A Brief History of Slot Machines

A Brief History of Slot Machines According to Legal Slots, the term slot machines was originally used for all automatic vending machines as well as for the gambling devices, it was not until the 20th century that the term became restricted to the latter. A fruit machine is one British term for a slot machine. The one-armed bandit is another popular nickname. Charles Fey Liberty Bell The first mechanical slot machine was the Liberty Bell, invented in 1895 by car mechanic, Charles Fey (1862–1944) of San Francisco. The Liberty Bell slot machine had three spinning reels. Diamond, spade, and heart symbols were painted around each reel, plus the image of a cracked Liberty Bell. A spin resulting in three Liberty Bells in a row gave the biggest payoff, a grand total of fifty cents or ten nickels. The original Liberty Bell slot machine can still be seen be at the Liberty Belle Saloon Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Other Charles Fey machines include the Draw Power, and Three Spindle and the Klondike. In 1901, Charles Fey invented the first draw poker machine. Charles Fey was also the inventor of the trade check separator, which was used in the Liberty Bell. The hole in the middle of the trade check allowed a detecting pin to distinguish fake nickels or slugs from real nickels. Fey rented his machines to saloons and bars based on a 50/50 split of the profits.​ Demand for Slot Machines Grows The demand for Liberty Bell slot machines was huge. Fey could not build them fast enough in his small shop. Gambling supply manufacturers tried to buy the manufacturing and distribution rights to the Liberty Bell, however, Charles Fey refused to sell. As a result in 1907, Herbert Mills, a Chicago manufacturer of arcade machines, began production of a slot machine, a knock-off of Feys Liberty Bell, called the Operator Bell. Mills was the first person to place fruit symbols: i.e. lemons, plums, and cherries on machines. How The Original Slots Worked Inside each cast iron slot machine there were three metal hoops called reels. Each reel had ten symbols painted on it. A lever was pulled that spun the reels. When the reels stopped, a jackpot was awarded if three of a kind of symbol lined up. The payoff in coinage was then dispensed from the machine. Age of Electronics The first popular electric gambling machine was the 1934 animated horse race machine called PACES RACES. In 1964, the first all-electronic gambling machine was built by Nevada Electronic called the 21 machine. Other all electronic versions of gambling games followed including ones for dice, roulette, horse racing, and poker (Dale Electronics Poker-Matic was very popular). In 1975, the first electronic slot machine was built by the Fortune Coin Company.

Armstrong State University Admissions - Costs and More

Armstrong State University Admissions - Costs and More Armstrong Atlantic State University Admissions Overview: To apply to Armstrong State, students need to submit an application online, by following the directions on the schools website. Students must also submit test scores from either the SAT or ACT. While scores from both tests are accepted, slightly more students submit scores from the SAT. With an acceptance rate of 80%, the school is not considered selective, and students with high grades and test scores have a good shot of being admitted.   Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016): Armstrong State University Acceptance Rate: 80%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 450 / 550SAT Math: 440 / 530SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 19 / 23ACT English: 18  / 23ACT Math: 18  / 23What these ACT numbers mean Armstrong Atlantic State University Description: Armstrong Atlantic State University is a public, four-year institution in Savannah, Georgia. Located 25 miles from Tybee Island Beach, the 268-acre campus supports over 7,000 students with a student/faculty ratio of 18 to 1. Armstrong offers over 100 academic programs across its colleges of Education, Liberal Arts, Health Professions, Science and Technology, and Graduate Studies. Students are highly engaged outside of the classroom, and Armstrong is home to more than 80 student clubs and organizations including a Karate Club, Science Fiction/Fantasy Club, and the Philosophical Debate Group. The university also has a wide variety of intramural sports such as Inner Tube Water Polo, Sports Trivia, and a Corn Hole Tournament, as well an active Greek life with four fraternities and six sororities. The AASU Pirates compete in the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference (PBC); the universitys men’s and women’s tennis teams have recently won three Division II Championships. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 7,157  (6,397 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 34% Male / 66% Female74% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17): Tuition and Fees: $5,360 (in-state); $15,616 (out-of-state)Books: $1,573  (why so much?)Room and Board: $10,176Other Expenses: $3,587Total Cost: $20,696  (in-state); $30,952 (out-of-state) Armstrong Atlantic State University Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 90%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 79%Loans: 57%Average Amount of AidGrants: $6,199Loans: $5,878 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, English, Health Sciences, Liberal Studies, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 74%Transfer Out Rate: 27%4-Year Graduation Rate: 13%6-Year Graduation Rate: 31% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Golf, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Track and Field, TennisWomens Sports:  Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Tennis, Golf, Basketball Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Armstrong ASU, You May Also Like These Schools: Applicants interested in a similar-sized school that is also located in Georgia should consider such schools as Valdosta State University, Emory University, Columbus State University, and Clayton State University. These schools vary in term of selectivity- Emory is quite selective, while the others are more accessible. Students interested in a school with a strong athletic program should consider  Flagler College, UNC Pembroke, Lander University, and Francis Marion University, all of which are in the same NCAA conference as Armstrong.

