Lipids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Lipids - Essay Example There are 3 subtypes of PPARs which bind to the promoter region of genes and induce fat metabolism. PPARs are located in the liver, heart and kidneys. Non-nuclear receptors such as sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) are also present which are responsible for cholesterol breakdown and synthesis of lipids. In the humans, SREBP-1, SREBP-2 and their subtypes are present. SREBP-1 is involved in lipid biosynthesis whereas SREBP-2 is present for cholesterol biosynthesis. The SREBPs are located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Lipids are an important part of the human diet. The overuse of lipids leads to various medical conditions such as heart diseases. To overcome these diseases, the food industry has started production of fat-free foods which are basically fat substitute foods such as fat substitutes that are carbohydrate based, fat substitutes that are protein based substitutes and fat based substitutes themselves. Carbohydrate-based fat substitutes are compounds such as starches, cellulose, dextrins and gums. These substitutes provide the same bulk and moistness but they cannot replace the amount of calories actual lipids generate. Carbohydrate-based fat substitutes are easier to digest than fat-based substitutes. Being a dietician, this knowledge would be of significance in deciding the correct diet plan for different individuals. For example, the substituted food products can be advised to people who are at risk of developing diseases such as heart diseases. Fat-substitute compounds are also presen t in the market which create confusion. People willing to lose weight purchase these fat substitutes thinking their consumption would help them lose weight. Being a dietician it is important to tell people that the substituted fat foods have the same number of calories as actual lipids do. Olean, Salatrim and Caprenin are common substituted fat products which are all non-digestible. Olean has unwanted side effects

Finance assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Finance - Assignment Example "business mandate." This provision would require most firms to offer employees health insurance about $1,680 per worker annually into a new Health Security Trust Fund created to provide the coverage. Even though implementation of the law has been slower than planned, few want to take away health insurance from the more than 76,000 Massachusetts citizens who have gained coverage since its inception. "We wouldnt have insurance otherwise," said one of those enrollees, Mary Robbins, who had repeatedly tried without success to buy coverage for the small Saugus heating and air conditioning firm she owns and operates with her husband. New estimates from the Department of Medical Security, the agency struggling to implement the program, challenge the prevailing assumption that full implementation of universal health insurance will require additional state funding. A decision to fall back on the old mechanism of paying for care of the uninsured, the states Uncompensated Care Pool, would incur major costs and political liabilities. The costs, covered by a surcharge on all insured citizens hospital bills, have hit $405 million this year and will balloon even more rapidly if ways are not found to chip away at the number of uninsured. The question is where the money will come from: the beleaguered state budget, or businesses and their employees already burdened by high health insurance premiums. For these reasons and more, those who understand the intricacies of health-care financing say there is no way for the state simply to walk away from the problem of finding a way to pay the health costs of the uninsured. Although the 1988 universal health care law, now known as Chapter 23, was closely linked with Gov. Dukakis and his shattered presidential ambitions, the concept has a history that transcends parties and ideologies. While the Governor has yet to detail his health policy plans, he has designated the lieutenant governor-elect as his spokesman on those issues. At the

Human Resources Planning In Organizations

Human Resources Planning In Organizations InTroduction Planning is very important to our everyday activities. Several definitions have been given by different writers what planning is all about and its importance to achieving our objectives. It is amazing that this important part of HR is mostly ignored in HR in most organizations because those at the top do not know the value of HR planning. Organizations that do not plan for the future have less opportunities to survive the competition ahead. This article will discuss the importance of HR planning; the six steps of HR planning that is : Forecasting; inventory, audit, HR Resource Plan; Actioning of Plan; Monitoring and Control. Definition of HR Planning Quoting Mondy et (1996) they define it as a systematic analysis of HR needs in order to ensure that correct number of employees with the necessary skills are available when they are required. When we prepare our planning programme, Practitioners should bear in mind that their staff members have their objective they need to achieve. This is the reason why employees seek employment. Neglecting these needs would result in poor motivation that may lead to unnecessary poor performance and even Industrial actions. Importance of Planning Planning is not as easy as one might think because it requires a concerted effort to come out with a programme that would easy your work. Commencing is complicated, but once you start and finish it you have a smile because everything moves smoothly. Planning is a process that have to be commenced form somewhere and completed for a purpose. It involves gathering information that would enable managers and supervisors make sound decisions. The information obtained is also utilized to make better actions for achieving the objectives of the Organization. There are many factors that you have to look into when deciding for an HR Planning programme. HR Planning involves gathering of information, making objectives, and making decisions to enable the organization achieve its objectives. Surprisingly, this aspect of HR is one of the most neglected in the HR field. When HR Planning is applied properly in the field of HR Management, it would assist to address the following questions: How many staff does the Organization have? What type of employees as far as skills and abilities does the Company have? How should the Organization best utilize the available resources? How can the Company keep its employees? HR planning makes the organization move and succeed in the 21st Century that we are in. Human Resources Practitioners who prepare the HR Planning programme would assist the Organization to manage its staff strategically. The programme assist to direct the actions of HR department. The programme does not assist the Organization only, but it will also facilitate the career planning of the employees and assist them to achieve the objectives as well. This augment motivation and the Organization would become a good place to work. HR Planning forms an important part of Management information system. HR have an enormous task keeping pace with the all the changes and ensuring that the right people are available to the Organization at the right time. It is changes to the composition of the workforce that force managers to pay attention to HR planning. The changes in composition of workforce not only influence the appointment of staff, but also the methods of selection, training, compensation and motivation. It becomes very critical when Organizations merge, plants are relocated, and activities are scaled down due to financial problems. Inadequacy of HR Planning Poor HR Planning and lack of it in the Organization may result in huge costs and financial looses. It may result in staff posts taking long to be filled. This augment costs and hampers effective work performance because employees are requested to work unnecessary overtime and may not put more effort due to fatigue. If given more work this may stretch them beyond their limit and may cause unnecessary disruptions to the production of the Organization. Employees are put on a disadvantage because their live programmes are disrupted and they are not given the chance to plan for their career development. The most important reason why HR Planning should be managed and implemented is the costs involved. Because costs forms an important part of the Organizations budget, workforce Planning enable the Organization to provide HR provision costs. When there is staff shortage, the organization should not just appoint discriminately, because of the costs implications of the other options, such as training and transferring of staff, have to be considered. Steps in HR Planning Forecasting HR Planning requires that we gather data on the Organizational goals objectives. One should understand where the Organization wants to go and how it wants to get to that point. The needs of the employees are derived from the corporate objectives of the Organization. They stern from shorter and medium term objectives and their conversion into action budgets (eg) establishing a new branch in New Dehli by January 2006 and staff it with a Branch Manager (6,000 USD, Secretary 1,550 USD, and two clerical staff 800 USD per month. Therefore, the HR Plan should have a mechanism to express planned Company strategies into planned results and budgets so that these can be converted in terms of numbers and skills required. Inventory After knowing what human resources are required in the Organization, the next step is to take stock of the current employees in the Organization. The HR inventory should not only relate to data concerning numbers, ages, and locations, but also an analysis of individuals and skills. Skills inventory provides valid information on professional and technical skills and other qualifications provided in the firm. It reveals what skills are immediately available when compared to the forecasted HR requirements. Audit We do not live in a static World and our HR resources can transform dramatically. HR inventory calls for collection of data, the HR audit requires systematic examination and analysis of this data. The Audit looks at what had occured in the past and at present in terms of labor turn over, age and sex groupings, training costs and absence. Based on this information, one can then be able to predict what will happen to HR in the future in the Organization. HR Resource Plan Here we look at career Planning and HR plans. People are the greatest asserts in any Organization. The Organization is at liberty to develop its staff at full pace in the way ideally suited to their individual capacities. The main reason is that the Organizations objectives should be aligned as near as possible, or matched, in order to give optimum scope for the developing potential of its employees. Therefore, career planning may also be referred to as HR Planning or succession planning. The questions that should concern us are: Are we making use of the available talent we have in the Organization, and have we an enough provision for the future? Are employees satisfied with our care of their growth in terms of advancing their career? Assignment of individuals to planned future posts enable the administration to ensure that these individuals may be suitably prepared in advance. Actioning of Plan There are three fundamentals necessary for this first step. Know where you are going. There must be acceptance and backing from top management for the planning. There must be knowledge of the available resources (i.e) financial, physical and human (Management and technical). Once in action, the HR Plans become Corporate plans. Having been made and concurred with top management, the plans become a part of the companys long-range plan. Failure to achieve the HR Plans due to cost, or lack of knowledge, may be a serious constraints on the long-range plan. Below is an illustration of how HR Plan is linked to corporate Plan. The link between HR Plan and Strategic Management STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT -> HR PLANNING Æ’Â   STRATEGIC PLAN Organizational goals Values Organizational goals Strong and weak parts Mission Strong weak points Opportunities and threats Goals and Priorities Opportunities threats Sources of Competitive advantage Resource Allocations Source of Competitive advantage Identify People related matters Define HR strategies, Implement Hr Processes Goals plans Policy Practices HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING Bohlander et as (2001) Monitoring and Control. This is the last stage of HR planning in the Organization. Once the programme has been accepted and implementation launched, it has to be controlled. HR department has to make a follow up to see what is happening in terms of the available resources. The idea is to make sure that we make use of all the available talents that are at our disposal failure of which we continue to struggle to get to the top. Do you have an HR Plan in action? Let us all check where we are working and see whether there is really a Human Resource Plan. If its not available, let use try to develop one and you would see how you will make a difference. It is quite true that HR plan is the basis of Human Resources Management. If we do not know how to develop it, then we are not doing an services to our Organizations and our impact will not be felt in the management pool. Human resource planning has traditionally been used by organizations to ensure that the right person is in the right job at the right time. Under past conditions of relative environmental certainty and stability, human resource planning focused on the short term and was dictated largely by line management concerns. Increasing environmental instability, demographic shifts, changes in technology, and heightened international competition are changing the need for and the nature of human resource planning in leading organizations. Planning is increasingly the product of the interaction between line management and planners. In addition, organizations are realizing that in order to adequately address human resource concerns, they must develop long-term as well as shortterm solutions. As human resource planners involve themselves in more programs to serve the needs of the business, and even influence the direction of the business, they face new and increased responsibilities and challenges. In an early treatment of the topic, Vetter (1967) defined human resource planning as the process by which management determines how the organization should move from its current manpower position to its desired position. Through planning, management strives to have the right number and the right kinds of people, at the right places, at the right time, doing things which result in both the organization and the individual receiving maximum long-run benefits. (p. 15) Contemporary human resource planning occurs within the broad context of organizational and strategic business planning. It involves forecasting the organizations future human resource needs and planning for how those needs will be met. It includes establishing objectives and then developing and implementing programs (staffing, appraising, compensating, and training) to ensure that people are available with the appropriate characteristics and skills when and where the organization needs them. It may also involve developing and implementing programs to improve employee performance or to increase employee satisfaction and involvement in order to boost organizational productivity, quality, or innovation (Mills, 1 985b). Finally, human resource planning includes gathering data that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing programs and inform planners when revisions i n their forecasts and programs are needed. Because a major objective of planning is facilitating February 1990 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ American Psychologist Copyright 1990 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0003.066X/90/$00.75 Vol. 45, No. 2, 223-239 Human Resource Planning Challenges for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists Susan E. Jackson and Randall S. Schuler New York University an organizations effectiveness, it must be integrated with the organizations short-term and longer term business objectives and plans. Increasingly this is being done in leading organizations, although in the past business needs usually defined personnel needs and human resource planning, which meant that planning became a reactive process. The reactive nature of the process went handin-hand with a short-term orientation. Now, major changes in business, economic, and social environments are creating uncertainties that are forcing organizations to integrate business planning with human resource planning and to adopt a longer term perspective. For example, according to Kathryn Connors, vice president of human resources at Liz Claiborne, Human resources is part of the strategic (business) planning process. Its part of policy development, line extension planning and the merger and acquisition processes. Little is done-in the company that doesnt involve us in the planning, policy or finalization stages of any deal. (cited in Lawrence, 1989, p. 70) John OBrien, vice president of human resources at Digital Equipment Corporation, describes an integrated linkage between business and human resource plans as one by which human resource and line managers work jointly to develop business plans and determine human resource needs, analyze the work force profile in terms of future business strategies, review emerging human resource issues, and develop programs to address the issues and support the business plans. According to OBrien, such joint efforts occur when human resource planners convince corporate business planners that human resources HRM is the legal liason between the organization and the employees,they are to uphold the employment and safety laws (osha, and civil rights act) as well as follow the practices, which may differ within federal guidelines, that the employer authorizes. Corporations are always searching for better ways to produce goods and services. When new technological developments give some organizations a competitive advantage, their rivals try to catch up by adopting and improving on the new technologies. Ford has put many of Toyotas technical advances to work in its own plants, and General Motors has spent over $50 billion in the last decade to modernize its production facilities to develop skills in flexible manufacturing. A large part of this growth is the Human Resources department of these companies, who are responsible for hiring the people with the knowledge to bring new technology into a company. To be successful in the automotive market, these companies needs a highly skilled, flexible and committed work force, a flexible and innovative management, the ability to retain developed talent, and a strong partnership between management and labor unions. To achieve these goals, the company needs a talented HR department. Besides hiring the right people to manage and perform specific jobs, HR managers have to build up commitment and loyalty among the workforce by keeping them up to date about company plans, and laying out the implications for job security and working conditions. Such was the case when I worked at Velco. From the interview process to my exit interview at the end of the summer, the HR department was every employees main connection between the production floor and the upper management. The HR department kept us informed via bi-weekly meetings, a company newsletter, and bulletin-board postings throughout the plant. Whenever a question arose, instead of asking middle-management, an employee could go straight to the HR rep they were assigned to. From my experiences, it seemed like the HR reps knew everything there was to know about the company and how it is run. And I found that to be a very valuable asset. I imagine the same takes place at large corporations around the world, be it Velcro or General Motors. The backbone of any successful company is the HR department, and without a talented group of people to hire, culture, and inform employees, the company is doomed for failure.

