The Outcasts of Poker Flat Review Essay Example for Free

The Outcasts of Poker Flat Review Essay The Outcasts of Poker Flat and the Metaphor of Texas Hold ‘em The story of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat† by Bret Harte is a beautifully written narrative about a character named Mr. John Oakhurst. During the story, Oakhurst is placed through a variety of situations that eventually lead to his subtle death. The story of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat† follows as a parallel to the game of Texas Hold ‘em in a very unique way. In the game of Texas Hold ‘em, every player is given two cards. This states the metaphor for where Mr.  Oakhurst is currently at and what variables he has been given. In the beginning of the story Mr. Oakhurst is known to be a professional gambler and he has been kicked out of the town of Poker flat along with a few more Outcasts named the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and a man named Uncle Billy. Considering the fact they have been kicked out of the community, they now have to venture to the closest town, over a range of mountains, named Sandy Bar (1,2). They have a limited supply of goods to make it there, and these are the cards they have been given. The next turn of events in the game of Texas Hold ‘em is called the â€Å"flop. † In this turn, three cards are flipped over for everyone’s use in hope that the gamblers will have a better chance at winning the hand. These three cards are variables. The flop can sometimes benefit the gambler, and the other time the cards don’t help at all. In the story, the variables given to Mr. Oakhurst are three hindrances. One variable in the story is during the middle of the first night there are some added guests to the campsite for the night. These guests are named Tom Simson and Piney Woods (3). This makes the living situation for the night a little more difficult. The second variable happens in that same night. Uncle Billy goes on his own way without the rest of the outcasts. To make the situation even worse, Uncle Billy took the mules from the outcasts (3). Now, the people were without transportation. The final variable in the flop is: there is a storm brewing for the campers and they had been snowed in (4). Now in the game, it is up to the gamblers to throw in their chips and bet if they can win the hand. If the gambler doesn’t believe he can win the hand he has the option to fold and quit betting. In this case of the metaphor, this option would be to kill himself. In the instance of John Oakhurst he decides to gamble and continue on playing with the variables he has been given. The next and final turns of the game are called â€Å"the turn† and â€Å"the river. † These turns are two more cards, and in the metaphor two more variables added to the situation. For the gamblers it can be added assurance of the win, or it could be more clarification that the gambler will not win. In the case of Mr. Oakhurst, â€Å"the turn† card is another downfall. Mother Shipton had folded her cards. She no longer could survive the winter cold and lack of food and supplies (6). In Oakhurst’s frame of mind this was an added despair. People were giving up and psychologically he was feeling the same way inside. It was now time for the â€Å"River card† and it was the last stretch for Mr. Oakhurst. The added variable is that the storm continues to get worse (6). Oakhurst is realizing the severity of his situation however he doesn’t let that emotion show. He lets the other gamblers continue on and he makes his last decision in the game. He folds his cards (7). He had given up on the venture to Sandy Bar and decided that the hand he played was his last. The â€Å"Outcasts of Poker Flat† written by Bret Harte goes to show sometimes many are given a lucky hand and sometimes a gambler is â€Å"struck with a streak of bad luck† (7). Mr. Oakhurst received the latter in this story due to his gambling ways. Through this argument one has seen that this story follows as a parallel to the game of Texas Hold ‘em in a very unique way.