Reflection 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection 8 - Essay Example Land conservation efforts and environmental conservation efforts aimed at leading the world towards an environment where each person plays a responsible role in leading to protection of the environment. The writer advocates people to look at eating as agricultural act rather than an agricultural product that many people consider it as. (Berry, p.65) Specialization in production is an aspect that is considered to lead to specialization in consumption through which some species can survive the wrath of man and hence sustenance. The dependent nature of the populations on the consumption of agricultural products has an effect on the environmental activities that take place in the world. Most of the consumption is on products essential to man and hence the difficulty in protecting the species and ensuring that environmental efforts in conservation prove successful. The consumption levels differ and the efforts to introduce genetically modified foods indicate the desperate measures of the human population in dealing with the environmental effects and in trying to prepare for a total food lack. These indicate the pleasure of eating that people are working hard to protect and hence leaving the world at risk of more environmental

SMART criteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SMART criteria - Essay Example The motion detectors shall be installed to sense whenever there seems to be activity in the room. This will avoid instances of switching on light in an empty room. Whenever there is motion in the room the switching system shall be in standby mode. Light detectors shall then be engaged when the level of light reduces which shall turn the lights on. Motion detectors shall be the primary switching control to put the switching system on standby mode. The motion detector shall be installed by using laser technology to enable sensory of even the smallest movements within a room (Fraden, 267). The light detectors will be the secondary switching level turning on the lights when low levels of light are detected in the occupied room. Measurability The progress of the project shall be based on the set timetable for the plan. Each step in the installation of the switching system shall be analyzed before going forward to the next step. The first step has been laid down as wiring the house. This w ill be done to ensure the circuit is well placed and in the desirable manner. This step is expected to consume the most time as it involves a lot of physical work. The goals of the plan shall be measured against the time laid down for the expected progress. The installation of the circuit should adhere to the installation standards (Linsley, 144). These include the wiring safety codes and the color codes used internationally. Other national standards shall also be applied in measuring the suitability of the installation of the systems. Comparing the setting of the switching system with the set standards shall provide a platform for measuring the conformity to standards. This will ensure that the end product not only works perfectly, but is also safe and conforms to set standards. Attainability The need to install the switching system arises from the desire to switch off unnecessary light. The aim of installing this new system will be to ensuring regulation in the amount of wasted en ergy. Providing a proper control to the usage of light shall immensely reduce the costs incurred from energy related bills. Evidence exists to show that this method can be able to save up to 25% of the energy consumption, reducing energy costs by a similar margin (Klaus D. John, 97). This regulation will occur by providing a system that allows for usage of light only when necessary. The number of lights left on overnight shall also be minimized by using this system. If an individual leaves a room without switching the lights off, the timer shall automatically switch the lights off. This occurs after motion detectors fail to detect any activity in the room. Excess lighting in the rooms shall also be reduced by the light sensors as they control the amount of light allowed into a room at any time. Realistic The proposed system provides an avenue for saving a lot of energy costs. This shall translate into reduced energy bills for the house. The installation of this system is viable as a way of relieving the owners of the house from the high costs of electricity and lighting. Achievement of this shall be through efficient management of the lighting by using switching system that is automated (Reed, 245). The system continues to be employed in many establishments like hotels, and desirable outcomes have been realized. If the same system is utilized within the scope of this house, similar results can also be realized. This lighting system can immensely reduce the time taken by people moving round to switch lights in places

