How We Have Bubble Gum Today

How We Have Bubble Gum Today In the early 1900s, Americans could not get enough of the modern-day variation on the lip-smacking confection called bubble or chewing gum popularized by Thomas Adams. The popular treat has a long history and has come in many forms over time. Earliest Record of Chewing Gum A variation of chewing gum has been used by ancient civilizations and cultures around the world. It is believed that the earliest evidence we have of chewing gum dates back to the Neolithic  period. Archeologists discovered  6,000-year-old chewing gum made from  birch bark tar, with tooth imprints  in Finland. The tar from which the gums were made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal benefits. Ancient Cultures   Several ancient cultures used chewing gum regularly. It is known that the ancient Greeks chewed mastiche, a chewing gum made from the resin of the mastic tree. The ancient Mayans chewed chicle, which is the sap of the sapodilla tree. Modernization of Chewing Gum In addition to the ancient Greeks and Mayans, chewing gum can be traced back to a variety of civilizations around the world, including the Eskimos, South Americans, Chinese and Indians from South Asia. The modernization and commercialization of this product mainly took place in the United States. Native Americans chewed resin made from the sap of spruce trees. In 1848, American John B. Curtis picked up on this practice and made and sold the first commercial chewing gum called the State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum. Two years later, Curtis started selling flavored paraffin gums, which became more popular than spruce gums. In 1869, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna introduced Thomas Adams to chicle, as a rubber substitute. It did not take off as a use for rubber, instead, Adams cut chicle into strips and he marketed it as Adams New York Chewing Gum in 1871. Potential Health Benefits Gum can be credited for several health benefits, such as potentially increasing cognition and brain function after chewing the gum. An additive and sugar substitute xylitol has been found to reduce cavities and plaque in teeth.   Another known effect of chewing gum is that it increases saliva production. Increased saliva can be a good way to keep the mouth fresh, which is helpful for reducing halitosis (bad breath). Increased saliva production has also been found to be helpful following surgery involving the digestive system and for the possible reduction of digestive disorders, such as GERD, also known as acid reflux. Timeline of Gum in Modern Times Date Chewing Gum Innovation December 28, 1869 William Finley Semple became the first person to patent a chewing gum, U.S. patent No. 98,304 1871 Thomas Adams patented a machine for the manufacture of gum 1880 John Colgan invented a way to make chewing gum taste better for a longer period of time while being chewed 1888 Adams chewing gum called Tutti-Frutti became the first chew to be sold in a vending machine. The machines were located in a New York City subway station. 1899 Dentyne gum was created by New York druggist Franklin V. Canning 1906 Frank Fleer invented the first bubble gum called Blibber-Blubber gum. However, the bubble blowing chew was never sold. 1914 Wrigley Doublemint brand was created. William Wrigley, Jr. and Henry Fleer were responsible for adding the popular mint and fruit extracts to a chicle chewing gum 1928 Walter Diemer, employee of Fleers company, invented the successful pink colored Double Bubble bubble gum. 1960s U.S. manufacturers switched to butadiene-based synthetic rubber as a base for gum, because it was cheaper to manufacture

Landscape

Landscape Landscape Landscape By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, What is the meaning and usage of landscape in [phrases] like emerging media landscape or emerging distribution landscape? First I’ll address traditional meanings of the noun landscape as it refers to scenery. Although Old English had the word landscipe, meaning â€Å"a tract of land† or â€Å"a region,† the word landscape entered modern English in the early 17th century from another Germanic language, Dutch. It was borrowed as a technical term for a painting or drawing that represented natural inland scenery–as opposed to a portrait or a seascape. By the 19th century, landscape had also come to mean â€Å"a tract of land with its distinguishing characteristics and features, especially considered as a product of modifying or shaping processes and agents.† The features could be the result of either natural processes or human design. Here are current examples of both meanings: William Turner (1775-1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, water-colorist, and printmaker. Running for 186 miles, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path takes you through a rich assortment of different landscapes along Wales’ west coast, from limestone cliffs to red sandstone bays and lush, glacial valleys. The New California Landscape promotes a balance between urban landscapes and the environment, includes diverse and beautiful aesthetic qualities, and facilitates the efficient use and management of resources, especially water. The phrases â€Å"emerging media landscape† and â€Å"emerging distribution landscape† reflect landscape’s new use in the vocabulary of marketers and bureaucrats. The Ngram Viewer shows that â€Å"media landscape† appeared in the 1960s, but didn’t soar until the 1980s. â€Å"Distribution landscape† emerged in the 1990s. The â€Å"media landscape† refers to the way people get their news and entertainment. In earlier times, we read newspapers and books, listened to the radio, watched television, collected records, and went to the movies. That was the â€Å"old media landscape.† Now we have smart phones, electronic notebooks, digital books, home theaters, and the Web. Distribution in â€Å"distribution media† is a business term referring to the way vendors get their products to consumers and how consumers pay for them. One channel of distribution is the simple transaction of buying a set of dishes at a yard sale: the seller of the dishes puts them outside with a price on them; the buyer hands over cash and takes them home. A more complicated channel of distribution is involved in buying a computer. The buyer places an order–in a store, on the telephone, or online. Payment is made in advance–by cash or check in the store, by credit card in the store or online–or by some other method, such as PayPal. The computer is then transported–likely from China–by air and by truck to the point of purchase. The â€Å"new distribution landscape,† moves beyond traditional methods of delivery. For example, it’s possible to buy a product such as software or music online and have it delivered by download. This figurative use of landscape has nothing to do with the physical world. It seems to be a trendy replacement for the once-fashionable paradigm as an inflated synonym for pattern or model. This abstract use is trickling into other contexts: The Changing Content Distribution Landscape Reflections on the New Compliance Landscape Navigating the New Rural Banking Landscape The New â€Å"Meaningful Use† Landscape: A Transition from Incentives to Penalties A brief discussion about  the new lending landscape In the context of printing, landscape is used as both adjective and adverb in reference to shape (oblong) and directionality (horizontal). The opposite of landscape in this context is portrait (vertical): Should I design my illustrated kindle ebook for portrait or landscape mode? AOL pages print Landscape Instead of Portrait Print set-up shows portrait but prints landscape. As a verb, landscape means to beautify an outside area by making it part of a continuous and harmonious scene. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?"Latter," not "Ladder"7 Other Types of Pronouns

