Invasive Species Position Paper Grading Rubric Essay

Invasive Species Position Paper Grading Rubric - Essay Example Later these AHBs were found in Arizona, California and Southern parts of United States. AHBs are more adaptable to tropical regions where the abundance of flora is dependent on unpredictable rainfall. As an adaptability to this factor AHBs they frequently swarm to new habitats, reproduce rapidly with shorter developmental life cycles and survive even on sparse supplies of pollen and nectar. Economic threat: Essential need for honey bees to pollinate crops as well as honey production is the matter of great economic concern. Americans are known to consume about 275 million pounds of honey every year. In this context AHBs produce less honey and wax when compared to EHBs. They also produce less wax affecting the manufacture of candles, polish and floor wax. Due to frequent swarming and extensive hive abandoning nature they are less preferred in managed beekeeping industry. Ecological threat: i) They compete and displace local EHBs and other pollinators for nectar and pollen. ii) AHBs invade EHB hive and are capable of upsurging the hive and replacing the EHB queen. In a single generation the EHB matriline is eliminated and the entire EHB hive being Africanized (DeGrandi-Hoffman 2006). iii) Studies of DeGrandi-Hoffman (USDA 2004) have shown that when EHB queens were inseminated with equal proportions of African and European drone sperms, the EHB queen preferred African sperms, producing on an average of about 70% AHB offspring. These factors may eventually decrease the abundance of other bee species which affects pollen harvest and reduce EHB progeny. Social threat: AHBs are more aggressive and sting in greater number on less provocation and respond to any disturbances such as loud noises, strong odors around the hive. They are able to sense threat within 100ft and track upto 1/4th a mile. A sting of a single bee releases a pheromone which stimulates other bees to agitate and attack. The sting of AHBs is know to cause anaphylactic shock. The venom of the bee triggers the release of histamine which can lead to vasodilation and loss of blood pressure. If the condition is not reversed within short time it may lead to death of the person due to shock. Methods of control AHBs are better pollinators when compared to EHBs as they emphasize on brood rearing and growth of the colony rather than honey production. Hence their complete elimination is not a wise option. Agricultural Research Service scientists along with groups like the American Beekeeping Federation, the American Honey Producers Association and the Apiary Inspectors of America have been entrusted with the job of finding the solution to the problem of AHBs in US. Two popular basic methods of control are i) Drone flooding: By limiting the possibility of Africanized drones mating with Europeans queens where commercial reared queen bee has a chance to mate with common honey bees. ii) Requeening: replacing queen of

The Introduction To Argos And Amazon Information Technology Essay

The Introduction To Argos And Amazon Information Technology Essay This report has been prepared regarding the operations of Argos and argos.com and it will look at their operational processes and also with discussed in details the theory of capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain management, performance measurements and total quality management and will look at the chosen organizations with relation to above mention theories. Operational management is the process of effectively managing resources and converting them into final goods and services to offer to the customers, the process of operational include all the management of all the resources which are used in the manufacturing of goods and services to used them effectively for the better result and achievement of goals for the organization. In this assignment the operational management processes of two organizations Argos and Amazon.com will be look into with details and they efficiency regarding the operations will be discuss to see how they manage their operations to provide better goods and services to the customers. Argos is one of the U.K leading retailer and it provide customers different goods, the company was establish in 1973 and now it is part of Home Retail Group, which is UKs leading home and general merchandise retailer. Argos, has nationwide network of over 670 stores coupled with its many ways to shop via catalogue, online and in store allows customers to mix and match from the full range of selection, order, pickup and delivery. The Argos retail experience is also made more convenient with home delivery, the innovative check and reserve and text and take home services, and the in-store Quick Pay kiosks, enabling consumers to make the best use of their free time. According to an HPI tracking study running from January to March 2006, 96% of customers would recommend Argos to a friend. Moreover some research agencies has issued interesting figures about retail sector businesses like Argos, Tesco and Asda. According to new Nielsen Online figures, Argos held its number two ranking above Tesco and below Amazon, with a 32% year-on-year growth in the number of UK visitors to 8.2m (homeretailgroup.com) Argos has supply chain management system which is very effective it provide the services through its catalogue system which allows the user to check the item without visiting the store and finding the best product their looking for and booking it online and collecting it either from the store or by home delivery. Argos also has a very effective distribution channels which enable them to have outlets on different locations so the customers can visit the stores and select the items from