Re-Organization and Layoffs Solutions Paper Essay

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported, from January 2011 through December 2013, 4.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least three years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was down from 6.1 million workers for the prior survey period covering January 2009 to December 2011. With this displacement, it has led to problems such as homelessness, depression, murder, suicide, broken families, and much more. Our group has put their heads together to come up with creative ways to cut down on many of the problems that occur from being displaced. Two potential creative solutions that were selected were giving a thirty-day notice to all employees, and put in place an outreach program to assist in coping better with the situation. If employees are displaced for any reason whether the fault of their own or the business, they should be informed, with a thirty-day notice. No employee regardless of the situation should be displaced from their jobs and possibly from their homes and families. Many people go through situations that may cause them to not work up to their potential or they may have gotten distracted because of life itself. No one should have to suffer because of this. Providing outreach services to displaced employees is very important. One good solution could possibly be that companies have designated personnel for this task, also that these personnel have training. This training would involve some types of different aspects of the layoff of the employee. What the training should include? How to handle emotional people, and any precautions that are taken when this occurs. The training is vital along with having  reoccurring refresher training resources. Having the correct people delivering the message is important. Everyone is human and no matter how much training a person has attended, there are still human error and communication issues. It isn’t easy being perfect, and no one is completely perfect. Terminating an employee is one of the most difficult task for a manager. Training is going to be the best thing you can do for those situations. Another investment in making the termination process less painful and hectic is if the companies have third parties present at the time of termination. Get the union involved. The benefits the union may ask for and the company may consider may be beneficial to displaced employees. Many employees are not knowledgeable of the benefits package they are entitled to under the union contract. This could possibly benefit all and have a good outcome and impact. The outreach program would also consist of counseling for the persons affected, their families, and co-workers. Outplacement services and resources to assist in resume writing and job search which would include on-site and off-site training, medical benefits assistance, and income extension. The team overcame the barriers to finding the best solutions by having a listening ear, respect for each person input, and maintaining focus on what we were trying to accomplish. Reference Page Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2013). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Martin, J. (2013, Nov 03). Layoff plan moves forward at GE transportation. McClatchy – Tribune Business News Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1448076588?accountid=458

Adulteration in Food Essay

Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form; prohibited substances are either added or partly or wholly substituted. Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done either for financial gain or due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic condition of processing, storing, transportation and marketing. This ultimately results that the consumer is either cheated or often become victim of diseases. Such types of adulteration are quite common in developing countries or backward countries. It is equally important for the consumer to know the common adulterants and their effect on health. The increasing number of food producers and the outstanding amount of import foodstuffs enables the producers to mislead and cheat consumers. To differentiate those who take advantage of legal rules from the ones who commit food adulteration is very difficult. The  consciousness of consumers would be crucial. Ignorance and unfair market behavior may endanger consumer health and misleading can lead to poisoning. So we need simple screening tests for their detection. In the past few decades, adulteration of food has become one of the serious problems. Consumption of adulterated food causes serious diseases like cancer, diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, etc. Majority of fats, oils and butter are paraffin wax, castor oil and hydrocarbons. Red chilli powder is mixed with brick powder and pepper is mixed with dried papaya seeds. These adulterants can be easily identified by simple chemical tests. Several agencies have been set up by the Government of India to remove adulterants from food stuffs. AGMARK – acronym for agricultural marketing†¦.this organization certifies food products for their quality. Its objective is to promote the Grading and Standardization of agricultural and allied commodities. Health care systems at Central, State, district or municipal levels have to implement various types of health programmes. But of these, the one which is most complicated, disappointing and frustrating is related to the prevention of food adulteration. For other types of health programmes, the manager has periods of satisfaction followed by periods of worry and concern; but, for those responsible for implementing prevention of food adulteration programme in a conscientious manner, it is nothing but continued agony. Any health care personnel responsible for administering this programme either at the administrative or at the operational level will have the same opinion. What is food adulteration? Food adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient. Food is declared adulterated if: * a substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it * cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part * any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted * it is an imitation * it is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health It is undoubtedly a social evil which can be regarded as the outcome of an interaction between a number of social, economic, technical and human behavioral factors. It is a manifestation of a sick society and can be regarded as a crime similar to other crimes like theft, burglary or murder. Like any other crime, food adulteration is expected to continue in our society as long as the existing factors which generate crime will continue. The question of eradication of food adulteration is an impossible task. Ugly Face of Food Adulteration ADULTERATION IN MILK Food adulteration is common in almost all developing countries. But its ugly face is not the same everywhere. In a developing country which is at the lowest rung of the development ladder, food adulteration consists of relatively simple measures, the best examples of which are the addition of water to milk, mixing inferior quality of food to more expensive varieties and the use of non-permitted and harmful colours in the preparation of homemade processed foods for sale. On the other hand, in countries which have a developed food industry sector, food adulteration has a broad spectrum starting from simple procedures to most complicated technological procedures needing high level technical competence. It is obvious that in such food adulteration, technical expertise of very high order is utilized by the adulterator in performing such type of crime. India unfortunately comes in the latter category. Starting from the simple procedure of adding water to milk or selling diluted buffalo milk as cow’s milk or using skimmed milk powder for making high quality milk, the adulteration process goes to the other extreme of utilizing non-permitted food additives in making processed package foods or making perfect imitations of well known brands of food which can sometimes escape the most careful scrutiny of the food inspectorate. Why Food Adulteration? Let us be clear that food adulteration in India under the law includes both willful adulteration of food and â€Å"substandard† foods which do not conform to the prescribed food standards but are not done intentionally. Taking an overall view of all types of food adulteration, three major underlying causes could be identified: * Inadequate availability of food to meet the demands of the consumer prompting the unscrupulous food traders to use any means to stretch the supply to earn more money. * ADULTERATION IN GHEE The more important reason is the basic dishonesty of the food traders and an urge to make quick and easy money. In fact, this urge to make money in an unscrupulous manner is possibly the basic reason for the majority of crimes committed in the modern day society, be it theft, burglary, bank looting or murder. This dishonesty to earn easy and quick money is not only restricted to the food traders who commit crime of food adulteration but can also apply with equal force to the law enforcer who might make an alliance with the food trader with most disastrous results. * There are significant numbers of cases of food adulteration committed by small traders due to their ignorance about the standards they are expected to maintain. It is true that all food standards after they are developed are circulated by government notification for the knowledge of all traders; but it is equally true that there is an abysmal gap between the traders and the law enforcers, especially when they are small and medium traders e.g. the street corner food sellers. How Prevalent is Food Adulteration? This is a question which is being posed for the last few decades with no clear cut answer. The statement issued from the government authorities on the basis of samples checked and the number prosecuted indicates that about 14 to 15 per cent of samples lifted are found to be adulterated. This is the most undependable and unrealistic estimate of the prevalence of this crime. Such data from the government reports can be regarded as the most distorted statistics since these are based on the samples lifted which is obviously a terribly biased sample based on the whims, likings, opportunities and the convenience of the food inspectorate. Anyone having a little knowledge of statistics would immediately come to the conclusion that  this is the most undependable estimate of prevalence of food adulteration in the country. On the other extreme are the views of the consumer that almost all foods in the country are adulterated by the unscrupulous food traders. It is obvious that the real answer lies in-between the two extremes. Need for a Realistic Study It is felt that there is an urgent need for an impartial scientific study to determine the prevalence of food adulteration in the country. Such study should not be undertaken by an interested party, the consumers or the law enforcers, but should be undertaken by a research institution in a properly designed and controlled manner. The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research are ideally suited to undertake such a study in various parts of India in order to find out the extent of food adulteration, the types of foods which are commonly adulterated, the types of adulteration adopted, the common adulterants used, the health hazards of such type of adulteration and lastly, to explore as far as possible the motives for such adulteration. In other words, such a study will generate for the first time data on the basis of which one can develop an â€Å"anatomy of food adulteration† and possibly, get an idea of the â€Å"profiles of the food adulterators† and the reasons for such adulteration. The results of such a study will be an eye opener for the consumers, law enforcers and also for those who are brooding for decades as to the reasons of food adulteration and how to prevent this menace. Food Standards Prevention of food adulteration goes very closely with the establishment of food standards. The Central Committee of Food Standards, a statutory body in the Directorate-General of Health Services, Government of India, is responsible for laying down realistic standards. However, one should realize that the standards should be such which are enforceable and which are realistic. For instance, laying down a standard like â€Å"carbide should not be used for ripening of fruits† is only a wishful thinking because the rules do not prescribe how the standard can be enforced. A standard which is not enforceable is not a standard at all. Secondly, a standard must be realistic. The present standard that not a grain of Khesari Dal should be  present in any other sample of cereals or grams is not realistic since in is not practicable in the present agricultural practices. Even if 3 per cent of Khesari Dal is present as â€Å"foreign body†, which is permissible under the Rules, it is certainly not injurious for health. It does not mean pleading for the particular admixture of Khesari Dal with cereals. But it is being pointed out that the standard should consider the agriculture and other practices in the country and make those which are realistic. Similarly, the PFA Act and Rules should be reviewed in-depth. At the present moment, the rules are designed to catch the criminal after the crime has been committed. More attention should be given to know how to prevent this crime. In other countries, such programme is known as food safety or food control, which is more realistic than the prevention of food adulteration. How to Prevent Food Adulteration? Can this menace be eradicated? Like any other crime, food adulteration would continue. However, everyone will wish that this menace, like any other crime, be controlled significantly. In India, there are two extreme views which are in circulation. According to one view, we have to coexist with this crime for years to come but with suitable measures it could be brought down to a low level. The sense of co-existence with this crime has possibly emerged from a sense of frustration as over the decades we have witnessed the continuation of food adulteration without signs of abatement in spite of numerous measures taken by the government. The second view is that, with severe deterrent punishment and a strict enforcement of the legal measures, food adulteration could be eradicated almost to a stage of non-existence. It is difficult to say which the real answer is. At the moment, one could identify three different views coming from three different angles – from the enforcers of the control measures, the consumers and the traders – the three partners in the prevention of food adulteration. The enforcers which mean the government, municipal bodies and all others responsible directly or indirectly with the control of food adulteration will opine that the control of this menace needs a number of measures; only legal enforcement will not be enough. The basic requirements are providing adequate food supply at a reasonable price, setting up of realistic food standards which are enforceable and which can be attained by majority of the  traders (not only the big food industries but the common agricultural producers, traders and the medium and petty food processor), the minimum basic honesty on the part of the traders and the law enforcers, a band of committed inspectorate staff and of course, a harsh deterrent punishment for those who commit this crime. It has been mentioned for decades that if deterrent punishment is prescribed for food adulteration, this crime will disappear. A famous statement in the past was â€Å"Hang them on the nearest lamp post and adulteration will disappear† But this alone will not work. There is now a provision under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act and Rules those in extreme cases, life imprisonment could be awarded to those who commit food adulteration which is extremely injurious for health. Though this provision exists, so far not one person has been given this sentence. Lessons Learnt What lessons have we learnt in the implementation of a programme for food adulteration? India has the experience of running this programme for almost 30 years. Even now, we are not clear at all about the main facets of food adulteration. For example, it is extremely important to get some information about the prosecutions being made in the States and the municipal bodies during the last five years in order to answer certain questions like A. the percentage of prosecution launched against the big traders versus small and medium traders B. Percentage of prosecutions launched for dangerous adulterations versus innocuous adulteration. C. Percentage of prosecutions launched for complex types of adulteration versus simple adulteration. D. Percentage of prosecutions launched against institutional adulteration versus â€Å"unintentional adulteration†. This would throw considerable light on the motives of adulteration, the extent of adulteration, the gravity of adulteration, the mode of adulteration and the effectiveness of sampling adopted by the inspectorate. The lifting of sample is an area which needs considerable improvement and every one responsible for the enforcement of food adulteration would agree on this point. At the present moment, this is entirely on the discretion of the food inspectors which certainly could be much more rationalized and made more realistic. Result: Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are paraffin wax, hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone oil. Sugar is usually contaminated with  washing soda and other insoluble substances. Common adulterants present in chilli powder, turmeric powder and pepper are red colored lead salts, yellow lead salts and dried papaya seeds respectively. Selection of wholesome and non-adulterated food is essential for daily life to make sure that such foods do not cause any health hazard. It is not possible to ensure wholesome food only on visual examination when the toxic contaminants are present in ppm level. However, visual examination of the food before purchase makes sure to ensure absence of insects, visual fungus, foreign matters, etc. Therefore, due care taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of food after thoroughly examining can be of great help. Secondly, label declaration on packed food is very important for knowing the ingredients and nutritional value. It also helps in checking the freshness of the food and the period of best before use. The consumer should avoid taking food from an unhygienic place and food being prepared under unhygienic conditions. Such types of food may cause various diseases. Consumption of cut fruits being sold in unhygienic conditions should be avoided. It is always better to buy certified food from reputed shop. BIBLIOGRAPHY * ENCARTA ENCYCLOPEDIA 2009 * www.wikipedia.com * www.answers.com * www.icbse.com * www.google.com

