Monday, September 30, 2019

The World Tomorrow

In a dimly-lit alley filled with strewn garbage and nondescript graffiti over the walls, a magnificent sight somewhat overpowered the rather dismal scene. A bright city that was once filled with concrete buildings, stood gleaming against a dark evening sky. The building are pearly-white, sleek, patterned after many ultra-modern designs of the day. Yet the city still retained vestiges of the past, with many obsolete yet historic buildings scattered around the city. Cars still fill the busy highways in and around the city. The luxurious-looking cars are environment friendly, has the most up-to-date safety features, while remaining affordable to most of the citizens. And yet, in spite of all these advancements, the human race envisioned something better than themselves – creating artificial intelligence in order to decrease the woes of manual labor. Humans then have the power of god himself, not only creating life but also creating consciousness. This intelligence is implanted on machines that replaces manual labor that human beings usually do. Highly-efficient, low-maintenance and cheap, human life may have become marginally easier than in the past. Yet, society remains. Humans, motivated by individual will, still create problems that eventually destroys themselves. There is still much squabble of power, sphere of influence and domination over other countries. Political power becomes the forefront of every country, always trying to prove dominance Even with the disguise of modern development, the essence of society still remains as a grim reminder of the past. In twenty years, the human race would have taken a great leap forward in technology, but would have evolved slowly as a society. As long as there humans on earth, there will be always misunderstanding.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

English 101 Paper

Stephanie Semans December 4, 2012 English 101 Mrs. Tietjen Consumers will always disagree about whether the online marketplace is helpful or exploitative, but each individual has the independent responsibility to make the best decision. What comes to mind when someone says privacy? Places where no one can see anything, a place where you’re safe, well guess what, there unfortunally is no place like that. In the book â€Å"Blown to Bits† it explains that no matter where someone is theirs no privacy. 50 years ago, there were no cameras on the street corners or even laptops.On the laptops today there are webcams hooked into them and some turn on the computer on without knowing. I know it’s happen to me before. Even leaving the classroom to go to the bathroom you’re on at least two or three cameras. Internet consumers go online for banking and don’t think about how hackers could steal personal information. Yes it’s convenient and always there but, digital users would rather risk information for easiness and accessibility. But in a way technology and cameras are also good because Hal Abelson says â€Å"After one of the assaults, a victim took out her cell phone.Click! Within hours, a good head shot was up on the web and was shown on all the Boston area television stations. Within a day, Berman was under arrest and charged with several crimes†. (23) Technology isn’t all bad; it can be used for some good. So who’s to say that it’s neither good nor bad? Consumers can argue all they want about why it’s good or bad but no one has the right answer. Daniel Burrus of â€Å"is technology good or evil† says, â€Å"So it’s not about whether technology is good or bad; it’s about what we decide to do with technology matters†. CITE) Yes I agree that the privacy and security should be better and cause less heartache but at the same time it can be used for criminals and kidnapped people. For example, the other day my friend got her phone stolen and they pinged it to the locations it was recently at plus it could tell in a 400ft area they could narrow it down to and ended up finding it in someone’s car. Her and her family was happy that she got it back. Without the uses of technology today she wouldn’t have been able to find her phone or catch the guy on the transit.Just imagine the police are reopening cold cases because of the technology to go further in on evidence and details then they did back some decades ago. Like I said I can sit here and say that privacy is good and bad but when it comes down to it, no one has the right answer. If someone has a bad run with technology and it’s done nothing for them then yes their going to say it’s bad and causes trouble, but someone where it has helped them out so much they might say it’s amazing and I’m glad I have it. Some examples of why technology is â€Å"good† a re that the military is using it to help fly planes over the Middle East with cameras to spy.Also, without technology today we wouldn’t be able to help treat cancer with chemotherapy. Some â€Å"bad† examples are that terrorists and criminals have the ability to create bombs and hack computer to steal personal information about someone. In Korea where the woman let her dog go to the bathroom on the subway and they took pictures of her and she was known as â€Å"puppy-poo girl†, â€Å"Blown to Bits† says, â€Å"the pictures wouldn’t of made it worldwide, but the thought that it was posted and stuff is bad enough.The incident was captured by a fellow passenger and posted online. She soon became known as â€Å"gae-ttong-nyue† (Korean for â€Å"puppy poo girl†)†¦ It is unlikely that the story would have made it around the world, and that it would have achieved such notoriety and permanence)†. (Abelson 23) Last night I was look ing at the worldwide cams that are in the book and I looked up a highway near my house and it’s pretty cool because I never knew that there were cameras even hidden there.So to actually see the roads in Maryland kind of freak me out, Just knowing that the satellites can take pictures of your house from space, there really isn’t any privacy at all. Citations: Abelson, Hal, Ken Ledeen, and Harry Lewis â€Å"Naked in the Sunlight. † Blown to Bits, Uppersaddle River, NJ. Addison Wesley. 2008 19-72 print Burrus. â€Å"Is technology good or evil? † The Huffington post. Thehuffingtonpost. com, 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 03 Dec 2012. http://www. thehuffingtonpost. com/daniel-burrus/is-technology-good-or-evil_b_1826270. html.

Friday, September 27, 2019

How the Internet Makes You Boring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the Internet Makes You Boring - Essay Example According to Teitel, the interest of the internet users end up pursuing them as opposed to the natural means in which one should adequately pursue his or her interest. It is common to notice that internet users spend their time through information that has no relevance to their interest, most of which is filtered by the search engine provider based on the button clicked. Through these controlled results, the information we get from such results are narrowed and reduced, not because we were interested in less information but because the internet gives us such. Through this, our knowledge, opinions and views of different events that interest us are narrowed while those that are of little importance to our lives are provided in abundance. As a tool that has all the potential to increase our knowledge and views on different world news and events, Teitel believes that narrowing this information increases boredom (Teitel, 2013). Search engines have the ability to guess what an individual wants to search for from the internet and this according to the developers makes life easier when using this tool. When you begin searching for any item from the Google search engine, several suggestions crops up which are meant to guide your search and premeditate which sites you are supposed to visit. This makes life boring because the information we end up reading and gaining interest in is not exactly our initial interest. Teitel argues that no one has an idea why the internet and its search engine narrows our information and guides our lives through sites that have spam like information. Communicating through using the emails has not been spared either as internet developers use this too to shape our opinion and control the range of information that reaches us. Teitel argues that if for instance you mail your friend concerning one dream you have had for long concerning one Christian Grey, pop message on sadomasochistic romance will be sent to you in streams (Teitel, 2013). The original mail had no expression of interest on the information that are now sent neither did it mention anything concerning romance. The internet fills the blanks on your behalf and sends you direction and assistance despite the fact that you never indicated that you needed any. In life, we eliminate what we do not need whenever we feel like we should and this includes friends, events and information. This has however stopped because the internet can be able to gauge what we need and what we don’t thus purging all that it deems unnecessary in our lives and sending all it deem needed in our lives in abundance. The lack of personal control created by the internet and its discriminating way of informing us makes it quite boring and irrelevant in some levels of our lives (Teitel, 2013). The internet has a filter bubble tendencies of purging all the information it deems unnecessary in our lives and presenting the filtered information to us without our due consent. If you are a conservative and some of your social media friends are liberal, the internet will able to determine your inclination and thus reduce your access and interaction with your liberal friends without your consent. Pariser, a co-author with Teitel argues that once she stopped clicking on her conservative friends on Facebook, the profiles and newsfeeds of most of these friends began to disappear, meaning that Facebook preprogrammed algorithm

In what ways does language shape our understanding of money and the Essay

In what ways does language shape our understanding of money and the economy - Essay Example When people speak about the future, they speak as if the future is more distinct from the past and feels distant. People get less motivated to save their money now in favor of the comfort of monetary value in future years (Holmes, 2009). Speaking a language that has no obligatory future markers such as Mandarin tend to stimulates people to accumulate more retirement assets. The national savings rates of a country are adversely affected by language. A country with smaller proportion of people speaking languages that does not have obligatory future markers tend to increases the rates of national savings. Evidence from research suggests that a person’s vernacular shapes the way he or she thinks about the various aspects of the real world, space and time. This has broad implications in the spheres of economics, politics and law (Reed 2009). Language structure affects our judgments and decisions concerning the future and this may have remarkable long-term consequences. From an economic point of view, people’s rates of savings are affected by various factors such as their income, age, education level, religious affiliation, their cultural values and their countries’ legal systems. Even though after all those factors were accounted for, language effect on the people’s savings rates turned out to be tremendous. Spoken language like English has obligatory future markers making people about 30 percent less likely to save money for the future use. People often counter certain economic policies as they disapprove on moral grounds of the assumptions on which they think the policies rest but not because they have been or would be economically hurt by such policies without even carefully calculating views about their economic worth (Reed 2009). There are over 7,000 languages spoken all over the world, which exhibit tremendous variance. Research has shown that language from verb tenses to gender to metaphors usually

Thursday, September 26, 2019

International Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Marketing - Term Paper Example Since the contemporary market forces such as globalization, competition and technology influence the way business is carried out, a marketer is generally expected of anticipating the significant variables that can impact the business and how they can be managed too. This piece of research paper presents a brief marketing plan of the ‘Yogo-Sweet’, a medium sized manufacturer and marketer of the Frozen Yogurt, located near to Melbourne, Australia. This paper explains relevant concepts and theoretical underpinning in relation to marketing, strategy and competition. This marketing plan will present a pro forma financial statement and budgets. ‘Yogo-Sweet’ will be an amazing experience of small-treat that would fulfill the personal goal of delivering unique value of supreme quality Frozen Yogurt and ice cream needs of the target market. The company will target customers from around Australia and to export frozen yogurt stuff to countries like New Zealand, Fiji and other neighboring countries. The company has discovered a hidden opportunity for marketing Frozen Yogurt in Australia as well as neighboring countries and it seeks to grab its better slices. With the mission statement- ‘Yogo-Sweet is to facilitate stylish, convenient and uplifting destination where health-conscious and active customers can relax, energize and take treats’. The mission, with 20 well-thought about words in it, proposes the very specific marketing objectives that the emphasis will be placed on outstanding quality Frozen Yogurt and packaged ice-creams with organic and multicultural small-treat aspects. The company is expected to start on January 2012 in the rapidly expanding city of Melbourne, Australia. As Armstrong and Kotler (2005, p. 42) described, a marketing plan’s fundamental element is its mission statement that defines the marketing activities of the business in terms of how it is

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Management - Essay Example Defined as all the man-made or man-modified physical structures that include buildings, space and products, infrastructure of communities, built environment encompasses homes, schools, roads, fixtures, parks, cities, and everything else touched he has touched (Cohen, 2005). Presently, the built environment addresses various divisions, from art and design, architecture and interior architecture, construction management, and urban and regional planning. Art and design, although minuscule and seemingly irrelevant in scale, have intermarried with architecture and urban planning never to part again as aesthetics no longer are limited to association with the age-old Renaissance. Urban planners and engineers work closely with architects, constructors, contractors, and designers and the built industry grows into a nature-friendly aspect of human enterprise. "Competing for the Future" presents considerable forward-thinking strategies for companies as they are challenged maintaining present status which are compared to mere running in place and threatened with global competitors (Mizrach, 1997). The book invokes management and employees to work together to innovate and foresee what may be given to consumers that would amaze and satisfy. Globalisation at that time already poked its threat to established multinational companies, when dot.com bubble was about to break, the book better-advised the senior and junior managements to have second thoughts. "instead of doing a lot of market research, we refine our thinking on a product and its use and try to create a market for it by educating and communicating with the public... our emphasis has always been to create something out of nothing," Hamel and Pralahad (1994, p.109) wrote. It suggested that senior management team must set aside a time of about 50 percent over a period of months in order to "develop a prescient and distinctive point of view about the future" and this may apply well to built industries, as earlier problems did not seem as complicated as they are right now. "Unlearning" was a keyword so that it meant there is a close scrutiny of the past, interlinked with market share opportunities and creation of core competencies transcending business units (Hamel and Pralahad, 1994). The book also encourages coalition, which has become inevitable now as an industry alone could no hardly address a single issue facing built environment. Speed, as the book have claimed, is important "in the battle for the future" but not necessarily in the future anymore. There are considerable pressures today invokes speed as an element to answer problems within the built industry as "Whole industries become vulnerable to new rules when all the incumbents accept, more or less, the same industry conventions," (Hamel and Pralahad, 1994). Industries were challenged not only to address genuine profit crisis but encouraged to create "quasi-crisis in advance" so that pointing out of the difference of achievement is considered by both a s pass, allowing for evolving competencies. One that hits the built industry bulls-eye is the book's claim that "A strategic architecture is the essential link between today and tomorrow, between short term and longer,' as urban planners now scamper to detail out solutions for the urban dilemma. More so, "Every company should

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Case study on Starbucks strategy and internal initiatives to return to Term Paper