Harvard style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Harvard style - Essay Example These people are not involved in teaching, which is the main service of the education institution, but instead they look after administration, maintenance and provide services to main employees such as teachers etc. From my research, I can conclude that any educational institution would require personnel in the following support areas. A library is a necessity of any organization and I have found that hiring the librarian or library assistant is one of the most important jobs in colleges and other educational institutions. It is considered as a support job, because the purpose of education institutions is not to provide books to the students, but to impart education. Hence, this will be considered as a support job. The other area where support staff is required is the maintenance. There are plenty of support jobs available in maintenance. Here a cleaner, a janitor and a technician will be need for the cleanliness of the building and in order to make sure that all the electrical equipments such as projectors work well. Many colleges and universities are opening up on-campus finance offices. As a result of this, a number of support jobs have become available. A cashiers, finance head and finance assistance have also become common support jobs. These are some of the support jobs that many universities and colleges are hiring these days and have become common in the job market. In accordance to our need, I will try to fill some of the vacant jobs in our university, to make sure that we run with complete efficiency. (Job Rapido, 2010) The project plan that I am going to use in order to make the functioning of my university more effective, I will create a project plan for project control and successful implementation. Some people argue that excellence in execution is perhaps the most important part of any project. On the contrary, I believe that project control is equally as important in order to make sure

Ethics case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics case - Essay Example Tarek should also consider the fact that Hind has taken measures to improve the quality of pizza and that blind taste tests have rendered Holiday Inn made pizza to be at least of the same quality as the quality of pizzas made by two major pizza delivery competitors in Amman. Another fact that needs to be considered is that the strategy of installing a pizza oven in the kitchen in the past did bring modest improvement in the room service business, and the only step that could be taken after considering the departing guests’ responses was to improve the quality, which when tried did not improve the business. These facts strongly justify the establishment of a separate pizza-making facility with a separate identity. However, Hind’s proposal that this should be kept a secret is subject to critical analysis. The ethical issues in the case are hidden truth about the identity of Napoli Pizza. Clients are being made to believe that it is a separate pizza-making facility that apparently has no connection with Holiday Inn. This is evident from the fact that separate Napoli Pizza brochures and special Napoli Pizza boxes are being requested for each guest room in addition to Napoli Pizza hats and jackets for the room service personnel that would be assigned the task of delivering the pizzas to the clients. The fact that their prefix would be other than that of Holiday Inn speaks of Hind’s attempt to hide the pizza’s connection with Holiday Inn. For a restaurant to maintain its high reputation, brand image, and customer loyalty, it is imperative that it stays honest with the clients and does the business in a transparent way. A potential risk in the proposal is that Holiday Inn’s image might be jeopardized in the clients’ eyes if they find out the truth and there are possibilities for this; firstly, the phone calls made at the number mentioned on the Napoli Pizza brochures will be attended at

Extreme Sports Essay Example for Free

Extreme Sports Essay It is quite common these days for sport players in many countries to get injured during they are playing sports. People reckon this phenomenon is especially true when people play some relatively more violent and extreme sports. Although those sports court the excitement and challenge the utmost of human being which certainly cannot be brought by other common sport, but, still some conservative people advocate to ban this kind of sport. Those people who assert to ban dangerous sport in publics, the first thing they have to do is to define what sorts of sports are dangerous. Clearly, people divide the sport according to their tendency to lead people injury. But dilemma has occurred here. We all know that there is no definite safe or dangerous sports. Even the safest sports , you can name it, be it running or swimming, they all can induce danger or even pose a threat to peoples life. Sport player may involve in incidents or they can be drowned, this is not limited to those who are unable to swimming, but also evident among those who are good at swimming, they may die because of exhaustion or careless or even be attacked by shark when they swimming in sea. So, the so called safe sports do take peoples lives. Opposing, if in a extreme sport such as skiing, if the player have been correctly educated and trained, with proper protective equipment and play with cautions, then the danger will minimize to the least, even safer than the so called safe sports. To sum up, there is not really dangerous sports if we have put necessary protective equipment, or the proper training and the education has been set in. meanwhile, even the non-dangerous sport also brings bad results if we are careless. So, probably, no sport is really dangerous, the real danger is careless and unsecure equipment. Thus, governments’ role here is not to ban the dangerous sport, but to provide the proper guide to let the player enjoy the sport and in the mean time knows how to play safely.