Philosophy - Is Memory Reliable Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Is Memory Reliable Essay How would I prove that my memory or reasoning processes are reliable? There really is no good way to answer this question. My first thought was, well that should be easy, because I can prove my memory is reliable by the fact that I remember where class is every day that I show up. If I can remember where the classroom is, that must show my memory is reliable. But then I realized that I’m relying on a memory to come up with that example. This makes the question seem like a paradox to even try and answer, because in order to figure out if there is a way to prove my memory is reliable, I must use my memory to recall memories that might apply, and I must also assume the accuracy of the memories I might draw from as example. I cannot prove memory reliability by using logic drawn from the assumption that the memories I used are reliable. This seems to create a fallacy in logic before even getting started. In reality it seems easy to say that yes, although our memories are sometimes wrong, generally more often than not they are right. We know this because we recall from our memory many times each day to do the simplest tasks. If our memory was that flawed, we would be unable to survive on a day to day basis. Where do I get water? How do I get food? How do I drive a car? While this does show that we are able to rely on our memories to complete everyday tasks, it doesn’t prove our memory is consistently true. We cannot be sure that any memory we’ve ever had actually happened exactly the way we remember it (unless material sources are used, like video or pictures to back up the memory) because of a multitude of problems with memory like delusion and distortion. Memories can be easily manipulated and altered in many different ways, from simple re-telling where little details may be unwittingly changed each time a memory is told, to the power of suggestion in which an entirely false memory can be implanted into a persons mind and believed to be true by that person. Although these memories may seem very real to us, even to the point where we are willing to fight for their reliability, they are still factually false. This actually happens a lot! Although it practice these issues with memory exist, they are mostly ignored because we typically use other methods beyond memory alone to help collaborate what we remember. We are validated by others who share the same memory, photos, ect. So although in a philosophical world it seems impossible to find solid clear evidence that memory is truly reliable, but it seems silly, and even dangerous to continually doubt that memory can be reliably called upon. For example, I decide to cross the road without looking both ways because I cannot be sure that being hit by a car would kill me. I might have seen and heard of people being killed by cars in the past, but if I doubt my own memory how could I be sure that speeding cars have the potential to actually kill people. Because of this seemingly correct logic I might then be hit by a car and become a victim of what many would say is clear common sense. So although there is no good way to prove the reliability of memory, we must still rely on it all the same.

Why the Cold War developed by 1949 Essays -- essays research papers

By 1949, the Cold War had developed in many ways since 1945. The most significant factor to the development of the Cold War since the end of World War II, was the building of the Iron Curtain in 1946 which divided the communists countries of Eastern Europe from the non-communist countries of the West and considerably contributed to the hostilities between the West and the USSR. Other reasons why Cold War had developed by was because of the different ideology to begin with, the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine, the Berlin Blockade, the sphere of influence and the NATO, which united the Western powers. The most important reason why the Cold War had developed by 1949 was because of the building of the Iron Curtain, which divided the Communist east, from the non-communist West. This was significant because it was the first huge action adding to the growing opposition between the USA and the USSR and made it impossible for the West to intervene in Stalin?s Communist plans. Stalin was able to gain such control behind the Iron Curtain because the West had agreed to the ?Sphere of Influence? and most of the countries were war-torn, poor and chaotic and communists were already there. This lead to the making of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Act. The Truman Doctrine was relatively significant in developing the Cold War, and came about because of the worry about Stalin taking over Eastern Europe. The Truman Doctrine was a rule made in 1947 in response to the recent communist takeover of Eastern Europe, to contain communism. This meant that the USA would support any nation who was in danger of being taken over by communism, with money, equipment and advice. The financial side of the Truman Doctrine was agreed in the Marshall Plan i... ...ngthened the Western side and meant that if an attack was made on the West, the countries would support each other. However, although this weakened the Eastern side, between 1948 and 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb, meaning that the arms race was about to begin. In conclusion, in between 1945 and 1949, the Cold War had significantly developed mainly because of the increasing hostilities between the East and West. By 1949, the arms race had begun and Stalin had created the Iron Curtain to divide Communist Eastern Europe and non-communist Western Europe. The three sectors of Germany had united and had gained a good reputation for helping the Berliners in the Berlin Blockade. The Marshall Plan lead to the forming of Cominform and this retaliation sets the pattern for the rest of the Cold War, because of the idea of ?one-upmanship?.