Case study on Starbucks strategy and internal initiatives to return to profitable grown - Term Paper Example The study of Starbucks Company focus on a multifaceted journey through its implication into market dominance, culture, and its development of a brand similar to integrity, longevity, and loyalty. Comprehending the Corporation’s growth into an international star and the strategic approaches they utilized to get there starts with the origins of the product itself; coffee. Starbucks acquires its strength from expansion capacities, diversification, and novelty to accomplish a strong financial operation basing on its retail store operation. The corporation has precisely used several strategies to stay at the top of the market through good leadership alliance, branding techniques, use of new technologies, and maximizing its profits at all times. Innovative techniques and products have been the major building stones for Starbucks to maintain its leadership in the market and to return to profitable growth. Starbuck’s Business Model According to Henricks, a business model is a b rief representation of how a unified set of decision variables in a business’s strategies, architecture, and economics will be addressed to achieve a competitive advantage in a certain market. From the analysis of the company’s strategies, Starbucks has been found as a business that enjoys a high level of customer loyalty, and for a long time has had a significant competitive advantage over other less popular coffee-products companies using their entrepreneur approach to business basing on customer intimacy and innovation (Henricks, 2007). Starbucks business model evolves with time to meet the needs of its customers. It treats its employees well, such as insuring their health, has a long resourced fair trade coffee, and offers mobile offices to masses of unemployed workers and freelancers looking for jobs. The Corporation as done before will always entangle its share of critics, but generally it has a set a pace for other companies to learn from. Starbucks value propos ition Starbucks was much successful in the 1990’s. It has set initiatives to return to this profitable growth by making the customers the centre of its success. Starbucks gives the first priority to its customers in its value proposition. Its value is compelling since it places the clients and the service offered to them above everything else. Though the Corporation is a retail-coffee store, its value proposition is not exclusively on coffee, rather on coffee culture and the coffee drinking experience. With this strategy, Starbucks moves away from the practical gains offered by the coffee, like stimulation, taste, and focuses on the quality of its products and the indefinable gains of the experience of customers drinking its coffee. Thus, Starbucks value proposition is not based on coffee or other products, but on the experience of drinking coffee in the company’s store incorporating the product with the emotional gains of consumers. Starbucks vision for the business S tarbucks vision is to establish itself as a premier supplier of the finest coffee globally while maintaining its categorical principles as it grows. The company visualizes a growing business with loyalty to its customers, delivering quality products, and innovative customer benefits. Strategies to achieve the vision With the objective of being the most recognized and appreciated coffee producing brand in the world, Starbucks has some strategies to achieve this. The company concentrates on employee satisfaction and working as a team, as well as customer satisfaction through a favorable environment and high standard coffee. In addition, it uses only the best coffee beans in brewing the various blends and thus achieves the vision of producing the finest coffee. The main objective of Starbucks is to grow by first valuing its employees. Starbucks approach its employees with excellent comprehensive and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Phy 155 Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Phy 155 Assignment - Essay Example Another factor was the market monopoly for large computers held by IBM, which made the product only applicable to private computers. CISCO is a multinational corporation specializing in designing, manufacturing and selling network equipment. The company was started by a married couple, Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack , who both worked at Stanford University in computer operations (Schneider, 2010). The company managed to develop high standard routers although it faced lawsuits as some of their software were said to have been stolen from the university. The founding couple worked out of the company in 1990, when the company went public. The company went public and became the most valued companies at more than $500 billion. The company has extensively utilized acquisitions in achieving the tremendous growth it currently enjoys. Despite the acquisitions, the company captured the internet wave through production of modem access shelves and core GSR routers. Large capacity – fibre optics can transmit a large number of conversations simultaneously compared to other cables, fibre optics (up to 1million), coaxial cables (10,000 conversations, microwave radio (2000 conversations. There are approximately over 5 billion internet connection devices in the world today. The current world population is said to be about 7.2 billion people. The number of internet connection devices is expected to surpass the total world population as internet connections continue to increase. The effects of increased internet usage are expected to enhance communication and information transferring between the increased population. The increased usage and increased population is expected to increase the pressure on internet connections necessitating upgrades within short

Sunday, September 22, 2019

To what extent does Dead Set reinforce or challenge codes and conventions Essay Example for Free

To what extent does Dead Set reinforce or challenge codes and conventions Essay Horror films generally incorporate a set of codes and conventions which make it clear to the audience which type of genre the film belongs to. Dead Set follows conventional horror film narratives in that many of the codes and conventions shown within the narrative are depicted to an effect that suggests crucial aspects of the film, for instance main characters and their alignment (good/bad). An example of this is when Patrick shields himself from the horde of zombies using a disabled person, this denotes Patrick as a villainous character to the viewer. Props character function theory suggests there are generally eight broad character types in media productions, one of which being the villain, which Patrick fulfils in this scene. These character types are included as they build expectations within the audience such as the direction of the plot, these expectations can either be met by the producers or challenged. By shielding himself with the wheelchair user the audience also learn of Patricks disdain towards his employees, a concept that becomes more apparent throughout the series. This scene ends after Patrick enters the cubical and locks the door, following Barthes enigma code theory which explains how plot elements are included in media text to plant questions in the mind of the audience, they do not know whether Patrick has survived unless they watch the next episode. Another notable example is when Marky, Space and Kelly depart in a van from the Big Brother set, this cliff hanger poses questions in the audiences minds, a common technique used in horror texts further more it is recurring throughout Dead Set purposefully used as it engages the audience and helps ensure they continue to watch the following episodes. Character development is a cornerstone of reality television however Dead set challenges this convention to an extent because the characters arent explored in a huge amount of depth. Kellys strained relationship is the one a few exceptions, this is more to the tune of horror texts. The lack of character development may have been included to move the action forward also to keep the narrative primarily focused on action as this may be more gripping for the audience. Dead Set features many technical and symbolic codes used in conventional horror films for instance the extreme gore and violence; even in the first episode as the protagonist Kelly hits the skull of a zombie with a fire extinguisher exposing its brains, this intense violence ensures fans of the horror genre will be satisfied. Less extreme violent behaviour is also demonstrated by the characters in other scenarios such as the frequent hostile exchanges between Grayson and Marky, the foul language used by the characters is common place in the reality television sub-genre. Shortly after the zombie has been killed we are shown Kelly clearing up the remains with a dustpan and brush, Dead Set challenges typical horrors as the high level of realism isnt a traditional feature of horror texts, this particular code helps align Dead Set with the reality television sub-genre. The mise en scene in Dead Set further perpetuates the conventions seen in the reality television sub-genre through the incorporation of alcohol, cigarettes and a provocatively dressed Veronica also the use real past contestants and the actual big brother set add a sense of realism to the production which help to immerse the audience in the action. The mise en scene also denotes violence in particular the characters costumes are soaked in blood, weapons such as knives, guns and fire extinguishers are featured heavily, props such as these are similarly used in other horror texts, these techniques used by the producers of Dead Set follow the codes and conventions used in other horror films such as Dawn Of The Dead these assist in categorizing Dead Set into the same zombie apocalypse sub-genre. Tracking shots of Veronicas body objectify her sexually which in turn help appeal to reality television fans as this technique is used conventionally in the genre. The establishing shot sees the house mates talking to one another in the big brother house, these fantastically colourful shots are then juxtaposed to desaturated, grey behind the scenes footage which open the story. This may have been included as it adds realism also it is Brookers way of perpetuating the idea to the viewer that reality television is far from true reality. The polysemic signs within the narrative arent conventional in horror or reality television however they are featured numerous times throughout Dead Set, an example of this is during eviction night, Joplin describes the audience as â€Å"animals† however they are actually zombies, this is Brooker comparing BB audience to the brain dead zombies, this satirising of society contrasts typical horror texts. Non-diegetic music is also incorporated, during the first epsiode it epitomises the dim situation of the characters, this may have been included as it points the audience to the bleakness of the narrative. The contrapuntal music used in the final episode sounds calming and somewhat optimistic however it contrasts greatly to the images on screen, the zombies devouring one another. This philosophical music may have been included to emphasise the sub-textual meanings to help the viewer see past the literal signs, for example the zombie looking at Kelly on the television, the inclusion of the music makes the satire more evident to the audience in this instance it isnt just the zombie watching Kelly, it is Brooker satirising the reality television audience more specifically those who watch Big Brother.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Effect of Policy on Hand Washing Effectiveness | Article

Effect of Policy on Hand Washing Effectiveness | Article In the article â€Å"Bare below the elbows: does this policy affect hand washing efficacy and reduce bacterial colonisation?† published July 2010, the authors Wijwardena Greatorex main focus was to establish whether dress code affects bacterial colonisation before and after hand-washing. Research was conducted using questionnaire and results were collected in the form of quantitative data. The result shows that there were no significant difference between BBE and NB (Mann-Whitney, P The authors’ use of a critical abstract in regards to the main findings, results, conclusion, subjects and methods gives a detailed overview of the research study, allowing the reader to assess and understand whether the research is relevant without having to examine the whole article (Galdon, Graves and Kelly, 2011). McNiff and Whitehead (2010) states that it is important for an abstract to always be succinct to allow the reader to gain an insight into the research and its importance (Chatburn, 2011). In addition, the abstract is clear, concise and free from jargons making it easy for the reader to understand and not become confused about the content of the research. Secondly, the complexity of the results collected, charted and plotted on the table and graph was simplified, making it easier for the reader to interpret and make sense of the findings. In addition, the results gathered also represent the research as a whole, for it clearly reflects the aim and objective of the study. Hence the research is valid and reliable (Wood and Ross-Keer, 2011). However, the research is plausible as to whether it can be applied into practice and good enough to be represented to the targeted population. This is due to the small sample size, which was sixty-sixty doctors, as a larger sample size can estimate population parameters (Sim and Wright, 2000). And also, there was an ethical aspect of the research which give cause for concern, as the authors clearly states that the participants were not give advance warning about the study and was conducted throughout the working day. This suggests that the participants did not give informed consent, as it was the authors’ obligation to fully inform participants of the study before carrying out the research (Cottrell and Mckenzie, 2011). In the article â€Å"Effects of ‘bare below the elbows’ policy on hand contamination of 92 hospital doctors in a district general hospital† published in December 2009, the authors Willis-Owen, Subramanian, Kumari and Houlihan-Burne, main purpose of the research was to establish whether the hands of doctors who are bare below elbows (BBE) compliant are cleaner than those who wore traditional attire (non-BBE). A prospective cross-sectional observational study was carried out and the result was presented using qualitative method. In the author’s main findings, there were no significant difference in between those doctors who were BBE and those that were not. The aim of the research was clear and precise, as the authors avoided the use of jargons. In support to this, Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2013) report that, aims of a research should be clear, broad, achievable and unambiguous as this guides the reader on how to interpret and analyse the data from the result. This of significance as it outlines the author’s overall intentions for carrying out the research; as a result, the reader is given a clear outline on whether the research is of value and worthwhile (Taylor, Kermode and Roberts, 2006). Furthermore, the use of secondary sources used within this research to support findings, such as works from Fierer et al, informs the reader that there have been similar work done by other researchers (Brockopp and Hastings-Tolsma, 2003).This was also accompanied by a referencing system which clearly states all the literatures integrated, along with the dates so that the reader has enough information to find the original sources used within the study (Collins, 2010). This aids the reader to consider whether the literatures used were current and relevant to the study, and also gain an insight into how the authors went about conducting their research. On the contrary, the results gathered failed to establish the cause-effect of the research (Balakrishnan, 2010) of establishing the effects of BBE policy on hand contamination, which therefore lacks reliability (Wood and Ross-Keer, 2011). Consequently, the reader is unable to apply the findings provided into practice as it lacks logic and relevance. The authors’ use of language to analyse results in discussion was substandard, as they went to discuss patients’ preferences which was confusing, irrelevant and misleading. The article â€Å"The Feedback Intervention Trial (FIT)-Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in UK Healthcare Workers: A Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial†, published October 2012, authors Fuller et al used randomised control trial to collect quantitative results. The main findings included all 16 trusts were randomised, 33 wards implemented intervention (11 Intensive therapy units, 22 acute care elderly), mixed effects regression analysis (all wards) accounting for confounders, temporal trends, ward type and fidelity to intervention (forms/month used). The authors carried out their study in a randomised control trial (RCT). RCT according to Andrew and Halcomb (2009) is a study whereby participants are divided into treatment and control group to determine the effectiveness of a policy and practice interventions. This was appropriate within this research as the number of participants that took part sixty wards and the result obtained can be used to represent the general population. Hence in quantitative research, Chow, Shoa and Wang (2003) states that it is important to have a larger sample size, for the research to be valid and reliable (Solomon, Cavanaugh and Draine, 2009) and assures accuracy and integrity (This means that the reader is able apply theory to practice obtained through the research due to the credibility of the research. In contrast, the research lacked purpose and an aim, as it does not address a significant problem that prompted research (Monsen and Horn, 2008). As a result fails to inform the reader about what the study is trying to achieve by carrying out the research. For this reason the research fails to grab the reader’s attention as there is no clear reason as to why the research is of significance. The authors illustrated that informed consent was established before the research was conducted. This is important within any research as this demonstrates that the participants were content to take part in the research and that ethical values were upheld. This is important to the reader as this shows that Cohen, L., Manion, L Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education. (7thed.). Abingdon: Routledge. Monsen, E. R. Horn, L V. (2008). Research: Successful approaches. (3rded.). USA: Diana Faulhaber. Andrew, S. Halcomb, E .J. (2009). Mixed methods research for nursing and the health sciences. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Cottrell, R. R. McKenzie, J. F. (2011). Health promotion education research methods: Using the five-chapter thesis/dissertation model. (2nded.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC. Sim, J. Wright, C. (2000). Research in health care. Cheltenham: Stanley Thomes (Publishers) Ltd. Wood, M. J. Ross-Kerr, J. C. (2011). Basic steps in planning nursing research: From question to proposal. (7thed.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., Biondo-Wood, G. L. Haber, J. (2013). Nursing and midwifery research 4e: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. (4thed.). Chatswood: Elsevier. Balakrishnan, N. (2010). Methods and applications of statistics in the life and health sciences. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Kermode, S. Taylor, B. Roberts, K. (2006). Obtaining approval and support for your project. In B. Taylor., S. Kermode. K. Roberts (Eds.), Research in nursing and health care: Evidence for practice. (pp. 131-169). Australia: Cengage Learning. Chatburn, R. L. (2011). Handbook for health care research. (2nded.). Sudbury: Jones and Baartlett Publishers. Collin, H. (2010). Creative research: The theory and practice of research for the creative. Switzerlan: AVA Publishing SA. Brockopp, D. Y. Hastings-Tolsma. (2003). Fundamentals of nursing research. (3rded.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett. McNiff, J. Whitehead, J. (2010). You and your action research project. (3rded.). Abingdon: Routledge. Rees, C. (2010). Evaluting and appraising evidence to underpin nursing practice. In K. Holland., C. Rees (Eds.), Nursing: evidence based practice skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Galdon, R. J., Graves, W. R. Kelly, J. M. (2011). Getting published in the life science. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. Solomon, P., Cavanaugh, M. M. Draine, J. (2009). Randomized controlled trials: Design and implementation for community based psychosocial interventions. Oxford: Oxford University Press Inc.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The concept of self

