Group Communication Essay

In my opinion, group work is a type of cooperative learning that helps people to accomplish a certain task in a faster and more effective manner. Team working also helps to achieve the tasks that are impossible to finish by one individual. However, if people in a group have a lot of conflicts, group work will not be able to achieve as much as we expected. There are many reasons which lead to dissatisfaction in group work such as individualism as well as conflicts in opinion and time. Initially, I had a negative view on group working because of the challenges that I had. When I was in high school, my five other friends and I used to work together in a music competition. Although we were supposed to get together to practice for the event, we were only able to meet up once a week. In addition to having a hard time with time scheduling, we often did not have a consensus of opinion. Whenever we had a discussion, we usually ended up with no results. So it always took a long time for us to make a decision. Consequently, the performance did not turn out as well as we expected. Because of this initial failure, I thought group work was time consuming and ineffective. However, I have changed my opinion lately because of the successful results in some of my laboratory classes. In each laboratory assignment, it is nearly impossible to work by myself because there are a lot of steps and each step needs to be very precise and accurate. Therefore, a group of two or three students will work more effectively compared to an individual because they can help to remind each other and finish the assignment faster. Based on those experiences, one more time I give myself a chance to work in a group and figured out how work effectively. Finally, thank to the Small group communication class, I found out that group work can become very productive if all the members in the group cooperate and follow the principles of small group communication. In this paper, I want to talk about my recent success in my current group regarding the effectiveness of our group communication as well as my communication competence during the last four months of working together. First, I want to discuss about how we follow the principles of small group communication. Fortunately, our group usually does not have a lot of conflicts because our opinions often support each others’. While other groups need thirty minutes to make a decision, our group can make it in half of that time. I think it is one of our group biggest strength. Besides, we always favor majority viewpoints, but we also listen and analyze the idea which is different from others. For example, when we were working together in the winter survival exercise, most of the members agreed that compass is the second importance. However, Phong thought that in a heavy snow, compass was useless. After discussion, we decided to make it the sixth importance. Thanks to Phong’s opinion, we lost fewer points because compass turned out to be the most useless one. Phong is an expert with cold weather because he used to visit his friend in Alaska where the temperature usually drops under zero degrees Fahrenheit. Phong is also the most quiet group member. He only shares his opinions in the topic which he is expert of. The others group members can be considered as verbal group members because they always contribute their ideas and experiences to all discussions in the group. Regarding leadership, we only have one leader throughout because we want the leader to get used to her role. Thus, she and the group can work more effectively. Finally, I have to admit that our group is not a creative group, but we have one member who is such a creative person. Again, in the winter survival activity, I thought the old newspapers were totally useless, but Lan came up with a creative idea that it could be used to keep warm. She said she often see people who are homeless use old news papers as their blankets. At last, it turned out that the newspaper worked even better than clothes. Because of following well those principles, our group has gradually worked more effectively. Secondly, I want to mention our group climate. In my opinion, our group has a supportive climate. Each member is willing to help other members in the group to complete their tasks. Our group favors description compared to evaluation. Instead of criticizing others’ behaviors and ideas, we often tell our feelings about problems. All the group members always encourage each other to share their opinions and feelings with the group. Even though some opinions are too conflicting, the main purpose is trying to give all the members equal opportunities to talk about their ideas. Thus, the success of the group is the consequence from the equal contributions of all the members. Besides, in most of the discussions of our group, we are oriented toward problem solving; therefore, we look for the consensus of the ideas in order to solve the problems effectively and quickly. Because our group has many members who have senses of humor, we always maintain an interesting and comfortable atmosphere to gain assertiveness in the group. Sometimes, Ngoc and Phong share their experiences of how they solve their families’ problems. Through perceiving more deeply about each member’s own life, we have gradually gotten closer together; therefore, we are always honest and open to each other. Also, we do not criticize when a group member cannot finish his or her task as expected because there are always personal issues out of the class. In addition to empathy, I think that provisionalism is one of the factors that helps the group to do well. In life, there is nothing certain, so we do not expect everything to be absolutely perfect. We only try our best and hope for a deserved result. To sum up, with a supportive climate, our group can take advantage of group work regardless of difficulties that people usually have when working in a group. Also, our group does not have a difficult group member because we are cooperative and responsible for our tasks. Moreover, all the members are always willing to cover the missing roles to get the work done. I think that the supportive climate in our group really helps us to work better. In addition to the success of the group communication, I think that my communication competence is one of the most important factors. In most of the Vietnamese family, parents often attempt to have their children follow some particular rules especially being polite and respecting elders. Because I am not an exception from those Vietnamese children, I always follow those rules whenever I communicate to others in the family and in the society as well. For example, when I work in my present group whose members are different ages, I usually listen to the opinions of the older members before sharing mine. I feel that they have more experiences than I do about life. Also, I truly respect others ideas even though sometimes they are really opposed to mine such as the idea about the importance of the rope in the moon survival. I thought the rope was useless but it was thought to be the most important tool which was used to connect people together by another member. I thought it was actually reasonable in some way. Another rule in my communication is that I try to keep myself from being different. Therefore, if my opinion is opposed to the others, I hardly argue with them because I think it is best to keep a friendly and peaceful environment in a group. Accordingly, my present group always has less conflict. Thus, I think that the way I work and communicate in the group also helps the group to perform better. In the last part of his paper, I want to mention the roles and leadership in our group. Each member in the group has their own roles and tasks. First, Trang, our leader, is an energizer and a tension reliever. She loves to joke around her group members. In addition, she always gives funny ideas to make other members laugh and relieve tension. Next, Lan is a summarizer and a process observer who often listens to the ideas of all the members in her group. Then, she collects information and summarizes the group’s opinions. Besides, She usually laughs and makes jokes which helps to release the tense atmosphere in the group. Ngoc is an information and opinion giver and a communication facilitator who often shares her ideas and speaks clearly to help other members in the group easily understand her. Also, when an idea of a group member sounds too complicated and confusing, she is the one who makes it simpler to understand. I am also an information and opinion giver and an encourager of participation. I love to give my opinions of the group activities. Also, I often ask questions to have other members participate in the group. Finally, Phong and Chau are information and opinion seekers. While Phong researches information online, Chau often represents our group to communicate with other groups for more information and ideas. Lan and Trang are considered themselves as clowns because they are the funniest members in our group. Every one of us kept laughing with their interesting ideas. Because all the members have specific tasks to focus on, whenever the group is assigned, each member tries their best to accomplish their tasks; therefore, this increases cohesiveness in the group. Working this way, we ask for the responsibilities of each member in the group. Therefore, we always encourage and help each other to do things better. Finally, I want to mention the leadership role in our group. Initially, Lan was assigned to be our leader in the ball tossing activity. However, Trang emerged as a leader in the winter survival activity. She always encourages the group members to work harder, and she gives interesting and funny opinions to relieve our tension. At the end, she is the one who summarizes the group opinion and makes the final decision. We as a group think that Trang is a democratic model with participating style. When the group members are willing to share their ideas, Trang becomes a listener. She respects the others’ ideas, and her decisions always fit most of the members. Therefore, with a good leader and a specific role for each member, all the assignments have become easier when we work together. Through four months working together, I finally realized that if we all cooperate and follow the principles of small group communication, group work will be an excellent approach to solve any problem. I have experienced and learned many things from my present group. At the beginning, I was considered as a quiet group member because I rarely shared my ideas with others. However, there were some cases that my ideas might have helped if I had shared. I kept thinking about it and I had been trying to communicate more often; and eventually, I am the one who gives most of the ideas to the group. Also, I have learned that we need to be responsible for our tasks. If a person in the group does not finish his or her task, it will affect everyone in the group and the initial task cannot be accomplished. If I have a chance to work in a group in the future, I will try to follow all the factors that help my current group to perform really well.