either looking at the catalogue or at their online system and making the payment on the system and just collect the items they want to purchase which reduces the time which usually customers have to face in order to buy the item because of this effective management of the Argos supply chain and distribution channels the users can get their items less than the time which they will take in other stores which is one of the reason of Argos success. Amazon.com:- Amazon was first establish as a book selling website in 1995 but diversify itself to selling other items such as DVDs, appliances, video games and other electronic goods it also provide the users and option to download some of its item instead of waiting to received it on mail. Amazon.com work on the basis of e-commerce providing its customers different facilities to use for their shopping and its simply a website for online shopping and provides latest items to different customers according to their needs. The features provide by amazon.com are: Reviews By Customers:- Amazon.com provide the customers to review any item they have bought from the website and rank it on the scale from 1 to 5 stars and also discuss what they think about the product this feature enables the other buyers understand the product help them make their decision regarding the product. The view are check by amazon.com to avoid any false information provided by the users and amazon.com like to post both good and bad reviews about the item for the convenient of their customers and to make them understand about each aspect of the product. Content Search:- This is one of the most useful tool provide by amazon.com for its users, the content search tool allow the customers to search for a specific word or content in a book. This feature has been design for customers who wants to buy books regarding specific information this tool enable them to find out what books have the information required by them and show them a photo of the page from the book and sometime give a free preview of the book to its customers to help them decide whether it is the book or information they were looking for it not. Third Party Sellers:- Amazon.com also helps in selling product from third parties on their website by listing them at amazon.com and directs the customers to other sellers product according to their desired information needed. Amazon.con use a centralized payment system for all its users whether sellers or buyers and control and monitor it. Just like Argos the company Amazon.com also has a very effective supply chain management system which enables them to deliver the products desired by the customers on time, with their content search feature the customers get the chance to select their products. They also have an effective distribution system usually the customers who order from amazon.com get their delivery within 2 to 4 days which make the whole process of shopping very enjoyable for the customers. By using the principle of operational management both the companies Argos and Amazon.com have been proving the customer best service and which is one of the reason of the success of both companies that their users prefer to shop from them and also recommend them to their friends and family, the principle use by Argos and Amazon.com are the basic principle of operational management and if used correctly can result in success for any organization in the long run. Part B Capacity Planning:- Capacity planning is the process of determining the amount of work that an organization can do in any given time it is basically determines the capacity of the organization to meet the demands in the market which is always changing due to change in customer taste or in technology. Capacity planning is the crucial part of any organization operational management which determine the capacity of the firm to meet the demands of customers in the market as it will provide the organization the competitive advantage and better utilization of the resources of the organization. Capacity planning is part of the strategic planning of the organization and it provides them a guide to utilize the resources with full capacity and managing the organization resources effectively and making the organization a success. Inventory Management:- Inventory management system was already used in America and Japan it is the most important part of any organizations operation as organization need to maintain a sufficient level of inventory not only helps in the production processes but also it helps in meeting the demands of the market as the manufacturer needs to have sufficient level of stock to supply to the market. Maintaining sufficient level of stock whether raw material or finished products to supply to the market involve many costs such as maintaining cost, ordering costs and carrying cost handling these costs is also a part of a better inventory management system as it is the responsibility of the operations management to handle this processes they need to be sufficient enough to manage the processes of inventory handling efficiently. There are many inventory management systems available to help the management in this processes some of the famous systems are Economic Order Quantity and Just In Time inventory management which enables the managers to use the inventory effectively in the operations. A example of inventory management systems can be seen in the Sainsburys operations where they focus on the maintaining the inventory in the stores through computerized systems and whenever a item short on inventory the system automatically place the order for the new one and which arrive before the item ran out of stock thats been a major part of Sainsburys success. Supply Chain Management:- Supply chain management consist of managing the