Effect of Whipped Egg Whites on Soufflé Volume

Effect of Whipped Egg Whites on Soufflà © Volume R. Ardura THE EFFECT OF WHIPPING EGG WHITES OVER ITS LEAVENING CAPACITY IN SOUFFLES INTRODUCTION We may all agree with the grand statement Nicholas Kurti said over his presentation â€Å"The Physicist in the Kitchenâ€Å": â€Å"It is a sad reflection on our civilization that while we can and do measure the temperature in the atmosphere of Venus, we do not know what goes on inside our soufflà ©s† (Barham, 2001). Soufflà ©s, sponge cakes, meringues, and bread are some examples of baked foams. Foams â€Å"allow [the diner] a better perception of the texture of a dense mass in the mouth and enhance the perception of odors† (This, 2009). Understanding how foams work under dynamic conditions is crucial for any chef to achieve a better end product and give the consumer a greater enjoyment. Egg whites are commonly used as an aerating agent because of its foaming properties. Their foam assists in the leavening process, although the actual leavening agent is air. Foam simply allows air to be incorporated into baked goods (Figoni, 2011). The end goal is to capture and retain as much air inside the soufflà © to achieve an airy, light and delicate end product. Foams are a colloidal system of a gas dispersed into a liquid continuous phase (Pawel et al, 2014). In the case of soufflà ©s, the continuous phase is water with egg white proteins, lipids and carbohydrates dissolved in it—which will strengthen the dispersing medium—, and the dispersed phase is air (McWilliams, 2012). Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and some of the other components of air are mostly hydrophobic. In other words, air can dissolve in water but only in tiny amounts (MyHrvold, 2011). The mechanical action of beating pushes air bubbles into the continuous phase of the forming foam while the protein of the egg whites unfold to form a monolayer film at the surface of the air pushed inside. This stage of foam forming is called absorption (Cherry, 1981). The hydrophilic part of the egg white proteins will be attracted and bound with water and any hydrophilic component present in the solution, while the hydrophobic end will be oriented inwards surrounding the gas phase and stabilizing the bubble (MyHrvold, 2011). When talking about foams in food products, it is of interest to know the foam’s stability and volume. Any solids, such as sugar, present in the continuous phase of foam add viscosity to the liquid base. Different levels of viscosity, or resistance that a fluid poses to shear forces, changes the mouth-feel of the product and duration of the foam. In general, the more viscous a liquid is, the longer its bubbles last (Pugh, 1996). We should also keep in mind that a greater resistance to shear forces means a smaller increase of volume from air expansion. Therefore, the recipe used in this study has minimal foaming agents and foaming stabilizers to ensure that the outcome truly reflects the impact of the whipping stage on the increased volume and stability of the soufflà ©. The rate and extent in which albumin unfolds to form a film at the surface of the gas, also called the absorption rate, increases as shear force is applied to the egg white when beaten (Damodaran and Song, 1988). As protein unfolds and entraps gas to form new bubbles the overall volume of the solution grows. Foam becomes opaque and can be pulled into soft peaks. While some bubbles collapse, others are surrounded with a second monolayer. The second film covers any coagulated regions, caused by over beaten proteins, from the first monolayer (Cherry, 1891). The bubbles progressively become smaller and foam gets tighter until stiff peaks are formed (McWilliams, 2012). This is usually the stage egg whites are brought to for making soufflà ©s. It is a common belief that bringing the egg white foam to this stage will make a more stable soufflà ©. The normal pH value for egg whites is from 7-8, but as they age their pH goes up. However, the rate and area to which proteins unfold and reposition at the interface is conditional to the protein’s intermolecular limitation to form new bonds. The overall egg white foam stability is optimal at or near the isoelectric pH of albumin—pH5.5 (Cherry, 1981). This is due the convex shape bubbles take near the pI of albumin, which exhibit a slower liquid drainage rate than decay from gas diffusion and disproportionation (Damodaran, 1994). As a result of less liquid drainage the foam films remain thick enabling dry foams of high stability to be formed (Malysa and Lunkenheimer, 2007). Furthermore, the addition of an acid boosts the number of free-floating hydrogen ions in the egg white slowing down disulfide bonding and exposing hydrophobic regions that result in further adsorption sites (Murray, 2007). In order to generate the same variables for this study, all egg whites were ti trated to pH 5.5 creating a more suitable protein conformation for entrapping and holding air dispersions. Foam will start to form when the number of new and accumulated bubbles exceeds the number of rupturing ones. The stability of foam does not only depend on the solution’s composition but also the state of the bubble’s adsorption layers (Malysa and Lunkenheimer, 2007). Most studies focus on the stability of foams under static conditions where a tight bubble network and high stability are formed. Considering that in the soufflà © production process foam is subject under dynamic conditions, surface elasticity may become of significant importance when analyzing foam expansion and stability on such systems. In addition, even though it would seem logical that a highly flexible unfolded protein would cover a greater surface area than a compact folded protein, Damodaran and Song found that one of albumin’s folded intermediates occupies a greater surface area (Damodaran and Song, 1988). Therefore, in order for a protein to entrap the maximum amount of gas in foam and exert the most favorable reduction of the surface tension, it should be processed (whipped) until an optimum degree of unfolded and folded coils are achieved (Damodaran, 1989). The physical law that animates the phenomenon occurring in a soufflà © was discovered by the French scientist and balloonist J. A. C. Charles. Charles’ law states, â€Å"†¦the volume occupied by a given weight of a given gas is proportional to its temperature† (McGee, 2004). Some may conclude that the greater amount of air bubbles trapped the greater the volume will raise as the soufflà © is baked. Others may believe that it does not matter the stage the egg white has been whipped to because gas will always expand a fixed amount. However, bearing in mind Damodaran and Song’s discovery and the assumption that surface elasticity could play a determining roll on foams expansion and stability under dynamic conditions, there might be the possibility to believe that stiff peak is not the optimum stage at which the egg white must be whipped to achieve the maximum final volume in soufflà ©s. This study will focus on the effects different stages of whipped egg white foams have on the final volume of soufflà ©s. After this study a chef will know the best possible utilization of egg whites for soufflà ©s and other food preparations where egg whites act as a leavening agent. Learning about egg white’s surface rheology through measurements recollected over a range of timescales will help to understand how the protein structure on whipped egg whites relate to the final volume of soufflà ©s. It may also suggest a better way to produce other backed foam products as sponge cakes, meringues and bread. WORKS CITED Barham, P. (2001). The Science of Cooking. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag GmbH. Figoni, P. (2011). How Baking Works (3rd ed, pp. 258, 267, 300 303) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (1st ed.), Egg Foams (pp.109-113). New York, NY: Scribner. McWilliams, Margaret (2012). Foods: Experimental Perspectives. (Seventh ed., pp. 113, 114, 116, 384-387, 412). New Jersey: Pretince Hall. MyHrvold, N., Young, C. Bilet, M. (2011).The Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking(1st ed., Vol 4, pp. 74, 240-255). Bellvue, WA: The Cooking Lab. This, H. (2009), Science of the Oven. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Pawel, P., et al. (2014). The Physical and Linear Viscoelastic Properties of Fresh Wet Foams Based on Egg White Proteins and Selected Hydrocolloids. Food Biophysics, 9:76-87 Cherry, J. P. (1981). Whipping and Aeration. In Cherry McMaters (Eds.), Protein Functionality in Foods (pp. 150-153). American Chemical Society: USA. Damodaran, S (1994). Protein functionality in food systems. In N. S. Hettiarachchy G. R. Zeigler (Eds.), Structure-Function Relationship of Food Proteins (pp. 15-17). Chicago, IL: Institute of Food Technologists. Damodoran, S. (1989) Interrelationship of molecular and functional properties of food proteins. In J. E. Kinsella W. G. Soucie (Eds.), Food Proteins (pp. 21-22). Champaign, IL: The American Oil Chemists’ Society. Damodoran, S. and Song, K. B. (1988). Kinetics of absoption of proteins at interfaces: Role of protein conformation in diffusional adsorption. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 954:253. Malysa, K. and Lunkenheimer, K. (2007). Foams under dynamic conditions. Current Opinion in Colloid Interface Science, 13 (2008), 150-162. doi:10.1016/j.cocis.2007.11.008 Murray, B. S. (2007) Stabilization of bubbles and foams. Current Opinion in Colloid Interface Science. 12 (2007), 232-241. doi:10.1016/j.cocis.2007.07.009

How Coca Cola Selects and Compensates Expatriates

How Coca Cola Selects and Compensates Expatriates Abstract International human resource management has become one of the most controversial issues in the world today, and as a result of the complexity of international management it is essential to have the right person at the right position. The aim of this paper is to identify how Coca Cola Select Compensate its expatriates. Start from brief idea about the Coca Cola background, Selection process, Factors influencing the Expatriates selection, Role of expatriates, Training and development, and compensation.when looking at selection process it was found that Coca Cola considers the technical ability and previous performance are selection central. This paper also discusses the previous and recent approaches Coca Cola for international compensation. Introduction Country boundaries no longer exist when it comes to international trade (Ashamalla 1993).In such a active Global competition, international experience has become a requirement rather than an option and forced many business to recognize that they must consider management from a different perspective. IHRM is an important component of firms global strategy and is often recognized as an influencing factor of success or failure of international business (Deresky, 2003). Phatak, Bhagat and Kashlak (2005) state that IHRM involves developing human resource capabilities to meet the diverse needs of multinational and global corporations. Ensuring high-quality management is critical due to the complexity of managing international operations (Deresky, 2003). Furthermore, in the competitive global economy, human resources are not as easy to duplicate as factors of production, and can therefore provide the source of competitive advantage (Phatak et al., 2005). When looking at global assignments Black et al. (1999) have presented five basic dimensions of people management: recruit/select; train; appraise; reward and; develop. These dimensions build upon one another and develop into a management process (ibid). First, when it comes to recruiting and selecting, managers need to identify, recruit and appropriately position individuals within the organization. Phatak et al. (2005) suggest that it is a key process when corporations wish to bring new employees into their networks. Deresky (2003) indicates the importance of having the right people at the right place and at the right time by describing it as a key factor of success in international operations. Company background The Coca Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company. It is no.1 brand according to fortune 2009 survey. The company operates a franchised distribution system dating from 1889. The Coca Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its major markets consist of USA, Brittan, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Russia and North America. It has activities in 200 countries, about 3000 branches, and 55,000 employees across the world. Over 200 expatriates are assigned for international positions every year, as region managers. Most of the expatriates are sent from USA and Britain, and most often sent to Middle East, Asia and Russia. Expatriates Selection process Expatriate selection process starts when they need to fill abroad position due to lack of local talent and/or management experience working in a multinational.Selection process is not defined with rules at Coca Cola. Every international assignment requires different criteria. Usually, familiarity within the exact area of international assignments is recommended but not for all times a prerequisite. Moreover, Coca Cola has lately changed their way when selecting expatriates. It used to concern of sending executives as expatriates, while at the present it has the concern of sending high potentials younger employee. Coca Cola usually considered the recommendation and suggestions of candidates expatriates. Significant sides of the candidate improve his chance to be selected, and can also raise the issues for instance, losing some employee within the department or whether it can give advantage in the future. Coca Cola does not focus on developing repatriation training programs for the expatriates. However, the expatriates informed that at the end of assignment they will return home and they will have their job back, which gives expatriates secure feeling once they leave the international assignment Factors influencing the Expatriates selection (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) shows some of the issues HR managers will take into consideration when selecting expatriates for international assignments. Source: Dowling Welch 2004 Coca Cola look at several vital criteria when selecting candidates for international assignments. Expatriates should aware of Coca Colas values, additionally the ability to deliver their knowledge and expertise, and gather further knowledge as they are overseas. Expatriates are employee where Coca Cola have faiths in them, and believed to be exceptional performer within the company. In general, selected expatriates are employees who hit the expectations when dealing with everyday difficulties and critical jobs. Besides they are motivated employee with a capability to figure things from a strategic standpoint. Expatriates required some abilities such as, technical and managerial skills, in order to complete the requested task when selected for international assignments The technical ability consider a significant factor when selecting expatriate candidates according to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). (Harris and Brewster 1999) confirm that technical skill of expatriates is a vital criterion to be taken into consideration and in real assignment consider significant. The evaluation of expatriates candidates technical ability is based on previous job performance, On the other hand, past performance in some cases does not play major role when work out with particular difficulties in a new host country new culture and environment (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). At Coca Cola the technical ability has significant weight when decide who to select for international assignment. However, expatriates with extensive international knowledge are sent to achieve more specific knowledge and expertise, whereas expatriates with general expertise are sent to achieve more international knowledge. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) cross-cultural suitability is important attribute and has to be considered when assessing expatriates candidates as they will work in different or unfamiliar environments. The cross cultural suitability of expatriate candidates is evaluated at Coca Cola but not measured as a significant selection factor. (Ashamalla 1993) highlights the cultural understanding, and the importance for expatriates to value and respect diverse characteristic and features of other cultures. Moreover, (Hutchings 2002) emphasize the importance to tolerate the differences in race, beliefs and cultures, including the norms and values.(Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) state that it is hard to assess the cultural suitability because it is difficult to determine exactly what the aspects that should be comprised. Listen Read phonetically (Avril and Magnini 2007) agrees that family has strong influence on the expatriates success in international assignment. However a few global organization focus on the family aspect and not to consider family as disadvantage aspect when selecting expatriates candidates (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). As a result of incapability to integrate into a new culture, families can experience feeling of loneliness. Furthermore, Coca Cola does not consider the as disadvantage part when assessing expatriate candidates. Once the decision made then they consider the family for any further training or advice. The partners job, kids disruption in education and the looking after old parents are issues of family pressure (Johnsson and Lennbro 2008). Country and cultural requirements is considered when selecting expatriates for international assignments at Coca Cola. First of all, the host government may stop expatriate for many reasons, such as visa issues, no available candidates can fill the position from the host country, and legislations (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004).Moreover, some international assignments at rural area or war-zone mean hard living conditions (Johnsson and Lennbro 2008). (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) highlight the language skills of expatriates and assert to be measured as an additional factor when selecting expatriate. According to (Avril and Magnini 2007) expatriates who have language skills will be more effective, gain the respect and trust of their colleagues, and more easily establish partnerships and solid working relationships with local nationals that will, in turn, generate good will for the organization and positively impact the bottom line. (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) find out that the consequences of language skills changes according to the type of assignment. Characters and skills of the expatriate are important aspect to consider. Coca Cola states that some of the preferred attributes are personal liability, enthusiasm to build up his experience and develop the organization, ability to be criticized, and be self-confident. The interpersonal talents of expatriate are not a spoken criterion, but if the expatriate do not have the ability to work with people, then they will not be chosen. Finally, Coca Cola highlighted the individuals motivation. The people who select expatriates review their explanations to select them for international assignment, and as staffs apply for international assignment, take into consideration that they are to some extent motivated. Expatriates Roles According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) , there are many reason for transferring employees for international assignments as expatriates linked to the intended purpose of the expatriate. Roles of expatriates are listed as the following Source: Dowling Welch 2004 The Figure provides a general idea of the expatriates roles, and how these roles shape by home and host country. First of all, Coca Cola using expatriates as agents of direct control, where expatriates roles are to make sure subsidiary commitment through direct administration and management (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). Moreover, expatriates also used to manage personal and cultural matters in the host country as stated by (Harzing 2001). Knowledge can be shared cross international assignments. as a result, Coca Cola use overseas agents of socialization, which is likely helps the integration of corporate values and beliefs (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). It is a means of informal and non-direct control.(Harzing 2001) label the expatriates as bumblebees since expatriates help in the transfer of a common culture of companies. This formulates and creates more decentralized organization. In addition, Coca Cola can use expatriates as agents to build and enhance the network between the host and home branches (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). Internationally, strengthen the links between individuals is significance way of implementation of informal control. It is also a way to transfer ideas and efficiency. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004), one of the expatriates role is to increase the organization borders . Expatriates would have an exceptional ability to gather information on the market, and enhance the representation of the company in the host country. (Collings, Scullion et al. 2007) state that there is more than one reason of using expatriates for international assignments. First, if there are no appropriate managers available at the host country for a specific project or function, then the employment of expatriates could be used to guarantee the desired value of work. In addition, using of expatriates gives the chance for managerial development. (Collings, Scullion et al. 2007) indicates expatriates will build and developed their competences throughout the international assignment and motivate the organization for using expatriates and help achieving the organizational development. International Training Development Source: Dowling Welch 2004 International training and development is another aspect of IHRM. Training intends to develop employee skills and behavior, whereas development objective is to increase abilities in relation to some potential position, generally a managerial skills (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). According to (Shen 2005) expatriates need a set of context-specific abilities, for instance industry-specific knowledge, and a central part of certain skills, such as cultural sensitivity, ability to handle responsibility, ability to develop subordinates and ability to exhibit and demonstrate. These skills are measured as vital international competencies at Coca Cola and all can be developed through effective international training and management development. Moreover, pre-departure training will help expatriate success more than failure (Katz and Seifer 1996). Coca Cola focus on human resources development by concentrated on the education and training of its employees as an important part of their development. Coca Cola allegedly spent millions every year for training its employees. On the other hand, Coca Cola undertook a cost cutting drive, and started looking for methods to train its staff effectively at lower Costs. After significant investigation and researches, Coca