General Paper

MARRIAGE. â€Å"Marriage is the union of two different surnames, in friendship and in love, in order to continue the posterity of the former sages, and to furnish those who shall preside at the sacrifices to heaven and earth, at those in the ancestral temple, and at those at the altars to the spirits of the land and grain. † —Confucius, As this culture becomes more individual focused, bonds with others for survival becomes less important. We now pay people to do the things we used to accomplish in a partnership. Restaurants and fast food chains, once relegated to occasional family outings, are a main source of nourishment.There are agencies that will deliver â€Å"home-cooked meals† to you or have them ready for pick-up. Cleaning staff, once limited to the rich or to businesses, are being used by the middle-class. Both parents are working, focusing on their careers, their paths toward self individuation, and more tedious tasks like yard work are being hired out. The point, partnerships are less necessary than they were 60 years ago. That is the social reason that the institution of marriage may be outdated. But the social influence does not stand alone. These changes impact individuals and individuals make up a marriage.So what are some of the individual characteristics that may contribute to marriage being an outdated concept? First, as discussed above, it is the desire for individuation by those in a marriage. More and more often people want to have meaning in their life, beyond raising a family. We are culture whose individuals want to be different. Americans want to stand out. They want to feel they accomplished something for themselves. As such, simply supporting a partner to achieve feels inadequate to many. They also want to achieve, and to be supported in their endeavors.This alone can contribute to strife in a marriage. Whose needs come first? How long do I put my goals on the back burner to help you attain yours? When can I pursue my happiness? â€Å"Is marriage as an institution outdated? † Discuss According to the most recent statistics, the divorce rate, often quoted (even by this author in classes) as 50% of marriages, is actually closer to the low 40 percentile. (Divorce Rate: It's Not as High as You Think, By Dan Hurley, The New York Times, and April 19, 2005). But that does not negate the fact that the United States has the highest divorce rate in the world per capital.The fact that so many American marriages end in divorce leads to the question is marriage an outdated institution? I think the answer is dependent on some of your personal variables. First, let us look at the facts: over 40% of marriages end in divorce. This does not simply infer that the intact marriages are happy. This author attended a lecture by a respected psychiatrist, rabbi, and author who suggested that another half of the in-tact marriages were unhappy. Per capita, the United States has the highest divorce rate in the wo rld. The average duration of a marriage in the U.S is about 7 to 8 years. And although marriage is an institution which makes childrearing most efficacious, marriages in which there are children end in divorce with a higher frequency than those marriages without children. Yet marriage remains an institution that many would not think of doing away with or even restructuring. Likely even the question of marriage being an outdated institution raises eyebrows. A controversial issue in this country currently is whether gays should have the right to marry, again showing the attachment to this social institution.Many young people wouldn't dream of not getting married. In fact, many women have been dreaming about their impending nuptials since they were young children. This is not only true for women, as many men assume marriage and children are a foregone conclusion in their lives. So what is this author's argument that the idea of marriage might be outdated? Well, beyond the statistics ab ove, I also believe that as the Dali Lama said, â€Å"Our purpose in life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. † This is becoming more and more true today, as more people seek happiness.Marriage is a source of lasting happiness for some, but for others it is only a temporary high. The first argument that marriage might be outdated is the divorce rate. Marriage has been around as an institution since, well, according to anything found in this author's research, ancient time. It was reported as necessary for childrearing, property disbursement, and bloodline. In these times it was more necessary to have a partnership to survive. Even more than partnerships, tribes were necessary for survival. As times changed, neighborhoods became like tribes and small communities worked together to enhance the lives of all.But Western civilization has continued to move toward a more individualistic culture. Today people are less likely to even socializ e with their neighbors, let alone rely on them. It is true some areas are bound by their neighborhood, and the community works together to enhance the life of its members. But this is becoming less and less true. As an example, how many â€Å"daycare centers† for children were there 50 years ago? As this culture becomes more individual focused, bonds with others for survival becomes less important. We now pay people to do the things we used to accomplish in a partnership.Restaurants and fast food chains, once relegated to occasional family outings, are a main source of nourishment. There are agencies that will deliver â€Å"home-cooked meals† to you or have them ready for pick-up. Cleaning staff, once limited to the rich or to businesses, are being used by the middle-class. Both parents are working, focusing on their careers, their paths toward self individuation, and more tedious tasks like yard work are being hired out. The point, partnerships are less necessary than they were 60 years ago. That is the social reason that the institution of marriage may be outdated.But the social influence does not stand alone. These changes impact individuals and individuals make up a marriage. So what are some of the individual characteristics that may contribute to marriage being an outdated concept? First, as discussed above, it is the desire for individuation by those in a marriage. More and more often people want to have meaning in their life, beyond raising a family. We are culture whose individuals want to be different. Americans want to stand out. They want to feel they accomplished something for themselves. As such, simply supporting a partner to achieve feels inadequate to many.They also want to achieve, and to be supported in their endeavors. This alone can contribute to strife in a marriage. Whose needs come first? How long do I put my goals on the back burner to help you attain yours? When can I pursue my happiness? Another aspect of this is the dr ive toward excitement and experience. For some people, experience is more important than possessions. Some people just enjoy experience, for its own sake. They may be thrill seekers, or may just place a high value on novel experiences. These people just enjoy doing new things and meeting new people.At one point in time these characters might have been explorers, adventurers, or other types of risk takers. It seems though, that this is becoming much more common as a character trait these days. And folks with this character trait are likely to find the routine of marriage stifling. There are other reasons that marriages may fail that are related to society. For one, despite many marriages failing or being unhappy, we live in a culture that romanticizes marriage. People are constantly told they will find their soul mate, that if this relationship doesn't work out; another will come along who might be â€Å"the one. In reality, how often are you able to accurately predict who your â₠¬Å"one† is? Most people getting married believe they found the one. And when that doesn't work and they remarry, they often believe this time they found the one. And this isn't limited only to those who marry. How many people did you get romantically involved with who at some point you thought were probably â€Å"the one†? Perhaps this concept, which shows no signs of dying despite the evidence against it, is at worst mere wishful thinking, or at best, a long-shot. Along with this idea of marriage being romanticized is the desire to simply have a wedding.First, a wedding is a beautiful thing. The pageantry, the pomp, and the beauty of it all results in it being majestic. Everyone should have one. It just doesn't seem they should have to stay together forever as a result. In a recent discussion with a colleague who was discussing marriage, she reported she wanted to get married. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to marry the guy she was with, but that she wanted to g et married to someone. She discussed the beauty of a wedding, and how it would be a shame to miss out on that. Everyone wants to be Cinderella or Prince Charming for a night.This is not uncommon thinking. But does the expectation have to be that they will stay together for a lifetime? (There was an article two years ago about a politician in a European country advocating a law that marriages expire after seven years, with the opportunity to renew. Of course she was mocked and ridiculed). Another point of discussion for why marriages may fail focuses on the fact that many people get married before having been on their own. Recently one of my students, when discussing her relationship, actually said she didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life.She couldn't have been more than 27, although early 20’s is more likely. For some reason this is a predominant fear in our culture (this could evolve into an existential discussion, but that is better placed in another article). T here seems to be a myth that if you don't find someone, and latch onto them, you will be lonely and miserable, possibly for the rest of your life. Many people seem to settle so they don't have to face this fear. Ultimately, this fear becomes less predominant, and the person may leave the marriage. But the real culprit was the fear leading to settling.Too often, marriage is an attempt to posses another. When humans love someone, they are afraid to let them go. People are afraid of loss. And what better way to secure someone than marriage? Marriage provides a {false} sense of security. It definitely makes ending the relationship more difficult. But beyond just the fear of being alone is the fact that if you haven't been on your own you are used to a cycle of dependency. First people are dependent on their caregivers. And if they go from this state to one of marriage, they have never really been independent. There has always been someone else helping out.Outside of simply being depende nt, there is a level of maturation that comes from living on your own and not being in a romantic relationship. One learns to nurture oneself, to care for oneself, to be independent in the truest sense of the word. Unfortunately, many who enter marriage have never really experienced this. This discussion of personal growth leads me to another point regarding how the changing times have altered individual's character. These days more people are interested in their own personal growth. As people grow and change the risk of growing apart increases.When most people in their forties think of what they were like in their twenties, they can usually see the tremendous changes that have occurred. This is even truer when personal growth is a goal. And with one or even both partners growing and changing, the potential for growth in opposing directions is a possibility. And even if you don't grow apart, there is the possibility of a loss of attraction for your partner, and growing attraction fo r others you meet on your path. Attraction is one of my favorite areas of psychology. The reason one individual is attracted to another is rich with possibility.For some, there is a reminiscence of something deeply enjoyed in the past. A client recently discussed how the attraction to each of her recent relationships related to two important men in her life. This is excellent evidence of this phenomenon. For some people they believe this person they are with is the best they will ever be able to get. Sometimes this comes from feelings of low self esteem, but this is not always the case. Often there is a bargaining process which goes on inside of us when considering a romantic partner. We have this much beauty, smarts, financial potential, humor, etc, and we want equal value.Too much value and we might be insecure. Too little, and well we are getting the short end of the stick. But beyond all of this is the most common reason one individual is attracted to another: early childhood me mory. This article is not the appropriate place for this discussion, so I refer the reader to â€Å"A General Theory of Love† by Lewis, Amini, and Lannon. In short the above book systematically provides a theory that purports that all experiences, but most importantly early childhood experiences, affect the choices we make in close relations.If we had dysfunction in our home, we continue this pattern in other relations. This leads to another reason marriages may not remain intact as they used to, and hence may be an outdated concept. Bluntly, pathology is less accepted now. In the past, abuse, issues of control, alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness were hidden in a closet. These days' people are more psychologically informed. They are more aware that being mistreated is not acceptable, that it is not a reflection on them. They are less likely to tolerate behavior which contributes to their unhappiness.And furthermore, they are more likely than their predecessors to read self-help books, engage in therapy and resolve the issues that result in staying somewhere they are unhappy. They are even more likely to resolve the issues that lead to the attraction to begin with, which would result in the attraction dissipating. So is marriage an outdated concept? It is possible after reading this article you may think this author believes so. And for many people, I do believe marriage is an outdated concept.And I am not alone, although likely in the minority (judging from the comments posted on the article â€Å"On Marriage: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off† posted on MSN June 228, 2009). But I do marriage counseling, and believe marriage is right for many other people. The goal is to find if you are right for marriage. And ultimately whether marriage is an outdated concept or not is a personal decision. Some of the things you might look at before making the decision are your motives for marriage. Are you buying into a preconceived notion of what is suppos ed to be, without evaluating your values?Have you been planning your wedding since you were young and do you just refuse to give up on the dream, regardless of how your personality might affect long term commitment? Are you devoutly religious, and believe that pleasing God comes before personal happiness? If you believe marriage is for you, and you have evaluated your motives, then far be it for any article to sway you. Just realize marriage is work, and it will be important to forgo your happiness at times to maintain the marriage. And keep your hope. Even if marriage is an outdated concept, everyone has the right to make the choices they make. Good luck on your path.

Film Critique Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Critique - Movie Review Example The three main women characters in the film are: Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), Gertrude (Malin Akerman) and Grandma Annie "Gammy" (Betty White). One can easily identify that these female characters are different in their roles. For instance, Margaret Tate is dominating, Gertrude is down to earth, and Grandma Annie represents the upper crust. But Krevolin (2011), points out that â€Å"For an example of an energeiac structure that didn’t work, take the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy, The Proposal† (p. 69). This comment does not prove that the film was a flop within the film field. A. Margaret Tate Margaret Tate, working as an editor in a book publishing company is the central female character in the film. One can easily identify that her life is fully immersed in the field of book publishing industry. Her role in the film is as a dominating character that is able to control all her subordinates including Andrew Paxton, her subordinate. Etaugh & Bridges makes clear that â€Å"Many women seek to achieve success and better their own lives through individual efforts† (p. 467). Her attitude towards her subordinates irritates them but she does not consider changing her attitude. In the film, her function is to be a bold lady with immense power to control her subordinates according to her will. Meanwhile, she came to know that the authorities are going to deport her to Canada. But she was not ready to give up and decided to seek the help of her subordinate, Andrew Paxton. But Etaugh & Bridges makes clear about gender equality that â€Å"As more and more women attain levels of power currently held by men, gender equality will begin to affect other areas† (p.461). Later, she went to Sitka to prove that she is married to Andrew Paxton. This incident proves that Margaret Tate is ready to face challenges in her life. In the opening of the film, Margaret Tate is presented as an arrogant lady. When the film continues, more and more positive elemen ts in the character Margaret Tate is revealed. For instance, she was ready to discuss Andrew Paxton’s relationship with his father. Moreover, she was ready to reveal her personal details with Andrew Paxton. In the end, she hesitates to drag Andrew Paxton to a sham marriage. Besides, she reveals to Andrew Paxton that her parents were dead and that incident deeply influenced her attitude towards life and behavior towards others. This proves that she was not aware of the importance of family in one’s life. When she came to know more about Andrew Paxton’s broken love affair with Gertrude and his relationship with his father, she realizes that drawbacks are usual in relationships and family life. Claire Mortimer (2010), compares the film The Proposal with another film The Ugly Truth as â€Å" The Proposal and The Ugly Truth are similar in their representation of successful career women as damaged and dysfunctional, needing the love of a man to recover their humanity and femininity† ( p. 1333). As a woman Margaret Tate was forced to face a number of issues in her personal life and career. For instance, her subordinated were not ready to accept her as their boss. In her personal life, she was forced to marry her subordinate to escape from deporting to Canada. At last, she realized the importance of love and family life in one’

Should pledge of allegiance be said in US schools Research Paper

Should pledge of allegiance be said in US schools - Research Paper Example In addition, all religious head wear or dresses should be removed. The pledge has often been recited in numerous private organizations, meetings and sometimes in schools. Debates have been carried out arguing about the later and whether or not the place should be compulsory for school pupils to recite. There have been several points made for and against this action. However, the author believes that the pledge should be recited in public schools as it is a historical reminder of what the United States of America is about. The pledge of allegiance helps build patriotism in the young generation in addition to giving them pride about their nationality (Lavcock, 155).America is a very prosperous state which many countries try to emulate and numerous individuals constantly change their citizenship to become American. Therefore, customs of the country should be kept as they keep the heritage of the country alive. If the pledge was to be abolished, the same procedure might occur for other c ustoms in the country which would mean that America would lose some of the traditions and values which it was built upon (Lavcock, 155). However, many people argue against this point as they believe that since the pledge has been altered many times, four to be exact, it no longer possesses its original meaning and value and some of alterations are not entirely patriotic and are concerned with giving grace to God. This religious aspect is very sensitive as the number of non-Christians or nonbelievers is constantly increasing. Therefore, the phrase one nation under God may not be suitable for some citizens as they do not carry this belief and forcing them to repeat these words would be a violation of Basic rights (Donavan, 12-13). In addition, the paper specifies on reciting the pledge in public schools which are mainly comprised of young individual. If these individuals see their rights being violated and are forced to do something which that customs and families not believe in, they are likely to lose faith in the system and doubt that they even have rights to begin with (Lavcock, 155). The argument against making the pledge of allegiance compulsory in public schools is also based on the fact that reciting a few lines or text does not resemble patriotism, one attribute that is mostly associated with the pledge (Monroe, 55). In fact, constant repeating of these lines can make them lose their value and meaning to these pupils, therefore having a reverse effect than their intended purpose. The pledge becomes just a bunch of lyrics coming out of the children’s mouths habitually (Monroe, 55). However, some people still believe many people died for this flag and they should be shown respect for their services to the great American nation. They also believe that the phrase under God should also be compulsory as despite what religion or belief one possesses whether he or she is a Muslim, Buddhist or Christian at the end of the day every individual is American a nd should unite on this basis (Donavan, 12-13). However on the same point, other individuals believe that forcing people to say the pledge is not paying tribute to war heroes and other individuals tied for the country. This is based on the fact that these individuals fought and died for the country to become a free and sovereign state with equal rights and not to become a compulsory and authoritative dictatorship