Essay example --

Statement of Purpose We are accessible only to a limited quantity of resources around us. Considering the current usage and availability of resources, it has become very important for us to use them as wisely as possible. As an industrial engineer my aim is to find ways to eliminate wastefulness and enhance the efficiency of the process or service being provided. I would like to enhance my knowledge and in order to achieve this, I wish to pursue my Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering at the Arizona State University. I aspire to do my PhD after my Masters to fulfil my long term career goal of carrying out postdoctoral industrial research while becoming a tenured professor. Throughout, my inclination has always been towards academics and I consistently strive to achieve the best. I attended one of the best schools in my city, National Public School, Bangalore. Be it in school or my college, I have always been very enthusiastic about learning something new. In 2010, I started my undergraduate degree course in Industrial Engineering and Management in the prestigious M.S. Ramaiah ...

Retirement plans

Abstract A good retirement plan should be one that would provide retirees with the most benefits. These benefits should ideally provide tax advantages. Tax savings can be realized in the short run or in the long run depending on the type of scheme selected. It should also provide a secure investment that offers attractive returns. This paper looks into the retirement programs highlighting the advantages of these schemes to different players. This paper opines that despite the few disadvantages of these schemes, They provide an great avenue through which employees can plan their futur. Definition These are a programs established by employer or employee or both aimed at providing the retirees with a source of income when they are no longer in employment. Retirement plans basically are set up as a form of savings plan to cater for the future i.e. by providing some form of income when a person has retired. Types of retirement plans There are several retirement plans available in the market today. The employees should therefore select a plan that meets their expectation and suits their needs. Below is a list and explanation of some of the available retirement plans. i) Individual Retirement Accounts plans It is one of the simplest retirement programs that can be set by an individual. It is also worthwhile to note that IRAs be established by employers. Therefore IRAs can be established with little employers’ involvement to those that they establish and contribute to the scheme. The retirement benefits depend on the contributions and subsequently the income earned by these funds. There are four IRA plans Payroll Deduction IRA- formed by the employee either under traditional or Roth IRA in conjunction with a financial institution. The financial institution (banks, insurance companies) then deducts the contributions towards the plan under the authority of the employee. Traditional IRA contributions are partly or wholly tax deductible and therefore present tax savings to the employee. The other advantage is that the earnings on the plan are not taxed unless distributed. The same applies to the contributions to the plan. Roth IRA deductions are not tax deductible and also distributions are not part of the income (Internal Revenue Service 2008) Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SARSEP) – It is a simple plan that involves salary reduction agreement which enables the employers to contribute to the IRAs set by them and also to the employees IRAs. There contributions are subject to a limit. Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SEP)-Employers contribute towards the plan Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE IRA) – employers make contributions towards their own retirement plan and also that of the employees. The employees reduce their salaries with the employers making similar contributions. ii) IRC 401 (K) Plans. Can involve employees delaying their salaries and these money is taken to 401(k) plan supported by their employers. The deferred salary is not taxed unless distributed. The benefit of having a 401(k) plan is that one can have other plans as well The employee/employer contribution is subject to a limit with withdrawals being permitted but subject to taxes. iii) TRC 403(b)-Tax sheltered Annuity Plans This plan are operated by public schools and certain tax exempt organizations. This plan is same as 401(k) in the sense that contributions are in form of salary delays with the employers sponsoring the plan. The potential benefits of this plan are that the contributions and earnings on retirement are tax deferred with annuities being carried by the employee on retirement or change of employers (IRS: 2008) iv) IRC 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plans Established by state or local government or tax exempt organization under IRA (501(c). Employees or employers contribute to the plan through salary reductions up to a certain set limit under IRC 402(g) These plans can be eligible under IRC 457 (b) or illegible under IRC 457(f). Eligible plan allows tax deferral on contributions and earnings on the retirement funds (Ryterband &Alpem: 2005) v) Designated Roth Accounts in 401(k) or 403(b) plans 401(k) and 403(b) can be designated as Roth plans since 2006. These plans are allowed under Code section 402 A added by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act 2001. Designated Roth contributions are included in the gross income and are also elective. A designated Roth account is where with contributions is made with separate accounting of contributions, gains and losses being maintained (IRS 2008) Designated Roth contributions are subject to limit with employee and employers contributing up to certain determinable limit. Advantages and Disadvantages of good retirement plan As discussed above, there are different types of retirement plans that employees and employers can chose from. The plan to be selected should provide the most benefits to both the employer and employee and most importantly suit the needs of both the employee and employers (Scotto, D., J et al: 2008) Therefore, in discussing the advantages and disadvantages of retirement plans, it important to approach it from the employees and employers point view. Advantages-Employees Tax saving-A good retirement plan should be able to provide the most tax savings and advantages. Tax advantages can be in the form of