Hung Liu: The Chinese-American Artist Essay

â€Å"The mind changes, the word changes, time doesn’t stay still, history is a verb, it is ongoing, there is no past tense, future tense, history is constant† Hung Liu told interviewer Rachelle Riechart (Riechart). Hung Liu is a Chinese woman who was born in Changchun, China in 1948. She was born during the age which we call the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which heavily impacted her life. She lived in China for 36 years and then left for the United States. She now resides in Oakland, CA, where she teaches art at Mills College (â€Å"A World of Art†). A lot of her artwork is based on photographs and memories she has from China and photographs she’s taken in the United States. She takes photographs of pictures, repaints them, usually oil paint on canvas, and slightly alters them by leaving washes and drips to show how history can’t be remembered fully from a picture. She also does artwork for American history such as a piece she did in South Carolina for Chinese people who owned laundry mats (Riechart). I find most of Hung Liu’s artwork to be very historical and personal, because most of her artwork comes from her own photographs. I’d like to focus on how she addresses the struggles of being an immigrant throughout the country, how Hung Liu maintains her cultural traditions in almost all of her artwork, and how she defines the word â€Å"history†. Hung Liu came to the United States during the 1980s, which was a rough time to be Asian in the United States. During this time we were having a recession and many auto industries were going out of business due to Japanese imports. Aside from that, it was not too long after the Vietnam War had ended. Many factors contributed to the racism targeted against Asian-Americans. Although it was the Japanese making the cars and the Vietnamese during the war, ignorant Americans would rationalize by saying they all look the same and would blame Chinese, Filipinos or any Asian people. There was a man named Vincent Chin in 1983, one year before Hung Liu immigrated to the United States, who was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a white man named Ebens, because Ebens believed Vincent Chin and his people were at fault for the fall of American auto industry. â€Å"One dancer heard Ebens say explicitly ’It’s because of you motherfu*kers that we’re out of work’† was the accusation he made. Vincent was a young man who was about to get married in a few weeks before he was murdered. His father was a Chinese immigrant who worked hard and owned laundry mats, and later served in the military for his citizenship and was later able to bring his wife and adopted son, Vincent, to the free land (Yung). Hung Liu worked hard with extensive research to find that her fellow Chinese people who had been living in America before her had owned many laundry mats and were very involved in the laundry business. When asked by a college in South Carolina to create a piece for them, she designed clothing and had her family create them and this piece later turned into a memorial for the laundry businesses in the South (Riechart). Figure 1: â€Å"Forbidden City† Figure 1: â€Å"Forbidden City† Another struggle that Hung Liu addressed that might have affected her life in California was that in the 1800s, Chinese women were shipped in and used as prostitutes around San Francisco for miners (Tedford). In 1991 Hung Liu painted the â€Å"Forbidden City†, shown in figure 1, which shows exposed women in the Forbidden City of China. I feel like this painting is called Forbidden for multiple reasons, one being the Palace in China was known as the Forbidden City, and also the painting seems â€Å"Forbidden† because of the naked women on the picture. Also I think that because San Francisco is known as â€Å"The City†, the Forbidden City could refer to San Francisco as well. This piece addresses her understanding of the difficulty of being a Chinese-American woman at the time. Hung Liu is very proud of her ethnical background and is not afraid to show it. Almost all of her work has Chinese culture in it, from the scenery such as buildings or flowers to something smaller like calligraphy. A good example is the Forbidden City piece that I previously mentioned. It addresses an issue that originated in California, but it shows the scenery of a Chinese Palace. She could have done this because the issue probably affects some people in China. She also does some installation art called â€Å"Resident Alien†, show in figure 2. This piece has Chinese people doing Tai Chi, and has Chinese pillars with calligraphy on them. Also it has two piles of fortune cookies. It is believed that the fortune cookie represents a â€Å"sexual slang for Chinese women† (Tedford). Overall, these two pieces really incorporate the Chinese culture in Hung Figure 2: â€Å"Resident Alien† Figure 2: â€Å"Resident Alien† Liu’s art and show that she loves to express her culture. Figure 2: â€Å"Resident Alien† Figure 2: â€Å"Resident Alien† Figure 3 : â€Å"Refugee: Woman and Children† Figure 3 : â€Å"Refugee: Woman and Children† The most distinctive characteristic Hung Liu has is the way she defines the word history. The way she sees it is that although you can have a memory from a picture, you can’t remember every detail from that picture, such as the words you spoke that second or what happened exactly 20 seconds before that picture was taken, or even 20 seconds after. There are always missing puzzle pieces with history. She also believes history is a verb, because it is always happening and always going. History never ends and is always being made. The way she depicts her attitude towards history in her artwork is by leaving washes and drips of paint when she repaints a photograph. These washes and drips indicate the incompleteness of the photograph. The drips are the fuzziness of memory (Riechart). Hung Liu uses this technique in the majority of her artwork and is very famous for it. The painting I chose to show her historical artwork is titled, â€Å"Refugee: Woman and Children†, shown in figure 3. I chose this painting because it shows what was probably common for Chinese women who were refugees during times of war and were forced to leave China. You can also see all the drips she made on the painting, which she uses to show the unknowing of what was going on during that photograph. Hung Liu is a great artist. She’s well aware of the struggles of being a Chinese Immigrant in America where violent actions were taken on all Asians. Regardless of the risk it takes to be an Asian-American, she still proudly represents her Chinese culture in her art pieces, and she teaches the Chinese history through her art. She’s created her own style and uses a drip technique to show how she defines history, and to show from her point of view how she sees the world and she uses photographs to show things that actually happened and were caught on camera. Overall, she is a very influential woman to other Asian-Americans and aspiring artists.