The Meanings of peace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Meanings of peace - Essay Example issues, Barash and Webel (5-6), indicate peace is not just the nonexistence of violence, but also the existence of tolerance and harmony across different ethnicities and economic classes. Further, there is logic of forbearance in international affairs for the attainment of true harmony in global society. By indicating that Violence becomes connected to harmony at an early level, since basically; it is shaped by the nature of an authority. Harmony develops, thanks to individual modifications of power structures (Barash and Webel 6-11). The meaning of â€Å"war and peace are two ends of a continuum† (Barash and Webel 10) implies conflict is a likely result of the idea of peace that is common in the mainstream society. This implies peace as lack of violence. Further, it is a fact, long believed in peace findings and conflict issues. In view of this, satisfaction with the mere lack of â€Å"concrete† violence falls short of the beliefs of peace and serves successfully to conceal cruelty that is executed at a more profound level. The authors designated this profound conflict that is an essential part of the general order as some sort of structural hostility. The existence of a voiceless society is mistakenly interpreted as a tranquil society. Structural violence is believed in everyday existence, roughly as normal as it is in the current world. This invisible cruelty is established by an extensive arrangement of triggering factors in society that affect the generation of multiple forms of disparity (Bara sh and Webel 9). According to Barash, and Webel (7), being concerned with this hostility is a condition that may be systemically generated. By saying negative peace means the â€Å"absence of war† (Barash and Webel 7), it simply implies absolute peace. Conversely, positive peace means the concealment of the prevailing hostility (Barash and Webel 7-8). Furthermore, this is an idea of conflict linked to peace, and harmony as lack of hostility, which describes the influence

Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom Research Paper

Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom - Research Paper Example ng and considering all of these kinds of multiple intelligences and how teachers can deal with different kinds of intelligences in the classroom using a variety of teaching strategies. In this book, the reader can find the relationship between MI theory and special education, and MI theory and cognitive skills as well. It also discusses the relationship between MI theory and classroom environment. Critics’ opinion on this theory is also a part of the book. In one of its appendixes, related MI resources are given. Related books on MI teaching are also a part of the appendixes of this book. One of the appendixes presents examples of MI lessons and programs. In this way, this book presents a thorough study on MI theory, and its education related issues. The intent of the writer, Thomas Armstrong, of writing this book, is to emphasize on different kinds of intelligences, which different human beings are gifted with, especially the students; and to tell the ways to deal with people with a variety of intelligences to optimize the ratio of success in people and to minimize failures, because of their unrecognized potentials. Armstrong emphasizes that Gardener (1983) has rightly pointed out that Western cultures value linguistic intelligence and logical or mathematical intelligence only, and Armstrong says that Gardener has pointed out that other cultures value other types of intelligence as well. Thomas Armstrong has provided his readers with he idea that a variety of teaching strategies should be used in the classroom to help different kinds of intelligences grow and to assess them finally. Adapted from a checklist that is adapted itself from Armstrong, these are the habits and characteristics, that indicate some one with a particular intelligence - some one with linguistic intelligence would enjoy writing, speaking, communicating and reading. Some one with logical and mathematical intelligence would be interested in working of things; would enjoy puzzles,

The Diverse Interpretations of Muslim Laws Essay - 1

The Diverse Interpretations of Muslim Laws - Essay Example In exchange for virgins in the afterlife, some Muslim groups interpret Jihad as a holy war to kill innocent civilians. Evidently, the two readings show the Muslim people’s diverse interpretations of the Koran’s Suras and related Muslim resources. The research focuses on the different interpretations of Muslim laws. One of the laws, Jihad, has diverse interpretations. Similarly, the gender issue has different explanations. Other Muslim groups interpret Jihad as a holy war. The holy war includes killing innocent civilians. Asra Nomani questions the diverse interpretations of the Muslim laws, including the gender equality issues. The authors, Mariane Pearl (2003) and Asra Nomani (2005) emphasized that Muslim life is compounded by one Muslim group’s daily struggles to influence the other individuals’ decisions. The story A Mighty Heart (Pearl, 2003) centers on the interpretation of the Jihad principles. The author describes the dangerous life of Danny Pearl, South Asian News Bureau Chief of Wall Street Journal. As a reporter, Danny traveled around South Asian countries to gather the latest news stories. Mariane Pearl writes the story of the life and death of her husband. Danny disappeared when he was about to meet Sheikh Ali Shah Gilan, the founder of a U.S. jihad group. Danny’s research focused on some Muslim groups’ devotion to Jihad as one of their duties. Past Jihad acts includes the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 9/11 U.S. airplane attacks (Pearl, 2003). Pearl’s thesis statement: Many Muslim groups have different interpretations of the Muslim Jihad Principle, some violent while others peaceful. The author correctly showed that some Muslim groups prioritize their time and energy to Jihad’s terroristic activities.  

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Moral Compass & Vision Statement - Essay Example Back in the late 1990’s Nike, a corporation that was built on image and marketing to obtain tremendous brand value, lost a lot of customers due a sweetshop scandal. In this paper I will provide an assessment of my capabilities for ethical leadership and vision five years from now. Since a very young age I have always had very high moral standards. I believe it is important to do things the right way. In the marketing profession there are many challenges that a professional may face. There are ethical dilemmas such as choosing whether to target other competitors and aggressively discredit their practices in campaigns even when the claims may be half truths or irrelevant information. I believe do not believe that adverting people should use the competition as a point of basis of a campaign. Advertising should focus on highlighting the strengths of the firm or product. I think advertising campaigns such as the Dunking Donuts campaign that tells people that real friends donâ€℠¢t let their friends drink at Starbucks are unethical. I consider that my capabilities to make decisions using ethical leadership are outstanding. I have always considered the ethical implications my decisions in life and in business. I can improve my ethical understanding by taking structured seminars and continued education courses on the subject. In the past when I have been faced with tough ethical decisions I sometimes communicate the dilemma to friend or colleague in order to gain their opinion and input on the matter. Active listening skills are useful to evaluate the feedback from other people in order to make better informed decisions. Five years from now I plan to be working in a marketing department. At that time I will face ethical challenges on a recurrent basis. I potential challenge that I may face could involved deciding whether to expand the operations of the company into developing countries to raise profits with the consequence being lowering the jobs the firm cre ates in the United States. The options in this scenario are to expand into one or many foreign countries or to target growth exclusively in the domestic market. My ethical point of view on these types of business international matters is that it is the ethical responsibility of the company is to choose the alternative that maximizes shareholder’s wealth. Patriotism is a nice notion, but in business being close minded doesn’t lookout for the best interest of the firm. A good option to create balance would be to invest in the international option if is more profitable, to then in the future use those profits to diversify your operation and help the US economy by investing in new ventures in the United States. There are other important ethical decisions that I might face in 2016 as a professional in the workplace. A topic that is going to gain greater popularity in marketing circles in 2016 is corporate social responsibility. I have seen companies that are using innovativ e marketing programs to help out social causes. A few years ago Starbuck Cafe introduced a program that donated 5 cents out of every sale of certain beverages towards supporting AIDS programs in Africa. These types of programs at first glance might be seeing with hesitation by upper management because their perception might be that such a mandatory donation is an added cost that lowers the profitability of a product. Ethical leadership can have tremendous benefits. As a marketing professional it would be my duty to educate management over the value of such a

Expanding Your Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Expanding Your Business - Essay Example In addition, the initial capital outlay for purchasing an existing coffee shop was found to be affordable with the available capital without seeking debt financing which has higher leverage risk (Ward, 2014). The financial plan for Coffee shop will be summarized below into three financial statements namely: income statement, cash flow statement and balance sheet. The statement of financial position will comprises of all revenues/ incomes and expenses incurred in the previous financial year. The cash flow statement will provide the cash generated from financing and operating activities as well as cash outflow. Finally, the balance sheet below commonly known as statement of financial position will display the current and noncurrent assets of Coffee Hot Cafe as well as equity and liabilities of the business (Ward, 2014). Guerrilla-marketing strategy entails promoting a product by presenting its messages from nowhere thereby, capturing the attention of consumers by creating a large impression before disappearing. Coffee Hot Cafe will utilize various Guerrilla marketing strategies to capture the attention of different customers as well as to increase sales and profitability. Among the strategies that will be utilized include. Media, marketing via events, utilization of giveaways, partnership, free demonstrations and word of mouth. Coffee Hot Cafe will influence the media to talk about their products; this will help to create awareness among the members of the public. The use of media may also involve inviting media people to an educative workshop on healthy eating. Further, Coffee Cafe may employ event marketing. This entails participating or supporting certain events such as soccer, volleyball and athletic games. Such events may help to create awareness about the company products (Sam Ashe-Edmunds, 2 014). Giveaway strategy may involve donating to charity or offering free

Video game and primary online games Essay Example for Free

Video game and primary online games Essay Computer game addiction is a worrying aspect of the modern-day technologically able youth. Many children spend hours a day on computers, so much so that computers have become a primary source of entertainment for them , as well as a convenient baby-sitter for parents. Throughout this guide, the details of computer game addiction will be discussed, such as addiction signs, solutions to the problems and alternatives to computers for entertainment. Here are the Famous or most played online games. * 3 Primary Online Games: * World of Warcraft * Final Fantasy XI Online * EverQuest * These are called MMORPGs – Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games * MMORPGs never end, there isn’t a final goal state which you can achieve. You ultimately strive to be the best of the best within the game. II. Statement of the problem Computer Addiction is an ongoing problem for youths to adults everywhere. It involves the person spending time on the computer for hours more than necessary. The problem with Computer Addiction is that as more youths are logging onto the computer, they are spending more time online than doing another things. They become addicted to the computer, and use their time on the computer instead of doing other things, like spending time with the family or doing homework. This causes strange and irrational behaviour, turning these people into computer addicts. 5 Question about Computer Gaming Addiction 1. What is the effect of being Computer Addicted? 2. How do people become addicted to Computer Games ? 3. Doe`s computer addiction affect our health? 4. What symptoms can you find in people who is addicted to online games? 5. How can we say that the people or person is already addicted to computer games ?