The concept of self 1. Self Concept. The concept of self is relatively hard to describe, as the individual person, began to consider himself as an individual person, without considering him as a part of group or a society. Sirgy (1982) described the self concept as the persons reflection of having an orientation or regard to himself as an object. The notion behind the self concept is the ideology that every human life is unique, he or she is individual object and need to be nurtured Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006). Again this concept is very much depend upon the society, where self is living in. In western culture, where there is a individualistic mode of life and in eastern culture, the individual is strictly a part of society or a family, they live in collectivist society. According to Markin (1979) the self concept is a multi dimensional concept, which consists of five components like Ideal Self, The apparent self, the social self and the actual self while Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) identifies the component of Self concept as Self Esteem, Ideal and real selves, multiple selves, Symbolic interactionism, the looking glass self, and Self Consciousness. Schiff man and Kanuk(2004) identifies the components of Self as, One or Multiple selves, The Makeup of the self Image, the extended self, Altering the self, Virtual personality or Self. Self Esteem Self esteem refers to the positivity of a person; a person with High self esteem is likely to be confident and will be at the centre of attraction and a person with comparatively less self esteem, will consume the products that will make him/her more confident. Peoples with low self esteem tend to shrink their activities in order to avoid humiliation and embarrassment. (Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg, 2006) Real and Ideal selves According to Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, and Hogg, (2006) the real self is the current status of a person, with more realistic characters and attributes. While the Ideal self is our Dream to attain a certain position in life, this concept is greatly influenced by the advertisements or role models where people try to have an image of his/her role model. The ideal self of a person influence the level of self esteem in that particular person, by comparing the current status with the ideal status. Schiff man and Kanuk (2004) define ideal self as a state of condition, which consumers prefer to see themselves in Future, while the real self is the position where a consumer sees himself/herself in the current situation. Most people experience a large gap between their actual self and the ideal self, and it affects the self esteem of that peoples, so it is assumed that, this peoples consumer a variety of products which reflects their Ideal self in order to reduce the gap between their actual self and ideal self. In other words, consumption of symbols is a pathway to attain their ideal self image. Multiple selves According to Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg, (2006) Markus and Kunda (1986), Schiffman and Kanuk (2004) a person is having many selves according the situation and according to the peoples he or she interacts with. During these times any one of the multiple self will be active, while other selves remain temporarily dormant. The Looking glass self In this concept, the individual reads, his self image with the aid of the signal and vibration bounced by others in the society. The desire to view and describe ourselves operates like a psychological sonar, which reads and analysis the signals emitting by others. The result can be varied according to the person who judge the individual and how the individual interpreting the signals, Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg (2006) Self Conscious Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) analyse the self conscious as the assessment of the real self by an individual Altering self With the aid of accessories and makeovers, an individual is trying to alter the self, to become a different self or an improved self, the notion of altering self is the affinity of the individual to express their individuality by creating a new self, at the same time maintaining the real self (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). The Extended Self Extended self is defined as the usage of props and setting by an individual to define their social roles, they consider these props and setting as an integral part of their selves. Solomon, Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). The importance of self concept analysis in the field of business was described by Sirgy (1982). He analysed that consumers tend to buy products, which relates to the actual self of themselves. While Adam et al (1993) outlined that with the consumption people are projecting a picture of selves to themselves and to others. Consumers tend to buy products, in which they see their actual self. Graeff(1996) found that the consumers perception about a particular brand is entirely depend upon the perception closeness with the brand image and the self image. Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) analyse that consumption activities are a kind of self definition of an individual and by consumption the individual project the consistency between their values. Through this Essay, the researcher is interpreting own the perception about Self concept to consuming for self esteem for attaining Ideal self image and multiple self. So it is Important for a marketer to understand the Self concept of the consumer, in order to cater the needs and requirement of the consumer at its best. In the consumption diary, the researcher denotes the passion and dream to be a privileged personality, (p.9, 18 and 19) who enjoys the luxury of having a private jet like Mr.Mukesh Ambani or to flying in First and Business class cabins, to buy a car for himself and for the family with his fist salary the researcher is also keen to get a leather jacket like the participants of MTV roadies, all these facts implies the desire to attain an ideal self image, while the researcher also aware of the real self, the researcher comments about his current and jobless situation (p, 16, 9) The researcher is also afraid of his physical appearance while purchasing Jackets, can be interpreted as his immense self conscious while making a purchase or can be interpreted to the lack of self esteem, with these details, it is assumed that the researcher lacks consider amount of self esteem as the gap between his real self and ideal self is too big (Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg.2006) 1. Cultural Theory In the cultural theory, the researcher analysis the affect and influence of his religious ethical or rituals values in his consumption pattern. Different academics, described the concept of culture as; Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) commented that, Culture is a prism, through which an individual analyse products and try to make their sense out of their own and other peoples consumer behaviour. The culture of a particular individual determines the priority of the purchase and attitudes towards different situations, activities, and substances. Again the influence of the culture is varied according to the geographical locations. The western culture implies more on the individualistic method of consumption, while eastern culture emphasise the importance of collectivism. (Jamal, et al 2003) describes the components which makes the cultural decisions, he views that the values and the ethical believes are the two major components which determines the cultural decision of an individual. Hoffstede (1991) analysis that the culture is biased according to the culture and the condition in which an individual is raised and lived through and these conditions determine the consumer pattern of the individual. Sood and Nasu (1995) comments that the nationality of a person also can influence the formation of the culture and values. The moral conducts are described according to two methods, the deontological and the technological method According to the deontolical method, the moral conducts and the religious beliefs are inherited to a person from the ancestors or from the previous society. (Singhapakdi and Vittel, 1993 and Murphy and Laczniak, 1981). The religion is described as a bunch of moral codes, which governs the conduct of an individual or a group of individuals or a society (Wines and Napier, 1992). Religion is considered to a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things (Emily, cited in Nejdet Delener, the effects of religious factors on a perceived risk in durable goods purchase decisions, 1990). Religiosity can be stricter than religion as religiosity is the degree of belief that a person hold in his ideas and life (Delener, 1991). The diary (pp. 15) describes the affinity of the researcher to have a traditional food, on the day of religious festival, it says in the dairy that, other room mates were not bothered about the special lunch on that auspicious day of Bakrid, but the researchers mind constantly pushed him to make a move or initiative to make a special dish. This shows his loyalty to the tradition and routine he has been keeping since ages, even not at his home he still strive to make full out of that belief and the researcher go Lidl and prepares food for himself and to the room mates. From the diary abstract (pp. 11) tells that the researcher wanted to have a body massage as his back aches due to the lifestyle he maintains in UK, The researcher is exceptionally cautious about the morality and the cultural and ethical values he inherited from the ancestors, as he avoids doing a body massage, as the massage parlour was ran by women, and his culture doesnt allow him to be touched by other women. This shows the influence of ancestral and the societal situation where the researcher raised, when it comes to morality of the researcher. The religion is one of the main factor which influence the food consumption and the degree of affect is directly proportional to the extent of influence that religion made in that person and how far he follows the religion. Islam is a religion governed by a set of rules and customs which is evaluated and judged by five pillars, consuming halal food is a must for religious people in Islam. The consumption of Halal meat is not an automated process among Muslims. They consume halal food as a form of personal conviction and it is observed that (Bonne, et al 2007). Unlike in the past, the social and the political presence Muslims are increased and they began to ask for the halal labelled meat (Riaz and Chaudry, 2004) Throughout the Diary, the researcher described about the restriction of consuming certain food in his new surroundings. The researcher has demonstrated the precaution that he makes, while he makes a decision to dine outside his house. Another loyalty of the researcher, towards the religion can be seen when he visited a Super Market See Woo where he see the Pork and the halal chicken are served together, and he feels like two opposite poles are served together. From the exact diary words of the researcher it is understood that, it has generated a gross feeling in the mind of the researcher, (pp.11.) On the other occasion the researcher, was doubtful about a food (P), he bought from a shop, and his mind was constantly asking him that, is it allowed food? The researcher clarified his doubt to the vendor before he tasted it, that is that food halal one or not? The researcher felt constant insecurity while consume food outside his house, this kind of insecurity has been described by Nedjet Delener in 1990, Religious individual tends to perceive higher risks during the consumption or while making consumptio n decision, while less religious peoples feel less secure and tends to have comparatively low degree of risks during their consumption decision. From these facts mentioned above, it is assumed that the researcher is highly influenced by religious rituals and symbols while making a purchase decision. 2. Decision making theory In the decision making process the researcher is focusing on the problem solving perspective of Decision making. The consumer decision making process is not a single process, it is associated with many factors (Henry Assael, 1998) The Idea of developing the problem solving perspective of decision making theory is the assumption of dominant school that, the consumer as an Cognitive object while making consumption decision, (Schiff man and Kanuk, 2004). The decision-making perspective holds that buying behaviour results from consumers engaging in a problem-solving task in which they move through a series of stages (John.C.Mowen, 1988, .p15) According to this concept, the consumer moves through a series of Seven stages, before making a purchase decision.(Roger et al, 2001) need recognition. Need recognition occurs when there is a alarming difference between the actual self and the desired self (Solomon et at, 2006, and Roger et al, 2001, Henry Assael, 1998). Recognition of needs happens when a person brazen out with a problem or deficiency (Schiff man et al 2004). Henry (1998) comments that the need in a person can be aroused with variety of inputs such as the past experience of the customer. It is true that the needs are often spurred by the marketing efforts, butThe role of a marketer in creating a need, is not to manipulate the consumer, but to make understand the consumer what his need is, and to direct towards a specific brand, even a pre existing demand is there (Solomon et al, 2006) Pre purchase search From the diary extract (P..) the researcher is trying to obtain the prices of telephone, which the researcher wanted to buy, to call home country. During the pre purchase search, the researcher opts for checking the available information about the telephone through eBay. In order to get a vague idea about the price of telephone sets in United Kingdom, the researcher thought it is best way to search online, and particularly eBay, as a form of external information got from the room mates; it was easy for the researcher to choose eBay for best deals and for an outline about prices. Information search is the mode of survey, which a consumer employs to make an appropriate purchasing decision. ( Solomon etal, 2006) Pre purchase search begin with recognition of need that can be rectified with consumption. There are two kinds of search sources, the internal information source and the external information source. Internal source is the information in the memory from the previous experience of purchase. Past experience gives a huge amount of information about the current choice. If the consumer lacks the past experience, he or she will start searching actively for the information from the external sources like Advertisements and websites, whichever is possible (Schiffman etal 2004) Roger etal (2001) added one more source of information that is accidental or situational information, which the consumer gets by chance or by situation. Here comes the importance of Marketing communication. The correct market communication at the correct time and place, will let the consumer to understand the details about the product and which lead the consumer to get attracted towards the product. Evaluation of alternatives From the diary (p) the researcher demonstrated a perfect example for evaluating the alternatives by searching for best deal for Air tickets to India. After listening to the different fares, the researcher began to evaluate the alternatives, by comparing which one to go for and how it benefits him as a consumer. By comparing the possible alternatives, the researcher decided to nullify the bad deals and go for the best one. This stage is the most time consuming stage for a consumer that is to evaluate the options available from the information, before making a purchasing decision. The modern consumers are flooded with thousands of choices with thousands of brands waiting for the attention of the potential consumer. Solomon et al (2006). At this point of time, the consumers ask themselves a question that, what are my options? and Which is the best? consumers use either memory or the external source to sort the option (roger et al 1998). Decision making process. Throughout the diary, the researcher demonstrated the quest for best deals when purchasing the house holds. According to Schiffman et al (2004) there are three mode of purchase, they are Trial Purchase, repeated purchase and Long term commitment purchase. Where a trial purchase comprised of buying product for first time in little quantity to check the product directly, if the product appeared satisfactory, it is likely to buy that product again for consumption, which is termed as Repeated buying and this mode of repeated buying can lead the customer towards loyalty to that particular brand, which leads to the Long term commitment purchase. While Roger et al (2001) considers there are two phases of purchase behaviours among consumers. The first phase is switching retailer or rely on other mode of retailing such as television or internet or catalogs while the second phase consist of switching the models or the products within the same stores. This phase is aided with the capabilities of the sales person the arrangement pattern of the product to attract the attention of the consumer. The cons umer moves with an agenda during the first three stages of decision making, while Roger argues that, the stage four is not under the complete control of the consumer, as many other factors influence the purchase decision. At this phase, the role of a marketer is important; the consumer mind will be swinging in the confusion of which product to chose. By understanding the consumer behaviour a marketer can lead the consumer the product which they wanted. The way of arranging the product is also an important factor to induce an impulsive purchase at in store condition.( Roger et al, 2001) Consumption Consumption can occur either immediately or delayed, and through consumption the satisfaction of the consumer can be derived. Consumption of a product is depending up on the promotions and offers a consumer can get, if there is best deal offers, it is likely to stock the products, for future use. (Solomon, et al) Post consumption evaluation After the purchase, the consumer starts evaluating the product, if the performance of the product matches the consumer expectation it is likely for the consumer to get satisfied, and vice versa (Schiffman et al, 2004) Roger et al argues, it is important to understand how the consumer use the product, if the consumer abuses the product, it is less likely for the consumer to get satisfied with the product. For making the consumer understand about the usage of the product, to prevent dissatisfaction, the company introduced variety of Instructions and Warranties. With this facilities it is likely for a customer to opt for a re purchase.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