Judicial Law-Making Essay

The independence of the judiciary was ensured by the act of settlement 1700, which transferred the power to sack judges from the crown to the parliament. Consequently, judges should theoretically make their decisions based purely on the logical deductions of precedent, uninfluenced by political or career considerations. The eighteenth century legal commentator, William Blackstone, introduced the declaratory theory of law, stating that judges do not make law, but merely, by the rules of precedence, discover and declare the law that has always been: ‘the judge being sworn to determine, not according to his private sentiments†¦ ot according to his own private judgement, but according to the known laws and customs of the land: not delegated to pronounce a new law, but to maintain an expound the old one’. Blackstone does not accept that precedent does not even offer a choice between two or more interpretations of the law: where a bad decision is made, he states, the new one that reverses or overrules it is not a new law, nor a statement that the old decision was bad law, but a declaration that the previous decision was â€Å"not law†, in other words that it was the wrong answer. His view presupposes that there is always one right answer, to be deduced from the objective study of precedence. Today, however, this position is considered somewhat unrealistic. If the operation of precedent is the precise science Blackstone suggested, a large majority of cases in the higher courts would never come to court at all. The lawyer’s concern could simply look up the relevant case law and predict what the decision would be, then advise whichever of the clients would be bound to lose not to bother bringing or fighting the case. In a civil case, or any appeal case, no good lawyer would advise a client to bring or defend the case that they had no chance of winning. Therefore, where such a case is contested, it can be assumed that, unless one of the lawyers has made a mistake, it could go either way, and still be in accordance with the law. In practice, thus, judges’ decisions may not be as neutral as Blackstone’s declaratory theory suggests: they have to make choices which are by no means spelled out by precedent. Yet, rather than openly stating that they are choosing between two or more equally relevant precedents, the courts find ways to avoid awkward ones, which give them the impression that the precedents they do choose to follow are the only ones they could possibly apply. Ronald Dworkin argues that judges have no real discretion in making case law. He sees law as a seamless web of principles, which supply a right answer – and only one – to every possible problem. Dworkin reasons that although stated legal rules may â€Å"run out† (in the sense of not being directly applicable to a new case) legal principles never do, and therefore judges never need to use their own discretion. In his book, ‘laws’ empire 1986†², professor Dworkin claims that judges first look at previous cases, and from those deduce which principles could be said to apply to the case for them. They then consult their own sense of justice as to which apply, and also consider what the communities’ view of justice dictates. Where the judges’ view and that of the community coincide, there is no problem, but if they conflict, the judges then ask themselves whether or not it would be fair to impose their own sense of justice over that of the community. Dworkin calls this the interpretive approach and, although it may appear to involve a series of choices, he considers that the legal principles underlying the decisions mean that in the end, only one result could possibly surface from any one case. Dworkin’s approach has been heavily criticised as being unrealistic: opponents believe that judges do not consider principles of justice but take a much more pragmatic approach, looking at the facts of the case, not the principles. Critical legal theorists, like as David Kairys (1998) take a quite different view. They argue that judges have considerable freedom within the doctrine of precedent. Kairys suggests that there is no such thing as legal reasoning in the sense of a logical, neutral method of determining rules and results from what has gone before. He states that judicial decisions are actually based on a ‘complex mixture of social, political, institutional, experiential, and personal factors’, and are simply legitimated, or justified, by reference to previous cases. The law provides a ‘wide and conflicting variety’ of such justifications ‘from which courts pick and choose’. The process is not necessarily as cynical as it sounds. Kairys points out that he is not saying that judges actually make the decision and then consider which precedents they can pick to justify it: rather their own eliefs and prejudices naturally lead them to give more weight to precedents which support both views. Nevertheless, for critical legal theorists, all such decisions can be seen as reflecting social and political judgements, rather than objective, purely logical deductions. Critical theory argues that the neutral appearance of so called ‘legal reasoning’ disguises the true nature of legal decisions which, by the choices made, uphold existing power relations within society, tending to favour, for example, employers over employees, property owners over those without, men over women, and rich, developed countries over poor, undeveloped ones. Griffith (1997) argues that judges make their decisions based on what they see as the public interest, but that their view of this interest is coloured by their background and their position in society. He points out that judges’ view of public interest assumes that the interests of all the members of society are roughly the same, ignoring the fact that within society, different groups, employers and employees, men and women, rich and poor – may have interests which are diametrically opposite. What appears to be acting in public interest will usually mean in the interest of one group over another, and therefore cannot be seen as neutral. Waldron, in his book ‘The Law’ (1989), agrees that judges do make law, and that they are influenced in those instances of law-making by political and ideological considerations, but argues that this is not necessarily a bad thing. He contends that while it would be wrong for judges to be biased towards one side in a case, or to make decisions based on political factors in the hope of promotion, it is unrealistic to expect a judge to be ‘a political neuter – emasculated of all values and principled commitments’. Although judges have traditionally seen themselves as declaring or finding rather than creating law, and frequently state that making law is the prerogative of the parliament, there are several areas in which they clearly do make law. In the first place, historically, a great deal of English law is and always has been case law, made by judicial decisions. Contract and tort law are still largely judge made, and many of the most important developments – for example, the development of negligence as a tort – have had profound effects. Even though statutes have later been passed in these subjects, and occasionally parliament has attempted to embody whole areas of common law in statutory form, these still embody the original principles created by the judges. Secondly, the application of law, whether case law or statute, to a particular case is not usually an automatic matter. Terminology may be vague or ambiguous, new developments and social life have to be accommodated, and the procedure requires interpretation as well as application. As we have suggested, judicial precedent does not always make a particular decision obvious and obligatory – there may be conflicting precedents, their implications may be unclear, and there are ways of getting round a precedent that may otherwise produce an undesirable decision. If it is accepted that Blackstone’s declaratory theory does not apply in practice, then clearly the judges do make law, rather than explaining the law that is already there. The theories advanced by Kairys, Griffith, and Waldron, all accept that judges do have discretion, and therefore they do to some extent make law. Where precedents do not spell out what should be done in a case before them, judges nevertheless have to make a decision. They cannot simply say that the law is not clear and refer it back to parliament, even though in some cases they point out that the decision before them would be more appropriately decided by those who have been elected to make decisions on changes in the law. This was the case in Airedale NHS Trust v Bland (1993), where the House of Lords considered the fate of Tony Bland, the football supporter left in a coma, after the Hillsborough stadium disaster. The court had to decide whether it was lawful to stop supplying the drugs and artificial feeding that were keeping Bland alive, even though it was known that doing so would mean his death soon afterwards. Several law lords made it plain that they felt that cases raising ‘wholly new moral and social issues; should be decided by the Parliament, the judges’ role being to ‘apply the principles which society, through the democratic process, adopts, not to impose their standards on society. Nevertheless, the courts had no option but to make the decision one way or another, and they decided that the action was lawful in the circumstances, because it was in the patient’s best interests. Thirdly, our judges have been left to define their own role, and the role of the courts generally in the political system, more or less as they please. They have, for example, given themselves the power to review decisions of any public body, even when parliament has said those decis ions are not to be reviewed. In addition, despite their frequent pronouncements that it is not for them to interfere in parliament’s law making role, the judges have made it plain that they will not, unless forced by very explicit wording, interpret statutes as encroaching on common law rights or judge made law. They also control the operation of case law without reference to parliament : an obvious example is that the 1966 practice statement announcing that the HOL would no longer be bound by its own decisions, which made case law more flexible and thereby gave the judges more power, was made on the courts own authority, without needing permission from parliament. The HOL has explained its approach to judicial law-making (which is likely to be the same for the Supreme Court) in the case of C (a minor) v DPP 1995, which raised the issue of children’s liability for crime. The common law defence of doli incapax provided that a D aged between 10 and 14 could be liable for a crime only if the prosecution could prove that the child knew that what he or she did was seriously wrong. On appeal from the magistrates’ court, the divisional court held that the defence was outdated and should no longer exist in law. An appeal was brought before the HOL arguing that the divisional court was bound by precedent and not able to change the law in this way. the HOL agreed and went on to consider whether it should change the law itself (as the 1966 practice statement clearly allowed it to do), but decided that this was not an appropriate case for judicial law making.

Cunard Line, Ltd Essay

Cunard Line Ltd. is a cruise line that represents luxury and class providing four to five star cruise ship options. Their overall target market is mature adults with mid to very high income-levels. A lot of the marketing efforts put forth by Cunard were going towards tactical efforts and the promotion of individual ships as opposed to the promotion of the entire brand. Although most of the ads portrayed the same look and had an individually tailored paragraph and/or photo. Set backs caused by the worldwide recession as well as the Iraq War has caused Cunard the dilemma of risking their prestigious company image to provide consumers with larger discounts or develop other marketing strategies that will seek to maintain their 90% occupancy rate without lowering their high quality position. It created more pressure for the creation of â€Å"sales oriented† marketing, which would jeopardize their high-class image. With competitors such as Carnival who are able to provide large discounts, it makes it difficult for Cunard to avoid using the same approach in order to compete. Segmentation Strategy Cunard seems to have taken a Concentrated Marketing approach to segmentation. Generally, they focus on one target market – the upper class. Although this can be seen as a disadvantage in an economy experiencing a recession, by segmenting based on this niche income and lifestyle, Cunard is able to tailor their services specifically to them rather than targeting more than one market and not providing the best service possible. Not only do their advertisements and brand perception demonstrate this segmentation but they make efforts to communicate personally with their clients. This is demonstrated through through letters that they send with personalized marketing messages, tailored specifically to the needs of their customers. Price/Quality Relationship The concept of price/quality relationship is heavily integrated into the target market that Cunard has chosen. Along with their brand image, the high price of their services gives off a perceived high quality. Although services are generally intangible, services such as providing reservations for an entire mealtime in their five-star cruise ship is merely one example of how Cunard tries to maintain this price/quality relationship. With the price that consumers pay, they come to expect the best service for their dollar. Generally those who pay these high amounts believe that money is no object as long as they receive a great quality product or service. Satisfaction would mean that they reached or exceeded the expectations consumers had of the service. Cunard tries not to portray prices in their advertising or have constantly advertised sales in order to keep the price/quality relationship high and retain customers who respect this aspect of their company. Alternative Strategies There are multiple strategies that Cunard may take in order to maintain their high-class brand image while bringing in enough consumers from their target market. One of these alternatives is to create relationships with big companies and provide them with a vacation package deal. An example of this is creating a relationship with a large insurance company who is then able to create a contest for self-employed insurance advisors. As self-employed individuals they have the potential of gaining high incomes and through a contest they will be motivated to meet certain productivity requirements. Only those who qualify will be able to go on the trip and will therefore meet the high standards of the Cunard brand. This method would probably be more effective for the four star ships who cater less to those at or near the retired age and target a little bit of a lower income than the five star ships. Another alternative strategy would be to create a loyalty program for existing Cunard customers. This method can be used for customers of the four or five star ships. This loyalty program would provide occasional direct offers to customers who already have experience with Cunard and therefore will not view the deals as a lowering of standards. An example of a deal that can be provided is a selling package that is good for a year or two. This package would outline a discounted price for a set amount of people to travel on a certain cruise ship. That way, there is enough time for a customer to realistically plan out a trip while providing an incentive for them and encourage more action as opposed to a regular priced ad. Lastly, an alternative that can be taken is to build relationships with various large companies with employees who make an income in the target range and make offers to company executives. This method would not downplay the company image because Cunard would be communicating directly with high-income executives and furthermore will not be making any public sales or advertisements. This method would create new potential customers who are directly in the target market of choice using the method of relationship building. This may also result in additional customer retention. This method can be used for both the four and five star ships. In order to attract the target market of the five star ships, Cunard can make an arrangement with a company to offer a deal with their luxury ships as part of a retirement plan. Recommendations As a general recommendation, Cunard should focus on brand loyalty and relationships. Marketing efforts should go towards the advertising of the overall brand rather than individual ships while the rest of the company’s efforts should go towards relationship building. These relationships will then in turn target certain customers to certain ships through Cunard’s arrangements with companies. Considering the situation regarding the recession and war, Cunard should focus heavily on the strategy of building relationships with companies who can create vacation contest packages for their employees. During the time of a recession, anyone would appreciate an incentive to make more money and the opportunity to gain something from it. By winning something so prestigious, consumers gain confidence as well as social benefits, which can initially be their motivation. If it is a large company, there is potential for many qualifiers who can turn into loyal customers whether it be through the continuation of the contest yearly, or by their own personal desire to continue their relationship with Cunard. These contests will not jeopardize the high-quality image of the company because through negotiation, Cunard can insure that the qualification requirements are at a level where when achieved, it will be viewed as prestigious. If this contest continues yearly, Cunard can maintain their customer value, satisfaction and trust and therefore have customer retention. This will result in less price sensitivity, positive word of mouth, returning customers and a long lasting relationship. If Cunard continues to use marketing to market their entire company while bringing their services directly to their desired market, they can ensure a 90% occupancy and the continuation of a high-class cruise ship operation.

