Tourism in Costa Rica Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism in Costa Rica - Research Paper Example In addition to this, Costa Rica has one of the most extensive and well-developed national park systems in all of Latin America. An aerial tram which takes visitors by cable car over the top of the rain forest is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Costa Rica (Liu et al., 2008, p. 259). Prior to the 1980s when Costa Rica’s popularity increased, the country’s hotel industry was small. As demand grew, many Costa Ricans entered the hotel business. The majority of new hotels were owned and operated by inexperienced individuals who learned the business by trial and error. A small number of hotels were run by international chains operating in Costa Rica using both staff and management from their global operations. Soon after, a number of local hotel operators began working with a number of foreign hotel operators as joint-venture partners. Marriott Hotels was one of these companies. This system worked so well in Costa Rica that a number of other countries in the region, including Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama, began to use the same formula. These joint-venture partnerships were characterized by a majority of local shareholders, a minority stake by the international chain and a strong training and development component (Liu et al., 2008, p. 260). Increased environmental awareness and the growing interest in ecotourism can cause conflicting priorities for exotic locations such as Costa Rica. While the country must promote itself as a tourist attraction, it must also protect the country’s natural resources. The demands of sustainability and economic growth can be in conflict (Liu et al., 2008, p. 259). In order to remain a tourist attraction and extend the life cycle of its attractiveness, a country must know a great deal about its international visitors as they are the ones who are primarily responsible for the destination’s tourists (Liu et al., 2008, p. 260).

Emerging Logistics Strategy Essay Example for Free

Emerging Logistics Strategy Essay The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the emerging business logistics strategies which have emerged in the market place over the last few decades and will remain dominant well into the better half of twenty first century. Analysis through this work will argue that the two strategic concepts, namely supply chain integration and cycle time compression, represent distinctly different yet complementary approaches to corporate logistics which form the frameworks around which hundreds of firms are building successful logistics system. INTRODUCTION Logistics Strategy is the science of evaluating the most cost effective methodology of distributing goods to market while achieving service level objectives. It is important for companies to recognize that logistics strategy can be product-specific, customer-specific, and location-specific and that supply chains for each industry are dynamic and evolving. It is always a challenge for logistics strategy planners to develop a series of logistics strategies for different clients, integrating manpower, facilities and workflow in the logistics strategies together to compromise with other clients’ logistics strategies. The choice of an appropriate and effective logistics strategy must be guided by the objectives of the firm as well as by its capabilities and resources. In addition, the development of successful logistics strategy must recognize and deal with important factors and conditions in the firm’s external business environment. The environment of logistics has changed greatly because of global integration and the gradual shortening of lifecycles of products. For that reason a brief overview of what are, perhaps, the most significant of these factors in the business environment like increasing globalization, mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, new IT systems etc. are also discussed. In this paper, contemporary logistics strategy and evolution of emerging strategies like SCM and Cycle time reduction will be explained. Implementation issues and other challenges like reaping the benefits of IT,  choosing a trade-off between complementary strategies; integration issues etc. are elaborately discussed. This paper will mostly discuss the logistics strategy which the companies are adopting to succeed in the emerging markets like India, China etc. Emerging markets are becoming hot destinations for carrying out business mainly because of access to low cost labors and material. However at the same time how the firm mitigates the risk associated with doing business in foreign territory and how it manages the associated cost of transportation will also be discussed. Logistics Strategy and its importance When a company creates a logistics strategy it is defining the service levels at which its logistics organization is at its most cost effective. Because supply chains are constantly changing and evolving, a company may develop a number of logistics strategies for specific product lines, specific countries or specific customers. The supply chain constantly changes and that will affect any logistics organization. To adapt to the flexibility of the supply chain, companies should develop and implement a formal logistics strategy. This will allow a company to identify the impact of imminent changes and make organizational or functional changes to ensure service levels are not reduced. Parameters Involved in Developing a Logistic Strategy A company can start to develop a logistics strategy by looking at four distinct levels of their logistics organization. * Strategic: By examining the company’s objectives and strategic supply chain decisions, the logistics strategy should review how the logistics organization contributes to those high-level objectives. * Structural: The logistics strategy should examine the structural issues of the logistics organization, such as the optimum number of warehouses and distribution centers or what products should be produced at a specific manufacturing plant. * Functional: Any strategy should review how each separate function in the logistics organization is to achieve functional excellence. * Implementation: The key to developing a successful logistics strategy is how it is to be implemented across the organization. The plan for implementation will include development or configuration of an information system, introduction  of new policies and procedures and the development of a change management plan. Components to Examine when Developing a Logistics Strategy When examining