Case of Gamescorp Plc-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Investigate the Difference among China and Europe. Answer: Presentation Gamescorp plc is a PC programming store situated in the United Kingdom with a high development rate. The association sells limited PC games and comparative items. Physical shops of Gamescorp are running effectively in Paris, Milan and Berlin since three years and in the wake of picking up force in business Gamescorp plans to embrace a development methodology in different pieces of the world. Gamescorp plans to open retail outlets in China. Nonetheless, the association has concluded that in China the physical stores will have a great deal of closeness with the stores previously settled in the United Kingdom. Social Difference among Europe and China In Europe correspondence is unequivocal or direct. The Europeans express their real thoughts and embrace a verbal correspondence style with less non-verbal prompts .The Chinese once in a while talk legitimately. They don't come to the heart of the matter. In conferences, Chinese utilize formal and aberrant language. Correspondence style in China is surmised or inferred and inconspicuous. More non-verbal signals are utilized in correspondence style. They center around picking up trust; they uncover their goals simply after solid business connections are created. Individuals holding senior situations in associations for the most part talk during conference in China and all inquiries ought to be coordinated to the seniors. The Europeans esteem opportunity and follow autonomous dynamic methodologies, while in China agreement and dependability are esteemed and dynamic procedure is bunch situated. In business connections, the Europeans are very shallow. They offer need to benefit and busin ess connections are authoritative in Europe, though in China business connections are based on trust. The Chinese trust in building long - term business connections and create connections at an individual level before directing business. The Europeans center around momentary objectives, despite what might be expected, the Chinese spotlight on long haul results. The Europeans think per quarter while the Chinese think years ahead(Brewster, 2008).The Europeans are high daring people though the Chinese culture attempts to stay away from dangers. The dynamic procedure in Europe is quick, arranged and proactive and disseminated authority is utilized in dynamic procedure. In China the dynamic procedure is moderate and hasty; for the most part directors settle on an official choice. The Europeans for the most part regard riches, accomplishment and achievement though the Chinese individuals have high regard for intelligence and status. The point of view or thinking style in Europe is guided by rationale. Europeans are commonly expository while the point of view of Chinese individuals is all encompassing and instinctive. Individuals in China think about the 10,000 foot view and their however procedure is explicit to a specific circumstance. In European culture, timeliness is of central significance though in Chinese culture times for arrangement are adaptable. The Europeans are commonly contentious and verbal while taking care of contentions however individuals of China think that its hard to state no and they use non-verbal cues(Chan, 2012). The way of life of a nation decides the qualities that are drilled in working environment. Teacher Geert Hofstede contemplated 5 components of culture that can impact the work environment estimations of various nations. These five measurements are power separation, Individualism Versus Collectivism, Masculinity Versus Felinity, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long-Term Versus Short-Term Orientation. Key social distinction among China and Europe Force Distance China scores 80 on Power Distance Index (PDI). This implies in China there is generous force separation between in the middle of subordinates and bosses in China. The European nations show variety in this score. Nations like Ireland, Denmark, Austria, and the United Kingdom have a low force separation score and nations while nations like France and Romania score 68 and 90 on power separation (PDI). Independence/Collectivism (IDV)- China scores 91 on IDV , the Chinese culture is considerably more collectivistic. Gathering believing is supported in China and choice is made with an agreement of gathering individuals as opposed to singular dynamic. Larger part of nations follow an individualistic culture in Europe yet there is variety in this social measurement, for example, the United Kingdom scores 89 on IDV measurement while Spain scores 51. Manliness/Femininity (MAS) - China positions 66 on MAS measurement. The Chinese culture and individuals are profoundly determined by accomplishments, rivalry and achievement. Individuals in China like to work and offer significance to needs identified with work than investing energy with families. Vulnerability Avoidance (UAI) China scores 40 in Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) measurement. This implies Chinese follow an organized method and system, rules and guideline to dodge vulnerability. Be that as it may, the Chinese are not threatened by questionable circumstances and are happy to grasp changes as per the uncertain situation(Shen Y. D., 2015). Long haul/Short-Term Orientation (LTO) - China scores high on long haul direction (LTO).The 118 LTO score of China unmistakably mirrors that the Chinese individuals practice tirelessness and diligence to achieve objectives. The Chinese spotlight on aftereffects of long haul as opposed to concentrating on transient objectives. The arrangement procedure in China is tedious. The Chinese individuals accept to pick up trust and incorporate connections before drawing in with a business deal(Hofstede, 1983). The Effect of Cultural Difference on Business Relations From the investigation of the Hofstedes Cultural Dimension, it very well may be plainly comprehended that there is noteworthy social distinction among China and Europe. This social contrast will cause distinction in guiding principle, mentalities and way of life of individuals of China and Europeans(Taylor, 2007). Consequently, the style of working together in China will be totally not the same as that of Europe. In this manner Gamescorp Plc. necessities to consider the social contrast among China and Europe while setting the Human Resource Management Practices for its product store in China. The enrollment strategies and practices for enlisting neighborhood staffs of China in the product store of Gamescorp Plc. will be significantly administered by the social estimations of China which is not the same as that of Europe(Chan, 2012). The Organization Orientation In ethnocentric staffing, individuals who have a place with a similar nationality as the parent Company are picked as a piece of the parent Company. In polycentric associations, the workforce is recruited from the host nation. In geocentric associations, worldwide targets just as neighborhood goals are met. Gamescorp plc needs the corporate culture of its product store in China to have similarity with the product stores of the nation of origin United Kingdom. The physical proof of the stores are relied upon to be spread out and brightened in agreement to the effectively settled corporate style. The loads of the stores will have comparable sort of stocks as the stores present in the United Kingdom. The solid corporate character which is as of now settled will be kept up any place a store of Gamescorp Plc is opened (Hofstede, 1983). Since, the supplies of the store in China and the physical proof of the store is wanted to have similarity with that of the store of the nation of origin of Gamescorp plc., the association is enthused about embracing ethnocentric methodology. Associations embrace ethnocentric way to deal with execute a more tight control for its auxiliaries and to have a bound together corporate culture. In ethnocentric methodologies, the center abilities of Gamescorp plc will be moved to its nation of origin China and since the Chinese auxiliary should go along to the targets and systems of the nation of origin, a decent execution of value factors are normal in ethnocentric methodology. Be that as it may, if Gamescorp plc receives the ethnocentric methodology in China without thinking about the social estimations of the Chinese populace, it may prompt lower efficiency, higher disappointment and turnover in the product store in China.