Screening of Non Target Compounds in Wastewater Samples

Screening of Non Target Compounds in Wastewater Samples Report Since October 2012, I have worked in a special project about Elimination of pharmaceuticals and organic compounds: Development of concepts and novel, cheap cleaning procedures – Formation of metabolites by ozonoation. It was a kind of training for me and a special key for my PhD work. We are interested in screening of non target compounds in wastewater samples. Wastewater samples are collected from different wastewater treatment plants at different treatment points. For example: before ozonation, after ozonation and after biological treatment steps. These compounds are extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) method using certain solid material (OASIS HLB). This kind of SPE is suitable to extract hydrophilic and lipophilic analytes. We did several steps to extract those compounds using different procedures and different analyzing tools. We used HPLC-UV, LC-MS and GC-MS to analyze the extracted compounds. The toxicological tests are achieved for each sample in order to discove r the efficiency of wastewater treatment and the effect of treatment to obtain new unknown transformation products. In this project, I learned so many things like: How to validate and develop a method to extract polar and non polar compounds from wastewater matrixes using certain SPE steps. How to choose the best solid phase materials to extract a wide range polarity of chemical compounds in wastewater matrixes. Getting the principles for handling of different analytical instruments to validate specific methods and to analyze the extracted compounds. Taking enough time to review the statistical principles which are necessary to find the optimum ways for treatment. Achieving the possibilities to analyze the output data and comparing different procedures to find out the best one for analysis. Combining chemistry with biology in order to evaluate the toxicological estimates and to know the best wastewater treatment step. Now, I am working on developing a method to extract the following six compounds from water matrix: Catechol, trans,trans-Muconic acid, p-Benzoquinone, 1H-Benzotriazole, p-Nitrophenol and 2,6-Dichloraniline. Catechol, trans,trans-Muconic acid and p-Benzoquinone are transformation products generated after treatment of the parent compound (Bisphenol A) with ozone in aqueous solution (water). Bisphenol A (BPA) belongs to the numerous anthropogenic compounds considered as endocrine disruptors. Although less estrogenic toward aquatic organisms than natural hormones, BPA has been reported to be able to induce feminization phenomena in various species of animals. BPA is commonly used for the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It is also used as stabilizer or antioxidant for many types of plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). BPA is detected with a high frequency in surface waters. 1H-Benzotriazole has been found in wastewater and the subsequently impacted surface water. This compound is employed to prevent metal corrosion and as UV-inhibitors, and found to use in applications such as airplane deicing fluids, dishwashing detergents, and plastic formulations. p-Nitrophenol is degradation product generated throughout the ozonation process of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. Sulfamethoxazole in combination with trimethoprim is used to treat a wide range of human diseases, such as urinary and respiratory tract infections. There are many publications that have reported about the presence of this antibiotic drug in sewage treatment plants, hospital effluents and rivers. Besides, this compound might be expected to be present in groundwater, because the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole is also applied to animals as growth promoter. 2,6-Dichloraniline is a metabolite produced after ozonational step of the drug diclofenac in aqueous solution. Diclofenac is one of the most commonly used pain killers. It is used to treat painful conditions such as arthritis, sprains and strains, gout, migraine, dental pain, and pain after surgical operations. There are many articles that have reported about the presence of this drug in sewage treatment plants. First step, I prepared different standard solutions for each compound, then validated and developed a method to analyze these compounds by using HPLC-UV instrument. A mixture of methanol and water (pH=2) are used at certain progress time and different ratios to obtain the best LC chromatogram with good separation and resolution for each compound in the mixture. The maximum wavelength (ÃŽ ») for each compound is known by using UV-spectrophotometer. Table (1) summarizes the information obtained after analyzing my target compounds by HPLC-UV. Table 1 Substance Retention time tR (min) ÃŽ » (nm) Catechol (1) 26.35 278 t,t-Muconic acid (2) 28.43 278 p-Benzoquinone (3) 30.46 278 1H-Benzotriazole (4) 34.42 278 p-Nitrophenol (5) 39.89 228 2,6-Dichloraniline (6) 48.04 228 Figure (1) shows the HPLC-UV chromatogram (relative response in mV vs. tR) for a mixture of six compounds in one prepared stock solution. 