Reflective Report on Group Work

Reflection on group work Project Content |Page | |Content |2 | |Introduction |3 | |The Group |3 | |My role in the Group |4 | |Difficult encountered during the group work |5 | |The Presentation |7 | |Conclusion |8 | |References |9 | Introduction When effective group management and high organisation skills are applied, group work can bring students a wide range of skills and abilities related to people and problem solving. Group work demonstrates student’s capacity to communicate effectively, share and consider opinions, establish trust, analyse the group process, resolve conflicts and also develop their creativity. However, the constructive learning and beneficial results does not always come as a result of group work. For instance, if the students can not perceive the objective of the group work in order to achieve a common goal, or to lay back or believe that the work load can be relied on other members of the group making the individual work less and still get an equal grade, the educational benefits can result in frustration and arguments as well as leading the whole group to a state of stress and anxiety. This essay reflects on my own participation towards ‘Lush Project’ as a project director, also how I contributed in interpreting  and  researching  the  Lush  Brief,  as  well  as my participation with the  final  presentation. It also discusses the difficulties that emerged throughout the group work; things that went well regards to the preparation and the areas that could have been improved upon. The Group A group can be defined in various ways, for instance; Charles Handy (1993, p. 150) identified a group as â€Å"any collection of people who perceive themselves to be a group† in order to interact with one another. The group then is likely to go through a number of structures which cover forming the group, the group passing from an undeveloped concept to a mature conception then going through a â€Å"variety of stages from mutual acceptance and membership to control and organisation† (Culliname, J. , 2007, p. 628)). My group went though the ‘Tuckman’ structure which is defined as ‘forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning’. Forming – initially the group was formed of seven students from the same class. There was no deliberation as to who would be in what group. There were only seven in the class and we were given the assignment to research the company ‘Lush’ and from our findings we were to stage and run a successful and unique event on behalf of the company. In this stage, the individuals start to know the other members of the group and the group is uncertain of the prospective tasks and there are no rules for the group work leading to a lack of focus and interest. At the norming stage a clearer guideline was given, individuals had the chance to choose the roles in the group and procedures were taken from there. The group consisted of a Project Director, two Logistics Managers, an Account Director, a Finance director and two Creative Directors where all had to come across to an agreement of a name for the group ‘Essence Events’ and where each individual group member would pitch an idea to the rest of the group. At this stage emotion was shown and excitement expressed towards the work we had to do. A timetable for regular meetings was given to each individual of the group by the project director and at each meeting’s ‘minutes’ were taken by one member of the group in order to keep track of the work that had been done. Then comes the performing where the team knew each other and structure and guideline were clear and cohesive. The team now focused on a common goal of developing the ideas for the ‘Lush’ event. At the beginning of this stage, all members of the group were getting together regularly and were constructing and expanding ideas for the project as well as for the presentation. However, unfortunately the group did not stay this way for very long. Distraction and lack of interest emerged bringing the whole group down to anxiety and disagreement. I as group leader was rather unsuccessful in putting the team together and in demanding more of a serious commitment from them. At this stage, the group should have been able to have delivered a successful project in the form of a presentation. Instead, all the hard work that had been done was diverted into a lack of interest and commitment resulting in a negative consequence. The final stage is the adjourning, where ‘Essence Events’ group disbanded. The idea should be that the group dispersing should get together again and reflect on the group work and see what went well and what did not go well and what should we have done differently. In this case, each member of the group was asked to reflect on the group work on their own which might bring more benefit as an individual. My Role in the Group According to Culliname, J. (2007, p. 566), a leader â€Å"aim to influence and guide others into pursuing particular objectives or visions of the future and to stimulate them into waiting to follow†. A project director has the same principle of leader in the sense of being able to conduct tasks successfully, maintaining teamwork and have a democratic participation leadership on the project. At the outset, as the project director I felt that I would fit into the role easily and would be able to distribute different roles to each member of the group. However, I was on a steep learning curve where I would find out that as group leader not only are you expected to have your own ideas to pitch to the group, but you are expected to salvage the group when an idea goes horribly wrong and the group then turns to you for guidance and a solution of how to rectify such problems. Not only was the actual academic side of the group a shock, but the outside organisation of the group proved to be tough as well. Trying to pin down each member of the group to turn up at a particular time at a particular place was a whole other project in itself as of course each member had other work pieces to deal with at the same time, which needed the same amount of due care and attention as the ‘Lush’ event presentation required. When separating responsibilities and separate individual projects to each member of the group I was well aware that not only did the writing and research need to be done but we needed to go to ‘Lush’ stores themselves in order to gather further research information to then take back to the group and compile our findings together to make a firm research file from which we could then discuss and sort what was considered to be primary information and what was secondary information. What we did was with each visit to the ‘Lush’ stores we would divide up the responsibilities and each person was responsible for gathering the respective information. The branches of research were mainly creativity, marketing, pricing, PH, promotion and target market. For instance, the marketing section one observation that the group made is that the door to the shop was always open. This was so that the smell of the products would reach the public outside and therefore attract their attention and ultimately attract consumers into the store to purchase the ‘Lush’ products. When we pitched our ideas to the group, one of the group members suggested that we should run the ‘Lush’ event based on the four seasons (winter, summer, autumn and spring). Each section included the right smell of the particular season, the right colour, such as darker heavier colours for the winter seasons and brighter colours for spring and summer. We emphasised the fact that ‘Lush’ does not carry out any tests on animals and that all their products are environmentally friendly and are also all natural products. Difficult encountered during the group work As with any group or team project it is inevitable that at some point throughout the time together there will be a minor or a major hurdle. This being that either one of the group members does not agree with a particular pitch or strongly disagrees with another person’s idea(s). They may even simply not get along with another member of the group. In the ‘Lush’ situation all group members seemed to get along at the beginning, however, soon