Characterization of Scully in Tim Winton’s The Riders Essay -- Tim Win

The Characterization of Scully in Tim Winton’s The Riders  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most endearing aspects of The Riders is the clever characterization. This allows the reader to relate to the typical national stereotypes and yet very extravagant personalities portrayed in the novel. The characterization, together with Winton’s considerable skill at using the characters’ view to evoke a sense of place, are two of the strengths of The Riders. The character of Fred Scully, the ‘hero’ of The Riders, is one of the most wonderfully written characters to have come out of Winton’s writing so far. Scully’s character encompasses all the traditional traits of the Australian: his use of vernacular, appearance, humor, as well as the outlook and many more. Winton has the reader accompany Scully in his desperate struggle through Europe and it is Scully’s personality that the reader finds themselves enjoying more than the sightseeing trip. "...Scully [is] one of the most memorable characters in Australian fiction." Scully is memorable because his traits could be found in someone known by the reader; he could easily be the ‘man next door’. The beauty of Scully is that Winton has allowed for the character to evolve, and he has adapted along with his character. At the beginning of the novel Scully is the "...big friendly shambles of a man who followed them like an ugly hound, loyal and indestructible..." yet not long after Scully is seen as "...sheepish like a lamb unto the slaughter...". These changes which occur in the character of Scully fit into the structure and plot of The Riders. Before the disappearance of Jennifer, Scully was a ruggedly handsome optimist, content to wait out the bad times, yet after the trauma of loss and heartache, ... ... is based around the idea that Scully is an emotional person, one who considers the needs of others. Scully follows Jennifer because of the baby. Yet he does not pursue Connor Keneally, because he understands that it would not be right, no matter how much he feels that he wants to. Tim Winton’s Scully is a very memorable Australian character. His connection with the reader enables them to enjoy his individual humour, vernacular and his generally unsinkable optimism. Winton’s writing skills allow the reader to be drawn to Scully by the character’s particular outlook on situations. Scully once said "What you see is what you get". Within The Riders this is not necessarily so, Winton gives Scully much more than what is printed on the page and it is up to the reader’s discretion of how much they perceive. Work Cited Winton, Tim. The Riders Prentice Hall 1996. Characterization of Scully in Tim Winton’s The Riders Essay -- Tim Win The Characterization of Scully in Tim Winton’s The Riders  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most endearing aspects of The Riders is the clever characterization. This allows the reader to relate to the typical national stereotypes and yet very extravagant personalities portrayed in the novel. The characterization, together with Winton’s considerable skill at using the characters’ view to evoke a sense of place, are two of the strengths of The Riders. The character of Fred Scully, the ‘hero’ of The Riders, is one of the most wonderfully written characters to have come out of Winton’s writing so far. Scully’s character encompasses all the traditional traits of the Australian: his use of vernacular, appearance, humor, as well as the outlook and many more. Winton has the reader accompany Scully in his desperate struggle through Europe and it is Scully’s personality that the reader finds themselves enjoying more than the sightseeing trip. "...Scully [is] one of the most memorable characters in Australian fiction." Scully is memorable because his traits could be found in someone known by the reader; he could easily be the ‘man next door’. The beauty of Scully is that Winton has allowed for the character to evolve, and he has adapted along with his character. At the beginning of the novel Scully is the "...big friendly shambles of a man who followed them like an ugly hound, loyal and indestructible..." yet not long after Scully is seen as "...sheepish like a lamb unto the slaughter...". These changes which occur in the character of Scully fit into the structure and plot of The Riders. Before the disappearance of Jennifer, Scully was a ruggedly handsome optimist, content to wait out the bad times, yet after the trauma of loss and heartache, ... ... is based around the idea that Scully is an emotional person, one who considers the needs of others. Scully follows Jennifer because of the baby. Yet he does not pursue Connor Keneally, because he understands that it would not be right, no matter how much he feels that he wants to. Tim Winton’s Scully is a very memorable Australian character. His connection with the reader enables them to enjoy his individual humour, vernacular and his generally unsinkable optimism. Winton’s writing skills allow the reader to be drawn to Scully by the character’s particular outlook on situations. Scully once said "What you see is what you get". Within The Riders this is not necessarily so, Winton gives Scully much more than what is printed on the page and it is up to the reader’s discretion of how much they perceive. Work Cited Winton, Tim. The Riders Prentice Hall 1996.