(Schneider, 1988) On the off chance that Gamescorp plc embraces a polycentric direction for its product store in China, at that point there will be a wide social hole between its store of the United Kingdom and the store of China. Along these lines a polycentric approach will prompt botch, lower purpose of control and oversight and there may be a drop in nature of stocks conveyed to clients. Accordingly, the brand estimation of Gamescorp plc will be in danger if polycentric approach is received. Geocentric direction will best suit the targets of Gamescorp plc. The association needs its solid corporate character which is now settled in the nation of origin to be received in China. The physical similarity and the loads of the store of China will likewise have likeness with that of the nation of origin. Be that as it may, for recruiting strategies Gamescorp plc should employ directors and neighborhood staffs both from home nation just as host nation. The aptitudes, information and capacities required for a specific activity position ought to be filled by equipped chiefs and staffs independent of the nationality.(Shen J. , 2004).Gamescorp plc ought to embrace a geocentric direction on the grounds that the association needs to recruit nearby Chinese supervisors who will have the option to recommend the administration of the association about the social strategies of China which will decide the human asset arrangements of that Gamescorp plc will receive in China. Additionally, lan guage is an incredible hindrance among Chinese and Europe. The enrollment and choice board of Gamescorp plc in China ought to have adequate Chinese chiefs who will have the option to speak with nearby Chinese staffs in their first language and will comprehend their brain research superior to an European director. The nearness of Chinese chiefs will help by and large in eye to eye meetings of the nearby Chinese staffs. This is conceivable in a ge

Making Choices English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Settling on Choices English - Essay Example Here I am content with him and take advantage of each second as I have settled on ideal options of time without chances for laments. In this new life, it is still a ton of difficult work that makes me adapt up to the conditions and necessities of the city life. The way of life and in vogue ways of life of American individuals rouses me a great deal to work out designs for an amazing advancement here. My initial life itself had trained me enough exercises to pick carefully and that might be the motivation behind why I figure out how to live better; and that might be the motivation behind why I decided to come to America and get hitched to the man I adored. I know the way that for some individuals, life shows exercises of existence with extreme test introduction to hard and harsh encounters. As you complete one of your courses of your investigations, you feel conceivably ready to deal with the circumstances identified with the subject. Be that as it may, there is something else you wil l love to adapt either for greatness or for minor energy. The way toward picking something continues everlasting as long as we are to live on, yet some of them are significant in our life. I may case, the decision to live in America is the most significant one I have taken up until now. Sometime in the past I dreaded the fears of relocating to another nation looking for chances to help my investigations and get a new line of work to joyfully proceed onward my life. From the center life I used to live in my locale, it was constantly a fantasy to live in this place that is known for circumstances. The vast majority of my colleagues liked to concentrate in the Philippines itself who didn't think past their confinements to travel abroad. Once in a while I believed I ought to follow their way and proceed with my higher examinations there and settle my life carrying out some responsibility privately acquired. As I recollect those day now, and when I contrast my current life and the previo us days, I recall the statement â€Å"I took the one less went by, And that has made all the difference† from the well known sonnet ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. It was all significant for me to take one route from those left before me; and I picked the uncommon one †travel past the oceans looking for a lovely life. The certainty of a second I had brought me as of recently; and I am certain, I have settled on the right decision as I have an upbeat life now with all the finesse of the activity I do now nearby my investigations. It was an intense decision, obviously, since I was befuddled as the writer says, â€Å"Oh, I denoted the first for one more day! However realizing how route prompts way I questioned If I should ever come back† (Frost). Each learner feels confounded at a condition when he needs to take a way to proceed onward and the disarray stays shocking till certain purpose of consistency. As far as I can tell, I had no choice other t han to pick a vocation to acquire the bread; in this manner, I chose to I am glad to state I have dropped out well and met an incredible difficulties which I would have had in the event that I had kept on living in my nation of origin. With regards to my activity and the administration of time I have to apply for keeping up the perfection of the family life, I truly need to buckle down. Addressing the necessities of a glad life in America requests a lot of you sweat; more often than not, you overlook your yearning in the scramble for promptness, however it is remunerating to be occupied in a city. The fundamental component of living in a city far away from your country with an alternate culture is constantly connected with our worthy exertion for greatness at work field. One should disregard esteems and independent standards to some broaden

Picture yourself as a stereotypical male

“Picture yourself as a stereotypical male” There is empirical evidence  to support the idea that males have a higher capacity for spatial reasoning than females. A large-scale 1995 meta-analysis found that on average, men outperform women in a cluster of tests related to spatial ability by nearly a full standard deviation, and in attempt to explain this, researchers have hypothesized about the impact of testosterone and differences in brain wiring in capacity for spatial thought. It has also been suggested that this difference in performance is in some way related to differences in math ability, given that college-bound females who perform well on SAT math also perform correspondingly well in mental rotation exercises. “Mental rotation” here refers to the act of visualizing rotations of two- and three-dimensional shapes in one’s mind, and tests of this ability have widely been used as one measure of spatial intelligence. Example of a mental rotation test. I’m guessing that you’re familiar with common notions that men are spatial and logical thinkers, while females are more verbally proficient. A man being tested for spatial ability might assume that he’s going to have an easier time than a woman of otherwise equal intelligence, his conclusion based not on sexism but on objective science. And statistically speaking, he’s right. It is true that men score higher on spatial reasoning tests, though you might have caught on that there’s a little bit more to this picture (why would a female MIT student publicize stereotypes that actively work against her?). If you’re now wondering whether I’m about to throw some kind of feminist rant at you, Ill give you a “well, sort of,” because calling out factual misconception is just as important as promoting feminist ideals here, and because I think those two go hand in hand anyway. I’ll largely put the romance of egalitarianism aside, though, to talk about empiricism. If you’ve ever done any kind of research, you’ll know that while correlation doesn’t imply causation, a controlled experiment can. As in, one can reasonably conclude that women score lower on certain types of tests as a result of them being women, and that some aspect of their womanhood has brought on this result. The question of interest, then, becomes “which aspect” a question which has evoked a number of hypotheses that incorporate innate or nature-driven difference. Is testosterone key? Are women’s brains wired differently in a way that impair their visualization ability, and if so, is this difference breadboarded by biology or by social environment (in perhaps the same way that the taxi driver brain physically adapts to enhance spatial mapping)? And could this potentially have something to do with the separation of labor of our hunter-gatherer predecessors? I