5 6 Figure 1 2 4 1 3 In order to develop a method to analyze the target compounds; the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) should be calculated in order to know the sensitivity of HPLC-UV instrument towards each compound. The LOD value for each compound was calculated from a chromatogram on the basis of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3. The LOQ value for each compound was calculated from a chromatogram on the basis of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 10. Table (2) shows the values of LOD and LOQ for each compound. Table 2 Substance LOD (ng/L) LOQ (ng/L) Catechol (1) 8.8 29.3 t,t-Muconic acid (2) 1.2 4.0 p-Benzoquinone (3) 6.3 21.0 1H-Benzotriazole (4) 8.5 28.3 p-Nitrophenol (5) 27.4 91.3 2,6-Dichloraniline (6) 18.0 60.0 For linearity and statistical evaluation, I prepared mixture solutions of six compounds at concentrations of 0.1, 0.25, 0.4, 0.55, 0.7, 0.85 and 1.0 mg/L. Table (3) shows the statistical data for the prepared stock solution of 0.7 mg/L. Table 3 Substance % Relative response Correlation coefficient (r) Catechol (1) 100 0.999 t,t-Muconic acid (2) 101 0.999 p-Benzoquinone (3) 106 0.999 1H-Benzotriazole (4) 100 0.999 p-Nitrophenol (5) 100 0.999 2,6-Dichloraniline (6) 104 0.999 The linearity at my working range is shown as follows: Now I am working in developing a preparation method to extract these compounds from water matrix by using different solid phase materials. Up to now, I tried two types of solid phase cartridges: OASIS HLB and SPEED DISK cartridges. It’s noticed that OASIS HLB gave higher recovery than SPEED DISK. In order to find out the best solid phase material, I will try many types of SPE. After finishing this step, I will develop a method to extract and analyze about 30 chosen chemical compounds which are produced after the ozonation process of pharmaceutical and parent compounds in water matrix. These compounds will be: Diclofenac, 2,6-Dichloroaniline, Metoprolol, Sulfamethoxazole, 4-nitrophenol, Bisphenol A, Catechol, trans,trans-Muconic acid, cis,cis-Muconic acid, p-Benzoquinone, Ciprofloxacin, Paracetamol, 1,2,4-Benzenetriol, Oxalic acid, Succinic acid, Malic acid, Malonic acid, Oxaloacetic acid, Hydroquinone, Maleic acid, EDTA, Glyoxylic acid, Formaldehyde, Carbamazepine, Glyoxylic acid, Oxamic acid and 1H-Benzotriazole.

Our Reliance on Computers :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"The society in which we live in has been so profoundly affected by computers that historians refer to the present time as the information age.† (Presley, 16) Comments like this show how computers have changed how we live, work, and play. For example, combined with the Internet, computers have incorporated many forms of communications into a universal one. The computer’s role in the world continues to grow in importance even as we sometimes take it for granted. We must realize how greatly computers have affected our lives. Computers have become such an integral part of our lives because we rely on them for numerical calculations, storage of data, communication, and technological processes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of computing began at the start of civilization. The computer’s long history makes it, â€Å"†¦ one of the most interesting and important machines ever invented† (Anonymous). Computers are simply complex counting devices. The abacus was an ancient computer which used beads to solve math problems. The abacus was strictly manual and the desire for an automated machine grew. One of the earliest automated machines was invented in the nineteenth century when French weaver, Joseph Jacquard, created a loom that could be programmed. Large hole punched cards were used by the loom to create geometric patterns. Aside from producing beautiful patterns, the punched cards were later modified to become the main form of computer input. The system of punch cards led to the first successful semi-automated computer, a punch-card tabulating machine invented during the 1880s by American Herman Hollerith. It was used to tabulate the results of the U.S. censu s. Each punch card contained the data of each individual. Operators fed the countless cards into the computer. When the spring-mounted nails of the computer passed through the holes of the punch-card, an electric circuit was completed. As seen in diagram C, the results of each card were displayed on rows of dials. Hollerith’s company, the Tabulating Machine Company, was eventually sold and was renamed the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1911, which still exists today. The first electronic computers were very large and elaborate machines that required a lot of money to build and use. The entire computer industry might never have taken off without government funding. World War II created a need for the U.S. military to calculate missile trajectories quickly, so Dr. John Machly was hired by the military to build a machine for this task.