Deception Point Page 49

Marjorie Tench's raspy voice echoed in her mind. Are you aware that Sexton is accepting bribes from private aerospace companies? Gabrielle's pulse began racing as she gazed down the darkened hallway toward the archway that led into the senator's den. She knew she should speak up, announce her presence, and yet she felt herself inching quietly forward. She moved to within a few feet of the archway and stood soundlessly in the shadows†¦ listening to the conversation beyond. 55 While Delta-Three stayed behind to collect Norah Mangor's body and the sled, the other two soldiers accelerated down the glacier after their quarry. On their feet they wore ElektroTread-powered skis. Modeled after the consumer Fast Trax motorized skis, the classified ElektroTreads were essentially snow skis with miniaturized tank treads affixed-like snowmobiles worn on the feet. Speed was controlled by pushing the tips of the index finger and thumb together, compressing two pressure plates inside the right-hand glove. A powerful gel battery was molded around the foot, doubling as insulation and allowing the skis to run silently. Ingeniously, the kinetic energy generated by gravity and the spinning treads as the wearer glided down a hill was automatically harvested to recharge the batteries for the next incline. Keeping the wind at his back, Delta-One crouched low, skimming seaward as he surveyed the glacier before him. His night vision system was a far cry from the Patriot model used by the Marines. Delta-One was looking through a hands-free face mount with a 40 x 90 mm six-element lens, three-element Magnification Doubler, and Super Long Range IR. The world outside appeared in a translucent tint of cool blue, rather than the usual green-the color scheme especially designed for highly reflective terrains like the Arctic. As he approached the first berm, Delta-One's goggles revealed several bright stripes of freshly disturbed snow, rising up and over the berm like a neon arrow in the night. Apparently the three escapees had either not thought to unhook their makeshift sail or had been unable to. Either way, if they had not released by the final berm, they were now somewhere out in the ocean. Delta-One knew his quarry's protective clothing would lengthen the usual life expectancy in the water, but the relentless offshore currents would drag them out to sea. Drowning would be inevitable. Despite his confidence, Delta-One had been trained never to assume. He needed to see bodies. Crouching low, he pressed his fingers together and accelerated up the first incline. Michael Tolland lay motionless, taking stock of his bruises. He was battered, but he sensed no broken bones. He had little doubt the gel-filled Mark IX had saved him any substantial trauma. As he opened his eyes, his thoughts were slow to focus. Everything seemed softer here†¦ quieter. The wind still howled, but with less ferocity. We went over the edge-didn't we? Focusing, Tolland found he was lying on ice, draped across Rachel Sexton, almost at right angles, their locked carabiners twisted. He could feel her breathing beneath him, but he could not see her face. He rolled off her, his muscles barely responding. â€Å"Rachel†¦?† Tolland wasn't sure if his lips were making sound or not. Tolland recalled the final seconds of their harrowing ride-the upward drag of the balloon, the payload cable snapping, their bodies plummeting down the far side of the berm, sliding up and over the final mound, skimming toward the edge-the ice running out. Tolland and Rachel had fallen, but the fall had been oddly short. Rather than the expected plunge to the sea, they had fallen only ten feet or so before hitting another slab of ice and sliding to a stop with the dead weight of Corky in tow. Now, raising his head, Tolland looked toward the sea. Not far away, the ice ended in a sheer cliff, beyond which he could hear the sounds of the ocean. Looking back up the glacier, Tolland strained to see into the night. Twenty yards back, his eyes met a high wall of ice, which seemed to hang above them. It was then that he realized what had happened. Somehow they had slid off the main glacier onto a lower terrace of ice. This section was flat, as large as a hockey rink, and had partially collapsed-preparing to cleave off into the ocean at any moment. Ice calving, Tolland thought, eyeing the precarious platform of ice on which he was now lying. It was a broad square slab that hung off the glacier like a colossal balcony, surrounded on three sides by precipices to the ocean. The sheet of ice was attached to the glacier only at its back, and Tolland could see the connection was anything but permanent. The boundary where the lower terrace clung to the Milne Ice Shelf was marked by a gaping pressure fissure almost four feet across. Gravity was well on its way to winning this battle. Almost more frightening than seeing the fissure was Tolland's seeing the motionless body of Corky Marlinson crumpled on the ice. Corky lay ten yards away at the end of a taut tether attached to them. Tolland tried to stand up, but he was still attached to Rachel. Repositioning himself, he began detaching their interlocking carabiners. Rachel looked weak as she tried to sit up. â€Å"We didn't†¦ go over?† Her voice was bewildered. â€Å"We fell onto a lower block of ice,† Tolland said, finally unfastening himself from her. â€Å"I've got to help Corky.† Painfully, Tolland attempted to stand, but his legs felt feeble. He grabbed the tether and heaved. Corky began sliding toward them across the ice. After a dozen or so pulls, Corky was lying on the ice a few feet away. Corky Marlinson looked beaten. He'd lost his goggles, suffered a bad cut on his cheek, and his nose was bleeding. Tolland's worries that Corky might be dead were quickly allayed when Corky rolled over and looked at Tolland with an angry glare. â€Å"Jesus,† he stammered. â€Å"What the hell was that little trick!† Tolland felt a wave of relief. Rachel sat up now, wincing. She looked around. â€Å"We need to†¦ get off of here. This block of ice looks like it's about to fall.† Tolland couldn't have agreed more. The only question was how. They had no time to consider a solution. A familiar high-pitched whir became audible above them on the glacier. Tolland's gaze shot up to see two white-clad figures ski effortlessly up onto the edge and stop in unison. The two men stood there a moment, peering down at their battered prey like chess masters savoring checkmate before the final kill. Delta-One was surprised to see the three escapees alive. He knew, however, this was a temporary condition. They had fallen onto a section of the glacier that had already begun its inevitable plunge to the sea. This quarry could be disabled and killed in the same manner as the other woman, but a far cleaner solution had just presented itself. A way in which no bodies would ever be found. Gazing downward over the lip, Delta-One focused on the gaping crevasse that had begun to spread like a wedge between the ice shelf and the clinging block of ice. The section of ice on which the three fugitives sat was dangerously perched†¦ ready to break away and fall into the ocean any day now. Why not today†¦ Here on the ice shelf, the night was rocked every few hours by deafening booms-the sound of ice cracking off parts of the glacier and plummeting into the ocean. Who would take notice? Feeling the familiar warm rush of adrenaline that accompanied the preparation for a kill, Delta-One reached in his supply pack and pulled out a heavy, lemon-shaped object. Standard issue for military assault teams, the object was called a flash-bang-a â€Å"nonlethal† concussion grenade that temporarily disoriented an enemy by generating a blinding flash and deafening concussion wave. Tonight, however, Delta-One knew this flash-bang would most certainly be lethal. He positioned himself near the edge and wondered how far the crevasse descended before tapering to a close. Twenty feet? Fifty feet? He knew it didn't matter. His plan would be effective regardless.

