Challenges Faced By Hr At Royal Mail Management Essay

Challenges Faced By Hr At Royal Mail Management Essay This report is on the analysis of the challenges and issues faced by the management of people at work. It has critically analysed the application of strategic HRM models, and theories and different approaches in practice. Report evaluates the impact strategic approach can have in contemporary organisations to people management. Report includes all the discussion of several HR models and identifies the similarities and differences between them. Based on my own work experience in Royal Mail and research on the companys HR, report shows detail HR functions and models used by Royal Mail. It then recommends that will add value to Royal Mails and its HR structure. Royal Mail Introduction: Royal Mail PLC is the national postal service of the UK. Royal Mail is almost 500 years old dated back since 1516. It covers every inch of the UK delivering letters and parcels. It carries out an important public service and has a duty to deliver postal mail throughout the UK. Royal Mail has researched the market in relation to designing and deploying an approach to Ethical Standards in which People are priority. Royal Mail currently employs 200,000 staff and has annual turnover of around  £8bn. Models for HR Roles: Observations suggest that majority of work organization have not adopted the HRM models, others have implemented only elements of the model, and others have emphasized different features of the model to build a high performance workplace. These differences suggest that HRM is a proactive strategic management activity and it is different from the traditional personnel management. Legge (1978): Conformist innovators go along with the organization. Their expertise is used to improve the position of their department. They have to do as they are told to satisfy senior management. Deviant innovators attempts to change by accepting different set of tasks for the organization success and gain credits for their contribution. They come up new ideas but are driven by social values. Problem solver has very contingent role as they have to keep changing according to the circumstances. HRM contains ambiguities or paradoxes at several levels. Major changes in role of personnel professionals resulted in a more complex set of roles. Old ambiguities and negative counter images of the past still remain- Legge, 1989. The process of role change from traditional personnel to new comprehensive HR role can therefore be uneven and incomplete. Storey (1992): Little evidence of the strategic integration of HRM policies with corporate plans was found by Storey (1992). Change makers were interventionists with a strategic agenda focused on both the hard realities of business performance and designed to enhance employee commitment and motivation. It was this new role that perhaps most clearly differentiated HRM from traditional personnel management. Advisers assumed a facilitating role, acting as internal consultants offering expertise and advice to line management while operating in an essentially non interventionist manner. Regulators were interventionists involved in the traditional and essentially tactical role of formulating and monitoring the observance of employment rules and policies. These were managers of discontent seeking order through temporary, tactical truces with organised labour. Handmaidens provided specific services at the behest of line management; their attendant role was essentially reactive and non interventionist. From this model, we can say that in this dynamic market, Changemakers role has grown significantly and has become part and reality of business performance. Adviser role is more closely associated with development individual business unit and has low strategic agenda of HRM. Regulators role seems to have a down turn. And it will be difficult for Handmaiden role with the increase demand on outsourcing. Or can say that HRM has undermined the integrity and professional status of a function that was done by senior management. Wilkinson and Marchington (1994) HR Model: According to Wilkinson and Marchingtons model four roles described are: Change Agent Board level, high visibility and we can say engine of change. Hidden Persuader: strategic but low profile. Mainly behind the scene and support senior managers Internal Contractor: mainly operational level but relatively high profile. Facilitator: also operational level and low profile, routine admin and supports line managers. From this model we might be able to know external situation under which each of these roles are created. But HR professionals are unlikely to be able to choose board level in the same way that other people cannot choose to be on the board. It may be in some firms that HR presence is an unrealistic goal in the perceptions of senior management. However, working ethically within the boundaries by increasing credibility and developing skills we can enlarge this boundaries. Ulrich Business Partner Model: Many of the questions and issues concerning the future role of HR professionals have been addressed by Ulrichs work. His work is mainly informative and prescriptive, rather than practical; it provides one of the most systematic frameworks for capturing the emergence of new HR roles. It is an inspiring and sometimes disconcerting vision: HR professionals must become champions of competitiveness in delivering value or face the diminution