Collapse of CTV Building Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Collapse of CTV Building - Assignment Example The governments of several countries are motivating the organizations to follow proper business policies in order to improve countries’ business environment. This study will focus on the collapse of CTV building during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The study will try to find out several other reasons behind the collapse of this building. Collapse of CTV Building Introduction CTV Building was the headquarters of several leading organizations including Canterbury Television. This building was established in the Christchurch Central City (Kunstler, 2005). The CTV building became one of the significant symbols of 2011 Christchurch earthquake. 115 people lost their lives due to the collapse of CTV building during the earthquake. A series of construction, council, decision making, and engineering related errors over the last 20 years caused the catastrophic collapse of the CTV building. Prime Minister John Key ordered to set up the Royal Commission in order to investigate this i ncident. According to several reports it can be stated that the collapse of CTV building was the biggest life-taking incident. The Royal Commission stated that the CTV building’s engineering design was deficient in several ways. This building was not developed according to the appropriate standards. Therefore, Christchurch City Council did not make a right decision by issuing a building permit for CTV building. During the construction of the office block, it was found that the construction had been inadequately supervised by the appointed construction manager (Wilson, 2012). This study will identify the stakeholders and key role players associated with CTV Building and its consequences. Moreover, this study will critically analyze and evaluate the key management and several organizational factors associated with the critical incident. Analysis of the Case Study The government of New Zealand is trying to find legal reasons behind the collapse of this building. First of all, th e government has stated in the report of the Royal Commission that the construction plan was not created according to the standard level. The Royal Commission has concluded that serious deficiencies in its construction and design are the major reasons behind the accident (Figure 1). CTV building did not meet the standard construction criteria. Moreover, the designing engineer constructed the building out of his depth (Stursberg, 2012). Moreover, as for the council staff that inspected this building after the incident of the earthquake, none of them were the engineers. The Construction and Building Minister said that the report of the commissions would be handed over to the professional engineers’ institute. The government wanted to find out the level of corruption and crime associated with the collapse of CTV building (Xu, 2012). Alan Reay Consultants Ltd. were in charge of CTV building construction. The commission blamed the groups for establishing a noncompliant and inadequ ate design (Figure 2). Moreover, the council stated that city officials were also responsible for the incident as they had not sent notice to the owner of the building. According to the report, the building got a green sticker after the earthquake of 2010. Signalling authorities gave it thumbs up for the individuals to use in future. Identify the Roles of Key Role Players and Stakeholders The owner and principle engineer did not follow the legal aspects. The principle engineer

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research - Essay Example Over time, the organization’s idea has evolved from just the acquisition of skills to developing of cognitive processes accompanying the acquisition of the required skills. It is has been proposed that workplace learning should involve a process of reasoned learning that is projected towards the prerequisite outcomes for both the individual employees and the organization (Bratton 2008, 16). These outcomes should steer a sustained development for both these parties, within the present and the foreseeable future context of organizational goals and the career development of the individual employees. The performance capacity of the organization has been recognized to depend almost entirely on the learning capability of the workforce. Increased extent of the globalization of the workforce is characterized by innovative approaches to learning so that the barriers often imposed from outside the business world can be overcome (Ashton and Johnny 2002, 16). The emphasis placed on individual employees’ improvement linking it to an organization’s strategic direction has helped in the understanding of workplace learning. This is through administering the relationships existing between organizational and the individuals’ capabilities. The intention for this is to make learning to be integrated into the everyday work practices of the employees, and for the work to become a viable source for learning new practices and methods. The diversity which exists in the current work environment includes the organizational cultures, work practices, organizational policies and the various human resource systems. The diversity has been known to influence workplace learning for individuals, groups and the organization at large (Ashton and Johnny 2002, 24). The most important reason for the provision of learning and development in an organization is to enable the employees to Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1 Research - Essay Example In this respect, it is quite essential to reassess all the data collection sources, which the researcher wants to incorporate in his research work. There are several different types of data collection sources which are directed to reveal different type of information related with the research context. I have used primary and secondary data collection mythologies in the research. For using such methods, it is quite crucial for me to reveal merits and demerits of different types of data sources and align them with his objectives of the research so that the work related to the current research can be performed and conducted in the most efficient and effective manner. The presented paper is aimed to reveal the importance and effectiveness of different research methods taken into account for the purpose of undertaking a competent research work on the topic, i.e. ‘the risk management strategy of HSBC and Barclays’. This research topic is selected for the research work as it is a comprehensive research topic, which contains some crucial and effective insights into risk management theories and practices undertaken by different business organizations. However, the span of this research topic is so comprehensive that different types of data collection sources seem to be in need. ... These two methods are relevant Internet sources and review of 'hard copy' books and journals. In addition to this, with the help of measure of reviewing 'hard copy' books and journals, an intensive library research has been conducted, in which different books and journal articles available in the library in hard copy have been reviewed. These both methods have been used for the purpose of extracting some secondary type of information. A secondary type of information can be said to be the information which has already been gathered and collected and used by previous scholars in their research work. A brief discussion regarding these two different data collection methods and their usability and applicability are presented as below: Critical Analysis of Secondary Sources for Data Collection The first and foremost method undertaken by me for collecting data regarding operational policies of both banks is Internet. In this method, the website of both banks, their annual reports and other online available sources have been taken into account for the purpose of collecting information regarding differences and similarities between risk management strategies of both banks. This method used in the research work has been proved quite helpful for retrieving the desired information. Internet is a vast source of information through which different types of information can be retrieved without investing significant amount of time and efforts. This research work based on the usage of Internet sources was quite efficient as the research problem can be resolved by retrieving some of internal information related with bank’s policies and operations. The internet search has been done for this purpose as this is the place where interviews

Roman Empire collapse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Roman Empire collapse - Essay Example This made it default for the Roman economy to function. Secondly, during this period, the military was in total disarray. The generals had become indiscipline and disloyal. Most of the generals were pursuing personal ambitions either to be named emperor or become ‘Master of Soldiers.’ This brought disunity in the army, and this greatly weakened the empire which drew much of its strength from the army. For example, Constantine II and Constans are two emperors who openly fought each other (Fergusson, 4). Roman soldiers were giving their allegiance to those commanders they supported and not to Rome. The government was forced to hire foreign soldiers who had no sense of loyalty. In addition, the general public became less patriotic, and no one was willing to defend the empire. Finally, the heavy taxes imposed on the poor citizens created class divisions, and the people’s loyalty to the government faded (Fergusson, 5). Many felt that the government was oppressing them, and this further increased the tension in the empire. The anger of the population was demonstrated through revolts, and this forced the government to use its military resources to quell the revolts. The internal conflicts made it difficult for the government to survive amid reduced

Gender Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Inequality - Essay Example This claim is true and challenges human claims raised by different individuals to view these two unequal individuals as equals. This is because despite the education levels, which have improved the status of the feminine gender, women are weak and their biological morphology does not allow them to take part in hard tasks. Weakness in women has also been facilitated by their upbringing. This is because the female child is given more care compared to a boy child. Additionally, boy children are exposed to hard tasks at a tender age while girls are prepared for home-based roles. Although women are considered weak than men because their physical differences, women have many capabilities, which qualify them to be equal to men. The intellectual capacity of women is higher compared to males’ brains. Most men believe that women are poor in terms of intelligence compared to them. Studies, however, have confirmed that women intelligence varies slightly to that of men. The stereotypes tha t males hold that women are capable of executing home-related activities and duties because they require less application of the human brain have no basis. These stereotypes have made men to hold big and prominent positions because their performance is considered high compared to that of women. This is a clear indication that men are no better than women in terms of intellectual ability. Women have much potential in them. This has been evidenced by the different positions they are holding, which were considered male roles.