supplies of the organization efficiently to maintain the level of organization products and services, it not only consist of managing the suppliers but also consist of monitoring and controlling the activities associate with the production of the products and their effective management the process consist of many activities which are: Procurement. Customer service management. Physical distribution. Product development. With these activities an organization creates chain of values and add values in them for the customers and in the product as well which is why these are one of the important activities in the operational management process. An example can be seen in the case of Toyota where the company understands the importance of these activities and provide the customers with products with added value through not only their manufacturing processes but also through their distribution and customer relationship process also this is one of the reason that the company Toyota has grown over the years and its customers preferred to buy its car because they believe that they get value for money. Performance Measurement:- Performance measurement is the process which enables the organization to set the measurements to determine where they are in terms of goals and their achievement it gives the organization an overview of their current position and where they want to be in the future. It is a great way to control and measure the activities of any given department by measuring the actual performances to the target it gives them an idea about their performances and what improvements they need to make. Many organizations used this model in their employee appraisal as well to reward the employees who have achieved the tasks to motivate them also to identify the employees who are behind the tasks to ask them the reasons behind it and if there any help they need in order to achieve the tasks. The application of performance measurement is used at every level of the organization as it is a used for tool for the organization it helps them where they, How they will improve and such questions are answer through performance measurements therefore it is a useful tool. The example of companies using performances management can be seen in Sainsburys where the company not only measures the performances of its employees but also the performance of its store by sending mystery shoppers to the store and checking the budget performances of the stores and also doing performance appraisal for the employees as well. Total Quality Management:- Total quality management is a programme use by many firms to gain competitive advantages by providing the customers with best quality products and increasing their satisfaction, it is a philosophy of management which emphasis on continuous improvement in the quality of the product. The process of total quality management involves involve everyone working in an organization as it is believe that every one working is the organization is responsible for the continuous improvement of the product and services and it should not be consider the activity of only one department. In application of quality management can be seen in the case of sports direct where every employee working in the organization strives to provide best quality services to their customers not in terms of products but also in customers services which result in many customers preferring sports direct over the other sports shop, once a customer enter into the outlet of sports direct they get the feeling of somewhere really sports related from shelving to staff working there the sports fan get this feeling when they are shopping at sports direct because of their total quality control management and which result in many customers buying their sports related stuff from the company because they trust the name and the quality of sports direct which is because sports direct never disappointed them when they come to shop over there. Part C In this part of the assignment the application discuss above will be relate to the organizations or Argos and Amazon.com to see how these applications helps these companies to achieved their goals and objective and what competitive advantages the company are having due to each module and how they develop the companies strategies over the years. Argos:- The first organization that will be look in detail regarding the above mention theories will be Argos as it is the believe of many that these theories are working fine with Argos and they will be look one by one with operations of Argos. Capacity Planning at Argos:- As it has already been discuss how proper capacity planning helps an organization in its operations and proper planning of resources to achieve the goals set by the management. Being one of the biggest retailer of U.K Argos understand the importance of capacity planning and plan all its operations based on the proper planning of its resources as many customers can get the information about the product they want to buy from Argos website that where they will be available and if not available at one store where else they can find the item and how much quantities left to collect which enables the customers to know about the product and how much time they will have to wait to get their hand on the product. Due to this properly planning of capacity Argos has been having competitive advantage over its competitors and it also helps them in their marketing strategy by distributing their catalogue to the customers for free and providing the idea of items they can collect from the outlets of Argos. Inventory Management:- Inventory management has been one of the strong points of Argos operations as Argos has to hold many items in their inventory to meet the demands of customers they been keen on providing