think it’s important to acknowledge the very rightful discomfort that arises when scientific studies attempt to trace such differences to biologically determined origins. Yet, across decades of research, no biological cause has actually been identified as a suitable explanation for the spatial reasoning discrepancy. Studies regarding testosterone and mental rotation, for example, found inconsistent or absent effects across cultures, prompting inquiries into “differing cultural values” to account for the results. And gaps between men’s and women’s scores on some spatially-geared tests have significantly shrunk in the past few decades, which is interesting because noticeable evolutionary or nature-based development might take thousands of decades to take effect. (“Nurture”-based conditions are of course rapidly changing.) Still though, the gap has lingered, and a satisfying and empirically-supported explanation as to “what gives” was not achieved until 2008, when re searchers eliminated the performance gap under a single simple condition. In a now-famous study, psychologists at the University of Berlin falsely told participants that they had been selected to participate in a series of tests “to measure the ability to put oneself in someone else’s position” a fabrication devised to avoid confounding factors in their real study on gender identity priming. They prepared a text describing a day in the life of a “stereotypical woman” who takes care of her family, works part time, and is insightful, helpful, and agreeable. They also prepared an equivalently-structured text outlining the activities of a stereotypical manly man who is tough, risk-taking, and does weight training after work. Subjects were randomly given one of the two texts, and then asked: “If you were the person described in the text, which adjectives would you use to describe yourself?” Soon after participants described themselves with either the male- or female-associated traits, they were asked to take a mental rotation test presented as independent of the first part of the study, supposedly to measure their personal spatial aptitude. On this mental rotation test, women who were “primed” with the female identity scored an average of 3.86 on the exercise, compared to the female-primed males’ average of 5.14. Okay, expected. But then when primed with the male text, women scored an average of 5.49, while men scored 5.53… wait a second, what? As it turns out, there is zero statistically significant gender difference in mental rotation ability after test-takers are asked to imagine themselves as stereotypical men for a few minutes. None. An entire standard deviation of female underperformance is negated on this condition, just as a man’s performance is slightly hindered if he instead imagines himself as a woman. (well then.) Although this study is of course not a logically definitive answer to all things “nature versus nurture,” it does add a tremendous structural asset to the growing mountain of evidence that “natural” ability differences are confounded by identity and subconscious self-stereotyping. Demographic expectations may be subtle or overt, but they are omnipresent, and they are likely much more powerful than most of us have ever considered. A Good Night’s Sleep, A Hearty Breakfast, and Being White I’ve been taking standardized tests since I was nine years old. Back in elementary and middle school it meant this kind of magical week where homework wasn’t a thing and we had half the school day to do whatever we wanted, but come high school it was more this ugly ominous mutant mess of big words and big blue practice books. Hallway whispers insisted that “X person isn’t that ‘good, they only got X score,” and “I’m never going to college, I’m so stupid.” It was named the Scholastic  Aptitude Test, after all. Our guidance counselors always liked to talk about how we should take care to get eight hours of sleep and a nutritious breakfast on our testing days. Test prep was obviously first and foremost, but after that, there were a number of easilyGoogleable studies that correlated sleep with test performance and nutrition with test performance. It was sort of like this ritual mantra among counselors and parents: study, sleep, eggs for breakfast. If you had the trifecta covered, your score would be up to some combination of fate and the will of the Greek gods and there was nothing much else of concern. Some time last month I was browsing the Internet and happened upon a number of papers that really disturbed me. This reaction, I would say, was both due to their content and to the fact that I was priorly ignorant of their actually enormous implications for anyone who regularly test-takes. I found it 1) absurd that this isn’t common knowledge, and 2) upsetting that educators spread these cute little test tips while ignoring factors that affect students on potentially magnitudes greater. How about “Zeus is a fucking racist, kids,” or else “stereotype threat exists.” You may be familiar with the concept of stereotype threat. The term refers to a theorized mechanism by which people underperform (on tests, competitions, etc.) in response to awareness of stereotypes about their demographic group. It’s related to a largely subconscious apprehension about confirming the given negative stereotype, which hinders cognition, impairs concentration, and under some conditions reduces preparation or effort. This concept was conceived in a breakthrough study in 1995 entitled “The Effects of Stereotype Threat on the Standardized Test Performance of College Students.” Its introduction explains: “Whenever African American students perform an explicitly scholastic or intellectual task, they face the threat of confirming or being judged by negative societal stereotypes about their group’s intellectual ability and competence… and the self-threat it causes through a variety of mechanisms may interfere with the intellectual functioning of these students, particularly during standardized tests.” The study analyzed the effect on black participants, although similar effects surely apply to Hispanic and Native American people and any other group with academic prejudices working against them. “When participants arrived at the laboratory,” states the paper, “the experimenter (a White man) explained that for the next 30 minutes they would work on a set of verbal problems in a format identical to the SAT exam.” Half of the participants were told that their performance on the test would be diagnostic of their verbal reasoning abilities, or in their words, “a genuine test of [their] verbal abilities and limitations” due to “various personal factors involved in performance.” This was an engineered induction of stereotype threat, under which the test takers were given the impression that their score on the test was associated with their personal academic aptitude. In contrast, the researcher’s explanation in the non-diagnostic condition made no reference to innate ability and instead implied that a given participant’s score was associated with the kinds of problems they’ve been exposed to in the past, along with test-induced “psychological factors.” I want to point out how closely test scores are associated with intelligence in our common thinking. Obviously, we reason, one scores an A on a Real Analysis test because they’re really smart. Man, those smart kids at MIT are faced with some of the most brutal exams in the country. But I got an easy question wrong on my 8.02 midterm, so I must be pretty stupid or at least not destined for Physics. Such words and notions are thrown around so casually. With that said, I also want to show you exactly what happens when a test is perceived to be “diagnostic” of a negatively stereotyped person’s intelligence: (hah.. ha ha…ha…excuse me for a second while I unleash a blood curdling scream in the general direction of anyone who has ever complained about affirmative action.) Black students under the “score is based on your personal intellect” condition performed significantly worse than whites, while the black participants who were given the alternate context performed with zero significant difference. Stereotype threat impaired both the rate and accuracy of their work, as they spent on average 94 seconds per question in the diagnostic condition versus 71 seconds without it. Interestingly, no differences were found between the conditions in self-reported anxiety; the paper notes that “these measures may have been insensitive, or too delayed.” In another part of this study, sixty-eight Stanford undergraduates were told they were participating in a study on