disagreement and arguments started to emerge on the event’s topic and meetings. As a general rule the ideas for the project were usually chosen by the majority vote of the group. The problems that we as a group faced were ones that we would generally expect to encounter. We as a group suffered from people not attending meetings. This could be down to lack of organisation, however, it is unlikely that this was the case as all members of the group were aware of the time, date and location of the meeting. Some members simply did not turn up and failed to let the rest of the group who had turned up know that they would not be coming. This ultimately could be said down to the group leader, however, the leader can only do so much as the leader cannot be expected to force other members to turn up. As leader I could only send messages, emails and give phone calls and state the importance of the meeting but, could not make the individual turn up. Another problem we faced was as mentioned earlier; there was a lack of interest from certain members, and this pushed its way through the group and affected others as they began to become irritated with the members of the group who, when they would turn up, not doing any work. This issue I addressed as I took the respective group members aside and both explained the situation that they were putting the group in and asked what it was in particular they were not interested in. It became apparent that it was not the idea that they were not interested in, more the fact they simply did not want to share the workload, as they would not turn up to the meetings and hence cause the other members who did turn up to take on their work that they had not done as well as their own part of the project. Being anxious of not being able to complete the project in time for the presentation a few of the group members decided to starting putting the project together even though it seemed to be a lot of work to do for just a few members of the team. Just three days before the presentation all group members seemed to be interested about the work again and a vast improvement was made and the members who previously had failed to turn up, turned up to what was supposed to be the last meeting and the work was again shared â€Å"equally† and finished . This although seemingly positive in the short term for the group project, was relatively short lived as it had come too late and there was a lot of ground to cover in order to deliver our presentation. This created the problem that there was not as much time as we had hoped for. The Presentation The last minute work reflected in our final presentation because as a result there was a distinct lack of practice for the final presentation. The problems during the actual presentation were that due to the lack of practice there was no real deliverance of each member’s part as they had not pre-read their material beforehand and in effect, the actual presentation was more of a reading practice than of the finished article. Our first main practice was about a few hours before the final presentation was due and this was where I as group leader had to explain that I had told the members that this was the situation that we would be in if we carried on the way we were going three weeks prior to the presentation date. This led to a select few of us being able to deliver our part in a professional way, however, rendering the remainder of the project unfinished. We started late as one member who was responsible for the budgeting aspect of our project had failed to complete final checks on their display and as a result during the presentation their part failed to initialise causing a major delay whilst they left and went to go and print off their part to present. Upon reflection, the above situations were somewhat out of my control as group leader as I could not force the members of the group to turn up and do their part, also being unable to reach the other members due to them not answering my messages or simply not answering phone calls left the rest of the group in a hard situation as we were unaware as to whether they were doing their part of the project. These issues as aforementioned were out of my control somewhat, however, I feel that my role as project director was not fully satisfied as I did not quite deliberate responsibilities as much as I might possibly have wanted to if given the same opportunity again. There were many ideas from the group at the outset of the project, however, there was no real development of these ideas and this may have been what caused the lack of guidance from the project leader. Also as group leader it is a challenging situation to be in as it is easy to be forceful and blunt at the beginning of the project, however, I chose perhaps too soft an approach for too long a period and this is what perhaps led to some of the group members failing to keep up to date. Upon reflection, we as a group did deliver our presentation; however, it was not as good as what we originally thought when compiling our ideas. There was a lot of potential for the group and the idea of the ‘Four Seasons’ was something that we felt as a group would enable us to succeed in our endeavours as a group. However, if I am to perform my role correctly, must shoulder the responsibility as it was up to me to have directed the ideas much more thoroughly, and if given the opportunity again, I would most definitely do so, as good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. For the final presentation, I gave the idea and it was accepted by the group that we should use a flip chart as this mirrored the fact that ‘Lush’ also used natural products. We used a lot of visual representation as we felt that this would be a much more observer friendly method of communicating our ideas across. The pictures that we used were all from magazine cut-outs. At the presentation, we did not have just one sole speaker, each member of the group spoke on their respective areas of responsibility. Myself and another member of the group gave the main introduction to the presentation and a small introduction to each speaker. Due to the lack of practice I was very anxious and tense resulting in a bad opening and followed by the other member of the group. The timing was very accurate and the presentation ended with a simple but effective conclusion followed by answering all direct questions made by the panel. In order to have delivered a better presentation the group should have had better commitment to what the original aim of the group was at the outset of the project. Critically, the leader should have relayed a better understanding of what was expected in order to complete our presentation to a high professional standard. Conclusion According to J. F. Benson (1987, p. 1) Group work in practice â€Å" refers to the conscious, disciplined, and systematic use of knowledge about the processes of collective human interaction, in order to intervene in an informed way, or promote some desired objective in a group setting. † In our group’s presentation, the idea of disciplined knowledge was what we as a group failed to achieve as we were unable to have the entire group in one place every time we arranged a time to meet. Although groups generally elect a leader, there are as always exceptions to the general rule. A group is a team, a democracy, not a dictatorship. A group needs to have its own ideas and aims, so that a high level of morale is maintained throughout the group. If there is one person who decides upon everything with no concept of what it is like to function as a team, the team will fail, due to a lack of interest and commitment. A team needs to work together, else it will fall short of what a group is all about, and a team has more than one person within it. References Benson, J. F. (1987), Working more Creatively with Groups, Routledge. Brandler, S. and Roman, P. C. (1999), Group Work: Skills and Strategies for Effective Interventions, 2sd Edition, The Haworth Press Inc. Culliname, J. (2007), Working in Organisations: A Compilation of Resources for the University of Greenwich, 2sd Edition, A Person Custom Publication. Handy, C. (1993), Understanding Organisations, Harmondsworth, Penguin Book.