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ntms Economics Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ntms Economics Essay What are non-tariff measures (NTMs)? As the term implies, any policy measures other than tariffs can be included in NTMs that can impact trade flows. At a broad level, NTMs can suitably be separated into three categories. A first category of NTMs are those imposed on imports. This category includes import quotas, import prohibitions, import licensing, and customs procedures and administration fees. A second category of NTMs are those imposed on exports. These include export taxes, export subsidies, export quotas, export prohibitions, and voluntary export restraints. These first two categories encompass NTMs that are applied at the border, either to imports or to exports. A third and final category of NTMs are those imposed internally in the domestic economy. Such behind-the-border measures include domestic legislation covering health/ technical/ product/ labor/ environmental standards, internal taxes or charges, and domestic subsidies. Types of Non-Tariff Barriers The non-tariff measure include of some constraint to trade. Here are some examples of the popular NTMs Licenses A document which is issued by a national government allowing the importation of certain goods into its area is called an import license. Import licenses are believed to be non-tariff barriers to trade when it is used to distinguish in opposition to any other goods of another country so as to guard a local industry from foreign competition. The volume of import allowed is specified in each license, and the total volume allowed should not go above the quota. Importing companies can buy the licenses at a competitive price,  or simply a fee. However, it is said that this distribution method endow with encouragement for political lobbying and  corruption. certain restrictions can be imposed on imported goods as well as the amt of imported goods. Quotas A quota is a quantity restriction used in international trade, usually on imports, but it could also be on exports, focusing on licensing of the foreign trade that is nearly related to quantitative restrictions. This category includes global quotas-a system that protects domestic industries by being restrictive on the cost of international trade- and seasonal quotas. Quantitative controls on foreign trade transactions are done through one time license. Quantitative restriction on exports and imports is a direct administrative type of government regulation of foreign trade. Quotas and licenses restrict the independence of enterprises in respect of entering the foreign markets, narrowing the range of countries, and also minimize the range of countries for transaction in case of certain commodities. However, it turns out to be that the system of quota and licensing exports and imports whilst establishing firm control over foreign trade in some particular goods, happen to be more supple and of use than economic instruments of international trade regulation. This is defined by the fact, that licensing and quota systems are a key instrument of trade regulation which is an important part of the world. The result of this trade barrier is seen in the loss of consumer due to an increase in prices and limited selection of goods. An import quota controls the volume of many commodities that can be imported in a country during a specific period of time. An export restricts a certain amount of goods that can leave the country. The reason for imposing of export quota by country is due to the control of goods that is fundamental to the country and the manipulative price found on international level. Embargo   The incomplete or  entire exclusion of commerce and trade with a particular  country, in order to isolate it is called embargo.   A strong political measure imposed in an effort, by the  imposing country, to remove a given national-interest result from the country on which it is imposed is considered as embargoes. It is same as  economic sanctions and is often taken as legal barriers to trade, not to be confused with obstructions, which are usually taken to be acts of war. The same principle is used for most trade barriers: the obligation of some kind of cost on trade that increases the price of the traded  goods. If many nations repeatedly use trade barriers against each other, then a  trade war results Subsidy   A subsidy is a type of financial support paid to  a business or  economic sector. The  government makes most subsidies to  producers or distributors in an industry to stop the decline of that business or a boost in the prices of its goods or plainly to persuade  it to employ more labor. Some examples of subsidies to  encourage the sale of exports; subsidies on some foods to keep  down the cost of living, especially in cities; and  subsidies to support the expansion of farm production and achieve self-reliance  in food production Import deposits Import deposits is a type of deposit required importers to put a certain of money in an account for a significant period of time whose purpose is to guarantee that import duties will be paid, or the deposit may simply be a non-tariff barrier intended to discourage imports. Why NTMs The drastic rise in the use of non-tariff barriers stemmed largely from the WTO new rules about reduction in tariff use, which formed part of the WTOs mission to ensure free trade across the globe. While the WTO rules do allow for the use of NTBs in some circumstances, the specifications about when they can be used are very strict such that they can only be employed for purposes such as to guarantee health, safety or sanitation, or to safeguard non-renewable natural resources. Should NTMs be used for other purposes, they are deemed to be ways of evading free trade rules. Apart from the WTO, such rules, which are set to curb the use of tariffs as they are threats to free trade, are also laid out by institutions like the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Another reason for the transition from tariffs to NTMs is that many countries, especially developed ones, do not have to rely on tariffs as a source of funding anymore, like they did in their early stages of development. They can afford to switch to other trade barriers that do not involve tariffs, but that still provide them with a means to regulate international trade. Moreover, NTBs allow these countries to help weak industries or provide compensation to those industries that have been adversely impacted by the WTO laws on reduction of tariffs. Also, it is a logical way for countries to respond to the reduction of tariffs since it has been declared that tariffs are no more to be used, NTBs offer traders an alternate method of influencing the market. Thus, NTBs can be quite similar to tariffs, apart for a few exceptions. After the laws of tariff reduction were enacted during the eight rounds of negotiations in the WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), those who persisted in believing in the concept of protectionism have turned to NTBs. In fact, most of the NTMs can be defined as protectionist measures. In short, NTBs can be thought of as a new means of protection which has replaced tariffs as the old method of protection. Advantages and Disadvantages of NTMs Advantages Since the main purpose of NTMs is protectionism, the advantages of NTMs will also mainly be those of protectionism. Non-tariff barriers help protect the development of new industries against foreign rivals. If foreign industries compete with domestic industries that are not developed enough or large enough yet to take advantage of economies of scale, then NTBs, such as import quotas, can protect the infant industry from too much competition through its maturing stages until it can compete on its own. Similarly, NTMs also offer protection to certain economies against foreign countries that are interested to trade with them only because they know that the domestic economies will not be able to face competition from them and will eventually collapse, leaving them a monopoly of the domestic market. An example of such unfair trading is dumping. The barriers to trade protect the domestic economies from such countries with an unfair relative advantage. It is believed that the use of NTBs can result in increased domestic employment. Since foreign firms create jobs abroad, NTBs such as import quotas, reduce imports, make domestic production rise instead, and thus create domestic employment. Also, reducing imports from countries with cheaper labour levels the competition compared to the higher wages being paid for local production. NTBs, moreover, by cutting down imports, help countries boost those local industries that are concerned with the national security and also those industries which help give the country economic independence. Disadvantages The main disadvantage of NTMs is that they hinder free trade and the benefits that accompany the latter. The protectionist aspect of NTBs discourages competition from bigger industries and also from foreign countries. While this might help domestic firms and industries to grow at first, in the long run, it in fact dampens future growth. This is because, due to the lack of competition, domestic firms can then afford to provide a narrow choice of goods to customers, to lower the goods quality, and to raise their prices. Because of this inefficient production, there is also no more incentive for the firms to strive for constant innovation and excellence. Thus, ultimately, NTBs do not help in the future growth of firms. There is another way in which NTMs drive up the prices of goods in the domestic economy. By restricting access to foreign countries where goods could be made more cheaply, more resources have to be employed domestically itself to make the same goods at a higher price. Also, while free trade allows countries to benefit from the concept of comparative advantage, the use NTMs prevents countries from enjoying these benefits. If countries specialise only in the production of goods in which they have a competitive advantage, this allows each country to produce at the minimum prices. This efficiency in production benefits all parties to the trade. However, NTMs, by restricting trade, do not help in achieving that goal. The use of NTBs can also result in trade wars. By raising trade barriers against a foreign country, the latter can decide to do the same in retaliation. The imports and exports of both countries are thus restricted, and this greatly reduces the markets open to them, lowering their scope for growth and efficiency. If many countries across the world engage in these trade wars, global trade and economic activity will suffer drastically. These retaliations can also quickly spread beyond the source of conflict and affect the countries other economy policies as a way to retaliate. It can be seen that all participants can take advantage of free trade through efficiency of the market, for instance, increased choice and reduced prices. However, non-tariff measures also have their uses and are necessary in certain conditions. There must be a balance between the quest for efficiencies and the use of barriers to trade. EFFECTS OF NON-TARIFF MEASURES (NTMS) Effects on trade It is generally assumed that NTMs have negative effect on trade, even if it has been elusive for quantitative assessment. Sometimes, these policy measures are referred to as barriers, when the emphasis is made on the difficulties an exporter may have to comply with them. In fact, NTMs can hinder exports for countries or companies when they are not able to pay the cost of adapting their product or production process to the norm of a trade partner. Then, another less competitive exporter may be able to take on a restrictive market if it complies with that regulation. NTMs would be trade distorting in this case. However, NTMs may also facilitate trade when they reduce asymmetries in information between consumers and producers, for example about the quality or safety of the product. The effort of complying with NTMS could also help countries to upgrade capacities, (or mitigating institutional deficiencies for monitoring and enforcing regulations, in words of van Tongeren, Begin, Marette, 2009) in which case the ultimate development impact is positive for the exporting country. On the importing countrys side, NTMs could reduce negative externalities, for example in the case of environmental threat or food safety. Effects on Price A quota is defined as an upper limit on the number of units of a commodity that can be imported into a country. When such a restriction is imposed, domestic consumers are prevented from buying an imported good, the supply of which is no longer perfectly elastic as it would have been in a free trade situation resulting in a rise in the price of the product. This can be better explained using a demand and supply diagram as follows: In a situation where there is free trade and no barriers to trade are imposed then at the world price of wp domestic producers will supply Q1 and Q1-Q2 will be imported, i.e, equilibrium quantity will be at Q1. The supply curve to the domestic market will be denoted by the curve ABws. The effect of imposing a quota will be to limit the amount of imported goods. Let us suppose that the quota cut imports from Q1-Q2 to Q1-Q3. A new supply curve can now be drawn incorporating the amount of the quota (Q1-Q3). The world price wp no longer acts as the supply curve but instead the latter is represented by the curve ABCSS. we can nothe that the new equilibrium will be at E and the new equilibrium price will be at pq. It is clear that price has risen from the implementation of quota. This is explained by the fact that the supply of the commodity is now restricted causing a slight increase in the price of the commodity. The extent of the increase will depend on the quota imposed. The lower the quota, the higher will be the price. A simple example can be taken to explain the above theory. Suppose you have milk imported freely into a country and account for 50% of the domestic demand. If government imposes a quota on the amount that can be imported, the supply of milk will fall giving rise to a shortage. This shortage will exert pressure on price which will finally rise to eliminate that shortage and restore the equilibrium. Effects on society Another measure is embargo. This is a complete ban on imported product. Such a measure can be imposed to protect the society as whole. For example, a country may ban or severely curtail the importation of things such as harmful drugs, pornographic literature and live animals. Had embargoes not imposed on such products, society would suffer enormous damage as they have high level of negative externalities Effects on multinational Import quotas generally have a negative impact on multinational companies. These enterprises such as Nike and General Motors are intensively engaged in international trade as domestic consumption only cannot meet their high targets. When a quota is imposed on their goods by a major buyer, MNCs must find other markets to supply their products, otherwise they will have to cut production and profits figure will suffer. Effects on employment However, import quotas affect positively domestic employment. The fall in imports will divert demand to local suppliers and the latter will have to increase production to cover the gap which foreign products used to occupy. This applies to domestic supplies that have the capabilities and were unable to compete internationally. In order to boost production, they will have to recruit more people. This will have a multiplier effect in the economy giving rise a lower unemployment rate and higher economic growth. How globalisation is affecting NTMs? Globalisation is a process by which countries are linked altogether in a peaceful manner as view to only one planet. In technical terms, it is described as being a process by which national and regional economies, societies and cultures have all been united via global network of trade, communication, immigration and transportation. Hence a worldwide movement towards economic, financial, trade and communications integration. Recently, globalization expanded its field to other activities such as social areas. At present, globalization also considers culture, media, technology, socio-cultural, political and biological factors. The evolving nature of NTMS has gained an important place in international trade today. More recently, it has been considered in the annual World Trade Report of 2012. Most trade agreements clearly speaks of tariff reductions whereby leaving less than halfway entrance for NTMs. It has nonetheless the capacity to reduce the effectiveness of tariff reductions upon agreement. NTMs have ever since in its introductory mode been driven by multiple policy motives and are still subject to change. These policies in themselves have evolved through the years as countries forged agreements and became interdependent through globalization. NTMs has become a necessity not only to protect domestic industries but to the globalized world as a whole. Globalisation raised changes in countries among which are increased social awareness, growing concerns regarding health, safety and environmental quality which led to increase in NTMs. For the better understanding of the impact of globalization on NTMs, trade in goods and services were considered. Examples of regulatory measures are Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary measures in goods and regulations in services which have recently cropped up. These measures do not have a direct influence on trade but have a strong influence on trade agreements and amount of trade between countries. Some say that NTMs have been encouraged via globalization for a viable peace. Public policy can thus enhance trade flows in a positive or even negative way. Trade in services has evolved in recent years and is no longer similar to traditional trade. New policies came into fo rce to handle these new trends. Globalisation relates to WTO. Trade in services has the relatively same importance as trade in goods for good networks between countries. The WTO knows they hold the same weight in international production affairs and hence measures to restrict trade and competition in the services market that could affect more than the sector directly concerned. Examples where cases are most suited are infrastructural services, spill-over effects on other services and goods. Unlike in the past when NTMS role were solely to protect domestic producers from foreign competition, nowadays NTMs are more to do with public policy objectives. These policies not only consider protectionism but also take precaution measures. In the sector of health and environmental services, NTMS were recently boosted in numbers. NTMS were found not to be an easy task to be observed and quantified, however with globalization, WTO observes that NTMS are meant to have a long stay with their several arrangements between countries which adds to the main agreements. The emerging in change of NTMs with time is not protected against negative effects. NTMs may in other words reduce benefits gained from the main agreement, for example negate some tariff reductions. Moreover, non-tariffs measures have a long list of measures which are also difficult to quantify and also sometimes are invisible in the agreements. In addition to that, those measures are not regular to all countries that it is served and to that, their effect sometimes bring distortions in agreements between sectors and countries. Globalisation is known to have brought changes or complete change in more than one country structure and future. It has greatly changed policies of countries and to that NTMs continue to be evaluated and are still expanding. Quoting from the WTO Director General: Regulatory interventions addressing market failures and international spillovers, with inevitable consequences for trade flows and investments are here to stay. The foremost thought, hence, of NTMs is that it will not have a decreasing or reducing effect on the tariffs agreements between countries. As deducted from above, globalization does not only bring positive results onto a country trade flow. As globalization strengthens alliances amongst nations, NTMs continue to be on the rise in their arrangements. NTMs may also be used as a tool to restrict trade flows in the case of where some countries might be oligopolies of certain commodities on the global market. Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary measures is said to be the source of last resort for some developing countries since it impacts the worst results on them. The reason is that these countries may be differently structured and may not be able to meet those criteria mentioned in the measures. Though, globalization intensify the relationship between countries does bring both good and bad results, harmonious plans between countries may help to reduce the negatives effects. Globalisation has neared most of countries and consequently has brought help where such measures were not easily identified. In simple terms, it has allowed experiences to be shared in recognition and quantitation. In the light of the above, globalization not only brought amendments in NTMs but also has greatly influenced its use in countries. NTMs Measurement Measuring non-tariff barriers remained one of the confusing answered questions for a long time enough. This is mainly because of their inconsistency in countries where they are applied. As these by themselves cannot be measured, their affiliations are quantified to give a result as the measurement of NTMs as a whole. Typologies of the affiliations are: frequency measures, price-change measures, quantity measures, rates of assistance, and indices deflators. A brief discussion of these measures is now to be listed and considered below. Frequency measures Laird Yeats (1990) exposed two frequency measures, namely, frequency ratio and import coverage ratio. Both of them are based on calculation of ratio of commodity lines subject to at least one NTM in total number of lines for the respective group of trade flows. The frequency ratio can be calculated by formula: where Ni is category i of commodity in trade group; Di is dummy variable, Nt is general number of categories in trade group, i.e. i = 1,,T . Dummy variable is used as indicator of NTM: where Di = 1, in good in category i is subject to at least one NTM; otherwise Di = 0. In import coverage ratio, value of imports of commodities subject to at least one NTM is used as a weight instead, unlike the frequency ratio. That way, time factor is considered and it also helps to evaluate the importance of the NTM for the whole trade. B. Price-change measures NTMs often influence price and cause change. Under this section, a measurement on evaluation of changes in price due to the introduction of NTMs is considered. Unlike other measures, it allows direct comparison between impact of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. Price-change measures are commonly used in international trade theory and a formula was derived; influence of trade restrictions in terms of price and quantity changes. Deardorff Stern (1997) used the most known type of price-change measures which is tariff equivalent. In other words, it is calculated as growth in commodity price before and after use of NTMs. Despite all its positive characteristics, price change as a sole indicator for NTMs of a country is not sufficient. Moreover, the impact of NTMs on change on price is difficult to be taken out of any factors affecting prices. C. Rates of assistance Rates of assistance can be broken down into two types; nominal and effective rate of assistance. Nominal rate of assistance is founded on calculation of a rise in the gross returns from production resulting from protective measures. The effective rate of assistance is the most commonly used and can be calculated as follows; ; where VAN is value added in case when the NTM are applied, and VAB is value added under free trade. These measures fit theories perfectly, nonetheless have drawbacks as it requires mass information that is not always available. The effective rate of assistance is faced with another problem which is to differentiate between the different NTMs in its calculation. D. Indices deflators Anderson and Neary were the first ones who brought the application of trade barriers to both tariffs and non-tariffs measures. They constructed two indices; mercantilist trade restrictiveness index and trade restrictiveness index. These are defined as deflators and when applied to undistorted prices are to produce the same trade volume (mercantilist index) or same real income (for trade restrictiveness index) as the initial set of trade distortions (Anderson Neary, 1996; Anderson Neary, 1999). Application of this method, however, yields problem of collection of necessary prices and differentiation of the impact of NTM from other changes. To summarize all measures are good enough for measurement of general NTMs level in a country. However, criteria, benefits and drawbacks of the different methods must be cared when choosing for specific countries. Conclusion GATT takes on a particular and modest approach to handling NTMs. That approach developed over time, and with the formation of the WTO, the handling of NTMs evolved further still.   Tariffs for goods production were decreased during the eight rounds of negotiations in the WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). After reducing of tariffs, the principle of  protectionism  demanded the introduction of new NTMs such as technical barriers to trade (TBT). Increasing consumer demand for secure and environment friendly products also have had their impact on increasing popularity of TBT. Many NTMs are administered by WTO agreements, which originated in the Uruguay Round, as well as GATT articles. NTMs in the field of services have become as significant as in the field of usual trade. The requirement to protect sensitive to import industries, as well as a wide range of trade restrictions, available to the governments of industrialized countries, forcing them to resort to use the NTM, and putting serious obstacles to international trade and world economic growth. Thus, NTMs can be referred as a new of protection which has replaced tariffs as an old form of protection.