Grapes Of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers fc

John Steinbeck uses symbolism to enrich his writing. Several of these symbols can be found in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad’s, a family from Oklahoma, are in search of a better life. They leave their home in journey to California because of the dust bowl. The symbols in the book are the dust, the turtle, names of people, and the grapes. These symbols give the reader an additional perspective of the book. Dust represents life and death. Dust makes a mess of things and leaves possessions under a mucky film. The farming in Oklahoma becomes difficult because the heavy winds uplift the soil and carry it great distances. Then the farmers are left with no soil to grow their crops. The Joad’s livelihood depends on the soil. If the soil is rich, then it will feed hundreds. But if the soil is dry, it destroys crops and causes famine. The dust covers Oklahoma and leaves the Joad family with no other choice, but to move. The Joad’s journey to California is as slow as a turtle. Heat in the desert, car problems, and the death of the grandparents make the journey long and painful. A turtle shelters himself by pulling his head, legs, and tail inside his shell. The Joad’s gather together as a family to comfort and shelter themselves. A turtle feels safe when it enters his shell and the Joad’s feel safe when they gather as a family. There is symbolic significance in the names of characters throughout The Grapes of Wrath. Tom, one of the main characters, is hitchhiking home when he stumbles upon a preacher by the name of Jim Casey. Jim baptized Tom, but now he is no longer preaching because he has found that everything is holy and man needs no preacher. His initials are J.C. which are the same as Jesus Christ. Jim shows similar characteristics to Jesus Christ. He sacrifices himself for Tom. Tom has caused a deputy to loose his suspect and is said to be under arrest, but Casey steps in and takes the blame. â€Å"It was me, alright† (p.364). Casey is taken by two deputies, but appears to be proud because he knows he has done the right thing. â€Å"Between his guards Casey sat proudly, his head up and the stringy muscles of his neck prominent† (p.364). He gives up his freedom so the Joad’s can accomplish their dreams as a family. Tom then meets Muley Graves, an old neighbor. Muley shows animal like characteristics and acts like a mule. Just like a mule, Muley is stubborn. ... ...ouldn’t share. â€Å"So Ruthie got mad an’ chased ‘em, an’ she fit one, an’ then she fit another, an’ then one big girl got up an’ licked her† (p.563). Although she appears to be strong in reality she is weak . Grapes are the fruit of the vine; something sweet. But in actuality for the Joad’s they are a disappointment. The Joad’s talk about them as being this wonderful fruit that will bring them a better life. They will pick the grapes and earn money. But as they stare at the open fields they realize that it is all just a dream. There are no grapes. They continuously think of the grapes as an escape from their depression. The grapes would be so fruitful that they would be able to bathe in the sweetness, but in their case it turns out completely different. Discussing the symbols of the dust, the turtle, the names, and the grapes makes the reader aware of another aspect of the story. The reader is able to realize just how well Steinbeck is able to bring his stories to life. As a reader you learn to appreciate his style of writing. Once you read his books you realize that he is not only a author, but an artist too. Bibliography the symbols in the Grapes of Wrath Word Count: 1716

Bioethics and Artificial Insemination :: Pregnancy Technology Science Essays

Bioethics and Artificial Insemination With every new technology that is born, there must be many questions as to whether this technology is beneficial or harmful as well as analyze who is affects. This especially holds true in dealing with the technology of artificial insemination. With the cultural mainstreaming of artificial insemination, there have been many articles written discussing the ethics of such decisions. Most of these articles are written by feminist authors with the purpose of discussing the impact of this new technology on women and how it affects their roles as mothers in society. Daniel Callahan, however, chooses to convey his argument about the bioethics of artificial insemination through a male perspective in his 1992 article â€Å"Bioethics and Fatherhood.† He argues that since the beginning of artificial insemination, there has been a trend to overlook the male and his anonymous donation of sperm. His writing style is fairly easy to read and very straightforward in an attempt to convey his point to the general population. His opinion is obvious through his very one-sided argument as well as occasional sarcastic remarks. For this, he does not base many of his points on factual evidence but more abstract, logically deduced theory. His argument is that this man, the sperm donor, is biologically responsible for the newly born child and its life thereafter. He bases his argument around the responsibility of the individual, the technology that allows men to be overlooked, and the rights movement that has lessened the responsibility of the man in fatherho od. Callahan begins his argument with the discussion of what it means to be a father biologically and morally. He relates these two terms by saying, â€Å"Human beings bear a moral responsibility for those voluntary acts that have an impact on the lives of others; they are morally accountable for those acts† (Callahan, 99). Callahan feels that voluntary sexual activity, and by extension voluntary sperm donation, falls