Nba vs Ncaa Should High School Players Be Allowed Essay Example

Nba vs Ncaa Should High School Players Be Allowed Essay The National basketball association is the worlds premiere basketballs association. Basketball players from around the world come to showcase their talent on the NBA’s stage. The sport of basketball is played by people of all ages, sexes, and races especially the youth. The youth of all nations have grown found to the sport of basketball and the NBA has inspired many young kids to follow their dreams and become NBA players as they hope to win NBA championships and and NBA honors such as the most valuable player award(MVP). In the past the NBA has drafted exceptional high school players into the league but that has changed as the NBA modified their regulations to say for all draft picks to be at least 19 years of age and have spent a year out of high school. This regulation directly sends high school players to at least a year of college meaning a year away from their dreams of being a NBA player. From their controversy arises as the question is asked should the NBA draft high school players? I say no I believe the NBA should not draft high school, however there are pros and cons to both sides of the argument and there are NBA players that are proven examples of both sides of the argument. Dumornay 2 Even though There are â€Å"disaster stories of players entering the N. B. A. draft from high school and failing spectacularly. But as tragic as these stories are, they are the exception. A study by Michael McCann, a professor at Vermont Law School who is an expert on sports and legal issues, found that f the 21 high school players who declared for the draft from 1975 to 2001, four became superstars—Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine ONeal, and Tracy McGrady—and only four never made it to the N. B. A. The results were similar with those drafted from the classes of 2002 through 2005, when the ban was put in place: Of the 26 players drafted, 20 were still playing through last season and three have become superstars: Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, and LeBron J ames. † Buzz Bissinger Author, Friday Night Lights. We will write a custom essay sample on Nba vs Ncaa Should High School Players Be Allowed specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nba vs Ncaa Should High School Players Be Allowed specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nba vs Ncaa Should High School Players Be Allowed specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer So it is proven that players out of high school could be just as successful as players who go to play in college before they enter the NBA. These high school players want to chase their dreams as soon as possible and see the rule of waiting a year after high school as cruel and unfair. They see the rule as an obstacle stopping them from chasing their dreams and having financial security. The fact that one year can be so unpredictable players would like to sign their blockbuster contracts straight out of school avoiding any injuries or accident that can prevent them from being drafted. Its true these 18 year old kids have responsibilities to their families and to themselves to be successful in their trade. So they ask what makes it right for the N. B. A to to take those rights away from them. Some say the fact the high school students were allowed to follow their dreams right after high school made the sport even more attractive especially more attractive the the National football league which requires at least three years of collegiate play to be eligible for the draft. Those who are Dumornay 3 against the rule say the rule has no substantial support behind it being that the N. B. A best player and most prominent star was drafted straight out of high school. Yes its true Lebron James is labeled the best player in the N. B. A well the best player in the world and he was drafted out of high school in the 2003 draft and has excelled ever since. Viewed as the Michael Jordan of his time Lebron James was a 18 year old six foot eight inches small forward out of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High school in Akron, Ohio who would be the number one overall pick in 2003 draft as he was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James gave the city of Cleveland and the Cavaliers life as they now had the most promising young player. And today Lebron James is the face of the N. B. A he well represents the N. B. A as being well mannered and everything a N. B. A mega star could be. However not everyone is as lucky and gifted as Lebron James for that reason the rule is in place. Many times high school players who got straight to the N. B. A with no college play have the outcome of being draft bust. As there promise never came to reality and become a bad picture for the N. B. A as an organization. These immature 18 year old kids become burdens for the N. B. A. They become wild teens with large amounts of money and endless possibilities of getting in trouble. These teens misrepresent the N. B. A some have been on the cover of news stands for outrageous incidents they’ve partaken in , some cant handle media pressure and let emotions overwhelm them some quite frankly cant speak proper english in interviews. The policy of draft picks required to be out of high school is established to prevent these antics. Its to encourage these players to go play college ball in the Dumornay 4 National Collegiate Athletic Association to prepare them for the league. The NCAA prepares players for many essential things draft picks will need to be successful in the N. B. A. They will be further educated young men with experience of playing on a big stage not just the high school stage. They will know how to handle media and most importantly they will know how to conduct themselves as young men. The NCAA is much more disciplinary then the N. B. A so college players have a sense of urgency in knowing what to do and what not to do to stay out of trouble. If every draft pick gains the maturity needed in college then when they get to league they will be ready for the N. B. A stage. The N. B. A states â€Å"the N. B. A. s minimum-age requirement for players seeking to be drafted is, quite simply, good business for the league. The policy, which requires that a player be at least 19 and a year beyond the graduation of his high school class, is designed to make sure N. B. A. eams use their extremely valuable draft picks to acquire the players most likely to improve their teams performance. Before the current rule took effect in 2005, our teams had no choice but to evaluate high school players who had never competed at an elite level. Evaluating young talent in any sport can be extremely difficult; by increasing the minimum entry age, we gave teams at least one year to evaluate players in a more competitive setting. That can be in college, in the N. B. A. Development League, or in an international league. In those settings, players have the opportunity to mature as well, making them better able to deal with rigorous playing and travel schedules in the N. B. A. While a few N. B. A. -ready players have emerged right out of high school, it still took them time to grow their game. Most high school stars arent ready to play in the N. B. A. Between 1995 and 2005, nine high school players who entered the draft went unpicked; if they had planned for a basketball life between high school and the N. B. A. , they might have been in a better position to succeed in the draft the following year, or to succeed in life. We believe that requiring an additional year beyond high school strikes a fair balance between the needs of our teams and the desire of young athletes to begin their professional careers as soon as possible. The policy has improved players chances for success and made our league stronger. †- David Stern N. B. A. Commissioner To conclude although there are both pros and cons to the N. B. A policy of draft picks being required to be the minimum age of 19 and out of high school for at least a year is a reality. And stands as the N. B. A’s most controversial rule. I believe the N. B. A made the right call in implementing the policy. I say so because overall the pros overwhelm the cons. If a player has the opportunity to improve his education, his maturity, and his readiness for the next level then he should absolutely take the opportunity and that is exactly what the NCAA offers to the high school players. If I was an N. B. A general manager I would feel better about a player who spent a year playing college ball knowing he is more prepared for the N. B. A than a year ago. I believe the policy is made in the best interest of the players. The average N. B. A player’s career is 4. years long and this policy aims to produce better prepared players who are ready to take the N. B. A by storm and live up to their promise and most importantly have a longer career than 4. 8 years. The policy is placed to prevent N. B. A teams from picking a Kwame Brown who was the number one pick in 2001 and since then has just been a failure. Kwame Brown came straight out of high school and was never given the chance to develop his game and had a bad career as his paycheck drove him away from the gym. He was a disappointment as he would get suspended often and always in controversy. With this policy there will not be another Kwame Brown.

