How to Cheat the Reaper ::

How to Cheat the Reaper George Brams shivered, despite the warmth of his new car. But George never felt completely warm these days - eighty years had taken their toll on his body, and his tissue-thin flesh provided no barrier against the malevolence of a chilly December night. While locked into familiar routine of driving country lanes, George's mind drifted back to the events of the previous day, and even of the past year. Just when he thought he could safely assume that his old body held no more unpleasant surprises for him, such as his cancer scare a few years ago, strange things had begun to happen. First, there were the voices. They had started about two years ago. At first, he had assumed that an insect had become trapped in his ear, yet he quickly realized that there was not an insect in existence that made this kind of unearthly noise. They seemed to whisper to him from a great distance, yet they sounded remarkably close to his ear. He couldn't quite make out what the voices said, although he had strained his weak ears in the hope of recognizing a stray word. But the voices seemed to slither through the air, continually changing, yet always present. George even thought he recognized some of the voices - of late, they had seemed to increase in volume and urgency, which let the voices spark a fleeting recognition from him - but his memory was old and tired, and the recollection of a familiar voice was swamped in grey and disappeared from his mind. George's heart skipped a beat as he was pulled from his memories by a cat jumping into his car's path, its life saved only by George's still impressively quick reaction. After a few minutes the adrenaline began to leak from George's blood and his breathing slowed. Again the hypnotic nature of the cat's eyes studded along the black road drew George into his memories. He remembered what had happened after he had seen the doctor about the voices - the nightmares. Terrible things that waited until his mind was asleep and open to suggestion, and then dived in, filling the old man's head with such terror that he often awoke himself with his pitiful screams. Before, his wife would wake him before the nightmare reached its surreal and horrifying conclusion, but now Rose was†¦ gone.

Magic And Science :: essays research papers

Many events were unexplainable and maybe even seemed to be magical before science evolved to what it is today. All questions relating to the origin of life can be answered scientifically. One may question their beliefs based on scientific theory. Human life can be broken down to fundamental theory. Not only geological or biological, but also all events can be answered scientifically. Magic and magicians have certain function in society. The impossible becomes unexplainable, whether it is fact or fiction. But truly in the minds of magicians, their purpose in life is to leave a mystery, a mystery that science is unable to explain. They leave their mark and give people something to think about, a mark which will never be forgotten. Although magic is able to deceive the minds of many, few understand its effect of misdirection of the human mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first accounts of magic were recorded around 1700 B.C. It appeared on the Westcon Papyrus and was recorded by an Egyptian chronicler. Stories of magic were handed down for centuries (Blackstone, 12). It has made a profitable living for soothsayer and gypsies, but there are times when magic was a form of entertainment. During the seventeenth century magic has become a living for some entertainers. Jugglers, wizards, and fortunetellers often appeared as scrub than a man of talent. These respected entertainers attracted lots of attention, not only because of their flaming clothing, but also because of their talents. In time there were traveling performers. Magicians dressed up and traveled for town to town, setting up stages and booths attracting the attention of the people, as well as their money. Pretty soon this sorts of entertainment was everywhere. At fairs they perform when they attract a crowd, then they passed around a hat for donations as if they were be ggars. They appeared in places like the market place, street corners, and even adult entertainment bars (Blackstone, 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have seen magic as a form of entertainment, from making someone disappear, to sawing a girl in half. But all great illusions have an explanation. â€Å"Magic, as we have seen, is about power- a seemingly magical power used and expressed by a skilled actor to create the illusion of miraculous happenings’. But the most mysterious part of magic is how these miraculous happenings are performed. The real power of magic lies within the native effects themselves (Blackstone, 117).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Magicians refer magical appearance of an object as a production.

Mark Twain’s The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Essay

Mark Twain's â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County† is a short story with the lesson that what goes around comes around. In this short story, which first appeared in 1856 and his first successful story, Twain uses local customs of the time, dialect, and examples of social status in his story to create a realistic view of the region in which the story takes place. The way that the characters behave is very distinctive. Dialect is also used to give the reader a convincing impression of the setting in â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County†. The social status of the main characters in this story also was something that Twain took into account in writing this story. Mark Twain is a realist who concentrates on the customs, dialect, and social status of specific regions of the country. Twain describes local customs and the ways that the characters behave to create a more realistic setting for the story. In the story the characters engage in behavior or activities that would be unusual for a regular person to do. For example, the narrator says: Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and blockaded me there with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the monotonous narrative which follows this paragraph. He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned his initial sentence†¦ (1190) This quote illustrates the kind of person ...

