of rational choice should be reconciled against emotional assessments. Secondly, emotions should function as motivators and directors of attention rather than the sole component of decision making. Policy implications of the findings of the study include less emphasis by governments on incomes and more on employment and job programs, encouraging leisure activities, and supporting marriage and other family relationships. This can best be implemented through education. McDermott, Rose. The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science. Perspectives on Politic s, 2(4), 2004. 691-705

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Different Parts of a Stream

The Different Parts of a Stream A stream is any body of running water that occupies a channel. It is normally above ground, eroding the land that it flows over and depositing sediment as it travels. A stream can, however, be located underground or even underneath a glacier.   While most of us speak of rivers, geoscientists tend to call everything a stream. The boundary between the two can get a little blurry, but in general, a  river  is a large surface stream. It is made up of many smaller rivers or streams. Streams smaller than rivers, roughly in order of size, may be called branches or forks, creeks, brooks, runnels, and rivulets. The very smallest kind of stream, just a trickle, is a rill. Characteristics of Streams Streams may be permanent or intermittent- occurring only part of the time. So you could say that the most important part of a stream is its channel or streambed, the natural passage or depression in the ground that holds the water. The channel is always there even if no water is running in it. The deepest part of the channel, the route taken by the last (or first) bit of water, is called the thalweg (TALL-vegg, from the German for valley way). The sides of the channel, along the edges of the stream, are its banks. A stream channel has a right bank and a left bank: you tell which is which by looking downstream. Stream channels have four different channel patterns, the shapes they show when viewed from above or on a map. The curviness of a channel is measured by its sinuosity, which is the ratio between the length of the thalweg and the distance downstream along the stream valley. Straight channels are linear or nearly so, with a sinuosity of nearly 1. Sinuous channels curve back and forth. Meandering channels curve very strongly, with a sinuosity of 1.5 or more (although sources differ on the exact number). Braided channels split and rejoin, like the braids in hair or a rope. The top end of a stream, where its flow begins, is its source. The bottom end is its mouth. In between, the stream flows through its main course or trunk. Streams gain their water through runoff, the combined input of water from the surface and subsurface. Understanding Stream Order Most streams are tributaries, meaning that they drain into other streams. An important concept in hydrology is stream order. A streams order is determined by the number of tributaries that flow into it.  First-order streams have no tributaries. Two first-order streams combine to make a second-order stream; two second-order streams combine to make a third-order stream, and so on.   For context, the Amazon River is a 12th order stream, the Nile an 11th, the Mississippi a tenth and the Ohio an eighth.   Together, the first through third-order tributaries making up the source of a river are known as its headwaters. These make up approximately 80% of all of the streams on Earth. Many large rivers divide as they near their mouths; those streams are distributaries. A river that meets the sea or a large lake may form a delta at its mouth: a triangle-shaped area of sediment with distributaries flowing across it. The area of water around a river mouth where seawater mixes with freshwater is called an estuary. Land Around a Stream The land around a stream is a valley. Valleys come in all sizes and have a variety of names, just like streams. The smallest streams, rills, run in tiny channels also called rills. Rivulets and runnels run in gullies. Brooks and creeks run in washes or ravines or arroyos or gulches as well as small valleys with other names. Rivers (large streams) have proper valleys, which may range from canyons to enormous flat lands like the Mississippi River Valley. The larger, deeper valleys are usually v-shaped. The depth and steepness of a river valley depends on the size, slope, and speed of the river as well as composition of the bedrock.   Edited by Brooks Mitchell

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Saloon management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Saloon management - Case Study Example Marketing has also been defined as the process of "planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create relationships which satisfy consumer and business objectives" (Boone, 2008, p.7). This recognises marketing as a rather complex series of activities which ultimately decide the entire direction which an organisation takes in order to become profitable or ensure high sales volumes of their products. For example, the saloon will need to consider how best to price the musical events in a way that is competitive with other companies offering nightly musical acts as well as satisfying what consumers would actually be willing to pay for these events. Creating relationships is another key factor of marketing which should be explored, especially for a saloon owner/manager because the business will rely on a great deal of return customers in order to be successful. Therefore, as part of marketing, the business leaders should consider the attitude of staff who tend bar or serve clients as part of the wait staff, as this is part of quality customer service which will determine whether many customers feel that the saloon gives them a good experience. With all of the above having been said, marketing is a complicated process which involves budgeting, people management, having a focus toward satisfying both the business goals and the consumer goals, and also ensuring that a quality product or service is delivered to the best of the business' ability. Marketing considers how best to get the product to the right customer markets and what type of message should be associated with product in order to build awareness and interest; and perhaps even long-term product loyalty if successful. Marketing and the Organisation Marketing within the saloon consists of first understanding what customers in the local region would actually be looking for when deciding on entertainment locations. Murphy's Saloon will provide regular live musical group entertainment, a small-scale restaurant environment with a limited menu, alcoholic beverages, and certain tournaments such as billiards. However, in relation to organisation, the saloon must consider certain budget issues and determine how much money the owner really maintains (capital) prior to laying out a marketing strategy. Costs, from the organisational perspective, are significant considerations as they will decide how much of the business' profit should be applied to promotion and advertisement and how much the saloon owner can actually afford. This is why having a solid marketing strategy is so vital because it recognises projected costs of marketing as well as the actual costs of historical marketing in order to give a better picture of financial capabili ties and how to use different mediums in order to get messages across to potential customers about the saloon and its activities. Two marketing professionals flatly offer that product is "the single