Political Theory # 2 Essays

Political Theory # 2 Essays Political Theory # 2 Essay Political Theory # 2 Essay In John Locke’s work entitled, â€Å"Second Treatise†, he articulated that, â€Å"The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone; and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that, being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions† (Colie, 1968). The aforementioned statement is where the problem came from. Actually, the alteration of John Locke’s term â€Å"possessions or property† into â€Å"pursuit of happiness† by Jefferson has strong ground/basis (Colie, 1968). Explaining further, this is because due to the fact that, when John Locke utilizes the term â€Å"possession or property†, he does not only refer to the tangible objects that individuals own, for instance, house and lot, cars, Xbox, laptops etc, instead he also took into consideration a much broader application, which now actually incl udes â€Å"life and liberty† (Curtis, 1981). Since John Locke did not only refer to concrete or physical objects like life and liberty, then Jefferson translated in into the term â€Å"happiness† (Curtis, 1981). Jefferson articulated it that way to be able to convey the message that he and John Locke were not only speaking about material things, they were also referring to those â€Å"essential things† which may bring about happiness in the long run (Curtis, 1981). For individuals to have a clearer and better understanding of the aforementioned, it should be mentioned where this is actually rooted from. John Locke was actually talking about the state of nature here in his magnificent work known as the â€Å"Second Treatise† (Curtis, 1981). He was saying that the state of nature is where men are after the â€Å"state of perfect freedom, state of equality, state governed by rationality, as well as a, state of liberty† which further explained and made simple by Jefferson by saying â€Å"pursuit of happiness† (Curtis, 1981). Health In addition to that, the word, â€Å"health† has been removed by Jefferson simply because when he stated, â€Å"to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness† (Curtis, 1981). It is very clear that the term life already entails health since it is a smaller topic or aspect which is covered by life (Curtis, 1981). It is done to avoid redundancy and eventually confusion (Curtis, 1981).