Sociology class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sociology class - Essay Example The body is an aggregate of groups like the hands performing its tasks, the feet performing a different job, the head of another and so on and the different parts do not perform the same functions but are still interrelated with each other that one part cannot survive without the other. The same is true with human existence wherein people may be grouped in one way or another like the differentiation of jobs, interests and specializations but still each group can not tell the others that they are to live independently from them. Likewise, in the smaller scale, individuals are not able to do so because it is the characteristic of a human being to have a social life as the old adage goes, ‘no man is an island’. The study of human relations is given so much attention because somehow, all aspects of our lives are closely knit. There are principles in parenting that can be applied in being the father or leader of an organization or a manager of some business. Likewise, what is learned from a successful businessman can be learned by the laymen for him to apply in his parenting skills and improve his family’s financial status. Individuals may have their own lives but are still linked to others because of their need and so with social systems.

Life Coaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Life Coaching - Essay Example I have found this just as enjoyable as meditation its almost like a dream except the dream has a mission the phrase 'light at the end of the tunnel' best describes this self hypnosis it also helps eliminate self doubt which is something I experienced coaching my first friends outside of the college duos and trios. However, I found that I felt relaxed when I used self-hypnosis on my second session; I actually trusted the process and what I was doing. I have never tried meditation until I started coaching and I have found it to be a breath of fresh air. Meditation comes from the Latin word meditatio virtually all religions use meditation of some sort; however mediation in it's purest form has no relation to religious meditation. The most effective form of creating space was a technique I learnt from a program I watched called a life coach less ordinary. The program was based around a couple called Nik and Eva Speakman who are life coaches as well as owning a financial services company. Before each session they had a wild dance around their kitchen before their next client. I found that this works for me and has worked well based on the people that I have coached during this course. As they have mostly been sales professionals that are switched on and the very high energy, I have mirror the enthusiasm and upbeat qualities. They usually start with "'what do you want' 'what is impo... Before each session they had a wild dance around their kitchen before their next client. I found that this works for me and has worked well based on the people that I have coached during this course. As they have mostly been sales professionals that are switched on and the very high energy, I have mirror the enthusiasm and upbeat qualities. 3 Techniques used to create inner space with a client: Clearing and Visualisation In virtually every session I have used visualisation this has helped the coach come up with a lot more ideas on their chosen topic. Also before starting a session I like to review the previous one and visualise what was said and with permission touch on it in the first few minutes of rapport building. Asking Powerful Questions This usually has the coachee 100% focussed. I touch on this a lot in my reflective essay, asking thought-provoking questions usually has the coach focused and clearing space is the only option. The Role Of Powerful Questions In The Coaching Process Powerful questions are just that they ask the thought provoking question that either hasn't been thought of or has been pushed to the back of coachee's mind. They usually start with "'what do you want' 'what is important to you' and 'what could stop you achieving this goal' are all examples of powerful questions the first explores the clients goals the second their values and the third any limiting beliefs or other obstructions that need to be overcome" (Joseph O'Connor and Andrea Lages. Coaching with NLP, n.d). The Use Of Powerful Questions Developing and asking power questions is the fulcrum point of your ability to understand the prospects needs (Gitomer, 1994). Power questions are definitive. They bring out that which elicits awakening response

Action Plan for Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Action Plan for Homeland Security - Essay Example For a leader who is determined and courageous, his/her prevention strategies on attacks and disasters entail the strengthening of information sharing and collaboration capabilities. This will entail a robust investigative capacity to address all terror-linked issues and enhancing public awareness on reporting terror-related matters. There is need to establish the permanent commission that comprises of fire chiefs, police chiefs, mayors, local public health officials, and local emergency managers by the Department of Homeland Security to restructure the local-federal partnership with an aim of strengthening domestic security and safety. Create a safe and resilient cyber setting and promoting cyber-security innovation and knowledge (Shoemaker, & Conklin, 2011). There is a probability that a weapon of mass destruction will be utilized in a terrorist attack anywhere in the world by the end of 2016 (Graham, 2013). To ensure the safety of American people, the water systems will be protected from natural disasters and terrorist attacks through web-based monitoring of the distribution system water quality and regular water quality sampling combined with the analysis in the distribution system. Reducing vulnerability to terrorist attacks as well as other related disasters by strengthening capabilities that offer protection to public transport systems, ports, high-traffic borders, and other high priority critical infrastructure. The efforts to prevent terrorism will be centered on a layered risk-based approach to the security of the cargo and passenger systems of transportation, borders, and ports of entry. In the event of an electromagnetic pulse, money needs to be provided to the Department of Homeland Security by the federal government in order to offer protection to the electrical grid system. Office of Homeland Security to be given budgetary control over all federal programs associated with the nation’s domestic protection. Besides that, for those leaders who  are visionary and forward-looking, the Office of Homeland Security needs to be structured in a way that it works directly with mayors in support of their leadership responsibilities.

Hawthorne effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hawthorne effect - Essay Example n at Hawthorne, I would define the Hawthorne Effect as the confounding that occurs if experimenters fail to realize how the consequences of subjects performance affect what subjects do". In a Design industry environment consisting of around 150 draftsmen as workforce it was found that the productivity dropped suddenly in the recent six months’ time. Although the workers were given good wages and incentive packages, the productivity didn’t increase. In spite of repeated meetings and re-fixing of targets, there was no improvement in the productivity. The management was confused and tried to study the cause of the situation. After much thought, the Hawthorne studies were taken for experimenting with the situation. The entire workforce was working on a 5 day week, on a general shift of 8Â ½ hours a day, i.e. between 09:00 to 17:30 hours, including 30 minutes break for lunch. Each worker in the entire workforce of 150 draftsmen currently designed 5 AutoCAD drawings per day. The workforce was grouped into two – the formal group and the informal group. At first, both the groups were put on specific targets of 6 AutoCAD drawings per worker per day over a period of 12 weeks. The formal group was made to work on the existing timing. The informal group was given a rest break of 10 minutes twice in the day over a period of 4 weeks. Observations showed that the output of informal group went up. As the next step, the rest breaks for the informal group were lengthened to four 10 minutes rest breaks. The workers complained that the pace of their work was getting disturbed. As a result, their productivity decreased. Then, the rest breaks of informal group were returned to the two rest breaks, the first one with a supply of tea by the Company free of cost. As a result, the productivity increased. Then as the next step, the week was extended to six day working week for the informal group over a period of 4 weeks. The productivity decreased. Finally, the rest breaks

Subway Assignment Essay Example for Free

Subway Assignment Essay Fred and his friend Dr. Peter Buck got a loan of $1,000 to open the submarine sandwich shop which now we know as Subway. Subway opened in August 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Both men had decided that the goal for Subway was to operate 32 stores in 10 years. By 1974 they had 16 Subways up and running. Knowing they would not reach the goal set back in 1965 the two men decided to franchising and launching the Subway brand into the global brand it is today. Subway has amassed 37,885 restaurants in 99 countries. For something that started off as just a way to make money for a man to live his dream of becoming a doctor, it has turned into one of the biggest food chains in the world. These numbers mean that Subway has the most restaurants in the world of any other restaurant chain. Subway has three big values and philosophy. Family – Subway build their business relationships by treating each other, the customers and communities like family. These brings a very close feeling to the whole franchise. Teamwork – Subway challenge themselves to succeed through teamwork against goals shared by everyone at Subway and to all be accountable for their responsibilities. Opportunity – Subway create great chances for entrepreneurs, by allowing people with good business sense to open a franchise of their own. The Structure and Employees The structure for Subway starts at the main headquarters in Milford, Connecticut. From there it goes globally. It goes as far as USA to Ireland, onto Afghanistan and even further. Every different Subway shop opened has got the same structure to it. Subway has got a tall structure, meaning it has different levels of management and people have to answer to people who work above them. Many businesses that run like this aren’t like Subway though. Subway is extremely friendly, from the store owner all the way down to the sandwich artists and everyone working in the store does get an opinion on some new ideas. The Subway departments are as follows: Executive, Administrative, Franchise Brands, Development, Operations, Technology, Marketing, International, Finance, Legal, Store Owner, Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, Team Leaders and then Sandwich Artists. Considering Subway has so many restaurants in so many countries, they have provided so many jobs which is brilliant. According to the main Subway website, the headquarters alone employ a thousand people. Across all of the franchises worldwide there is more than three hundred thousand jobs. Subway are always looking to open more franchises which will provide more jobs and the fact that they are such compact restaurants, means there is so much opportunity to open more franchises. The Functions of staff Executive – This team supports company wide operations at Subway’s headquarters. This role includes customer care and the business process eam. Administrative – The administrative team is responsible for employee management and grounds and shipping centre oversight. Franchise Brands – This team offers a diversified portfolio of new and promising ideas that will improve the Subway experience for franchises and customers. Development – This is the team th at works very close to the people who want to open their very own Subway restaurant. Part of the job is to help with real estate planning and recruiting new franchisees. Operations – This is the team that enforces and provides training and operational assistance to franchisees and field staff. Technology – This is the team who are responsible for implementing and maintaining all technology systems that are in the company and provide technology initiatives so franchisees can operate their business more efficiently. Marketing – This is the team who present the public face for Subway. These teams departments include research and development, which develop and test markets the food that Subway serve and the franchising advertising fund are responsible for the creation and placement of commercials and print ads. International – This is the team that deal with the franchises outside of the USA and Canada. Franchise Owner – This is the person or people that pay for the right to use the Subway name and they own that particular franchise. Store Manager – The store manager reports directly to the franchise owner. The store manager must maintain a high quality store operation. The store manager must also analyse financial performance, ensure that customers are happy and make sure that all sandwiches sold are a high quality. The store manager must also provide support for all of the other shop staff. Assistant Manager – The assistant manager pretty much assists the store manager in his or her job and will be able to stand in if need be. Team Leader – The team leader must report to both the store manager and the assistant manager. The team leader must also be responsible for serving customers, following health and safety procedures and keeping the store clean. They also must train in new sandwich artists. Sandwich Artists – The sandwich artists are the face of the shop. These are the people you will see the most when you walk into a Subway restaurant. It is their job to make the delicious sandwiches and to make sure that the customers are happy with everything. They also must make sure the shop is clean all the time and maintain good health safety standards.

