Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Television Addicted Children

Television Addicted Children Television Addiction Children Children’s Television Addiction A lot of people do not realize the seriousness of television addiction. According to â€Å"Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor† written by Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2002), each person all over the world spends three hours a day watching television for half of their own leisure time. That means the total amount of the time for watching television is the same as 9 years to spend their time to watch TV if one lives up to 75. A more scary research is 40% of adult respondents and 70% of teenagers think that they watch television too much. Moreover, 10 percent of adults think themselves as TV addicts. Is this fact not surprising? Have you ever thought, â€Å"I think I am addicted to television?† When I was young, I did not consider myself as a television addict. If I did not have anything to do, I would have seen television for 6 through 7 hours in a day. At that time, I already knew I spent too much time watching television, but I did not care about it. However, as time went by, I entered high school, and I needed to study to pass the College Entrance Exam in Korea. Unfortunately, whenever I was studying, I could not take care of my desire to watch television. I tried to get away from the television and set time for viewing the TV. However, it was not that easy. The habit from the young age made me stick to this bad habit. That is why I am interested in television addiction, and why I want to know much about the television addiction. Like this, the impact from viewing television too much would affect not only children’s development in a variety of ways but also until they become adults. Above all, before getting started, we should make sure about the definition of addiction. Although there are a variety of definitions for â€Å"addiction,† all the meanings are the same. Of all, I chose the definition which is proposed by Lamai, â€Å"Addiction is a habitual repetition of excessive behavior that a person is unable or unwilling to stop, despite its harmful consequences† (2006). People can be addicted to drugs physically while people can be addicted to gambling psychologically. However, because the term â€Å"television addiction† is not precise and can be different in various situations, there are a variety of perspectives on television addiction. Nevertheless, the criteria of substance dependence, which are defined by psychologists and psychiatrists formally, decide as an addiction if someone spends their time using the substance too much, tries to use more than one’s intended amount, gives up to do social, family or occupational activities, more important thing than using it, and shows withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it (Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). These phenomena are shown on television addicts as well. Because of the desire to watch TV, people who call themselves an addict appear to have all of these phenomena. Therefore, desire to watch television continuously can tell that it is obviously an â€Å"addiction.† Media has warned the impact of television, especially the impact of television to children. It is very unhealthy to children because children are in the progress of developing their brain and body. According to Dr. Young’s assertion, â€Å"All of the most crucial brain development of a child occurs before age 4.†(Morello, 2002, p.44). Hence, the effect from television addiction can lead children to become passive and try not to think creatively. Like this, it would affect in a variety of ways not only in childhood but also in the child’s entire life. First of all, the impact from television addiction is directly related to children’s attention span. A surprising fact is â€Å"Only 14 percent of teens who watch six or more hours of TV daily achieve reading proficiency by grade 12† (Daines, 2007). Somewhere you might hear that television is a strong stimulus clog. This is because television contains a great deal of â€Å"rapid-fire stimulation.† (Morello, 2002, p.44). Therefore, their brain would be trained by this level of stimulation. If they do not see enough of this level of stimulation, they are unable to be affected by the stimulation and they try to find more extreme stimulation for them. Finally, children cannot concentrate on something longer. In contrast, if children are interested in playing sports, games and crayons, they can improve cognitive abilities and develop crucial thinking (Daines, 2007). Secondly, the time for being with family and interacting with friends will be shortened. As society becomes modernized, all of family members become busy, so they can be together in only dinner time. However, television even makes this time shortened. When the TV is turned on, the family’s eyes would glue to the TV without expression, so that they will not chat with their story. Furthermore, studies show that the more TV preschoolers watch, the less well socialized they are in the first grade (Daines, 2007). This is because they spend their time watching instead of playing with friends. Thirdly, the biggest problem is the obesity. Children obesity is getting a bigger issue. Television addiction is a lot involved in this issue as well. Have you ever heard of â€Å"couch potatoes?