Pompeys Wives

Pompey's Wives Pompey the Great appears to have been a faithful and passionate husband. His marriages, however, were probably made for political convenience. In his longest lasting marriage, he sired three children. Two of his other marriages ended when Pompeys wives died in childbirth. The final marriage ended when Pompey himself was killed. Antistia Antistia was the daughter of a praetor named Antistius whom Pompey impressed when he defended himself before the praetor against a charge of possession of stolen property in 86 B.C. The praetor offered Pompey his daughter in marriage. Pompey accepted. Later, Antistias father was killed because of his connection with Pompey; in her grief, Antistias mother committed suicide. Aemilia In 82 B.C., Sulla persuaded Pompey to divorce Antistia in order to remarry his stepdaughter, Aemilia. At the time, Aemilia was pregnant by her husband, M. Acilius Glabrio. She was reluctant to marry Pompey but did so anyway and soon died in childbirth. Mucia Q. Mucius Scaevola was the father of Pompeys 3rd wife, Mucia, whom he married in 79 B.C. Their marriage lasted until 62 B.C., during which time they had a daughter, Pompeia, and two sons, Gnaeus and Sextus. Pompey eventually divorced Mucia. Asconius, Plutarch, and Suetonius say Mucia was unfaithful with Suetonius alone specifying the paramour as Caesar. However, it isnt clear why exactly Pompey divorced Mucia. Julia In 59 B.C. Pompey married the much younger daughter of Caesar, Julia, who was already engaged to Q. Servilius Caepio. Caepio was unhappy so Pompey offered him his own daughter Pompeia. Julia miscarried a few days after she had fainted in shock at seeing blood-stained clothing that made her fear her husband had been killed. In 54 B.C., Julia was pregnant again. She died in childbirth as she gave birth to a daughter who lasted only a few days. Cornelia Pompeys fifth wife was Cornelia, daughter of Metellus Scipio and widow of Publius Crassus. She was young enough to have been married to his sons, but the marriage appears to have been a loving one like the one with Julia. During the civil war, Cornelia stayed on Lesbos. Pompey joined her there and from there they went to Egypt where Pompey was killed. Source:The Five Wives of Pompey the Great, by Shelley P. Haley. Greece Rome, 2nd Ser., Vol. 32, No. 1. (Apr. , 1985), pp. 49-59.

Martin Luther King jr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Martin Luther King jr - Essay Example grew up in a society where there was a lot of segregation but he rose up against the social injustices in various ways that even saw him to be recognized as a Nobel Prize winner in the year 1964. This essay will discuss the major inspirations imparted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his career and other activities that aimed at terminating social injustices in the U.S. To start with, Martin Luther King Jr. started reformation towards social justice at early stages in his life, something not very common to many people. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a family of religious leaders, who advocated for social justice and fairness in the society. As a result, the young Martin Luther King Jr., initially named as Michael King was exposed to social issues that affected American populations. According to the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, the activism of his father against racial discrimination as well as the depression period in the country made Martin Luther King Jr. to be acquainted with the social injustices and economic inequalities in the country (1). Therefore, the nature of the early life of Martin Luther King Jr. made him to develop agitation for fairness to people in the society. What inspires most in this story is that Martin Luther King Jr. did not stop at that but took an initiative against the prevailing injustices . The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute points out that following the inspiration from his father as well as other religious leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. took an initiative of being ordained as a church leader and started his political activism by writing letters to editors of national newspapers while still at Morehouse College (1). This is quite inspiring because very few students can take such a bold step at their tender ages as in the case of Martin Luther King Jr. Of more significance, Martin Luther King Jr. was confident to criticize any issue that seemed not right in the

IDiscusson board reply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IDiscusson board reply - Coursework Example Many organizations driven by quality would implement a pay-for-performance system that will improve employees’ performance. They will set mechanisms to gather, analyze and interpret unbiased data of all employees through annual or semi-annual performance appraisals linked directly to an individual. This will remove biases and challenge employees to work harder since the industrious ones get appreciated through rewards such as promotion (NIV, Mathew 25.21). Linking employees’ performance to rewards will give the administration the best program to design salaries and wages. It will also help in performance, monitoring and evaluation, which will translate into quality production, profitability, low turnover and organizational discipline (Rehman, & Ali, 2013). However, such scenarios may not occur in organizations where management is bossy. Such management always has conflicts with employees resulting in a general decrease in production capacity despite high salaries. Healthier lifestyles will save organizations costs related to medical expenditure and production. The organizations are also developing employee wellness programs such as regular medical examinations focused on preventing health issues before they develop and increasing employee insurance premiums. Huang, S., & Lai, W. (2014). A study of the effect of incentive system on job performance- locus of control as a moderator. Journal of International Management Studies, 9(1), 89-98. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1517530191?accountid=45049 Rehman, R., & Ali, M. A. (2013). Is pay for performance the best incentive for employees? Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 4(6), 512-514. Retrieved from