Christianity: New Teachings for a New Way of Life Essay -- essays rese

Christianity: New Teachings for a New Way of Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Christian vision of Human Sexuality compared to many religions is seen as quite restrictive. Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism do not put near as much effort in restricting human sexuality as Christians do. Particularly in Hinduism, sex is seen as a good thing and is even celebrated. Even more, some Hindu’s practice the teachings of the Kama Sutra â€Å"which provides the details of erotic method†¦presenting the particulars of various types of positions, caresses, and embraces† (LoPresti 25). These views of sexuality in Hinduism are significantly different to the views of Christianity. â€Å"How would you characterize the Christian vision of human sexuality, as relatively positive and affirming or more cautious and restrictive?† (LoPresti 137)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One issue of Human Sexuality in Christianity is the idea of contraception. â€Å"Until 1930, when the Anglican Communion modified its teaching, Christians around the world had been unanimous in their condemnation of artificial means of birth control† (LoPresti 132). For centuries, procreation has been the primary purpose of marriage. Now with the advancements of a reliable birth control, sex has taken on a whole new consciousness. Sex now can be seen as fun and pleasurable and independent of procreation. The idea of sex separate from procreation is highly debatable especially in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church â€Å"continues to hold that each and every act of intercourse must remain open to the transmission of new life† (LoPresti 133). This argument is the source of much heated debate due to the steady rise of the Aids Epidemic. The Aids epidemic in the world today is the source of a huge problem. Millions are infected and will continue to infect others without the proper means of contraception. Since there is no cure for Aids, the condom is the catalyst in attempting to control the Aids virus. Since the issue of contraception is in direct contradiction with the Roman Catholic Church, many Catholics find themselves torn between religion and health. So the question for Catholics becomes: Do we follow our catholic teaching or do we try and eradicate this disease? Although most devout Catholics would be opposed to disregarding the teachings of the church, the issue of sav... ...ersons† (LoPresti 136). Christian teaching of homosexuality has created a hatred towards homosexuals, which in turn, causes homosexuals to be oppressed. This oppression is in direct contradiction with the teachings of Jesus’ ministry which stressed â€Å"a call to compassion and solidarity with those who are oppressed† (LoPresti 135). Therefore, the Christians view of homosexuality seems to be restricting, in that homosexuals are restricted from living a life without oppression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall, the Christian view of human sexuality appears to be quite restrictive on the issues of contraception, nonmarital sex, and homosexuality. Furthermore, these unresolved issues within the church need to be updated to fit new circumstances which we know to be ok today, like homosexuality and contraception. No religion is a perfect religion, but it is though the continual evaluations of church teaching that we begin to find more logical, and accepting religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited LoPresti, Anthony. â€Å"Christianity.† Sex & Religion. Ed. Christel Manning & Phil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zuckerman. Belmont, CA: Thompson, 2005. 117-141.