Cola In 2007, launched Coca Cola University (CCU) a virtual, global university for all learning and capability-building activities across the Company. E-Learning was used to train Coca Cola newly recruited managers and expatriates. Four types of training for international assignments (Baumgarten 1995). pre-departure training for expatriates: Once expatriates selected for international assignment, they will receive language training and an orientation to the host country culture. Family will be included in orientation training sessions. These training sessions will provide expatriates and their family with information related housing, schools, shopping, and health care facilities in the host country. During the training expatriates will have full discussion with the organisation about how the international assignment would fit into their profession strategy and what future position they would have when return to home country. Listen Read phonetically On-site training for expatriates: At the host country the expatriate will receive additional onsite training to familiarize the expatriate with the local working procedures and work environment. These formal programs will deliver orientation about the host country customs and cultures. Repatriation: Expatriates and their family will adapt the host country norms and culture especially in long-term assignment. Usually they will experience high level of stress and cultural shock when return to the home country as a result of changes that have taken place since their leaving. Expatriates have to assume what ability they want to build up and the sort of jobs that might be offered in the home country with those new skills. As the expatriate a broad, many changes at the home country company could happen such as colleagues or managers may leave. Therefore expatriates should maintain contact with company. Otherwise expatriates will have re-entry shock because of new employees, a new passion, and a new culture that may have changes. Training for (HCNs) and (TCNs): To ensure the understanding of corporate strategy and culture, training will be provided to HCNs and TCNs. All employees from team leaders upwards are given an annual skills assessment and development plan. The Company also inÂÂ ­vests in formal training. During 2008, emÂÂ ­ployees received on average more than 16 hours of formal training each. An additional valuable means in expatriate pre-departure training is an initial visit to the host country. These visits often give the expatriates and their family a clearer idea about the new environment in which they will be living. Sometimes expatriate will refuse the international assignment based on the initial visit. According to (Coopers 1997) study shows that 53% of organizations which offer initial visits to their employees and spouses to the host country, of those 13% refused the international assignment. On the other hand, since the expenses and costs for an expatriate failure are so high it is valuable to know of the refusal earlier to the actual assignment Performance Management Source: Dowling Welch 2004 Coca Cola manages its performance management system through 4 Stages during an Annual Business Cycle and has multiple Objectives. Some of these include Objectives leading to Significant Accomplishments, Breakthrough Objectives, and Business Plan Achievement objectives. Furthermore, Coca Cola has an extensive training and development programs for the employees to focus on the day-to-day needs of the employees and to adapt new culture difficulties and differences. Competency framework encompasses thought leadership, people leadership and results leadership that Coca Cola uses to manage and assess its workforce. A point ranking scale is used to define a system in an organized systematic form to avoid ambiguity and bias when conducting performance appraisal and rating to compensate employees based on performance and competencies as identified in the appraisal process. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) when expatriate agree to have the job for international assignment, they will look forward to having financial benefits from doing that assignment. Therefore organisation should take compensation packages into its consideration because it has major affects at the expatriates when making decision. Expatriates successes will have big advantage for the organisation especially in this competitive market. (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) points out two approaches to develop international compensation: Firstly, the Going Rate Approach Going Rate approach is straightforward and easy to understand which make the compensation package parallel to the host country nationals. In this approach the base salary is linked to the salary structure of the home country. It is based on local market rates. This compensation approach has some disadvantage especially when expatriates return to home country. When going rate is different in the host country, there might be some pay cut. Secondly, the Balance Sheet Approach Balance sheet approach delivers a compensation package to balance an expatriate managers purchasing power between host country and home country. In other words, since expatriate assigned to an international position by using balance sheet approach expatriates will not be affected by spending power. The negative side of the balance sheet can be its cost and unfairness between expatriate managers and local national managers, and even among expatriates who come from different countries. Components Coca Cola takes into consideration when it comes to an International Compensation: Base Salary Extra pay the expatriate receives for working outside his or her country of origin which encourage to accept foreign postings Allowances (Housing allowances, Cost-of-living allowances, Education allowances, Relocation allowances, Parent country wages everywhere ,Wean expatriates from allowances ,Pay based on local or regional markets ,Global pay systems) Tax differentials Coca Cola pays the expatriates income tax in the host country when a host country has a reciprocal tax treaty with the expatriates home country. Benefits Coca Cola ensure that their expatriates receive the same level of medical and pension benefits abroad that they received at home The new host country environment and difficult to function efficiently are core problems for the majority of expatriates (Harris and Brewster 1999) Pre-departure training is essential for improving expatriates culture knowledge and cross-culture adjustment (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004).On the other hand, many cross-culture training is not sufficient or incomplete. Since its hard to assess the efficiency of such training (Waxin, Katsioloudes et al. 2007). According to (Sims and Schraeder 2005) Healthcare is another significant aspect when it comes to compensation package. Many international organizations would have different health care insurance company between home and host country. Coca Cola rewarding system for employee is excellent to retain, motivate and influence employees towards organizational goals with their best potential utilization. Coca Cola uses Self Assessment tools for staff to assess themselves on top accomplishments in the previous year. Analysis Operating as agents of direct control is usually not the role of expatriates at Coca Cola , which is not consistent with (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) believed as they remark that expatriates are often used to control and monitor local operations. Another role of expatriates according to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) is agents of socialization, where expatriates are likely to share business values and beliefs so as to build some informal control.