the products by different manufacturers to the customers. One of the unique features which is provided by Argos is that it provide the customers information about the products and their availability by providing them information is the item available for home delivery or if the item out of stock in one store which other store they can collect the item and it also provide them the option to reserved the item on their website if the item left has not much quantity so by reserving the item on the website the customers make sure that the item will not be sell by the time they reach they store and they can collect is because of this method of maintaining inventory the operational capacity of Argos can be seen and understand properly. Supply Chain Management:- Argos has many outlets all over U.K and supply the items to all the stores is not an easy job and Argos realized that but they overcome this problem but having a good chain of distribution channels and also by providing information about the product and its availability and also make sure that the customers will get their desired product on time and without having to wait much for the product, the distribution channel consist of both the supplies for stores and also for home deliveries as well to manage effective system of deliveries. Performance Measurements. The use performance evaluation techniques have been an integral part of any organization and Argos is no difference in fact using performance measurement has been a part of Argos success and it gave them an idea how the company is performing not only with the products but also with the customer satisfaction which make them realised the areas they need to make improvements and the areas where they are working fine can improve even more to provide better services to the customers. Total Quality Management:- Just like other features the total management concept has been also used by Argos under this principle the Argos staff has been trained to make them understand the role they play in the success of Argos and what they can do to improve the services at Argos even more. Argos not only emphasis on improving the quality of the services offer by the staff but also make sure that the products offers by Argos are of great quality and value to the customers as they know that making the customers happy is the most thing to do if a business wants to survive. Amazon.com:- Same like Argos the company Amazon.com also employed the principles discusses in part b of this assignment and will be look one by one. Capacity Planning:- Millions of customers visit amazon.com daily and do their shopping form the website due to which it is very important for the website amazon.com to provide their customers the best items they has to offer and keeping this thing in mind the company use their resources very well in term of proper capacity planning this can be seen by looking at the growing number of people who log in to amazon.com to buy the stuff they need with confidence and amazon.com has been delivering stuff from books to health equipment to all sort of customers and making them happy which is the reason they achieved the competitive advantage. Inventory Management:- Amazon.com has storage facilities all over the world and due to which the company is able to deliver anything anywhere in the world and due to having storage facilities all over the world the delivery cost is less for some countries. They have an effective system of managing the inventories which are far more than any other company as the website provide many options to the customers and their customers are in millions they know how important it is for them to utilized their inventory management to provide the customer the products they need on time and with less delays. Supply Chain Management:- Being provider of many products and having millions of customers supply chain management its one of the biggest issue for amazon.com and the company knows its importance that is why they manage their supplies very carefully to make sure that the products ordered by the customers reach them on time and without any delays due to which the company gain popularity. Amazon.com has also introduced the service for their customers where they can also sell their items on amazon.com website to other customers for some fee chargeable by amazon.com for providing these services but the company make sure that whatever the item is presented for sale by other customers of amazon.com should meet the quality standards of amazon.com and provide their other customers the products which give them value for money because when a customer visits amazon.com they visit with the expectation that they will get good deals from amazon.com than any other supplies of the goods and it provide amazon.com not only the competitive advantage over the competitors but also it helps them market their name all over the world due to the services they offer to their customers. Performance Measurement:- For the purpose performance management amazon.com always ask its customers for feedbacks about the services provided by amazon.com and also it provide them a review system in each item where the buyers of that item post their reviews about the experience they had with the product and does it meet with their requirement so the other customers can see and decide whether they should buy the product or not amazon.com not only publish the good reviews but also the bad reviews of the website and products and try to improve the areas where they have been criticized by the customers to provide them best quality services. Total Quality Management:- The quality of the product and services offer by amazon.com is the main focus point of their business and they take it very seriously through conducting surveys and