Implementation At Indo Rama Synthetics Information Technology Essay

Implementation At Indo Rama Synthetics Information Technology Essay Before the year 2000, at INDO RAMA SYNTHETICS LTD., individual department worked independently to achieve its predefined corporate objectives. Every department used different tools and software. For example, the production department used MIMS software, accounts department used FoxPro and KICKS for its functionalities, while marketing department used tools which were not robust enough to support overall marketing functions. Lots of paper work in Human resource management was mind boggling and time consuming. This lacked inter-departmental coordination and hampered information sharing. For example, a department found it difficult to know about the stock kept by another department even in times of urgency due to lack of information. Inventory management always plays an important role in manufacturing industry, Indo Rama wanted to handle it more effectively. All these were the matters of concern for a company aspiring to be the best in its business globally. There was a need of cross-fu nctional and business process integration. So that company could react to changes in the market and economy in the most effective way. To overcome such problems, Indo Rama decided to go for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The company decided to implement ERP from SAP (System Application Product). Indo Rama has been on SAP ERP platform since 2000, one of the earlier companies in India to migrate to the SAP platform. Also, recognizing core competence principles, the company outsourced its IT functions to ACCENTURE TECHNOLOGIES LTD., a global outsourcing firm, in July 2001. Accenture provides IT infrastructure management for all company locations, all legacy systems and ERP. All locations are connected on Wide Area Network (WAN) to the central server located at Butibori, Nagpur. INDO RAMA SYNTHETICS LTD. has implemented four major modules in SAP ERP: Sales Distribution (SD) Finance Costing (FICO) Material Management (MM) Plant Maintenance (PM) All major sites have been fire-walled; all locations have anti-spam and anti-virus software installed. The ERP and the internet have clearly defined password, tables of authorities and levels of access. Indo Rama Synthetics has also launched an intranet facility, Antarnaad, where internal policies, notices and other relevant organizational information are stored. Other application software that are in operation at Indo Rama include the Leave Management System, EMIS (where management reports for various levels are generated) and an auction site for vendor management. For its communications backbone, Indo Rama uses a Virtual Private Network (VPN), through which all locations are linked. The company has adopted Outlook Express for mail communications with a Linux-based back-end. During 2007-08, the IT team at Indo Rama undertook several projects. The key ones are detailed below. IRSL IRPL merger project Indo Rama Synthetics Ltd. has merged Indo Rama Petrochemicals Ltd into itself. The necessary changes needed to integrate the two entities in the ERP platform have been completed. Data Center The company built a new state of the art data centre at Butibori, Nagpur. All servers, the WAN and other network equipment are housed in this data center. The data center has been protected against unauthorized access and potential mishaps. Biometric security systems ensure that only authorized person can enter and access the data servers. Sophisticated systems have been installed for fire detection and suppression, water leakage, rodent damage and variations in ambient temperature and environment. Data backup of the SAP system is taken on tapes attached to SAP servers. One copy of the tapes is stored in a fireproof safe at data center and another at a location away from the factory. Every month, a set of tapes are also sent to the New Delhi office for safe storage. Packing System The legacy packing and recording system, which records the carton / box information and prints the labels, was on a FoxBASE database management system. This application has been converted onto an Oracle platform with enhanced features and functionality. Attendance Tracking System An attendance tracking system is installed at each department, which read the finger print responses of the employees every time they enter or leave the premises. It reduces the paper work and man power required to track the attendance. Significance of the study A Study was carried out keeping the functional working of IT department in view and its integration with other departments. Working and spending time with major departments helped us in drafting this report in the context of over all company objectives and strategies that necessitate a holistic approach cutting across various functional areas Marketing, Human Resource, Operations, Finance and Business environment. By implementing SAP ERP modules, manufacturing companies can attain Cross-Functional and Business Process integration required for information and data sharing across the organization. These functionalities save resource, cost and valuable time enabling the company to react fast enough to changes in market, competition and economy. Introduction Company Profile The journey of Indo Rama group began with the establishment of Ashok Textiles Limited, Nepal in year 1969. Indo Rama Synthetics ( I ) Ltd. as a cherished dream of Mr. O. P. Lohia (Chief Managing Director, IRSL) came into inception at Pithampura, Indore in year 1989. Indo Rama group have its subsidiaries in Indonesia, Srilanka, Malaysia, Nepal and India. ISO9001, 9002 certified Indo Rama, is among the leading producers of polyester with its products namely Poly Staple Fiber, Partially Oriented Yarn, Draw Textured Yarn, Fully Drawn Yarn and Polyester Chips are exported to Germany, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Italy. Company believes in product technological advancements and is under technical collaboration with USA based DuPont and Japan based Toyobo. It uses most sophisticated machines from a German manufacturer Barmag and USA based Chemetex Intl. Indo Rama is highly committed to environmental regulations and best practices. Its priorities include minimizing waste, recycling, reusing effluents, controlling emissions, and plantation. The company invests significantly to reduce workplace accidents and ensure safety. Housing colonies, schools and health centers are built by the company as a part of corporate social responsibility. Objectives of the study To understand IT infrastructure management and study SAP ERP modules Material Management, Sales and Distribution, Order Processing, Financial Management, Plant Maintenance at Indo Rama Synthetics Ltd. Study shall help Indo Rama by providing the preliminary work, steps and evaluation required to go ahead in integrating the existing and proposed initiatives, through IT infrastructure management and SAP ERP modules. Study shall help in understanding the importance of Cross-Functional and Business Process integration by adopting IT tools and functionalities, so that manufacturing companies can react fast enough to changes in the market and economy. Brief description of the concepts ERP: An overview In the manufacturing industry, MRP (Material Requirement Planning) became the fundamental concept of production management and control in the mid 1970s. At this stage BOM (Bill of Materials), which is purchase order management that utilizes parts list management and parts development, was in the mainstream. And this concept (MRP) unfolded from order inventory management of materials to plant and personnel planning and distribution planning, which in turn became MRP-II (Manufacturing Resource Planning). This incorporated production management, financial accounting, human resource management, sales and distribution management functions and management accounting functions. It came to globally cover all areas of enterprise mainstay business and eventually came to be called ERP. Enterprise Resource Planning covers the techniques and concept employed for the integrated management of business as a whole, from the viewpoint of the effective use of management resources, to improve the efficiency of an enterprise. ERP packages are integrated software packages that support sales management, production management, accounting and financial affairs. ERP System Manufacturing Inventory Management Sales and Distribution Finance Human Resource Logistics Management Operations Quality Management ERP Implementation: Its relevance The basic idea of ERP is to assimilate companys data at some central location or repository where it can be checked, matched, and shared across the organization. This data is then used for resource planning within the organization in conjunction with the decision systems. Here, INDO RAMA SYNTHETICS aimed at eliminating wasteful duplication of data with the help of ERP. There are various techniques to improve production and efficiency across an organization such as Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Quality, Employee Involvement, Factory Automation, etc. These are excellent tools with enormous capabilities to support the business. But one can not achieve the full potential of business with these tools and technique unless they are backed by proper IT strategy, which helps in effective forecasting, planning, and scheduling process. ERP implementation is derived from factors such as the cost benefit analysis, decision making through pros and cons, defining performance goals, data integrity issues and solutions, defining operational environment and software selection. Business planning, strategy development Budgeting and forecasting Production plan and programme Material requirement Work load calculation and resource planning Monitoring operations and overall execution Performance measurement, learning and feedback Figure 1: ERP-related process in manufacturing industries. Mapping IT strategic initiative to ERP A few essential steps should be taken while deploying ERP in business process: Visualization: Visualization of need for ERP and impact on production and organization. Strategy formulation: Formulation of a strategy for ERP implementation and the need for the organization to respond to the changes. Planning of resources: Planning the resources and the overall business. Structuring and prioritization: The structuring of the organization and objectives along with prioritization of business initiatives needs to be outlined in detail before embarking on ERP. Transition: The organization ought to be readied for its transition to ERP paradigm. Deployment: Deployment of the system and new technologies. It also includes deployment of new tools. A proper ERP system selection and implementation helps the management to a large extent. There are various phases in the lifecycle of ERP; the major parts of which are planning, implementation and operation phases. IT enables communication between various parts of ERP and establishes an integrated ERP system. Understand the product requirement Solution planning Design phase SLA presentation and acceptance Implementation, testing Delivery Operation Plan Implement Operate Figure 2: ERP project life cycle implementation Supply Chain Management Supply chain management (SCM) refers to the coordination of activities involved in making and moving a product. SCM encompasses planning and management of all the activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with the extended organizations and channel partners, who can be suppliers, intermediaries, third party service providers, and customers. SCM integrates and act as a balancing agent between supply and demand within and across companies. SCM brings value to business in terms of innovation, service, cost, and quality. Innovation: It brings value on table through unique technology or new conceptual products. Innovation gives an organization a competitive edge over other competitors. SCM helps in this process by allowing/producing optimal volume (raw material or products) and also by increasing efficiency, thereby ultimately reducing the time to market. Cost: An efficient operation with better resource management reduces the overall cost. Service: Better service can always attract customers. It is definitely a competitive advantage and SCM fundamentally contributes to it by its very nature. Quality: The quality strategy dictates production of the best-in-the-class products. SCM can also contribute to it through quality control and excellence in production. SCM, ERP and IT Infrastructure are inter-related. ERP begins with the Material Requirement Planning as depicted in following figure. Using intranets and extranets, all members of the supply chain can instantly communicate with each other, using up-to-date information to adjust purchasing, logistics, manufacturing, packaging, and schedules. A standard set of tools that are used by companies all over the world to coordinate global supply chains that include participants from many countries. Following figure explains intranet and extranet for SCM. Figure 3: Intranets and Extranets for Supply Chain Management Intranets integrate information from isolated business processes within the firm to help manage its internal supply chain. Access to these private intranets can also be extended to authorized suppliers, distributors, logistics services, and, sometimes, to retail customers to improve coordination of external supply chain processes. Inventory and Purchasing Management system MRP (Material Requirement Planning) ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) ERP and SCM within the organization ERP and SCM across organizations Figure 4: Evolution of ERP and SCM The ERP functions from the perspective of supply chain optimization are shown in following flowchart. Overall process optimization Expense optimization Revenue and Profit optimization Logistics optimization Knowledge optimization Figure 5: ERP optimization at various stages of supply chain The business value of supply chain management systems includes: Streamlined supply chain and accurate information. Reduced supply chain costs. Increased sales through accurate product availability. IT plays a very important role in developing various functionalities and building an integrated system. Following figure highlights IT components in ERP, IT infrastructure and resources in SCM. The SCM planning is the input for ERP. Operating system Data warehouse Retail Link Data, account, analysis Forecast Inventory plan ERP SCM Manufacturing planning Feedback S E R V E R S Intelligent Systems Internet Figure 6: ERP, IT Infrastructure and resources in SCM Customer Relationship Management Customers can be seen as an enterprises most valuable asset, and customer relationship management enable large firms like Indo Rama Synthetics to understand and work with their customers. CRM can also be called a business strategy to select and manage the most valuable customer relationships. It supports effective