History and Influences of Mexican Americans and the United States Essay

Looking around the United States, it is not hard to see the influence that Spanish-speaking nations, namely Mexico, have had on us. Every day we see signs in Spanish. We hear it as we walk through the streets of Madison and Milwaukee. We feel the impact it has on us in our public school system. We also see the controversy it causes on the news. What I will be attempting to explore in this paper is the origins of Mexican Americans and their continuing influence on the United States. I believe it is important to first understand the history of the relationship between Americans and Mexicans to understand the preconceived notions many Americans have towards Mexico. Although both nations are technically â€Å"Americas†, for the duration of the paper I will refer to the United States as America. After winning its independence from Spain, Mexico first had large-scale contact with Americans during the early 1800s when Americans were migrating farther west to what is present day Texas. Mexico allowed these citizens to reside despite the tension and friction that was building between Whites, Indians and Mexicans in these territories. Texas citizens declared themselves an independent nation, and due to the United States recognition of such, a war was prompted between the United States and Mexico. Mexico lost the war as well as its territories in North America. Mexican citizens who stayed behind in the lost territories became American citizens (Marger, 2012). One of the things that always confounded me about racism in the south, and states like Arizona, is the complete indifference or ignorance of this fact. I have always wondered how the White Supremacist mindset works when Mexican Americans have a natural ancestry in these states and were the first citizens of these states. How can we still see bumper stickers that say â€Å"Learn English or Go Home†, or â€Å"Go back to your own country† when the first citizens of these states were Mexicans? I believe that a cause for this is the lack of emphasis of early Mexican American history taught in schools. I I believe that if this were emphasized, these specific ethnocentric arguments would be dispelled sooner. Immigration of Mexicans and other Hispanics to America is not going to stop, so to ignore their political influence would be foolish. Demographics are showing that the Hispanic population is on the rise. There are an estimated 6. 6 million illegal immigrants from Mexico alone residing in the United States (Marger, 2012). The European American population, although still the largest in size, declining. (Marger, 2012). Since there are an increasing amount of people in the United States who are a mixed race, such as myself who is part Mexican American, true numbers of those who identify as part Hispanic are not yet known. (Marger, 2012). I believe that due to this, it is more crucial than ever to understand what kind of influence Mexican Americans will have on the socioeconomic and political structure of the future America. As much as certain groups of people would want to deny the influence of Mexican culture, as well as that of other Spanish-speaking ethnicities on the United States, the population statistics, (as well as the 2012 Election results, in my opinion) prove otherwise. Hispanics are the largest minority group (Naumann, Benet-Martinez, Espinoza 2013), and it is estimated that by 2050, 46% of the United States population will be Hispanic. (Marger, 2012). Insofar as political influence is concerned, 2008 held 19. 5 million registered Hispanic voters, and it is estimated that 23. 7 million registered voters were Hispanic in the 2012 election. To more specifically cite the influence of Mexican Americans in today’s voting world, there are 33 million Mexican Americans in the United States and 73% of them were born in America (Naumann, et al 2013). Despite attempts of the Republican Party to capture the vote of Hispanic Americans, 70% of them are still voting Democratic. (Naumann, et al 2013). Although Cubans tend to vote primarily more for Republicans, the larger population of Mexican Americans is still voting for Democrats. (Naumann, et al 2013). By analyzing these data, I can only conclude that the dire need for the Hispanic vote from the GOP is the sole purpose of the existence of Marco Rubio in modern politics. A question arises, as much as Mexican Americans influence us, how much do we influence them? The answer would have to depend on how in favor they are of assimilation. Studies have shown that most Mexican American youth would prefer a â€Å"biculturism† form of acculturation, preferring to hold on to their ethnic customs but also to embrace new American ones (Naumann, et al 2013). It was also shown in these studies that the more deep-routed Mexican Americans tend to be in their ethnicity, that the likelier they are to vote liberally (Naumann, et al 2013). Understanding Mexican Americans role in the workplace currently will also help explain motivations as to how they vote and continue to influence the rest of America. A study published in 2005 showed that Mexicans, while living in Mexico, have fewer expectations for advancement in the workplace, including to upper-management positions. This leads them to believe there are less forms of discrimination based on age, sex and ethnicity (Bennington, Wagman, Stallone, 2005). Although these studies were done for Mexicans, not Mexican Americans, I believe that during the newest wave of immigration this attitude could carry over, which could explain at least one reason that despite the large population, there are not heaping amounts of Mexican Americans in upper-level positions. For work life itself, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mexican Americans have at large suffered the same impact of the recession other ethnicities have suffered, having Unemployment peaking strongly in the 2009-2011 years and just now in 2013 starting to make a recovery (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013). I believe this relates to the influence Mexican Americans have on us because since newer immigrants do not seek power as quickly as other ethnic groups, it can lead to certain prejudices of them being unmotivated, which in turn would influence behavior of White Americans to treat them as subordinates. In summation, I believe that educating the true history of Mexican Americans (such as their origin as joining the US as citizens after the Mexican War), can help stop certain forms of prejudice, as well as helping Americans to realize that they are an ever-increasing demographic that is not going away anytime soon. Their influence is growing in US Politics, and this will have to be recognized if certain political groups wish to survive in the new century. I believe that if there is more respect given to them while they are a minority group, the more respect they will give to White America once Whites lose their status as the dominant ethnic group.

Dealing with the Aspects that we are faced with Day in and Day Out

Aggression: Dealing with the Aspects that we are faced with Day in and Day Out We live in a society where aggressive acts happen every day, but do we really know what causes it? How can we help ourselves and others to understand what aggression is? First off, we need to define aggression, tell its causes and effects and determine the best way to deal with it. For example, aggression can be positive or negative, accidental or intended and physical or mental. Aggression is a continuing behavior in our world today and I feel that it is very important that we try to start controlling it now. Aggression is a critical part of animal existence, which is a driving force to humans, as we too are animals. The source of aggression within humans is an ongoing list so therefore, we must understand the definition of aggression. Aggression in psychology defined by the World Book Encyclopedia is hostile behavior that may hurt or upset other people. Such behavior may take the form of physical attack against people or their possessions, or verbal abuse (Larsen, 2000). There are many types of aggressive behaviors which we must differentiate from. Aggression may be an automatic response to such experiences as pain or danger. In other cases, it is a deliberate action with a definite purpose (Larsen, 2000). Some people act out of hostility to gain money, pleasure, power or prestige. Other aggressive behavior is intended to cause physical or psychological injury (Larsen, 2000). For example, an aggressive behavior can be negative or positive, accidental or intended and phys! There is no justification for violent aggression such as spouse, child, or sibling abuse, criminal assault, rape, bullying, or any other physical harm or psychological insult to another person. At a time like this, you dont have to hide your feeling, express yourself. Of course, if your life is in danger, do whatever it takes to help you reach saf...

Catch221 essays

Catch221 essays The name of the novel I read is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. This novels uniqueness makes it hard to classify but I would classify it as an anti-war novel. The main theme of the novel is one of hope and freedom from the barbaric grasp of war. Heller uses World War II as an almost invisible framework in which he places a number of vaguely related stories presented in no particular chronological order, although the final narrative does tie them all together. Catch-22 was written in a very comical style. It displays the foolishness of wars and the inherent violence and idiotic bureaucracy while eliminating the glory, honor and graphic depictions so often included in wartime novels. Heller uses loads of humor to convey his messages and while the main theme is obvious to the reader, there are many hidden and double meanings buried in the intriguing stories. I selected this novel because it was highly recommended by a close friend and I definitely enjoyed it. Hellers humor is what I liked most about the novel. The novel is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyones face and I absolutely loved the characters. On the other hand, I found his lack of timeline very frustrating and confusing. Some may consider this ingenious but there were parts of the novel when I was thoroughly puzzled as to who was dead or alive. In addition to this, the lack of a chronological order makes this novel insanely difficult to summarize. Other than that, I have no complaints about this book and even without the timeline its an ingenious work. The novel begins with the main character, Yossarian, in a military hospital with a phony liver condition that is severe enough to take him out of combat but not severe enough to operate on. Soon after, a friendly Texan is brought into the ward and he is so overly nice and talkative that all the patients in the ward, including Yossarian, recover from their various ailments and return to the war. After leav...

A Brief History of Hieroglyphics

The word hieroglyph has been applied to the scripts of the Indus civilization and of the Hittites, who also possessed other scripts, in addition to the Mayan, the Incan, and Easter Island writing forms, and also the signs on the Phaistos Disk on Crete, but the strict meaning of the word is used only to describe the carvings on Egyptian monuments. The most ancient hieroglyphs can be dated back to the end of the 4th millennium BC. They describe scenes and are cut in relief, or into the stone, mostly in chapels or tombs. Although it is impossible to know, but these early signs are probably based on the same system that the later set of hieroglyphics, known as classical hieroglyphics is based. Hieroglyphic signs were representations of living beings or inanimate objects by simplistic drawings. Over the years, some of the representations fell out of meaning, such as clubs, which at one time were used as weapons, and other weapons took their place. But they glyph stayed. Sometimes the object described by the glyph completely fell out of daily use and the meaning eventually became lost or it was distorted beyond recognition. Always only a few people in a limited circle understood the script. Only those who needed the knowledge in their professions were able to acquire the task of writing and reading the glyphs. These people were, for example, officials, doctors, and priests. Since the glyphs were too complex for everyday use, hieratic script was developed. Easier abbreviated script was developed for writing by brush stroke on a medium such as papyrus. Classical hieroglyphics evolved through the need to identify a pictorial representation of an event, such as a hunt or a particular battle. Hieroglyphs were added to scenes to signify that the work of art was not just an unknown war or such, but a specific one. This also one of the first times that we see people interested in preserving their history for others to learn about in later times. It was this new attitude toward time and toward history as unique events in time led to the invention of hieroglyphic writing. Hieroglyphics dominated monumental and sacred writings and was accepted in the Greece until the situation was altered with the conversion of the area to Christianity in the nd and 3rd centuries AD. The new religion fought against the Egyptian polytheism and traditions, and with its victory, the Greek script triumphed. The ability to understand the script was lost for many hundreds of years until the failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt turned up the Rosetta Stone on which was written the same statement in three languages, Classical hieroglyphics, Hieratic script, and Greek. With the discovery of thi s asphalt tablet, archeologists were finally able to begin to unlock the key to understanding the long dead written language of hieroglyphics.

Legal Monopolies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Monopolies - Essay Example The USPS enjoys certain exclusive rights in the regulation of its services, most of which have been placed to discourage potential competition like the private mailboxes. Further, the agency is exempted from any tax cuts, implying that innocent citizens through its lines of credit shoulder most of its operations. With the existence of the monopoly status, however, the citizens have enjoyed exclusive services, which are reliable and serve the whole country without discrimination or regional imbalance. With the backing of the state resources, the USPS continues to serve the American population through the delivery of mails in convenient ways and at affordable prices to the average citizens. However, a closer analysis reveals the incompetent nature accompanying legal monopolies, mainly owing to the low quality services that are associated with their activities. Critics have argued that the privatization of the institution would ensure that it provides better services to the citizens, an d that it increases its efficiency. Indeed, there should be regulations to control the boundary of activities for the legal monopoly as the first step towards transparency and resolution of problems that have continued to face existing monopolies. An analysis of the mail market reveals that the lack of competition has contributed to the deteriorating nature in the quality of services provided. (Feulner) contends that,† Competition would bring down prices, and the post office would have to become more responsive to customers if it wanted to survive†.