or outsourcing of their role (Ulrich, 1997) Ulrich defines four main roles for the HR professional along two axes: strategy versus operations, and process versus people: Strategic Partners help to successfully execute business strategy and meet customer needs Administrative Experts constantly improve organizational efficiency by reengineering the HR function and other work processes Employee Champions maximize employee commitment, and competence Change Agents deliver organizational transformation and culture change. This model represents a broader attempt to overcome the negative image of personnel function and give a new set of proactive roles for HR. Ulrichs mission is a new plan for professionalization. But it is difficult in this prescriptive approach. Similarities and Differences between HR models: Both Legge and Storey make insightful observations when they suggest that what may be more significance is not the message, but the messenger; HRM represents the discovery of personnel management and the message itself has not changed but it is being received more seriously. Ulrichs model sounds very attractive to be operated at higher level but it might not be possible in all circumstances. There may be worries on the clear focus on firms contribution detracts from the independence to make decisions. Employee champion atleast points out that HR do not serve only one senior manager. On comparing Storeys analysis with Ulrichs model, Ulrichs model actually provides a similar framework and it does not provide solution for resolving issues of role ambiguity and role conflict. To control this process of redesigning, Storeys original four box model is experientially re-examined and contrasted with Ulrichs model on HR roles. This provides a useful analytical counterpoint for examining the complexities of the role change. Storeys role model does not take into the account of increasing complexity and comprehensive nature of HR roles, While Ulrichs model recognizes the multiple and flexible nature of HR roles. However, its role types often overlap with Storeys to such a degree that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate the roles. One of the problems with the Storeys original model was that it appeared to treat each personnel role as a generic type. While, Ulrich highlights the multiple roles the HR professional should undertake. However, Ulrichs model for role reinvention minimizes the issues of role ambiguity related with personnel roles. Also, role conflicts often appear when a person performs more than one role. HRM model is itself not a logical, observable fact. It is in reality a representative and is not mutually dependent upon each other but also from the new political context. Storey Legge Ulrich Number of roles 4 3 4 Rationale Matrix Matrix Strategy Strategy/tactics Impact Unitarism/Pluralism U/P P U HR Roles carried out in Royal Mail: The Job Titles and job responsibilities in HR in Royal mail are as follows: HR Change Manager: Develop and deploy a change strategy to support Royal Mails Modernization Program Develop a change management strategy including communications, engagement and cultural change activities and design unit change plans for offices. Design and deliver change management and communications workshops and coach line managers in the process of change HR Project Manager: Produce and manage project plan, risk analysis and stakeholder management plan and budget. Provide ongoing support and communication for area management team, regional HR team, regional advisors, mentors and maternity. Research and develop proposals for the Organizations vision, culture, structure, product offering and job descriptions. Design communication materials including newsletters, knowledge portals, recorded audio and video podcasts, design support materials for line managers and manage Q and A database. HR Director: Guide and manage overall provision of HR services and policies for the whole company Talent management strategy including workforce planning, recruitment, training and succession planning Employment law compliance and compliance to regulatory concerns Managing external employment agencies, recruiter and temporary staffing agencies. Analysis of the effectiveness of all human resources efforts. Able to provide useful and strategic advice and input across the company HR Service Manager: Provide HR services across Royal Mail by conducting cases, notetaker role, case managing and coach on key services including recruitment, training, employment law, investigations, mediations, conduct, absence, dismissals, appeals, grievance and harassment and bullying, talent and leadership, reward and recognition, advice and support. Manage resource plan for teams and design and implement a new ways of working change program Design forecasting, scheduling, workload analysis and skills matrix tools Manage budget and performance system including appraisals, development plans, scorecards and people policies. Factors might influence HR roles: HR will continue to build a professional level of diagnostic and enabling skills and a core of problem solving experts with the aim of raising and meeting these expectations. However, it is important to keep relevant external and internal factors while determining HR strategy. In the recent news, Government is planning to sell of the Royal Mail which could create privatized monopoly and will push up the prices of stamps. This will have a huge impact on the