Lexical Access Processing, or “the visual recognition and processing of words.” The task was made up of 80 word fragments with missing letters, which as the experimenters intended could be completed in a number of different ways. For example, “ _ _ _ T E” could be anything from “flute” to “white” and “D U _ _” could be “dust” or “duty” or “dumb” and so forth. “Stereotype Activation” would be defined as the completion of words relating to race, and the “Self-Doubt Activation Measure” would measure the completion of words related to anxiety over failure. The diagnostic versus non-diagnostic conditions were defined similarly to the previous portion: The results were really no less upsetting. According to this study, black undergraduates at Stanford (i.e. some of the most academically accomplished students in the country) are significantly more likely to be thinking “D U M B” and “R A C E” when their ability is reflected by their score. And as determined by the previous portion, these anxieties whether the students report having them overtly or not can have very real consequences for their test performance and their resulting academic achievement. “My Entire Gender is Counting on Me:” More Tales of Literal Impaired Cognition If you’re a female or demographic minority in STEM, the cute comic above might evoke some not-so-cute memories of a familiar and horrifying scenario in which you feel judged in a class of an out-group majority. Maybe it won’t surprise you to know that a girl’s math performance is empirically shown to decrease in proportion to the number of male test-takers around her, or that conscious reminders of gender differences will significantly decrease females’ math test scores. This week’s episode on “Graphs That Will Make You Want To Cry,” featuring a math test composed of “challenge” problems in another famous stereotype threat study.   There have been hundreds of equally alarming studies regarding stereotype threat and of similar identity-related conditions that impair performance. I don’t think we have time to recount every one in detail, but I’ll leave you with some more interesting findings. Regarding women in math: research at Indiana University found that females’ performance decreases significantly after simply watching a video showing “dominant” male behavior, and at Harvard they found that Asian-American women perform better or worse on math assessments depending on which identity is highlighted to them. A 2005 study showed that girls score much lower than boys on an identical test when it was described as a “math test,” but slightly (though non-significantly) better than them when its a “problem solving” test. Another study suggested that female AP Calculus test-takers would benefit if the demographic bubble-filling were postponed until after the exam. Similar findings have been shown regarding racial identities: for example, asking black students to indicate their race before a test both significantly increases their anxiety and lowers their test scores. Black students’ performance under a diagnostic condition is improved when the test administrator is black as opposed to white (that 2.9% black MIT faculty tho) and black participants taking what was actually an IQ test scored better  when the same questions were presented as a test of “hand-eye coordination.” Unsurprisingly, the same stereotype threat effects that were initially found for black test-takers were also found to apply to Latinos and students of low socioeconomic status. More recently, neuroscientists have begun to examine the effects of this condition under an fMRI. Under a control (non-stereotype threat) condition, Dartmouth undergrads engaging in mathematical problem-solving showed activation in the typical brain regions associated with problem solving. In the stereotype threat condition they were reminded that ‘‘research has shown gender differences in math ability and performance,” a reminder that I know I would personally take to mean “try harder.” However, regardless of this expected greater effort, participants showed no evidence of heightened activation in problem-solving areas and instead showed activation in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, which is implicated in the processing of not “trying harder” but rather of negative thoughts and emotions. In other studies, inducing stereotype threat has been shown to temporarily reduce working memory capacity, which is one of the strongest correlates with general intelligence… and as an interesting self-referential side note, is also related to  mental rotation ability. The negative impacts of this cognitive burden aren’t limited to test-taking, though: thoughts of stereotypes degrade women’s performance in activities from chess to negotiation to driving. Nor does it apply only to women and people of color; the same mechanism is thought to cause men to find social sensitivity more difficult, psychology majors to test worse than science majors, and drug users to score worse on a memory task when faced with this expectation. Michelle I’m Pretty Sure You’re Just Reminding Everyone of Stereotypes with this Post… You guys wanna know a few things? I’m a girl, and I’m white. My favorite movie is James and the Giant Peach. I am somewhat soft-spoken, though I like to sing really loudly in my room. I can be introspective to the point of self-torture and procrastinate to the point of well, future-self torture. I’m studying Course 14. I’m generally good at math, but I tend to think the humanities are more fun. I was always one of the best writers in my English classes and I’ve done professional graphic design work which I’m proud of. And I know it sounds annoying to say, but I do think that I’m smart. Sometimes I go into exams thinking about like.. feminism and disproving stereotypes. I know now that thats bad, but I’m 99% sure that other girls do it too because how can we not? especially in situations where we might feel like we’re representing all of womankind. I really can’t even begin to imagine what that pressure might feel like if I didn’t have white skin, although studies like Steele and Aronson’s give me a hint that it’s, uh, not great. There is something of a solution to all of this: one that’s a bit more complicated than to “stop being affected by stereotypes,” a bit less fun than “deporting all the meninists” and of course in addition to a long-term ideal of say “destroying the culturally-ingrained white supremacist patriarchy.” See, we know that highlighting identities associated with impaired performance will cause impaired performance, but as a counter to this, research also confirms that thinking about our complex, intelligent, talented, individual human selves before the given tests will partially or completely dissolve this impairment. So theoretically we can sort of “engineer” out any test impairments with a combination of these techniques and perform with a lot more cognitive clarity than an extra scrambled egg for breakfast could give us. (Though still not as effective as the destroying the hegemony thing. Which by the way, requires the participation of everyone, and not just those it i mpairs.) I am a multi-faceted person. I’m an MIT student and an East Campus resident. I’m terrible at basketball and I always win at Mario Party. I like to give encouraging life advice to my sisters. I am a girl, which I think is pretty cool. I get anxious sometimes but I know rationally that a lot of this is due to outside pressures working against me, and not a result of my true aptitude. I am a smart person. I am a capable person. I am a capable person. And yes, I should mention that in addition to changing the way we think of our exams and ourselves, simply learning about how stereotypes unfairly harm performance does ameliorate a portion of its effects. A group of researchers told female math test takers: Its important to keep in mind that if you are feeling anxious while taking this test, this anxiety could be the result of these negative stereotypes that are widely known in society and have nothing to do with your actual ability to do well on the test.” The girls scores significantly improved, an effect which I would assume holds for people of color and for anyone else whose brain is taught to expect less from itself by a culture that wants this to be so. I think its awful and unfortunate that we live in a society that can impair us based on the basic properties of our human existence; a world that tries to undermine excellence by spreading burdensome fears. Yet as diverse, talented, and intelligent individuals, Id hope we’r e smarter than to allow it.