Full Tilt Essay -- essays research papers

Full Tilt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is about a guy named Blake and his brother, Quinn.. Blake is an over-cautious teen. His younger brother, Quinn is the opposite. Blake was in a bus accident when he was very young and was the only survivor. Although he has no memory of how he managed to survive the event, it has drastically shaped his personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day Blake, Quinn, and their two friends Maggie and her boyfriend, Russ go to an amusement park together, called Darian Lake. They are clueless when they arrive as to how this event will change them forever. At the park, they ride on various rides. One of the rides was different from all of the others. It was the Kamikaze. It was a roller coaster, brand new to the park. As Blake got in line for the ride, his friends were right beside him. They were all excited to go on the new ride, but Blake was terrified. It reminded him of the time he was seven and his school bus got into a accident and went screaming over guardrails, almost to his death. He did not want to ride this new ride, however his friends pushed him to do it. Once on the ride, he was safely harnessed in and the ride took off, screaming down steep hills and loops. Everything was fine, until the structure started to shake and beams started to give way! There was now a twenty foot gap in the track! Blak e thought it’d be the end of him and his friends, when he saw it. The coaster dove straight down into the gap, about to hit asphalt. Then the next thing Blake knew, the ride had ended. He waited in his seat, wondering what had happened. The ride had been built to give way like that. The coaster had still been on the track, when it fell through the big gap. He turned to the track and saw the beams that had fallen rising back again. It was all a stunt and everyone else had known about it except him! Blake went through the rest of the day shaken by it, until he met a girl at a game booth. He thought she was so beautiful and flirted with her for a little while. Her name was Cassandra. Then he won a prize from her booth, a stuffed bear. Inside the bear’s pocket, was an invite to another amusement park. He showed his friends, then looked back for the girl who’d given him the bear. She was gone and a new person was standing in her place, in control of the game. The new person didn’t know what Blake was talking about... ... Then it all came rushing back to him! He had opened the back door and jumped out, just before the bus had gone over the guardrails. That’s why he’d been he only survivor. With that recollection, Blake threw the back door open and jumped out of the ride. He’d made it through! Everyone was free from the park now! Suddenly Blake was asleep, waking up in his car. He had been unconscious for some time. Fireman were working to get him free from the car. Maggie and Russ were both scraped up outside of the car. Apparently all he’d been through was a dream and they’d crashed on the way to the park in the middle of the night. Blake and his friends knew that wasn’t true though. They all remembered what they’d been through. Blake called Quinn. He was already awake from his coma in the hospital.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Full Tilt is one of the most impressive books I've read in years. The writing was terrific and intelligent, and the characters were refreshingly real and alive. The author made frequent use of strong, powerful metaphors that resonated throughout the entire book, and he did this while creating remarkable tension that would drive any reader from the first page to the last.

The Confederate Flag’s Heritage of Hate Essay -- Confederate Flag Sout

The Confederate Flag’s Heritage of Hate The Confederate flag has now become a hot issue for South Carolina, which is the last state to have the original Confederate flag still flying on its Statehouse. What got the State’s attention was the economic boycott of South Carolina that was announced on January 1992 by the NAACP to pressure the State to remove the Confederate flag off of its Statehouse in Columbia. The NAACP’s removal request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the Confederate flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. The Civil War being about slavery is one of the first things addressed in both sides of the debate. Also a big part of the debate is the Confederate flag’s connection with racism. The Confederate flag’s connection with slavery a nd racial inequality makes it a negative symbol, which should not be flying on South Carolina’s Statehouse. Pro-flag groups claim that slavery was only a small issue in the Civil War, but if slavery was allowed to continue then there would not have been a Civil War. This quote out of a pro-flag article shows what Lincoln said about the idea of freeing slaves. I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.† In an 1862 letter to the New York Daily Tribune editor Horace Greeley, Lincoln wrote. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to sa... ... have to go to see it not somewhere were people have to see it. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4. James F. Barker. â€Å"Clemson History Offers Perspective for Flag Debate.† The State. December 3, 2000. Stuart Taylor Jr. â€Å"The Confederate Flag and the Cost of Pandering.† National Journal. 32.4 (January 22, 2000): 215. Walter E. Williams. No: â€Å"Critics of the flag are Counting on a General Ignorance of History to Make Their Case.† Symposium. March 14, 2001. http://database.townhall.com/insight/printit.ctm Quick, Steven. â€Å"Lynching Lee† The Opinions. 2/27/2001 http://www.insightmag.com/archive/200002064.shtml Amy. â€Å"Even more on the confederate Flag vs. the â€Å"Xian† usage debates.† Parentsplace.com. February 02,2000 wysiwyg://4http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppcurrentdebates63/26.html The Confederate Flag’s Heritage of Hate Essay -- Confederate Flag Sout The Confederate Flag’s Heritage of Hate The Confederate flag has now become a hot issue for South Carolina, which is the last state to have the original Confederate flag still flying on its Statehouse. What got the State’s attention was the economic boycott of South Carolina that was announced on January 1992 by the NAACP to pressure the State to remove the Confederate flag off of its Statehouse in Columbia. The NAACP’s removal request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the Confederate flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. The Civil War being about slavery is one of the first things addressed in both sides of the debate. Also a big part of the debate is the Confederate flag’s connection with racism. The Confederate flag’s connection with slavery a nd racial inequality makes it a negative symbol, which should not be flying on South Carolina’s Statehouse. Pro-flag groups claim that slavery was only a small issue in the Civil War, but if slavery was allowed to continue then there would not have been a Civil War. This quote out of a pro-flag article shows what Lincoln said about the idea of freeing slaves. I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.