Experimental economics summary paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Experimental economics summary paper - Essay Example These aspects tend to be the deciding factors as to when and why humans cooperate or they don’t. The author has used the single trial public goods and the multiple trail experiments to analyse human behaviour and how that affects the economy to a certain extent. In case of the former, it was found that the players could be segregated in two categories- 1: strong free riders, who did not want to contribute anything to the economy 2: weak free riders, who may or may not contribute towards public good and just want to enjoy the benefits (Dawes & Thaler, 1988) In case of the latter, it was found that more the subjects were put through repetitive experiments, the lesser cooperative they grew and even lesser they contributed towards public good. However, both cannot be considered as precise predictions or concrete results to any research. The other theory that has been highlighted by the author is that of reciprocal altruism being a major factor in deciding the contribution level. I t has been observed through experiments that humans tend to cooperate more when there is expectation that the same will be reciprocated. However, this theory has its own drawbacks.

Security Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Security Intelligence - Essay Example The powerful intelligence agency of United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was "created in order to encourage competitive analysis within the intelligence community and to ensure that policy makers did not tailor intelligence to suit their interests."2 An intelligence agency's function is to offer an international clandestine capability to endorse and protect economic well-being of a nation and to protect from internal turmoil. Historians have only recently begun to investigate the role of intelligence and intelligence services in the formation and implementation of political, military, and economic policies which enrich, in many cases change, our understanding of personalities, events and decision making process.3 An analysis of the history of intelligence agencies reveals that there were many instances of involvement in democratic infringement activities. In the words of John McDermott "the CIA, which insisted that the US engage itself in a major way in Vietnam in spite o f the coolness of the State Department and considerable opposition in the Pentagon"4 is a fine example of repressive activities of intelligence agencies that misguided government to engage in a futile exercise in Vietnam. It is necessary to put check and balance on intelligence agencies for successful existence of democratic nations and also to archive records of regression to have a clear picture to future generation. Instruments of repression: The specifically created instruments of repressive institutions include 1) intelligence services; 2) paramilitary bodies; 3) special tribunals; 4) concentration camps; 5) special prisons; and 6) psychiatric centres for re-education. After Second World War the repressive institutions, over the period of 1974-1994, includes Brazil, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe. "Among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which had been within the orbit of the Soviet Union since the Second World War, in a world divided by the Cold War, there began a process, starting in Poland, which would culminate in the 1990s with the total collapse of the existing political structures, the most symbolic element of this process was the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German re-unification. In parallel with these European developments, another unstoppable process of demolition of repressive political regimes began in Latin Amer ica to discard conservative military dictatorships. African continent also saw the end after a period of prolonged struggle."5The documents of repression are part of the patrimony of the people. They must be preserved in their integrity, serving as a memento of intolerance, racism, and political totalitarianism. Analysing the documents of primary repressive institutions reveals the political violence perpetrated on the people and the process of transition to democracy and necessity to exercise individual rights: amnesty, indemnity, pensions, and general civil rights in the new political situation. Records available with police or intelligence agencies will help evaluate an individual's personal, family or

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 147

Global Warming - Essay Example As the paper outlines global warming is related to the greenhouse effect, which is the course by which absorption and discharge of emissions of gases in the atmosphere warms the lower atmosphere and the surface of the globe. Global warming is as a result of reasons, which may be either natural or manmade. Natural causes are those that are created by nature, and are often related to the emission of methane gas. This is the case in the arctic tundra and wetlands. Methane, being a greenhouse gas, holds heat in the mesosphere. Another natural cause is the cycle of climate change that usually takes about 40,000 years. Human activities have been credited for the changes in climate as early as during the industrial revolution. Their activities lead to increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Pollution is the biggest problem and results from a number of activities, the main being burning of fossil fuels. These are fuels, resulting from organic matter such as oil and coal. The burning of fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide. The mining of oil and coal also allows methane gas to escape into the atmosphere. This is because methane gas exists naturally in the ground. An increase in the population has also been credited for global warming. As people settle in new areas they clear the vegetation that previously existed and cause deforestation. Plants are known to take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Their clearance increases the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are a number of effects resulting from global warming. Weather patterns are most affected by the climatic change.