reviewing the reviews post by the customers to understand their weakness and overcome them. As it been said before the company provide other users to sell their products on their website as well but they make sure that the product presented for sale meets the quality requirement of amazon.com and all the sellers are present with stars based on the feedback they get on their sales by doing this amazon.com make sure that the buyers get the best quality products from the sellers and also to make sure that the quality standards are maintain by amazon.com at all time, they also make sure that the staff at their customer service communicate with the customers positively and help them out in their queries to give a positive image of the company to the customers and by doing this the company has been able to increase its market share over the years. Sources:- Â  Operation Management By Frank Rowbotham, Masoud Azhashemi, Les Galloway Operation Management By C. Donald, J Waters, Donald Waters. Service Management Improving Service by Robert Johnston and Graham Clark Operations management policy, practice and performance improvement by Steve Brown, Kate Blackmon, Paul Cousins www.argos.co.uk www.amazon.com www.thetimes100.co.uk

Socrates and Thrasymachus in Republic Essay -- Philosophy Philosophica

Socrates and Thrasymachus in Republic Socrates and Thrasymachus have a dialogue in Chapter 2 of Republic which progresses from a discussion of the definition of morality, to an understanding of the expertise of ruling, and eventually to a debate on the state of human nature. The Thrasymachian view of human nature has interesting implications in regards to Thomas Nagel’s ideal of egalitarianism, and Barbara Ehrenreich’s discontentment with the economic disparity in our democratic society. Although Thrasymachus is thwarted in conversation, Glaucon finds the outcome not entirely conclusive and directs Socrates to proving that morality, in and of itself, is a worthwhile pursuit. Thrasymachus opens the discussion with Socrates claiming, â€Å"morality is the advantage of the stronger party.† (Republic 338c) By this he means ‘moral’ actions are those in accordance with the laws of the stronger party. He explicates his position by saying, â€Å"each government passes laws with a view to its own advantage: a democracy makes democratic laws, a dictatorship makes dictatorial laws†¦ In so doing, each government makes it clear that what is right and moral for its subjects is what is to its own advantage.† (Republic 338e) In this example Thrasymachus claims that â€Å"morality is the advantage of the current government.† (Republic 339a) In giving this claim Thrasymachus implies that: 1. Morality is not objective. 2. Morality is defined as compliance with the laws given by the governing party. 3. The governing party creates laws based on what (it thinks!) will serve its own advantage. 4. The governing party creates morality for its subjects with the purpose of serving its own advantage. Thrasymachus defines ‘right’ as acti... ...count for the lack of success of egalitarian societies that Nagel proposes, and the economic disparity that Ehrenreich addresses. Socrates must respond to both Thrasymachus and Glaucon’s reiteration by showing that a moral life is good in and of itself, rather than for its consequences. The dialogue between Socrates and Thrasymachus, and later with Socrates, Glaucon, and Adeimantus prompts Plato to write the rest of Republic in explanation of what a moral community is, and how such a blueprint can be applied to a moral individual. Works Cited 1. Plato (trans. Robin Waterfield). Republic, Oxford University Press Inc., New York. 1998 edition. 2. Nagel, Thomas. â€Å"Equality and Partiality,† in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, ed. Steven Cahn (Oxford University Press, 2002). 3. Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. Henry Holt & Company 2001.

Computer Games Addiction Essay

There are five aspects of internet addiction noted by Shaw and Black (2008): Cyber sexual addiction, cyber-relational addiction, net compulsions, information overload, and computer addiction. The main subtype we will be looking at is computer addiction, as it is described as â€Å"Many computers come equipped with pre-programmed games and people become addicted to playing them at the cost of work performance or family obligations†. There is a lot of controversy over the overlap of devices in gaming, which has resulted in an ambiguous definition for computer games and computer game addiction. For instance, a game that was made for a video game console now has an internet version, a computer game has moved onto the tablet, gambling has also moved to the internet, etc. We will extend their definition to include all computer games playable on a web-enabled device that is not a video-game console, as computer games are recreational activities that are meant to be enjoyed, and outsi de of educational games have little productive value. The following are in depth examinations of computer-game addiction symptoms as studied by researchers as well as real life-examples. Running Head: Persistence, or behavioral salience, is an activity that dominates a person’s behavior to the point that self-maintenance is neglected. In 1938, Skinner created a device that allowed rats to push a lever that would release a pellet into their cage. Once the rats realized that the action of pressing the lever resulted in a reward, they continued to press the lever until exhaustion. Doing so demonstrated an aspect of operant conditioning called positive reinforcement, in which a reward stimulus will result in the continuation or increased frequency of a behavior. In Loftus and Loftus’ (1983) study, they found similar behavior in humans, except with