the four levels of logistics organization, all components of the operation should be examined to ascertain whether any potential cost benefits can be achieved. There are different component areas for each company but the list should at least include the following: * Transportation: Does the current transportation strategies help service levels? * Outsourcing: What outsourcing is used in the logistics function? Would a partnership with a third party logistics company improve service levels? * Logistics Systems: Do the current logistics systems provide the level of data that is required to successfully implement a logistics strategy or are new systems required? * Competitors: Review what the competitors offer. Can changes to the company’s customer service improve service levels? * Information: Is the information that drives the logistics organization real-time and accurate? If the data is inaccurate then the decisions that are made will be in error. * Strategy Review: Are the objectives of the logistics organization in line with company objectives and strategies. A successfully implemented logistics strategy is important for companies who are dedicated to keeping service levels at the highest levels possible despite changes that occur in the supply chain. Current logistics operating environment Since 1990s, the environment of logistics has changed greatly because of global integration and the gradual shortening of lifecycles of products. The mode of production in enterprises has changed from the traditional mass production mode led by products into the mass customization production mode to facilitate increasing global market competition. Srinivasa (2001) pointed out three main reasons of such revolution. 1. Change of manufacturing strategy In the past, logistics was recognized as a distinct function with the rise of mass production systems. Since 1990s, the Japanese philosophy of distributed manufacturing and lean manufacturing has become the key technique which is widely adopted around the world. Consequently, the logistics operation is  forced to change in order to fit such new Japanese manufacturing strategy. As a whole, logistics has become an extremely complicated process in which expert knowledge is required. 2. Change of customer demand Business environment as a whole is becoming extremely volatile. As product life cycle becomes shorter, manufacturers can no longer push their products down the supply chain easily. On the contrary, it is the consumer who pulls the products along this supply chain. Price and quality are no longer sufficient to thrive in this market. As speed to market and flexibility of the supply chain become the winning criteria, logistics management has grown much more complex in order to satisfy these conditions simultaneously. 3. Globalization As enterprises expand their markets beyond national boundaries, the need for more sophisticated services like multi-modal transport and international trade rules compliance increases. Hence, redesign of logistics operation is essential in order to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness on these issues. These issues revealed the complexity of logistics management in that traditional logistics operation which includes large quantity of stock storage and distribution cannot fulfill the real time, flexibility logistics service demand among the supply chain parties. Moreover, since logistics network has became more complex, it takes time to make critically decision in resource allocation and work task arrangement accurately. In the current dynamic scenario where business landscape has changed a lot and more and more business are becoming customer centric firms have realized that to remain competitive they need to consider logistics as a part of their strategy and not just another fu nction. Companies have gained significant advantages over their competitors by focusing and crafting a logistics strategy which suits their requirement. However, there is no fixed Logistics strategy solution in place for any type of industry. It depends on and varies from the type of goods, nature of industry, the market it serves etc. Below are some of the questions that a firm’s logistics strategy must address. Fast / Slow -A company logistics strategy must handle fast moving products differently from slow and medium moving products within their own  distribution center(s) and within their distribution network. It is to be seen is it economically beneficial to set up regional fast facilities and a centralized slow facility? DSD / Non-stock A company must have a clear understanding of all of the cost components and lost profit opportunities for products that are deemed Direct store Delivery or non-stock items. There has to be a logistics strategy in place that clearly delineates when an item should be inventoried. Third Party Services -Does your company need to own and/or operate its own distribution facilities or is it more effective to have third party logistics providers manage some or all aspects of your logistics functions? What are the economical, service and other considerations your company needs to consider before taking these steps? Hub and Spoke -Are there economical cost of goods advantages to sourcing products into a centralized distribution center that subsequently distributes to regional facilities or branches through a hub and spoke distribution network? Inbound Logistics -Are there opportunities to reduce your landed cost of goods through improved inbound logistics strategy including load consolidation, reduced handling, backhauls, etc.? Outbound Logistics-Are there opportunities to reduce your outbound transportation costs through improved private fleet routing? Through improved carrier rate shopping, through load consolidation opportunities, etc.? Facility Consolidation-Is your company operating too many distribution centers that are underutilized? What are the economical benefits and service impacts of closing one or more of your distribution points? Inventory reduction-Is your company carrying the right assortment and inventory levels to achieve service level objectives? To minimize inventory assets, to minimize storage and handling costs? Supply Chain-Are there opportunities to work with your trading partners to reduce supply chain complexities and improve service levels for specific products / vendor product lines? Are there internal supply chain policies that hinder cost-effective operations? Global Logistics-Are there opportunities to improve global logistics to reduce inventory levels in the supply chain? To reduce order cycle times? To reduce supplier lead times? To reduce