† This word came from the expression of the person who always lies in the couch and watches TV. Likewise, think about the situation when you are watching television. What are you doing? You might be eating a snack. That is the key point of becoming obesity. There is the statistics related to this fact in TV and the Internet: Fattening for Teens? Dr, Susanna Kautiainen and colleagues at the University of Tampere, Finland surveyed a nationally representative sample of 721 teens 14 to 18 years of age to see if the time they spent on the Internet was tied to obesity or overweight. The result was that those who spent more time watching TV were more often overweight and obese than those who spent less time watching TV. The time without moving makes people obesity and overweight (2004). Fourthly, watching TV without caution can become children’s guideline how to grow. That means TV can ruin the childhood as a certain period in human development. If children constantly are exposed by TV’s harmful situations such as sex and violence, they take it granted that it is not a problem to live a fast life in youth and to kill people for justice. This is because children are not satisfying their knowledge to distinguish from this destructive aspect of television (Video Age International, 2001, pp. 2-3). If you unguardedly let children watch TV, it could lead children to fail in childhood. Then, why are we addicted to television? The origin of the addiction arises from â€Å"boredom,† and television can supply your demand. As soon as you turn on the TV, you can directly feel relaxed and cozy. However, according to electroencephalograph (EEG) studies which are laboratory experiments to monitor the brain waves, skin resistance or heart rate of people watching television, the result is astonishing. When participants turn off the TV, their feeling of relaxation and coziness suddenly disappears while the feeling of passiveness and lowered alertness continue. After participants turn off the TV, they somehow feel television makes their energy dry up and they are hard to concentrate compared to before. In contrast, participants can feel happy and improvement in mood after playing sport (Kubey and Csikszentimihalyi, 2002). Moreover, in â€Å"Television Anonymous† (2001), â€Å"Noise† and â€Å"Companionship† can be the reason why people are addicted as well. Then, what kinds of solution to get over television addiction? There are a lot of alternatives. However, above all, recognizing your habit and accepting is a top priority. After this, firstly set time limits. It should not watch more than two hours on qualified TV program. Also, under three year children should not be in front of TV because â€Å"the first two to three years of life are critical periods for the development of young children’s brains.†(Christakis, 2004) Secondly, this is the most important thing. Television should not be placed in children’s bedroom. Thirdly, put the TV and remote control which could not come into sight. Fourthly, do not use the TV to look after baby. Instead, do household chores with children and give them an opportunity to help. Fifthly, listen to favorite music or the radio as background noise. Lastly, set a good example. Because parents and guardians are usually a child’s most important role model, limiting your own TV viewing and choosing programs carefully through the lives of TV characters (Daines, 2007). In conclusion, the desire which wants to watch TV definitely should be seen as addiction. Nowadays, television addiction is becoming a big issue. The amount of time people viewing TV on average cannot say it is not the astonishing fact. I am sure that the number of television addicts is gradually increasing. Therefore, people should make an effort to diffuse the fact that the amount of television addict is increasing and it is really bad for children because television addiction have an opportunity to shorten children’s attention span, to narrow time with family and friends, to result in obesity, and to be a guideline during development. Therefore, keeping watching television incautiously should be reconsidered.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Albert Camus :: essays research papers

Albert Camus is one of the most renowned authors in the twentieth century. With works such as Caligula, The Stranger, Nuptials, and The Plague, he has impacted the world of literature to a great extent. This great success was not just "given" to him "on a silver platter" however. He endured many hardships and was plagued with great illness in his short life. Camus is a great role model and idol for us all. 	Camus was born into poverty on November 2, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria (a former French colony in Africa). His mother, Catherine Sintes, was a cleaning woman, and his father, Lucien Camus, was a farmhand. Only a few months old, Albert lost his father in the horrors of World War I in 1914. After the loss of his father, him, his brother and his mother moved in to his grandmother's three-bedroom apartment with his two uncles. The only way Albert "escaped" from this harsh reality was on the beaches of Algiers. At the age of fourteen, Camus was diagnosed with the first stages of tuberculosis. This disease plagued him for the rest of his life. At age seventeen, Albert moved in with his uncle by marriage, Gustave Acault, who provided Albert with a better environment as well as an actual father figure. After enduring the hardships of his childhood, Camus began writing at age seventeen. 	