whole organization and its brand and its staff. One of the factors that can affect Royal Mail HR is the Culture in the company. HR teams in Royal Mail seem to concentrate on their own activities rather than community. They work in culture where value is added in terms of individual unitization rather than individual contribution. Keeping culture in mind indicates that behaviors that are important in the new world and can help to build a new culture. Royal Mail being a huge organization, it has insufficient recognition for the level of contribution and effort provided by each employee. They are worried about the pay that it is not commensurate with performance. This might happen in Royal Mail, when poor contributors receive raises because of some other personal reason. An employee is applicable for promotion and does not get the job because promotion system might not be fair and also employees are not aware of what next opportunity. If Royal Mail experiences a downturn, employees will be concerned with management and future in the company. Insecure will think negative and worst to happen and management might have to work hard to gain their trust again. Future success on Royal Mail depends on ability to manage a diverse community that can bring innovative ideas to work. Royal Mail might not be able to capitalize this mixture of talents with different backgrounds. Royal Mails environment might not be able to support diversity broadly and hence can risk loosing talent to competitors. Increasing competition can affect HR and its strategy should enhance Royal Mails profile as first choice employer in the sector. As UK and EU legislation continually changes, HR will be affected by new laws and its strategy should benchmark developments with other courier organizations. Size of Royal Mail can affect HR. If it is planning to increase its operations will need more staff and new staff should be recruited and hence will incur cost. HR might not have enough budgets. New Technology like sorting letters machines will need trained and experienced staff. The economic environment including the competitive situation determines the external supply of and the demand for managers. Legal and Political constrains requires Royal Mail to follow laws and guidelines issued by Government for example Health and Safety at work place and Equal Opportunity. Analysis of the Model of the HR Roles in Royal mail to Ulrich and Storeys Model: In Royal Mail, people are at the centre, making good HR is their top priority. Royal Mails HR team is split into three key areas: HR Services: HR Services department deals with recruitment, learning, reward and recognition, corporate social responsibility, health and safety and advice and support. Also, offers the services like data analysis, project management, stakeholder management, management information, and business planning and process improvement. Business Partners: Business partners are the HR Directors for each business area and they work closely with business leaders to apply strategic HR initiatives and interventions in line with corporate goals. This is the heart of the operation, consulting with operational teams, applying HR solutions and trouble shooting in high impact areas. Expert Teams: Expert teams develop Strategic HR solutions in specialist areas such as organisational development, diversity, Talent management and learning and development. This role gives high level exposure to business HR strategy and deeper understanding of one of the expert fields. The emerging model is more like a three-legged stool. One leg of the stool being administrative service center, the second leg being center of excellence (or expertise) and the HR business partners make up the third leg. Most HR functions, if not already operating with a full fledged three box structure, are considering whether, or how, to implement one. The current recession is exacerbating the need for change. For certain, it is creating pressure for cost savings; whilst in some sectors, it is driving a fundamental shift in the business model which entails new thinking about HR added value. This suggests something versatile and complex nature of HR roles and how difficult it is to fit roles within the boundaries. Not being able to identify main role will recommend that some personnel and HR will experience some conflict. Role conflict is now very common anyway between HR, senior and line managers. To Add Value to Royal Mail should use the positive aspects of both the combing Storeys and Ulrichs models. Advisor will offer HR advice and Expertise to Senior and line management. Service Provider to support line manager in specific HR roles Regulator will monitor the performance of personnel and HR policy Change Agent will push forward culture change and transformation. This approach will help Royal Mail to overcome the complexity of HR roles and will fulfil the roles missing from the previous model used. Conclusion: Certainly the basic principles and apparent benefits of the model are simple to comprehend and thus have a strong appeal to HR leaders wishing to enhance their functions performance. At the heart of the model lies the notion of a set of HR professionals, embedded within line businesses and working on processes and outcomes that are central to competitive success, but supported by both efficient processes to handle the more transactional aspects of HR work, and more strategically-orientated centers of excellence.