Halloween as a Ritual of Reversal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Halloween as a Ritual of Reversal - Essay Example Halloween overcomes the normal order of things in a variety of ways. Some of the costumes include gown black, like bats. This is mostly dressed because they symbolize that bats always operate during the night. Also, bats are thought to be creepy and this put people to think they would symbolize the link with the dead the other common costume symbolizes the black cat this was due to at the end of the autumn season symbolized the act of reincarnation. Most people believed that cats were more close to witches and this also another reason why they would prefer black cats. Others costumes that do come in handy are the skeletons this are perceived to show or portray the link between the living and the dead. The skull is unique in its own as it is used to show courage and not afraid of death. Costumes and masks are dressed to symbolize that during those days one could hide from the evil spirits. The spider web is always common because it shows the stages and process of life as a progress and not a one off thing. Halloween can be a strong tool in bringing America together as one without any discrimination of race it by portraying The USA as people who had a specific origin. It has grown to be so prevalent in The USA by the fact some of its history was found in there. It has been more popular due to the different race that is in America; people of different backgrounds who have met in one country. The influence of the media and social media cannot be

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Political Science - Essay Example Under a conservative system, individuals are responsible for their own welfare and the state benefits from individual’s efforts, contributions, and interests. Conservatives do not believe in equality of citizens and equitable distribution of national resources since every individual is compensated according to their effort. Liberals believe that the government should set policies and regulations against gun ownership. Under this system, the government is responsible for individual’s security and, therefore gun ownership is unnecessary. The liberals argue that people commit crime due to social disparities that exist within our society. Thus, in a liberal state there will be social and economic stability enhanced by equitable distribution of resources. Such states will have minimal crime rates. On the other hand, the conservatives believe that citizens have the rights for gun ownership as provided for by the Second amendment. In a conservative system, individuals have the rights to defend themselves and prevent criminals from committing crime. They also believe that gun controls laws do not prevent criminals from obtaining weapons and using them to commit crime. Instead, they argue that the government should strengthen existing laws to prevent misuse of guns. [Source textbook and week 9 videos] 2#, US elections often divide the country into either blue or red states. The Republican Party is associated with the red state while the democrats are linked with color blue. The blue and red state ideology originates from the liberal and conservative ideologies whereby the democrats are considered as liberal while the republicans are considered conservatives. The red and blue states have their origin from the era of slavery. States that supported slavery remain under the republican ideologies while those that supported abolition of slavery support the right movement or they are the blue states. Blue states include New England and the Great

Sony Playstation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sony Playstation - Essay Example â€Å"The Playstation was released in 1994 and enjoyed great success, mainly because of the company's strong financial back enabling it to market the PS widely and its ability to get hundreds of developers to license games for the console† (Sony Playstation n.d., para. 3). Sony Playstation turned out to be an instant success, and Sony offers a large variety of games obtainable with it. At the same time, as a beginner to the gaming manufacturing, Sony was, and still is, a customer electronics giant. The study here includes branding and competitor analysis of Sony Playstation. The PlayStation 2 version made by Sony also has online gaming abilities to engage any player personal across the earth with the help of a cable adapter attached to the back of the PS2, which connects an Ethernet port for the console to attach to the Online Community that every software game can access. â€Å"Before the release of the PlayStation, Sony had never held a large portion of the videogames marke t. It had made a few forays into the computer side of things, most notably in its involvement with the failed MSX chip in the early 80's, but it wasn't until the advent of CD-ROM technology that Sony could claim any market share† (History of the Playstation 1998). ... If you can create effective branding, then it can make your business appear to be much bigger than it really is† (What is Branding? 2009). Sony PlayStation is presently in transition phase. PlayStation 3 and PSP had faced some tough time. The playstation is considered as market leader in the entertainment category, the various kind of the features that are inbuilt in the playstation are the gaming, playstation network, multimedia support, connectivity and the various updates in the software. It can be played also online, The multi media game platform doesn’t look good on the PS3, The Sony playstation has many of the studios under the own clutches, and they add on more of the software and the hardware updates for the playstation.The name sony playstation provide gives much happiness and chill to people, the CD-swallowing monster and the multitap have added much as the catalyst to the branding and promotion. â€Å"The company's future relies on the PlayStation 3 and the t echnology that comprises it. Originally slated to launch spring 2006, the PlayStation 3 release was delayed until November because its two most exciting pieces of technology weren't ready -- the Cell processor chip and the Blu-ray drive† (Ohannessian 2006). Sony has the brand identification and advertising ability to generate new product group and revive full-grown ones. We can grant the example of its Walkman brand. â€Å"Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is predicting brisk sales, even though the launch may have missed some holiday shoppers. A successful debut would help the company offset the rest of its struggling business. Sony projects a loss of more than $1 billion for the fiscal year through March 2012, which would be its fourth straight annual

Representation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Representation - Term Paper Example One organization that has come out to create diabetes awareness through commercials is Ispot TV. This is a company located in New York and its main mission is offering real time commercial television advertisements on a number of fields such as business, sports and health (â€Å"Ispot TV’). The study seeks to relay how Ispot TV creates diabetes awareness through commercials in addition offering medication guidelines and how to curb the menace. The main objective of Ispot TV is advertising of television commercials in real time to the public. Recently, the company has focused most of its attention on diabetes campaign because according to research, the disease is causing many deaths annually hence it is important for companies like Ispot TV and other organizations to step in and boost diabetes awareness campaign. This has been made possible due to the company’s vast experience in technology. Through technology, the company has eased the way in which information is relayed to people, for instance, through television sets and websites (â€Å"Ispot TV†). According to a recent diabetes commercial by Ispot TV, diabetes cannot be detected by physically staring at someone because it is internal (â€Å"Ispot TV†). The commercial, which is both in audio and visual form features Bret Michaels among other people, goes ahead to reveal that diabetes affects everybody irrespective of one’s age, gender or race . In the commercial, a number of diabetes victims talk about diabetes and how they are battling the disease on a daily basis. The victims, including Bret Michaels go on to state that nations ought to join the American diabetes association in the move to eradicate diabetes. American Diabetes Association is an organization in Alexandria whose main goal is not only eradicating diabetes but also ensuring that diabetes victims receive proper

The Uses and Gratification Theory Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Uses and Gratification Theory - Case Study Example In previous eras, the main sources of entertainment for people tended to be festivals dedicated either to harvesting or in praise of one god or another. In the western perspective, this came to be replaced by theatre and with the modern age came the development of television and the television networks which continue to offer a wide variety of visual entertainment. The advancement in technology has increased the demand for entertainment from individuals, and because of the wide variety of entertainment being offered, it is not a surprise that many of the entertainment companies involved are competing heavily to capture audiences. Because of this, the audience has gained great influence in controlling the type of media they would like to view, and this can be likened to the individual’s lifestyle as well as mindset (Napoli, forthcoming). From the very beginning of the development of media, the main question that has concerned the developers is whether the media has any influenc e on the audience. It has been proven that different types of media can influence the audience, so that in some cases when an individual sees an advert of a product on television, he or she will likely purchase the product. On the other hand, there are those of the view that media has no great influence on its audience since it is they who choose what to watch (Allison, 2006). This article makes a focus on the motives behind the choice of a particular media type as a basis of the Theory of Audience especially uses and Gratification theory. In the past few decades, the invention and development of the internet have revolutionized the lives of many people in the world and one would argue that it is one of the biggest developments in mass media. Every decade of the twentieth century presented its own theories concerning media communication, and while at the beginning, it was thought that media had an effect on the audience, later with the advancement in media communication, researchers found that audiences only used media for their own benefit (Rossi, 2002). Theory of Audience Uses and Gratifications Katz first proposed the theory of Uses and Gratification and the notion behind this theory is, it focuses on a question of why and how people use particular media. In contrast to the effect model view which is what media do with people, U & G is considered as a broader aspect among media researchers who are more concerned about finding what people do with a media (Chandler,1994). This theory is contradictory to the older approach of Audience of a passive group. This theory views the audience as an active group which means individuals have power and selects that media text that best suits her needs and her attempts to satisfy the needs. This theory represents the use of media in terms of gratification of social or psychological need of the individual. This theory shifted the approach of gratification from the functional paradigm to social sciences (Katz, Blumler and G urevitch, 1974).  Gratification can be derived from three distinct sources which are media content, exposure, and social content. The mass media compete with other sources of gratification, but gratifications can be obtained from a medium's content (e.g. watching a specific program), from familiarity with a genre within the medium (e.g. watching soap operas).