Management in Libraries Essay

Economic threat to the libraries by escalation of books and journals, fewer resources, constant growth changes in technology and user high expectation have shown that management is the critical factor that determines efficiency and effectiveness of all types of libraries. Thus managers are expected to play different functions in order to be effective and efficient. In this assignment different functions and roles played by managers in different libraries are discussed showing how they improve efficiency and effectiveness and different laws of library management are discussed. DEFINITION OF TERMS Management Effectiveness defined by Bateman, T is â€Å"doing things right†. This means that the manager has the responsibility for selecting the right goals and appropriate means to achieving it. Efficiency is measuring the cost of attaining a given goal, concerned about how resources such as money, time, equipment, personnel obtain given goals. Thus a manager needs to be effective and efficient in order to achieve the goals of the library. MAIN DISCUSSION Library management comprise more than just making changes, it involves managing ongoing operations in the optimal fashion for your institution in the context of its goals, other department’s activities and patrons needs. Thus we realize that different libraries may require managerial different managerial skills in order to perform their duties effectively. Managers help in giving direction to the library showing where it is going. Library management involves planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Planning is about systematical making decisions about the library goals. In planning the manager defines the objectives the objectives of the library, stating the purpose of its existence, defining the user community and their information needs. This is important as it facilitates efficiency. It helps in understanding the library stakeholders. A public library is an omnibus organization. It carters for everyone in the community thus the need for every user must be known and fulfilled. A public library serves a diverse community of adults, children and teens thus a manager has to plan on resources to be acquired. A manager can plan on different resources that can be acquired ranging from entertainment, fiction, nonfiction for general research, children story books because there are no specific users, the resources must benefit everyone in the society. A manager also organize and coordinate human, financial , physical, informational and other resources needed to achieve library goals. The manager establishes the activity authority relationship of the library. The activities necessary to achieve the objectives are then grouped into working divisions, departments and grouped together. In an academic library a manager can group together activities like accession and cataloguing The manager has to establish standards for performance; this will make sure that the library is performing in such a way as to arrive at its destination. According to Griffin â€Å"controlling helps to ensure effective and efficiency needed for successful management† As a leader the manager is responsible for staffing which is concerned with allocating prospective employees to fulfill the jobs created by organizing process. It involves the process of reviewing the credentials of the candidates of the jobs and trying to match the job demand with the application s abilities keeping each employee qualified. It also involves the development and implementation of a system for appraising performance and providing feedback for performance improvement. In a special library where the main target is a specific audience, for example ZIMRA library its serves the ZIMRA staff and mainly the manager have to recruit someone who posses research skills because mainly it deals with research for its company. The manager is responsible for choosing the right candidate, who knows how to research, even on the internet where there is information overload the candidate must be able to extract relevant information using the right search engine, mainly in a special library every one depend on the information provided by the librarian. The manager is also responsible for keeping the librarian qualified for the job by providing ongoing training since the librarianship profession is dynamic thus this will improve effectiveness and efficiency of libraries. A manager also gives s direction that will help the library in achieving its goals. Directing builds a climate, provides leadership and arranges the opportunity for motivation this is further explained by Rachel’s laws of library management, it says save time of your staff. This means that the staff must be given support they need for them to achieve goals effectively and efficiently this include providing training for them where it is needed. Each boss must plan and oversee the wok of each of his or her subordinates. In an academic library there are different services offered for example cataloguing and accession section can be directed by one manager then the E- resource section can be under another manager e- journals purchased, subscriptions etc. This will ease the load as one manager is focusing on a specific service thus he spend more time trying to improve the services and working with his subordinates and improves efficiency in the library. As a manager attempts to perform the managerial job effectively and efficiently there is a need to ‘wear different hats’ in interaction with employees. Managers interacts with others besides subordinates they work with other peer level managers in some other departments and outside contacts (suppliers and clients). Thus a manager is building contacts through which to gather information. Rachel agrees with this in the laws of management which says library resources are for use. A library manager is expected to connect resources with the user achieving the library goals. Through the liaison role a manager is able to network with other libraries. Academic libraries can practice resource sharing if there are shortages of material in specific departments the two libraries can share the available resources to both libraries and this will give the patrons a wide variety of information thus fulfilling their needs, this will improve efficiency. The manager is exposed to new ideas or methods that may improve the work unit operations. The manager initiates activities that will allow and encourage the work unit to use the idea most advantageously. Rachel’s law of management says that a library is a growing organism. A manager needs to open to change and help the library evolve to meet the needs of patrons. We can look at public library, the introduction of automation the staff may resist change having fear of losing their jobs thus a manager is responsible for encouraging and motivating the staff showing them the advantages of automating the library services and how it can reduce their workload, providing training for them thus the duties are performed effectively and efficiently satisfying the needs of different patrons. An effective manager is an active leader who creates a positive work environment in which the organization and its employees have the opportunity and incentive to achieve high performance (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) In order to perform duties effectively and efficiently Rachel says that â€Å"every task its doer†. The manager encourages ownership and responsibility to each staff member. Every staff member his/ her work, the manager must know people’s skills and strength and staff can then be deployed according to their abilities then the duties can be done perfectly improving effectiveness and efficiency in a library. Even though the staff is divided according to their abilities it is the duty of a manager to create a spirit oneness and togetherness amongst the subordinates. They should work as a team to achieve the library goals; Bavakuty M (2000) agrees that libraries can become effective and efficient by â€Å"strong top management support, a system approach and strategic planning, a customer focus, an emphasis on employee team work, empowerment training, the use of measurement and analysis technique and commitment to continuous improvement†. The manager seeks and receives wide variety of special information to develop through the understanding of the library and the environment, emerges as the nerve centre about the library. The manager monitors internal and external events, ideas, trends and analysis. The manager then uses the information to detect changes, problems and opportunities and to construct decision making scenario. The manager as the disseminator transmits information from other employees to other members of the library. The manager can bring external information received into the organization and facilitate internal flow of information. Thus we realize that management is the heart of any type of library and facilitate efficiency and effectiveness. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bavakutty, M (2000). Management of libraries In the 21st Century. Ess Ess Publication. India. Griffin, R. (1987). Management 2nd editition. Maffin Co Mohant, T. C. (2008). Research Methodology in Library Science. alpha Publishers India. Plunket, R. (1983). Introduction to Management. Kent Publication. United States of Amenrica.