† In an 1862 letter to the New York Daily Tribune editor Horace Greeley, Lincoln wrote. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to sa... ... have to go to see it not somewhere were people have to see it. Work Cited Eric Foner. â€Å"Rebel Yell.† The Nation. 270.6 (February 14, 2000): 4. James F. Barker. â€Å"Clemson History Offers Perspective for Flag Debate.† The State. December 3, 2000. Stuart Taylor Jr. â€Å"The Confederate Flag and the Cost of Pandering.† National Journal. 32.4 (January 22, 2000): 215. Walter E. Williams. No: â€Å"Critics of the flag are Counting on a General Ignorance of History to Make Their Case.† Symposium. March 14, 2001. http://database.townhall.com/insight/printit.ctm Quick, Steven. â€Å"Lynching Lee† The Opinions. 2/27/2001 http://www.insightmag.com/archive/200002064.shtml Amy. â€Å"Even more on the confederate Flag vs. the â€Å"Xian† usage debates.† Parentsplace.com. February 02,2000 wysiwyg://4http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppcurrentdebates63/26.html

Computer Linguistics and Philosophical Interpretation :: Technology Philosophy Essays

Computer Linguistics and Philosophical Interpretation ABSTRACT: This paper reports a procedure which I employed with two computational research instruments, the Index Thomisticus and its companion St. Thomas CD-ROM, in order to research the Thomistic axiom, ‘whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.’ My procedure extends to the lexicological methods developed by the pioneering creator of the Index, Roberto Busa, from single terms to a proposition. More importantly, the paper shows how the emerging results of the lexicological searches guided my formation of a philosophical thesis about the axiom’s import for Aquinas’s existential metaphysics. One day in 1949, when the computer was still in its infancy, a young Jesuit knocked at the door of an executive of I.B.M., and explained that he wanted to put the corpus of Thomas Aquinas’s writings on computer. He wanted, moreover, to number each word, as well as to identify and tag each as the form of its proper lemma. He wanted, in short, a complete graphico-syntatical systemization of all the words Aquinas ever wrote. As data was still being entered into computers by means of the long since forgotten punch-card, this I.B.M. executive was respectfully but decidedly sceptical about the tenability, if not the use, of such a project. Roberto Busa respectfully but decidedly reassured him that if I.B.M. would but supply the technology, Busa himself would see to the rest. And so he did. Over two decades and millions of punch-cards later, there began to emerge into the light of day the Index Thomisticus, the second largest publication of this century. The next step was to figure o ut what to do with it. Busa’s pioneering Index has kept pace with the computer’s hypertrophic evolution even to the present day, its latest reincarnation being in the form of the St. Thomas CD-ROM. (1) In this talk, I want to describe how I went about utilizing the Index Thomisticus and its companion St. Thomas CD-ROM to conduct a systematic and comprehensive search of Thomas’s writings for a certain Scholastic axiom. I hope in this way to offer a model for a philosophical use of computational linguistics, and to show how the emerging results of my lexicological research guided my formation of a philosophical thesis about the axiom's import. Following Busa, I call the procedures I used ‘lexicological’ in that they delineate and clarify one part of the active lexicon of Aquinas through use of the Index Thomisticus as the complete graphico-syntactic systematization of all the words in his writings. Computer Linguistics and Philosophical Interpretation :: Technology Philosophy Essays Computer Linguistics and Philosophical Interpretation ABSTRACT: This paper reports a procedure which I employed with two computational research instruments, the Index Thomisticus and its companion St. Thomas CD-ROM, in order to research the Thomistic axiom, ‘whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.’ My procedure extends to the lexicological methods developed by the pioneering creator of the Index, Roberto Busa, from single terms to a proposition. More importantly, the paper shows how the emerging results of the lexicological searches guided my formation of a philosophical thesis about the axiom’s import for Aquinas’s existential metaphysics. One day in 1949, when the computer was still in its infancy, a young Jesuit knocked at the door of an executive of I.B.M., and explained that he wanted to put the corpus of Thomas Aquinas’s writings on computer. He wanted, moreover, to number each word, as well as to identify and tag each as the form of its proper lemma. He wanted, in short, a complete graphico-syntatical systemization of all the words Aquinas ever wrote. As data was still being entered into computers by means of the long since forgotten punch-card, this I.B.M. executive was respectfully but decidedly sceptical about the tenability, if not the use, of such a project. Roberto Busa respectfully but decidedly reassured him that if I.B.M. would but supply the technology, Busa himself would see to the rest. And so he did. Over two decades and millions of punch-cards later, there began to emerge into the light of day the Index Thomisticus, the second largest publication of this century. The next step was to figure o ut what to do with it. Busa’s pioneering Index has kept pace with the computer’s hypertrophic evolution even to the present day, its latest reincarnation being in the form of the St. Thomas CD-ROM. (1) In this talk, I want to describe how I went about utilizing the Index Thomisticus and its companion St. Thomas CD-ROM to conduct a systematic and comprehensive search of Thomas’s writings for a certain Scholastic axiom. I hope in this way to offer a model for a philosophical use of computational linguistics, and to show how the emerging results of my lexicological research guided my formation of a philosophical thesis about the axiom's import. Following Busa, I call the procedures I used ‘lexicological’ in that they delineate and clarify one part of the active lexicon of Aquinas through use of the Index Thomisticus as the complete graphico-syntactic systematization of all the words in his writings.