Camus wrote many influential works and gained much success, starting at age seventeen, when he decided to strive to become a writer. Albert's first "literary experience" was gained as a member of the "North African Literary Group." By 1932, he was writing articles for the magazine entitled Sud. Albert entered the University of Algiers on scholarships in this same year. As an art critic, he wrote articles for the newspaper Alger-Etudiant in 1934. In the same year he married Simon Hie who was wealthy but was plagued with a drug addiction. This marriage only lasted for about two years. After earning a degree in 1935, Camus was awarded the diplome d'etudes superieures with his thesis "Christian Metaphysics and Neoplatonism." In 1934 he became a member of the Communist Party, but this only lasted until 1937. Albert was also a successful journalist, writing for the Alger Republicain, the Paris-Soir, and the Combat. On December 3,1940, Albert Camus marr ied for the second time to Francine Fautre. After all of this success, some fabulous works followed.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Dell’s Supply Chain Management Essay

The term supply chain management (SCM) was initially used in wholesaling and retailing to denote the integration of logistics and physical distribution functions with the goal of reducing delivery lead times. Manufacturers and service providers have used the same term to describe integration and partnership efforts with first- and second- tier suppliers to reduce cost and improve quality and delivery timing. Terms such as integrated purchasing strategy, integrated logistics, supplier integration, value chain management, supply base management, strategic supplier alliances, lean production, Just-In-Time (JIT) logistics, and supply chain synchronization have been used in the literature to address certain elements or stages of this new management philosophy (1998; 1994). Conceptually, SCM includes all value-adding activities from the extraction of raw materials through the transformation processes and through delivery to the end user. SCM spans organizational boundaries and treats the organizations within the value chain as a unified virtual business entity (1991; 1995). (1995) further expanded SCM to include recycling or reuse activities. In general, SCM seeks improved performance through elimination of waste and better use of internal and external supplier capabilities and technologies (1996). The retailing industry has focused on different aspects of SCM, namely, location, transportation, and logistics issues. Indeed, the origin of supply chain management can be traced back to efforts to better manage the transportation and logistics functions (1997; 1995; 1994; 1993; 1991; 1987). The wholesaling and retailing industries incorporate a logistics focus within their strategic decisions. In this respect, SCM is synonymous with integrated logistics systems that control the movement of goods from the suppliers to end customers without waste (1991). Moreover, integrated logistics systems seek to manage inventories through close relationships with suppliers and transportation, distribution, and delivery services. A goal is to replace inventory with frequent communication and sophisticated information systems to provide visibility and coordination. In this way, merchandise can be replenished quickly in small lot size and arrive where and when it is needed (1994; 1993). Firms that use advanced process technology to increase flexibility and involve manufacturing managers in strategic decision making alter the role of logistics in firm success (1998). A supply chain can reduce overall inventory while maximizing customer service by efficiently redistributing stock within the supply chain using effective postponement and speculation strategies (1998; 1993; 1991). New logistics technology gives businesses a complex way to make things easier for their customers and suppliers. Within logistics industry, Dell’s system is recognized as one that takes advantage of technology to decrease storage and increase efficiency. The computer company’s supply and shipping networks exemplify the latest trend in logistics, that is, visibility. Companies with the money and foresight are making sure their inventories can be traced and tracked throughout their entire logistical operations, even if their systems are entirely outsourced. Executing a supply chain with full visibility gives companies better information to work with and a more agile system. Dell has a better control of their operation which has reduced safety stocks and has operate faster to get cash-to-cash conversion cycles. By producing custom products at a rapid pace, the computer manufacturer receives payments from customer before it pays suppliers. Companies can do this only if there’s a short window between receiving an order and shipping it. In addition, Dell’s customers can also keep track of their order status. They can trace their computer as is moves through assembly and testing, and can track its shipment due to the technology of major shipping companies. The pulse of Dell’s