Discuss how mechanical engineering has helped the human race to Assignment

Discuss how mechanical engineering has helped the human race to develop - Assignment Example Among the aspects of human lives, that mechanical engineering has influenced includes transportation. Throughout the history of humans, the transportation of products to the commercial centers was one of the biggest challenges to the development and faster civilization of humans. However, with the discovery of mechanical engineering, humans have fast tracked developments in communication and transportation technologies thus developing stronger economies of the contemporary society. Introduction Mechanical engineering began in the 18th century in central Europe during the industrial revolution. The wave of industrial revolution in Europe influenced numerous discoveries with the view of increasing the use of machines to replace the extensive human labor that had preceded the agrarian revolution. Humans thus concerted their effort in determining the best ways of harnessing heat energy and using it to run machines. Among the several areas, that humans concentrated on was transportation. Humans had tried developing faster and easier ways of transportation to help facilitate the movements of both people and products. After the invention of the wheel much earlier, humans concentrated on inventing ways of propelling the wheel and using it to facilitate transportation. Through mechanical engineering, humans discovered the use of fossil and among other fuels to produce heat capable of propelling engines. The invention of automobiles, ships and airplanes in the modern societies origi nated from the concerted efforts of such early mundane mechanical engineers as Isaac Newton and Archimedes to explain some of the developments in the field. Integration and interaction were and still are essential psychological concepts that have influenced every aspect of humanity including politics ad economy. Humans needed effective and efficient ways of transporting their products to the market. This was essential for survival since after the agrarian revolution, the climatic disparity resulted in different regions producing specific products. Humans therefore needed effective platforms to trade their products thus develop stronger and more cohesive societies. Additionally, humans had invented and started using some of the basic tools such as hoes and ploughs during the agrarian revolution. With such basic knowledge on the use of tools, humans therefore sought to incorporate the use of machines to pull carts and wagons. With the invention of mechanical engineering, humans could therefore begin developing machines capable of increasing the efficiency of the previously existing tools. The development of effective means of transportation led to the faster industrialization of the European economies. The basic knowledge of propelling motors with fuel is fundamental in the design of motor vehicle among other machines that operate on motion and movable gears. Mechanical engineering aided the discovery of effective means of turning fossil fuel into heat energy thus operating the machines of the basic principles of mechanical engineering (James, 1987). The principles include mechanics, kinematics and thermodynamics among many others. The principles incorporate the use of heat to propel gears and levers to facilitate the movement of specific parts of the machines thus resulting in the movement of the entire machines as in the case of cars, ships and airpl

Are Managers Measuring the Financial Risk in the Right Manner Article

Are Managers Measuring the Financial Risk in the Right Manner - Article Example Conversely, bankruptcy risk denotes a situation where the price of a security, for example, shares plummet without any optimism that it will improve. As such, the investor faces an imminent loss. The author explores at lengthy how different models treat bankruptcy risk differently. For instance, the CAPM model treats bankruptcy risks as unsystematic risks (Srinivas, 2013). The author subsequently verifies it by calculating its correction with future returns. The correlation is a negative figure, which is a characteristic of unsystematic risks. The author identifies the weakness of Adjusted Present Model (APV), which integrates bankruptcy in the calculation of the value of a corporate entity. As per this model, bankruptcy risk only arises due an increase in debt. However, in the corporate world companies go bankrupt due to a myriad of reasons, which include poor management, rivalry and loss of market. The article seeks to chart a new way forward in the calculation of risk by managers. However, to understand what the article proposes with regard to calculation of risk, it is vital to understand the weaknesses of the present methods of risk evaluation. Most methods such as CAPM and APV calculate risks after classification into either systematic or unsystematic risk. In the calculation of the total risk of a firm or a company, unsystematic risk is overlooked. To understand why it is overlooked, it is vital to define systematic and unsystematic risks. Systematic risk denotes the decrease or increase in returns from an investment or a security owing to events or factors, which afflict all firms unfavourably. Unsystematic risk refers to decrease or increase in the earnings from an investment or a security due to reasons particular to a single firm (Damodaran, 2010). The models only consider factors that afflict all the firms (systematic) as unsystematic risks may be addressed through d iversification of the

Communication and Crisis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Communication and Crisis Paper - Essay Example Further, it is important to communicate the crisis as it is – communicate the issue quickly and tell the truth, both to the public and within the emergency management office. By doing this, all will have been accomplished to minimize the effects of the situation (Ulmer, Sellnow, & Seeger, 2006). As the director of the Regional Emergency Management Office, he or she should ensure that communication within the organization takes the following channel. First, the head officials of the management office and the head of public relations should be contacted. As soon as these two heads and their respective offices have been contacted, the implementation of the plan can be started. After discussions between these different offices, communication of the crisis is then released to the other departments and staff so that they can prepare for the communication and deal with the crisis. Effective communication within the organization will involve the formation of a crisis communications te am, exploration of the crisis situation, developing a message and managing communications. Later, the course of communication and action is decided; the information is communicated to the sub-regional heads and the service directors of regional divisions. After the communication of the crisis situation has reached the regional divisions, teams will be formed among the concerned and non-concerned departments due to the need to address the crisis situation in the shortest time possible. Further, communication will be continued during and after the implementation of the mitigation of the emergency situation (Smith & Millar, 2002). The potential advantages associated with communicating the crisis situation within the organization and to the public and private secto