Prepping Your Sources Essay Example for Free

Prepping Your Sources Essay Fill in the notes for the amendment and for each of the three categories (multi-media, contemporary cases, advocacy documents). If you need support for the citation, consult the MLA Formatting Guide you printed from the lesson. Amendment for your topic (from the Bill of Rights) Citation: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fourth_amendment What information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. The most important part of the amendment is the right to be secure from unwarranted search and seizures. How does this source support your topic? It shows how the government can bend the will of this amendment in their favor but it also shows how this amendment can severely help the defendants when they are truly guilty. What information from this source would be most useful to include in your informative/explanatory article? The general right of the people to be protected from unwarranted search and seizures in their own homes by police and other law enforcement. One Multi-Media Resource (videos, slideshows, audio files, infographics) Citation: http://www.slideshare.net/jenvogt/fourth-amendment-and-racial-profiling-1 Key Use: I used it to better understand the fourth amendment rights. What information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. How privacy rights are superseded by reasonable suspicion. How does this source support your topic? It helps me have a better understanding on the rights of the fourth amendments and right better able it. What information from this source would be most useful to include in your informative/explanatory article? The fact that your privacy is superseded by reasonable suspicion. Two Contemporary Case Resources (articles on recent case) #1 Citation Information: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/pdf/13-132.pdf Key Use: Gives a whole overview of the Riley Vs. California case. What  information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. The important information in this source is that a cop search Riley’s phone without a warranted and he was arrested on those charges. How does this source support your topic? It shows how unwarranted search and seizure leads to bad arrests and criminals get off the hook because of one mistake. What information from this source would be most useful to include in your informative/explanatory article? How the arrests happened and provide details about why and how the cop went about arresting riley. #2 Citation Information: https://www.eff.org/files/2014/06/20/patino_decision.pdf Key Use: Gives a full review of the case.  What information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. How the evidence was once again taken from a cell phone. How does this source support your topic? It shows more examples of fourth amendment rights being violated. What information from this source would be most useful to include in your informative/explanatory article? How the search went, provide details, and references about the whole case. Two Advocacy Documents or Articles (document or article including statements from presidents, politicians, or advocates about the topic you selected) #1 Citation Information: http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/lessons-plans/landmark-cases-and-the-constitution/olmstead-v-united-states-1927/ Key Use: In the Olmstead case Chief Justice William Taft had said the amendment meant physically searches and seizures. What information from this source seems the most important? Note key points mentioned in the source. How Chief Justice William Taft had said the amendment meant physically searches and seizures. How does this source support your topic? It shows how the government still bends the amendment in their favor. What information from this source would be most useful to include in your informative/explanatory article?

Biographical Portrayals in Strachey’s Eminent Victorians and Keynes’s B

Biographical Portrayals in Strachey’s Eminent Victorians and Keynes’s Biography of Isaac Newton The Bloomsbury notion of biography moved against what was the predominant norms of biography at the time. Iconoclastic in all their efforts, the Bloomsbury writers did an interesting thing regarding biography. In both Lytton Strachey’s portrayal of Florence Nightingale from Eminent Victorians and Maynard Keynes’s brief portrait of Isaac Newton, they strive to reinsert the iconoclastic into figures that have become so mainstream as to be banal in their eyes. There is an ironic derision of the stereotypes both figures have become alongside an enormous amount of respect for the non-stereotypical aspects of their character that made these figures as great as they were. Strachey’s Eminent Victorians could be summarized as an attempt to demonstrate the ways in which the key figures of the Victorian era were not as Victorian as one might assume. Florence Nightingale, in particular, could not be seen, through Strachey’s eyes at least, as simply the â€Å"Lady with the Lamp† seeking ...