Representation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Representation - Term Paper Example One organization that has come out to create diabetes awareness through commercials is Ispot TV. This is a company located in New York and its main mission is offering real time commercial television advertisements on a number of fields such as business, sports and health (â€Å"Ispot TV’). The study seeks to relay how Ispot TV creates diabetes awareness through commercials in addition offering medication guidelines and how to curb the menace. The main objective of Ispot TV is advertising of television commercials in real time to the public. Recently, the company has focused most of its attention on diabetes campaign because according to research, the disease is causing many deaths annually hence it is important for companies like Ispot TV and other organizations to step in and boost diabetes awareness campaign. This has been made possible due to the company’s vast experience in technology. Through technology, the company has eased the way in which information is relayed to people, for instance, through television sets and websites (â€Å"Ispot TV†). According to a recent diabetes commercial by Ispot TV, diabetes cannot be detected by physically staring at someone because it is internal (â€Å"Ispot TV†). The commercial, which is both in audio and visual form features Bret Michaels among other people, goes ahead to reveal that diabetes affects everybody irrespective of one’s age, gender or race . In the commercial, a number of diabetes victims talk about diabetes and how they are battling the disease on a daily basis. The victims, including Bret Michaels go on to state that nations ought to join the American diabetes association in the move to eradicate diabetes. American Diabetes Association is an organization in Alexandria whose main goal is not only eradicating diabetes but also ensuring that diabetes victims receive proper

Dramatic principle Essay Example for Free

Dramatic principle Essay The Prelude is a long autobiographical poem, described the poets love of nature and his own place in the world order. Dust as we are, the immortal spirit grows Like harmony in music; there is a dark Inscrutable workmanship that reconciles Discordant elements, makes them cling together In one society. The Prelude had a great influence in prose poetry (Nichols 66 as quoted by Moore). Lyrical dialogue can be observed in it which shows that through Prelude, he wanted to move away from the monologic lyric. His breaking out from the monologic lyric has created the prose poem. The significant idea that the form of the poem should reflect the experience is denoted by his short poems (Rehder 179 as quoted by Moore). He desired for irregular forms to experience uniqueness (Rehder 206 as quoted by Moore). The poetic genres free verse and prose poetry are actually developed from that idea of uniqueness. Robert Browning had won himself the reputation of a dramatic poet and was able to produce the dramatic monologues. Though at his time a dramatic monologue was not yet a genre, this is considered now as a poetic genre with intriguing characteristics in a sense that it gripped the minds of the scholars. This genre has a characteristic of modern criticism. However, modern criticism stresses on the dramatic part, the dramatic monologue stresses the lyrical characteristics. His monologues incorporate action and conflict in the drama thus it involves outpouring of emotions. It is clearly evident in his work that it is a mixture of lyrical and dramatic (Abou-Bakr). Browning’s collection the Dramatic Lyrics shows his concept of poetic genre particularly about being lyrical and dramatic. It seems that Browning saw the dramatic principle by employing the creation of fictional characters who will take the role of the speaking voice I his poems. These characters or the so-called personae are the ones giving the lyrical utterances or expressions. To Browning, lyrical and dramatic can be differentiated by its proximity from the poet himself. The Confessional exposes not the sin of the persona however it reveals the sin of the priest. It was actually lightened by the humor incorporated in it. You think Priests just and holy men! Before they put me in this den I was a human creature too, With flesh and blood like one of you, A girl that laughed in beautys pride Like lilies in your world outside. The fathers head was long and white, With love and truth his brow seemed bright; He told me what he would not tell For hope of heaven or fear of hell; And I lay listening in such pride! And, soon as he had left my side, Tripped to the church by morning-light To save his soul in his despite. Wordsworth’s and Browning’s work are similar in some ways but different in most ways. The main difference of their works is the genre itself. Wordsworth is employing lyrical dialogue in his poems in which he can be one of the persons in the dialogue. He is very effective in showing the beauty of what can be seen due to fact that his poetry are all about those he had highest regard and those he got involve with. His works tell truths of what is truly a happening and there is enthusiasm on it. He developed the prose poetry by employing dialogue in his poems. Browning is more focused on describing what is truly felt. His works dwell on emotions felt by a person in a certain situation. He developed the dramatic monologue which becomes the basis for modern criticism. In his works he makes use of personae to represent the person in the poem. These are actually fictional characters which speak for and express the emotion in the poem. He diverged from what is called tradition of poetry and tried to present his poem in a different view. Works Cited Abou-Bakr, Randa. â€Å"2001. American University in Cairo. Accessed February 8, 2008, from http://www. thefreelibrary. com/ Robert+Brownings+%22 Dramatic+Lyrics%22: +Contribution+to+a+Genre-a082322117 Brians, Paul. â€Å"Romanticism. † 1998. Accessed Februry 9, 2008, from http://www. wsu. edu /~brians/ hum_303/romanticism. html Moore, Dena L. â€Å"William Wordsworth’s Contribution to Prose Poetry. 2002. Accessed February 8, 2008, from http://www. authorsden. com/visit/viewarticle. asp? AuthorID=3247id=5659 â€Å"Romantic Movement. † 21st Century Universal Encyclopedia. Eight Edition, 1994. â€Å"Socialist Realism. † 21st Century Universal Encyclopedia. Eight Edition, 1994. â€Å"Social Realism. † Accessed February 9, 2008 from, http://www. freeessays . cc/db/6/ame195. shtml