Self-mutilation Essay -- essays research papers

There are many different definitions for self-mutilations, also known as self-injury, self-harm, or self-inflicted violence. One definition of self-mutilation is that is any self-directed, repetitive behavior that causes physical injury. Another definition is that self-mutilation is self-inflicted physical harm severe enough to cause tissue damage done without suicidal intent. This is just one example of the blurriness of the boundaries of self-mutilation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is very hard to pin point exactly who or why people self-mutilate, however there are known risk factors. The known risk factors are: the female gender, of adolescence and college age, involved in substance abuse, having a personality disorder, and having a history of self-mutilation. This does not limit the occurrence of self-mutilation within other genders or other ages. For example it is not very common that elderly people will self-injure, but there are clinical reports of it occurring in this age group before. The occurrence of self-injury can not be defined to one particular group of people. People who self-mutilate can be survivors of abuse, people who have eating disorders, or people who suffer from substance abuse. It can also occur in homes where there is violence with an inhibition of verbally expressing their emotions, or in a home that loses a parent do to death or divorce. However you can not limit this illness to people who are more susceptible, i t also occurs in teachers, medical professionals, lawyers, engineers, and high-achieving high-school students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People most commonly use self-injury as a coping mechanism; to relieve the tension or distress. People say that self-mutilating lets them â€Å"forget† about any feelings that they want to free themselves from. If the person uses the cutting self-mutilation they may feel that seeing the blood gives them a sense of well-being and strength. This would give them a feeling of empowerment, and they feel in control by enduring the pain that they inflict on themselves. Along with the feeling of releasing their tension and frustration there are other factors that can lead to self-injury. One of these factors is the lack or a role model, or the feeling of invalidation. Most people who self injure were chronically invalidated as a child, which led them to having a feeling of worthlessness. I... ...in other impulse control disorders and help to control the impulse of people who self-mutilate. There are also psychotherapeutic approaches, such as psychodynamic psychotherapy. This is the most common form of individual therapy. This therapy teaches self-mutilators more healthy ways to deal with negative things. Another psychotherapeutic approach would be dialectical behavior therapy; this therapy combines cognitive, behavioral, and supportive interventions. Self-mutilation is an unfortunate issue that people have to deal with, but with support from their families and friends, it can be resolved. One important thing to remember is that self-mutilation is not a failed suicide attempt. Also, people who self-injure are not bad people; they are just people that have to deal with some overwhelming issues that they don’t know how to deal with otherwise. Sources: Fong, Timothy. â€Å"Self-mutilation: Impulsive traits suggest new drug therapies.† Self-mutilation. Feb. 2003. Dec. 15, 2004 . Martisnson, Deb. â€Å"Self Injury Fact Sheet.† Self Injury Fact Sheet. 1999. Dec. 15, 2004 . â€Å"Self-mutilation: the truth behind the shame.† Over view of self-injury, self-mutilation. 2000. Dec. 15, 2004 .

Affirmative Action Essay -- Affirmative Action Essays

Affirmative action is meant to be an attempt at equality throughout society. It supposedly proposes that each person receives equal opportunities in the classroom as well as the work force. Not only would this apply to minorities but to women as well. Every sector in America would be equal and unprejudiced - or so proponents say. On the other hand, adopting affirmative action would force many employers to replace hard-working employees with those of less qualification simply due to their gender or ethnic background. Many people feel that affirmative action would be very beneficial to our society. They have many thought-inspiring arguments. Some claim that we owe blacks for what we took from them in the past. We gave them a setback in our economic system, and affirmative action would be our way of reimbursing them for time and opportunities they lost out on (Norman 50). But where should the line be drawn; how much do we do to repay people - in this case blacks - for past wrongs? Is it enough to give them equal rights, or will we give them extra opportunities to make up for those we took away? It has been argued that the black sector in America, in general, is lower in class due to their environment prior to the Civil War, but the black people of today are not those who lived then. Each person today - no matter their gender,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 origin, race, belief, or whatever difference has the same opportunities as everyone else. In my opinion no one needs any special favors to get ahead. In this paper I will discuss some of the problems with affirmative action. These include disgruntled employees, reverse discrimination, and the negative effect on our economic status. People who are for affirmative action have many possible positive outcomes as a result of this law passing, some of which have already been implicated. The first subject I will discuss is diversity in the work place, including women and minorities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proponents of affirmative action attempt to show that diversity in the work force has brought w... ...urface affirmative action sounds and looks good. How could giving people an opportunity to work and learn to get along be a bad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6 idea? But after looking deeper into this concept, it seems that the scale of benefits are still not evenly spread amongst the community. After looking at all the negative outcomes, the choice should be clear. This is obviously not the right plan to help our social and economic system and we should stop using it until we can find a better choice. Works Cited Abner, Lacy. Discrimination behind a mask. Lighthouse publishing co. Boston, 1996 Carlton, Melinda. Affirmative Action and Affirming Diversity. Public Management. Florida, 1997. Norman, Jim. Politics of the nineties: Americas Verdict on Affirmative Action is Decidedly Mixed. USA Today. June/July 1997: 49-52. Internet website. www.washingtonpost.com