Improve Efficiency Essay Example for Free

Improve Efficiency Essay A very high percentage of the items selected (picked) in the distribution centers and re-stocked in the stores were in quantities of 1 case. This company’s roots were as a high volume, limited assortment retailer and distributor. Over time the business had shifted allowing the stores to reorder a higher mix of items at lower volumes. Given the companies market position as a low-price leader, this reduced profit margins. The two root causes of this shift were identified as: 1. Stock-keeping-unit (SKU) count growth outpacing sales growth, and 2. Allowing minimum order quantities from the stores to the distribution centers to drop to a quantity of one This white paper will study how this company quantified the impact of allowing its stores to order in one case quantity and then recalculated minimum order quantities for higher volume items. (For details of how SKUs were reduced see White Paper â€Å"SKU Reduction – Biggest SKLUsers†) A Supply Velocity Consultant led a team of employees through this 5 week project. The Supply Velocity consultant facilitated, but the employees did most of the analysis and therefore owned the improvements. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 2 Project Outline ? Evaluated all SKUs and the case quantity they are most frequently ordered at, to establish baseline data for how stores are ordering ? Time studied retail store shelf restocking and distribution center order selection labor to determine the negative labor productivity impact of the current ordering policy o Graphed the results in a trend chart o Determined that the greatest labor productivity improvement happens when the order quantity increases from just 1 to 2 cases ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) ? Communicated all items on the minimum order quantity to all stores through a comprehensive communication plan o Communication plan included data to show stores how increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan to ensure new items, SKU reduction and sales history will be used to update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 3 Time Study Analysis To quantify the problem, we time studied order selection in the distribution centers and shelf restocking in retail stores. We conducted a few snapshot analyses of different distribution centers to understand the current state of â€Å"order quantities†. The graph below shows that out of the approximately 2800 items, a majority are ordered in quantities of 1 case. The time study data also showed that the second case selected or stocked is essentially â€Å"free† and the same movement is used for two cases as for one case. At the outset of this project the team was worried that any increase in minimum order quantity would be viewed by store managers as an attempt to push inventory out from the distribution centers to the stores. This data showed that increasing minimum order quantity from one case to just two, gave us the greatest percentage of labor productivity improvement. However, we didn’t just want to increase all items to a 2 case minimum order quantity. Instead, a statistical tool, Multi-Variable Pareto was used to calculate the proper minimum order quantity based on a mix of inputs. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 4 Distribution Center Order Selection Quantity (# of items picked per quantity) 57% of the items in distribution centers were selected at a 1 case quantity [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 5 â€Å"Time to Select per Case Quantity† in the Distribution Centers – Based on case count per selection When selecting 2 cases of a n item, the time per case drops by 45% from 1 case. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 6 Time to Re-Stock SKUs on Shelves in Stores – Based on case count When restocking 2 cases of an item, the time per case drops by 61% from 1 case. This shows that the greatest productivity improvement occurs when going from 1 to 2 cases, which is easier to â€Å"sell† to the stores than making large increases in minimum order quantity. They can reduce labor by 37 seconds per case by ordering and stocking 2 cases of an item versus 1. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 7 Multi Variable Pareto Analysis ? Recalculated minimum order quantity for all items using Multi-Variable Pareto analysis based on: o Item unit movement o Pack-out (number of units that fit on the shelf space allocated in stores) o Shelf life ? About 20% of all SKUs had a re-calculated minimum order quantity greater than 1 case o The most conservative methods were used to ensure this project didn’t just push inventory out to stores, resulting in shrink Multi-Variable Pareto is a method that uses more than one â€Å"measure† to sort SKUs from highest to lowest performing. Normal Pareto Analysis has been used to develop guidelines such as the 80/20 rule (20% of customers generate 80% of sales). When using multiple variables, there has to be a way to normalize the data so all variables are part of the analysis. We used three variables to determine the correct minimum order quantity for an item. ? Cases sold per week on average for each item ? The number of cases that fit in the given shelf space ? Product shelf-life Each of these variables are positively correlated to Minimum Order Quantity. ? The higher the cases sold equals higher Order Quantity ? The greater the shelf space (pack-out) equals higher Order Quantity ? The longer the item’s shelf-life equals higher Order Quantity The team of subject matter experts used retail experience to determine each of these factors and their impact on minimum order quantity. Results of this analysis are shown below. The calculation was very conservative, as the results have shown. Only 466 of 2800 items have a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case. This was largely driven by two factors. Item shelf-life limited our ability to make any shelf-life sensitive item greater than 1 case. Our calculation took this limiting factor into account, to ensure we weren’t causing shrink (throwing away items that go beyond their shelf-life limit or are damaged) at the stores. In addition, lower case movement drove many items to a 1 case minimum, even if they didn’t have shelf life limitations. The lower case movement is due to SKU proliferation and was addressed by the SKU Reduction (Biggest SKLUsers) project. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 8 Results of Minimum Order Quantity Calculation [emailprotected] om Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 9 Communication Control Plan ? Communicated with all retail stores about how the minimum order quantity analysis was conducted and the resulting new plan o Communication plan included data to show stores that increasing minimum order quantity on select items would improve their labor productivity ? Created a control plan so new items, SKU reduction and sales history will update the minimum order quantity on a twice yearly basis It was critical that this project was presented as a positive for our retail store-customers. We created a communication plan that showed two key aspects of this change: ? The conservative nature of the change o only 466 of 2800 items are receiving a minimum order quantity increase ? This change is good for the stores and will improve their labor productivity To ensure that this process endures and does not get reversed over time we included a control plan. This is shown in the graphic below. As Category Marketing Managers evaluate items, adding and reducing SKUs, changes will be reflected in new pack-out quantities. This quantity will get fed to Distribution Technology who will recalculate this items’ minimum order quantity using the same Multi-Variable Pareto calculation. A control group, made up of Merchandising, Distribution and Retail Directors will review the list, make changes in the ordering system and communicate changes to store customers. [emailprotected] com Copyright: Supply Velocity, Inc. 10 Results By taking the higher sales volume SKUs and increasing the store minimum order quantity, we decreased the time per case to stock shelves in the stores and select items in the distribution centers. Using only the 1 to 2 case increase in minimum order quantity for the 466 SKUs reduced the labor time per case resulting in a labor savings of $1. 2 million. The expectation for this process is to slowly grow the number items with a minimum order quantity greater than 1 case beyond 20%. By rationalizing and reducing SKUs we should increase the shelf pack-out of remaining items, thereby increasing the minimum order quantity.