List of Common Polyatomic Ions

Warren Buffet Biography Of An American Capitalist Essay

Warren Buffet: Biography of an American Capitalist In the history of investing, Buffett stands alone. He found his interest in investing when he was very young. In fact he bought his first shares at the age of 11 with the help to his father. Buffett was interested in making money since he was child and he made money by selling chewing gum, soda bottles, newspaper and magazine, golf ball and stamps door to door. After graduation, he worked with his father Buffet-Falk Co, then for Benjamin Graham, then opened his own firm Buffet and Partnerships and finally at the age of 35, he became the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Warren Edward Buffett, born to Howard Buffett on August 30, 1930. He was second of the three children and had an extraordinary talent of earning money and managing it. At the age of 6, buffet would buy bottles of Coca-Cola from his grandfather’s grocery store and then would sell it for profit. In 1947, Buffet graduated from high school and joined Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, when his father insisted for higher education. Later, when was rejected by Harvard Business School for being too young, he went to Columbia Business School because he came to know that Benjamin Graham taught there. In the year 1956, Buffett started a partnership firm Buffet and Partnership with the wealth he had amassed and by attracting other investors. A 26 year old boy, was sole manager, with total discretion. This was the first step on the road that was toShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream of Warren Buffett2711 Words   |  11 PagesGeorgia Agrapidis English 3 CPE Period-1 Research Paper Warren Buffett The popular American capitalist, Warren Buffett, has set the standard for many people by reaching the American Dream for most; from the moment young Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska, he had always targeted high and worked harder than anyone, to reach those infinite goals. Many people have different perspectives on what the â€Å"American Dream† really means. To some people, being rich, having fame, a happy family,Read MoreWarren Buffett3200 Words   |  13 PagesWarren E. Buffett, 2005 Teaching Note Synopsis and Objectives Suggested complementary case about investment managers and superior performance: â€Å"Bill Miller and Value Trust† (Case 2). Set in May 2005, this case invites the student to assess Berkshire Hathaway’s bid, through MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, its wholly owned subsidiary, for the regulated energy-utility PacifiCorp. The task for the student is to perform a simple valuation of PacifiCorp and to consider the reasonablenessRead MoreWarren E. Buffett Case6731 Words   |  27 PagesCase Study 2: Warren E. Buffett, 1995 This case was prepared by Professor Robert F. Bruner as the basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. On August 25, 1995, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, announced that his firm would acquire the 49.6 percent of GEICO Corporation that it did not already own. The $2.3 billion deal would give GEICO shareholders $70.00 per share, up from the $55.75 per share marketRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesThree Ethical Decision Criteria 187 †¢ Improving Creativity in Decision Making 188 Summary and Implications for Managers 190 S A S A S A L L L Self-Assessment Library What Are My Gender Role Perceptions? 166 glOBalization! Chinese Time, North American Time 171 Myth or Science? Creative Decision Making Is a Right-Brain Activity 181 Self-Assessment Library Am I A Deliberate Decision Maker? 183 An Ethical Choice Whose Ethical Standards to Follow? 185 Self-Assessment Library How Creative Am I? 190

Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction Free Essays

string(89) " from dominating the gene pool creating healthier mice and preserving genetic diversity\." Wildwood Trust is a project situated on the edge of the Forest of Blean, in Kent. Wildwood’s aim is to use the facilities in the woodland and animal collection to ‘support practical conservation projects in the wild.’ There are over three hundred animals, many of which are endangered, taking part in conservation projects, and living in semi natural enclosures. We will write a custom essay sample on Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction or any similar topic only for you Order Now The woodland is managed by coppice rotation, a process that takes place every 20 years where trees such as silver birch and sweet chestnut are cut to ground level and then shoots allowed to regrow. This is an essential habitat for the hazel dormouse. The wood is a centre for captive breeding and reintroduction for native endangered species such as hazel dormice and this example will be used in this report to explain these issues. The Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) The Hazel Dormouse is native to the countryside of Britain, predominantly southern England (see figure 2), living in woodland areas and environments rich in coppice. The mice are an arboreal species; spending the majority of their life in trees or bushes and only living on ground level during winter hibernation. The mice are considered a ‘flagship species’ chosen to represent an environmental cause and raise support subsequently benefitting other species contained in the ecosystem. The populations of dormice were shown to have disappeared from seven counties in England by The UK Mammal Society Dormouse Survey in 1984. The decline has been caused by human destruction of their woodland habitat through development, climate change and pressure from other species. Grey squirrels were introduced into England and ate the nuts that the dormice fed on whilst they hibernated. Climatic change caused warmer winters resulting in the early awakening of the dormice from hibernation, before the ripening of their food, and wetter summers stopped the dormice from foraging. Dormice are listed on The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and are protected by law, under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. This act prevents the killing, injuring, disturbing or trapping of the dormouse. It also makes it illegal to possess or control the animal, damage its shelter and sell or buy the dormice without a licence. Captive breeding Captive breeding is the reproduction of animals in confinement under controlled conditions to be released into the wild. This is important for conservation of threatened species and is an example of ex situ (out of the natural habitat) conservation, but it raises implications. Captive breeding has taken place at Wildwood for dormice as part of the national dormouse captive breeding and reintroduction programme. The dormice are housed in an enclosure made of a wooden frame and mesh covering. Unlike other rodents theirs is a short breeding season having 1-2 small litters of 4-7 offspring. The young stay with the mother for 6-8 weeks, making it unlikely for more than one litter a year. In each enclosure the nest boxes are kept 1.5m off the ground with protection from water and predators, water and food are hung on the side of the cage and the floor is covered with leaves and soil. After hibernation the enclosure is filled with branches of vegetation to provide 3D space for the animals to use. This provides the ideal conditions for breeding with no stressful food finding. One enclosure can hold up to three individuals either two females and one male or one breeding pair and their offspring, under one year of age, and will be kept in the same groupings over winter. Adult males must be placed separately as they are territorial and will fight. Where do the breeding mice come from? In November nest boxes are checked and, if permission is granted from Natural England, wild dormice weighing