The Hidden Key to E-Commerce Success

Order Fulfillment: The Hidden Key to e-Commerce Success By Fred R. Ricker and Ravi Kalakota n July 1995, a young Wall Street computer whiz named Jeff Bezos opened a bookstore offering more than one million titles yet virtually no inventory. His brainchild—Amazon. com—has grown since then from four employees operating out of a 400 square-foot garage in Seattle into an online company with a stock valuation greater than most Fortune 500 companies.His initial concept—a virtual bookstore designed to do business exclusively on The Internet offers a wealth of the Internet—was new business opportunities for obviously brilliant start-ups and established compaand well executed, nies alike. Yet while everyone as evidenced by wants a piece of the e-Commerce action, not everyone has laid the Amazon. com’s sucnecessary groundwork for success in gaining and cess. One of the most often overkeeping customer looked prerequisites is order fulfillattention and genermen t and distribution. Succeeding ating orders. n the e-Commerce age is every Yet the company’s bit as much about designing and success to date is executing these â€Å"blocking and dwarfed by the tackling† functions as it is about potential of its the latest technology. apparent ambition— to build the world’s most efficient consumer-direct orderFred R. Ricker is director of health-care supfulfillment system. ply chain strategy for Manhattan Associates Amazon. com enviInc. Ravi Kalakota is the director of the sions a â€Å"killer† supCenter for Digital Commerce and GCATT ply chain that can chair professor of electronic commerce at deliver virtually any Georgia State University.He is also the product—not just founder and CEO of e-Business Strategies. 60 Supply Chain Management Review I books— directly to customers better than its competitors. In fact, it took Amazon. com only one quarter after adding music to its offerings to become the N et’s leading music seller. The company currently is targeting the $150 billion pharmaceuticals market with a 40-percent stake in Drugstore. com. Today, the emphasis among more mature Web retailers like Amazon. com is shifting from marketing to fulfillment logistics—what happens after the rder is placed. Good fulfillment—taking the right product, putting it in the right box, shipping it, and gaining the customer’s approval on arrival—is a demanding task. We believe it is here—in the down-and-dirty details of consumer direct order fulfillment—that the epic battles for domination of the e-Commerce marketplace will ultimately be won or lost. The emergence of the e-Supply chain, a group of strategically aligned companies focused on delivering differentiable value, signals a shift in the nature of online competition.It involves rethinking traditional supplier relationships and the role of informationdriven fulfillment logistics. In the new network economy, establishing a sustainable e-Commerce position is as much about using the right fulfillment strategies to get your products or services to buyers as it is about having the right product at the right price. The key to success is being able to give customers what they want, Fall 1999 Illustration by Roger Roth when they want it, and how they want it—all at the lowest cost. That requires â€Å"real-time fulfillment† solutions.These rising demands have driven a three-phase evolution. First the e-Corporation, which focuses on creating and maximizing the potential of internal supply chains, evolves into e-Business communities, where distributors, suppliers, customers, and others are linked but not fully integrated. These communities then become the e-Supply chain, which requires business-process and technology synchronization across the entire chain. (Exhibit 1 depicts this progression. ) Unfortunately, much of the start-up planning for e-Commerce ventures a pplies old models to new enterprises.It assumes, for example, the existence of a brick-and-mortar support infrastructure for the fulfillment or the spontaneous development of that infrastructure. Like it or not, most e-Commerce retailers place their initial emphasis on the â€Å"exciting† areas: Web product development, traffic generation, dynamic or customized Web pages, transactions, and so on. Often, e-Commerce retailers give little thought to order fulfillment and distribution—a capability critical to the success or failure of Web commerce. Our research shows that the lack of an Fall 1999 ntegrated supply chain infrastructure or weaknesses in integrating multiparty logistics components can undermine the benefits of e-Commerce and hinder innovative responses to the competition. The e-Fulfillment Opportunity The Internet offers a rich new opportunity for direct consumer access, but it also raises new challenges. Web retailers find product fulfillment—picking a nd packing in very small quantities and shipping via parcel carriers—a particularly difficult activity. It often requires relying on third-party fulfillment vendors (a concept discussed later in this article) to do the job.But collaboration in fulfillment chains is no longer confined to conventional two-company alliances, such as between shipper and a logistics services provider. Today, groups of enterprises are banding together for a common purpose—to satisfy customer demand. A new form of competition is emerging: e-Supply chain vs. e-Supply chain. In the Internet book retailing war, for example, the competition is not only between Amazon. com and Barnes & Noble but also among groups of companies that make up the e-Supply chain anchored by each company. An e-Supply chain is, in effect, a virtual organizaSupply Chain Management Review 61ORDER FULFILLMENT process. ) Vendors could work within specified routing guidelines and still tender for trucks online in conjunction with other geographically close vendors to get full-truckload rates. Internet start-ups have the luxury of starting from scratch and defining their fulfillment infrastructure Business Process and Technology specifically for the products Integration being offered online. This is not the case for established Phase 3 E-Supply Chain companies like catalog companies or store-based retailers such as Wal-Mart, Borders, and JCPenney.These companies already have fulfillment and distribution networks designed to ship a variety of products in bulk quantities to hundreds of stores. They realize that they cannot layer home delivery on the existing infrastructure. The established companies must decide whether to extend their existing facilities for consumer-direct eCommerce or build a new set of fulfillment facilities tailored to low volumes and high-variety product mixes. The enlightened ones realize that they need to invent a new customer-driven fulfillment model that can extract enough costs o ut of the current model to justify home delivery costs.That new model, we believe, is an intercompany order-fulfillment and replenishment model. It utilizes business process synchronization to eliminate redundant processes among supply chain trading companies and to improve information sharing— doing away with excess labor, inventory, and holding costs. The design and implementation of such a coordinated and synchronized fulfillment infrastructure poses a major managerial problem. To shed light on this problem and provide a prescriptive roadmap, we address the following questions: What is the impact of current customer-direct business models on fulfillment strategies?What is the definition of consumer-direct fulfillment logistics? Why is having a consumer-direct model so important? What types of fulfillment strategies are currently employed in e-Commerce? What strategic business-process reengineering and synchronization steps can managers take when designing a consumer-direct fulfillment logistics strategy? Fall 1999 EXHIBIT 1 Evolution of the Network Economy Distributors Suppliers Internal Supply Chain Reengineering External Linkages Customers Phase 1 E-Corporation Logistics Providers Phase 2 E-Business Communities ion that encompasses a group of trading companies, all working together to slash costs and share profits. By optimizing not only their internal processes but also their mutual interactions, they realize the benefits of a truly integrated supply chain. This concept—business-process and supply chain synchronization—lays the basis for the next revolution in supply chain management. It takes supply chain integration to a new level of efficiency by requiring companies to focus on synchronizing business processes around standard interface points and upgrading these points as the industry evolves.Synchronization of these â€Å"touch points† eliminates costs associated with inefficient movement of goods, redundant processes, and excess inventory. In doing so, it promotes a dedicated collaboration of all supply chain trading partners—suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, thirdparty providers, transportation companies, and retailers. Through e-Commerce, redundant processes among trading partners (such as multiple accuracy audits, receiving-dock appointments, and inventory planning activities) can be eliminated.The immediacy and availability of the Internet, once security and data cleansing issues are worked out, fulfills the promise of true synchronization. To take just a few examples, if vendors can gain access to a publicly available schedule on the Internet and book their own receiving appointments, they no longer need to send requests for appointments and wait for responses. Retailers would not need to research late payments if their customers could download payment status directly from the retailer’s Web site. (At least two major retailers have already begun this 62 Supply C hain Management ReviewThe Logistics of Consumer-Direct Fulfillment Three forces are converging to create an explosion in consumer-direct business models: technology forces are making it possible, market forces are making it viable, and social forces are making it inevitable. Keep in mind, though, that consumers demand more than an interactive experience. They want delivery convenience and lower fulfillment costs. They need to be assured of fast and reliable delivery. The value the consumer places on timely delivery can affect the logistics network design significantly. Time is money,† and digital consumers of the 21st century don’t have the same tolerance levels as their analog-world ancestors. Today’s consumers are yearning for instant gratification as never before. Partners in the supply chain must improve their efficiencies—from order capture to fulfillment— to provide that gratification. The goal of consumer-direct business models is to let cust omers select and configure products and services interactively, get a price quote, and receive a committed delivery date online.Companies serious about satisfying customers online must substantially change their process to make consumer-direct retailing and manufacturing attractive to the consumer. Companies must re-evaluate the complete fulfillment business model—promotions, merchandising, product selection, pricing, supplier relations, technical management, distribution, returns, and post-sale service. Each of these areas demands new processes, skills, and approaches. To satisfy a consumer-driven marketplace, companies must move beyond the singular mentality of intracompany optimization.Instead, they must focus on how intercompany business process synchronization can transform consumer demands into consumer satisfaction. As with a single company, core competencies of each component of the virtual organization must be evaluated objectively to eliminate inefficiencies. Manage rs of that virtual organization will continue to reengineer best practices, while at the same time: Building replenishment programs based on consumers â€Å"pulling† the product through the supply chain from the manufacturer. Employing new forecasting methods that reflect total pipeline visibility.Investing collectively in technology and equipment to capitalize on market opportunities. The success of consumer direct fulfillment logistics models depends on the successful integration of Fall 1999 four key elements: order-fulfillment planning, product execution, distribution management, and crossapplication integration. 1. Order-Fulfillment Planning. Rising customer expectations and short fulfillment deadlines call for effective planning that breaks artificial boundaries and bridges the gaps between the consumer and the other players in the supply chain.Fulfillment planning must consider the entire planning process— from manufacturing, through distribution and transportat ion—within a single integrated model. Fulfillment planning involves evaluation of multiple planning strategies such as: Establishing a sustainable e-Commerce position is as Profitable-to-promise: Should I take the customer order at this time? Available-to-promise: Is inventory available to fulfill the order? Capable-to-promise: Does manufacturing capacity allow order commitment?Select the plan that best meets the desired customer-service levels considering transportation and manufacturing constraints. It’s important to plan backwards from customer priorities and fulfillment deadlines. Thus, to generate a feasible plan, the fulfillment-planning process needs to consider all supply chain constraints simultaneously. These include transportation constraints such as truck capacity and weight, use of alternate modes, and availability of downstream resources such as loading docks. 1 2. Production Execution.With the advent of modular designs, more and more production functions are being performed at dedicated warehouses and distribution centers. The typical activities include light subassembly and sequencing, kitting, merging, consolidation, packaging, and labeling. Timing of the final assembly often drives the production plan for subassemblies. The process starts with the master production schedule for the finished product. An MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning) system explodes this schedule to derive when, where, and in what quantities various subassemblies and components are required to make each product.Production also includes componentreplenishment strategies that minimize the amount of inventory in the pipeline and coordinate product Supply Chain Management Review 63 much about using the right order-fulfillment strategies as it is about having the right product at the right price. ORDER FULFILLMENT hand-offs between the various parties involved. Timely replenishment of warehouses is critical because customers will no longer tolerate out-ofstock situations. 3. Distribution Management.Distribution management encompasses the entire process of transporting goods from manufacturer to distribution centers and then to final consumption point. The process also may include packing, document preparation, customs brokerage, and inventory and warehouse management. One of the most important innovations here is the integration of distribution with transportation planning and scheduling through a comprehensive supply can address by utilizing standardized information formats and communication points between trading partners.Distribution center inventory has to be integrated effectively with the customer contact system. In high-velocity retail settings like the Web, customers quickly become unhappy if the seller is out of stock for what is advertised as in stock. Accurate distribution center inventory, updated frequently, is essential to running an effective online business. A Framework for e-Commerce Fulfillment Strategies In the face of increasing competition, absence of pricing power, and shrinking operating margins, companies will succeed or fail based on the efficiency of their fulfillment strategies.Business analysts often focus on the number of orders a company generates on the Web as an indicator of its competitive strength. But a more accurate measure may be the company’s process for rapidly and efficiently translating the orders into fill-rates that satisfy and exceed customer expectations. This section presents a framework of evolving fulfillment strategies. It then illustrates that framework with a wide array of examples and derives implications and guidelines for management. The framework is based on two dimensions: the structure and the operation of fulfillment strategies.On the structure dimension, the strategies are classified as either centralized or distributed. In a centralized structure, all warehousing, pickup, packing, and shipping are operated in a central site, usually a distribution or logistics center. In a distributed structure, warehousing, pickup, packing, and shipping or delivery are located at different sites. On the operation dimension, the fulfillment strategies are either self-operated if the fulfillment process is operated by the company itself or outsourced if it is done by third parties or partners.All of these strategies, discussed below, have trade-offs regarding investment, inventory costs, and operational complexity. Strategy A. Distributed Delivery Centers Fulfillment through distributed delivery centers is an acceptable approach for companies that are just getting online or for those that have a delivery funcFall 1999 â€Å"Time is money,† chain execution solution. Transportation-management software spans the life cycle of the shipment and allows customers to view all of their shipments across a network of multimodal transportation providers. Distribution anagement also means providing users with easy access to shipping, tracking, and del ivery data. Reverse logistics is another function of distribution management. Faster product obsolescence and more generous warranties have escalated the number of returns. Reverse logistics not only encompasses damaged or returned goods but also products designed for remanufacture, hazardous materials, and reusable packaging. 4. Cross-Application Integration. To be effective, companies need to seamlessly integrate the three elements of fulfillment logistics described above.At present, this rarely happens. Most Web servers only have a sporadic connection to the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system like SAP’s R/3, which controls accounting, production, materials management, and distribution. Thus, when the user wants to know when a product will be delivered, the Web application often cannot tell that user what inventory is available in the ERP system or at the third-party warehouse. These are precisely the kinds of problems that business-process synchronization 64 Supply Chain Management Review nd digital consumers of the 21st century don’t have the same tolerance levels as their analog-world ancestors. tion in their stores. This approach minimizes the upfront investment and can be set up quickly. It also facilitates strategies such as â€Å"Buy Here/Pick Up There. † This strategy allows consumers to place an order by phone or online at one store location and pick up the merchandise at another. Though distributed delivery centers do have their advantages (like the obvious reduction in shipping costs), they also can experience certain difficulties.For one thing, controlling inventory for every center at an appropriate level may result in operational complexity and incur expensive inventory costs. In addition, in-store employees often are unfamiliar with warehouse picking and packing procedures. Further, high employee turnover can make picking and packing quality standards difficult to maintain. Yet another problem is scheduling. To mini mize conflict with customers who are shopping during the daytime, picking operations often are scheduled for off-peak shopping hours.Although this may appear to be an efficient use of resources, the delayed picking may force an additional day into the delivery cycle, since carrier pickups may take place before the completion of the current day’s picking and packing activities. Strategy B. Partner Fulfillment Operations Some online retailers are using the partner fulfillment model, which means they have no inventory, no shops, and no product brands. Fulfillment is performed entirely by partners. This approach has clear advantages from the standpoint of inventory-carrying costs. But there are some disadvantages as well.This has been evident in the experience of Peapod, an online grocery retailer that provides online shopping and home delivery services. Peapod discovered that its initial strategy of partnering with local supermarkets for fulfillment meant charging consumers high delivery costs of up to $16 an order. This pricing level made it virtually impossible to build a customer base. To attract more customers, the company has begun to dismantle some of its partnerships and move toward a distributed-delivery fulfillment model by establishing its own warehouses in selected markets.The introduction of a distributed-delivery model, however, has put a strain on the company’s financial growth. Peapod management estimates that each new distribution center requires a capital expenditure of roughly $1. 