Changes in China During the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties Essay

China’s development had started at a very early point in human history and continued to grow through millennium until the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 221. When China reunified it experienced political, social, and economical changes over a period of 700 years and 3 dynasties. Those dynasties were the Sui, Tang, and Song. The Sui Dynasty, founded by Yang Jian in 581, was responsible for unifying China for the first time in 400 years. The capital was re-established at Chang’an . Yang Jian turned Chinese religion from Confucianism to Buddhism and Daoism. The strength of both belief systems were evident as monasteries for both were built in the capital and Buddhist monks were appointed as key advisers in the government. A major accomplishment of the Sui Dynasty was the construction of the Grand Canal. The Canal linked the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers and provided for political, social, and economic uses. Politically, the Canal was used as an imperial highway for the emperor to inspect the kingdom and used as a means to rapidly deploy troops to the various provinces. The Canal was used socially for quick communications throughout the country. It also facilitated shipments of grains, rice, and other needed commodities from rural south China to the over-populated northern region. The Sui Dynasty came to an end in 618 after Emperor Sui Yangdi’s murder. Li Yuan, a general under the Sui, took control of the empire during the instability that followed the murder and established the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty began in 618 and continued to build on the accomplishments of the Sui. The main feature of the Tang was the expansion of the Chinese empire. The Dynasty expanded their influence over the area south of the Yangtze River and took control of Tibet. The Xinjiang province was established in the northwestern section of the empire. Significant diplomatic and economic relations began between China and other country-states in Southeast Asia. Chang’an had been restored to its former self as the population numbered 2,000,000 and goods from all over the world were bountiful. The Tang reintroduced civil service exams to the empire. The candidates for civil service were all male and came from the rural gentry class. Those who successfully completed the exam were referred to as scholar-gentry. Buddhism’s influence rose even more during the Tang and helped China reached a pinnacle for poetry and sculpture. Silk Road trade increased dramatically under the Tang, although maritime trade still played a critical role in the empire’s economy. Even through all of these accomplishments, the Tang created their own demise. Various problems arose from inside the central government and eventually lead to a revolt. The revolution was suppressed but China never fully recovered. The government control of the landlords had significantly weakened and the nomads north of China saw their opportunity to invade. These factors along with a speculated drought lead to the end of the Tang Dynasty in 907. China entered a period of turmoil after the end of the Tang Dynasty, similar to the period that occurred in between the Han and Sui Dynasties. The only difference is that the period after the Tang did not last as long. In 960, Song Taizu managed to sign the majority of the military commanders that brought an end to the Tang into a cooperative agreement. The commanders in the northwestern region and in Tibet did not take part in the cooperative. China lost its control over Tibet as a result. Song Taizu decided to move the capital to Kaifeng to decrease the risk of a hostile takeover of the capital. The Khitan people from the north were unable to be contained which lead to Song Taizu moving the capital again, this time further south to Hangzhou. Civil service exams initiated during the Tang came to full fruition under the Song. Buddhism lost its power and influence to give rise to State Confucianism. Private commerce was a major aspect of the Song Dynasty and allowed for greater economic expansion and prosperity. All was well until the Jurchen from Manchuria forced the Song Dynasty to pay tributes. As a means of protection and retaliation against the Jurchen, the Song formed an alliance with the nomadic people from the Gobi Desert, the Mongols. After the Mongols defeated the Jurchen they turned their attention towards and conquered the Song Dynasty in 1279. The Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties built on top of each other for a better version of traditional China. They also each single-handedly made a contribution to the development of the country as a whole. The Sui had the Great Canal, the Tang developed the diplomatic relations, and the Song expanded economically. All of three dynasties and their accomplishments helped lay the ground for today’s China.