Access to Medicine in India

Access to Medicine in India For a health system to be effective, access to medicines is a critical component. Hence, it is necessary that good quality medicines are available and affordable to the people. However, many countries and regions including India face several barriers in expanding access to medicines. According to WHO these include: Inefficient and Iniquitous Financing Mechanisms Over the years India’s public health system is found to be under funded. This has pushed several people to rely largely on OOP to meet their healthcare needs. Currently, the share of public to private health spending in India is found to be 1:4, in which drugs alone contribute with over 71% of all OOP expenditure of households. Under-funded public health system resulted in acute shortages and chronic drug stock-outs at all levels of care making both poor and non-poor financially vulnerable. As a result of this, poor populations are pulled even deeper into poverty (poverty-deepening), while a large number of above-poverty line households are subsequently pulled below the poverty line every year. One can observe an extremely low public spending along with huge variation between states and across districts within a state. From the data of 2010-2011 it is evident that in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala about 10-12% of health spending is towards procuring drugs. Where-as in states like Jharkhand, Punjab and Rajasthan it is only 2-3% of health spending that goes into drugs. Though there is significant improvement in drug procurement in the state of Bihar due to steep rise in the allocated funds (NRHM) during the same period the per capita spending on the drugs is very less (Rs. 8 per capita). High Drug Prices From a state of very high drug prices due to heavy imports in the pre-1970 era, with the aid of effective drug policies there was a rapid growth of the indigenous drugs companies which resulted in increased production of drugs both the bulk drugs and the formulations. This has resulted in the improved local availability of drugs and relatively speaking with lowest drug prices in the world. But, due to the ineffective policy changes the coverage of drug price control has reduced from 90% of the market in 1970 to 10% of the market in 1995. Due to these relaxed regulations pharmaceutical industry took an advantage of reaping high profits through complex price setting activities. Research has shown that the price of a same pharmaceutical ingredient under a therapeutic category vary around 1000% between the most expensive and the cheapest brands. Further, the variation between the market price and procurement price of similar drugs could range anywhere between 100% and 5000%. Effectivenes s of price control is clearly demonstrated by the studies done in the past few years. From the study done by Sengupta et al. (2008) between the period of 1996 and 2006 it was found that there was nearly 40% increase in all drug prices. During the same period, there was a 0.02% rise in the price of controlled drugs while the price of EDL (Essential Drug List) drugs rose by 15%. Whereas, the prices of those drugs which were not controlled and were not included in the EDL increased by 137%. Hence, it is evident that the price control policies of the 1990s have resulted in significant increase of drug prices during the last 15 years. Defective and Incompetent Procurement and Distribution Systems Availability of drugs in the public health system is vital element in enhancing the access to medicine in the country. Hence, along with adequate allocation of funds it is very important to have an efficient and reliable drug procurement system to maintain the availability and to avoid shortages and stock-outs. Several procurement mechanisms were identified in different states in India. The states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala adopted a pooled procurement model, Chattisgarh is following a decentralized procurement system, whereas Bihar adopted a blend of the two. Over the last two decades the pooled procurement model of the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) was found to be the most efficient, reliable and transparent model that was replicated in few other states. The different procurement models will be discussed in detail later in this section. Essential Drug List (EDL) also has its effect in enhancing the availability in the public health systems. It was found that the physicians prescribed and dispensed irrational drugs in the states where the procurement and distribution systems did not follow EDL. This resulted in compromising the cost-effectiveness of procurement system which in effect resulted in shortage of drugs. In the state of Bihar during the period of 2008-09, out of 239 drugs procured, only 82 drugs (34.89%) were found to be on the state EDL (both in-patient and out-patient). Procurement of these eighty two drugs consumed about 71% of the state’s budget allotted for drugs. Form the overall state’s drug budget 43% was spent on procuring rate contract*(Rate Contract is a contract for the supply of stores at specified rates during the period covered by the contract) drugs and the rest 57% was spent on procuring non-rate contract drugs. This showed that funds were not efficiently utilized in procureme nt of drugs which has its effect on the availability of the drugs in public health system. Widespread use of Irrational Medicines Indian Pharmaceutical market is flooded with about 90,000 formulations with different brand names with uncertain distinction. As per the estimates from the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) in 2007 about 46 banned Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs were being sold in spite of the ban issued on them. It is the perquisite of DCGI to give the licensing approval for marketing of a drug, while the state drug controllers are only required to approve production and sale of these licensed drugs in the state. But the situation is different and the evidence shows that about 1067 FDCs are being freely marketed with the approval from the state drug controllers, but without the consensus of the DCGI. Most of the major drug manufacturers are involved in manufacturing and marketing the irrational medicines. For example, in