less than 15g can be taken. As these mice are underweight they have less chance of surviving winter hibernation and can be kept indoors during this period in heated nest boxes. Other dormice are orphaned or given into rescue centres and vets. The Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group (CDCBG) chooses which individuals breed and how many are bred annually, which also helps to prevent inbreeding. The Paignton zoo studbook keeper gives each captive born dormouse a stud book number, and their breeder will allocate each mouse a local ID number. Genetics When animals reproduce genes are passed from parents to offspring. Genetic variation is the natural differences of individuals, across a population. A characteristic that will give dormice a disadvantage, for example short teeth, could prevent them from opening nuts, so if food was in short supply these mice would die and longer teethed mice would thrive. This would cause the gene for longer teeth to become more common, which is the basis of natural selection. Natural selection, was a theory of Charles Darwin, in which better adapted animals would have more chance of survival, so becoming more predominant. Wildwood would like to preserve biodiversity which is the huge variation found within and between species and ecosystems on Earth. Offspring that are created from the same sets of genes will have similar genes to each other. Inbreeding is the breeding of animals that share more genes than the average population, they are related in some way. If inbreeding takes place the genes of their young will come from a very selective gene pool, making particular genes more predominant within a species. Inbreeding can lead to deformities and mutations as well as problems with immune systems and an increase in genetic diseases. ‘Inbreeding tends to reduce the number of alleles in a population’, from source 1. A studbook for dormice was created in 2006 to keep track of mice kept by members of the CDCBG. The studbook limits inbreeding and keeps breeding to first generation or wild caught animals. Breeders can use the studbook to selectively breed, mixing mice from different collections and different families. This will stop related mice from dominating the gene pool creating healthier mice and preserving genetic diversity. You read "Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction" in category "Papers" Future developments could include implantation of embryos and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) of the dormice. Selective breeding could be improved and gradually undesirable characteristics or weaknesses bred out. Cloning could be developed. Captive breeding raises many ethical, environmental, social and economic issues. Ethical issues. * There are various ethical issues that need consideration with regard to captive breeding. Animals have to be removed from their natural environment and put into captivity virtually locking them up and many people feel that there should not be any interference with nature in this way even to avoid extinction. It could be the case that genetic diversity has already declined to the point where it is irreversible. * There could be a case for protection to encourage breeding in the wild, by in situ methods of conservation, within the environment. However, captive breeding is used to retain species and improve numbers and is easier to manage. * Selective breeding increases genetic variation and produces healthier populations also preventing inbreeding. This reduces deformities and mutations but should humans interfere with natural reproduction? Inbreeding would sometimes naturally occur and if the population was kept large enough this would not often happen. Economical Visitors pay an entrance fee at Wildwood and this money goes towards the captive breeding scheme. However, they do not see the programme taking place as they would disturb the dormice and interfere with hibernation and reproduction. It could be that unless the programme continues indefinitely a lot of investment may be lost if the numbers continue to decline. Environment Using dormice from different collections to breed may spread diseases to other populations of dormice. Reintroduction Reintroduction is releasing captive born animals into a particular environment to which they were once native and where they will be free from human supervision. Normally these populations experienced decline due to human intervention and will only succeed if the cause of the decline has been overcome. The reintroduction is considered successful if the animal has fully integrated into the local population and survived with no further aid or interaction from humans. Reintroduction projects must follow guidelines set out by the IUCN and Wildwood has released dormice back into their natural habitats. They use a soft release program, gradually using less human intervention. Seven weeks before release the litters are health screened at the Zoological Society and released if they pass the tests. Reintroduction is limited to once a year as criteria for suitable sites are extensive and complicated. The population densities are less than 10 adults per hectare in their best environments. What does the health screening test for? The health screening takes place to check the animals do not have any disease that could be passed onto wild populations. Scientists test for: * pathogenic bacteria * Tapeworms (cestodes) * Roundworms (strongyles) * Tubercolosis * Parasites The condition of the dormice’s coat, skin, face, genitals, feet and incisor teeth are checked and their weight should be between 18-24g for summer re-introduction. 8mm Pet-ID microchips are fitted in the dormice under anaesthetic for identification in the future. Where is a dormouse released? An ideal site for the dormice†¦ would†¦ would not†¦ be an old wood with different layers of vegetation, already have a dormouse community (males may kill new dormice) have lots of undergrowth, have less than 100 nest boxes in the woodland. have deciduous trees, Place males less than 100m apart, as they are territorial. have coppicing taking place regularly, Have related dormice close by to stop inbreeding have fruiting hazel, Be at least 20 hectares, have a site management plan. Figure 4: Table showing an ideal site for dormouse reintroduction. How Wildwood release their dormice 1. Natural England is informed. 2. Pre-release cages made of wire are attached to a group of hazel trees. 3. 2-3 nest boxes placed in each cage, with a male and two females so there is more of a chance of the animals staying together. 4.Dormice then live in these whilst they acclimatise to the surroundings. 5. For 2-3 weeks humans supply fresh food everyday, during the day so the dormice are not disturbed. Also leafy branches are placed above pens to provide shade and protection from predators. 6. One week to 10 days into the three week period, a hole, less than 3cm2 is made in the top corner of the cage. The mice can then explore the area and there cage can not be invaded by birds or squirrels. 7. The frequency of feeding is reduced gradually until mid-September, when the animals should have found their own food supplies. 8. The nest boxes are checked until October, where weights and number of offspring are recorded. 9. Dormice are left to hibernate. 