DEFINITION OF A STAKEHOLDER Essays - Ethics, Applied Ethics

DEFINITION OF A STAKEHOLDER Essays - Ethics, Applied Ethics DEFINITION OF A STAKEHOLDER Sparked by the labor movement, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has only been in existence since the 1950's. Society began to expect companies to accept additional social responsibilities outside of the fundamental business functi ons, including being profitable. Starting in the 1960's and 1970's, the civil rights movement and environmental protection agencies influenced the way consumers looked at businesses. Consumers believed that those with great power also had great responsibility to positively influence people, the environment, and society. Businesses were called on to help solve global problems, aimed at making the world a cleaner, safer, and more productive place. This view was based on the concept that businesses should extend beyond their required economic and legal responsibilities to accept ethical, moral, and discretionary responsibilities in order to improve society. This view became the foundation for what we know in today's business world as Corporate Social Responsibility. In order to completely understand the context of Corporate Social Responsibility, you must first understand the role of stakeholders for an organization. The next section will describe the role of stakeholders. There are several definitions. The most common ones are: Those groups without whose support the or ganization would cease to exist. Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement o f the organization's objectives. T he individuals or groups that have an interest in the organization and are affected by its actions . Stakeholders can: a ffect a business , b e affected by a business , b e both affected by a business and affect a business . We can see from these definitions that a lot of people can be a stakeholder to an organisation . The most common groups who we consider to be stakeholders include: Managers Employees Customers Investors Shareholders Suppliers Board of directors Owners Government agencies Unions Political groups The media and others Then there are some more generic groups who are often included: Government Society at large The local community Within the broad spectrum of stakeholders, stakeholders can be broken into two different groups: primary stakeholders and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders have a vested interest in how the organization performs and the actions it engages in to conduct business. Examples of these types of stakeholders are customers, employees, suppliers, board of directors, owners, and shareholders . Primary stakeholders directly affect the success and failure of the company. Secondary stakeholders can influence, both positively and negatively, the actions of the organization. They indirectly affect the organization by taking actions to make it difficult for the organization to succeed or by supporting the organization's efforts. Examples of secondary stakeholders are government agencies, regulation agencies, trade unions, labor unions, political groups, social groups, and the media . One of the primary functions of a business is to serve the needs of its stakeholders, also known as stakeholder responsibility. However, more and more businesses are taking this responsibility one step further by seeking out ways to address global issues to ultimately make the world a better place. These actions are referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Many people consider that only people can be stakeholders to an organisation . Some people extend this and say that the environment can be affected by organisational activity. These effects of the organisation's activities can take many forms, such as: the utilisation of natural resources as a part of its production processes the effects of competition between itself and other organisations in the same market the enrichment of a local community through the creation of employment opportunities transformation of the landscape due to raw material extraction or waste product storage the distribution of wealth created within the firm to the owners of that firm (via dividends) and the workers of that firm (through wages) and the effect of this upon the welfare of individuals pollution caused by increased volumes of traffic and in creased journey times because of those increased volumes of traffic Thus many people also consider that there is and additional stakeholder to an organisation , namely: t he environment . As we will see in the next chapter the actions of an organisation have a big effect upon future possibilities. It