tax-exempt and tax deferrals. A good number of retirement plans offer these tax advantages and therefore employees and employers can select a plan that meets their needs (Maddock J, 2007) The tax savings can be realized in the short run or in the long run depending on the type of scheme selected. Many investment options and opportunities-The contributions (funding) to the retirement plan are invested in various investment options. A good retirement plan should therefore put the money in investments that offer attractive returns while at the same time safeguarding the investor’s money. Retirement plans are long term in nature and therefore the contributions should be invested in the long term also (Perlinger Financial Services: 2008) Provides a ‘nest egg’-Retirement plans provide employees with an opportunity to slowly but constantly contribute towards their retirement. The benefit of this arrangement is that it does not strain the employees financially and thus they are able to make contribution which they are comfortable with. All these contributions are invested in stocks, bonds and other investment opportunities which earn interest and appreciate in value and therefore the retirement benefits will accumulate and become substantial upon retirement. Employer contributions-Contribution to the retirement benefits plan can be by an individual or by the company or both depending on the type of plan. A good retirement benefit plan should allow both contribution of employee and employer. The employer contributions are usually elective in nature. Contributions by both employer and employee ensure that the fund accumulates faster and thus on retirement the fund will be huge. Performance of the fund-The contributors to the retirement scheme should be able to monitor the performance of the fund. A good retirement benefits plan should provide regular updates on the performance of the fund so that any surplus or deficit can be appropriately dealt with. Advantages- Employer Employee retention-A good retirement plan can act as an incentive to the employees and also attract better employees. The company can retain its top employees by offering them a good retirement scheme and since it is for the long term, the company is able to retain them. The company is also able to attract employees who are better qualified in terms of experience and skills and thus the company will benefit (Business Owners Toolkit: 2008) Financial security of employees-Employees is able to perform optimally if they know that their financial future is guaranteed.   A retirement benefit plan that provides this perceived financial security is good Employee morale-Since most pension schemes are based on the salary earned by the employee, a good retirement plan therefore, serves to motivate and encourage all employees to work hard and hence earn more wages. Higher salaries subsequently means ‘handsome’ retirement package and this enhances staff morale. Tax savings-The contributions to the retirement scheme in most plans is tax allowable and this provides the company with the most tax efficient way of rewarding its employees. The contributions are deducted when calculating the taxable income. Reduced recruitment costs-As seen above, a good retirement plan helps the company retain most of its employees and therefore the costs associated with recruitment and replacing the employees who left the company is minimized (Perlinger Financial Services:2008) Disadvantages of retirement plans Despite all the numerous advantages of setting up a retirement plan, there are several disadvantages associated with it. Some of these are discussed below. Some of the retirement plans are time consuming, expensive and complex to set up. The result of this is that the company incurs extra expenses and thereby squeezing the profit margins. The complexities in establishing the plan will also present more costs apart from being time consuming (Business Owners Toolkit: 2008) The operations of the retirement plan needs professional expertise e.g. that of actuaries and accountant. These professionals offer their services at a fee which is usually expensive. The administrative costs of running a retirement plan may pose a challenge to the company in terms of extra costs. Early retirement by the employee could reduce the amount received. This in essence means that the employee has to work his full employment term in order to receive all his retirement benefits. This could mean being trapped in employment even if one is not comfortable. Joining a retirement plan late on in one’s employment i.e. when there are a few years till retirement may not accumulate a large amount enough to sustain the retiree. Therefore the retirement plan will not improve the financial security of the employee (Scotto, D., J et al: 2008) In some of the retirement plans, the contributor has no role in deciding where to invest the fund’s money. This means that the money could be invested in assets that are not in line with one’s investment strategies. This essentially means that the contributor has no control of his money. Employees are responsible for ensuring that they have enough savings for their retirement in some of the plans. This means that the employee is the one in charge of all the investment assets and therefore bears the responsibility of any losses incurred by these investments. Reference: Maddock, J (2007) Advantages of Offering a Pension Plan to Your Employees: Retrieved On 29/1/2009 Perlinger Financial Services Ltd (2008) Pension Plans: Retrieved on 29/1/2008 Internal Revenue Service (2008) Types of Retirement Plans: Retrieved On 29/1/2008 Business Owners Toolkit (2008) Pros and Cons of Retirement Plans: Retrieved On 29/1/2008 From http://www.toolkit.com/small_business_guide/sbg.aspx?nid=P05_4640 Scotto, D., J.   Maglio, V., T. & Maglio, M. (2008) Choosing a retirement plan that meets the needs of employees and employer: Retrieved on 29/1/2008 from Retrieved On From http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=2333 Chang RuthenBerg and Long Pc (2003) Types of Retirement Plans retrieved on 29/1/2008 from  Ã‚   http://www.seethebenefits.com/CRLframeset800x600.asp?targetPage=http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:AO6rPS-WpS4J:www.seethebenefits.com/content/CWHY/typesretireplans.htm%20types%20of%20retirement%20plans Ryterand, D., J. & L. Alpem, R., L. (2005). The Hand Book of Employee Benefits: Design Funding and Administration, section 457, Deferred compensation plans 6th Edition (NY) Mc Graw-Hill Professional.         