Agricultural Equipment Business Essay

Agricultural Equipment Business Manufacturing, export and distribution opportunities in post-harvest equipment beckon entrepreneurs even as other farm products also hold great promise In the last decade, Buhler, a global manufacturer of grain milling, sorting and handling products, has been witnessing a geographical shift in demand for its products. While the US and Europe remained the mainstay for long, it is China and India that are now the demand hubs for its products. The company, which launched its India operations in 1992, has since expanded its facility in India and ramped up the workforce. Another equipment firm, Satake, a Japanese major, has been witnessing similar trend. But the presence of big firms such as Satake and Buhler has not had much effect on local manufacturing. Many small and medium enterprises operate at full capacity across the country. Take for instance, S P Khandelwal of S S Milling and Engineering. He sells grain cleaning and sorting equipment to flour mills, energy foods producers and snacks companies. He boasts of clients such as Bikanerwala, Priya Gold and Modi Flour Mill. It is the price factor that helps entrepreneurs such as Khandelwal survive the onslaught of the global majors. â€Å"Products sold by organized players are expensive while my products are low-cost,† he says. Farm equipment companies, both big and small, are fighting tooth and nail to grab the larger share of the lucrative India market, despite the fact that the agriculture sector’s share in the GDP has fallen over the years. This notwithstanding, the farm equipment sector, that is a key support for agriculture, has been growing at a brisk pace and is projected to touch $7. 9 billion by 2012, according to The Freedonia Group, a US-based market research firm. [pic] Growth Drivers A couple of factors are driving the growth of this sector. These are mechanization of agriculture, increase in contract farming, easy availability of farm loans at low interest rates, and migration of laborers from villages to cities. Mechanization of Indian agricultural has been a major booster. The continuous increase in the consumption of power for farm sector and the corresponding reduction in the use of animal and human power is a clear indication that more and more machines are being deployed. A study by KPMG, done for India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) throws up some interesting observations. It says the share of animals as the source of power for the agriculture sector declined sharply from 45% in 1971-72 to less than 10% in 2005-06.