marketing, sales and service processes. CRM is the process that manages the interaction between company and its customers. With the advent of sophisticated relation databases and data-mining techniques, CRM has enabled Indo Rama to specifically target customers to determine what products, services and values they want. CRM necessitates the alignment of initiatives such as e-business, sales force effectiveness, customer service, customer relationship planning, enterprise resource planning, and supply chain management with customer-accepted value propositions. But to enable CRM to meet the business objectives, it should be backed by IT strategies. The most telling benefit of IT-powered CRM is Return on Investment (ROI). The ROI from CRM typically comes in two forms. The first is cost reductions from increasing the efficiency. For example, when customer data helps an inside sales team maintain productivity levels with fewer resources, cost reductions do result. When the sales agents in the field spend less time manually entering data into slow legacy systems, companies do save time and money. CRM systems capture and integrate customer data from all over the organization, consolidating the data, analyzing the data, and then distributing the results to various systems and customer touch points across the enterprise. A touch point (also known as a contact point) is a method of interaction with the customer, such as telephone, e-mail, customer service desk, conventional mail, Web site, or retail store. CRM systems provide a single enterprise view of the customer and provide customers with a single view of the company regardless of the touch point the customer uses. Figure 7: Customer Relationship Management CRM systems examine customers from a multifaceted perspective. These systems use a set of integrated applications to address all aspects of the customer relationship, including customer service, sales, and marketing. Good CRM systems provide data and analytical tools for determining the financial lifetime value of a customer and customer loyalty and for identifying profitable customers and their needs. Commercial customer relationship management (CRM) software packages range from niche tools that perform limited functions, such as personalizing Web sites for specific customers, to large-scale enterprise applications. The more comprehensive CRM packages contain modules for: Partner relationship management (PRM): PRM software uses many of the same data, tools, and systems as customer relationship management to enhance collaboration between a company and its selling partners. It provides a company and its selling partners with the ability to trade information and distribute leads and data about customers, integrating lead generation, pricing, promotions, order configurations and availability. Employee relationship management (ERM). ERM software deals with employee issues that are closely related to CRM, such as setting objectives, employee performance management, performance-based compensation, and employee training. CRM typically provide software or tools for: Sales force automation (SFA): SFA modules help sales staff increase their productivity by focusing sales efforts on the most profitable customers. They provide sales prospect and contact information, product information, product configuration capabilities, and sales quote generation capabilities. Customer service: Customer service modules provide information and tools to make call centers, help desks, and customer support staff more efficient. They have capabilities for assigning and managing customer service requests and may include Web-based self-service capabilities. Marketing: Marketing modules support direct-marketing campaigns with capabilities for capturing prospect and customer data, qualifying leads, and scheduling and tracking campaign mailings. They include tools for analyzing marketing and customer data-identifying profitable and unprofitable customers, designing products and services to satisfy specific customer needs and interests, and identifying opportunities for cross-selling, up-selling, and bundling. Cross-selling is the marketing of complementary products to customers. Up-selling is the marketing of higher-value products or services to new or existing customers. Bundling is cross-selling in which a combination of products is sold as a bundle at a price lower than the total cost of the individual products. Figure 8: How CRM supports Marketing Customer relationship management software provides a single point for users to manage and evaluate marketing campaigns across multiple channels, including e-mail, direct mail, telephone, the Web, and wireless messages. The major CRM products support business processes in sales, service, and marketing, integrating customer information from many different sources. Following figure includes supports for both the operational and analytical aspects of CRM. Figure 9: CRM Capabilities CRM software can also be used to increase customer loyalty through customer service by identifying valued customers and providing them with special services or offers. Following process map shows how a best practice for promoting customer loyalty through customer service would be modeled by customer relationship management. The CRM software helps firms identify high-value customers for preferential treatment. Figure 10: Customer Loyalty Management process map Thus, the business value of CRM systems which benefits companies includes: Increased customer satisfaction Reduced direct-marketing costs More effective marketing Lower costs for customer acquisition and retention Increased sales revenues through identifying profitable customers Reduced churn rate: The churn rate measures the number of customers who stop using or purchasing products or services from a company and is an important indicator of the growth or decline of a firms customer base. Order Processing As soon as the clerk enters the order into the system, system checks the inventory records and finds out whether the items are available or not. If the item are available, procedures are triggered automatically that will inform the people in the sales and distribution department and the finance department. The information will contain the details of the items to be shipped, the most economic route to the customer and so on. Also, the system will trigger procedures in the financial module so that the invoices are sent to the customer. The information is transferred Electronic Data Transfer (EDT) and the payments are received electronically through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). If the items are not available, then the production-planning module makes a production schedule, which is made available to the production, materials management and plant maintenance modules so that everybody is prepared to start production as per the production schedule. The material requirement planning is done and any item that is not in stock is ordered. If the supplier is connected to the company, the ordering and the associated processes happen electronically. The plant maintenance gets the list of machines required and ensures that all of them are available. Thus, the production of the item goes on without any hitches. An order entered into the ERP system by the order entry clerk triggers a whole lot of procedures and automatically performs a host of functions. All these processes take only a few minutes to complete. ERP in Order Processing After the order is received, within a very short period of time the goods are on their way to the customer. If the goods are not readily available, the customer is informed about it and is given the delivery schedule. Other than the order entry clerk and the people in the distribution, production and maintenance departments, all the other tasks are done by the system and that too automatically. In a non-ERP environment, these tasks could take days or even weeks to complete. Since the ERP system stores all the data in a central database and since the database is updated by all the modules on a real-time basis, the information available in the database is up-to-the minute. This integration of the different business functions and the automation of the business processes and the availability of information is what make the ERP systems capable of producing dramatic improvements in productivity and profitability. Following flowchart explains the order process: In stock? Finished Goods Inventory No Order Production Planning Material Management Production Plant Maintenance Sales Distribution Finance Invoice/Bill Yes Figure 11: Order Processing in an ERP System Finance and Costing The financial application components of the ERP solutions work hand-in-hand to improve the bottom line and the financial goals of organizations. Financial functionalities are integrated across all business areas and all geographic areas. This integration includes all other modules, from material management to human resources to logistics. Because the ERP system automatically links related areas, it eliminates the need to repeat procedures. Data is entered only once. Within the ERP system, all areas work in concert, creating a new level of efficiency in handling financial data. The financial modules of most ERP systems provide financial functionalities and analysis support to thousands of business in many countries across the globe. These ERP systems include not only financial application components, but also Human Resources, Logistics, Business Workflow and links to the internet. Financial modules of most ERP systems will have the following subsystems: Financial Accounting: General ledger, Accounts Receivable/Payable, Special Ledgers, Fixed Asset Accounting, Legal Consolidation. Investment Management: Investment Planning/ Budgeting/ Controlling, Depreciation Forecast/ Simulation/ Calculation. Controlling: Overhead Cost Controlling, Activity-Based Costing, Product Cost Accounting, Profitability Analysis. Treasury: Cash Management, Market Risk Management, Funds Management. Enterprise Controlling: Executive Information System, Business Planning and Budgeting, Profit Center Accounting. Purchasing (Quantity, Value) Sales (Order, Bill) Vendor (Payable) Customer (Receivable) Fixed Assets Employees (Salary, Wages) GENERAL LEDGER Figure 12: General Ledger in ERP Financial Module. Material Management The Material Management module of ERP optimizes all purchasing processes with workflow-driven processing functions, enables automated supplier evaluation, lowers procurement and warehousing costs with accurate inventory and warehouse management and integrates invoice verification. The main modules of Material Management module are: Pre-purchasing Activities: This system supports the complete cycle of bid invitation, award of contract and acceptance of services. The pre-purchasing activities include maintaining a service master database, in which the descriptions of all services that are to be procured can be stored. Requirement Calculation Requisition for Quotations Quotation Evaluation Vendor Selection Vendor Ratings Contracts Figure 13: The Pre-purchasing activities module Purchasing: Purchasing system performs tasks like procurement of materials and services, determination of possible sources of supply for a requirement identified by materials planning and control system or arising directly within a user department, monitoring of deliveries and payments to vendors and so on. Vendor Evaluation: Vendor evaluation component has been completely integrated into the Material Management module. Information such as delivery dates, prices and quantities can be taken from purchase orders. Vendor evaluation also uses data from Quality Management, such as the results of incoming inspections or quality audits. It also access basic data in Material Management, such as goods receipt data from Inventory Management. The Vendor Evaluation system supports the optimization of the procurement processes in the case of both materials and services. It provides accurate information on prices, terms of payment and delivery. By evaluating vendors, company can improve competitiveness. Inventory Management: Inventory Management system allows company to manage its stocks on a quantity and value basis, plan enter and check any goods movements and carry out physical stocks reflect all transactions resulting in a change in stock and thus, in updated inventory levels. The user can easily obtain an overview of the current stocks of any given material. For each material, not only are the stocks in warehouse shown, but also the stocks ordered but not yet delivered, reserved for production or for a customer, and the stocks in quality inspection can be monitored. The stocks are managed not only on a quantity basis but also by value ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­-a prerequisite for cost accounting. With every goods movement, the following values are updated: Stock value for inventory management Account assignment for cost accounting Invoice Verification and Material Inspection: The invoice verification component provides the link between Material Management module and the Financial Accounting, controlling and Asset Accounting components. Invoice verification in Materials Management serves the following purposes: It completes the materials procurement process-which starts with the purchase requisition, continues with the purchasing and goods receipt and ends with the invoice receipt. It allows invoices that do not originate in materials procurement (for example, services, expenses, course costs, etc) to be processed. It allows credit memos to be processed, either as invoice cancellations or discounts. Sales and Distribution A Sales and Distribution module will contain the following subsystems: Master Data Management: Every company will have products, customers, and will require raw materials and will have suppliers. The task of the Master Data management module is to keep information about all these entities, so that these can be made available to the decision-makers and also for the automatic generation of reports, contracts, invoices and so on. Order Management: This module includes Sales Order Management and Purchase Order Management and supports the entire sales and purchase processes. Warehouse Management: Components of a good Warehouse Management application include following: Inventory Planning: It comprises all planned inventory movements, which enable the accurate forecasting of trends and the consequent adjustment of reordering points, safety stock, lead-times for orders and service levels. Inventory planning also allows the commitment of inventory to a specific customer order-so that customer receives the right order in the right quantity at the right time. Inventory Handling: Allows for monitoring of all warehouse order scenarios such as receipt, issue and transfer of inventory. To ensure fast communication with suppliers and customers, advanced shipping notifications can be received or sent by means of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI),