The Ideas of the Classical Theorists, Particularly

The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashion and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organization today. Is this really the case? The classical theory is the earliest form of management that perceived that a set of universal principles would apply to all the organizations in all situations to achieve efficiency and organization's goals. co.uk/nursing-scientific-management-and-frederick-taylor/">Scientific management and bureaucratic theory were one of the several components of the classical school of organization.Important pioneers among them are Frederick Taylor and Max Weber. The classical theories have been contested of little relevance to work and organization today simply because today’s organizations have moved from industrial revolution to the information age due to the fast-paced change in technology (Toffler, 1984). Although bureaucracy has been synonymous to red tape and has negatives effects such as â€Å"rigidity, alienation and low commitment† (Adler, 1999, p. 7) and dehumanizing people (Grey, 2009), the characteristics of bureaucracy such as specialization, hierarchy of authority, system of rules and impersonality (Stewart, 1986) as well as evidence of ongoing existence of this management method, bureaucracy is proved to remain noteworthy. This essay will examine the situation presented in organization today, and determine whether bureaucracy and scientific management can be considered as old fashioned, out of date and of little relevance to work and organization today.With the broad set of powerful economic, social and technological changes – greater competition, globalization of production, rising demand for innovation, new forms of information technology and wide change in customer preferences have concluded that the days of stable structures of bureaucratic models are over. According to Warren, he concluded tha t there was no longer the stable business environment which bureaucracy exists, resulting in the rigid and formal rules of bureaucracy to be obsolete (Knights and Willmott, 2006). Like dinosaurs, mechanistic organizations are doomed and the days of post-bureaucracies have arrived† (Du Gay, 2005). With an increasing growth in knowledge-intensive sectors, for example consultancy companies, law and accounting firms, advertising agencies, research-and-development and IT companies, the need for flexibility and capacities for creative action has become more important than narrow efficiency (Karreman, Sveningsson and Alvesson, 2002).These knowledge-intensive firms are performing tasks that are more complex than before, making it more challenging to convert them into standardized work procedures and regulations, which make bureaucracy model become less relevant to work today. Supported by Mr Paul, who was the Vice-Chairman of Wipro from 1999 to 200, â€Å"IT service companies need a fundamental redesign. The bureaucracy is killing customer satisfaction† (Narasimhan, 2011). At the same time, it suggests employees demand for more flexibility and autonomy, rather than simply following orders and rules.However, studies show that knowledge-intensive companies are becoming more bureaucratic in their operations. In the case of Beta Consulting Company, â€Å"authority is seen practiced through hierarchy, work methodology is standardized and work procedures are fine-tuned towards predictability of outputs† (Karreman, Sveningsson and Alvesson, 2002). Since the 1970s, there is also an alleged shift from â€Å"industrial† to â€Å"post industrial† era, from mass production of standard products to short products for the niche markets.For example, the Apple IPhone demonstrates a shorter production run such as a new version of the IPhone is released every year (Smith, 2011). Post-bureaucracy is proposed as a new organizational model which is more ap propriate to today’s business environment in a sense that it is based on trust, empowerment, personal treatment and shared responsibility. A flatter and organic structure of post-bureaucracy is fundamental to allow employees to be more creative and capable of adapting themselves to the variety of new problems faced in today’s competitive environment.There is also a reduction in the level of hierarchy to allow employees to take greater responsibility, which in return increases job satisfaction (du Gay, 2005). On the contrary, greater responsibility can actually cause greater stress for employees, as they now no longer have the same level of protection that bureaucracies can provide. Nevertheless, the idea-type of post-bureaucracy also imposes problems such as lost of control, risk and unfairness (Knights and Willmott, 2006). The claims of the death of bureaucracy and the emergence of Post-Bureaucracy are further debated.Evidence of bureaucracy model is shown in George R itzer’s McDonaldization. Ritzer defines McDonaldization as, â€Å"the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 4). The fast-food industry is the paradigm of McDonaldization and reflects on the instrumental rationality that Weber identified. In this case, the success of McDonald’s restaurants has been noticeable up till today and is because it offers consumers, workers and managers â€Å"efficiency, calculability, predictability and control† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 6). It provides convenience for the customer in today’s fast-paced environment and customers are ensured similar taste, quantity and quality to whichever restaurant they go. McDonald’s has also shown great evidence of the continuing use of Taylorism techniques for measuring, timing and evaluating work. One of the main aspects of scientific management that McDonald’s have implemented into their business is the Fordist management style where everyone works according to an assembly line. Fordism has been called â€Å"Taylorism plus the assembly line† (Rosenberg, 1969).During the days of Ford Motors, Henry Ford implemented the fordist model in the car-manufacturing firm, and McDonald’s have distinctly adapted this idea into their corporate culture. For example, the company has designed all of its food chain branches in such a style that employees do not have to take more than two steps to complete their task. Further evidence suggesting that Taylor’s ideas have been implemented would be for example, the importance of creating the best worker for the job, through the division of tasks and specialization among workers.The method in which McDonald’s for example, create their hamburger is a form of deskilling and division of task, by simplification of a task; first grilling the burger, putting in other ingredients, adding sauce, placing them onto bread roll and then wrapping it up. From this, a break down of job task and having each individual to do specific steps improves efficiency. Other aspects such as cooking times, drinks dispensers and french fries machines are used to limit the time needed to complete a task, hence showing aspects of scientific management (Jozzo1000, 2007).Without this management style, McDonald’s probably would not be in such dominant and efficient position in the market. However, the McDonaldization system has been heavily criticized. Despite the effect of Taylor’s scientific management on the workplace has increased productivity while replacing skilled craftsman with unskilled workers, it reduces workers to automatons. Individuals equipped with advanced skills are limited to highly simplified tasks and hence restricting them from living up to their human potential. It also assumes workers are satisfied by money alone.Frederick Herzbergâ⠂¬â„¢s two-factor theory has successfully supported this view. Herzberg developed a theory that contradicted Taylor’s ideas as he developed â€Å"job enrichment†. Herzberg stated that there are two factors that could motivate an individual, Hygiene and Motivator. Hygiene factors once fulfilled will remove job dissatisfaction but will not motivate. In order to motivate, the motivation factors must be fulfilled. This goes against Taylor’s ideas of workers are motivated primarily by salary as Herzberg’s analysis proved that money is not a motivating factor (Brooks, 2009).More criticisms such as in McDonald’s, tasks are repetitive and boring and hence employees are not motivated to do their job enthusiastically. Under those circumstances, it ignores the social and psychological needs of the employees, which in fact exert powerful influences workers behaviours. However, comments drawn from employees working experiences in McDonalds stated otherwise. A c rew member, Michaela said, â€Å"Doing work