Ikea Invades America Essay

Founded in 1943 by a poor Swedish farmer named Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA is now one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. From its inception, Kamprad wanted to create cheap, quality furniture that everyone could afford. That formula led to IKEA’s early success in Sweden and has carried over until today. To its customers, IKEA is not just a store but a way of life, which may be evident through the cult-like following the company has achieved. When talking about the four P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion), there are few companies in the world that have mastered this concept better than IKEA. IKEA has been able to recognize the demands of its shoppers and create compelling products that meet those demands at a reasonable price. Its products are sold at unique stores that serve strategically important, geographic markets. This paper examines the factors that have made IKEA such a big success and offers some recommendations for future growth in the United States. Today, IKEA has over 240 stores in 35 countries and has revenues of over $26 billion. Its revenues double every 5-6 years and the company is now expanding to growing markets like China, Japan, and Brazil. The future of IKEA looks brighter than ever. For a brief snapshot of IKEA’s current sales around the world see Appendix 1. In 1985, IKEA decided to invade America. Faced with this early failure, IKEA retooled its furniture to fit American tastes. IKEA soon became the fastest growing furniture retailer and the 14th largest furniture retailer overall in the United States. IKEA executives needed to find a balance of how to create new furniture offerings without losing its unique design and corporate soul. By examining IKEA’s marketing strategy and answering a series of four questions, we have developed recommendations (see Appendix 2) that we think will lead to IKEA’s continued growth and success. 1) What are some of the ways that furniture retailers have sought to overcome these purchase obstacles? : a) identifying a product that consumers like, b) visualizing the product in the consumer’s home, and c) getting the product in the consumer’s home? In furniture sales, there are two general strategies: the low-end and the high-end. The low-end offers cheap, utilitarian furniture that is dreary looking. Cheap furniture is marketed to people such as college students who have a small budget. The cheap furniture is also displayed in poorly lit showrooms that offer little to no customer service. High-end furniture stores compete on quality and service. The high-end offers a large selection in each style and sub-style of furniture, which results in the showroom having a large inventory. The broad, variety strategy virtually guarantees that a customer’s preferred style will be available. The high-end stores also have high touch sales associates to help customers with product selection and furniture measurement. Sales associates are trained to educate their customers; such as explaining the life spans of different materials. They also reassure customers that their furniture will last a life time. Visualizing a piece of furniture in a person’s home can be very difficult. The high-end furniture stores have beautiful showrooms that are elaborately decorated to help the customer visualize where they can place new furniture or how they can redecorate their home. High-end stores also offer interior design services. Most retailers offer credit to make high-end furniture more affordable. All retailers offer home delivery, sometimes free, to make the transition as painless as possible for the customer. As an added bonus, retailers offer to assemble the furniture in the customer’s home. Sometimes, delivering the furniture also involves rearranging furniture, as well as removing and discarding old furniture. Providing these services makes the purchase of new furniture an easy and worry-free process. 2) Explain IKEA’s reverse positioning strategy. IKEA created a matrix used to prioritize product lineup and price. (See Appendix 3) Primarily the matrix is used to set a target retail price and select a product style. With the matrix system, IKEA is able to identify product line opportunities and gaps; creating a well rounded store. IKEA has avoided the image of the low end furniture store by displaying furniture in brightly lit showrooms. These showrooms help customers envision how the furniture interacts with the allotted space. Plus color coordinated cards provide design tips and information kiosks are on hand to help customers. All of these features reinforce IKEA’s self service ethos without making the customer feel abandoned. In IKEA’s case, the firm rejected the standard business models for both high-end and low-end furniture stores. IKEA’s furniture is composed of cheaper parts that are not visible and are not under high stress through use and a higher quality material is used for the visible parts or parts under high stress. This gives IKEA’s furniture a higher end look while keeping their costs low. IKEA’s reverse positioning kept prices low, while eliminating many services thought essential to a higher-end store. The company replaced them with unique services for its category: a bright, inviting showroom, furniture that was attractively designed, a child care center, a restaurant serving Swedish meatballs, and brightly colored house wares and clever toys. As a result, IKEA successfully avoided the feel of the low-end retailers, and customers â€Å"find the IKEA shopping experience to be immensely appealing (Moon, â€Å"IKEA Invades America,† 5). 3) What are some of the various product/service attributes that IKEA has chosen to withhold from its customers? IKEA seems to incorporate a hybrid strategy focusing on both cost and differentiation. IKEA attempts to price in the low to midrange category. IKEA does not build its furniture to last a lifetime, which in-fact flows well with its ad campaigns focused on letting go of the semimetal value Americans often place on furniture. IKEA products are known for falling apart after a few years; however, its customers are typically satisfied with the look, functionality, and affordability of IKEA products (Moon, 2004, p. 5). Its focus is on cost-efficiency, so the company uses higher-quality materials on visible surfaces and lower-quality materials elsewhere. High-end stores compete on quality and â€Å"high touch† experience and selection. Nearly all types of furniture stores offer delivery services. However, IKEA successfully eliminated many of these attributes. IKEA products are designed to be transported unassembled in flat boxes, which keeps shipping costs low and prevents IKEA from having to deliver/assemble furniture for customers (Moon, 2004, p. ). Customers are responsible for transportation of their furniture and assembly of their furniture. Although this step may seem like its decreasing the consumer experience/perceived product value; it’s actually keeping the customer involvement level high. Moreover, the competitive pricing offered at IKEA is attributed to letting customer build their own furniture, which keeps costs to a minimum. Formerly, IKEA only produced a few different designs; however, this has changed in recent years. In order to be consistent with IKEA’s self-service ethos and to keep costs low, the ratio of sales assistants to customers is kept low. The low number of sales associates can have a negative effect on the consumer experience. To handle furniture questions, customers are provided with product descriptions and measuring tape so they can make their own measurements. 4) What are some of the areas that IKEA has managed to achieve cost efficiency by implementing a number of firm-specific operation processes? A number of cost effective operating processes have been implemented by IKEA. In furniture design, IKEA engineers often select cheaper/low quality materials for less visible areas that experience minimal stress and expensive materials for visible areas that undergo stress. This aids IKEA in producing durable, good-quality products at low costs. IKEA has worked with over 1,800 suppliers in over 50 countries and often uses suppliers from developing countries. To keep costs down, IKEA usually purchases in bulk and often orders various components of a given product from different suppliers. IKEA is strict with employees about waste; it enforces minimal travel budgets and requires them to save electricity. IKEA keeps a small staff in stores and provides self-serve trolleys to aid consumers in loading their vehicles. Typical furniture retailers require a larger staff and/or incur shipping costs for delivery of their bulky, already assembled products. Flat packaging allows IKEA customers to transport their purchases home and eliminates the expense of home delivery. IKEA’s flat packaging strategy is another firm specific operating process. The strategy was inspired by an employee who, in 1955, removed the legs off a table to fit it into a customer’s car. This strategy requires designers to keep in mind the amount of space their products take up in their unassembled form. Flat packaging also helps prevent damage to the products during the shipping process. IKEA will often redesign their products multiple times to achieve space optimization and reduce shipping costs. Space optimization typically lowers prices for consumers; however, it may lengthen the assembly process. IKEA should continue to incorporate cost cutting activities across the board so long as the consumer experience remains positive.