execution effort centers on increasing business velocity and eliminating waste. Dell employees are constantly focused on driving down backlogs, promoting best practices, and creating synergies among adjacent processes as seen in cross-functional initiatives such as the design-for-manufacturability effort between manufacturing and R&D. This initiative successfully promoted product designs that are easier to assemble. In 1994, Dell was a struggling second-tier PC maker. Like many others, the company ordered its components in advance and manufactured to inventory. Then Dell began to implement a new business model. It converted its operations to a build-to-order process, eliminated its inventories through a just-in-time system, and sold its products directly to consumers. Dell carefully targeted corporate relationship customers that had predictable, budgeted needs and that wanted a pre-determined set of product models. The company also selected individual customers who were high-end, repeat purchasers with a preference for early technology adoption. Both account segments had the stable, predictable purchase patterns that Dell needed to make its joint build-product-to-order/buy-component-to-plan system work. In connection with this, Dell developed a set of new operations capabilities in five crucial areas (2005). First, it created the flawless make-to-order system that has been widely noted. Secondly, Dell worked at length to build an effective supplier management function in order to shorten component lead times and maintain the absolute quality standards required by the just-in-time operation. Third, Dell developed the â€Å"sell what you have† system that was essential to matching supply and demand. Fourth, it instituted an extraordinarily crisp set of product life cycle management capabilities that yielded great cost reductions and strategic advantage. Fifth, the company worked with its suppliers to shorten their product life cycles, extending the Dell business model to the whole channel. Together these operating capabilities formed a cornerstone for Dell’s business model. Moreover, to maintain its rapid growth, Dell needs to hone its just-in-time process. Dell believes that the key to JIT is integrating with the suppliers into its operation. It is important for the company to work with the suppliers to figure out how to minimize the supply chain and hold the least amount of inventory in it. Inventory can add costs, damage quality, slow production, and wreak havoc with Dell’s rapid response reputation. To guard against this, Dell has optimized its supply base and developed a tightly run system in which it â€Å"pulls† parts from suppliers just as they are needed for production. Dell has manufacturing facilities in Austin; Limerick, Ireland; and Penang, Malaysia, each of which produces PCs on a JIT basis. In order to ensure the smooth flow of production supplies into these plants, Dell has developed a two-tiered strategy that employs different sourcing arrangements and delivery schedules for custom and commodity parts. When Dell receives an order for a PC, it faxes or phones its requirements to suppliers who pick the proper parts and pack them in reusable bins with kanban cards attached. Trucks on a continuous loop between suppliers and Dell, known as a â€Å"milk run,† deliver the sorted parts to the computer maker’s plant for final assembly. This process frees Dell from having to manage inventories and the costs associated with them. However, Dell has made efforts to ensure that suppliers don’t get stuck with much inventory. The computer maker allows suppliers to participate in a â€Å"revolver program,† where they can sell parts stored at the warehouse to other customers. In comparison with Dell’s supply chain management, Baxter, a hospital supply company, developed a powerful new type of partnership with its hospital customers. Baxter develops a strategy which is the vendor-managed inventory system, then called the Stockless System in managing its customer’s inventories within their hospital facilities (2001). The hospital specifies its stock requirements for each ward; an on-site Baxter employee counts the stock in each ward each day or every few days; the employee enters this information into a hand-held device and transmits it to Baxter’s warehouse, where a replenishment order is derived; at the warehouse, the order is picked into ward-specific containers; that order is delivered the next day or in a few days directly to the ward, and the Baxter employee puts the stock away; finally, Baxter invoices the hospital. Baxter’s Stockless System created a powerful new channel that changed the ground rules for all other hospita l supply companies. However, in the long run, the shift to service competition led to significant sales increases as conversions to Baxter products naturally occurred. The company also gained significant first-mover advantage as it tied up key accounts with this new channel. In the case of Procter and Gamble (P&G), the company first partnered with Wal-Mart to develop a pioneering continuous replenishment system. Through this system, P&G replenishes Wal-Mart’s facilities without purchase orders based on the retailer’s product movement data. Based on this experience, P&G systematically shifted its strategic focus toward supply chain-based service innovation–and in the