the year 2004 alone around hundred new drug FDCs were introduced into the market which contributed to the market share of Rs. 130 crore. Drugs manufactured in this way are to be sold to the consumers. Hence, manufacturing companies spend a large amounts in promoting the irrational combinations which ad up to the cost of the drug. This results in the physician prescribing these irrational combination violating the standard treatment guide lines and thus increasing the cost of the prescription making dugs unaffordable and unapproachable. The evidence shows that during 2008-09 more than 25% of the industry’s annual turnover was spent on promoting the manufactured drugs when compared to meager 7% on research and development. Stringent Product Patent Regime After the agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) since 2005, India changed its pharmaceutical patent policy from process patent to product patent. This brought a lot of chaos in the price and access to medicine. The process patent enabled the manufacturing of most of the drugs and thus increasing the availability in the market at a very low prices. Change over to product patent has its own vested interests in creating a market monopoly for the manufacturers and giving them the whole and sole right to the manufacturer to sell the drug. This has created a barrier to access the drugs by making them unaffordable and unreachable to the common population. These patented medicines do not even have close substitutes to treat the condition and hence, the consumer is forced to buy these patented medicines which are of high cost to meet the health care needs. These patented medicines are priced so high that even middle class people are far away from reaching these medic ines. TRIPS its self provides the rights to the nations to safeguard and protect the nations’ public health by providing flexibility in patent laws in the form of compulsory licensing. But India was not successful in utilizing the flexibility in the law until recently in 2012 where Natco pharma was given rights to manufacture the anti-cancer drug under the brand name Glievec patented by Bayers. Because of this the cost of the treatment has come down from lakhs to aroung nine thousand and later Cipla also started selling the product at a cost of about six thousand. Insufficient Research Development Focus Under-funding of public health research institutions, alongside a general lack of focus on priority diseases by private sector, hinders current drug research efforts in the country. The evidence shows that during 2008-09 more than 25% of the industry’s annual turnover was spent on promoting the manufactured drugs when compared to meager 7% on research and development. 1.3 Price control in India Price is an important component in determining the purchasing power of any good. This is true in case of most of the consumer goods. But, the prices of consumer goods like food, Pharmaceutical products (drugs), etc. with high public relevance are to be controlled in order to make them accessible to the general public. As mentioned earlier expenditure on drugs is the significant contributor to the total healthcare expenditure both in public and private healthcare. Studies also revealed high drug prices push households into poverty. Hence, drugs are one of the most important commodities whose prices are to be controlled in order to make them accessible. Drug price control in India has a long history. The first price control order was issued in 1963 in the wake of Chinese aggression to control the rising prices of drugs under the Defense of India Act. Next in the year 1966 another order was issued by the government introducing a system of increasing prices making it mandatory for the manufacturers to obtain approvals before hiking the prices. Drug price control order 1970 was a mile stone in bringing down the price of essential drugs by curbing the excessive profits and safeguarding the interest of consumers. Simultaneously, the product patents in 1970 brought an era of cheaper drugs in India. Since then DPCO was amended four times the last being in 2013. In 1979 DPCO was issued to fix the maximum sale price of the pharmaceuticals based on the concept of Maximum Allowable Post manufacturing Expenses (MAPE). In this 347 drugs were under control which were categorized into four categories, lifesaving, essential, less essential and non- essential drugs respectively. Later, in the year 1987 another amendment was made in the wake of drug policy 1986 where the number of drugs control were cut down to 142 with reducing the categories into two and increasing the MAPE to 75% and 100% respectively. Later in 1995 the number of drugs under control were reduce to 74. Due to the increase in the prices of medicines government took a decision of forming a body of experts to deal with the fixation of medicine prices which resulted in the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). This authority was also given the task of reviewing the list of essential medicines which should come under the price control and also monitor the prices of drugs which are not under control. NPPA came into effect and became fully functional with effect from 29th Aug. 1997. Last amendment DPCO 2013 was made after several hurdles when government of India notified the new National Pharmaceutical Pricing policy (NPPP) 2012 which is based on the concept of market based pricing. The main objective of the policy as stated in the gazette released is â€Å"†¦.to put in place a regulatory framework for pricing of drugs so as to ensure availability of required medicines – â€Å"essential medicines† – at reasonable prices even while providing sufficien t opportunity for innovation and competition to support the growth of industry, there by meeting the goals of employment and shred economic well-being for all.† According to this, ceiling price of a drug would be determined by adopting the simple average price of all the brands having market share (on the basis of moving annual turnover) more than and equal to 1% of the total market of that medicine. Now the manufacturers would be free to fix any price below or equal to the ceiling price. This claims to reduce the prices of drugs and make the medicines available and affordable which may not be true in the practical sense.