footprints new :: essays research papers

We all know the story of Footprints In The Sand, it's been around for > > > > >a long time. The following is a new version of Footprints that I had > > > >not read before. I hope you enjoy it. > > > > > > > >FOOTPRINTS...A New Version > > > >Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. > > > >For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, > > > >consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a > > > >disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, > > > >departures, and returns. > > > > > > > >For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your > > > >footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His > > > >consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! > > > > > > > >This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your > > > >footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking > > > >precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller > > > > >ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. > > > > > > > >This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. > > > > >The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. > > > >Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of > > > >footprints they have become one. > > > > > > > >This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of > > > >footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over > > > >the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of > > > >prints. > > > > > > > >You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. > > > > > > > >Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene with zigzags end > > > >fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on > > > >through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You." > > > > > > > >"That is correct." > > > > > > > >"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually > > > > >learning to walk in Your steps; followed You very closely." > > > > > > > >"Very good.

An student

There is a thin line separating those who deserve an â€Å"A† and those who consistently receive â€Å"Ass†. As one progresses through the schooling system, different ideas are acquired about what the different letter grades mean and how to achieve them. The universal idea of an â€Å"A† is constantly changing, as does the difficulty of achieving one. Depending on the school/instructor, how difficult it is to achieve a certain grade can vary.So much so that common phrases such as â€Å"An easy ‘A'† and â€Å"An ‘A' for effort† have emerged, while others insist that an â€Å"A† is closer to perfection Han it is to â€Å"a good effort†. Grades are supposed to be a numerical/letter representation of ones academic progress in a course or lesson. But more often than not, good grades become a goal and not a reward; thus students are striving for grades and not the knowledge which they represent. In his article â€Å"Making the G rade†, Kurt Westfield points out that students are often undeserving granted good grades.This allows the same students to graduate with a degree and find a Job, without the actual knowledge needed to strive in their field. Similarly, he then goes on to note that these under-qualified students that are now in the workplace aren't ready for the tasks at hand. Universities are sending students into their careers with the same mindset they had throughout grapeshot, find the quick and easy way to get the Job done. Consequently, Jobs and projects could be done incorrectly or left incomplete. The difference is, though, that when these real world Jobs are incomplete or incorrect, they can create real world problems and difficulties.The grading system was made with the intention that it would accurately reflect a dents performance in a class. It's commonly believed that if a student understands a subject well, they deserve an â€Å"A†. But for a student to actually deserve that grade, they must also complete the entire workload, whether they know they information or not. The grade in the class is determined by the amount of work the student completes correctly, and this is where the controversy starts. Some argue that if a student demonstrates that he/she understands the given subject, he/she should be given a passing grade (whether their work was completed or not).Others argue that if a student truly works their hardest and gives a strong effort in the class, they deserve a passing grade (whether their work was correct or not). At the end of the day though, if searching for a simple â€Å"A† grade in a class, one must be willing to work and study for that class, and complete each assignment with accuracy (easier said than done, of course! ). The source of the problem resides in the earliest years of the school system. Starting from a young age, students are being taught and prepared for the next school year instead of for life.Elementary school stu dents are being prepared for adolescent, meddlesomeness are being prepared for householders, householders for college, etc. Each year of schooling teaches you Just enough to get through the next year. The problem is, though, that by the time the student reaches college he/ she is not ready for life as an adult, only for more school. Meaning that students are going into college with the idea that they need to pass, and not the idea that they need to be preparing for their future. Students aren't realizing that what they are learning is essential for their Job until it's too late and they are unable to perform.