5 million plus operating expenses. Peapod expects a net loss at each facility during the first 12 to 18 months of operation. In the long run, however, the new centers should give the company higher overall margins as well as greater operating efficiencies. Fall 1999 Companies will succeed or fail based on the efficiency of their fulfillment strategies.Strategy C. Dedicated Fulfillment Center Today, many online retailers have established their own dedicate d fulfillment centers. These players include Amazon. com, BarnesandNoble. com, Dell Computer, Micro Warehouse, and Insight Enterprises. This approach is well suited to the book and computer industry, where the fulfillment centers can facilitate prompt delivery. The dedicated fulfillment center model reduces delivery costs for low-margin items. Using this approach, companies can measure expected delivery time in hours—not days.The tradeoffs of this approach are: Low or unpredictable sales volumes. This will result in high inventory-carrying costs. High up-front investment. Depending upon its warehouse setup and flexibility, a distribution fulfillment center can incur high costs. It may, for example, require major systems modifications, automated warehouses, and conveyors. This option, moreover, can add operational complexity to the product and information flows. Yet even though this approach increases the up-front capital investment, it can reduce long-term operating costs.Dec reased flexibility. The operation’s scalability is restricted to the existing warehouse infrastructure. This may make it difficult to meet the variability in demand inherent in some retail segments. Strategy D. Third-Party Fulfillment Centers (â€Å"Virtual Warehousing†) As companies struggle to manage unpredictable demand better, they are turning toward third-party fulfillment centers (3PFs), which can be thought of as virtual warehouses. Through this approach, companies can lease the skills and facilities needed for order fulfillment rather than owning them.Third-party fulfillment companies offer flexibility in accommodating wide swings in demand over short periods. They also help facilitate inventoryreduction initiatives such as just-in-time programs. Another advantage of 3PF is the limited changes that must be made to legacy information systems. This option provides a much more robust capability than in-store fulfillment and minimizes operational impact. It also co nverts much of fulfillment into a variable cost offset by eliminating warehouse and Supply Chain Management Review 65 ORDER FULFILLMENT store costs associated with the sale of the product.This strategy allows retailers to leverage their buying power and extend product selection into lines not currently offered in their stores. The primary drawback of 3PF is few existing national fulfillment companies can accommodate a wide range of products. Even more problematical, ceding control of this critical aspect of the business represents a major paradigm shift for retailers. Depending upon the service levels required by customers, multiple fulfillment centers may be necessary to minimize delivery time—and this increases costs and required stock levels. y clear that customers don’t just buy products; instead, they buy the â€Å"service envelope. † They are looking to enter into a complex relationship with the selling company. Given the new reality, companies do not crea te value for customers by merely offering varieties of products. Rather, they must devise a logistics fulfillment strategy that envelops the product and meets customer needs such as convenience, reliability, and support. The choice of a fulfillment strategy depends on whether a company elects to compete essentially on customer responsiveness or operating excellence.In either case, the fulfillment strategy must support the overall business strategy. To ensure that this happens, a company needs to complete the following steps: (1) assess the competitive environment, (2) select the fulfillment strategy, (3) achieve business-process synchronization, and (4) design and implement the necessary cross-application integration. Importantly, the fulfillment strategy must take full advantage of new planning, warehousing, and transportation technologies that can cut order fill times dramatically.Assess the Competitive Environment The first step in fulfillment-logistics design is assessmentâ€⠀that is, identifying the opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses that will influence overall performance and viability of the fulfillment strategy. During the assessment phase, a company must gather information on the competitive environment across these strategic variables: Effectiveness. What are customers’ priorities and how are they changing? How closely does the overall design address the stated and unstated requirements of customers?Consider likely changes in buying patterns, potential competitors, long-run cost pressures, and new technologies. Value differentiation. Why do my customers buy from me? What makes my value proposition unique compared to the competition? Do customers appreciate the value in my offering and can this be leveraged into differentiated pricing strategies? The first step toward value differentiation is to map your customer’s entire experience with your product or service. Do this for each important customer segment. Capital intensity. Sh ould we choose a capitalintensive, high fixed-cost strategy?Or a less capital-intensive, flexible strategy? The e-Commerce impact on working capital outlay differs from retailer to retailer. It depends on such factors as the existing logistical infrastructure (dispersion of warehouses, existing product flow, etc. ), the Fall 1999 Effective fulfillment strategy is dynamic, using multiple channels simultaneously to reach important customers. Strategy E. Build-to-Order The customized build-to-order model is an emerging fulfillment center strategy that extends beyond the traditional framework and adopts an integrating or boundary-spanning perspective.Companies working to coordinate build-to-order fulfillment logistics strategies need to: Synchronize and manage the entire flow of materials through a complex network of resources in their supply chains as opposed to simply managing inventory in warehouses. Turn their attention to maximizing the throughput, rather than focus on controlling fixed costs. Alter the material flow upstream quickly and proactively as demand and product mix change, rather than react to changes in customer demand at the end of the process.A fundamental requirement of fulfillment logistics is the dedicated collaboration of all supply chain trading partners to eliminate the costs associated with inefficient movement of goods, redundant processes, and excess inventory. Effective collaboration not only ensures that the order flows through smoothly but also provides two crucial capabilities: the ability to adapt to increasingly frequent changes in consumer tastes and e-Commerce technology and the ability to improve processes continuously.Designing the Right Fulfillment Strategy Design of the fulfillment strategy is central to the overall corporate strategy. It is becoming increasing66 Supply Chain Management Review nature of the products carried (for example, books Select the Fulfillment Strategy The second step in the design process is to select vs. produce), and the delivery demands of the an appropriate fulfillment strategy based on the findcustomer. Channel extendibility. Can the fulfillment design ings of the competitive assessment.Each fulfillment handle possible new products and services and strategy brings its own strengths, weaknesses, and incorporate new forms of customer interaction? trade-offs. These center on such issues as investEstablished companies must remain committed to ment, effectiveness, cost efficiency, operational coma portfolio strategy of customer interaction. This plexity, channel extendibility and scalability, and is based on the belief that valuable synergies exist risks associated with the business alliances. Exhibit 2, among online, catalog, and specialty retailing.To which summarizes the key characteristics of the five cite one example, EXHIBIT 2 online order desks A Summary of Five Fulfillment Strategies with sophisticated Type of Distinctive Major Potential Management walk-up interfaces Fulf illment Characteristics Strengths Weakness Challenges Strategy can be located strategically in Distributed delivery Distributed Easy start-up; Complex inventory Establishing sophisevery store so that centers Prompt delivery; management; ticated inventoryoperation sites; Operation in control.High inventory management sysSelf operated. shoppers can costs; tem; order products Unfamiliar with JIT inventory manand serve themwarehousing proce- agement. dures. selves. With an integrated portfo- Partner fulfillment Minimized up-front Service limited by Establishing orderDistributed lio strategy, estab- operations investment; partnership; routing system; operation sites; Less operational Low overall Maintaining stratePartner operated. ished companies responsibility; efficiency; gic alliance with can gain many Flexible delivery High inventory costs partners; new online cusarrangement; and inventory-man- Ensuring service Low shipping charge agement complexity. quality and reliability. tomers f rom the to customers. retail outlets. I n f r a s t r u c t u re Dedicated Avoids the higher High up-front Converting traditionCentralized inventory costs; investment; al warehousing to operation site; scalability.Can the fulfillment centers Easy to manage; Decreased flexibility. consumer-direct fulSelf operated. design handle Fast delivery; fillment; multiple products Reduced long-term JIT inventory mancosts of operation. agement. and a high shipment volume? Physical distribu- Third-party fulfillLeast investment; Few options Selecting the third Centralized No learning curve; available; party; tion can be a ment centers (3PFs) operation site; Third party No operational com- Risks in strategic Establishing intermajor logistical operated. lexity; alliances; organizational inforand administrative Limited changes to High operational mation systems with legacy systems; charge. the 3PF. headache. Online Minimized operaretailers are findtional impacts. ing that having to Build-to-order Spa ns both Minimum inventory; Over-customization; Synchronizing entire adapt their existcentralized â€Å"Pulling† ensured; Costs and resources flow of materials vs. ing infrastructure and distributed No stock inventory; of integration. anaging inventory; to handle small operations. Controlled fulfillAltering material ment. flow upstream vs. shipments going customer demand to millions of condownstream. sumers can be time consuming, complex, and expensive. The challenge is to keep each and every fulfillment strategies, is a managerial guide for customer satisfied while protecting the bottom determining which strategy is right for a company at line from erosion resulting from waste, errors, and a given situation. inefficiencies.How well do the available distribu- Achieve Business-Process Synchronization Intercompany business-process synchronization, tion strategies help accomplish that key objective? Fall 1999 Supply Chain Management Review 67 ORDER FULFILLMENT in its purest form, gives rise to the virtual organization in which all trading companies work together as one competitive supply chain entity—the e-Supply chain. In the virtual organization, each trading company shares its information and resources, which results in better planning and more efficient product movement.In making business-process synchronization a reality, companies typically will encounter these challenges: Design and Implement Cross-Application Integration Among the key objectives of intercompany collaboration are more sophisticated distribution services, such as frequent inventory replenishments, more customized packing of goods to reduce unpacking times, more creative packaging and labeling of goods to meet merchandising strategies, and more effective exchange of trading information in compliance with EDI standards.Achievement of these objectives demands an increased use of cross-application integration. Superior application integration in a supply chain is central to achievi ng superior fulfillment productivity and speed. An effective fulfillment-management system must have the ability to integrate with: 1. Integrated enterprise applications. Included here are the ERP systems that integrate the inventory management, marketing, and financial functions. 2. Integrated interenterprise systems. These are the supply chain management systems for transportation, order management, warehouse management, and demand planning.For instance, FedEx has integrated its logistics and transportation capabilities with the SAP R/3 system. For R/3 users, the solution will simplify every related process step from order entry through shipment and tracking by tightly integrating with FedEx. For FedEx, this capability creates a competitive barrier that other carriers have to overcome. 3. Distribution center management and warehouse management systems. Included among these solutions are facility management systems. Efficient management of a distribution center operation now requir es collecting information on customer orders, inbound shipments, products vailable on-site, storage locations, product weights and sizes, and outbound shipping data (including customer-specific shipping requirements, routing data, and carrier requirements). This information must be analyzed dynamically to determine the most efficient use of the distribution center’s labor, materials-handling equipment, and shipping and receiving areas. Today’s information technology revolution does not merely support new order-fulfillment strategies, it creates them. Technology Challenge. Intercompany businessprocess synchronization requires sophisticated technology applications.It can be difficult, however, to identify those systems that truly support this initiative. The Data-Sharing Challenge. Supply chain systems not only need to communicate with one another but also to integrate their business practice knowledge into each trading company’s business logic. The companies must work quickly and painlessly to integrate their trading partners’ knowledge into their own business applications. The Adaptability Challenge. All the information in the world cannot help if trading companies don’t have the flexibility to alter business processes as consumer demands change.In this regard, all trading companies face similar challenges. For instance, when UPS issues a rate update, thousands of customers must implement these changes by a specified date and time. Companies need to implement business systems that can be upgraded easily to move with the market. The Standardization and Compliance Challenge. When one major player in the supply chain decides to upgrade to a new technology or adopt a new technical functionality, the other players are challenged to synchronize accordingly.When there are thousands of â€Å"touch points,† or interface points, the challenge can become enormously complex. In a perfect world, all trading partners would migrate i n unison to the latest technologies to realize the maximum benefit. But it is not likely that an entire supply chain can or will do this at once. Thus, it is important to focus on synchronizing business processes around these touch points and upgrading them as the market evolves. 68 Supply Chain Management Review Acting in Unison for the Consumer Order fulfillment and replenishment is a core business process. What makes onsumer-direct eCommerce compelling to customers is not just the online shopping experience but on-time delivery, fewer fulfillment errors, extra service, and convenience. These are the things that customers value. When companies fall short in responding to those values, they risk alienating or losing customers as a result. Fall 1999 ORDER FULFILLMENT Many potential e-Commerce participants have underestimated the difficulty and importance of the fulfillment side of this market arena. They see fulfillment and distribution logistics as peripheral to their competitive s trategy.Companies need to recognize that such benign neglect is risky and wastes opportunities for competitive advantage. In response to pressures from powerful market trends and technological changes, they must inspect past practices, channel commitments, and vendor relationships vigorously. Effective fulfillment strategy is dynamic, using multiple channels simultaneously to reach important customers. Today’s information technology revolution does not merely support new fulfillment strategies, it creates them. Consumers interface with technology daily, raising the bar on what is expected on the fulfillment side.Meeting these rising expectations requires a conscious shift in fulfillment strategies and a technological infrastructure that ties together every aspect of the consumer-direct â€Å"fulfillment chain. † Interenterprise business-process synchronization is a key to success in this emerging real-time marketplace. Deep information exchange among supply chain partn ers brings opportunities to develop interenterprise strategies that become new sources of competitive advantage. Information integration allows companies to monitor daily trends, market conditions, product acquisitions, and planning functions.To achieve operational integration, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must exchange information effectively with other supply chain participants at key interface â€Å"touch points. † Importantly, this includes providing real-time information to customers so they know the status of their order at any given moment. When all trading partners—including raw-material suppliers—perform all of the key supply activities in unison, they can make inventory decisions that lead to dramatically improved results.They can then share the rewards of producing the correct amount of the product, thereby lowering the cost of overproduction. Business-process synchronization also enables partners to respond quickly and easily to unplann ed consumer demand for items or for personalized and enhanced products—the kinds of things today’s Internet shoppers desire. The companies that employ business-process synchronization in the development of their consumerdirect order-fulfillment strategy will fulfill these consumer desires and emerge as the big winners in the Internet economy.Author’s Note Used as a reference for this article was a White Paper by Alan Dabbiere of Manhattan Associates titled â€Å"Business Process and Supply Chain Synchronization: Achieving Supply Chain Excellence Through Technology. † Footnote 1 Companies providing early versions of advanced planning capability include SAP’s Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) engine, i2Technologies, Manugistics, and Logility. More sophisticated systems that integrate production planning and transportation planning are under development. 70 Supply Chain Management Review Fall 1999