experience at McDonald’s made a big difference to how I approached things outside of work as well. Working on the till I learnt to make eye contact with people and speak clearly and with confidence; invaluable skills. And it can be further argued that employees do feel motivated working at McDonald’s. â€Å"Working at McDonald’s changed my outlook and made me a more motivated person†, said Umair, a crew trainer (McDonald’s Corporation, 2011). The McDonaldized system is not only seen within the fast-food industry, but also fast growing in call centres, an indication of the relevant bureaucracy model which is also known as â€Å"customer-oriented bureaucracy† (Du Gay, 2005, p. 98). One of the features of call centres is the focus on the standardization of the service encounter.A script is provided for call handlers to follow when talking on the phones. Supervisors regularly check on call centre staf f, listen in on calls to monitor the accuracy and general performance of the call handlers which managers are in fact keeping them under control. Taylor’s idea of payment method have also been successfully implemented such as call centre staffs are given a basic wage and then commission for every sale and if they meet their daily or weekly targets, they are given additional bonuses (Health ; Safety Executive, 2003).The technology offered today had in fact gradually made organizations become more bureaucratic and rationalized. For instance, Amazon had significantly shown to be a highly structured and highly rationalized organization in today’s competitive world. According to Valdez, â€Å"every item is scanned and logged on computers at every stage – knows who touches what† (Barkham, 2011). Staff working in the warehouse is in point of fact being controlled by the technology used today, which aid to the control of managers over workers.Furthermore, the war ehouse processes are simplified to prevent any human error. In short, aspects of scientific management are seen in its day-to-day warehouse operations with the aid of technology. According to Weber, bureaucracy is the most rational form of management. Despite the advantages bureaucracy offers such as efficiency and predictability, beneath the rational system lays the irrationality of rationality. People are dehumanized as they are being treated as machine like â€Å"cogs in a well-oiled machine† (Kast and Rosenzweig, 1979).In addition, â€Å"Instead of remaining efficient, bureaucracies can become increasingly inefficient† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 29). For example the case of IKEA, in terms of efficiency, it offers one-stop furniture shopping with a wide range of products. Furniture sold is unassembled, and customers are required to reassemble the parts themselves when they get home. Yet there are a variety of irrationalities associated with the rationality of IKEA, most nota bly the poor quality of most of its products. Although furniture is supposedly easy to assemble, many are more likely to think of it as impossible-to-assemble† (Ritzer, 2009). Besides the issue about irrationality of rational system, the â€Å"iron cage† of rationality is drawn into further concern. Weber views bureaucracy as a cage, in a sense that people are trapped in them without their basic humanity. The fear for that bureaucracy would grow more and more rational and will dominate an increasing number of sectors of society which â€Å"society would eventually become nothing more than a seamless web of rationalized structures; there would be no escape† (Ritzer, 2009, p. 30).A good example will be a 30 days Europe package tour. Bus travels through only the major cities in Europe, allowing tourists to view and take pictures of sights in the time allowed and then hop on to the next city. With the rationalization of even their recreational activities, people are in fact seen to be living in the iron cage of rationality, treating themselves like machines (Ritzer, 2009). Lastly, it is argued that bureaucracy ignores the substantive rationality and do not care about ethics and moral, they are about getting the task done as quickly as possible.The Holocaust case illustrates a good example that the bureaucratic practice made the Holocaust instrumentally rational while, not being substantively rational. Almost everyone will agree that the Holocaust practice of the massacre of a race of people is irrational, yet the fact that instrumentally rational methods could be applied to it, it exhibits the moral blindness of bureaucracy (Knights and Willmott, 2006). However, Du Gay argued otherwise. Bureaucracy do embodies an important ethic that is fairness.Such as bureaucracy does not care about employees’ gender or culture background but only cares about the basis of experience and qualifications since this is what will be most efficient. It is sa id to safeguard against discrimination. Given these points, bureaucracy embodies rather than ignore the moral and ethics (Du Gay, 2005). Indeed, bureaucracy like any other styles of management, inherently has both negative and positive effects, however some major aspects of bureaucracy and scientific management are still currently being successfully implemented in work and organizations today.Especially to those characterized by large-scale size, routine tasks and to those performance of which is essentially and vitally relies on high degree of hierarchy and formalization of bureaucratic form. Furthermore, the advancement in technology aid in the aspects of using scientific management in organizations today. Good examples will the fast-food industry and manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, in today’s highly competitive business industry, organizations need to increase their level of effectiveness through innovation and motivation of its employees at all levels.In order to ha ndle the growing market demand for constant innovation, a reduction of management structure might be necessary. Yet the core features of bureaucracy such as formalization, hierarchy, rules, staff expertise, conformance and clear accountability remain without doubt essential for organizations to deal with increasing competition. Therefore, to conclude, the classical school has withstood the test of time as it is still relevant to work and organization today. (2200 words) References Adler, Paul S. (1999) Building Better Bureaucracies. Academy of Management Executive, 13(4), pp. 6-49. Barkham, Patrick (2011) Amazon warehouse gears up for Christmas rush on Cyber Monday. The Guardian, [online] 1 December. Available at: ;http://www. guardian. co. uk/technology/2011/dec/01/amazon-warehouse-christmas-cyber-monday/print; [Accessed 10 December 2011]. Brooks, Ian (2009) Organisational Behaviour. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. du Gay, Paul (2005) The Values of Bureaucracy. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Grey, Chris (2009) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying organizations. 2nd ed.London: Sage Publications Ltd. Health ; Safety Executive (2003) Psychosocial risk factors in call centres: An evaluation of work design and well-being. [pdf] Sudbury: Health ; Safety Executive. Available at: ; www. hse. gov. uk/research/rrpdf/rr169. pdf ; [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Jozzo1000 (2007) McDonald’s Big Mac making. Available at: ;http://www. youtube. com/user/jozzo1000#p/a/u/1/eUvI2wE2YZk; [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Karreman, Dan. , Sveningsson, Stefan and Alvesson, Mats (2002) The Return of the Machine Bureaucracy?International Studies of Management ; Organisation, 32(2), pp. 70-92. Kast, Fremont Ellsworth and Rosenzweig, James Erwin (1979) Organisation and Management. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Knights, David and Willmott, Hugh (2006) Introducing Organizational Behaviour ; Management. London: Thomas Learning. Mc Donald’s Corporation (2011) 2010/2011 Prospectus. [online] Available at: ;http://www. mcdonalds. co. uk/people/meet-our-people/meet-our-people. shtml; [Accessed 01 December 2011].Narasimhan, Balaji (2011) Bureaucracy hurting customer satisfaction, says Vivek Paul. The Hindu Business Line, [online] 11 November. Available at: ;http://www. thehindubusinessline. com/todays-paper/tp-info-tech/article2616005. ece; [Accessed 03 December 2011]. Smith, Josh (2011) iPhone 5 Release Date: What We Know and Potential Timeline. [online] Available at: ;http://www. gottabemobile. com/2011/08/23/iphone-5-release-date-what-we-know-and-potential-timeline/;[Accessed 03 December 2011]. Stewart, Rosemary (1986) The Reality of Management. 2nd ed. London: Pan Books.