under this category. This logic holds true to the entire argument and strengthens his case against the minimization of the father’s role in parenthood. It is based on the very concrete fact that if the man did not give his sperm, the child would not exist. This is a very simple, but very strong argument. Callahan then furthers his case on the morality of sperm donation by saying that even if the child grows up in foster care, if that foster father were to be unfit, the biological father would have a moral obligation for the child. Bioethics and Artificial Insemination :: Pregnancy Technology Science Essays Bioethics and Artificial Insemination With every new technology that is born, there must be many questions as to whether this technology is beneficial or harmful as well as analyze who is affects. This especially holds true in dealing with the technology of artificial insemination. With the cultural mainstreaming of artificial insemination, there have been many articles written discussing the ethics of such decisions. Most of these articles are written by feminist authors with the purpose of discussing the impact of this new technology on women and how it affects their roles as mothers in society. Daniel Callahan, however, chooses to convey his argument about the bioethics of artificial insemination through a male perspective in his 1992 article â€Å"Bioethics and Fatherhood.† He argues that since the beginning of artificial insemination, there has been a trend to overlook the male and his anonymous donation of sperm. His writing style is fairly easy to read and very straightforward in an attempt to convey his point to the general population. His opinion is obvious through his very one-sided argument as well as occasional sarcastic remarks. For this, he does not base many of his points on factual evidence but more abstract, logically deduced theory. His argument is that this man, the sperm donor, is biologically responsible for the newly born child and its life thereafter. He bases his argument around the responsibility of the individual, the technology that allows men to be overlooked, and the rights movement that has lessened the responsibility of the man in fatherho od. Callahan begins his argument with the discussion of what it means to be a father biologically and morally. He relates these two terms by saying, â€Å"Human beings bear a moral responsibility for those voluntary acts that have an impact on the lives of others; they are morally accountable for those acts† (Callahan, 99). Callahan feels that voluntary sexual activity, and by extension voluntary sperm donation, falls under this category. This logic holds true to the entire argument and strengthens his case against the minimization of the father’s role in parenthood. It is based on the very concrete fact that if the man did not give his sperm, the child would not exist. This is a very simple, but very strong argument. Callahan then furthers his case on the morality of sperm donation by saying that even if the child grows up in foster care, if that foster father were to be unfit, the biological father would have a moral obligation for the child.

International Retail Buying & Merchandising

International Fashion Branding International Retail Buying & Merchandising ‘Evaluate the various buying structures that exist in order to support a retail buying function and the impact of these buying structures on the roles and responsibilities of the retail buyer. Use illustrative examples to support your answer. ’ Within the retail environment customer satisfaction and company profitability are a crucial consideration in the merchandise choice of the buyer (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).The range of the buyer’s duties will depend on the size of the business and can be seen as three main buying approaches; centralised, decentralised and a combination of the two. Throughout this essay the buying structures will be explored in depth and the advantages and disadvantages of each will be underlined. The difference between these three approaches will highlight further the roles and responsibilities of the retail buyer and how they change depending on the type of organisati on. The buyer’s role within the retail sector is an extremely crucial one.A fashion buyer selects a range of products targeted at a specific clientele within a certain price range to hopefully gain profit for a retail company (Kang, 1999). Therefore getting the merchandise collection correct has been described as ‘the engine of success’ within retailing (Aufreiter et al. , 1993). A successful buyer requires a variety of skills including communication, calculation, analysing market positions, the power of negotiation and should also be creative (Varley, 2005).There are three roles of a buyer as stated by Hirshman and Stampfl (1980), firstly as a change agent where the buyer inspires the consumer to consider purchasing new and exciting goods, secondly as a gatekeeper where the buyer will coordinate the movement of the product from supplier directly to the customer. Finally the opinion leader role will encourage the customer’s outlook however this does not ne cessarily result in a direct purchase from the company.The key activities which a retail buyer must carry out are as follows; analysis of market opportunity which helps understand consumer buying behaviour, the creation of a merchandise plan which will incorporate a range of goods and merchandise within that category. The buyer needs to then select and build a solid relationship with a supplier to give the business a competitive advantage. The development of the product will ensure an exclusive feel of the brand, precisely tailored to meet the desires of the retailer