JIMMY HOFFA :: essays research papers

The day Jimmy Hoffa didn't come home By Pat Zacharias / The Detroit News On July 30, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa left his Lake Orion home for a meeting. Paroled from federal prison three years earlier, the former Teamster president had recently announced plans to try to wrestle back control of the union he had built with his bare knuckles from his protege -- now adversary -- Frank Fitzsimmons. Anthony Giacalone, a reputed captain of organized crime in Detroit, was supposed to meet Hoffa that day. James R. Hoffa as a Teamsters organizer in 1939. Jimmy told his wife Josephine he would be home around 4 p.m. to grill streaks for dinner. After 39 years of marriage, she knew Jimmy would not be late. Witnesses saw him waiting in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in upscale Bloomfield Township. He never made it home. Hoffa. The name alone stirs strong emotions and opinions. Was he a visionary union hero or brutal despot? Was he a labor crusader or a criminal? Jimmy Hoffa began his union career as a teenager in the 1930s. A grade school dropout, he almost single handedly built the Teamsters union into an awesome national power. His hammer-handed negotiating techniques, his alleged links to organized crime, and his bitter feuds with John and Robert Kennedy made Hoffa the prototypical labor leader of his day. Born in Brazil, Ind., on Feb. 14, 1913, Jimmy grew up fast when his coal miner father died from lung disease in 1920. His mother took in laundry to keep the family together and the children also helped with after school jobs. Hoffa later described his mother lovingly as a frontier type woman "who believed that Duty and Discipline were spelled with capital D's." In 1922, the Hoffas moved to Clinton, Ind., for a two year stay, then to Detroit to an apartment on Merritt Street on the city's brawling, working-class west side. Tagged by the neighbor kids as hillbillies, Hoffa won respect and acceptance with his fists. After school Jimmy worked as a delivery boy and finally dropped out of school in the 9th grade just as the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression brought massive layoffs and business failures. A friend, Walter Murphy, told him to get into the food business. "No matter what happens, people have to eat," he said. JIMMY HOFFA :: essays research papers The day Jimmy Hoffa didn't come home By Pat Zacharias / The Detroit News On July 30, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa left his Lake Orion home for a meeting. Paroled from federal prison three years earlier, the former Teamster president had recently announced plans to try to wrestle back control of the union he had built with his bare knuckles from his protege -- now adversary -- Frank Fitzsimmons. Anthony Giacalone, a reputed captain of organized crime in Detroit, was supposed to meet Hoffa that day. James R. Hoffa as a Teamsters organizer in 1939. Jimmy told his wife Josephine he would be home around 4 p.m. to grill streaks for dinner. After 39 years of marriage, she knew Jimmy would not be late. Witnesses saw him waiting in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in upscale Bloomfield Township. He never made it home. Hoffa. The name alone stirs strong emotions and opinions. Was he a visionary union hero or brutal despot? Was he a labor crusader or a criminal? Jimmy Hoffa began his union career as a teenager in the 1930s. A grade school dropout, he almost single handedly built the Teamsters union into an awesome national power. His hammer-handed negotiating techniques, his alleged links to organized crime, and his bitter feuds with John and Robert Kennedy made Hoffa the prototypical labor leader of his day. Born in Brazil, Ind., on Feb. 14, 1913, Jimmy grew up fast when his coal miner father died from lung disease in 1920. His mother took in laundry to keep the family together and the children also helped with after school jobs. Hoffa later described his mother lovingly as a frontier type woman "who believed that Duty and Discipline were spelled with capital D's." In 1922, the Hoffas moved to Clinton, Ind., for a two year stay, then to Detroit to an apartment on Merritt Street on the city's brawling, working-class west side. Tagged by the neighbor kids as hillbillies, Hoffa won respect and acceptance with his fists. After school Jimmy worked as a delivery boy and finally dropped out of school in the 9th grade just as the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression brought massive layoffs and business failures. A friend, Walter Murphy, told him to get into the food business. "No matter what happens, people have to eat," he said.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Irony :: essays research papers

The Ironies of 1984 The novel 1984, by George Orwell, has many examples of irony throughout it. The two major types of irony: verbal irony and situation irony, are demonstrated again and again in this novel. In the following essay I will discuss these types of ironies and give examples of each from the book. The first type of irony is verbal irony, in which a person says or does something one way, but the true meaning is the opposite. One of the first example of this irony is discovered when the main character, Winston Smith, uses the "Memory hole" to deposit things—one would think that this would be where things are remembered ("Memory"), but it’s actually an incinerator. The next example of irony comes when you learn about the departments of Government in Oceania. The Ministry of Truth is actually the maker of lies for the history books, the Ministry of Love discourages love, and the Ministry of Peace is actually quite violent. The final example of verbal Irony can be seen in the name of the leader of Oceania, "Big Brother." The concept of a big brother is one whom is older and wiser and helps the "littler siblings"—this not the case with 1984’s Big Brother. The Big Brother in this novel completely watches over every m ove a person makes keeping them controlled with fear. The next type of irony is Situation irony, which is when a character or a sequence of events appears to be headed one way, but it ends up as the opposite of what was thought. One example of this is Winston’s general health. From the beginning of the book, it is shown how horrible his health is and is continually getting worse and more difficult, but as Winston gets involved with Julia then he begins a metamorphosis into a more healthy person. Another major example is the betrayal of many of the people whom Winston thought were his friends, such as Mr. Charrington and even O’Brien- -who both worked for the Thought Police.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Manifestations of Truth in How to Tell a War Story by Tim O’ Brien Essay

How to Tell a War Story by Tim O’ Brien has taken into account various thematic expression and he uses an unusual style to narrate these thematic expression. It a balance-mix of story and reflective essay. O ‘Brien major concern remain the reality of truth. He illustrates various manifestations of truth and manifests that imagination is the major tool to locate the truth. In addition to that he develops a criterion for narrating a war story. â€Å"O’Brien shares the criteria with which the writer or teller and the reader or listener must be concerned by giving an extended definition of what a war story is or is not. The chapter â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story† focuses most extensively on the features that might be found in a â€Å"true† war tale. â€Å"(Calloway, 1995) So story is multifaceted and its narrative technique is advanced as well unique. Tim O’ Brien has critically evaluated the criterion for writing a true war story. O’Brien demonstrates that memory and reminiscence are transient in nature and one can tell a story purely based on his memory. Memory is always prone to mental faculty of creating fiction. Sometime the character or the narrator admits the elements of fictionality in a true war story but mostly it goes unnoticed and unobserved. Same is the case with How to Tell a War Story as Mitchell Sanders admits to Tim O Brien (the protagonist) that although most of his tale is based on fact but there are elements of fiction. Hew says, â€Å"’Last night, man,'† Sanders states, â€Å"‘I had to make up a few things . . . The glee club. There wasn’t any glee club . . . No opera,'† either (O’ Brien, 1998). â€Å"‘But,'† he adds, â€Å"‘it’s still true'† (O’ Brien, 1998). This is not distortion of truth but it is the limited nature of memory to recall things in proper order with minute details that urges human faculties to invent certain details. Furthermore, plain truth is not interesting enough to captivate the attention of the reader and amuse. In a Vietnam War story there can be pathos and miseries, deaths and destruction, but there is nothing pure to tell in the form of a story. O Brien himself explain this; â€Å"I think exercising the imagination is the main of finding the truth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Naparsteck, 1991, p. 10) So memories are true and well as invention simultaneously. In â€Å"Things They Carried†, collection short stories from which this story was taken, O’ Brien he acts as the narrator. So readers suppose that he himself was veteran of the war and observed everything on his own but his are not the first hand account of these tales. They are told by various veterans of wars and were later crafted by O’Brien. So both veterans and the writers has invented certain situations and mingled it with the real story. O’Brien says that it is not unethical or wrong to develop a story in this way. He says, â€Å"â€Å"You’d feel cheated if it never happened. †(O’ Brien). A story is developed on its own and follows a natural pattern. In this way, O’Brien implies that truth distorts when it passes through the mental processes. Various pre-conceived notions, past experiences, prejudices and men’s inventive powers cast its own impression on it. But it is natural phenomenon. O’Brien explains this in the story; In any war story, but especially a true one, it’s difficult to separate what happened from what seemed to happen. What seems to happen becomes its own happening and has to be told that way. The angles of vision are skewed. When a booby trap explodes, you close your eyes and duck and float outside yourself. When a guy dies, like Lemon, you look away and then look back for a moment and then look away again. The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot. And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed. (O’Brien, 1998) Readers accept this balance mix-up of reality and invention but O’Brien, however, does not allow his readers to take these things for granted and inquires the whole idea of memoirs, recollections, and the short capability of memory to communicate the reality with accuracy. As far as the narrative structure is concerned, O’Brien himself calls it a mix of essay and fiction. In an interview to Naparsteck (1991) he says that, â€Å"In a way, it’s part essay and a part fiction but in a way it’s neither†¦To me, it has singleness or unity to it. Rather than part things this and part things that, it’s all those things together. †(p. 9) This manifests his idea of truth as a whole. He does not differentiate genuine reality from perceived reality and considers them conflation of each other and they as whole constitute the truth. Unquestionably, truth and fabrication is another theme that Tim O Brien takes into consideration in the story. He is of the view that in narrating a war story, untruth is not conflicting with truth. They are the facets of a single reality. One is real and other is inventive but both are genuine. During the war, truth is unclear and mostly uncertain. It takes varies semblances band is manifested in various contradictory forms. So both true and inventive part of the story seems contradictory but in reality, they are same and equivalent. This paradoxical manifestation of truth is symbolized by the death Curt Lemon. O’Brien as narrator is familiar with the situation in which Curt was killed. He was shot dead by a 105mm round while â€Å"he was playing catch with Rat Kiley†. But as O’Brien recollect this in his mind; he perceives that Curt was killed by daylight. This narration is different from the first one. But none is untrue. 105 round was tool but sunlight also played a major role in his death. Sunlight is also chief cause thus. In this way, O’Brien differentiates between the reality that took place and the reality that appears to take place. No account is untrue but both a different manifestation of same reality i. e. one is real and other is perceived as real. Tim Obrien does not use proper literary devices to convey this dichotomy like Golding does in â€Å"Lord of The Flies† where he use symbol of fire and convey its paradoxical nature. Conventionally, fire refers to destruction and damage but Golding uses it as a rescue symbol when boys trapped in an island use fire to get attention of the passing by ship and in the last, they are saved by the aero- plane that noticed the fire signaling rescue. But mostly, it is not possible to attach two opposite meaning to a single word as beautifully done by Golding in the novel. O’ Brien attempts the same. For example, he says, â€Å"it is safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true,† he generate a contradiction but it is not a single word or a symbols that he utilizes to communicate the paradox. It is the whole context that helps him make this statement. Stephen Kaplan sums up this thematic expression of reality in his book; Understanding Tim O’Brien. He says, â€Å"[O’Brien] completely destroys the fine line dividing fact from fiction and tries to show †¦ that fiction (or the imagined world) can often be truer, especially in the case of Vietnam, than fact. O’ Bren plays with truth in How to Tell a War Story and sometimes fabricates it. The chief purpose is to highlight the paradox of truth and to demonstrate its various facets and manifestations. He leaves it to the readers to discern between genuine truth and perceived truth. The writer’s use of a narrator Tim O’ Brien in this collection of short stories is at the same time appealing as well as disturbing. The confusion deepens when it told by the author that the narrator is a middle aged man telling the stories about the Vietnam War. The use of a narrator is interesting as it forces the readers to think that the story is basically rooted in some real life experiences. It also helps in joining together the disjointed elements in the tales. This tool also helps the writer to play and employ some untruths and marvelous things without suffering from the fear of being questioned for their authenticity. The readers suffer from the problem that is the narrator is just playing the role of a mouth piece for the writer or is he an independent character. However, by using this device the writer is able to convey the message to the readers that what is discussed in the story as truth is somewhat similar to what actually happened during the war. If the reader accepts that the narrator is reliable and he is telling the truth than he faced a dilemma. As in the beginning of the stories the narrator tells that he is a real person and going to tell real stories and in the end he tells them that everything that he has just told is just falsehood. The author might be using this illusion to convey the readers a way in which a war story should be told and the basic truths that these war stories carries. He might also be trying to make a point that the story is basically true and logical though it may not have actually happened in the Vietnam War. The construction of this collection of stories is not following the traditional way of telling the stories. There are stories within a story that are linked very beautifully together in a novel way. Each story is basically an endeavor, on the part of narrator, to make a point clear. In order to explain or discuss a thought or experience the narrator start telling another story. These stories, are however, not linked in the traditional way. On finishing the book the reader is made to realize the truth as an organic whole, in a strange way, and not in the ordinary way as is the truth in conveyed to them. In this style of story telling the writer is not bound to follow the chronological flow of time. He is free to roam about according to his will. He can discus the realities and the sequence of the happening of events according to how he deems it right and not by the traditional way of doing it. The writer is basically of the view that the ‘war stories’ need to present the ‘true illustration’ and it need not to indulge in ‘analysis’ so it is important that the short stories should remain true to the reality and the long story or the parent-story need not to be something actually happened in reality. Rosemary Kings explain this phenomenon in this way; O’Brien’s word play in the title hinges on the definition of â€Å"true,† a word he uses alternately throughout the story to mean either factually accurate, or something higher and nobler. He does this through three embedded narratives: Mitchell Sanders’s narration of Curt Lemon’s death; the narrator’s description of hearing Sanders’s story; and Tim O’Brien’s commentary on how to tell a true war story. (n1) Each narrator claims his story is an authentic retelling of events as they occurred in Vietnam, asserting the historicity of their narratives. (King, 1999) The structure of the book is such that the chapters and the short stories are basically there to help the readers understand the real story, the real and the tangible truth. These are basically the ‘things’ carried by the parent story. The comments of the narrator helps the reader understand the organic wholeness of the story just as the chapters in the long story are connected together by the connecting views and ideas of the author thrown here and there in the long story. Rosemary King also highlights the importance of title of the story; â€Å"O’Brien’s title delivers punch not only through the conflated definition of true but also through the distinction of what makes a war story â€Å"true. † He underscores the importance of manipulating what actually happened to get at the essence of truth. † Above-mentioned discussion and supported arguments and evidence clearly manifest that O’Brien has successfully asserted that truth has paradoxical nature and it can be conveyed as a whole i. e. a balance mix- of what happened and what seems to happen. In reality this pradox dissolved in a complete whole. He further illustrated that human mental processes modifies the objective reality. His own description of reality from the subjective point of view of the narrators in the story is a skillful representation of this phenomenon. Thus his story is a successful example of metafiction.

Monday, September 16, 2019

To what extent did Fascist governments rely on fear to stay in power 1933 – 1939?