Plan to Improve Organizational Sturcture and Recapture Market Share Essay

Over the past few years, WordPlay Greetings has experienced a sharp decline in market share as well has extremely high turnover of sales staff. The first major challenge discussed was the limited supply of items that are also sold to other national retailers and create competition against Word Plays smaller company owned and franchised stores. The second issue highlighted in our discussion was that operations have been inefficient which also leads to decline of profitability. WordPlay Management was fearful that high turnover of sales staff was a major cause of inefficient operations and stressed the importance of addressing this issue. Technological advances are certainly an issue that every industry must consider when trying to keep with or beat competitors. Online options for the greeting card industry have greatly advanced over the past few years offering ways to send expressions electronically and even customize them with photos and voices without having to leave home. It is critical revive WordPlays website and make stores more appealing to visit with new product lines and customization options that will attract customers and keep them coming back and telling others. Hiring and retaining talented and caring staff is goes hand in hand with keeping up with technology. Knowledgeable and caring sales people are just as important as the product. Developing an organizational culture that inspires and motivates will help spark new creative designs and product offerings for WordPlay Greetings. Bryce & Dancetty has performed industry research, employee and market surveys, leading to job redesign, development of new marketing and product design teams, and improved organizational reward programs that aim at reducing turnover for WordPlay Greetings and getting them back on a path to profits. Introduction Bryce & Dancetty Consulting has been working with WordPlay Greetings over the past several months to analyze their business, develop plans to reduce sales staff turnover, revive its product line, improve its organizational culture, and implement new programs that will motivate employees and enrich jobs and career paths. In this report we will review the methods used to collect data and form plans for change. Causes of Business Downturn WordPlay Greetings market share has seen sharp declines over the past few years. Company leaders concluded that causes for this problem stemmed from the limited supply of items that are also sold to other national retailers and create competition against Word Plays smaller company owned and franchised stores. An additional contributor to their decline was believed to be high turnover with in their sales division. WordPlay leaders agreed to work with Bryce & Dancetty Consulting to look deeper in to these issues and how they could be resolved to help them regain market share and do better at hiring and retaining a highly skilled and motivated sales team. Bryce Dancetty Consulting employed the DECIDE Model which is based on statistical science to examine all aspects of the WordPlay business and its environment. The Decide Model allowed us to define the problem(s) and/or opportunities, along with objectives and constraints. Next, the possible decision factors that make up the alternative courses of action (controllable & uncontrollable) are enumerated (given numeric values). Then, relevant information on the alternatives and possible outcomes is collected. The next step is to identify and select the best alternative based on chosen criteria or measures of success. Then a detailed plan to develop and implement the alternative selected is created and put in to effect. Last, the outcome of the decision process itself is evaluated. We addressed issues by performing a market research and analysis that focuses on the following questions: †¢How can Word Play develop products that are exclusive, unique and will help recapture a higher market share? †¢Can store hours be adjusted based on traffic flow and peak sales times in order to reduce labor costs and increase profitability? Are there colleges in the area that may have marketing and/or design students that would be willing to intern and help bring new/fresh product designs to Word Play Greetings? Research was done and information was gathered via surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups that Bryce & Dancetty designed and assembled. Surveys and questionnaires provided a wealth of information quickly in a non-threatening manner. Most were completely anonymous and done at a very minimal cost. They were administered via mail as well as online. Feedback received via surveys concluded that Wordplay Greeting Cards current product line was being described as â€Å"stale† by former customers. This perception must be changed in order for the company to regain and increase its market share going forward. Focus Groups were utilized to explore topics related to operational efficiency, product design, marketing strategies, and common complaints regarding products to gain a more in-depth perspective on the best ways to increase market share and profitability. Focus groups yielded results that supported job redesign for the sales division, developing new product design and marketing teams, and creating an organizational culture that motivates and inspires. Sales Division and Sales Clerk Turnover Interviews of corporate employees as well as store staff were performed to better understand their impressions of the current state of the company, their experiences, and their ideas for improvement. From the information gathered, Bryce & Dancetty provided a revised job description which is attached in the appendix for review. In addition to revising the job description for sales clerks, Bryce &Dancetty made several recommendations that do not involve compensation adjustments that can also increase retention of sales staff for Wordplay Greetings. There is a significant need for WordPlay to increase feelings of participation within the organization. While allowing sales associates greater freedom in creating store displays, it is recommended that contests be incorporated to help motivate employees to put forth their best efforts. Allowing sales associates to take responsibility for deciding on how to put together displays is an example of vertically loading the job. Their autonomy increases and they feel more personal accountability for the outcome of their efforts (Hodgetts & Heger 2008, pg. 306). Involvement in new product selections through the creation of employee focus groups is also highly recommended. The focus groups will be allowed to participate on conference calls and in web training to assist with selection of new products that will be carried in the stores and also learn how these choices impact the company financially. This feeds an employee’s desire to learn and grow in their career, knowledge, and skill (Heathfield 2012). A recent McKinsey Quarterly survey underscores this type of opportunity. Respondents felt that the chance to lead projects or task forces were often more effective at motivating than financial increases (McKinsey Quarterly 2009). Another way to build