video arcade games such as Pac-man and Invaders. The reward stimulus is often a higher score, accomplishing a task, or defeating a virtual enemy which causes a feeling of achievement. People would gain injuries by standing in front of a machine for hours and repeatedly moving a joystick or pushing buttons, resulting in blisters, callouses, etc. These injuries were given humorous names, such as Pac-man’s Elbow which refers to a mild form of tendinitis. These injuries have become more varied across different platforms for gaming and computing usage. Commonly cited injuries include tired eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. due to staring at a computer screen and repeating the same keystrokes when playing. Besides repeating an action to the point of self-harm, computer game addiction is more associated with ignoring bodily needs in favor of playing. The BBC (2005) posted an article about a man in South Korea who played for 50 hours straight in an internet cafà ©, and eventually collapsed from exhaustion. He died in the hospital from heart failure. There are several reports of gamers refusing to use the bathroom or using a bottle to release their urine, and eating little food or snacks to nourish themselves; all to remain in front of the computer for a while longer (Chappell et al., 2006). Many of these stories usually stem from developed countries in Asia such Running Head: COMPUTER GAME ADDICTION Poon 8 as China, South Korea, and Japan where computer gaming is more accepted and popular than in the United States. For instance in South Korea, StarCraft is a popular spectator sport and one needs a license in order to qualify to play as a pro-gamer. Computer Game Addiction has been recognized as a formal disorder in these countries, and the government has taken steps against it by creating programs and clinics to battle against it. In South Korea, after repeated incidents of self-neglect leading to death, and the death of a child that was neglected by its parents, they have enacted policies to fight against computer addiction(Cho, 2010). These policies include opening several counseling centers, boot camps for addicted children and teenagers during summer and winter break, and people under eighteen being prohibited from playing in internet cafes between midnight and 8 am (Bosker, 2010; Cain, 2010). China has also enacted policies that include opening treatment centers and requiring minors to use their government IDs to track and shorten usage (Sung, 2009). The government targets the young, as they are under the care of their parents and are also at risk for computer game addiction (Thomas and Martin, 2010). The popularity and acceptance of computer games in developed Asia, as well as their policies against computer game addiction could be a possible future for America. Risked Relationships In addiction, one may drift away or alienate one’s close relations in favor of the substance or activity. In a two case study by Griffiths (2010), he examined two different sides of the social aspects of computer gaming. The first case featured Dave who began to play World of Warcraft for ten to fourteen hours a day after finishing his degree and before getting his first job. Although he played excessively, he was able to gain and maintain new friends through the game, only played because he was in a situation with a lot of time, and eventually dropped out of playing when he formed new commitments in real life. In the second case, a married man with two Running Head: COMPUTER GAME ADDICTION Poon 9 children named Jeremy, was interviewed. He claimed that he played in order to escape from his problems. In the midst of his addiction he played up to fourteen hours a day, began to lose his close connection with his wife, and called in sick at work in order to play more. He eventually lost his job and his wife. He has since been referred to a clinical psychologist. Although Dave played as excessively as Jeremy, he was able to stop playing and it did not ruin his life. Jeremy’s gaming ended up being both the solution and problem that caused a vicious cycle of abuse which resulted in him losing his family and his work. It has also been reported that several parents have neglected their children in favor of computer and/or internet games. In the case of the Kims, they played a game named Prius, a fantasy, Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing game (MMORPG). They raised a virtual child named Animus in the game, while only feeding and changing their child in between gaming sessions. The child died due to malnourishment, and they were sentenced to jail. Another parent, a single mother, played a social game named Small Worlds, and neglected her small children and two dogs. The children fed themselves from bean cans every day, and the two dogs died from malnourishment. Gamers often become too invested and immersed in their games, and as they play longer hours they begin to lose contact with their real world relationships. Although in Dave’s experience, in which he displayed excessive behavior, he did not display this addictive symptom. For some gamers, it is possible to play long hours and not be considered addicted, and there are varying levels of risked relationships. In young teenagers, they may simply pass up on family engagement in order to play games (Thomas & Martin, 2010). In the situations of the Kims, Jeremy, and the single mother, they all played excessively and ignored their social responsibilities. The basis of any addiction is the negative consequences that come with using a substance or doing an activity. With pathological gaming, the criteria for it includes resorting to crimes to fund one’s own activity or pay off debts one has accumulated. However, articles in the media indicate a