and their customer. These goods will then me packaged, presented and promoted accordingly (Fernie et al. 2003). The buying role can differ between companies due to the size of the organisation, the budget allocated, classification of merchandise, the number of employees and where the stores are located (Diamond & Pintel, 2008). These attributes clearly define the organisational structure that a business will use to appr oach the buying role. The first of the three approaches, which large chain stores favour, is a centralised structure. This is where a whole buying team are involved and all purchase decisions are made at Head Office.Usually buyers will have separate departments and select a specific product range, for example lingerie or footwear (Goworek, 2001). As the size of a company grows, the buyer’s role becomes more intense as they deal with larger sums of money, a greater number of products and competition increases. More staff is brought in to help spread the workload and this in turn separate the buying role from the marketing one. This can be perceived as a negative as buyers are required to be kept up to date with promotions and merchandising decisions (Rosenbloom, 1981).On the other hand, there any many advantages of buying taking place in Head Office over store level. Stores with full point-of-sale data capture systems can accumulate up to date information on sale trends and bu ying patterns for each item and store them to allow forecasts to be more precise. This helps provide buying power with the negotiation of supply prices and allows a single point of communication for supply base. Subsequently allocating more time to the buyer to analysis market trends and discovers new products for their customer.In short the cost of buying function is lower as economies of scale are achieved. Tighter quality control techniques can be applied to improve production and delivery performance whilst buying and stock control choices are levelled across all stores. This gives store managers the opportunity to focus on motivating their staff and the running of their store (McGolderick, 2002). However while centralised purchasing does have its advantages, it can occasionally not recognise the needs and variation in demand of an individual store as well as that of the store manager.With buyers working from Head Office quarters there is very little informal communication with the various units making ‘the organisation less adaptive to marketplace and environmental changes’ (Stampfl, 1978). Every store will have a different set of customers and product assortment. However as the retailer is not in control of buying the merchandise they must work with the allocated product from the central buying team (Wang, L, 2010). This in turn can demotivate managers at local levels as they feel their input or contribution to the buying activities is invalid.All buying teams within centralised structure main goals are to become the front runner in the marketplace. Marks and Spencer are one of the many chain stores which are constantly reviewing their buying strategy to ‘deliver lower stock levels, shorter lead times and greater flexibility’ (marksandspencer. com, 2013). Decentralised merchandising can be found within independent retailers selling products with stable demand. In such cases the store managers often take on the function of buying locally as well as many other numerous management roles.It is favoured when a number of decisions need to be made at store level based on customer’s needs. A well-known brand which takes this type of approach is Johnson & Johnson who offer a range of health care products. This is due to the various businesses they are involved in which have different customer desires. By having a diverse range of businesses, with more than 250 autonomous units, the company has managed to modernise and grow regardless of its size (Singer & Abelson, 2010). Giving store level management more opportunity to have an element of control over the buying for their stores.A method of enhancing customer service and the stores efficiency against the large companies who use the centralised method is to allow the small retailers to cater fully to their local product choice (Varley, 2005). A major plus of using a decentralised structure is the ability for a store to adapt to change within the local market without having to wait for the centralised buying team to give the go ahead. This can boost self-esteem of store managers as they feel they have a large contribution with the buying decisions.The CEO of Johnson & Johnson, William Weldon stated a negative with having a decentralised approach, the head of the company will have to gain a good deal of trust with their store managers to make the correct decisions. Having decisions spread out amongst the company can also lead to inconsistency across the organisation. Weldon also pointed out that by having a decentralised approach it allows his business to advance internationally. They count on local employees in overseas markets to make critical business decisions (Kokemuller, n. ). A combinative structure is the third approach that a retailer may adopt where the ability to purchase takes place at both central and local level. This may involve the central buyers buying the core lines for all the stores and products to suit local needs are bought in turn by local managers. This method has been utilised by international food retailers whose head office buy main brands sold in all stores. The local management are in control for obtaining goods from local suppliers in order to fulfil customer tastes.In 2001 Waitrose itself has encouraged the use of local produce by stocking over two thousand lines alongside other large chains such as