Exercises for judges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exercises for judges - Essay Example Ann rushed to the door and quickly put the alarm off. Little did she know that a man had entered their house and was hidden in one of the closets on the ground floor. The security company called their house and Ann confirmed that all was well there. They continued with what they were doing oblivious of the presence of someone else in the house. Ann went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and left Barnaby in the kitchen. The man in the closet was now watching them through the key hole. As soon as he saw that Ann had left the room, he slowly opened the door to the closet and walked quietly to Barnaby. Barnaby thought that it was Ann who was coming back from the kitchen only to see a stranger. She never even got the time to scream. The stranger got to her and snapped her neck before she could even try and run (Dressler 87). It was so fast that there was neither hardly noise nor commotion from it. He now hid behind the sofa and waited for Ann. When Ann got back to the living room, she was surprised to find Barnaby lying on the floor. She dropped the two glasses of water that she was carrying and they fell on the floor. As she was o her knees, the man behind the sofa got up to attack Ann. She saw him from the corner of her eye and she got up to run. The man was too fast for her and when he got to her, he tried to pin her down. Ann was fighting her like a mad woman, but he was too strong for her. She screamed out so loud and this is when the man started strangling her. Within a few minutes, Ann too was dead (Dressler

DigiRestoration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

DigiRestoration - Essay Example There is a need to touch up and restore old photographs that have been subjected to time and environmental factors. Upon restoring the photographs, the newly retored photos will then be transferred to digital format to ensure they remain the same throughout time. This company is currently in the research and startup phase looking at the available markets, such as being a partner to geneology companies on both the Internet and locallyl/nationally. It is projected that through extensive and inexpensive advertising, the eventual advertising will start to draw in business. DigiRestoration will not only restore old photographs for customers, it will provide the newly restored photographs into digital format. The intended audience will be internet based customers that will be directed from geneology sites as well as search engines. Upon the person sending into the company their old photograph, or scanning and sending, the new format of digitizing will be completed and stored on the company server. Should the customer wish to purchase additional photos and have them sent to their relatives/family, then they will have the option of picking these photos out from the company server and either printing them out themselves, or, picking them up at such outlets like WalMart or a drugstore. DigiRestoration currently is looking at expanding into kiosk markets within the next six months in order to capitalize on the lack of availability of these currently. DigiRestoration's philosophy is "if you weren't there, we'll make it look like you were". The philosophy of DigiRestoration is to provide the best service at a reasonable price and we will not be happy until you are. DigiRestoration's vision is to have partner kiosks in every major city in... DigiRestoration will not only restore old photographs for customers, it will provide the newly restored photographs into digital format. The intended audience will be internet based customers that will be directed from geneology sites as well as search engines. Upon the person sending into the company their old photograph, or scanning and sending, the new format of digitizing will be completed and stored on the company server. Should the customer wish to purchase additional photos and have them sent to their relatives/family, then they will have the option of picking these photos out from the company server and either printing them out themselves, or, picking them up at such outlets like WalMart or a drugstore. DigiRestoration's philosophy is "if you weren't there, we'll make it look like you were". The philosophy of DigiRestoration is to provide the best service at a reasonable price and we will not be happy until you are. DigiRestoration is entirely in the business of providing digital photo restoration of existing photographs before they expire to the elements. This is an entirely retail business and has the option to have franchises open to other interested business opportunists.

What to Do When the Invisible Hand Stops Working Essay

What to Do When the Invisible Hand Stops Working - Essay Example At a glance, Smith’s invisible hand is known for the market’s regulation of the market (and self-healing too according to Buchanan) and the government’s necessity to intervene in the market.   This was mentioned in passing but was not explained in detail leaving the reading without much clue that compels this paper to elaborate. With regard to the invisible hand of the market, Adam Smith originally meant that the mechanism of the invisible hand is a result of the market settling the distribution of goods and the prices between what the producers want to produce and what the consumers choose freely what to consume.   As a result, producers will have to create goods that are cheaper to produce undermining competition and gain market share.   This competition will ultimately benefit the individual consumer and hence, the greater community as a whole.   On a bigger picture, Adam Smith’s invisible hand may have been the precursor of globalization or the free market.   Perhaps even predated David Ricardo’s idea of Comparative Advantage of trading across economies in suggesting the idea of the freedom of trade as Adam Smith already tackled the dynamics of free trade across economies.   Adam Smith posited that a poor country will naturally have cheap labor and would be willing to work for wages lower than those of their rich counterpart countries.   As a result, the industry will naturally move to these countries as they make more profits by discounting on the labor cost as afforded by the poor country.   As the demand for labor increases, wages will also increase and will result in the higher purchasing power of those mentioned laborers.   As purchasing power increase, these new consumers will create a demand that local industry will have to hire additional labor to cope with the increasing demand for goods.   As this continues, the labor cost of the once poor country will eventually equal those of the host rich country to the point that the advantage of the poor country to provide cheap labor will be lost that it will no longer be advantageous for the rich country to move their factory or industry to the poor country.   In effect, Adam Smith was presupposing that the invisible hand will â€Å"guide† and regulate the market in the most beneficial manner.

E-Marketing Segmentation, Differentiation, and Positioning Strategies Coursework

E-Marketing Segmentation, Differentiation, and Positioning Strategies - Coursework Example ther issue that proper entry research can turn up: no company wants to suddenly find that it has gone from a saturated domestic market to a saturated one. Therefore, companies must research carefully before making the move to market, and know what kind of customers they are targeting. â€Å"With three types of customers-those who shop exclusively through the catalogs, those who purchase strictly through retail, and those who utilize both channels of distribution - The J. Peterman Company is committed to learning all they can about their customers to gain increased market share† (J, 1999). Note that at the writing of this quotation, J Peterman was not involved with online marketing yet. However, at that present, it was proactive, and met the challenge of the future. In terms of the competitor market jpeterman.com shares within various segments, there are various niche competitors, such as Sharper Image, and J Crew, which have a larger market share and presence. It would be a mistake to offer the more lucrative market a product that it could not afford or could easily replace with a cheaper competitor’s product of similar quality. Although this market may be more willing to pay more initially for something faddish than the busy family market segment, it should not be the intention of the company to cash in on a quick fad and lose the long-term perspective warranted by this important market. Therefore, the company should follow a pricing strategy that places a great deal of importance not only on internet price cutting, but also on establishing perceived value in the customer base and leveraging this perception in terms of long-term customer attenuation. J Peterman is in a very competitive industry. The source of this is the popularity of this industry as a commerce supplier that can also now be accessed over the internet. Many businesses like J Peterman are rushing to invest time and money in networked e-commerce systems, so as to enhance consumer

Describe how you would motivate members of the organization to adapt Research Proposal

Describe how you would motivate members of the organization to adapt and accept continuous change - Research Proposal Example In order to unfreeze these prevailing norms, or the status quo, overcoming resistance among individuals and conformity among groups is crucial. In Lewin’s model, the shift to a desired state can be done by one of the three: lowering the restraining forces to change; increasing the driving forces to get into the desired state; or both. The change in leadership entails a new vision. And in order to carry out this vision, there are specific steps the new leadership lays out which will be the cause of individual resistances within the corporation. The first alternative is to increase the driving forces. Driving forces usually come in the form of incentive, for employees to accept and comply to change. It may assume other forms, but driving forces are the usual motivating forces behind the transition. Another alternative is to decrease the restraining forces to change. As change prompts uncertainty, people tend to protect their interests and resort into power struggles. By eliminating these sorts of restraining forces in the form of employee counseling, seminars and educational programs, forces that hinder change due to individual resistance can be neutralized. In the extreme cases where the resistance is high, status quo can be unfreezed by combining the two approaches: eliminating the restraining forces, and increasing the driving forces. In this way, the incentive to accept change plus measures to lower down the resistance among employees will work in order to unfreeze the status quo. When the status quo is unfreezed, and employees are set for the change that is to happen within the company, the new leadership can enact the changes. When new leadership entails new vision for the company, the changes that may come can include changes in the corporate objectives, thus there will be changes in corporate strategies. These changes in strategies usually require changes in organizational structure and a change in the