process transformed both the consumer products and retail industries. P&G also developed a careful account selection plan as part of an innovative product supply model. The company developed operating partnerships with major customers capable of linking electronically, taking full-truckload deliveries, and engaging in joint business process reorganization programs. Smaller accounts were shifted to master distributors, which in turn were selected for their ability to partner effectively with P&G. P&G, for its part, developed operations capabilities in two key areas ( 2001). First, it created a sweeping new set of industry-change programs such as ECR (efficient consumer response), CRP (customer requirements planning), and streamlined logistics. These programs required a solid new understanding of channel economics and the impact of supply chain innovation. Second, the company developed sophisticated IT ties to coordinate its product flow, enabling it to raise service levels to meet the needs of the new system. With regards with Dell’s, supply chain competency of the company comprises of four qualities which includes demand management, internal collaboration, leveraging partners, and financial fundamentals (2004). Dell’s direct model enables the company to excel at demand management. The process of selling directly to customers and building product to order creates opportunities for true real-time collaboration and synchronization between manufacturing and sales. By being in direct contact with the market, Dell can quickly see changes in customer demand. Synchronization allows Dell to respond more quickly to customer demand than its competitors can. Additionally, this true internal collaboration allows for highly accurate forecasts. Another key aspect of Dell’s success is its ability to collaborate internally. This competency is driven by a culture that values information sharing and empowers all employees. At Dell, â€Å"direct† refers not only to how the company sells but also to how team members communicate and attack issues (2004). Moreover, Dell’s culture and processes not only help the company collaborate internally but also help it leverage its business partners. Dell leverages its partners by linking suppliers’ planning and execution activities with Dell’s systems. The company uses information technology to gather and share a constant stream of data on supply and demand trends. On the supply side, Dell gathers real-time information about the inventory levels of its suppliers at various positions in the supply chain. Finally, Dell’s entire supply chain is focused on fundamental business performance. Operating margin and not just profits or growth rate is the number that Dell cares about most to ensure long-term profitability. Dell Inc.’s renowned direct sales model is regularly cited as the key reason for its overall competitive prowess. At Dell, supply chain management is truly viewed as a strategic capability; it drives coordination with, and in many instances it includes, activities such as marketing, sales, finance, and information technology.

Friday, January 3, 2020

English Literature And World War I Frances Dewey

Advanced English: Literature and World War I Frances Dewey Synthesis Paper #2 March 6, 2016 Time In Regeneration and Disabled, Pat Barker and Wilfred Owen explore how war affects the individual. Barker and Owen chronicle the lives of soldiers who suffer from physical, emotional and mental trauma from the war. These two writers honest, realistic depictions of soldiers suffering reveal the incredible costs of war. Barker and Owen show how memories of the war hinder soldiers ability to live in the present and drastically transform the way they experience the world. Barker reveals how the past disrupts soldiers existence in the present. During a conversation with Rivers, Sassoon details the disturbing content of his†¦show more content†¦Sassoon s nightmares and hallucinations not only represent the violent, traumatic nature of the war experience, but also reveal how soldiers are unable to escape the horrors of war. Barker exposes how the past shapes the way soldiers experience and understand the world. During a walk on the beach, Rivers and Burns encounter the remains o f gutted fish. Burns has a troubling reaction: But Burns had stopped dead in his tracks and was staring at the heads, with his mouth working. As Rivers watched, he jerked his head back, the same movement that had been so common when he first arrived at Craiglockhart (176). At the sight of gutted fish, Burns is reminded of the horrors of war. Burns’ visceral physical reaction to the gutted fish reveals not only how much the war traumatized him, but also how much the past still rules him. Burns stops dead in his tracks with his mouth working. Burns experiences the same movement that had been so common when he first arrived at Craiglockhart. In this brief moment, Burns is suddenly pulled back to his experiences on the battlefield. Burns’ view of the world is completely changed because of his war experience; he sees the world through a different lens, one that has witnessed violence and brutality unimaginable to many. Whilst on a date with Sarah, Prior has a sad realizatio n: She belonged with the pleasure-seeking crowds. He both envied and despised her, and was quite coldly determined to get her. They owed