Asda and Co-operative Group (Morrell, 2010). Another method used within this structure involves a centralised buying team who select a range of goods from which store level managers choose according to the desires of their consumers. Whilst this does not entirely give the opportunity for the store manager to select exact products for their outlet, it does allow them to have some say within the buying decisions.An example of this would be the franchise restaurant Subway, where their Head Office takes control of the marketing, menus and food quality but the store managers themselves take cont rol over matters such as hiring and training of staff (DuBrin, 2009). A further illustration would be the famous clothes apparel Benetton, who create a variety of styles. Although the individual licensee cannot buy from outside suppliers, the single units have the opportunity of selecting the clothes from the company that they believe will suit best with their customer (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).A combinative method fulfils the demands and expectations of customers through the organisations ability to buy centrally, prices are more competitive and the local taste is also met (Bruce, 2004). The roles and responsibilities of a retail buyer can vary in terms of what purchasing structure is used within a business. For a small organisation the buyer can be involved with the sales and promotional sides of the business whereas in large chain stores they have various positions at different levels such as buying directors, managers, buyers, buying assistants and trainees (Goworek, 2001).Single units opt for a decentralised buying approach where the store level management are responsible for all buying tasks. Shop owners operate their own store as they believe they could provide a tailored product and service specific to their customer. Independent stores generally sell one arrangement of products or restricted amounts of merchandise; this is purchased by the store level manager. Within single units the owner takes on many roles but with chains, that have hundreds of stores, the role of the buyer becomes more constrained and focused on purchasing (Diamond & Pintel, 2008).A crucial skill of the buying team within a centralised structure is to be efficient communicators as they are constantly speaking with suppliers and other departments. As the distance between stores increase, it becomes more challenging for a buyer to make frequent visits to each store. These units are controlled at Head Office with very limited contact occurring between buyer and store manager. The main focus being purchasing and communication is achieved through telephone and e-mail, information is also accumulated via electronic reports (Diamond & Pintel 2008).Within a smaller business the range of merchandise is usually wider, for example men’s business-wear which would include suits, shirts and ties. With large chain store such as Bhs and Oasis, buyers are given a more concentrated product range for instance men’s shirts. This in turn leads to further pressure to generate more sales for their specific department. In comparison to individual stores which acquire a more flexible buyer with a broader skill set to assist with quality control.The roles and responsibilities of a buyer within a combinative structure is a mixture between the buying department at Head Office purchasing the core lines of a range and the store manager’s contribution to providing the store with local good they believed to cater to needs of their customer. This could be difficult to ma nage as purchasing will take place at both levels, for this to be successful, the general manager and the buying team would need to communicate regular so that merchandise within the store was consistent.Overall a buying structure is needed in order to help support a retailing company deliver its market with a carefully selected product range, providing them with a competitive advantage and in turn hopefully generating profit. Three main approaches were evaluated and linked with different types of businesses which best suited them. Centralization is more broadly used by larger retailers such as chain stores; decentralization provides a structure for independent retailers and thirdly a combination of the two which takes elements of both of these to create a core line as well as using local produce.When companies are considering both the handling of data and of merchandise then the decision must be made as to which is the preferred method. A centralised approach allows organisations t o have a larger buying department with greater efficiency which becomes more focused on areas of purchasing. Some retailers see this as restricting as store managers have limited say within this process, therefore they opt for a more flexible method offered within the decentralised approach.After clear assessment of all three structures it was concluded that a combination of centralised and decentralised approaches would be an overall satisfactory method to put in place for most organisations as the main ranges within a retailer would be controlled by Head Office with an experienced buying department but also store level managers would contribute to the buying decisions as they had expertise with what the customer would desire. References Aufreiter, N. , N. Karch and C. Smith Shi (1993) ‘The engine of success in retailing’.McKinsey Quarterly, 3, 101-116. Bruce, M. (2004). The anatomy of retail buying. In: Butterworth-Heinemann, E International retail marketing : a case study approach . Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. 64-68. Diamond & Pintel. (2008). The Buyer's Role. In: Vernon R. A Retail Buying. 8th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.. 