Bad vs. Badly

Bad vs. Badly Bad vs. Badly Bad vs. Badly By Mark Nichol I don’t want to make you feel bad, but because so many writers handle this issue badly, I’m going to discuss the use of bad and badly. Let’s start with badly, which is an adverb. Roughly speaking, an adverb describes how something is done: â€Å"She handled the news badly.† Bad, on the other hand, is most familiar to us as an adjective, but what stymies us sometimes is that it can also be an adverb. In adjectival form, bad provides detail about the noun it accompanies: â€Å"I have a bad feeling about this.† As an adverb, bad modifies the preceding verb: â€Å"Now I don’t feel so bad about it.† If you’re in doubt about which adverbial form to use, test it by replacing badly (or is it bad?) with a synonym, such as poorly. (â€Å"She handled the news poorly.†) That looks and sounds right. But would poor work? (â€Å"She handled the news poor.†) Definitely not; the form badly is correct. Now test the sentence that uses the adverbial form of bad: â€Å"Now I don’t feel too poorly about it,† or â€Å"Now I don’t feel too poor about it†? Hmm I’m not sure. So I’ll try another synonym: â€Å"Now I don’t feel too wretchedly about it,† or â€Å"Now I don’t feel too wretched about it†? The short form is the clear winner here. But why? What’s different about the two adverbial forms? The issue is complicated by the fact that two types of verbs exist: action verbs and linking verbs. Handled, in the first example above, is an action verb because she handled she did something. Linking verbs, on the other hand, describe a state of being: I think, therefore I am. One set of verbs that can perform both functions action and linking are the sense verbs, including feel. (The others are look, smell, and taste; I’ll discuss the omission of hear later.) The sentence â€Å"I feel the breeze† refers to an action; your body is responding to the breeze. If you are unable to feel the breeze because your skin is not sensitive, you could say, â€Å"I feel the breeze badly,† in the sense that your body is ineffective at feeling the breeze. (This usage is awkward and therefore rare, but it is correct.) However, if you’re using feel in the linking, or state-of-being, sense, feel refers to your emotions, not your tactile ability. If you have asked someone to join you on a walk, and the person is bothered by a strong breeze that suddenly whips up, causing some distress oops, there goes the hat! you could say, â€Å"I feel bad about the breeze.† Wouldn’t badly work just as well? Apply the synonym test: â€Å"I feel wretchedly about the breeze.† Clunk. â€Å"I feel wretched about the breeze.† Click. That explains why you want something bad, not badly. (To want something badly is to do a poor job of wanting it almost the opposite meaning.) That’s why you’re not doing too bad, rather than badly, right now. Bad is a condition (a linking verb), not a performance (an action verb). So, why isn’t hear an action verb, like its sensory siblings? You can write, â€Å"That feels disgusting† and substitute feels with looks, smells, and tastes, but â€Å"That hears disgusting† doesn’t make sense; we replace hears with sounds in such constructions.† Why is this so? I can only give you my stock answer for such curiosities: It’s English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating ConjunctionsRunning Amok or Running Amuck?Drama vs. Melodrama