Acetaldehyde essays

Acetaldehyde essays The chemical compound ethanal more commonly known as acetaldehyde is an organic compound, which is created by the oxidation of ethanol, the loss of two hydrogen atoms to give a product containing a double bond to the oxygen and a single hydrogen bond. Acetaldehyde has many uses in the industrial world including the manufacturing of rubbers, fuels (which was more urgent in the 1970s), and food flavoring and preservative. The general population is exposed to acetaldehyde in many forms and concentrations. For the most part, acetaldehyde is relatively safe, such as in the use of air deodorizers and flavoring agents. However, it can cause some health hazards with increased exposure of high amounts of it, which normally occurs in agricultural industries and fuel stations. Acetaldehyde is a compound that can be found in yeast- fermented products and as a result of forest fires, feces, and insects. Producing acetaldehyde with no contaminates has been successful to date with the bioconversio n method. This enables the use of acetaldehyde in fruits to increase the natural flavoring and to decrease the fruits astringency in order to have an edible fruit in a shorter amount of time. Acetaldehyde has also proven to be a preservative of vitamins in rice, where in, acetaldehyde acts as a cross link to reinforce the grains internal structure. Acetaldehyde has proven its kindness to the environment. It rapidly volatilizes from water or land into the ground where it can biodegrade. Thus, the attributes acetaldehyde possess gives it the ability to have such a wide variety of purposes from developing rubber and substitute fuels to enhancing the flavoring of one of the food groups and preserving the vitamins and minerals in food needed for the nourishment of a healthy body. ...

Biography of Dido Elizabeth Belle, English Aristocrat

Biography of Dido Elizabeth Belle, English Aristocrat Dido Elizabeth Belle (c. 1761–July 1804) was a British aristocrat of mixed heritage. She was born into slavery in the British West Indies, the daughter of an African slave and British military officer Sir John Lindsay. In 1765, Lindsay moved with Belle to England, where she lived with royals and eventually became a wealthy heiress; her life was the subject of the 2013 film Belle. Fast Facts: Dido Elizabeth Belle Known For: Belle was a mixed-race English aristocrat who was born into slavery and died a wealthy heiress.Born: c. 1761 in the British West IndiesParents: Sir John Lindsay and Maria BelleDied: July 1804 in London, EnglandSpouse: John Davinier (m.  1793)Children: John, Charles, William Early Life Dido Elizabeth Belle was born in the British West Indies around 1761. Her father Sir John Lindsay was a British nobleman and navy captain, and her mother Maria Belle was an African woman that Lindsay is thought to have found on a Spanish ship in the Caribbean (little else is known about her). Her parents were not married. Dido was named after her mother, her great-uncle’s first wife, Elizabeth, and for Dido the Queen of Carthage. â€Å"Dido† was the name of a popular 18th-century play, William Murray, a descendant of Dido’s great-uncle, later said. â€Å"It was probably chosen to suggest her elevated status,† he said. â€Å"It says: ‘This girl is precious, treat her with respect.’† A New Beginning At about the age of 6, Dido parted ways with her mother and was sent to live with her great-uncle William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, and his wife in England. The couple was childless and already raising another great-niece, Lady Elizabeth Murray, whose mother had died. It’s unknown how Dido felt about the separation from her mother, but the split resulted in the mixed-race child being raised as an aristocrat rather than a  slave (she did, however, remain the property of Lord Mansfield). Dido grew up at Kenwood, a royal estate outside of London, and was allowed to receive a royal education. She even served as the earl’s legal secretary, assisting him with his correspondence (an unusual responsibility for a woman at the time). Misan Sagay, who wrote the screenplay for the film â€Å"Belle,† said that the earl appeared to treat Dido nearly equally to her completely European cousin. The family purchased the same luxurious items for Dido that they did for Elizabeth. Quite often if they were buying, say, silk bed hangings, they were buying for two, Sagay said. She believes that the earl and Dido were very close, as he wrote about her with affection in his diaries. Friends of the family- including Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay- also noted the close relationship between Dido and the earl. Scottish philosopher James Beattie noted her intelligence, describing Dido as a negro girl about 10 years old, who had been six years in England, and not only spoke with the articulation and accent of a native, but repeated some pieces of poetry, with a degree of elegance, which would have been admired in any English child of her years. Life at Kenwood A 1779 painting of Dido and her cousin Elizabeth- which now hangs in Scotland’s Scone Palace- shows that Dido’s skin color did not give her inferior status at Kenwood. In the painting, both she and her cousin are dressed in finery. Also, Dido is not positioned in a submissive pose, as blacks typically were in paintings during that time period. This portrait- the work of Scottish painter David Martin- is largely responsible for generating public interest in Dido over the years, as is the notion, which remains in dispute, that she influenced her uncle, who served as Lord Chief Justice, to make legal decisions that led to slavery in England being abolished. The one indication that Dido’s skin color did result in her being treated differently at Kenwood is that she was forbidden to take part in formal dinners with her family members. Instead, she had to join them after such meals concluded. Francis Hutchinson, an American visitor to Kenwood, described this phenomenon in a letter. A black came in after dinner and sat with the ladies and, after coffee, walked with the company in the gardens, one of the young ladies having her arm within the other,† Hutchinson wrote. â€Å"He [the earl] calls her Dido, which I suppose is all the name she has.† Inheritance Although Dido was slighted during meals, William Murray cared enough about her to want her to live autonomously after his death. He left her a large inheritance and granted Dido her freedom when he died at the age of 88 in 1793. Death After her great-uncle’s death, Dido married Frenchman John Davinier  and bore him three sons. She died in July 1804 at age 43. Dido was buried in the cemetery at St. Georges Fields, Westminster. Legacy Much of Didos unusual life remains a mystery. It was David Martins portrait of her and her cousin Elizabeth that initially stirred so much interest in her. The painting inspired the 2013 film Belle, a speculative work about the aristocrats unique life. Other works about Dido include the plays Let Justice Be Done and An African Cargo; the musical Fern Meets Dido; and the novels Family Likeness and Belle: The True Story of Dido Belle. The absence of recorded information about Didos life has made her an enigmatic figure and the source of endless speculation. Some historians believe she may have influenced her uncle in making his historic anti-slavery rulings as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Sources Bindman, David, et al. The Image of the Black in Western Art. Belknap Press, 2014.Jeffries, Stuart. â€Å"Dido Belle: the Artworld Enigma Who Inspired a Movie.† The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 May 2014.Poser, Norman S. Lord Mansfield: Justice in the Age of Reason. McGill-Queens University Press, 2015.