3-32. DuBrin, A. (2009). Organizing. In: Calhoun, J and Acuna, M Essentials Of Management. 8th ed. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. 219-295. Fernie, J et al. (2003). Principles of Retailing. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. p145-150 Goworek, H. (2001).The Role of the Fashion Buyer. In: Blackwell Science Ltd Fashion Buying. Great Britain: DP Photsetting. 4-14. Hirschman, E. C. ; Stampfl, R. W. (1980). Roles of retailing in the diffusion of popular culture: Microperspectives. Journal of Retailing 56 Kang, KY. (1999). Conceptual Framework: Retail Buying Process. In: Kang, KY Development of an Assortment Planning Model for Fashion Sensitive Products. 1-14. Kokemuller, N. (n. d). Decentralized Company Business Structure. 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Meaning of life †Mind Essay

The meaning of life is a question that is thrown around from person to person asking them what they think. Some people have an idea of what the meaning of life is and other has no clue. Some believe that you just live life and others believe while living life you discover the meaning. During this essay I will be talking about what other people think about this question. When I had a conversation with my father about what the meaning of life is all about he had the same response to the question that basically everyone else had came up with. The one difference that he said while we were chatting was that life is full of choices and decisions. I thought long and hard for a while about what he said thinking that there was more behind it then just what he had stated. What I came up with was that maybe he was implying that what we do during our term of living is what sets up the next thing that happens in life. So each choice that we make is important in that it’s not the meaning of life that’s so important but the concept of what we do during life is the meaning. Some might disagree and imp still thinking about what my father has said to, but its just another point of view and I have no problem looking at it from a different angle. Another big topic when it comes to the question of the meaning of life is music. Music is a great way to hear what other people and especially artist think about the meaning of life thought their songs. Sometimes it’s hard to hear but if you listen closely there is always a message somewhere that says something about the meaning of life. For example in the song â€Å"I don’t wanna be† By the artist Gavin Degraw he speaks out about what he thinks about the meaning of life threw what other people are and what he doesn’t want to become. â€Å"I’m surrounded by liars everywhere I turn Imposters everywhere I turn surround me I’m surrounded by identity crisis everywhere I turn Am I the only one who’s noticed? I can’t be the only one who’s learned I don’t want to be anything other than what I’ve been trying to be lately All I have to do is think of me and I’ve peace of mind I’m tired of looking ’round rooms wondering what I got to do Or who I’m supposed to be I don’t want to be anything other than me† (www. sing365. com) What these lyrics are basically saying is that he can see that everyone around him is acting like something that there not. Then he says that he doesn’t want to act like everyone else and not know who he is but he just wants to be he and live life the way he wants to. The next topic that is a good place to find out the meaning of life is the creative minds of artist and there art work. Art work is always a good place to find out the meaning of life because again the artist have a message in there work hidden and you have to find what there saying. The only difference from music is instead of saying the message they paint the message in a form of image weather it’s a paining or it’s a sculpture. There is many ways that you can discover meaning of life. In some ways its not what you find the meaning of life in its more about what you perceive of the meaning of life. When you look at something like a painting or a song what do you think it is trying to say? Does it paint a picture in your head and what does that picture look like? I find that the best way to see the meaning of life is threw movie. Movies are an image of the life that we live but it shows us the true meaning of life in a way that we can all understand. People are blind when it comes to what makes them in this world. In a movie the character is set up to live there life and threw events shows us what makes them unique. In one movie the Shaw shank redemption the main character Andy is convicted for a murder that he doesn’t commit and is forced to go to hail for life. In the movie you think that he has nothing to live for anymore but in a way they present what his meaning of life is and how it comes clear to the characters eyes. The character see’s that he needs certine things in life to live. Friends was one of the things that he discovered was important to live a happy and full life. Hope is another one; if you don’t have hope then you have nothing to look forward to so then what is the point of living. The main thought in the movie was get busy living or get busy dieing. What this is suppose to mean is if your not going to start living and doing all the things you want to complete in life you might as well start on dieing. The meaning of life is very complex and you can’t always pick up everything that it’s going to throw at you. That’s why movies, art and music in around so that other people who think about the topic more can show you there incite. If you listen and look at thoughts things you can learn things that will show you what the meaning of life is or at least what you can do to get started on living your life.