Cultural Displacement :: Personal Narrative Traveling Essays

Cultural Displacement I sidestepped the bald man next to me who was ordering what looked like duck feet, in rapid Malaysian. Looking down at my green plastic tray, like those often found in high school lunch rooms, I saw the square banana leaf piled high with plain white rice looking back. The thought of â€Å"foods† like fish eyes, stuffed animal intestine, or any kind of pickled hoof on my rice made my gag reflexes kick into high gear. I paid for my abysmal lunch, a measly dollar fifty US, smiled at the man at the register, and walked to a nearby table. It had been three days and I had eaten little more than white rice and clear broth for most of that time. I knew later I’d be doubled over, in agonizing pain over my empty stomach but I still couldn’t bring myself to eat the meals in the food court. â€Å"Not feeling adventurous today?† My dad’s girlfriend plopped down in the seat next to me and began munching with gusto. She had been brave at this meal; her plate was covered in some brown thing, it might have been a vegetable and I sincerely hoped it was, though chose not to ask. Instead I smiled weakly and began to eat my rice with a severely bent metal fork. Metal forks in an Asian country? You’re probably wondering where all the chopsticks went. In fact, I was probably one of the few people in the vicinity who actually could use a chopstick. There’s a good reason behind this madness and it all starts with the British. Until about forty years ago, Singapore was colonized by the British. It seems strange but then again the British would have colonized a tea bag, given the chance. England also had colonized Hong Kong but was afraid of losing this major business and financial center to communism, a legitimate fear because that’s eventually what happened. Fortunately they had already created a clone Hong Kong on a tiny island off the tip of Malaysia. That island was called Singapore. In an effort to keep the business integrity that had been in Hong Kong, Chinese business men were brought in. The British eventually began to relinquish many of their colonies and when they finally left Singapore in the mid 1960s, the Chinese business men, who were the superpower that made Singapore the world trading center it was, took control of power.