How Tesco and Oxfam businesses are organised Essay

Tesco Tesco’s Hierarchical structure Tesco’s has a hierarchical organisation structure. Hierarchical structure has several level’s arranged in a treelike construction with the person with most power at the top and the lowest at the bottom E.G. Managing director at the top all the way to the bottom which is the quality guard manager and financial accountants. Hierarchical structure is mainly used in big companies like Tesco. The disadvantages of the hierarchical structure are that if the financial accountants have a problem it would take its time to get the message to the right person which is the managing director. So making decisions will take long to make as it would take a long time to go up the hierarchical structure to put the idea in place. Mainly the first instructions in a hierarchical structure will have to be the managing director because the person has the most power and be able to control the company and it will make its way down to the bottom. Oxfam Oxfam hierarchical structure Oxfam organisation structure is flatter than Tesco as there aren’t much of people working and organising the company. Oxfam organisational structure is geographical as they work around the world in and with alot of countries helping the less fortunate. The charity is controlled/run by a chairwoman who is in charge of a number of trustees who makes the main decisions in the company, So Oxfam structure is flat and it doesn’t take long. Whereas Tesco has to makes its way up in the hierarchy structure. Oxfam tries to keep the number of managers down and have more volunteers up. This is because Oxfam tries to keep the costs down as most of the trustees and volunteers don’t get paid.

Covering Ignorance

In â€Å"The New Civil Rights†, Kenji Yoshino proposed that change is needed in our current civil rights. In recent discussion of civil rights, one issue has been seen that minorities are â€Å"covering† or toning down a disfavored identity to fit into the mainstream (Yoshino 479). On the one hand, some argues that â€Å"covering† is a vital part for a fluid social interaction and peaceful coexistence. From this perspective, we can see that the Yoshino’s â€Å"new civil rights† that should be based to individual rights rather than groups can have a drastic change in how our society functions (Yoshino 481).On the other hand, Yoshino argues that a â€Å"new civil rights† is needed for harnessing individual authenticity rather than to assimilate in group identities. In Steve Olson’s essay he said that Hawaii is a â€Å"melting pot of racial cultures† where races are almost indistinguishable because of the history of intermarriage b ut still these people chose to affiliate themselves differently than others (Olson 251). According to this view even with the lost of distinction between racial groups in Hawaii they still affiliate themselves to different groups to distinguish from the other groups.By looking at Yoshino’s paradigm of â€Å"new civil rights†, we can see that while its goal of â€Å"liberty† is commendable, it is dependent on individuals that will give action which is impractical. We can in sum, then, the issue is finding an effective way to help all citizens’ exercise their civil rights or will it be just a lost cause because we will remain ignorant of the issue. In Marc Maurer’s â€Å"Creating Disability Rights† Maurer said â€Å"they themselves the disabled are the primary agents of change† (Maurer 6).Maurer wanted to change the view of the judicial court about how the disabled are being discriminated and not being protected by the civil rights, but again like Yoshino’s idea, Maurer needs the people to see the issue and act upon it which can cause people to ignore it. I myself didn’t really give too much thought about these matters because I lack knowledge in these issues about civil rights. I suppose there is some degree of demand necessary in order to provoke or encourage a social change but because today’s society is like water in that it always seems to take the path of least resistance.If there is any obstruction it will simply go around. Most people don’t want their lives interrupted by pressing issues like gay or civil rights. They are viewed as obstructions. To maintain social flow, insistence for change by the struggling groups will be largely ignored and the norm of society will use assimilation as its justification vehicle, resulting in covering. In order to change, â€Å"we must be willing to see the dark side of assimilation, and specifically covering, which is the most widespread form of assimilation required of us today. (Yoshino 480) This statement elaborates on the idea that change will occur when society is educated enough to realize the identity assassination that occurs with assimilation, and also be willing to realize it rather than ignore. Education, as it has in the past, will be the best way for social change to occur. Urging change will always encounter resistance, where education will cause improvement. In this way the modern school can play a positive role in advancing this complicated society of ours toward a future in which all kinds of people are both valued and respected.