trend that many crimes may occur either due to frustration surrounding the game, or to copycat violent acts from the game. One man in China stabbed his friend because the friend had sold a virtual sword on eBay for money (BBC, 2005). In another case, a mother in Florida shook her 3-month baby to death for crying when she was playing Farmville (CBSNews, 2010). In the instance of grand theft auto, there have been copycats who have set out to repeat the crimes they committed in game; one group of teenagers in Garden City, New York decided to live out the popular action-adventure, crime game named grand theft auto. They committed burglary, beat some men, attempted to steal a car, and even punched a police officer in the face. Their only motivation was that they were bored (Crowley, 2008). There is a media stereotype that violent games will increase a child’s propensity for violence. Markey and Markey (2010) attempted to predict certain personality types that would be most affected by violent video games. They found that those high in neuroticism and low in agreeableness and conscientiousness are susceptible to violent games, but only a few individuals truly act on these impulses in a manner that is noticeable. The individuals that are noted above may have had other disorders which caused them to act in this violent manner. Tolerance Weinstein (2010) conducted a study that looked at levels of Dopamine in both a control group and a group of former ecstasy users. They allowed both groups to play a motorbike-riding computer game and monitored brain chemistry using single-photon emission computed before and after game play. They found that there were increased levels of dopamine in the ventral striatum, which is comparable to amounts produced by amphetamines. Former ecstasy users had little change in brain chemistry, which may be due to tolerance from previous ecstasy usage. The researcher also found that males had greater activation and functional connectivity in the meso-cortico-limbic system than in females. Weinstein (2010) suggests that gaming usage/craving may use the same neurological reward system as substance dependence, that gender differences explain why there are more males playing and addicted to games, and that computer game addicted players may also show reduced dopamine levels after playing computer games due to sensitization. This study may not be very valid concerning the ex-ecstasy group, as they only recruited users and the sample size was small. Thaleman et al. (2007) confirmed these results by examining male computer players of different playing intensities, and seeing how they reacted to computer cues. Using Electroencephalography, they found that the excessive computer game players had stronger cue-reactivity to computer scenes than casual players. They also came to the conclusion that sensitization of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system caused greater computer salience in a similar manner of substance abusers to drugs. Debt In the case of many computer games, you purchase a single game and then you hand out no more money. However, game companies have changed their model to increase profits, and now offer money options to buy more in-game weapons or power-ups, gain advantages within the game, or to renew a subscription to a game. In the case of buying in-game items, children who do not understand money and have access to their parents’ credit card may accidentally rack up a debt (Insley, 2010). They may not understand that money purchased for the game translates into real world money. Furthermore, internet gambling has become increasingly popular and may soon be legal (Jonsson, 2011). It is possible to bid real money and earn money, as well as lose money. The same problems of gambling addiction occur without a casino, and with the convenient use of the computer. Internet gambling may be even worse as it is a solitary activity and it is possible to play for hours or days without anyone seeing or stopping oneself. Furthermore, virtual money that has been converted from real money no longer seems like having monetary value, and thereby creating an inhibiting effect which would cause greater spending. It is harder to determine the difference between 100 dollars and a thousand dollars when it is on the screen, and there is nothing physical within one’s hands. Emotional Dependence. Emotional stability is dependent on a secure attachment to a person or thing (Arntz, 2006). In Griffiths (2010), the case study of the Jeremy demonstrated one of the motives for playing computer games: escape. Computer players may use computer games as a way to solve emotional problems, and to get away from reality. This may create a self-repeating cycle, as the problem is not solved and only delayed which creates more conflict for the individual and cause them to play more. Stetina et al. (2011) looked at male MMORPG game users and found that they tend to have low self-esteem that use gaming as a way to interact socially. In this manner, some or perhaps many gamers are more emotionally and socially invested in their gameplay than someone who does not need computer games to interact. In Hussain and Griffiths‘ (2009) study, they gave an online questionnaire to online gamers of MMORPGs, and found that they displayed behavioral and psychological dependence to gaming. This attachment to computer games may negatively impact one’s work. Thomas and Martin (2010) looked at Tasmanian secondary and college students and split them into groups depending on game play hours. They found that students preferred playing over spending time with friends and family and doing homework which negatively impacted their Grade Point Average. The researchers also found that the college populations used games to escape