On January 30th 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. By the mid 1930's he was almost in complete control of Germany and had created a one-party state. The Nazis maintained power from 1933-1939 not only because of fear but because of a combination of reasons. Their consolidation of power played a vital role as did their large lack of opposition and also their popular policies that appealed to a wide band of Germans. After being appointed chancellor of Germany, Hitler found himself in a very weak position. Out of the twelve ministers in the cabinet only two were members of the Nazis. Also, the Nazis did not control a majority of the Reichstag; they had only gained 33% in the November 1932 elections. And finally, President Hindenburg who had appointed Hitler as Chancellor could dismiss him at any time. The Nazis relied on terror considerably to maintain their regime. The Gestapo were the official secret police of Germany; they were in charge of denunciations. They taught German citizens to spy on their neighbours and report anything that seemed â€Å"unusual†. The Gestapo would act even if there was no valid evidence. They could arrest anyone they wished and even send them to concentration camps. This made many Germans fear the Gestapo. The SS were a protective squadron for the Nazis. They were able to keep â€Å"special prisoners† under â€Å"protective custody†. Thousands of Germans were sent to concentration camps. The SS also acted as prison officers at concentration camps, effectively running them. The SS were used to take charge of the programme of genocide against the Jews. Throughout Germany, many people were afraid that the persecution of the Jews would happen to them. Jewish shops were boycotted, Jews were barred from teaching and following the Nuremburg Laws in 1935, Jews were no longer counted as German citizens. The public now knew how Nazis dealt with â€Å"problems†. Overall, the Nazis created a large atmosphere of fear throughout Germany; this helped them to stay in power as Germans stuck to the rules through fear of punishment and also fear of the general public spying on them. However, there were other reasons for the control of Germans, one of which was the establishment of a Dictatorship. From the very beginning of the regime the Nazis consolidated their power. Less than a month after Hitler's appointment the Reichstag fire took place. On the 27th February 1933, the Reichstag head quarters were burnt down. A Dutch communist called Marinus Van Der Lubbe was given the blame. Hitler exploited this event, claiming it was a communist conspiracy against the state and it was the start of the communist revolution. After this the Decree for the Protection of the People and the State was passed. President Hindenburg believed Hitler's claims of the communist revolution beginning and signed the decree. There were four main terms, the first was to arrest the enemies of the state, the second was to suspend the rights of free speech and assembly, the third was censorship and the final term was the right of the Chancellors to take over the powers of the state in emergencies. The March election of 1933 was neither fair nor free and was also illegal by the standards of parliamentary democracy. The Nazis gained 43. 9% and won 233 seats, this was mainly because the SPD and KPD were banned from participating. Also in March of 1933 the Enabling Act was passed. This gave Hitler the right to act without reference to the Reichstag. Hitler proposed he should be allowed to govern alone for 4 years. This was the first step to Hitler becoming a dictator. In July 1933, Hitler passed a law creating a one party state with the Nazis as the only party in the Reichstag. Ernst Rohm, the leader of the SA was seen as a large threat to Hitler as he had plans to unite the SA and the German army. However, Hitler wanted to keep the army loyal to him and was fearful that Rohm would overthrow him if his plan went ahead. Thus he decided to purge the SA this was called the Night of the Long Knives. The SS shot approximately 400 people, yet only admitted to 77. One of those murdered was Ernst Rohm. This further consolidated Hitler's power and kept the army on his side. In August 1934, President Hindenburg died. Hitler declined the role of President, claiming it would always be associated with the Great War hero Hindenburg. Hitler decided to be known as Fuhrer. By doing this, Hitler avoided limitations on his power by a constitution. Thus, almost two years after being appointed chancellor, Hitler was now Fuhrer of a one-party state, with virtually unlimited political power. This consolidation of power contributed largely to the Nazis staying in power as Hitler was now seen a strong leader, this gained a lot of support. After becoming Fuhrer, Hitler took control of all state and national institutions. This process was known as the Gleichschaltung (Co-ordination). In May 1933, trade unions were banned and replaced by the Nazi Labour Front. In addition, they banned strikes and if anybody opposed they would be dealt with. The Nazis purged the Civil Service and the Police of any opposition; everyone was replaced with loyal Nazis. Furthermore, The German courts were now under political control and had no independence. The Education and Youth organisations provided by the Nazis were regarded as critical. The Hitler youth was created as Hitler wanted the children to continue his supposed 1000 year Reich. All anti-Nazis were fired and all remaining teachers had to join the Nazi teachers' league. Finally, the Catholic Church signed a â€Å"concordat† with the Nazis in June 1933. They agreed that the church would recognise the Nazi regime and the Nazis would not interfere with the churches beliefs and teachings. Overall, the process of Gleichschaltung further consolidated Hitler's power over Germany because he now controlled all of the organisations and institutions. This contributed towards the Nazis staying in power and shows that fear was not the only reason. The Nazis regime existed and was maintained not solely through dictatorship and terror. Many of the Nazis' policies were popular throughout Germany and the regime had a large amount of genuine support from many German people. †¦. WRITE SOMETHING HERE!! Hitler faced no real opposition, this was due to many different reasons. Organised opposition to the Nazis became almost impossible after the one-party state was created. Many Germans were happy to accept Hitler's rule and so there did not oppose as they provided a strong government. Nazi propaganda was extremely effective, the Nazis created the cult of Hitler, this emphasised the superiority of the Germans over other races. Finally, the protestant and catholic churches did not oppose the Nazis mainly because the Nazis had crushed the communists and they did not want to suffer the same fate. Almost all opposition had been demolished; this helped the Nazis stay in power as it prevented anyone from opposing and gave them no rivalry. There is no denying that fear played a central role in Hitler's maintain of power. The consolidation of power and the nazification process created a state which eliminated all possible opposition. The period of 1933-1939 was seen as a success for most Germans; Hitler was seen as responsible for restoring Germany's pride and had dealt with problems holding Germany down. By 1939, Hitler's popularity had increased and most Germans eagerly accepted Hitler, this was mainly due to fear but also due to the way Hitler had restored Germany and brought back respect.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Lord of the Flies as an Allegory Essay

The Lord of the Flies if read at face value can be interpreted as short book about the struggle to survive on a deserted island and its physical and psychological impacts on its inhabitants. But when the reader looks deeper, they see a novel that is an allegory that is filled with rich and detailed symbolism in almost all aspects of the book. An allegory is defined a type of writing that presents abstract ideas or moral principals in the form of symbolic characters, events, or objects. â€Å"The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature† (Golding 204). The novel begins as our protagonist wanders along the beach. Ralph represents leadership, order, and civilization for the island. He uses his power for the good of the people, especially to protect the â€Å"littluns.† The littluns represent the people ruled by a government. In their case, the â€Å"bigguns† (the older boys), take advantage of the little boys and soon neglect them entirely. As the conch was blown â€Å"A deep harsh note boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain† (Golding 17). Giving off a mighty sound, the conch also possessed the qualities of authority, unity, and power. When the society is formed, the boy who holds the conch is the only one allowed to speak. Jack first instituted this when he said â€Å"I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak† (Golding 33). As the story progresses, the conch looses its power and influence over the children and is eventually crushed when Piggy is trampled by a boulder. This marks the end of any democratic and civilized society on the island. Piggy represents intelligence and mortality. He acts with reason like a grownup would in his situation. Besides acting like a parent figure, Piggy also provides leadership before and after the tribe is split in half. â€Å"But nobody else understands that about the fire. If someone threw you a rope when you were drowning. If a doctor said take this because if you don’t take  it you’ll die- you would, wouldn’t you? Can’t they understand? Without the smoke signal we’ll die here?† (Golding 139). The signal fire is another symbol that changes to reflect the downward spiral of the children. The fire was instituted by Ralph and Piggy as an attempt to draw attention in hopes of rescue. The fire can be seen as a connection to civilization and as civilization itself. When the fire burns well at a normal pace, the island is at peace. â€Å"We’ve got no fire. That thing just sits up thereÆ’{ we’ll have to stay here† (Golding 129). But when the fire is out, the boys seen to loose interest in civilization and revert to primitive, savage beings, which cause problems for the fragile island society. Oddly the fire that brings about the boy’s rescue is not the signal fire, but a forest fire started by Jack to drive Ralph out into the open. The fire symbolizes power and the leadership of the tribe, as it provides warmth and heat for cooking. When Jack gains the ability to make fire, he seizes control of the tribe. Piggy’s glasses allow for the creation of all fire on the island. The glasses symbolize science and intelligence and their impacts on society. The glasses also play a pivotal role in the foreshadowing of the chaos that will eventually ensue on the island. â€Å"Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror: ‘My specs'† (Golding 71). The breaking of Piggy’s glasses can be considered the start of the events that will cause the island to descend into complete and inescapable chaos led by Jack’s anarchy. Jack Merridew represents a thirst for power and savagery comparable to primal instincts. Jack uses his power for pleasure only, slowly evolving into a total dictator by the time the tribe splits. â€Å"There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! I’m chief† (Golding 181). Jack cannot accept compromises in his authority and systematically takes part in, if not responsible for, the deaths of those who oppose him in his path to power. Jack uses the beast as a means to hunt more often and later gain power. The beast is nothing but the evil and primal instincts imbedded deep within all of us. Everyone on the island is afraid of it, while in reality it is simply does not exist. It appears that the more the boys act savagely, the more real the beast becomes. Soon the boys start to worship the beast and leave offerings to the beast. This head is for the beast. It’s a gift† (Golding 137). The lord of the flies is the gift left for the beast. It’s a bloody pig’s head on a stick. The lord of the flies is a physical manifestation of evil who invokes the inner beast within us all. When Simon speaks to the lord of the flies, its true nature is revealed. â€Å"You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you† (Golding 143). Throughout the story Golding uses his characters, objects and events as symbols to get a deeper meaning across. The book weaves a compelling tale of optimism against the darkest side of human evil. Even though the novel shows that evil in every person exists, the basic human goodness still appears to prevail when all is said and done. The Lord of the Flies is truly a modern classic with a message for everyone.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Atlas Copco