A Dissertation About Issues In logistics management

A Dissertation About Issues In logistics management 1. Introduction: This dissertation is about logistics management. It is a part of the supply chain management which involves with the inflow, outflow, procurement, maintenance and storage of goods and services. The supply chain exists between starting point to delivery point. As mentioned by Ackerman (2000), Logistic management basically means having a right thing, in the right place at the right time. This project is focus on the activities of manager of famous company to perform in order to make the organisation a success. In todays environment there is a need to stay updated in order to know the flaws in business, to think at the right time and act accordingly. There is always a complexity in dealing with the ever-changing customer requirements, their expectations relating to price, competitions in the economy and so on. All these have to be met efficiently in order to cope up with the situation. The success of a goods or service depends on how well strengthens of the distribution strategy is studied and how the suppliers, markets, storage and transportation are dealt with right strategy. The upcoming areas deal with the entire process involved in the transformation of a raw material into the ultimate finished product. Logistics management presents a v ariety of tools to understand the logistics in effective decision making and how it goes in relating the broader issues in the entire supply chain thereby finding out ways and means in achieving the strategic goals (Ackerman, 2000). The company that is selected here is Tolam Logistics which is located in Hong Kong. It was established in 1996 by Mr. Eric Lam who had about 20 years experience in freight and transportation. The TLs provide One Stop shop logistics services by all type of facility of logistics like storage, delivery, custom clearance etc. The TLs main customers included Toshiba, Sanyo, Kleon, Fujis air conditioner and Plasma Televisions. It had a warehouse of 100,000 sq. ft. and owns around 32 trucks. The staff strength resulted to around 100 including permanent staffs (Magee, 1985). Tolam Logistics is a logistics company engaged in the distribution of goods that are received at its warehouse. The main points that we focussed here is warehousing and distribution. The objective of this case study is to discuss its objectives, strategies and methods employed in: Transportation planning: TL uses its own trucks to transport the goods without depending on outsourcing of transport. Only when the demand exceeds its transport facilities it does not hesitate to make use of outsourcing and in situations where the demand is low it has no problem to put its trucks idle. They use their trucks in such situations to generate income by outsourcing their trucks to other uses. E.g. In monsoon season due to low business activity at that time not using outsourcing trucks and deploy only own trucks which runs on fixed route and fixed contract which surety of fixed expense and income. Inventory management: TL provides a sound inventory system. They receive orders in the night and make despatches in the daytime. They forecast the warehouse space and transportation on a quarterly basis in order to know its requirements. Companies usually reserve their space in the warehouse depending upon the volume to be held in the warehouse. They have latest technology for loading and unloading 14 vehicles at a time. Information technology: TL has an extended use of computer systems to record various transactions happening inside. It maintains a separate database for each customer. TL is now in the process of developing a new IT integrated system that will open up new exits to the company. TL does have difficulties in providing different legacy systems, so they are planning to install a common platform on the web so that all its customers can be satisfied at a time. They are implementing barcode system to tracking goods(Frederick Ross, 1996) 2. Aims and Objective: We are learning about the issues of logistics management and for this purpose I am planning to take up the company Tolam Logistics as the main subject. Tentative research questions can be considered for this purpose is What are the main factors that affect the logistics management at TL, Do theories of logistics apply at the ground level?, How important is logistics in managing customer satisfaction?, What are the performance measures, costing methods and metrics used for logistics management?, Can modern communication technologies impact logistics management. 3. Theoretical Background: 3.1 Logistic Strategy and Planning: The supply chain strategy is main link to growth of business strategy and it should taking care of balance maintained between the cost and service offered by firm. As mentioned by Tompkins (1998), following factors have to be considered here, The customers and suppliers should be aligned in regard to the internal company operations. Companys inflow (Raw Material) and outflow (sales) should be maintained as per market demands and trends with the help of internal company operations likes collect, pickup, packaging, deliver etc. The marketing and sales plan should be aligned to meet the supply chain strategy means like E.g. For launching a new product in the market sales plan like marketing should be start after enough production flow carry on to fulfill the demand of market, If market trends change the immediately we have other strategy for product modification. The capital expenditure has to be aligned to the supply chain operations. E.g. Firm have enough capital for monthly fixed expense like production cost, sales, salary, rent, marketing and promotion cost etc. The HR structure has to be aligned to the supply chain E.g. HR structure have enough manpower to operate the production, sales and marketing etc dept. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to meet the investment policies. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to meet the growth targets. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to make room for expansion of the business. Logistic planning involves the use and management of all logistic resources in order to maintain the desired cost and service performance. The considerations include the inventory positioning, inventory levels, number of warehouses, types of warehouses, mode of carrier selection and so same will be forwarded. The company can decide on whether to deploy a high service method or a low cost service method. A high cost method deploys more warehouses, use fast delivery transportation and maintain high stock levels. This method of course is mostly trying to avoid the high cost. Whereas, a low cost service method gives value for cost by reducing the number of warehouses to one, use cheap transportation and maintain longer lead time in ordering stocks. Through improved warehouse design the cost of handling materials can be reduced to a great extent prior delivery goods arrange as to easily loading and unloading from trucks, by arranging direct vehicle loading of materials from the warehouse and implementing automated installations are two methods that can reduce handling material costs. By conducting an assessment of the transport costs and implementing the right choice by comparing current transport costs with that of the occurring standard rates can bring down transport costs to the minimize with routes selection, speed of vehicle, Regular maintained vehicle, road maps, uses the GPRS system to reach at delivery point. This type of logistic planning goes a long way in attaining the right logistic system. Company has to consider four main points while planning a logistic system; they are as stated above, customer service levels, facility location, inventory decisions and transportation decisions. These four levels are related to ea ch other and therefore integrated planning has to be considered. Planning here means designing the logistics network as a configuration of warehouses, production plants, selling areas, stocking-areas, transportation and information systems that aim at balancing an equilibrium between the overall costs and the revenue. Briefly idea for the logistic planning means the total cost concept should be studied to consider the supply chain.   3.2 Customer Service Strategy:   Supply chain is basically considered as a strategic concept that involves understanding and managing the sequence of activities -from supplier to customer-that add value to the product supply pipeline (Tompkins, 1998). The role of customers in the supply chain market is not incidental. Every company in this chain, irrespective of market size mainly they thankful to its customers as the fact is that in all profit of firm there are customers are in center whom to buy the goods and services produced by each one of them. This century marks the end of monopolies and therefore customers can make an array of choices. When customers decide not to buy products in a particular supply chain, then no doubt the company would collapse without earning any revenue for the expenses incurred in launching the product on the stage of saturation and decline stage. So, the supply chain should be structured in such a manner that there is a common link between the products as such and the end customer. It is because that the tastes of customers keep changing and their expectations goes on rising, when product cycle at saturation and decline stage at they began decreasing brand loyalty and put in for anything that attracts them. Thus the importation must be put on conducting effective market analysis to know the needs of different groups of customers to whom the offer is to be made. Its main aim is to polish its contact with the customers. The rationale behind this strategy is to improve services provided directly or indirectly to its customers and to use the information in the system for targeted marketing and sales purposes. A kind of metrics should be used to assess the customer service, like the companys ability to fill the orders in limited time or the delivery of the products on the due date. Other researches can be conducted to find out the reason for not delivering the products on the due date. There is no compromise for an act of negligence in meeting customer satisfaction as it is the customers who ultimately judge the life span of the company.  In todays fast growing economy, it is not the matter of fact that the big beat the small but it is the fast beats the slow and the accurate beats the inaccurate. Below are mentioned seven steps to reduce the fulfilment costs by improving customer service at the same time (Tompkins, 1998). According to him, the following points are important with regard to supply chains, Integrate with order entry system: In todays hyper competitive economy it is very difficult to maintain order fulfilment through the internet. Most of them placed through internets are managed poorly and which end in resulting distorting customer satisfaction due to delay in product delivery. Integrating a systematic order fulfilment process tends to reduce manual labour that saves time, increases profitability and customer satisfaction E.g. Order received in night and make delivery in the day time. Build in adaptability: Providing exceptional customer service has proved to be challenging in todays competitive environment. Companies can meet this challenge by proving to be adaptable with the customer wants makes changes in their orders right from the purchase and even upto and after shipment. This can prove to be successful as the customers can get what they want even if their product changes from the market. E.g. Tailor made transportation system like packaging facility as per weather. Confirm with bar codes: By changing the bar coding into an automated one ,the company can save a large amount of its time and energy and even implement perfection in planning as it presents real time data instead of mere projections. E.g. In the ware house material arranged with barcode easy to locate particular product with the barcode system we can easily shift goods as per priority of delivery and delivery places. Conducting automated pickings: Automated technologies are easily fulfills the needs of customer thereby increasing customer satisfaction and bringing in repeated business in a shorter time span. E.g. Goods collection from customer destination is one of good example of automated pickings its save time and money of customers which bringing repeated business. Automated shipping plans: Using automated shipping plan the workers can pick to a predesigned way of stacking the containers without going for trial and error methods. This saves a lot of time and energy of the workers engaged in stacking the containers and speeding the delivery with less expense than without ASP. E.g. Barcode system on containers and on the area of ware house which easily track the goods and easily stacking and speeding the delivery. Automate shipment verification: By applying automated verification together with automated picking and using bar codes, more time can be saved on packing, verifying and shipping process. Sourcing orders based on facility workload: Logistic managers should use the method of best utilize of space when multiple warehousing and distribution facilities are available in order to improve responsiveness and maximize flexibility. The above factors tend to make the shipment reach the customers more quickly and which therefore has a direct impact on their satisfaction levels. The standards of service provided to end customers should be determined and mentioned on top of the list. The remaining strategic decisions should also be taken considering the customers interests. Frohne, (2008), Organization has to adjusting the supply chain as such to meet the market demand and product features, Determining the relation model among the supply chain participants, Selecting the suppliers, Determining on the distribution channels, Adopting a specific method of stock holding, Determining the location and nature of the warehouse, Formulating guidelines in selecting the transportation. Taking a decision on any of the above mentioned factors without giving due consideration to the customer needs may seriously affect the implementation of the general strategies of the supply chain, as the strategies of the supply chain are competitive in nature that aimed at end customer satisfaction.    The focus of supply chain on the customers can be studied more explicitly using the Quick Response concept, which means identifying the demands and reacting to its changes as quickly as possible. This concept was developed in relation to textile industry in order to avoid losses due to change in demand. The QR nature is such that it assume in close cooperation with the supply chains by providing maximum satisfaction to its customers by reducing the costs to its minimum. This becomes material if the customers provide timely information to the suppliers regarding their demands and they make timely supply of the demand. This method would no doubt increase sales by reducing the costs by bringing in profit to all the supply chains involved. 