KAISER Surname Meaning and Family History

KAISER Surname Meaning and Family History The Kaiser surname means king or ruler, from the Middle High German keiser, meaning emperor. Originating from the Latin name Caesar, this name was often given to individuals who played the part of King in local plays and pageants year after year - a popular pastime during the middle ages. The name may also have been given to one with a kingly appearance or manner. The phrase The Kaiser is considered synonymous with the Kaiser emperors of the Austrian Empire (1804–1835)- Franz I, Ferdinand I, Franz Joseph I, and Karl I- and emperors of the German empire (1871–1918)- Wilhelm I, Friedrich III and Wilhelm II. Surname Origin:  German Alternate Surname Spellings:  KEISER, KEYSER, KISER, KYSER, KIZER, KYZER Famous People with the KAISER Surname Henry J. Kaiser  - American industrialistFrederik Kaiser  - Dutch astronomerReinhard Keiser -  Ã‚  German composer Where is the KAISER Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, the  Kaiser surname is most common in Liechtenstein ranking as the countrys 25th most common surname. It is also popular in Germany (ranked 30th), Austria (50th) and Switzerland (89th).  WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicates the surname is especially common in the Ostschweiz region of Switzerland, particularly in Sankt Gallen. It is also prevalent throughout southern Germany, especially in the regions of Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg, Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz. Surname maps from Verwandt.de  indicate the  Kaiser last name is most common in southwestern Germany and western Germany, especially in the counties or cities of Waldshut, Esslingen, Cologne, Offenbach, Stuttgard and Hochsauerlandkreis.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname KAISER Meanings of Common German SurnamesUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common German surnames. Kaiser Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Kaiser  family crest or coat of arms for the Kaiser surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Kaiser DNA ProjectIndividuals with the  Kaiser surname, or variants such as Kizer, Kiser, Kyser, Kyzer, Keyser, or Keiser, are invited to join this DNA Project to work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information.  The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate. KAISER  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Kaiser  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - KAISER  GenealogyExplore over 1.3  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Kaiser surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. KAISER Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Kaiser surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - KAISER Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Kaiser. GeneaNet - Kaiser  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Kaiser surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Kaiser Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Kaiser surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

IT Governance Project in Geneva Industrial Services Essay

IT Governance Project in Geneva Industrial Services - Essay Example This case study of The Geneva Industrial Services (Services Industriels de Genà ¨ve, SIG) gives a good example of the IT Governance project. SIG is a state-owned organisation that renders services in electricity, gas, heating, energy and drinking water supplying; as well as in used water and waste processing and improvement, and telecommunications. This IT Governance case study is focused on the innovative electricity Distribution Management System (DMS), introduced in the organisation. The case study is based upon the project presentation of Glassey at the e-CASE International Conference in Singapore (Glassey 2009) and on the report describing the SEAM method, which is laid at the heart of the SIG’s DMS (Wegmann et al. 2008). IT Governance is ‘a framework for the leadership, organisational structures and business processes, standards and compliance to these standards, which ensure that the organisation’s IT supports and enables the achievement of its strategies and objectives’. As it was mentioned above, this IT Governance project in SIG was mostly aimed at the reorganisation of processes and systems in order to separate distribution and commercialisation activities in the company’s electricity distribution management system (DMS). This in its turn would enable the company to comply with the new Swiss law (Glassey 2009). In the area of electrical and electronic technologies the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading organization for international standards.

Business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business management - Essay Example While, the list of functional areas that exist within a business is extensive and also reliant upon the nature of an organization, its scale and the industry in which it operates, the primary functional areas of a business can be classified as: human resources, administration, production, finance and marketing and sales (Carysforth and Neild 2000). Consequently, organizations that operate in the information technology industry may have a dedicated IT department while, manufacturing industries may finance the establishment of a research and development department in addition with the primary functional areas that have been identified in the paper. Accordingly, the focus of the paper is dedicated towards an examination of the functions of human resources and administration which are two distinct functional areas of business that interest me the most as a student of business management. According to Sims (2007) the business landscape of the twenty-first century is marked by the growing importance of human resources as a pivotal component of organizations. ... These aspects include the procedures of recruitment, selection, training and development, learning, motivation, complying by labor laws and ensuring that health and safety regulations are met. Therefore, my role as a human resources manager would be designed to successfully meet the stated purposes of the human resources function. This would involve the management of the entire HR system which constitutes of the recruitment process and employee dismissal, examination of employee performance to design appropriate benefits and compensation packages and the initiation of comprehensive employee engagement, training and development measures to enhance individual potential (Chuang and Liao 2010). An interesting observation with regards to the assessment of the functional areas of business is that each and every department is provided with a distinct purpose and direction which is much unique and different from that of the other. However, the administration function is the only area of an o rganization which serves a wider purpose by assisting the operations of human resources, finance, marketing and production departments amongst others. With the introduction of diversified concepts such as organizational innovation and knowledge management with respect to business operations, the significance of establishing a comprehensive administrative system under the administration function has been augmented. Liao and Wu (2010) classify the development of an administrative system as a part of an organization’s process of innovation which is pivotal to the success of today’s business. The fact that the administration department is