The development of the printing press Essay Example for Free

The development of the printing press Essay The Reformation started in 1517, when Martin Luther began his protests against indulgences and then against the Roman Catholic Church. It was a time of immense change within Europe. There were many causes that contributed towards the Reformation, such as, the printing press and the state of the Church and they are all of some significance. The first factor that contributed towards the Reformation was the development of the printing press. In the middle of the 15th century the printing press was invented and this had many effects. Access to knowledge had now been increased greatly. Books and pamphlets could now be printed and everyone could get their hands on this newly available information. Printing highlighted discrepancies and contradictions between what was really in the Bible and what the Church said was in the Bible. This led to more people coming away from the Church. There was also a decrease in censorship by the Church. The Church could no longer control knowledge and intellectual thought as they had once done before the development of the printing press, when the monks used to write all the books available, by hand and therefore, controlling what went into them. If it wasnt for the printing press, the new ideas which led to Reformation might never have got off the ground. Another contributing factor to the Reformation was the revival of classical texts. Ancient Greek and Roman texts were rediscovered and with them new ways of thinking. For example, the works of the Greek philosopher, Protagoras were recovered and in his works there was the idea that, man is the measure of all things, i.e. man is unlimited in potential. New ideas such as these led to Humanism- the study of arts, architecture, literature and language, which replaced the previous idea of Scholasticism. These new ideas led to people ideas and beliefs changing and this proved a great challenge to the Church. People were questioning the beliefs of the Church and if they were true or false. One of the biggest causes of the Reformation was perhaps the state of the Church. The medieval Church had many abuses; there were many ways in which  the Church had been diverted from its spiritual mission by its corruption of the world. There was simony, the raising of cash through the sale of posts in the Church hierarchy which led to pluralism- the holding of several offices and absenteeism- when clergymen acquired offices solely for their income rather than because they were going to undertake any of their duties. Powerful families could add Church offices to their other acquisitions. The Church was meant to be separate from the world through the rule of celibacy; however some priest went against this rule and wandered. A cardinal or bishop might have his courtesan (a high class prostitute) and an ordinary priest his concubine. Where a bishop got to know about a priest and his concubine, the routine was to exact a fine rather than to split them up. Criminals could claim benefit of clergy. Simple literacy was regarded as pretty good evidence, would be tried before a Church court and guaranteed a light penalty, even for so serious a crime as murder. Abuses such as these produced resentment amongst many of the laity, the mass of people without benefit of clergy. Church taxation provoked laymen more than anything else. The tithe, 10 percent of all produce, had to be paid over to support the Church and there were many other taxes as well, such as Peters pence, a tax on hearths paid to the Pope. The German people despised the fact that their money went to Rome and didnt do anything for them. Convents were shamefully lax and that was because they were useful as dumping grounds for the excess daughters of well-to-do families. Relics of saints, which pilgrims traveled to see and to touch and to pay for the privilege, were often frauds. The forearm of St Andrew might just be a pigs bone, sceptical travelers noted enough nails from the Cross to make a forest of crosses and enough of the Virgins milk to launch ships. Indulgences, which were sold by the Church as though they were passports from the torments of purgatory directly into the bliss of Paradise, had  become crude money-raising devices but that was possible because there was so much ready demand for them. This state of the Church led to dissatisfaction within the people and when books with new ideas were printed, people were ready to read and accept them. Rulers and kings helped the Reformation to come about as they failed to put the movement down. The Reformation would provide opportunities for princes, as they could take over churches in their own country and rule them themselves. There were increasing differences between the rulers and the Pope and they wanted to oppose the Pope and let the Reformation gather pace. If the princes hadnt have sat back and let the Reformation take place, it might not have taken place as they would have had enough power to prevent the ideas from spreading and gaining support. The printing press was a major factor towards the Reformation, however it wasnt the most important, other factors contributed and together they helped bring the Reformation about. The other causes were very significant too. The state of the Church had led to growing resentment towards the Church and it was only a matter of time before this led to a major revolt against the Church. The bringing about of new ideas and humanism, led to new ideas and it would have eventually changed thinking at the time. The printing press helped in the spreading of the new ideas and ways of thinking that came with the Reformation, but these new ideas might have come about without the printing press, just at a later time.