The Collected Works Of Nicholas Cottrell :: essays research papers

The Collected Works of Nicholas Cottrell Collected Works, Vol. 1 Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: All works within are copyrighted to Nicholas Cottrell, hereafter known as "the author". Unauthorized copying is prohibited. Each reader is authorized to make five (5) copies and distribute them in any manner as long as profit is not gained. This contains subject matter that you may find disturbing or inappropriate. Please do not read it if you think you may become offended. Table of Contents: 0. Introduction 1. "Spring" - The one romance poem in here. 2. "Spiral's End" - a poem of revenge 3. "Of Teenage Sorrow" - A short story 4. "Nomad" - loneliness in writing 5. "Frat Boys" - anti-drinking 6. "Reflected Waves" - a poem of surprise at oneself 7. "Phoenix" - a poem of redemption 8. "My Friend In Misery: An Ode to Missa" - a poem of thanks 9. "Bleeding" - a poem of being drained 10. "Observations of Corporations" - A partial view of life. 11. "Fallen Hero" - Read the disclaimer 12. "Singularity" - the one way out 13. "Short Views" - More views on life Introduction A while back, my poetry won me a statewide award. Ever since, I've been pressured to make a compilation of some of my crap and send it around to be published. This collection is just a bunch of stuff I threw together, not much thought to it. If you like it, tell me so! My e-mail address is GAFreak@aol.com, write me. I'll write back each and every person by hand, I promise. Well, on with the show, I suppose. 1. "Spring" A rose with gentle petals in the garden grows amongst the weeds Love, like the rose thrives in life's turmoils like the carefully planted seed - Nicholas Cottrell 2. "Spiral's End" Too long have I spent Explaining what I've meant Too long have you heard my ominous words Whimpering, you cry on your knees, you die. -Nicholas Cottrell 3. "Of Teenage Sorrow" A child's cries in the night awaken the mother, who stumblingly finds her way to the crib. Is it a bottle, or a diaper change? The mother does not know. Inadequacy fills the teenage mother, and blinds her to the child's needs. "Rot in Hell, kid." she mutters, crawling back into a bed where a father should be but wasn't. The child's unrelenting tears force her from her nighttime reverie, abd drag her back to the nursery. "Shut up, kid!" she growls drowsily. "Don't you know I have school tomorrow?" But the baby does not know, and her howls fill the night. Lights come on in neighboring apartments, and shouts reach her ears. "Shut that kid up!"

Players Book Report :: essays research papers

Players Book Report 395 pages (Word Count: 854) General Questions Part A 1. What is the title of your book? Players: Con Men, Hustlers, Gamblers and Scam Artists. 2. What is the author’s name? Edited by Stephen Hyde and Geno Zanetti. 3. Which company published the book? (Give the publishing company’s name, not the printer’s name.) Thunder’s Mouth Press. 4. When was the book published? (Give the latest date of publication.) 2002. 5. In what city was it published? (If your book lists several cities, simply give the name of the first city listed.) New York City, New York. The book Players is a very, very good book. It is a compellation of 36 short stories and excerpts from books about gambling, con men, scam artists, hustlers and various other people. The first story is called The Lottery of Babylon by Jorge Luis Borges. This story was about an old lottery in Babylon. The lottery started out small with just paying out money but in time it got bigger and bigger and bigger. In the end of it the prizes changed from just money to a cult of people who played it, it went from just one winner to many winners, and many losers. Some people whose numbers are pulled won a great amount of treasure, or land or other great prizes. Some would get mediocre prizes like a small amount of money, some would get nothing. The people whose numbers were pulled and deemed losers could get killed, tortured or other horrible things. One story that is quite longer then most of the other stories is Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. This is a story narrated by a newspaper editor whose friends come in and tell him of their plan to become kings of Kafiristan, which is part of Afghanistan, and then to become kings of all of Afghanistan in the name of Briton. They go to Kafiristan and carry out their plan by acting like gods using guns against the primitive Afghanis and got people to follow them and to crown them kings. At the end their plan falls apart when he tries to marry a girl who bites him at the alter. The people see blood and realize he is not a god. Then they chase all of them out of Kafiristan. Another story is called the Merry Antics of Izzy and Moe by Herbert Asbury. This story is about prohibition in the USA in the 1920’s.