Do managers take decisions for the good of the organisation or do they Essay

Do managers take decisions for the good of the organisation or do they behave the way they do for other reasons - Essay Example In the process of evolution, it is highly likely that the business developed from a one man enterprise or family business to a partnership, then to a public limited or private limited company. Ultimately it branched out from a local to regional and regional to international undertaking. It is highly probable, even inevitable, that the evolution and change in outside form also bring about changes in the internal handling of business decisions and operational practices. This becomes necessary as the tasks of managing the different aspects of the business become too complex and heavy for one man or a number of partners to manage alone. Ultimately as the business expands, it has to reinvent itself as a model of modern business enterprise. This will invariably involve the assignment or scheduling of tasks to professionally hired managers, with expertise in production techniques, Human Resources, marketing and sales, finance and accounting etc. Each departmental head becomes a prized resou rce, responsible for meeting his departments and workers goals and assignments. Authority and responsibility become interlinked, but seldom has it been seen that the upper management is taken to task for targets not achieved or a failed project. Rather, more often than not it is the middle and lower management and supervisors/ workers that are made to bear the brunt of the axe and the shame associated with it. This state of affairs often makes one stop and think- do managers take decisions for the good of the organization or do they behave the way they do for other reasons? This paper will argue that the interests of the organization are not always uppermost in the minds of the managers, rather, as they gain and wield power- managers tend to collude with each other for their own collective benefit, while in many cases insisting that failure was because of the ineptitude of people on the lower rungs of the ladder. I would rather state that managers keep their own interests uppermost in their mind at every turn. They are interested in their own survival, going as close to the top as they can, and toppling others who they consider as competition. The lower management or their subordinates are just pawns in the game (Rosen, 1988). The Evolution of the Modern Business Enterprise If we look at the evolution of a modern business, we see that it is quite likely to have its beginnings as a sole proprietorship or family business, in which every family member has a share of responsibilities. Or it could have started as a partnership, where two or more partners pooled together their skills, resources and business acumen to offer products and services to the general populace or those that needed their wares. The disadvantage here was that of unlimited liability, or cases where even their personal property could be attached to repay debts if the business failed. In time this led to the evolution of the corporate form of business ownership. As the Industrial Revolution swept through Europe and the Americas, investment was needed from both public and private sources to raise capital for infrastructure and the laying of railroads, transport and communication, factories and warehouses. The beginning of assembly line production at the Ford Motor Company meant that things could now be mass produced after breaking down the process into a series of steps. Then F.W.