Adding Value In Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay

Adding Value In Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay This chapter reviews the relevant literature and starts with discussion on Adding Value in supply chain management with special focus on pharmaceutical industry and to understanding firms supply chain management and competitive advantages. With involved four major points those are Challenges, Collaboration and Planning High performance delivery, Integration Implementation. Following there is a discussion on theoretical framework on supply chain management, role of top management and overview of latest supply chain management systems. In the last this chapter conclude with summary. 2.1 Adding Value in supply chain management: First question arise that what is Value adding in supply chain? Base on literature review value adding is the difference between input cost and output value (Hines, 2004, p.224). Value added along supply chain takes the form of tangible goods added and intangible services supplied (Hines, 2004). Value added notify to any additional value created at a particular stage of service by key service factors including; tangible value added through material transformation, labour and captical goods and intangible value added through capital and building of collaborative relationships. Firms can add value in many ways, like improve supply method from current level to higher level which is also part of add value in supply chain. Value adding resources within a supply chain are the tangible (processes). Intangible capabilities of a firm (firm attributes, firm controlled information, knowledge and collaborative relationships) enhance efficiency and effectiveness (Cunningham, 1995). By reviewing literature, the value chain concept was developed and popularized in 1985 by Michael Porter in Competitive Advantage. Porter defined value as the amount buyers or customers are willing to pay for what a firm provides, and he visualized the value chain as the arrangement of nine basic values to customers. Porter linked up the value chains between firms to form what he mentioned a value system; now in present era of globalisation and collaboration the link between two firms creating value process called the value chain. As value chain name involves the interpedently processes that generate value of products and the resulting demand and funds flows that are created. According to the Martin Christopher value chain activities can be categorized into two types primary activities (Inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and services) and support activities (Infrastructure, human resource management, technology development and procurement) (Christo pher, 2005). From the literature review, author suggests that first, we need to understand the physical resources that are required within a supply chain to create and deliver a finished service to a customer. Second, we must understand the exchange relationship between particular supply chain resources and the flow of revenue in the value chain. Third, we must also understand what it is about the ownership and control of particular supply chain resources that allows certain resources to command more of the flow of value than others. In understanding this, the process of analytically mapping the properties of power within supply and value chains can commence. To deliver a value, product category and availability is also play important role in supply chain management. By reviewing literature, author understand that alternative perspective of viewing supply chains as value chains identifies economic value as being added through coordinated management of the flow of physical goods and information at each stage of the chain (Davis Stewart, 2004). The theoretical basis for supply chains, Handfield and Nichol (2002, p8), define them as including all organisation and activities associated with the flow and transformation of goods from the materials stage, through to the end user, as well as the associated information flows Information sharing is identified as a key driver for improving supply chain performance and enhancing competitive advantage (Zhang, 2006). Additionally supply chains can be characterised as value system and are defined as a connected series of organisations, resources and knowledge streams involved in the creation and delivery of value to the end customer(Handfield Nichols, 2002, P11). 2.1.2 Companys supply chain management and competitive advantage: Definition of supply chain is the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services delivered to the ultimate consumer (Christopher 1992). In other words, a supply chain consists of multiple firms, both upstream (i.e., supply) and downstream (i.e., distribution), and the ultimate consumer (John T. Mentzer, 2001). The philosophy behind supply-chain management has changed. Previously the central concept was to manage an inventory that acted as a buffer between a limited production capacity and variable customer demands. The scope of the task was interpreted as managing warehouses and transport operations. The current priority is to engineer the supply chain as a seamless whole, breaking down the barriers that have existed between purchasing, production, distribution and sales. These issues are particularly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. Functions have traditionally operated independently and there has been a consequent sub optimization of the supply chain by fragmenting it along functional lines. In its new form, supply-chain management is a corporate-level task on which several strategic objectives depend, not least ensuring a satisfactory return on capital employed while ensuring the supply of goods and services to designated markets at the service levels demanded. To achieve this, even at a national level, using local facilities to supply local markets is a challenge, requiring close integration of the supply chain and subjugation of functional/ departmental objectives to the needs of the supply chain as a whole. To achieve it globally is much more difficult (Booth, 1996). 2.1.3 Contemporary approaches to achieve competitive advantage: One of the first ideas about theoretical framework for understanding firms performance is Porter (1980). He introduces a strategic and analytical approach to understanding competitive strategy, and said that Every firm competing in an industry has a competitive strategy, whether open or hidden (Porter, 1980). He proposes a framework for analysis industries and competitors and describes three generic strategies, cost leadership, differentiation and focus. He postulates that if a firm is able to do well in any of these strategic fields, It will gain competitive advantage. Porters concept is portraying in below figure. Competitive Advantage of a Firm Generic Competitive strategies Overall cost leadership Differentiation Focus Figure: 2-1: Strategies to achieve competitive advantage: source Porter (1980). -Cost Leadership is most important in competitive pharmaceutical distribution chain, efficient-scale facilities, pursuit of cost reductions, and cost minimization in all areas of the firm. This action can increase companys profit. -Differentiation of product like, different one medicine in different brand (Ports and Blister pack) or service differentiation including design and brand image, customer service, and distribution or dealer network. This action can help increase customer loyalty and ensure often purchase. -Focus on markets, buyers or product line (new line of medicine with its generics version) can help to achieve competitive advantage. The framework of Porter, in fig 2-1 shows, that the proficient strategies can provide competitive advantage. Porter (1980) also argues that competitive advantage comes from the many separate activities a firm achieve in designing, storage, marketing, delivering and creating owns products. Each of this processing contributes to a firms relative cost to position and creates a basis for differentiation. This is the Pharmaceutical logistic value chain, and a firm has to recollection its strategically relevant activities in order to understand the behaviour of costs and the existing and potential sources of differentiation. A company gains competitive advantage by performing these strategically important activities better than its competitors (Porter, 1985). The general value chain concept, and Sigmas existing concept is illustrated in figure 2-2. Supply chain advance Marketing Leadership Advance Primary Activities Profit Margin Support Activities Inbound Sigma House Picking and Customer Marketing Logistics (Warehouse) Assembling Service Tele-sales Procurement Human Resource Management Technology service Development Firm (Sigmas) Infrastructure and Platform Services Figure 2-2: The value chain and Theoretical Framework to achieve competitive Advantage (Adapted from Porter 1985). The definition of supply chain including all basic activities, therefore sales, marketing and customer service activities can be construed as part of the supply chain approach show in the above figure. In company, Tele-sales and marketing processes, such as demand management, order processing and customer relationship building management are included in the internal processes shown in the figure and in the supply chain literature review. However, sales and marketing activity, such as sales calls, advertising and some post delivery support processes are excluded from supply chain activity. This is consistent with the approach taken by the supply chain model it uses to measure supply chain activity (Supply chain council, 2007). There is various types of approaches to achieve competitive advantage, strategic approach, 2.1.4 The strategic Planning approach: In important of porter (1980) approaches, a strategic planning approach that is companys competitive advantage can be planned for this. This includes planning for differentiation in the delivering a value in supply chain, low cost leadership and focus. Strategy is always the product of a complex and unexpected interplay between basic information, personalities and aspiration according to Hamel (1998). What this implies is that one does not gain for obvious solution and strategies but should look at alternatives, challenge assumptions, and look at new ways of delivering superior customer value and firm performance. 2.1.5 Marketing strategy approach: The marketing capabilities approach introduces the concept of capabilities of a market driven organization and explores the links between capabilities and a firms performance and market success (Day, 1999). A firms competitive advantage comes from two sources: Assets or resources, which are acquired over time and distinct capabilities, which are the glue that holds these assets together. Examples are DHLs secure delivery across the globe and Walmarts logistic systems. Such capabilities provide competitive advantage and help organization to deliver a value to its every customer. Other Proponents of the marketing capability approach are cool and Derrick (1989), Aaker (1989), caves and Gale (1987). The concept of capabilities is not new and was proposed much earlier by penrose in 1959. However, this has been popularized as the concept of core competencies of the corporation that can lead to a firms success by Hamel and Prahalad in 1990. They actually propose some tests to measure the st rength and success of core competencies. An example of Federal expresses its packaging and delivery process. The product differentiation approach by Trout (2000), states that what matters is differentiation of product or service, that are too many choice in todays world, and only differentiation provides competitive advantage. In Pharmaceutical business there many manufacture produce a medicine under different choice, keeping all different sort of product and supplying on time will be better advantage over the competitive. 2.1.6 The Introduction of the supply chain approach: In the competitive market of the early decade, there has been a change in management action, resulting for searching strategies that provide superior value to customers. As a result in the supply chain approach to gaining competitive advantage has moved into the frontline of business strategies, especially in developed countries. This approach has its introduced from historical military campaigns (Britannica, 1999) and recently from porter of value chain, with its importance on inbound and outbound logistics, and production operation. In a discussion on marketing logistics thinking argue that logistics has major impact on customer satisfaction, success and costs. They recommend that a firm manage its entire supply chain and that such an approach will add value in existing supply chain within the organization and will help to gain competitive advantage over rival. 2.2 Supply chain Management and factors: 2.2.1 Definition of supply chain and management: It will be helpful to go through some basic definitions of supply chain and management: Supply chain is all inter linked resources and activities needed to create and deliver products and service to customers (Hakanson, 1999). Supply chain management goes advance and including managing supply and demand, resourcing, assembling and packing, distribution across the globe and delivery to the every customer (Supply chain council, 2009). A more on supply chain management is a network of relationships, with the goal to deliver superior value, the management of upper level and lower level relationships with suppliers and customers to deliver best value in services at effective cost to the supply chain as a whole (Christopher, 1998). This definition is a key part of this dissertation in terms of gaining competitive advantage or delivering best value to sigma pharmaceutical customers. 2.2.2 Key areas of Supply chain management system: References Literature Review 1. Christopher, M. (2005). Logistic and supply chain managment. London: FT prentice Hall. 2. Handfield, R. B. Nichols, E. L. (2002) Supply Chain Redesign: Transforming Supply Chains into Integrated Value systems, U.S.A: Prentice Hall. 3. Zhang, C. (2006). Secure Information sharing in Internet-based supply chain management systerms. Coumputer Information Systems , 18-24. 4.

Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management Environmental changes across the world have generated a movement to identify the causes of global warming and develop solutions to end it before it is too late. In an effort to achive this, many countries are creating laws and regulations with the specific aim to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gas effect. The truth is that environmental change is upon us. Not only do we have climate problems but we are also dealing with a resource depletion issue. With economies like India and China growing at double digit rates, the population of the world continues to grow creating shortages of many resources that we use to take for granted. Many consumers, stakeholders and businesses are becoming more involved in the growing green movement. Influenced by customer loyalty shifting towards environmentally friendly products, businesses are trying more and more to make their supply chains greener by introducing sustainability strategies throughout their organizations and supplier relationships. The recent focus on sustainability has resulted in a growing need for integrating environmentally safe choices into supply chain management practices. The concept Green Sustainable Supply Chain Management GSCM can be defined as the process of using environmentally friendly inputs and transforming them through change agents into outputs that can be reclaimed and re-used at the end of their lifecycle therefore, creating a sustainable supply chain. The whole idea of a sustainable supply chain is to reduce costs while helping the environment. 2. Sustainability and Profitability A Green Sustainable Supply Chain integrates ecological factors and supply chain management principles to identify the environmental impact of an organizations supply chain processes. Businesses are becoming aware of the importance of this integration to enable a sustainable business strategy. Many are now seeking out solutions and guidance on how to implement a sustainable supply chain. A sustainable supply chain should not be only optimal for the organization, but also optimal in terms of a limited environmental impact. The sustainable supply chain is no longer exclusively about green issues, but also about generating efficiencies and cost containment. As organizations restructure to reduce their companys environmental footprint, supply chains have become a key area of focus. Many people think that being environmentally friendly increases costs. In the past, most of the companies were focused on reducing unit costs. Only later, many companies could do the change and look instead at total landed costs with the on-set of global trade. Some companies also started looking at the usage costs with a piece of equipment- total cost of ownership TCO. Sustainability is a tremendous weapon for companies to reduce their costs. There are many facets of the supply chain that could be improved by looking at it from a sustainability point of view. The consulting firm A.T. Kearney released an analysis of businesses submitting information to the Carbon Disclosure Project that finds more than half of them along with 25 percent of their suppliers are generating cost savings as a result of adopting sustainable supply practices. It is a major action because they believed that at least half of the carbon emissions attributable to some global companies are generated in their supply chains. The Carbon Disclosure Project 2011 Supply Chain Report, which covers 57 global companies and more than a thousand of their supply chain partners, shows that 86 percent of those companies derived value out of addressing their supply chain processes as part of a corporate sustainability initiative. PepsiCo. Is a very good example of this, A.T. Kearney reports that the company saved more than $60 million in energy -16% reduction per-unit across its beverage plants as the result of managing the carbon associated to those activities. Walter Todd, the vice president of operations for PepsiCo UK and Ireland, where many of these savings took place, says: With a robust strategy and proven benchmarks in place, PepsiCo set out to engage and educate suppliers about potential opportunities to innovate their own operations. By providing suppliers access to the same energy assessment tools we use in our own operations, weve seen a mutual return on investment. Pepsi-Co also saved around $44 million by switching from corrugated to reusable plastic shipping containers for bottles. Other major companies have also reported significant savings thanks to a sustainable supply chain strategy: Dell is saving over $20 million annually as a result of packaging improvements. They achieved its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2008. One of Sherwin-Williams facilities reduced disposal costs from $95,000 to around $39,150 in less than two years through source reduction, refurbishment of metal containers, and recovery of fiber and steel. Texas Instruments is saving $8 million per year by reducing its transit packaging budget for semiconductor business by implementing source reduction, recycling and reusable packaging systems. Raymour Flanigan Furniture has saved more than 15 million pounds of waste after renovating a building to serve as a recycling center, now they have the capacity to prepare scrap polystyrene, plastic film, and cardboard for market. Commonwealth Edison generated $50 million in financial benefits from managing materials and equipment by taking a lifecycle management approach to production management. Dow Corning saved $2.3 million by using reconditioned steel drums in 1995 and conserved 7.8 million pounds of steel. It is interesting to notice how several companies have developed new revenue sources on the waste they used to throw out. If a sustainable supply chain can be developed, money can be saved by not having to dispose harmful by-products, reduce of obsolescence, decrease the spent on scrap and resources spent on complying its regulatory issues. Another key issue that sustainable companies are focusing on is the logistics and transportation of the product. A simple action such as filling the trucks as full as possible can represent significant savings; Dell has increased its average truck load and worked with UPS to optimize delivery strategies. Multinational company 3M has developed an innovative system to install adjustable decks in trucks. By placing pallets on two levels they were able to reduce the number of daily truckloads by 40% and save around $110 k per year. Sustainability can be profitable. Improvements in transportation efficiency, operations, raw material selection and packaging are all in the top of the list of green sustainable supply chain initiatives. 3. Sustainability as a competitive advantage Greener supply chain management practices represent a competitive advantage thanks to the increasing customer awareness and regulatory norms. Across industries, there is also a shift in the focus of GSCM programs from compliance to creating value for customers and shareholders. The implementation of Green Supply Chain initiatives has evolved from strictly a compliance issue into a means of generating value. The following table shows how to create value out of traditional cost compliance, including environmental, safety and health business contributions. More and more companies are using sustainability as a competitive advantage to grow market share within their industry. A green supply chain usually pushes the organization towards an improvement of their products, processes, quality and productivity. It can also be considered as an enabler for innovative decisions and brand differentiation improvement. GE now has an Ecomagination program focused on growing their revenue stream from environmentally friendly products to around 20 billion dollars by 2011. They recognized the opportunity associated with saving the environment. Nowadays many companies are offering customers environmentally produced power and charging a premium for that offering. The green initiatives also help a company to maintain and enlarge their customer portfolio. Environmental concern and social responsibility are now considered as an important part of a succesful business strategy. All competitors are under same market force to change their direction and priority towards a more green initiative, therefore, efforts and investments on this area are becoming more and more important. In addition, more countries will enforce importers to import green products to their nations with tax incentives and this will trigger the chances to do global business. In the same direction, new product development should not be only the responsibility of product design and engineering department; it should also include the fully team-work among marketing, engineering, procurement, logistics and materials operations in order to find the best solutions, like how to ship the products effectively, how to ensure that processes will not generate hazardous wastes and emissions to the environment, what green components can be purchased, what is the optimal packaging size and re-cycle materials to pack each prodcut, etc. In brief, companies have to consider the new product development process as part of the green supply chain strategy. The development, implementation and commitment of green supply strategy are not only to fulfill the customer needs; but also to meet general publics expectations to improve and enhance the role in social responsibility and environmental concerns. In exchange, the company will gain sustainable competitive advantage in the industry. 4. Sustainability and Suppliers Management One of the bigger issues facing companies these days is the actions of suppliers. Companies today are being held accountable for environmental or social problems created by their suppliers. Corporate buying practices can impact suppliers ability to improve their business conduct. Pressure on cost and efficiency can force suppliers to contravene some of their own standards in order to meet their customers commercial requirements. But as the opposite effect, companies can use their purchasing power to help install best practices in small and medium-sized companies. In fact, the companies that engage their suppliers around these issues constitute one of the most important drivers for spreading corporate green and sustainable principles around the world. Collaboration is the key. Many companies are performing environmental audits or implementing rules of conduct to check the actions of their suppliers. The most successful green efforts in supply chains are based on the creation of value by sharing with suppliers and subcontractors the intelligence and know-how about environmental and emerging regulatory issues and emerging technologies.   Suppliers and customers can strengthen each others performance, share cost of ownership and social license to operate and create a reciprocal value.   Supply chain sustainability must be driven by the originating manufacturers that rely on deep tiers of suppliers and vendors for their products. The reported supplier human rights and environmental violations done by Apples suppliers, is an example of the challenges that suppliers face in managing or influencing these issues on the ground.   Apple recently did the right thing by transparently releasing its Apple Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report, which underscored just how challenging and difficult multi-tiered supply chain management can be. GE and other multi-national companies- including Wal-Mart, Honeywell, Citibank and SABIC Innovative Plastics- have partnered to create the EHS Academy in Guangdong Chinese province.   The objective of this non-profit venture is to create a better trained and capable workforce of environmental, health and safety professionals and give them the management, implementation and technical knowledge to be able to proactively ensure that real performance is sustainable and integrated fully into the overall business strategy and operating system of a company.   Chinese regulatory agencies are also invited to participate as well. The model that GE is using in China offers a positive example of collaborative innovation. One of the main difficulties is the enforcing of supplier sustainability, spceially in growing economies like China or India.   Only a small percentage of suppliers meet the requirements in the codes of conduct- including worker compensation and environmental requirements- of major multinational companies. There are still major challenges related to wages, working hours, overtime compensation, lack of unions and social insurance.   One factor contributing to the difficulties is the high presence and mobility of migrant workers. 5. Green SCOR model Green SCOR incorporated within the SCOR framework can provide immense help by offering information on best practices, waste disposal process and metrics to increase the success of Green SCOR initiatives. It also provides environmental metrics that can be included in the calculations for optimizing the supply chain. GreenSCOR focuses on the impacts of SCM in each stage of the product life cycle. GreenSCOR integrates best practices and metrics into the entire supply chain planning process. It also enables a systematic study of the supply chain to unearth opportunities for making the supply chain greener. Best practices include collaborating with partners on environmental issues, reducing fuel and energy consumption and minimizing and reusing packaging. It also includes the metrics to measure the effects of greening, including carbon and the environmental footprint, emission costs per unit, energy costs as a percent of production costs, waste produced as a percent of production and returned products disposed of versus remanufactured. Processes to address waste management, such as how to collect and manage waste produced during production and testing (including scrap and non-conforming product). It also enables more efficient use of resources and increases the visibility of financial and operations benefits of supply chain practices. Lastly, the metrics can be effectively used to monitor the progress an organization is making towards a green supply chain. By implementing this model a company increases the chance of success of any green initiative. 6. Challenges when implementing a GSC Contrary to what many people could think, making a business sustainability operational within a supply chain is becoming easier, not harder. There is more information available from procurement managers, environmental directors, design engineers, marketing, communication staff and operations managers- among others- and this deffinitely makes a difference when a supply chain decides to go green. But still big challenges like the lack of information about the green supply chain practices and the lack of tools to optimize the supply chain with environmental management makes the implementation less easy. With the trend of global sourcing tracking the carbon footprint of finished products can be difficult; however, new initiatives have emerged for adopting the practice of requesting a carbon footprint from suppliers. Barriers to global trade because of the increasing environmental regulations, more restrictions on hazardous substances, bigger emphasis on lean manufacturing and increased supplier auditing and verification are creating the critical road toward new supply chain management expectations. The seek for efficiencies in supply chain management and producing products while reducing waste is a vital imperative in a recovering economy. Shareholder value, company valuations and possible mergers and acquisitions are affected by supply chain sustainability. This impacts cash management and liquidity, for example, carbon-intensive sectors may see an increase in the cost of capital. The World Resources Institute is working on the new supply chain and product lifecycle greenhouse gas protocols that will frame the new expectations of value chain sustainability accounting and reporting. Increased attention will be paid on conflict minerals, fair labor and other social aspects of sustainability, management of hazardous substances in toys and other consumer products. It is acknowledged by all organizations that the needs of the community are as important as those of other traditional stakeholders. Larger companies are identifying the critical supply chain partners that have the greatest product impact and collaboratively address the environmental and social footprint of their products through the value chain. Consumers will play a leading role behind greater supply chain collaboration. Consumer awareness about sustainability demands a more CO2-friendly supply of products and services. Other main challenge is in monitoring sub-supplier sustainability, this has become a tough task for companies with complex global supply chains.  It is the responsibility of the direct suppliers to ensure that their sub-suppliers acknowledge, understand and accept the companies sustainable requirements.   However, when a supply chain is long and complex, ensuring compliance at many thousands of sub-suppliers represents a major challenge. The future of sustainability will inevitably include the sustainability of entire supply chains, not just direct suppliers One example of this recently has been Dells use of bamboo in its packaging.   The company worked to secure Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its entire bamboo supply chain, from forest to manufacturing.   The packaging is still a small percentage of Dells overall packaging needs, but it is a start. Another example could be IKEA, according to their sustainability annual report, the company is moving in the right direction.   Although the company they fell short of its goal of having 30% of its solid wood sourced from verified responsibly managed forests, they are working actively to increase the number, especially in China and Russia. The company has a team of nine forestry specialists who are dedicated to the two countries and is working towards certifying forests which are closer to the production facilities of IKEAs suppliers.   IKEA has the goal of having 35% of its solid wood sourced from certified forests by 2012. If companies are not able to manage product compliance such as regulatory norms, they can suffer business interruptions such as product redesigns, delayed market launches, product returns and recalls. Therefore, effective lifecycle management is a key differentiator for short-term as well as long-term to get an advantage and stable position in the market. Suuply chain network and logistics optimization is also key when implementing a GSC, inefficient transportation methods represent a significant part of the ecological problem. It has been illustrated by a recent report that found that as much as 75 per cent of a companys carbon footprint comes from transportation and logistics alone. Transportation management includes load consolidation and route planning to drive cost savings and reduction of environmental impact. Another important challenge is related to establish a reverse logistics network that supports life cycle design and demanufacturing processes. Producers are required to meet specific targets for material recycling and recovery, relative to the total amount of packaging that they have put into the marketplace. This helps to shift the responsibility for collecting packaging and end of life products from local government to producers. Reverse logistics manages the handling and disposition of returned goods, improving a companys ability to put returned goods back on the market. Companies implementing reverse logistics processes can dramatically reduce the waste going into landfills and increase opportunities to reintroduce products to market. Xerox implemented a reverse logistics solution and achieved huge financial benefits of equipment remanufactured and parts reuse amounting representing over $100 million and reduced the waste from landfills. Another important point is the ability to simulate the unpredictable events in the supply chain network flow and evaluate the supply network design frequently. Companies need to work esigning optimum supply chain networks for sustainability incorporating criteria like fuel usage and carbon emissions. Process optimization is another challenge; companies should improve the synchronization of production with customer demand and supplier capacity. The main areas of green manufacturing are reduction in energy, water consumption, waste and emissions that are part of manufacturing processes. And the last challenge I will include is the green reporting, measuring and reporting the environmental impact is the first step towards reducing them. There are direct benefits to organizations from measuring and reporting as because it gives a better understanding of the risks and exposure. Globally, sustainability and environmental reporting are becoming one of the most important management concerns due to increasing pressures of legislation as well as other initiatives. The challenge remains to quantify and report the emission and environmental footprints. It can be a time consuming and costly process that requires extraction of data from multiple systems and manipulating it to arrive at required reports. 7. Findings and conclusions Economic activity has an impact on the environment and the society; industries need to conmsider this into their business operations and costs. It is becoming critical to measure and manage the environmental and social impact of activities and procesess across the supply chain. Green practices and a sustainable supply chain have become a necessity due to both regulatory obligations and economic benefits, yes; a green supply chain can help a company to discover hidden sources of profitability. Increasingly the companies are giving more importance to sustainability to promote loyalty of customers, who are getting more aware about the socio-ecological implications of businesses. A green sustainable supply chain enables business to improve products, process and supply quality and productivity. It also pushes the company to make innovative decisions that respond to green economy requirements, by doing this, companies gain access to key markets through diverse certifications. By using a model such as GreenSCOR incorporated in SCOR version 9, the chances of success in any green initiatives increases. Some key success factors and reccomendations in the implementation of a green sustainable supply chain were identified: Stakeholders should be actively engaged in the sustainability strategies of the business. Green initiatives should be aligned with the strategic objectives of the company. GSCM Best Practices should be adopted when implementing a green supply chain. Technology and models such as SCOR should be used to enable the green initiatives. The company should boost its responsiveness to the expectations of the consumer. Green practices should be designed for minimal environmental impact, focussing the efforts to reduce packaging and in-transit damage when shipping. Planning and inventory management should pay special attention to reducing inventory and identifying optimal distribution solutions. Transportation solutions should be improved by collaboration. Procurement departments should perform lifecycle analysis for choosing products or solutions to minimize environmental impact. Suppliers relationship management should include the regular monitoring of suppliers and sub-suppliers sustainability. Benefits should be extended to the local community, as starting point.