10. Monitoring begins in May. Figure 5: Stages of reintroduction What is monitored and when does it take place? A long term monitoring plan should be made before any reintroduction, so that the species will successfully survive in a wild environment. After release nest boxes are checked by trained and licensed volunteers, who record numbers, sex, weight, breeding condition and offspring. The volunteers monitor the nest once a month from April to October, between the 15th and 25th of each month. Data should be collected before midday so torpid dormice can be seen, and a National Dormouse Monitoring Programme Record From must be completed. Conditions of release * Winter cleaning of empty boxes. * Dormice are released in June to prepare for hibernation. Ethical There is an ethical duty for reintroduction because humans destroyed the dormice’s natural habitat and caused the population decline so they should restore the population. However, should animals be returned to the wild when there are still outstanding issues that led to the original decline? Microchips are put into the necks of the released dormice which are approximately a tenth of their body length. Anaesthetic is risky for small animals and interferes with their natural state. The chips are considered important for monitoring the dormice to help with the programme. They could be eaten by a predator in the food chain and the microchip would be affecting natural processes. If the reintroduction is not successful and the mice die this could be due to human error and animals may have suffered as a result of this. Economical The scheme is expensive as the release is labour intensive, with staff needed to survey the area before and after release. This diverts resources from much more cost-effective ecosystem and habitat conservation measures. The health screening is expensive and microchips costs à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 per mouse on top of anaesthetic and vetinary bills. Environmental The nest boxes and cages used can intrude on the natural woodland, with the possibility of dormice causing a shortage of food for the other animals in the ecosystem. Social Some behaviour in genetically inherited but some is learnt from adults and experience. Captive bred animals do not gain this knowledge and are at a disadvantage when reintroduced. The mice might lose their ability to create their own nests. The reintroduced dormice could cause a problem to the local residents. How to cite Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction, Papers

NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited Essay Example

NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited Essay NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited is one of Singapore’s largest chains of supermarkets, department stores and convenience stores. It was founded in 1973 by the Singaporean labor union with the objective of influencing Singapore’s high cost of living through the implementation of regulated pricing on many everyday consumer goods. Currently, FairPrice’s vast 130-outlet supermarket chain includes concepts like FairPrice Finest, Fairprice Xtra and Fairprice Supermarkets. Meanwhile, Fairprice also maintains two convenience store lines namely: FairPrice Express and Cheers—with both having a combined network of more than 150 branches. In response to the growing demand for online shopping, the company has also launched FreshPrice Online—a web platform that enables shoppers to buy their groceries online and have them delivered straight to their homes. FairPrice’s multiple and diverse selling channels enable them to serve more than half a million customers on a daily basis (FairPrice, 2017). According to Bloomberg (2017), FairPrice’s outlets offer mainly products like food items, beverages, frozen goods, fresh produce, alcohol, toiletries, health and beauty items and other similar merchandise. Aside from its regular retail and grocery operation, the company also maintains warehousing, trading and distribution businesses. PESTEL Analysis Political Factors We will write a custom essay sample on NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Limited specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Political factors pertain to the degree of influence and capacity of governments to intervene in the operations of businesses through public policy, tax laws, import and export restrictions and other trade regulations (Aguilar, 1967). Singapore, being a largely commercial and highly urbanized country, is mostly unable to grow its own agricultural products that are needed in the production of food and beverage goods. This being the case, the country is largely dependent on international trade with countries like the United States, Australia, a large part of Europe and the Middle East. The country maintains a relatively open economy—being able to conduct business with the aforementioned countries with minimal sanctions and restrictions. In fact, the Singaporean government does not impose any import taxes on most food and beverage products with the exception of tobacco and alcoholic goods. The government’s openness on international trade may implicate a great advantage for FairPrice whose merchandise are primarily imported food and beverage goods (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 2015). Economic Factors Economic factors pertain to key trends concerning consumer’s disposable income, general unemployment levels, interest rates, inflation rates and other economic indicators that can affect a populace’s willingness and ability to buy and to consume goods (Aguilar, 1967). According to Tang (2017), despite the general slowdown of the Singaporean economy in the recent years, the country achieved higher than expected economic growth in the final quarters of 2016. In fact, Singapore’s economy expanded by 1. 8 percent from 2015 to 2016. The country’s gross domestic product also grew by at least 9. % during the final quarter of the year. While this proves to be a positive sign for the economy, he still warns that 2017 may be marred with dismal business growth and a lack of consumer confidence as the Singaporean economy may get affected by the continued weakening of the Euro, the slowdown of the Chinese economy and the protectorate stance of the Trump administration. These events along with the fact that Singapore continues to be one of Asia’s most expensive cities to live in can cause great concern for customers and may seriously affect their ability to spend on consumer goods. Social Factors Social factors primarily pertain to the general behavior and mindset of a group of consumers. Particularly, it can pertain to their current set of preferences as dictated by their demographic profile, psychographic dispositions and the presence of new trends in the market (Aguilar, 1967). Singapore’s populace is generally characterized by a highly productive and fast-paced workforce. In fact, Singaporeans are known to clock in an average of 46 working hours per week—one of the highest in the world (Ministry of Manpower, 2015). This may have led many customers to develop of culture of convenience—opting for activities and services that can help them save time and be more productive. Firstly, this could mean a sustained increase for demand of instant and easily prepared food items. Secondly, it could also mean that more and more users are open to trying and subscribing to their online platform. Technological Factors Technological factors pertain to the advancements that can significantly improve a business’ internal and external operations. They may pertain to new discoveries that can help create new products or services or to new innovations that can streamline systems and costs (Aguilar, 1967). Being a highly urbanized society, the Singaporean market has become highly dependent on technology. This includes grocery shopping. In a study conducted by Shandwick (2014) about general grocery shopping behavior, more than 60% of the respondents claimed to prefer buying instant and readily prepared meals and goods. In the same year, more than 200,000 shoppers bought their groceries online to be able to save time and effort in shopping for their everyday needs (Jenner, 2016). This could imply a huge opportunity to grow FreshPrice Online. Environmental Factors Environmental factors pertain to the general attitude of customers and the stance of the government when it comes to preservation of the natural environment. The company may be affected by