LibraryPirate This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www. engage. com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest. Principles of Supply Chain Management A BALANCED APPROACH 3e JOEL D. WISNER University of Nevada, Las Vegas †¢ KEAH-CHOON TAN University of Nevada, Las Vegas †¢ G. KEONG LEONG University of Nevada, Las Vegas Australia †¢ Brazil †¢ Japan †¢ Korea †¢ Mexico †¢ Singapore †¢ Spain †¢ United Kingdom †¢ United States Principles of Supply Chain Management, Third edition Joel D.Wisner, Keah-Choon Tan, G. Keong Leong Editorial Director: Jack W. Calhoun Sr. Acquisitions Editor: Charles McCormick, Jr. Developmental Editor: Daniel Noguera Editorial Assistant: Nora Heink Marketing Manager: Adam Marsh Media Editor: Chris Valentine Manufacturing Buyer: Miranda Klapper Production Service: PreMediaGlobal Sr. Art Director: Stacy Jenkins Shirley Cover Designer: Lou Ann Thesing Cover Image: iStock Photo  © 2012, 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written p ermission of the publisher.For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706 For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at cengage. com/permissions Further permissions questions can be emailed to [email  protected] com Library of Congress Control Number: 2010943343 ISBN 13: 978-0-538-47546-4 ISBN 10: 0-538-47546-3 South-Western 5191 Natorp Boulevard Mason, OH 45040 USA Cengage Learning products are represented in Canada by Nelson Education, Ltd.For your course and learning solutions, visit www. cengage. com Purchase any of our products at your local college store or at our preferred online store www. cengagebrain. com Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15 14 13 12 11 To CJ, Hayley and Blake. JOEL D. WISNER To Shaw Yun, Wen Hui and Wen Jay. KEAH-CHOON TAN To Lin and Michelle. G. KEONG LEONG Brief Contents Preface xv Acknowledgements xvii About the Au thors xviii Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Supply Chain Management: An Overview 1 Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 3Supply Issues in Supply Chain Management 35 Chapter Chapter Chapter 2 3 4 Purchasing Management 37 Creating and Managing Supplier Relationships 73 Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing 99 Operations Issues in Supply Chain Management 131 Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 5 6 7 8 Demand Forecasting 133 Resource Planning Systems 165 Inventory Management 207 Process Management—Lean and Six Sigma in the Supply Chain 249 Part 4 Distribution Issues in Supply Chain Management 297 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12Domestic U. S. and Global Logistics 299 Customer Relationship Management 343 Global Location Decisions 375 Service Response Logistics 401 Part 5 Integration Issues in Supply Chain Management 445 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Supply Chain Process Integration 447 Performance Measurement Along the Supply Chain 481 On the Companion Website Cases in Supply Chain Man agement Student and Instructor Materials iv Contents Preface xv Acknowledgements xvii About the Authors xviii Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview 1 Chapter 1Introduction to Supply Chain Management 3 Introduction 5 Supply Chain Management Defined 6 The Importance of Supply Chain Management 9 The Origins of Supply Chain Management in the U. S. 12 The Foundations of Supply Chain Management 15 Supply Elements 15 Operations Elements 17 Logistics Elements 19 Integration Elements 21 Current Trends in Supply Chain Management 22 Expanding (and Contracting) the Supply Chain 23 Increasing Supply Chain Responsiveness 24 The Greening of Supply Chains 25 Reducing Supply Chain Costs 26 Summary 28 Key Terms 28 Discussion Questions 28 Internet Questions 29 Appendix 1. : The Beer Game 30 Beer Game Questions and Exercises 34 Part 2 Supply Issues in Supply Chain Management 35 Chapter 2 Purchasing Management 37 Introduction 39 A Brief History of Purchasing Terms 39 The Role of Supply Management in an Organization 40 The Financial Significance of Supply Management 42 The Purchasing Process 43 The Manual Purchasing System 43 Electronic Procurement Systems (e-Procurement) 47 Small Value Purchase Orders 49 Sourcing Decisions: The Make-or-Buy Decision 53 Reasons for Buying or Outsourcing 54 v i Contents Chapter 3 Reasons for Making 54 Make-or-Buy Break-Even Analysis 55 Roles of Supply Base 57 Supplier Selection 57 How Many Suppliers to Use 60 Reasons Favoring a Single Supplier 60 Reasons Favoring Multiple Suppliers 61 Purchasing Organization 61 Advantages of Centralization 62 Advantages ofDecentralization 62 International Purchasing/Global Sourcing 63 Reasons for Global Sourcing 64 Potential Challenges for Global Sourcing 64 Countertrade 65 Procurement for Government/Nonprofit Agencies 65 Characteristics of Public Procurement 66 Summary 68 Key Terms 68 Discussion Questions 69 Internet Questions 70 Spreadsheet Problems 70 Creating and Managing Supplier Relationships 73 Introduct ion 75 Developing Supplier Relationships 75 Building Trust 76 Shared Vision and Objectives 76 Personal Relationships 76 Mutual Benefits and Needs 76 Commitment and Top Management Support 77 Change Management 77 Information Sharing and Lines of Communication 77 Capabilities 78 Performance Metrics 78 Continuous Improvement 81 Key Points 81 Supplier Evaluation and Certification 82 The Weighted Criteria Evaluation System 84 ISO 9000 87 ISO 14000 88 Supplier Development 89 Supplier Recognition Programs 91 Supplier Relationship Management 92 Summary 97 Key Terms 97 Discussion Questions 97 Contents vii Chapter 4Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing 99 Introduction 100 Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing Defined 102 Ethical Sourcing 102 Sustainable Sourcing 105 Developing Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing Strategies 109 Supply Base Rationalization Programs 111 Ethical and Sustainable Supplier Certification Programs 112 Outsourcing Products and Services 113 Insourcing 114 Co-sourcing 114 Early Suppli er Involvement 115 Vendor Managed Inventories 116 Supplier Co-location 117 Strategic Alliance Development 117 Negotiating Win-Win Strategic Alliance Agreements 119 Use of E-Procurement Systems 121 Rewarding Supplier Performance 123 Benchmarking Successful Sourcing Practices 124 Using Third-Party Supply Chain Management Services 125 Assessing and Improving the Firm’s Own Sourcing Function 126 Summary 128 Key Terms 128 Discussion Questions 128 Internet Questions 130 Part 3 Operations Issues in Supply Chain Management 131 Chapter 5 Demand Forecasting 133 Introduction 135 Demand Forecasting 136 Forecasting Techniques 137 Qualitative Methods 137 Quantitative Methods 138 Forecast Accuracy 147 Useful Forecasting Websites 150 Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment 150 Software Solutions 156 Forecasting Software 156 CPFR Software 161 Summary 162 Key Terms 162 Discussion Questions 162 Spreadsheet Problems 163 viii Contents Chapter 6 Chapter 7Resource Planning Systems 165 Introduction 166 Operations Planning 167 The Aggregate Production Plan 168 The Chase Production Strategy 169 The Level Production Strategy 171 Master Production Scheduling 173 Master Production Schedule Time Fence 174 Available-to-Promise Quantities 175 The Bill of Materials 178 Material Requirements Planning 181 Terms used in Material Requirements Planning 182 Capacity Planning 185 Capacity Strategy 186 Distribution Requirements Planning 187 The Legacy Material Requirements Planning Systems 187 Manufacturing Resource Planning 189 The Development of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 190 The Rapid Growth of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 192 Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning Systems 193 Advantages and Disadvantages of Enterprise Resource PlanningSystems 195 Enterprise Resource Planning System Advantages 195 Enterprise Resource Planning System Disadvantages 197 Enterprise Resource Planning Software Applications 197 Enterprise Resource Planning Software Providers 199 Summary 201 Key Terms 201 Discussion Questions 202 Internet Questions 203 Spreadsheet Problems 203 Inventory Management 207 Introduction 208 Dependent Demand and Independent Demand 210 Concepts and Tools of Inventory Management 210 The Functions and Basic Types of Inventory 211 Inventory Costs 211 Inventory Investment 212 The ABC Inventory Control System 213 Radio Frequency Identification 217 Inventory Models 222 The Economic Order Quantity Model 222 The Quantity Discount Model 227 Contents ix Chapter 8The Economic Manufacturing Quantity Model 228 The Statistical Reorder Point 234 The Continuous Review and the Periodic Review Inventory Systems 239 Summary 242 Key Terms 242 Discussion Questions 242 Internet Questions 243 Problems 243 Spreadsheet Problems 245 Process Management—Lean and Six Sigma in the Supply Chain 249 Introduction 250 Lean Production and the Toyota Production System 251 Lean Thinking and Supply Chain Management 255 The Elements of Lean 257 Waste Reduction 257 Lean Supply Chain Relationships 260 Lean Layouts 261 Inventory and Setup Time Reduction 262 Small Batch Scheduling 263 Continuous Improvement 266 Workforce Commitment 266 Lean Systems and the Environment 267 The Origins of Six Sigma Quality 268 Comparing Six Sigma and Lean 270 Lean Six 271 Six Sigma and Supply Chain Management 271 The Elements of Six Sigma 273 Deming’s Contributions 274 Crosby’s Contributions 274 Juran’s Contributions 274 The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award 276 The ISO 9000 and 14000 Families of Management Standards 279 The DMAIC Improvement Cycle 280 Six Sigma Training Levels 281 The Statistical Tools of Six Sigma 281 Flow Diagrams 281 Check Sheets 282 Pareto Charts 282 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams 284 Statistical Process Control 285 Summary 293 Key Terms 293 x Contents Discussion Questions 293 Internet Questions 295 Problems 295 Part 4 Distribution Issues in Supply Chain Management 297 Chapter 9 Domestic U. S. and Global Logistics 299 In troduction 301 The Fundamentals of Transportation 302 The Objective of Transportation 302 Legal Forms of Transportation 303 The Modes of Transportation 304 Intermodal Transportation 309 Transportation Pricing 310 Transportation Security 312 Transportation Regulation and Deregulation in the U. S. 14 Warehousing and Distribution 318 The Importance and Types of Warehouses 319 Risk Pooling and Warehouse Location 321 Lean Warehousing 324 The Impacts of Logistics on Supply Chain Management 325 Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Services 325 Other Transportation Intermediaries 328 Environmental Sustainability in Logistics 329 Logistics Management Software Applications 331 Transportation Management Systems 331 Warehouse Management Systems 332 Global Trade Management Systems 332 Global Logistics 333 Global Freight Security 333 Global Logistics Intermediaries 334 Foreign-Trade Zones 335 The North American Free Trade Agreement 335 Reverse Logistics 336 The Impact of Reverse Logistics on the Supply Ch ain 337 Reverse Logistics and the Environment 338 Summary 339 Key Terms 339 Discussion Questions 340 Internet Questions 341 Customer Relationship Management 343 Introduction 345 Customer Relationship Management Defined 346 CRM’s Role in Supply Chain Management 348 Key Tools and Components of CRM 349 Chapter 10 Contents xi Chapter 11Segmenting Customers 349 Predicting Customer Behaviors 351 Customer Value Determination 352 Personalizing Customer Communications 352 Automated Sales Force Tools 354 Managing Customer Service Capabilities 355 Designing and Implementing a Successful CRM Program 361 Creating the CRM Plan 362 Involving CRM Users from the Outset 362 Selecting the Right Application and Provider 363 Integrating Existing CRM Applications 364 Establishing Performance Measures 364 Training for CRM Users 365 Recent Trends in CRM 366 Customer Data Privacy 366 Social Media 367 Cloud Computing 369 Summary 371 Key Terms 371 Discussion Questions 371 Internet Questions 373 Global Location Decisions 375 Introduction 376 Global Location Strategies 377 Critical Location Factors 380 Regional Trade Agreements and the World Trade Organization 380 Competitiveness of Nations 382 The World Economic Forum’s 12 Pillars of Competitiveness 384 Government Taxes and Incentives 384 Currency Stability 386 Environmental Issues 386 Access and Proximity to Markets 387 Labor Issues 388 Access to Suppliers 388 Utility Availability and Cost 388 Quality-of-Life Issues 389 Right-to-Work Laws 390 Land Availability and Cost 390 Facility Location Techniques 391 The Weighted-Factor Rating Model 391 The Break-Even Model 391 Helpful On-Line Information for Location Analysis 392 Business Clusters 394 xii Contents Chapter 12Sustainable Development 396 Summary 398 Key Terms 398 Discussion Questions 398 Internet Questions 399 Spreadsheet Problems 399 Service Response Logistics 401 Introduction 403 An Overview of Service Operations 404 Service Productivity 405 Global Service Issues 406 Service Strategy Development 406 The Service Delivery System 408 Service Location and Layout Strategies 409 Supply Chain Management in Services 411 Service Quality and Customers 415 The Primary Concerns of Service Response Logistics 416 Managing Service Capacity 417 Managing Queue Times 423 Managing Distribution Channels 432 Managing Service Quality 436 Summary 439 Key Terms 439 Discussion Questions and Exercises 440 Problems 441 Internet Questions 443 Part 5 Integration Issues in Supply Chain Management 445 Chapter 13Supply Chain Process Integration 447 Introduction 449 The Supply Chain Management Integration Model 450 Identify Critical Supply Chain Trading Partners 450 Review and Establish Supply Chain Strategies 451 Align Supply Chain Strategies with Key Supply Chain Process Objectives 452 Develop Internal Performance Measures for Key Process Effectiveness 456 Assess and Improve Internal Integration of Key Supply Chain Processes 456 Develop Supply Chain Performance Measures for t he Key Processes 459 Assess and Improve External Process Integration and Supply Chain Performance 459 Extend Process Integration to Second-Tier Supply Chain Partners 460 Contents xiii Chapter 14 Re-evaluate the Integration Model Annually 461 Obstacles To Process Integration Along The Supply Chain 461 The Silo Mentality 462 Lack of Supply Chain Visibility 463 Lack of Trust 465 Lack of Knowledge 467 Activities Causing the Bullwhip Effect 467 Managing Supply Chain Risk And Security 470 Managing Supply Chain Risk 470 Managing Supply Chain Security 474 Summary 478 Key Terms 478 Discussion Questions 478 Internet Questions 479 Performance Measurement Along the Supply Chain 481 Introduction 483 Viewing the Supply Chain as a Competitive Force 484 Understanding End Customers 484Understanding Supply Chain Partner Requirements 485 Adjusting Supply Chain Member Capabilities 485 Traditional Performance Measures 486 Use of Organization Costs, Revenue and Profitability Measures 486 Use of Performan ce Standards and Variances 487 Use of Firm-Wide Productivity and Utilization Measures 488 World-Class Performance Measurement Systems 490 Developing World-Class Performance Measures 490 Supply Chain Performance Measurement Systems 491 Supply Chain Environmental Performance 494 Specific Supply Chain Performance Measures 495 The Balanced Scorecard 496 Web-Based Scorecards 498 The SCOR Model 499 Summary 504 Key Terms 504 Discussion Questions 504 Internet Questions 506 Appendix 1 Areas under the Normal Curve 507 Appendix 2 Answers to Selected End-of-Chapter Problems 508 xiv Contents Glossary 511 References 524 Endnotes 528 Author Index 556 Subject Index 557 On the Companion Website Cases in Supply Chain ManagementPart Part Part Part 2 3 4 5 Cases Cases Cases Cases Student and Instructor Materials Preface Welcome to the third edition of Principles of Supply Chain Management: A Balanced Approach. The practice of supply chain management is becoming widespread in all industries around the g lobe today, and both small and large firms are realizing the benefits provided by effective supply chain management. We think this text is unique in that it uses a novel and logical approach to present discussions of this topic from four perspectives: purchasing, operations, logistics and the integration of processes within these three vitally important areas of the firm and between supply chain trading partners.We think this book is somewhat different than the other supply chain management texts available, since we present a more balanced view of the topic—many of the texts available today concentrate primarily on just one of the three areas of purchasing, operations or logistics. The objective of the book is to make readers think about how supply chain management impacts all of the areas and processes of the firm and its supply chain partners, and to show how managers can improve their firm’s competitive position by employing the practices we describe throughout the text. Junior- or senior-level business students, beginning MBA students, as well as practicing managers can benefit from reading and using this text. There are a number of additions to this third edition that we hope you will find interesting and useful. There is a greater emphasis on environmental sustainability throughout the text.In addition, each chapter contains new Supply Chain Management in Action, e-Business Connection, and Global Perspective features, along with new references throughout and new or additional end-of-chapter discussion questions and exercises. Other specific additions and changes to the text are described below. The textbook also comes with a dedicated website containing dozens of teaching cases split among each section of the book. Most of the case companies and situations are real, while others are fictional, and the cases vary from easy to difficult and short to long. Also on the website is a guide to supply chain management videos along with the YouTube Website addresses for each video. Finally, Power Point lecture slides are available for downloading.Part of the website is protected and for instructors only, and this site contains sample syllabi, case teaching notes, answers to all of the end-of-chapter questions and problems, and a test bank. In the Chapter 1 Appendix, there is a discussion of the Beer Game, with inventory tracking sheets to allow instructors to actually play the game with their students. Finally, there are quantitative as well as qualitative problems and questions, Internet exercises and Excel problems spread throughout most of the chapters. Part 1 is the overview and introduction of the topic of supply chain management. This chapter introduces the basic understanding and concepts of supply chain management, and should help students realize the importance of this topic.Core concepts such as the bullwhip effect, supplier relationship management, forecasting and demand management, enterprise resource planning, tra nsportation management and customer relationship management are discussed. There is also a new section on current trends in supply chain management. Part 2 presents supply issues in supply chain management. This very important topic is covered in three chapters, building from an introduction to purchasing management, xv xvi Preface to managing supplier relationships and then to ethical and sustainable sourcing. Within these chapters can be found sections on government purchasing, global sourcing, e-procurement, software applications, supplier development and green purchasing. Part 3 includes four chapters regarding operations issues in supply chain management.This section progresses from topics on forecasting, resource planning and inventory management to lean production and Six Sigma. New sections in Part 3 include a greater emphasis on collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR); discussions of distribution requirements planning (DRP) and radio frequency identifi cation (RFID); and finally discussions of the latest lean production and Six Sigma programs. Part 4 presents distribution issues in supply chain management and consists of four chapters. Chapter 9 is a review of domestic U. S. and international logistics and contains new sections on green transportation, international logistics security and reverse logistics.This is followed by chapters on customer relationship management, global location decisions and service response logistics. New