August Wilsons Pittsburgh Cycle

August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle After writing his third play, August Wilson realized he was developing something quite monumental. He had created three different plays set in three different decades, detailing the hopes and struggles of African-Americans. In the early 1980s, he decided that he wanted to create a cycle of ten plays, one play for each decade. Collectively, they would become known as the Pittsburgh Cycle - all but one take place in the citys Hills District. August Wilsons 10 play series is arguably one of the finest literary achievements in contemporary drama. Although they were not created in chronological order, here is a brief synopsis of each play, organized by the decade each one represents. Note: Each of the links connects to an informative New York Times review. Gem Of the Ocean Set in 1904, a young African-American named Citizen Barlow, like many others traveling north in the years after the Civil War arrives in Pittsburgh in search of purpose, prosperity, and redemption. A woman named Aunt Ester, who is rumored to be 285 years old and possess healing powers, decides to help the young man on his life’s journey. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The title warrants a bit of historical context - Joe Turner was the name of a plantation owner who, in spite of the emancipation proclamation, forced African-Americans to work in his fields. In contrast, Seth and Bertha Holly’s boarding house offers room and nourishment to wayward souls who have been mistreated, abused, and sometimes even kidnapped by members of white society. The play takes place in the year 1911. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom As four African-American blues musicians wait for Ma Rainey, the famous lead singer of their band, they exchange off-the-cuff jokes and cutting-edge barbs. When the blues diva does arrive, the tensions continue to mount, pushing the group towards its breaking point. The tone is a combination of bitterness, laughter, and the blues, an ideal representation of the black experience during the late 1920s. The Piano Lesson A piano that has been handed down for generations becomes the source of conflict for members of the Charles family. Set in 1936, the storyline reflects the significance of objects in relationship to the past. This play garnered August Wilson his second Pulitzer Prize. Seven Guitars Touching upon the theme of music once again, this drama begins with the death of guitarist Floyd Barton in 1948. Then, the narrative shifts to the past, and the audience witnesses the protagonist in his younger days, ultimately leading up to his demise. Fences Perhaps Wilson’s most renowned work, Fences explores the life and relationships of Troy Maxson, an activist-minded trash collector, and former baseball hero. The protagonist represents the struggle for justice and fair treatment during the 1950s. This moving drama earned Wilson his first Pulitzer Prize. Two Trains Running This multiple award-winning drama is set in Pittsburgh 1969, in the height of the battle for civil rights. In spite of the political and social change that sweeps through the nation, many of the characters of this play are too cynical, too down-trodden to experience hope for the future or rage for the ongoing tragedies. Jitney Set in a cab driver’s station during the boisterous late 1970s, this character-driven play features sharp-witted, hustling co-workers who gossip, argue, and dream in between jobs. King Hedley II Often thought of as the bitterest and most tragic of Wilson’s cycle, the play focuses on the downfall of the prideful ex-con protagonist, King Hedley II (the son of one of the characters from Seven Guitars). The mid-1980s setting finds Wilson’s beloved Hills District in a dismal, poverty-stricken neighborhood. Radio Golf With this 1990s setting, the final play in the cycle tells the story of affluent Harmond Wilks, a successful politician and real estate developer - who considers tearing down a historic old house that once belonged to none other than Aunt Ester. It all comes full circle!

Commodity paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Commodity paper - Essay Example From the manufacturing facility to the client, a bicycle may pass through a variety of processes that could be hard to define unless one understands the merits and demerits of globalization. Various prototypes emerged over the years. The initial bicycle model had two large tires with pedals added to move it around. However, the dwarf version that led to the current bicycle was a prototype J.K Starley produced in 1885. The aim was to reduce the difficulties noted when trying to steer and pedal at the same time (Glaskin, 2013). Latter versions were now concerned with the increasing of comfort and making the bicycle easy to pedal and as a source of transportation. Today, bicycles are categorized based on dynamics, performance, and functions. This means that coming up with the full frame of a bicycle will require the utilization of certain features that will define the end product. As such, certain aspects of globalization may come to play when dealing with the assemblage or manufacture of certain parts, leading to either increased purchase costs for the client or reduced operational costs for the company (Bathurst, 2011). Whichever way the balance strikes, the important th ing is to understand that the benefits accrued will depend on several aspects of the global market. Manufacturing of a bicycle includes the assemblage of certain aspects such frames, gearing systems, steering, seats, brakes, suspensions and tires, and accessories. The process could be costly given the accessibility of raw materials, and that may implying outsourcing of products from various countries (Bathurst, 2011). Globalization has made it easy to reach out to various companies in least developed nations and attain the same product for almost half the price or even less. This shows that the company will have lower operational costs that may allow them to produce more at lower costs and higher profits. Just as noted by Rivoli (2009), the bicycles coming from various international