Rn vs Bsn

Care approaches and decision-making A compare and contrast of associate-degree level verses baccalaureate-degree level in nursing: Heidi Kruger Grand Canyon University: NRS-430 (NRS-430V-O103) Professional Dynamics Feb, 2013 Abstract As an ever-changing health care system continues to evolve our practice becomes more advanced. The healthcare system requires an expanded knowledge base and training in order to deliver safe, comprehensive care. As in-hospital patient stays shorten and patient care moves to a community setting, a greater number of specialized nurses are needed.Expected to wear new hats, nurses must attain a higher level of education if we are to adequately rise to new challenges and fill the new rolls of our profession. ADN vs BSN: What’s in the alphabet soup Established in the U. S. in 1909, baccalaureate programs provided a comprehensive education for anyone whom desired to become a nurse professional. Generally this education pathway consisted of fives years of formal education, with three years providing a concentration on the nursing practice.Included in this preparation where courses on public health and education. Later, the preparation was expanded to include courses such as evidence-based practice, clinical prevention, improved patient outcomes and other upper lever critical thinking courses. In the mid 1950’s the U. S. encountered a nursing shortage and the demand for nurses became great. Developed by Mildred Montag in 1952, the associate degree in nursing program (ADN) was developed to fill this demand for nurses during the World War II and post World War II era.This program was only two years in length and included a balance of general education and clinical nursing courses. Its purpose was to provide â€Å"technical† nurse. These ADN prepared nurses where to assist and work under the supervision of a professional nurse. (Creasia, 2011) As the years progressed and the nursing shortage resolved, the ADN program remai ned recognized and many prospective nurses chose the two year community college program to its now four year university counterpart as it as more cost effective and granted the same license upon successful completion of the state board exam. Impact on competent patient care Multiple studies indicate that BSN nurses are better prepared to provide health care. As BSN undergo a higher level of education, which include more critical thinking and a deeper understanding of subjects such as rick management. This education is essential in making quick life and death decisions. More over, inpatient stays are becoming shorter with more care being provided in outpatient settings.Less time in an inpatient setting means a decreased amount of time with which to provide effective, competent care and deliver comprehensive, retainable patient education (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2000) As more care is delivered in a community setting i. e. patients homes, it decreases the available support that a lower level ADN may need. For example, there may be more PRN drugs. A nurse would need to understand how these drugs work separately and how they interact with each other without the aid of pharmacy immediately on had.As â€Å"technical† nurses, they are trained more to do. If a patient shows signs of heart attach or respiratory distress, an ADN nurse may immediately give emergency medication. In contrast a BSN may ask. Are you ok? What medication have you taken? What are you feeling? What where you doing when this began? All while assessing non-verbal cues in order to determine the appropriate action to take. BSN prepared nurses are trained to think quickly before acting quickly. If fast critical thinking and a deeper knowledge of disease processes are not combined, it may prove deadly.Evidenced based Studies Multiple studies show that a higher level of education reflects in patient care. Research at the University of Pennsylvania revealed at one Magnet Hospi tal that surgical patients had 14 percent lower odds in death and 12 percent lower odds of failure to resituate within a thirty day period compared to there non-Magnet counterparts. A study in 2007 revealed that a 10 percent increase in BSN prepared nurses where associated with 9 fewer deaths for every 1,000 discharged patients (Rosseter, 2012). BSN prepares nurses have a more positive impact on patient outcomes.Achieve a broader scope of practice and are superior caregivers particularly in emergency situations. By taking advantage of a higher level of preparation, it allows a nurse to practice to his / her full potential. Conclusion Nurses continue to pioneer new fields. Taking on new tittles such as Case Manager, Infection Control, Risk Management and Legal Nurse Consultant, the role of Nursing is quickly moving from one of patient care to that of community educator and resource manager. We are expected to wear new hats on a daily basis.For this reason, nurses must attain a higher level of education than was accepted in the past. It becomes ever more apparent that an ADN (Associated Degree in Nursing) program is not sufficient to prepare nurses for these new rolls. Many of these new rolls require a specialized certification. A higher degree of academic achievement is required if we are to adequately keep up with the challenges of a ever changing health care system and meet the demands of an increasingly technologically sophisticated society. References Creasia, J. L & Friberg, E (2011).Conceptual Foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice. St. Louis Missouri: Elsevier Mosby. Page 25-27. Retrieved from http://pageburstls. elsevier. com/#/books/978-0-323-06869-7 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2000, October 24). Retrieved February 26, 2012 from http://www. aacn. nche. edu/publications/position/bacc-degree-prep Robert J. Rosseter (2012, October 24). Creating a More High Qualified Nursing Workforce. Retrieved February 25, 2012 from htt p://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce

Barilla Spa – Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Barilla SpA, world’s largest manufacturer of pasta based in Italy is experiencing extreme demand variability resulting to operational inefficiency and increased cost. To combat the key issues stated my decision is to implement the Just In Time Distribution (JITD). This new system, contrary to current system Barilla has will eliminate Bullwhip effect and stock outs by having centralized information, there will be data transparency between Barilla and distributors.Distributors will provide actual sales data which will be the basis of forecasting and production thus increasing in efficiency in operation and alleviating stock out among distributors. JITD will lead to improved supplier-customer relationship which in the long run can be perceived as a win-win situation. Internal resistance coming from Sales and Marketing will be resolved by involving the top management and by presenting the benefits of the JITD in figures and by emphasizing that role of Sales team in JITD is of paramount to the implementation.External resistance will be combated by thorough discussion presenting the long term benefits of all parties involved. Implementation of JITD as soon as possible will position Barilla on even stronger pasta producer and will potentially increase growth rate of the company resulting from increased business efficiencies and reduced cost. Barilla can have a pilot run on the DO (Distribuzione Organizzata) where sales representatives functions are dominant, sales representatives are one of the key factors on the success of JITD implementation.Weekly meeting between Barilla and DO will have to take place for couple of months upon implementation to monitor its status. ISSUE IDENTIFICATION A. Immediate Issue Because Barilla is facing extreme variability in demand week by week which causes operational inefficiencies, high inventory and stock outs, Maggiali is fighting for the implementation of Just In Time Distribution (JITD) system despite of th e internal objection from Sales and Marketing team and external resistance from distributors. B.Systemic Issues †¢Poor Forecasting system Nature: StrategicTiming: Short term & Long term Most distributors like GDs and DOs check inventory levels and place orders with Barilla once per week using simple periodic review. They do not follow any forecasting model; they just do replenishment ordering without minimum/maximum quantity. Barilla has no visibility on actual data, their basis of production is per distributors’ information per week and this causes pressure on manufacturing & distribution team of Barilla. Too many SKUs & High level of inventory Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term & Short term On dry products alone, Barilla offers 800 SKU. Pasta is made in 200 different shapes and sizes and has more than 470 packaged SKUs. Typically distributors carry 150SKU out of 800 SKUs Barilla leaving high inventory on the CDC. There is high level of inventory across the chain; overa ll there is about 2 months of inventory on the entire supply chain at any given time. †¢Frequent Trade Promotion leads to Bulk Ordering Nature: Tactical Timing: Short termBarilla has 10-12 canvass period which each corresponding to a promotional program. During the canvass distributor can buy as much as he wants in order to avail the promotion and this is welcomed by sales representatives because their incentive is dependent on achieving sales goal for that canvass period. Barilla also offers volume discount and transportation discount in full truck load order quantities. The situation leads to bulk ordering which causes demand fluctuation. †¢Long Lead time Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term and Short termDistributors place order to Barilla once per week only using simple periodic review system and lead time is eight to fourteen days, due to long lead time distributors either order high inventory or it results to stock out at distributor’s customer. ENVIRONMENTAL & ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS Barilla is the largest manufacturer of pasta in the world, making 35% of all pasta sold in Italy and 22% of all pasta sold in Europe. However, Barilla suffers from Bullwhip effect due to huge variability in demand that resulted to operational inefficiencies such as increased cost on transportation, distribution & inventory. stock out (see exhibit 1). On the production itself the set up are very specific, the company is incapable of meeting fluctuating demand because they consider sequential production to avoid huge set up cost. When demand fluctuates manufacturing and distribution team experience too much pressure. Barilla has complex distribution; presence of multiple intermediaries slows down the delivery lead time to ultimate customer. Carrying too much variety on dry products, 800 SKUs also leads to long production lead-time because they maintain sequence of production based on size and shape of pasta to reduce set up cost.Stock out occurs due to the fact tha t distributors maintain only 2 weeks inventory and delivery lead time from CDC is 8-14days. On table below it is evident that stock can happen in DC/DO level because 2 weeks delivery lead-time and maintaining 2 weeks inventory on the shelf. Price changes due to promotions and incentives cause demand fluctuation as well. Barilla has no visibility on what is happening in reality with the flow of their products in the market. Barilla lacks centralized information and sophisticated forecasting capability and because of this bullwhip effect occurs ( see exhibit 2).Due to severe fluctuation in demand Barilla is pushed to increase the buffer of finished goods to avoid stock out and this only means increase in raw materials inventory, carrying cost, transportation cost and production cost which is detrimental to the growth of the company. Since Barilla’s production is based on input of distributors, Barilla in the long run may lose the market share if distributors find that other bra nds are selling more and decide to carry competitor’s product instead.Lack of knowledge on the actual sales data on the market will have a negative effect on Barilla; it has to establish smooth business relationship with all the supply chain channels and not only with the distributors. . RECOMMENDATION From my overall analyses given the facts presented I strongly recommend to proceed with option number 1- to implement JITD. Reason is because thru JITD Barilla will have the centralized information and will have access to actual sales information which they will be using to plan procurement of raw materials, production, logistics , safety stock , inventory accordingly .Also, thru JITD Barilla will have a chance to establish good supplier-customer relationship with the distributors and even with the supermarkets, this is very critical in running successful business. Barilla will have the control of production and not based on the order of distributor. Ultimately Bullwhip effect will be managed. First phase would be to implement with the DO because of the presence of sales representatives on the area. It would be so much easier to implement the plan since sales representatives of Barilla often spends 90% of the time in DO.