their problems or unpleasant feelings as well as to chase a higher score. Emotional dependence may be either symptomatic of addiction, or a cause of computer game addiction. Computer Game Addiction – Symptoms, Treatment, & FAQs What is computer game addiction? Computer game addiction generally refers to an excessive, unhealthy amount of playing computer games.Rather than engaging in the real world, an addicted user devotes the majority of his or her time to gaming. The addicted gamer often isolates him/herself from others, ignores more important responsibilities, and is often obsessed with obtaining higher status / rankings / achievements in his/her favorite computer game. Is computer game addiction a diagnosable disorder? According to the DSM-IV (the current manual for classifying emotional, psychological, and mental disorders), no. Although there have beencalls from some mental health professionals (and parents) to recognize computer game addiction as a â€Å"real† disorder, it has not been granted official diagnostic status. As more research on the effects of excessive gaming is conducted, many believe that it is only a matter of time before computer game addiction is classified as a compulsive behavior similar to gambling addiction. What are the symptoms of computer game addiction? Because there is no official diagnosis of computer game addiction, there is obviously no universally agreed upon list of symptoms. Psychologists and other mental health professionals initially adapted the diagnostic criteria for gambling addiction and used this as a rough assessment tool for computer game addiction. This classification approach is rarely used today and for better or for worse, it is essentially up to the individual researcher or clinician to define the symptoms of computer addiction. Still, there are some signs and behaviors that are almost always included in definitions of computer addiction, such as†¦ †¢Significant interference with school, work, or relationships †¢Often avoiding other commitments in order to keep playing †¢Frequently turning down social invitations in favor of gaming †¢Using most or all of one’s free time for gaming †¢Regularly playing late into the night and which results in poor sleep habits †¢Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities †¢Regular gaming â€Å"binges† of 8 hours or more nonstop Who is most at risk for computer game addiction? Although virtually anyone who plays computer games could become addicted (see â€Å"Boyfriend or Husband Addicted to Video Games?†), certain groups appear to be more likely to develop unhealthy levels of play. These groups include: †¢Males †¢Children and teens †¢People with other psychological difficulties (e.g., depression, low self-esteem, anxiety) †¢Individuals with long periods of unstructured time (for example, a teen who is not involved in other activities outside of school) †¢Those with higher levels of neurotocism †¢Children who are more impulsive and have weaker social skills See the article â€Å"Video Game Addiciton Risks Factors† for more information. Why are computer games addictive? First, note that some types of computer games are clearly more addictive than others. For example, most research suggests that MMOs (like World of Warcraft) and FPS games (like Call of Duty) are more addictive than racing games and platformers. For a detailed explanation of why this is, please see â€Å"Why are Video Games Addictive?† In brief though, the most additive video games usually employ many well-established psychological principles to encourage longer and longer periods of play. For example, the most addictive computer games†¦ †¢are based on a leveling system that requires only minimal effort to â€Å"level-up† in the early stages†¦which slowly evolves into very long gaming sessions to reach the next stage as the game progresses †¢are open-ended with no clearly defined end †¢require cooperation with other human players to advance in the game†¦which creates a sense of obligation and dedication to one’s teammates†¦which translates into more and more time strengthening characters and improving skills †¢are based on variable-ratio or variable interval schedules of reinforcement that encourages long periods of gaming even in the absence of rewards

Apollo Shoe Inc

Date: 19 Jan 1:30:27 From: Dennis Reese Subject: Revenue Cycle Problems I have looked over Bradley’s report and yes we do have some issues with the Sales, and Account Receivables. The fourth quarter deviations overstated are the worst because they can have the most effect on the Financial Statements. The controls need to be more uniform as Bradley stated because then they would even out through the months instead of hitting us mostly on the fourth quarter.The company reports financial Statements each quarter and they are the months: March, June, September, and December. In their last quarter they are facing financial problems because of incorrect record sales. Some of the sales records are missing bills of lading. Also the credit approval controls are not emplaced our lack of them will cause a greater liability for collection. Will need to verify all the charges to the customer because there is many overcharge and undercharge amounts.The overcharge delay from invoice date and credit memo averages 24 days to correct the mistake. Apollo’s controls are un-reliable and we will need to follow up on all Revenue and Accounts Receivable. Also positive confirmations need to be sent to customers with accounts greater than 1,000,000 and negative confirmations need to be sent to customers with less than 1,000,000. But all the customers need to be verified that their information is correct before they are sent. Also we need to ask the customers to verify all sales they made from us for the year.