a connection within an organization and increase the sense of belonging that employees feel is to create a company newsletter. Newsletters helps share what is happening on a higher level by sharing hot company news being discussed by executives, sharing status on company goals, and stock standings. When there are multiple locations, newsletters help to share what is happening elsewhere and are a great way to share creative ideas, contest winners, and announce new contests. Employee Profiles can be included to highlight accomplishments both inside and outside of the company. The newsletter is also a great way to share benefit information, deadlines, health tips, and volunteer opportunities. Lastly, increased communication between employees and local as well as corporate management will be a key to retention of sales staff. Well-designed jobs anticipate the need for communication. Most employees want to know what is expected of them in the job, how they are doing, how they can improve, what latitude they have in changing how they do their tasks, what should be discussed with a supervisor and when the discussion should occur. Employees rarely complain about too much communication with their supervisor. They often want more communication (Hodgetts & Heger 2008, pg. 306). The implementation of a regular newsletter as mentioned above will help with communication, however we are also strongly urging WordPlay Greeting Cards to provide a stronger line of communication via email that will allow employees to contact corporate offices more efficiently for feedback if they have concerns that are not being addressed at a local level and/or ideas that they want to share for improvement. Bryce & Dancetty Consulting is confident that the revision of the sales clerk job description which increases responsibility and sense of participation will not only attract more applicants but also encourage company loyalty and lead to retention of a high quality sales staff that can be promoted in to management positions as the business grows. Job Enrichment Job enrichment is a way to motivate employees by giving them increased responsibility and variety in their jobs. Our plans for job enrichment will focus on allowing employees to have more control in planning their work and deciding how the work should be accomplished. Job enrichment efforts will include adding and clarifying: Skill Variety – the number of different types of skills used to do a job. This is important because using only one skill to do the same task repeatedly can get very boring. When employees get bored productivity decreases over time. Task Identity – A matter of realizing a visible outcome from performing a task. Being able to see the end result of the work they do is an important motivator for employees. This can be accomplished through Job Enlargement. WordPlay will move towards this goal by adding more tasks and responsibilities to existing jobs. To illustrate this concept – a customer service representative will follow a client’s issue from start to finish (phone inquiry through problem resolution). Customer service reps will be given greater access and authority to make account/claim adjustments so that fewer inquiries need to be escalated. They will be able to take pride in knowing they solved a problem themselves and customer satisfaction is also sure to increase. Task Significance – How a job impacts others in the organization. If this is clearly defined, employees will make greater efforts to do their best.

Advertising, through the ages has evolved to be a very powerful tool that can shape identities and personalities of consumers regardless of age, culture or sex

Advertising has, one way or another shaped my identity and personality. I also have to admit that because of my exposure to advertisement, I have achieved a certain status in my neighborhood.   I play basketball during my past time, and I became popular in town not only because of my skill but also because of the Nike shoes that I wear.Nike is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel.  Ã‚   I first heard of Nike when I was a kid, in T.V commercials of former basketball player Michael Jordan promoting the shoes.Being an NBA fan and a basketball aficionado, the commercials intrigue me into trying out the shoes he is endorsing.   The moment I bought my pair of Nike shoes and paraded it in school, I saw my classmates in complete awe after seeing me wearing the shoes for the first time.   I was bombarded with questions like â€Å"how much does it cost† or â€Å"where it was bought.†Also, when I play basketball using the said shoes, I also earned ext ra attention from the people who are watching the game because of my footwear.Aside from that I can feel that I can do things that Jordan does (high flying dunks, higher jumping ability) just by wearing the shoes he endorsed, especially when dunking the ball from the free throw line which was made famous by Michael Jordan during the slam dunk contest (though I have not yet accomplished it).When comparing it to other shoes, I can see that Nike has the edge because of its dimensions.   I feel that the shoes are lighter than other brands as what Jordan swears it to be.   During a game of basketball, which usually requires frequent running, I can feel that the shoes’ weight does not affect my speed.Another important feature is the durability of the shoes, in which it can last for years even if I frequently use it during basketball games.  Ã‚   Buying shoes that can be damaged easily can cause discomfort and even injuries.   I also feel that buying another brand will compr omise quality and that I may acquire an injury if my shoes, for example is below the standards that of Nike. With proper care, Nike shoes can be your companion for life.With its features and other types (running shoes, tennis shoes), all sports enthusiast will, like me, be forever loyal to the brand.   I can say that whenever I am wearing Nike shoes, I feel that I am better than other people, especially when playing basketball.   The shoes give my self-esteem a boost.Advertising, in reality is designed to attract people into buying particular products. But these days, consumers are very wise with regards to spending their hard-earned money. An advertisement full of fluff is easily recognized by them.Consumers know what they want and are not easily convinced especially when an advertisement is just luring them into spending. To meet their standards, advertising also stepped-up into the next level. It has become more creative, truthful and warm.My relationship with my Nike shoes i s growing strong. Michael Jordan may have influenced this â€Å"fetish† of mine. But in the end, I can say that my loyalty is due to the reason that through time, I have come to prove the things they say in the ads. And because of this, I give my loyalty only to Nike shoes and only to it.ReferenceSage, Alexandria (June 26, 2008). â€Å"Nike profit up but shares tumble on U.S. concerns†. Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUKWNAS924120080626. Retrieved 2008-07-10.â€Å"Jordan and Wilkins Battle for Dunk Title†. NBA's Greatest Moments nba.com (website)http://www.nba.com/history/1988slamdunk_moments.html