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops. Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis Essay example -- Fear Silent Pl

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis In the year 1625, Francis Bacon, a famous essayist and poet wrote about the influences of fear on everyday life. He stated, â€Å"Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other† (Essays Dedication of Death). Clearly, external surroundings affect perceptions of fear as well as human nature in general. Although C.S. Lewis published the novel, Out of the Silent Planet, over three centuries after Bacon wrote his theory on fear, Lewis similarly portrayed external surrounding to manipulate perceptions of fear. From the first chapter of the novel, Lewis revealed fear to be a weakness that leads to ignorance. It was this ignorance that apparently fueled the cycle of corruption and immorality on â€Å"The Silent Planet.† Using the character Ransom to reveal the effect of memory and morality on fear, C.S. Lewis demonstrates that fear is a quality of the â€Å"bent† race (humans), and only by eliminating fear in our lives can the human race become hnau.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Out of the Silent Planet, memory, in particular, appears to have a tremendous impact on Ransom’s perception of fear. The influence of memory on fear was noticeable since the early abduction of Ransom in this novel. After spending mere hours on the spaceship, Ransom reveals his ignorant notion that space was a â€Å"dark and cold abyss (29).† While Weston contemptuously corrects him, asking, â€Å"Forgotten the sun?† it is clear that Wellsian novels such as The Time Machine created this pessimistic view of space. This â€Å"Wellsian† ideology continues to influence the thoughts and actions of Ransom throughout his journey on the spaceship. When overhearing the conversation between Weston and Divine about the sorns, Ransom instinctively envisions these creatures as â€Å"the bogies† he read in the novels by Wells (37). Ransom later reiterates this idea when assuming that key words including â€Å"Giants, ogres, ghosts, and skeletons† represented the sorns or, â€Å"the horrors of [my] imagination† (47). When arriving at Malacandra (Mars), Ransom’s memories of Sci-fi novels causes him to instinctively categorize the living animals on the planet as savage beasts. Believing Weston and Divine’s ignorant notion that he would be tortured and consumed by the sorns, Ransom resists â€Å"donkey-fashion† when being handed over to them... ... Ransom ties all of his experiences on Malacandra together and learns that trivial aspects of life should not be feared (153). Instead of fearing life and death, mankind should fear ignorance and inequality (imbalance). Through this mere statement, Ransom proved his understanding that through the use of morality, a greater understanding of life (especially fear) may be attained.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, while Ransom journeyed to Malacandra as an ignorant young man, fearful of the unknown, he was completely transformed by the end of the novel by his complex understanding of fear. Although memory primarily inhibited any development in Ransom’s character during the first half of the novel, following Ransom’s understanding that initial reactions are often erroneous, Ransom’s memory allowed him to see the problems of Earth clearly. On the other hand, Ransom additionally learned to use morality to overcome fear rather than the converse. While modern dictionaries describe fear as â€Å"an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger,† Ransom would define fear as ignorance, the possibility of lost opportunities, and most importantly, inequality within the world.