Eastman Kodak Products

Eastman Kodak Products External analysis of Eastman Kodak Introduction Kodak is the market leader in providing photographic products and services to consumers and commercial customers around the globe for memories, entertainment and information. The company brings inventive and modern products to the market that allows people to take, make and share pictures and experience the magic of photography (History of Kodak, 2008). As the world leader, Eastman Kodak is always looking for talented people. Kodak has continued to expand the ways and images touch peoples daily lives. Kodak is a top supplier of innovative solutions for digital, conventional and blended print production environment (History of Kodak, 2008). Eastman Kodak Company is an American multinational public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. It is known for its extensive variety of pictorial film products. Eastman Kodak is actually concentrating on two major markets; the first is digital photography and the second is digital printing (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). In Rochester and Jamestown New York, Kodak was founded by George Eastman and businessman Henry Strong. George Eastman as president purchased the stock of American Aristotype Company. In the year 1982, the Eastman Kodak Company was founded. The company is incorporated in New Jersey but has its offices in Rochester, New York. The slogan, You press the button; we do the rest, was given by the founder of the company, George Eastman (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). External analysis of Eastman Kodak Porters five forces Model According to Michael porter, an authority on competitive strategy contends that a corporation is most concerned with the intensity of competition within its industry. The level of this intensity is determined by basic competitive forces like potential entrants, suppliers, buyers and substitutes available. Using this model a high force can be regarded as a threat because it is likely to reduce profits and a low force can be viewed as an opportunity because it may allow company to earn profit. Analysis of Kodak on the basis of Porters Five Force model: Threats of new entrants: In recent years, the growing demand of digital cameras has been attracting many new comers, domestically as well as internationally. The threats of new entrant are always an issue when dealing with new technology. Often, new technology is developed by an individual looking for a better way to do something. These companies are expected to drastically alter the Kodak Companys structure with their technology, scale of operations and brand power. With Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Sony, Cannon and other major companies has already established in the market, it will be easy for new companies to enter the market and make a substantial impact. Bargaining power of customers: In the camera industry, the bargaining power of customer is relatively limited. Eastman Kodak is entering the consumer printer market which is full of competitors who produce products that allow the consumer to have significant buying power. From the sale of replacement cartridges, most producers rely on their profit margins. The buyers have a lot of power, with the companies producing quality printers at extremely reasonable values and often providing significant discounts. Eastman Kodak is responsive to this and they are launching their product into the consumer printer market. They are also making a play in the commercial printing market where the bargaining power of the buyer is not immense. Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers to Eastman Kodak is more significant than its rivals who expand and manufacture their own parts. Eastman Kodak should develop its printers, by using off the projection parts, as to get its printers on the market quicker. Rather than trying to plan everything from scratch, the Kodak Eastman should work with technology partners like SigmaTel, Inc. a chip-design specialist (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). This approach will allow the Kodak to develop faster and lower the expansion costs. The confidence for producing the parts of the printers gives the suppliers greater buying power (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). As compared to the traditional manufacturing, in the market that expanding and producing own parts may be risky in the long run risky and could pay off for Kodak. Threat of substitutes: Eastman Kodak cannot overlook the manufacturing and launching of their new consumer inkjet printers. Where on the other side, the competitors of company like H-P, Sony, Cannon and Lexmark are relying not on the turnover margin from the printer and handy cameras but they are emphasizing on the profit margin on replacing the cartridges. Eastman Kodak is marketing a quality printer, affordable cartridges, and quality paper combination to produce the highest quality prints (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The concern of the Kodak should be same as HP, Lexmark, and Epson. The emphasis of the major producers of consumer printers should be that the generic replacement cartridges and ink refill market is very strong whereas the cartridges may not produce the same quality as the name brand. The quality differentiation is not adequate to force customers from brand name to general (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Rivalry among competitors: Rivalry among competitors could be the most significant in the Eastman Kodak. Change is rapid and fuming, with the new technology. The bundling of printers with the computers, discounts, and rebates makes this market extremely competitive (Symonds, 2006). Antonio Perez CEO of Eastman Kodak says that he has no individual rivalry with HP, but the fact is that during his 25 successful years at HP, he organized the explosive growth of HPs printer business. HP Company invests nearly $1 billion a year on research and development of printer (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Industry forecaster anticipates HP to sit back and observe till Kodaks new equipments get grip. It is important to look at the political, economic, social, and technological components of the macro-environment, while examining the macro environment. In relation to political issues, Kodak is on par with its competitors (Symonds, 2006). To all the key competitors in the digital printing industry, social and employment legislation, tax policy, the directive and de-regulation trends and trade and tariff controls, and environmental and consumer-protection legislation applies equally (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Economic factors that must be considered by the Kodak are rate of inflation, tax rates, capital markets and the stage of the business cycle. Eastman Kodak is a well recognized company, with the declining importance on film and an enlarged importance on digital printing; the company is behind the influence curve of their well-known competitors (Symonds, 2006). The other economical issues that Kodak must keep in mind are disposable income, GDP trends, purchasing power and wages/ price control (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Another economic issue is cost of labor. Kodak has moved much of its labor to Mexico, this can cause decline in the sale as the company concentrates on moving labor outside of the U.S (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The political environment exercises great impact on industry and business. The political factors that Kodak must keep in view are antitrust regulations, environmental protection laws, tax laws, political stability, foreign trade regulations and stability of government. The social considerations in the macro environment of Eastman Kodak are population profiles, public opinion, and cultural changes (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). The social factors which should be kept in view are lifestyle changes, rate of family formation, growth rate f population, age distribution of population. Another significant factors related to social consideration is opinion of public. In the case of Kodak, there are significant issues such as accusations of irresponsible environmental practices due to excessive pollution in the Rochester, NY area (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The technological environment will play a key role in the future of Kodak. The company should emphasize on the new development in technology transfer from lab to marketplace. The company should emphasis on the internet availability, telecommunication infrastructure. Kodak should mainly concentrate on the research and development areas (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). For this, it is important that the research is well led and established with detailed visions and goals. Kodak should enlarge and produce the large number of parts as opposed to other competitors, to be developed and manufactured internally. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that the Kodak has the opportunity to be a leading player in the market of digital printing. The Company should carry on with their existing vision to produce printers and cameras that generate the highest quality of prints and construct the printer reasonably priced so as the average consumer afford it to buy (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). With this, the company should persist to expand the latest equipment for the profitable printing market and should try to merge flexibility, speed and quality with each other. To gain the market share, the most essential thing that the company should do is repetitively appraise their actions and procedure to make sure that they are right way. All the most it is important for the members of company to follow the lead of CEO, Antonio Perez. It is necessary that the strategies are timely formulated and implemented and processed forward with research, development, and implementation of new products (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). References About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm Kazmi, A. (2002). Business Policy and Strategic Management, (2nd Edition), New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Hamm, S., Lee, L., Ante, S., E. (2007). Kodaks Moment of Truth; How the ailing film giant, led by a refugee from HP, embarked on a risky strategy to reinvent the inkjet printer. Business Week. New York: February 19, 2007, Issue 4022; page 42. Hunger, J.D. Wheelen, T.L. (2001). Strategic Management and Business policy, (7th Edition). New Delhi: Pearson Education Inc. History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 Ramaswamy, V.S Namakumari, S. (2005). Strategic Planning Formulation of Corporate Strategy, (5th Edition). New Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd. Symonds, W.C.(2006). Kodak Rewrites the Book on Printing. Business Week. New York: September 4, 2006., Issue 3999; page 83. http://www.hoovers.com/eastman-kodak/ID__10500/free-co-profile.xhtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/6868pq-locale=en_US_requestid=684 Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakHistory/eastmanTheMan.shtml History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retreived April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm

The State Fair Horse Show :: Descriptive Essay About A Place

The State Fair Horse Show As a small child, my parents and I made an annual pilgrimage to the State Fair. For my parents, the primary objective of the trip was to attend the World Championship Horse Show in Freedom Hall. My major enjoyment as a young child was the midway and the fair rides; however, this changed as I grew older. My perception of the State Fair was one filled with amazement and adventure. The loud music of the rides and the familiar, huge crowds overwhelmed me with excitement. Unfortunately, I was forcibly taken, by my parents, to watch the World Championship Horse Show in Freedom Hall. At such a young age, I was not interested in seeing the next world champion horse make the show of his or her life. In my mind, the horse show was a waste of good ferris-wheel time. My parents usually set aside an afternoon in which they, with long-suffering faces, would indulge me in my fair frenzy. For these few hours, we waded into the jostling crowds, surrounded by the screams of thrill-seekers, the cacophony of bells and whistles, and the powerful smells of fair cuisine. To me, these were the best sights and sounds on earth. If anyone had told me that I would one day regard this sensory experience with the same disdain as my parents, I would not have believed it. However, as I grew older, my priorities at the State Fair changed. The very things that sent me into a transport of delight began to irritate and annoy me. As I grew older, I developed a desire to show horses at the top level of competition. Showing at the State Fair World Championship Horse Show became my ultimate goal. With the change in my focus came a change in my attitude toward the State Fair. The once-exciting fair crowds became an obstacle for me to overcome as I made my way to Freedom Hall with my horse. The hustle and bustle of these crowds as they passed through the barn area frightened the horses. Many of these people would also make ignorant and obnoxious comments about some of America's most elegant horses. The greasy fair food that I had loved as a child now brought on waves of nausea and a harsh case of heartburn.

The Brady Bunch :: essays research papers

THE BRADY BUNCH The word sitcom is short for Situation Comedy. A good sitcom story idea places the star (or supporting character) into a situation in need of a resolution, which will cause the character to respond in unexpected, exaggerated, and hugely sidesplitting ways (Rannow, pg. 13). A comedy now days are different from how they were in the 1960's and 1970's though. Today directors use sexual content and foul language to make people laugh and do not usually have a purpose or point to get across to the audience with each show. In earlier comedy, such as The Brady Bunch, Director Jack Arnold tried have a lesson learned in each episode while still maintaining a sense of humor, minus the foul language and sexual content. Although the show is not extremely funny to most people it is still a classic show that deserves to be remembered. The Brady Bunch tends to say that our society is corrupt in a way. It displays many problems that people deal with on a daily basis and expresses how they feel they should be fixed. The show tries to get across to the audience that even though there are some people out there that are not right in the head, you yourself still have to be. Mike Brady, the father always gives out these lessons. For example when Marcia's new boyfriend steals Greg's phony playbook for the football game, Mike tells Greg that in actuality, Greg would win the game by cheating himself, unless he confessed to Marcia's boyfriend and told him the truth. After doing so, Greg and his team prevailed as champions of that game. Although The Brady Bunch sends out loving vibes every episode, as the hippie's did at that time, it did in fact portray surprising violence in one memorable episode. A boy by the name of Billy continuously calls Cindy 'Baby Talk'; due to her lisp. One time Peter stands up for her and ends up getting punched in the eye. Mike Brady then teaches Peter how to fight in order to defend himself if the time comes. Sure enough the time came and Peter knocks the boy's teeth loose and he ends up having a lisp himself. After Cindy calls him 'Baby Talk'; though Peter sticks up for Billy and tells her not to tease him because she remembers how bad it felt to be teased herself.

A Summary on the Essay of Kate Gubata: The New Feminism

The word feminism has generally and categorically been associated to an assembly and movements of radical groups who try to eradicate the male dominance in society, talking if not shouting, just to get their messages across.   These were the women in our grandparents’ time who have endeavored and strived to get their equal rights as a human being.   Today, it has been observed that women try to keep away from becoming branded as feminist to disassociate themselves to this type of bloc.   Feminism does not have to be exclusively defined to this category.According to Gubata (2003), a lack of interest among women to engage themselves in these activities is due to the misconceptions on the aims of feminism.   The real goal of the feminists’ today is to elucidate both men and women to convert equality into a reality. Anyone can be an active participant on this action and tackle significant feminists’ issues such as pay inequity, recent passage of the â€Å"ab ortion drug† and legal battles of homosexual marriage.Contemporary feminists are those people who have no fear in speaking their minds and in sharing their ideas as well as being open to ideas of others.   Women should not deny themselves the prospect of getting themselves involved in something they believe in.   Having a united voice means getting the aim stridently heard.The author emphasized on the encouragement of the people to get themselves involved in promoting the goals of feminists.   Take note of the groups in your community which you might get interested in then once you find it, enlist yourself and be prepared to take action.   You may have dissimilar and diverse feminist perceptions in the group but the eventuality of accomplishing your purpose is more apparent.REFERENCEMcCuen-Metherell, J.R. & Winkler, A.C. (Eds.).   (2003). Readings for Writers (11th ed.).  Heinle-Thomson Learning.