The Brake System of a Motor Vehicle

With advances in automobile technology, braking systems have also been constantly evolving to offer precision braking facility in modern cars. The two prime braking technologies developed over the course of time are drum brakes and disc brakes. In the following essay I am going to describe the two different types and point out the advantages and disadvantages of drum and disc brakes. Before we make a distinction between discs and drums, let me explain the basic working principle of any braking system installed in cars. When brakes are applied, vehicles come to a halt through application of friction against the wheels. Heat is generated in the process. The conversion of kinetic energy of the rotating wheels into heat slows down the wheel. Early automotive brake systems used a drum design at all four wheels. They were called drum brakes because the components were housed in a round drum that rotated along with the wheel. Inside was a set of shoes that, when the brake pedal was pressed, would force the shoes against the drum and slow the wheel. Fluid was used to transfer the movement of the brake pedal into the movement of the brake shoes. The newer one, the disc brake, works on the same basic principles to slow a vehicle, but their design is far superior to that of drum brakes. Instead of housing the major components within a metal drum, disc brakes use a slim rotor and small caliper to halt wheel movement. Within the caliper are two brake pads, one on each side of the rotor, that clamp together when the brake pedal is pressed. Once again, fluid is used to transfer the movement of the brake pedal into the movement of the brake pads. Now I will highlight the difference between drum and disc brakes. Which brake system are better and why, if any?! Disc brakes operate better than drum brakes because of the difference in dissipation of heat in both systems. The drum brake is an internal system, with the brake pads being held inside of the brake drum. As such, it is easy for heat to build up inside the unit. When heat builds up, the brakes fade and loose their stopping power. Disc brakes, on the other hand, are more exposed. This allows for the brake disc and pads to cool much easier and for the brakes to hold their stopping power. Disc brakes also perform better in wet weather, because centrifugal force tends to fling water off the brake disc and keep it dry, whereas drum brakes will collect some water on the inside surface where the brake shoes contact. The advantage of drum brakes is that they are much cheaper to manufacture than disc brakes. Also when having brake work done, the replacement of drums or shoes is less expensive than that of calipers or discs. As well, drums can double as a parking brake, further reducing the cost of production of a vehicle. With disc brakes on all four wheels, manufacturers have to build a separate parking brake in the brake rotor, adding to its cost. All in all, the main reason that drum brakes are still in use is because of cost. Today most cars have a combination of disc brakes and drum brakes in their functioning. Braking causes the car's weight to shift forward, and as a result about 70% of the work is done by the front brakes. By fitting disc brakes to the front wheels and drum brakes to the rear wheels, manufacturers can provide most of the benefits of disc brakes while lowering costs.

Heroin and Pretty Good Book

Jude by Kate Morgenroth is a story about a fifteen year old named Jude. It’s a pretty good book about a kid who struggles in a drug and murder world. Jude’s mom abandoned him when he was young. His dad was drug dealer that mainly deal with heroin. Sadly his dad was murdered and he was a witness. He can’t go to the police or his life will be in danger. This is the story of a fifteen year old named Jude. When his dad dies of an overdose he is alone. Till his mom with open arms lets him in her life. The fact that his mom has a boyfriend didn’t make his stay easier. On top of that he is a police officer named Harry. Harry is a good guy but a stereotype towards Jude cause of his history with his dad. His mom thinks it would be best if he went to a private school. Jude didn’t like it and didn’t have many friends. One day a classmate dies of a overdose and Jude is the first person everyone looks at. Cause of his history with his dad he is held for trial for murder. Jude has a court date for his murder trial. Though innocent, he has no evidence to prove otherwise. His mom is worried and Harries trying to get the evidence to prove him not guilty. Jude is pretty much in his own world. This fifteen year old boy with a worried mother and died dad. All he can do is blame his dad for this horrible history he is left with. Then his mom’s boyfriend goes to his room to give him the news. He tries to explain the risky scheme he has came up with. Jude thought it was either the plan or jail so he decides to go through with it. The plan that Harry came up with was risky but it was all they got. He explains how he has to get his friend Anna elected for an anti-drug campaign that would clear his name and his history. He got news that he was going to be tried as an adult for his trail. It worried him that if the plan doesn’t work he could do up to 5 years. So he helps Harry on his plan to prove his innocents. It worked, he got Anna elected for the anti-drug campaign. When trail was up the biggest twist I have ever read. Harry double crossed him and got him sent to 5 years of hard labor. The plan was for finical gain towards the campaign and getting Jude out of the way. This story about a fifteen year old boy named Jude. About his drug, murder, and jail filled life. His life started with a dead drug dad and a mom that didn’t even want him. Now he is jail doing 5 years cause of his mother’s boyfriend. This is a story of a boy and his messed up world. This is probably the best book if u likes twist and action. I recommend this book to older teens like 15+ but a really good book.