3.3 Procurement management: Procurement is appropriate goods at best cost which fulfill the requirement of purchase with good quality, quantity, time and location. It is regarding the profit orientation fastest growing business firm rather than simple cost cutting measures. There is an old saying Goods well bought are half sold, this means that the success of an organisation depends on the efficiency of its purchasing department. If organization purchase good quality raw material then its increase the productivity of internal operation, quality of final goods, reduce the wastage. Buying dept and selling departments are interlinked, in other words if buying dept purchased goods without proper consultation with the sales department which knows the nature and trend of the market, then the sales department cannot succeed to sell the goods at a profit. E.g. if purchase department without consult with sales dept purchase water resists packaging material in monsoon season to purchase waterproof material for packaging its indirectly effect on business cost, time etc wastage. In monsoon season low business activity need low quantity of packaging material need to know quantity of material as well. Scientific purchasing methods should be adopted in order to purchase the right product at the right price and place, in right quantity and quality and from the right supplier. All these factors are interconnected. There is always confusion for all the concerns regarding what to buy, where and how to buy. All these problems can be solved by performing the following purchasing functions. Jones, James V., p82(2006) Planning the purchase of goods: The producer should decide on the required amount of stock of raw materials and parts that is to be purchased on the basis of expected volume of sales and the estimated rate of production. It has some sub functions that has to be followed to make the purchase effectively. They are preparation of the budget, determination of quantities to be ordered, stock turnover, consideration of effects of changes in fashion and price changes. Assembling: It means gathering goods from various sources and bringing them to the business place. E.g. Head office ordered for packaging material and store in warehouse then need to supply at all branches on right time. If goods received from japan to deliver at north London then japan branch send goods to main office at uk branch then they supplies to London branch and London branch supply to north london branch whom deliver it to customer. Locating the sources of supply: The buyers have to search for various sources of supply and maintain contact with them. In the selection of the suppliers, the buyers should consider the efficiency, rate and location, capacity of supply goods, goodwill and financial stability of the suppliers. It is always desirable to maintain liaison with two or more suppliers to ensure uninterrupted supply in case of non availability of raw material from one supplier buyer sure for available from another supplier and supply of raw material not interrupted. Market news: The buyers should be always aware of the market, the prices, the change in fashion, tastes and attitude of the customers should be updated. The launching of the product and their impact on the customers should also be monitored by survey of customers like-dislikes, market share, market trends etc. Negotiation of terms: After the above activities have been completed the buyer has to finalise on buying. For this he has to negotiate with the suppliers terms and conditions. Usual negotiations will be on the quality, quantity, price, discounts and terms of delivery. Transfer of title: Finally, immediately after the payment the buyer should get the title transferred in his name. He should get the relevant documents like final agreement copy, terms and condition letter, quotation etc in his custody. To take a quick look at how CEVA logistics a leading supply chain management company has tied up its hands with Ford, a global leader in the automotive world, proved to be a success. The operation is located closely to the plants proximity and provides small lot market consuming areas, container management and efficient transportation system. CEVA was awarded three awards for its efficient supply chain in providing customer satisfaction through maintaining quality, fast delivery and excellence in management from Ford. 3.4 Financial aspects of logistics: Financial managers have a responsibility to raise capital for maintaining inventory and also for the firms overall profitability. There is a global solution for low risk work. Once a company enters to do business globally its financial risks also arises. It needs to ask questions as to how it will get its money in business or whether the goods will be accepted only after the shipment. Companies can use various financial instruments that banks offer nowadays in the form of letter of credit and the like. The payment condition regulates the flow of goods or services in the logistic system and the mode of payment. Some of the common means of payment are way bills, letter of credit, commercial invoice etc. on the basis of payment conditions; banks have adopted a new means of payment under the term called financial engineering. These have proved to be very much useful in enabling the free of capital that is blocked in ventures and also reducing the time of funds being locked up in business . They also have to verify the terms and contract of payment with customer and what is fixed expense are occurred against payment method with customers. The currencies of various countries can also affect international logistics in many ways. These are foreign exchange control and risks of exchange associated with warehousing. This can be reduced by selecting specific company locations, countries that have a stable market for their currencies. By reducing the order processing time can also minimise the risks involved in exchange rate.    3.5 Packaging and Inventory Management   Packaging is technology of preparing goods for transportation, sales, warehousing, logistics, evaluate the design of product. Packaging is concerned with the planning, distribution, sals and storage etc. Packaging makes attractive to the end consumers the old product. It is a group effort of the designer, the researcher, the engineer, the marketing expert, the sales department and the top management. It should be designed in a systematic manner in order to achieve its very purpose (Voortman, 2004).  The various factors to be considered while taking packaging decisions are the size, colour, material, text, brand name, caption etc. In packaging designs the AIDAS formula (see Figure 1) has to be successfully implied. AIDAS represents five basic points. They are attention, interest, desire, action and satisfaction. These are very much important in the supply chain strategy which goes ultimately in meeting the customer needs. The need of packaging is to ensures the supply of right quant ity and quality of the product, to protects the product from any damage caused due to dust, mishandling, pilferage etc, to makes the handling of products conveniently, to facilitates the storage of products, to makes it convenient to distinguish our products from that of the others, to makes the product more attractive, to helps the customers to reuse the product for some other purposes Packaging holds a very important place in the supply chain logistic management. Only when the products are presented well the customers has an urge to buy it more frequently.   Fig. 1 AIDAS Source:- self 4. Inventory Management:    Inventory management aims to handle all function correctly with tracking and management of material. Inventory management is very wide definition like to replenishment lead time , carrying costs of inventory, asset management, forecasting, valuation, visibility, future inventory cost, space, quality etc. The ultimate aim of supply chain management is how well you manage your inventory. Manufacturers face a number of challenges which require not just exceptional planning but also an effective communication setup that keeps you updated at the spur of a moment. From rapid changes of customer demands, globalisation or even natural calamities can cause your inventory to be stuck up paving way for no wages to the employees. Therefore there should be a quick information system to discuss the inbound and outbound issues affecting the demand and supply. For this there should be a well managed supply chain inventory management in order to keep the business running without any interruptions (Bo wersox, 2000) There are benefits and risks of holding inventory as mentioned below, Avoiding risks of sale: If a desired amount of inventory are stored that are ready to be sold, can bring in return to the company. It can avoid losing its customers for non supply of products. Shelf-stocks are those products which are sold to its customers with little or no modifications; an example of such a product is automobiles. Quantity discount: When goods are purchased in bulk quantity the suppliers offer a discount. This is in fact helps the buyer to make a more margin in profit. Even sometimes suppliers are ready to supply goods on credit for time period like one week /month thats all capital invest in other source for time being help to cash cycle. Reducing ordering costs: Each time an order has to be placed it incurs certain expenses like mailing costs, typing, approving and the like, so if inventory is stored in bulk it can reduce the ordering costs to a great extend. Reducing the set up costs: Start up costs is incurred each time a product is produced. Maintaining large stocks of inventory helps in reducing the set up costs. Reducing risks of production shortage: If any part of a product is unavailable it may result in the production to stay at a halt. Therefore it is good to hold inventories to maintain sufficient flow of supply to the customers. Avoiding risks of holding inventories: Reduction or decline in the market price: It faces the risks of price cutting by competitors or the arrival of a new product. In such situations holding inventories in large    amount would only prove to be a loss for the holding firm. Also inventories more money on new product like advertisement, launching, promotion offers, discount schemes etc. Deterioration of the product: Product may get worse when it is held for longer periods. Obsolescence of the product: The product may become obsolete and outdated when the customers tastes and preferences change. While dealing with inventory management in the supply chain it is also advised to go through the costs of holding inventory. The costs associated with inventory are of two types; direct costs and indirect costs. The direct costs of holding inventory are the materials cost, ordering costs and carrying costs. The indirect costs of holding inventory are costs of funds tied up in inventory (opportunity cost) and the costs of running out of stock (stock-out cost) (Waters, 2003).   When critically evaluating the inventory management we can sum up the objectives like to ensure that the materials are available for production without interruption, To maintain sufficient stock of raw material in times of shortage, To ensure that inventory of finished goods are readily made available to meet the customer demands., To maintain a balance between the inventories., To prevent the inventory from deterioration by providing proper warehousing and insurance.   From the above mentioned points it is evaluated that inventory if not controlled properly may either way prove to be wastage to the concern. This has induced the need to find out techniques to control the inventory.   4.1 Economic Order Quantity: EOQ (see Figure 2) is the level where total demands of product is constant over and each new order is delivered in regularly when in the inventory is reach at zero level. It is important to note that only the right amount of the inventory has to be stored. EOQ means the determination of the right quantity to be purchased. A balance has to be maintained between the carrying costs and the ordering cost. EOQ is the point where the total cost of ordering and the cost of carrying the inventory would be the minimum. For EOQ we assume that the ordering cost, rate of demand, purchase price and delivery quantity are constant with fixed lead time. The main point here to be noted is whether you increase or decrease the purchase the total of all the costs should be maintained at a minimum (Stock, 1993). Fig. -2 Formulas for Economic Order Quantity. Source:- Google Image. 4.2 ABC analysis:   ABC analysis (See Figure 3) is a technique of exercising selective control over inventory items. It is a method of controlling material according to its value. Its a mechanism for impact on inventory cost by identifying items. A concern need not exercise the same degree of control over all materials. Materials of high value should be closely controlled than materials of low value. Accordingly, the materials will be grouped as A, B and C. A category material constitutes only a small percentage of the total items but they have the highest value. By category items constitutes a higher percentage of the total items but have only a medium value and the C category items constitutes the highest percentage in the total inventory but it has the lowest value. ABC analysis is based on the principles of Selective Inventory Management.   Fig-3 ABC Analysis. Source Google Image 4.3 Determination of Re-order level: Re-order level (See Figure 4) is that level of inventory at which the firm should place orders in order to maintain stock of the inventory. It is with regard to the timing of purchase. When orders are placed new products will reach the before it runs out of stock. Last minute order placing is not found here as the orders are placed slightly above the minimum stock level. The above techniques can go on a long way to control the sufficient inventory. As inventory forms the life blood of a concern not a minute carelessness can be made in maintaining adequate stock of inventory. As there is a supply chain all over the globe it is high time to forgo with traditional inventory management process and continuously manage inventory through the global supply chains to optimise the inventory. The excellence in supply chain is required to strike a balance between the lead times, budgets, inventory costs and the risks. In order to maintain optimum utilization of inventory it is necessary to balance the supply chain management against the business policies, changing market demands, risks and other constraints. It makes it important to know what inventories to carry, how, when and in what form.   Fig. -4 Diagram of Reorder Level. Source:- Google Image. 5. Physical Distribution and Monitoring Performance: 5.1 Warehousing   Another important area which forms an important part of the supply chains strategy is the provision of proper storage and warehousing facilities until the goods are ready to be consumed by the end customers. Its primary aim is controlling the movement and storage of goods until they are demanded in the market. Warehouse management system aids in supporting the associated areas like transportation, put away and picking (Frazelle, 2002). Here the warehousing systems can be managed in both ways either manually or automatically. In order to explain this much better an illustration is explained below. A UK based company is a manufacturer of books, cards, antiques and other souvenirs. The company has to ship its products to more than 500 destinations around the world. Now to know the challenge it has faced, it managed to build up its own warehouse of a 10,000 foot and used paper based system. All the products have to be located based on the colour or relying completely on the staffs employ ed there. But this system proved to be inefficient as there always raised confusion between the products as different products sometimes were of the same colour. This took up a lot of time and energy of the concern and they were piling up with shipments that were yet to be dispatched. This started to affect the concern both on its revenue as well as its customer satisfaction. It also led to the duplication of work as the same lists were printed twice. They recognised that th