content in these chapters includes new software application discussions, trends in customer relationship management, new location trends in the global economy and cloud computing services. The final section is Part 5, which presents discussions of the integration issues in supply chain management and performance measurements along the supply chain. While cooperation and integration are frequently referred to in the text, this section brings the entire text into focus, tying all of the parts together, fi rst by discussing integration in detail, followed by a discussion of traditional and world-class performance measurement systems.New material here includes the topics of supply chain risk management and expanded coverage of performance measurement models. We think we have compiled a very interesting set of supply chain management topics that will keep readers engaged and we hope you enjoy it. We welcome your comments and suggestions for improvement. Please direct all comments and questions to: Joel D. Wisner: joel. [email  protected] edu (primary contact), Keah-Choon Tan: [email  protected] nevada. edu, or G. Keong Leong: keong. [email  protected] edu Acknowledgements We greatly appreciate the efforts of a number of fine and hard-working people at Cengage Learning/South-Western College Publishing. Without their feedback and guidance, this text would not have been completed.The team members are Charles E. McCormick, Jr. , Senior Acquisitions Editor; Adam Marsh, Marketing Manage r; and Daniel Noguera, our Associate Developmental Editor and day-to-day contact person. A number of other people at Cengage Learning and South-Western also need to be thanked including Stacy Shirley, Chris Valentine and Libby Shipp. We also would like to thank Katy Gabel and her people at PreMediaGlobal who put the manuscript into final copy form. Additionally, we would like to thank all of the case writers who contributed their cases to this textbook. Their names, along with their contact information, are printed with each of the cases on the website.As with any project of this size and time span, there are certain to be a number of people who gave their time and effort to this textbook, and yet their names were inadvertently left out of these acknowledgments. We apologize for this and wish to thank you here. xvii About the Authors Joel D. Wisner is Professor of Supply Chain Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexi co State University in 1976 and his MBA from West Texas State University in 1986. During that time, Dr. Wisner worked as an engineer for Union Carbide at their Oak Ridge, Tennessee facility and then worked in the oil industry in the wet and green Louisiana Gulf Coast area and also in the dry and sandy West Texas area.In 1991, he earned his PhD in Operations and Logistics Management from Arizona State University. He holds certifications in transportation and logistics (CTL) and in purchasing management (C. P. M. ). He is currently keeping busy teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in supply chain management at UNLV. His research and case writing interests are in process assessment and improvement strategies along the supply chain. His articles have appeared in numerous journals including Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Journal of Transportation, Production and Operations Management Journal, and Business Case J ournal.More information about Dr. Wisner can be found at his website: http://faculty. unlv. edu/wisnerj. Keah-Choon Tan is Professor of Operations Management and Chair of the Marketing Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received a BSc degree and an MBA from the University of South Alabama, and a PhD in Operations Management from Michigan State University. He is a certified purchasing manager of the Institute for Supply Management, and is certified in production and inventory management by the APICS. He has published articles in the area of supply chain management, quality, and operations scheduling in academic journals and magazines. Prior to academia, Dr.Tan was a hospital administrator and an account comptroller of a manufacturing firm. He has served as co-track chair and on various committees for the Decision Sciences Institute. He has also served as editor, co-guest editor and on the editorial boards of academic journals. Dr. Tan has received several research grants and teaching awards, including the UNLV Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award. G. Keong Leong is Professor and Chair of the Management Department in the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malaya and an MBA and PhD from the University of South Carolina.He was previously a member of the faculty at Ohio State University and a visiting faculty at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. His publications appear in academic journals such as Journal of Operations Management, Decision Sciences, Interfaces, Journal of Management, European Journal of Operational Research and International Journal of Production Research, among others. He has co-authored three books including Operations Strategy: Focusing Competitive Excellence and Cases in International Management: A Focus on Emerging Markets and received research and teaching awards including an Educator of the Year award from the Asian Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas.He has been active in the Decision Sciences Institute, serving as President, Editor of Decision Line, At-Large VicePresident, Chair of the Innovative Education Committee, Chair of the Doctoral Student xviii About the Authors xix Affairs Committee and Manufacturing Management Track Chair. In addition, he served as Chair of the Professional Development Workshop and Chair of the Operations Management Division, Academy of Management. Professor Leong is listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers, Marquis Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in American Education. This page intentionally left blank Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 1 This page intentionally left blank Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENTGiven how quickly and continuously everything is changing these days, it is essential to understand analytically the functioning of supply chains and to be able to know what strategies will produce the best results. This requires greater attention to creating supply chain solutions that are effective and efficient. 1 Growth is our mantra as an organization. We know that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. So we have to make sure that in the supply chain organization, we’re positioning ourself for that growth. 2 Learning Objectives After completing this chapter, you should be able to †¢ Describe a supply chain and define supply chain management. †¢ Describe the objectives and elements of supply chain management. Describe local, regional and global supply chain management activities. †¢ Describe a brief history and current trends in supply chain management. †¢ Understand the bullwhip effect and how it impacts the supply chain. Chapter Outline Introduction Supply Chain Management Defined The Importance of Supply Chain Management The Origins of Supply Chain M anagement in the U. S. The Foundations of Supply Chain Management Current Trends in Supply Chain Management Summary 3 4 Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview Supply Chain Management Where Does the Coal Go? in Action At the same time most every year my dad would be asking, â€Å"But where does the coal go? We’d be on our family vacations on Lake Erie, and as a lover of ships, he’d closely observe the comings and goings of the big freighters that moved iron ore, coal, coke and other materials east and west across the Great Lakes. He’d explain to me why certain ships rode heavy (low in the water and very slow) or light (high in the water and very fast), and what materials were in the ones coming from the west, where they came from and what part they played in making steel— and in turn, what was carried in the bowels of these giant ships, some of them 1,000 feet long. One of those cargoes was coal, and the coal-bearing freighters would always pull in a nd unload at the harbor three miles east of us.But the one piece of this shipping and transfer and delivery and supply puzzle that my dad couldn’t quite figure out was what happened to the coal after it was unloaded at the harbor in Conneaut, Ohio. Oh, he knew what its ultimate fate would be and the role it would play in making steel or other products, but he couldn’t figure out the physical steps involved with the movement of that coal inside the harbor, and that really bugged him. He and I would try to find secluded roads leading into the back of this enormous industrial harbor so we could see where the coal went, but we’d always be caught short by fences bearing grim warnings. We tried hiking in from the far shore, hacking our way through thick woods, but always the fence would stop us.So I took my fellow seeker on a surprise outing. We parked at the little airport in Erie, Pennsylvania, where I’d chartered a private plane. For the next couple of hours , the pilot flew us all over Lake Erie, swooping down over the decks of some of the freighters as they made their way across the lake and circling a few times over the Conneaut harbor. I’ll never forget the sight or sound of my dad triumphantly laughing and slapping his knee as he looked out the window at the massive expanse of the harbor that we’d never been able to see from the ground as he said, â€Å"Now I see where the coal goes! † We had to go a half mile up in the air to get the perspective we needed, but we got it.He saw the railroad shunt that moved the coal from the ships to huge machines that transferred it to a massive web of railroad cars that linked up with rail lines heading south and thence all over the country. I suspect at some level he always knew this is what went on, but he had to see it; he had to really know; he had to be able to tangibly put into place that last piece of the puzzle that ran across thousands of miles of water and rail line s and touched hundreds of industries. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently because companies of all sorts seem to be striving for the same kind of end-to-end view of their businesses, from their farthest-flung suppliers through their partners to their customers and even out to their customers’ customers.The need to know, to really know and to have end-to-end vision, is becoming increasingly vital in this business world that moves and changes so rapidly. Thanks for indulging me in this mostly personal tale of end-to-end vision. I’d like to close by adding that several weeks after our plane ride, my dad died quite unexpectedly. But before he left us, he got to see where the coal went. Source: Evans, B. , â€Å"Remembering My Dad,† InformationWeek, July 26, 2010: 6–7. Used with permission. Bob Evans is senior VP and director of InformationWeek’s Global CIO unit. Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 5 Introduction Operating successfully today requires organizations to become much more involved with their suppliers and customers.As global markets expand and competition increases, making products and services that customers want means that businesses must pay closer attention to where materials come from, how their suppliers’ products and services are designed, produced and transported, how their own products and services are produced and distributed to customers, and what their direct customers and the end-product consumers really want. Over the past twenty-plus years, many large firms or conglomerates have found that effectively managing all of the business units of a vertically integrated firm—a firm whose business boundaries include former suppliers and/or customers—is quite difficult. Consequently, firms are selling off many business units and otherwise paring down their organization to focus more on core capabilities, while trying to create alliances or strategic partnerships w ith suppliers, transportation and warehousing companies, distributors and other customers who are good at what they do.This collaborative approach to making and distributing products and services to customers is becoming the most effective and efficient way for firms to stay successful—and is central to the practice of supply chain management (SCM). Several factors require today’s firms to work together more effectively than ever before. Communication and information exchange through computer networks using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (discussed further in Chapter 6) and the Internet have made global teamwork not only possible but necessary for firms to compete in most markets. Communication technology continues to change rapidly, making global partnerships and teamwork much easier than ever before.Competition is expanding rapidly in all industries and in all markets around the world, bringing new materials, products, people and resources together, makin g it more difficult for the local, individually owned, â€Å"mom-and-pop† shops to keep customers. The recent global economic recession has made customers more cost-conscious while simultaneously seeking higher levels of quality and service, which is requiring organizations to find even better ways to compete. New markets are opening up as governments change and as consumers around the world learn of new products from television, the Internet, radio and contact with tourists. Customers are demanding more socially responsible and environmentally-friendly activities from organizations.Considering all of these changes to the environment, it is indeed an exciting time for companies seeking to develop new products, find new customers and compete more successfully. New jobs and opportunities are opening up in the areas of purchasing, operations, logistics and supply chain management as firms build better competitive infrastructures. As you read this textbook, you will be introduced to the concepts of supply chain management and how to use these concepts to become better managers in today’s global economy. We use examples throughout the text to illustrate the topics discussed; and we provide online cases for each section of the textbook to enable you to test your problem-solving, decision-making and writing skills in supply chain management.We hope that by the end of the text you will have gained an appreciation of the value of supply chain management and will be able to apply what you have learned, both in your profession and in future courses in supply chain management. In this chapter, the term supply chain management is defined, including a discussion of its importance, history and developments to date. The chapter ends with a look at some of the current trends in supply chain management. 6 Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview Supply Chain Management Defined To understand supply chain management, one must begin with a discussion of a supply c hain; a generic one is shown in Figure 1. 1.The supply chain shown in the figure starts with firms extracting raw materials from the ground—such as iron ore, oil, wood and food items—and then selling these to raw material suppliers such as lumber companies, steel mills and raw food distributors. These firms, acting on purchase orders and specifications they have received from component manufacturers, turn the raw materials into materials that are usable by these customers (materials like sheet steel, aluminum, copper, lumber and inspected foodstuffs). The component manufacturers, responding to orders and specifications from their customers (the final product manufacturers) make and sell intermediate components (electrical wire, fabrics, plumbing items, nuts and bolts, molded plastic components, processed foods).The final product manufacturers (companies like Boeing, General Motors, Coca-Cola) assemble finished products and sell them to wholesalers or distributors, who then resell these products to retailers as their product orders are received. Retailers in turn sell these products to us, the end-product consumers. Consumers buy products based on a combination of cost, quality, availability, maintainability and reputation factors, and then hope the purchased products satisfy their requirements and expectations. The companies, along with their supply chains, that can provide all of these desired things will ultimately be successful. Along the supply chain, intermediate and end customers may need to return products, obtain warranty repairs or may just throw products away or recycle them.These reverse logistics activities are also included in the supply chain, and are discussed further in Chapter 9. Figure 1. 1 A Generic Supply Chain Product & service flow Recycling & returns Raw material Suppliers/mfgs. Second-tier suppliers Intermediate component mfgs. First-tier suppliers Wholesalers, distributors Transportation & storage activities End-product m anufacturer (focal firm) First-tier customers Retailers Second-tier customers End-product consumers Information/planning/activity integration Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 7 Referring again to Figure 1. 1, the firm in the middle of the figure is referred to as the focal firm, and the direct suppliers and customers of the focal firm are first-tier suppliers and customers.The first-tier suppliers’ suppliers are thus the focal firm’s second-tier suppliers, and the first-tier customers’ customers are the focal firm’s second-tier customers. Some supply chains, such as an automobile supply chain, might have many tiers, while others such as a law office, might have very few tiers. While the focal firm is presented here and in other chapter discussions as an end-product assembly firm, it can be any of the firms involved in the supply chain, depending on the frame of reference of the manager viewing the diagram. Thus, the series of companies ev entually making products and services available to consumers—including all of the functions enabling the production, delivery and recycling of materials, components, end products and services—is called a supply chain.Companies with multiple products likely have multiple supply chains. All products and services reach their customers via some type of supply chain—some much larger, longer and more complex than others. Some may involve foreign suppliers or markets. With this idea of a supply chain in mind, then, it is easy to come to the realization that there really is only one true source of income for all supply chain organizations—the supply chain’s end customers. Steve Darendinger, vice president of advanced sourcing and supply chain strategy for Cisco Systems of California, says the key to developing effective supply chain management programs is keeping the customer in mind. The things that we do within our supply chain are driven around customer success,† he says. â€Å"We provide opportunities and solutions for customers. †3 When individual firms in a supply chain make business decisions while ignoring the interests of the end customer and other chain members, these suboptimal decisions transfer risks, costs and additional waiting time along the supply chain, ultimately leading to higher end-product prices, lower supply chain service levels and eventually lower end-customer demand. A number of other companies are also indirectly involved in most supply chains, and they play a very important role in the eventual delivery of end products to customers.These are the many service providers, such as trucking and airfreight shipping companies, information system providers, public warehousing firms, freight forwarders, agents and consultants. These service providers are extremely useful to the primary firms in most supply chains, since they can help to get products where they need to be in a timely fashion, allow buy ers and sellers to communicate effectively, allow firms to serve outlying markets, enable firms to save money on domestic and global shipments, and in general allow firms to adequately serve their customers at the lowest possible cost. So now that a general description of a supply chain has been provided, what is supply chain management (SCM)? A number of definitions are available in the literature and among various professional associations.A few of these are provided here from three organizations connected to the practice of supply chain management: †¢ The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines supply chain management as: â€Å"The planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers and customers. †4 †¢ The I nstitute for Supply Management (ISM) describes supply chain management as: â€Å"The design and management of seamless, value-added processes across organizational boundaries to meet the real needs of the end customer. †5 8 Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview The Singapore-based Logistics & Supply Chain Management Society defines supply chain management as: â€Å"The coordinated set of techniques to plan and execute all steps in the global network used to acquire raw materials from vendors, transform them into finished goods, and deliver both goods and services to customers. †6 Consistent across these definitions is the idea of coordinating or integrating a number of goods- and services-related activities among supply chain participants to improve operating efficiencies, quality and customer service among the collaborating organizations. Thus, for supply chain management to be successful, firms must work together by sharing information on things like demand for ecasts, production plans, capacity changes, new marketing strategies, new product and service developments, new technologies employed, purchasing plans, delivery dates and anything else impacting the firm’s purchasing, production and distribution plans.In theory, supply chains work as a cohesive, singularly competitive unit, accomplishing what many large, vertically integrated firms have tried and failed to accomplish. The difference is that independent firms in a supply chain are relatively free to enter and leave supply chain relationships if these relationships are no longer proving beneficial; it is this free market alliance-building that allows supply chains to operate more effectively than vertically integrated conglomerates. For example, when a particular material or product is in short supply accompanied by rising prices, a firm may find it beneficial to align itself with one of these suppliers to ensure continued supply of the scarce item.This alignment may become be neficial to both parties—new markets for the supplier leading to new, future product opportunities; and long-term continuity of supply and stable prices for the buyer. Later, when new competitors start producing the scarce product or when demand declines, the supplier may no longer be valued by the buying firm; instead, the firm may see more value in negotiating with other potential suppliers for its purchase requirements and may then decide to dissolve the original buyer–supplier alignment. As can be seen from this example, supply chains are often very dynamic or fluid, which can also cause problems in effectively managing them.While supply chain management may allow organizations to realize the advantages of vertical integration, certain conditions must be present for successful supply chain management to occur. Perhaps the single most important prerequisite is a change in the corporate cultures of all participating firms in the supply chain to make them conducive to supply chain management. More traditional organizational cultures that emphasize short-term, company-focused performance in many ways conflict with the objectives of supply chain management. Supply chain management focuses on positioning organizations in such a way that all participants in the supply chain benefit. Thus, effective supply chain management relies on high levels of trust, cooperation, collaboration and honest, accurate communications.Purchasing, operations, logistics and transportation managers not only must be equipped with the necessary expertise in these critical supply chain functions but also must appreciate and understand how these functions interact and affect the entire supply chain. Rebecca Morgan, president of Fulcrum Consulting Works, an Ohio-based supply chain management consulting firm, says too many companies go into agreements they call partnerships and then try to control the relationship from end to end. â€Å"A lot of the automotive companies did th is in the beginning,† she says. â€Å"They issued a unilateral ultimatum: you will do this for me if you want to do business with me, no matter Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 9 what it means for you. 7 This type of supply chain management approach can lead to distrust, poor performance, finding ways to â€Å"beat the system† and ultimately loss of customers. Boundaries of supply chains are also dynamic. It has often been said that supply chain boundaries for the focal firm extend from â€Å"the suppliers’ suppliers to the customers’ customers. † Today, most firms’ supply chain management efforts do not extend beyond those boundaries. In fact, in many cases, firms find it very difficult to extend coordination efforts beyond a few of their most important direct suppliers and customers (in one survey, a number of firm representatives stated that most of their supply chain efforts were with the firm’s internal suppliers and customers only! ). However, with time and successful initial results, many firms are extending the boundaries of their supply chains to include their second-tier suppliers and customers, logistics service companies, as well as non-domestic suppliers and customers. Some of the firms considered to be the best at managing their supply chains have very recognizable names: Procter & Gamble, Cisco Systems, Wal-Mart, Apple Computers, PepsiCo and Toyota Motor. The Importance of Supply Chain Management While all firms are part of a chain of organizations bringing products and services to customers (and most firms operate within a number of supply chains), certainly not all supply chains are managed in any truly coordinated fashion.Firms continue to operate independently in many industries (particularly small firms). It is often easy for managers to be focused solely on their immediate customers, their daily operations, their sales and their profits. After all, with customers complaining , employees to train, late supplier deliveries, creditors to pay and equipment to repair, who has time for relationship building and other supply chain management efforts? Particularly within this most recent economic downturn, firms may be struggling to just keep their doors open. Many firms, though, have worked through their economic problems and are encountering some value-enhancing benefits from their supply chain management efforts.Firms with large system inventories, many suppliers, complex product assemblies and highly valued customers with large purchasing budgets have the most to gain from the practice of supply chain management. For these firms, even moderate supply chain management success can mean lower purchasing and inventory carrying costs, better product quality and higher levels of customer service—all leading to more sales. According to the U. S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufactures, the total cost of all materials purchased in 2008 exceeded $3. 2 trillion among U. S. manufacturers, up from $2. 2 trillion in 2000. Additionally, fuel purchases among manufacturers in the U. S. otaled $63 billion, up 10 percent from just the previous year due to rising fuel prices. 9 Thus it can easily be seen that purchasing, inventory and transportation cost savings can be quite sizable for firms utilizing effective supply chain management strategies. In fact, in a 2009 Global Survey of Supply Chain Progress conducted by Michigan State University, almost two-thirds of the respondents reported the existence of an â€Å"official† supply chain management group within the firm with jurisdiction over activities like logistics, sourcing and performance measurement. Additionally, about 70 percent of the respondents reported that their supply chain initiatives had either reduced costs or improved revenues. 0 In some cases firms hire a company knowledgeable in supply chain management activities to help the firm develop its own capabilities , and to get the benefits much faster. The Global Perspective feature describes global security system 10 Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview Global Perspective How Diebold Learned to Manage Its Supply Chains In 2006, the senior management at Diebold established an aggressive set of cost savings goals as part of its Smart Business 200 program. And the Canton, Ohio, company’s supply chain organization was expected to contribute a significant portion to the $200 million savings goal through consolidation, optimization and process improvements. We knew the opportunity was there but we didn’t have the scale of resources or the access to industry best practices† to meet those goals, says Paul Dougherty, strategic procurement manager in Diebold’s global procurement organization. In short, he knew Diebold needed outside help and brought in a fourth-party logistics provider (4PL), Menlo Logistics, to do a full supply chain assessment. â€Å"We actually us ed to have a map on the wall in one of our procurement conference rooms that depicted each known storage location marked with a pin. There were literally hundreds of excessive, disparate stocking locations with limited or no real-time visibility of inventory positioning, turnover cycles or valuation,† says Dougherty.Based on evaluation of this core mission alignment and a mandate to achieve aggressive savings goals, Diebold chose to have the infrastructure services provided by a 3PL and the more strategic initiatives developed and implemented by a 4PL. To guide its 4PL implementation, Diebold established a Logistics Directorate team with extensive experience across the supply chain. â€Å"Today, the map we used to have on the wall is gone and we have consolidated most of that inventory into two distribution centers using a warehouse management system with detailed visibility at the transaction level,† says Dougherty. The primary objective of Menlo’s 4PL work is t o drive bottom line, year-over-year net cost reductions to Diebold while improving its service levels, which is no small task. There was a lot of low hanging fruit at the outset and the initial emphasis was consolidating inventory and establishing a flexible, cost-effective, distribution network,† says Dougherty. Gradually, Diebold placed increased reliance on its internal expertise to manage its regional warehousing while looking to Menlo 4PL for continuous engineering improvements to the supply chain network design. The allocation of specific duties is a collaborative effort based on constantly evolving requirements. To date, Menlo has successfully achieved its annual savings goals. Source: Hannon, D. , â€Å"Signs that Your Company May Need a 4PL Intervention,† Purchasing, V. 139, No. 2 (2010): 16. Used with permission. anufacturer Diebold’s choice of a company to do just that, with great and quick success. Today, they still use their fourth-party logistics pr ovider (4PL) company (a company hired to manage all of a firm’s logistics and supply chain management capabilities) but have also developed internal skills in managing their supply chains. Managers must realize that their supply chain management efforts can start small— for instance, with just one key supplier—and build through time to include more supply chain participants such as other important suppliers, key customers and logistics services. Finally, supply chain management efforts can include second-tier suppliers and customers. So why are these integration activities so important?As alluded to earlier, when a firm, its customers and its suppliers all know each others’ future plans and are willing to work together, the planning process is easier and much more productive, in Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 11 Example 1. 1 Grebson Manufacturing’s Supply Chain The Pearson Bearings Co. makes roller bearings for Grebson Manufactur ing on an as-needed basis. For the upcoming quarter, they have forecasted Grebson’s roller bearing demand to be 25,000 units. Since Grebson’s demand for bearings from Pearson has been somewhat erratic in the past due to the number of bearing companies competing with Pearson and also the fluctuation of demand from Grebson’s customers, Pearson’s roller bearing forecast includes 5,000 units of safety stock.The steel used in Pearson Bearings’ manufacturing process is usually purchased from Rogers Steels, Inc. Rogers Steels has, in turn, forecasted Pearson’s quarterly demand for the high-carbon steel it typically purchases for roller bearings. The forecast also includes safety stock of about 20 percent over what Rogers Steels expects to sell to Pearson over the next three months. This short description has exposed several problems occurring in most supply chains. Because Pearson does not know with full confidence what Grebson’s roller bear ing demand will be for the upcoming quarter (it could be zero, or it could exceed 25,000 units), Pearson will incur the extra costs of producing and holding 5,000 units of safety stock.Additionally, Pearson risks having to either scrap, sell or hold onto any units not sold to Grebson, as well as losing current and future sales to Grebson if their demand exceeds 25,000 units over the next quarter. Rogers Steels faces the same dilemma—extra materials, labor costs and warehouse space for safety stock along with the potential stockout costs of lost present and future sales. Additionally, Grebson’s historic demand pattern for roller bearings from its suppliers already includes some safety stock, since it uses roller bearings in one of the products it makes for a primary customer. terms of cost savings, quality improvements and service enhancements. A fictitious example is provided in Example 1. 1. Example 1. illustrates some of the costs associated with independent planning and lack of supply chain information sharing and coordination. Grebson’s safety stock, which they have built into their roller bearing purchase orders, has resulted in still additional safety stock production levels at the Pearson plant. In fact, some of the erratic purchasing patterns of Grebson are probably due to their leftover safety stocks causing lower purchase quantities during those periods. This, in turn, creates greater demand variability, leading to a decision at Pearson to produce an even higher level of safety stock. This same scenario plays out between Pearson and Rogers Steels, with erratic buying patterns by Pearson and further safety stock production by Rogers.If the supply chain were larger, this magnification of safety stock, based on erratic demand patterns and forecasts derived from demand already containing safety stock, would continue as orders pass to more distant suppliers up the chain. This supply chain forecasting, safety stock and production probl em is known as the bullwhip effect. If Grebson Manufacturing knew its customers’ purchase plans for the coming quarter along with how their purchase plans were derived, it would be much more confident about what the upcoming demand was going to be, resulting in little, if any, safety stock required. And consequently it would be able to communicate its own purchase plans for roller bearings to Pearson.If Grebson purchased its roller bearings from only Pearson and, further, told Pearson what their quarterly purchase plans were, and if Pearson did likewise with Rogers, safety stocks throughout the supply chain would be reduced drastically, driving down the costs of purchasing, producing and carrying roller bearings at each stage. This discussion also sets the stage for a supply chain management concept called collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment, discussed further in Chapter 5. 12 Part 1 Supply Chain Management: An Overview The result includes lower supply chain costs and better customer service (remember, there would be few, if any, stockouts if purchase quantities were decided ahead of time and shipping companies delivered on time; additionally, production quantities would be less, reducing purchase costs and production time).Trade estimates suggest that the bullwhip effect results in excess costs on the order of 12 to 25 percent at each firm in the supply chain, which can be a tremendous competitive disadvantage. Lower costs resulting from reducing the bullwhip effect can also result in better quality, since potentially higher profit margins mean more investment into materials research, better production methods and use of more reliable transportation and storage facilities. Additionally, as working relationships throughout the supply chain mature, suppliers will feel more comfortable investing capital in better facilities, better products and better services for their customers.With time, customers will share more information with supp liers and suppliers will be more likely to participate in their key customers’ new product design efforts, for instance. These, then, become some of the more important benefits of a wellintegrated supply chain. In the following chapters, other associated benefits will also become apparent. The Origins of Supply Chain Management in the U. S. During the 1950s and 1960s, U. S. manufacturers were employing mass production techniques to reduce costs and improve productivity, while relatively little attention was typically paid to creating supplier partnerships, improving process design and flexibility, Table 1. 1Historic Supply Chain Management Events in the United States Increased supply chain capabilities Supply chain relationship formation, sustainability, social responsibility JIT, TQM, BPR, supplier and customer alliances Inventory management, MRP, MRPII and cost containment Traditional mass manufacturing 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Future Note: MRP = material require ments planning, JIT = just-in-time, TQM = total quality management, BPR = business process reengineering. Chapter 1 Introduction to Supply Chain Management 13 or improving product quality (see Table 1. 1). New product design and development was slow and relied exclusively on in-house resources, technologies and capacity.Sharing technology and expertise through strategic buyer–supplier partnerships was essentially unheard of back then. Processes on the factory floor were cushioned with inventory to keep machinery running and maintain balanced material flows, resulting in large investments in work-in-process inventories. In the 1960s and 1970s, computer technologies began to flourish and material requirements planning (MRP) software applications and manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) software applications were developed. These systems allowed companies to see the importance of effective materials management—they could now recognize and quantify the impact of high le vels of inventories on manufacturing, storage and transportation costs.As computer capabilities grew, the sophistication of inventory tracking software also grew, making it possible to further reduce inventory costs while improving internal communication of the need for purchased parts and supplies. The 1980s were the breakout years for supply chain management. One of the first widely recorded uses of the term supply chain management came about in a paper published in 1982. 11 Intense global competition beginning in the 1980s (and continuing today) provided an incentive for U. S. manufacturers to offer lower-cost, higher-quality products along with higher levels of customer service. Manufacturers utilized just-in-time (JIT) and total quality management (TQM) strategies to improve quality, manufacturing efficiency and delivery times.In a JIT manufacturing environment with little inventory to cushion scheduling and/or production problems, firms began to realize the potential benefits and importance of strategic and cooperative supplier-buyer-customer relationships, which are the foundation of SCM. The concept of these partnerships or alliances emerged as manufacturers experimented with JIT and TQM. As competition in the U. S. intensified further in the 1990s, accompanied by increasing logistics and inventory costs and the trend toward market globalization, the challenges associated with improving quality, manufacturing efficiency, customer service and new product design and development also increased.To deal with these challenges, manufacturers began purchasing from a select number of certified, high-quality suppliers with excellent service reputations and involved these suppliers in their new product d