Sure Things

Gangyi Wu Mark Scamahorn Eng 110, March 15, 2012 Desperate to survival How can a big brother who loses his parents in a short period of time survive? How is it possible for him to take care of his little brother at the same time? In A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, the author Dave Eggers describes a long dialogue between him and his brother Toph. In fact, the dialogue is not happening in the real world; instead, it is a â€Å"me and I† dialogue. Dave talks about his long day in the beginning of this dialogue, while â€Å"Toph† extends the conversation to the discussion of Dave’s inner being.Actually Dave is analyzing his behavior with respect to Toph. From the dialogue, we can tell Dave is desperate and is eager to have a normal life with Toph. Dave’s dialogue with â€Å"Toph’ shows Dave is aggressive. Dave is trying to escape the past and use moral authority to condemn other for the purpose of building himself up. Dave is trying to run a way from the past guilt. The guilty feelings make Dave stay away from the past. â€Å"Toph† says, â€Å"You’re completely paralyzed with guilt about relating all this in the first place, especially the stuff earlier on. †(115).The past was horrible for Dave. He suffered a lot, he lost his parents, and more importantly, his family. He is afraid to remember his family, because he is afraid that those painful memories will haunt after him. The guilt, as â€Å"Toph† describes, constrains him. Dave feels guilty for his parents’ death. The â€Å"family† area in his brain is a forbidden zone. He preserves this area carefully in order to avoid the potential harm coming from the heartrending stories. Otherwise, these areas may drive him ballistic. As a result, Dave tries many ways to escape the guilt.At the very beginning of the conversation, Dave and â€Å"Toph† are talking about their long day. Dave argues that â€Å"this is a much pedestri an day than most†, because â€Å"this is just a caricature†¦ the skeleton†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (115) Toph says: â€Å"you’re†¦. doing little tricks, out of frustration. †(115). From this conversation, we can see that Dave is trying to make things look fake; he does not want things to get a hold of him, especially the guilty feelings. Instead of manipulating the old memories into â€Å"skeleton† and â€Å"caricature† he would rather treat them as his own real experience.He is numbing himself out. By discarding all the old things to jump out of the old memories, Dave also wants to have a brand new life with Toph. â€Å"Toph† says, â€Å"you can toss away all the old rules†¦ and for all your bluster you end up maintaining most of their customs. †(116). He is attempting to leave away from the rules in his old family; he wants to dominate his own rule and create a new home rule. He blusters and struggles. He is desperate! No matter how hard Dave tries, he fails, and all the failures gradually lead him to the edge of collapse.Dave becomes an aggressive man, because he is over sensitive about the potential harm may happen to Toph. â€Å"Toph† recounts a scene between Dave and a friend, Marny. Dave is irritated about Toph’s ignorance’s to call, after waiting for Toph to return home. Marny exhorts Dave not to be harsh but Dave wraths immediately, â€Å"you think you have a say in something like that, just because I am young. †(116) Apparently he is harsh to Toph and now he is mean to his best friend. Marny is showing him kindness whereas Dave attacks her simply because she doubts what he is doing.In this moment, Dave already becomes extremely sensitive. He regards himself as Toph’s mother, â€Å"you would never contradict some forty-year-old mother, would you? † (116) He is a forty-year-old â€Å"mother† who is old enough to have authority over Toph; Dave believes h e has the competence to take care of Toph, and at the mean time he is doing a good parenting job. Therefore, no one can challenge his authority. Consequently Dave overly defends the leadership that he has over the new family. No one can judge an old â€Å"mother†. He is as bossy as an old â€Å"mother† holding the decision making power in his mind.Dave describes his attitude to those potential enemies from â€Å"Toph’s† words, â€Å"You’ll picture all manners of murders in my defense. Your visions will be vivid and horrifically violent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (117) Dave would like to punish his â€Å"enemies† in his own mind with weapons like a baseball bat. Dave values Toph the most in his heart, and anyone who dares to harm Toph should pay a high price. Dave will punish them as fierce as he can. Paragraph indicates that Dave lacks the sense of safety. Inside his imagination, outsiders always want to dig out his family’s scars and judge him a nd Toph.He desires to beat every enemy down before they appear, so that no one could harm them. He tries to condemn others by using his moral authority in order to gain confidence about life. Toph says, â€Å"You finally have the moral authority you’ve carved†¦And now your moral authority is doubled, tripled. And you use it any way you need to. † (118) The moral authority is the weapon Dave uses to intimidate others. For him it is a shield that protects him from being humiliated, since he is morally superior to others. This is exactly what Toph infers about his authority, â€Å"because it increases your leverage with other people. (119) As a result, Dave can judge others without getting criticism back. In the incomplete family, Dave and Toph are weak. However with the moral authority, he can rule over others; no one will have a judgment about his family, or Toph. He even judges his twenty-nine years old girl friend, â€Å"you’ll make this poor woman feel like a leper†¦ you want her to fell like a pariah, like a lower form of life†¦ what your feel anyone tethered to any addiction is. † (118) â€Å"Leper† and â€Å"pariah† are insulting words that a normal person would not use to criticize a smoking woman.By looking down on others and saying those insulting words, Dave is attempting to gain self-esteem. His behaviors make himself look like a superior. Although the people are living better than Dave, he refuses to accept reality. What Dave wants is to create a favorable family environment for Toph, to give him new home. In this family he is a father, a mother, a big brother and an orphan without parents. Dave is attempting pull himself out of the old and painful memories. On the other hand, he is shouldering the responsibilities of Toph.He talks to the imaginary Toph to cure himself with an â€Å"open heart surgery†. Toph is an illusion of real Toph in his heart. There two brothers are having a coun seling session together indirectly. Dave loves Toph. He is playing his role as a protector. He wants to protect Toph from the people outside their house, to keep Toph from other people’s judgments. The only reason Dave becomes a desperate and pretended guardian is to become strong enough to stand up for Toph’s protection. Work Cited Eggers, Dave. A heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, New York. Vintage Books. 2000. 114-120. Print.