laws on waste management, energy consumption regulations, general environment protection sanctions and even the public’s perception on a company’s responsiveness to environmental issues. According to National Environment Agency (2017), Singapore’s daily solid waste output has reached 8,400 tons a day—marking an eight-fold increase from its waste output from the 1970s. This continuously increasing trend has forced the Singaporean government to implement a more systematic public waste collection scheme and a more stringent illegal dumping law. Being one of the largest producers of solid food waste in the country, FairPrice took a proactive stance and led the implementation of the Food Waste Index that essential measures and tracks the waste the company produces on a periodic basis. It is the first step towards the implementation of other key initiatives (Zero Waste Singapore, 2015). Legal Factors Legal factors pertain to the stringency of the government and other governing bodies in key aspects of business operations. These factors may cover employment regulations, workplace safety requirements, product testing procedures, anti-trust laws, competitive regulations and other similar factors. According to Shaffer (2013), Singapore’s fairly controversial position of limiting the influx of foreign laborers in the country had significant detrimental effects on many food and retail establishments. Since as much as 40% of Singapore’s population can be considered foreigners, the government’s stance has cut businesses’ access to affordable labor—hampering their ability to expand swiftly. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Threat of New Entrants (Low) The threat of new entrants in any industry implicates the possibility of losing market share to new players, hence having to split returns and profits amongst many competitors (Porter, 1985). In the case of FairPrice, the threat of new entrants can be considered low. Firstly, entering the supermarket and grocery industry requires substantially large capital to be devoted to the purchase of expensive real estate, building and infrastructure requirements as well as the different facilities and fixtures used in day to day operations. The business will also require huge investments in inventories, warehousing and wages for the labor force. Bargaining Power of Buyers (Moderate) The bargaining power of buyers implies the customer’s influence and capability to put pressure on the company to make changes in their strategies (Porter, 1985). In the case of FairPrice, this can be considered only moderately threatening. For instance, individual customers purchase in relatively small quantities which create a fairly insignificant portion of the company’s total sales. The decisions of one customer may prove immaterial in the long run. However, in the unlikely scenario where FairPrice decides to increase prices or suffers from the poor service of their personnel, it is not impossible for customers to opt for different supermarkets. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low) Likewise, the bargaining power of suppliers pertains to their ability to put pressure and influence the strategic decisions of a company. Because of the scale of FairPrice’s operations, the bargaining power of suppliers can be considered significantly low. Suppliers may prove to be very careful in negotiating and doing business with a client of over a hundred branches as they may be easily replaced with a different brand. In fact, FairPrice may have enough leverage to demand the lowest prices and the biggest margins from its many suppliers. Threat of Substitutes (Moderate) The threat of substitutes pertains to the propensity of current customers to try out alternative products and services (Porter, 1985). In the case of FairPrice, this can be considered as a moderate threat. On one hand, online shopping has yet to capture a significant portion of the market to be considered highly threatening. However, the threat for substitutes can be considered relatively high in some product lines that FairPrice is carrying such as alcoholic beverages, hair care products, cosmetics and others similar goods. Customers may easily opt to purchase them in other shops such as liquor shops, drugstores and the like. Competitive Rivalry (High) FairPrice has equally popular and trusted competitors in the likes of Dairy Farm Singapore, Sheng Siong and Cold Storage (Singapore Business Review, 2012). Because the prices for consumer goods are relatively transparent and easily comparable, small variations in pricing can cause customers to prefer a competitor over another. Besides the proximity of the grocery stores from their residences or offices, there is very little motivation to keep customers loyal to a single line of grocery. Management Recommendations Prioritization of FairPrice Online While it can be said that there is still minimal demand for online grocery shopping, the steadily increasing adoption rates and customer usage suggest that the channel can be a significant contributor to sales in the next few years. If FairPrice could occupy and dominate the online grocery shopping market first, it may help avert tight competition in the future. It may be an opportune time for FairPrice to invest heavily in marketing their platform through the use of social media, in-store advertising through their shops and subsidized promotions amongst many other options to try and raise the adoption level amongst Singaporeans. Creating and Improving Customer Loyalty Programs The Five Forces Analysis reveals that while FairPrice can be considered one of the stronger players in the grocery market, it is still susceptible from losing customers due to tight competition. One way to address such an issue is improve the already-existing NTUC Plus Card which entitled frequent buyers to rebates. Instead of just offering rebates, allowing loyal customers to choose from a wider range of rewards like free travel, discounted spa treatments, and other lifestyle-based rewards could prove compelling. In addition, FairPrice could tie up with leading electronics, luxury or fashion brands and have them offer exclusive deals to the most loyal customers. Maximizing Environmental Programs FairPrice’s proactive stance on environmental programs could be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. FairPrice may invest in a full-blown department solely devoted in studying its environmental and waste footprint and finding ways to reduce them through technology. Firstly, such an investment can pay off in savings from avoiding waste products. Secondly, FairPrice can strengthen the reputation of its brand. Reinforcement of Concepts’ Branding While the FairPrice brand remains popular and distinct, the concepts under it like FairPrice Xtra and FairPrice Fresh amongst others may benefit from further brand building. By differentiating and specializing each one, they could occupy different spaces in the market and further reinforce the market leadership of FairPrice. A good start could be the launch and maintenance of separate marketing communications campaigns for each one. Conclusion The PESTEL Analysis reveals a relatively favorable external environment for the continuous growth of Fair Price. Despite the underperformance of the economy, the Singaporean government remains very supportive of major business activities like importation and exportation. Technological advancement has made it easier to cope with an ever-changing changing customer profile and preference. And by taking a proactive stance, FairPrice is able to manage most environmental and legal issues surrounding their business. On the other hand, the Five Forces Analysis reveals the innate strength of the FairPrice brand and organization. With the large scale and span of its operations, FairPrice is susceptible to few risk factors aside from the perennially tight competition amongst players.