logistics costs? With these questions in mind we proceed to see what have been few emerging and successful strategies and what the challenges in implementing them are. Emerging Logistic Strategies: Given the expanding complexities of global operations, information about logistics costs and capabilities is crucial to evaluating whether and how to leverage emerging markets as a means for increasing profit margin. Globally, there has been a trend to source from or manufacture in low-cost jurisdictions and emerging markets. This trend, however, is often offset by increased logistics costs and delivery times, along with a growing number of complexities that need to be managed. Senior management has begun to realize that lowering unit procurement costs does not translate directly to lower per-unit total landed costs — the total costs associated with importing goods or parts from distant emerging market locations. The complexities of managing logistics in emerging market locations ultimately add to the total landed costs of the associated goods. Therefore, the process of redesigning supply chain operations to establish logistics management capabilities in emerging markets is a fundamental dimension of a long-term business strategy. Components of this strategy should include a focus on end-to-end integrated operations design and sound process discipline. Further, this focus should include a means to achieve flexibility, responsiveness and resiliency to enable more effective competition in today’s environment of increasingly dynamic global business conditions. To leverage opportunities in emerging markets, companies must transition or expand from managing logistics in a limited number of local geographies to managing them in emerging market geographies worldwide — in a very efficient, agile manner that supports the responsiveness and flexibility associated with an On Demand Business. Companies can leverage specific approaches to transforming their global logistics capabilities and better support the business goals of lower cost sourcing or fulfillment by taking advantage of emerging market jurisdictions. Global supply chain management — a rapidly changing environment Because of competitive pressures in the global marketplace, companies are rapidly migrating to low-cost sources of labor and materials, which are typically located in countries that also represent emerging market opportunities. But the speed of this change may bring challenges associated with escalating shipping costs and increased supply chain risk, and these challenges could exceed a company’s internal skill and resource capacity. If  you are adopting global sourcing practices, you may not yet have the foreign trade experience necessary to manage regulatory compliance and related global supply chain management complexities. For example, multiple, autonomous business units within an organization can contribute to a fragmented logistics process as well as create missed opportunities for leveraging economies-of-scale. Individual business units may also lack the necessary economies-of-scale needed to establish a competitive foothold and gain sufficient influence in emerging markets. Balancing inbound and outbound supply chain logistics requires a comprehensive strategy that incorporates all the key functions of a supply chain to accelerate or expand sourcing from emerging markets. This horizontally integrated approach also helps you make strategic decisions regarding partnerships, shipping and other factors, to help ensure that savings from global sourcing are not eroded by increased logistics costs. Even more significantly, such a strategy can enable you to go beyond sourcing to position your organization to leverage your logistics capabilities to sell and distribute products within those emerging markets. Challenges to leveraging emerging markets in supply chain cost management As you expand your geographic reach of global sourcing into emerging markets, you will likely encounter a growing number of supply chain and logistics challenges, many of which directly or indirectly contribute to a large portion of total landed costs. Each issue can be grouped into one of two categories: tangible or intangible. Tangible challenges of working in emerging markets include obvious things such as the limited physical infrastructure of roads, bridges, harbors and airports. Other limiting items include the communications infrastructure needed to support the necessary IT connectivity. As constraints due to infrastructure bottlenecks represent a clear challenge, government agencies are more aptly able to focus on these items because the benefit for improvement extends beyond just the business sector. Enhancements to physical infrastructure help the greater population of the emerging marketplace and contribute to modernizing an entire region or industry. Physical infrastructure improvements tend to have greater visibility and  political momentum, and often involve just a few government agencies. For example, the current infrastructure expansion in China as described by EFT Research in late 2005:1 †¢ Between 2005 and 2008, more than US$70 billion per annum will be spent to create 75,000 new mil es of expressways †¢ Forty-three airports have been added since 2001, a major focus for expansion †¢ By 2010, China plans to double the number of shipping port berths from the 34,000 currently in use and will spend approximately US$6 billion each year to do so †¢ Between 2005 and 2020, China will build 25,000 km of new rail lines at a cost of US$250 billion. The net effects of current infrastructure limitations in China and other emerging markets are longer-than-expected lead times and greater variability in shipment cycle times. These factors have a direct impact on owned inventory levels and the overall cash-to-cash cycle time — both of which drive the need to tie up more working capital in the supply chain. These shipment cycle time delays, which can be typical, are often offset by shifting to expedited, or premium freight service levels. However, these shifts to faster service levels are what significantly erode the expected savings in procurement and sourcing. While tangible infrastructure and expansion challenges within emerging markets often get the most press and visibility, it is the intangible items that create the greatest headaches for global logistics managers. The list of intangibles consists of items that often carry â€Å"hidden costs† not fully grasped by companies entering an emerging market. Included are all the tariffs, duties, taxes, customs declarations processes, security and compliance requirements, and the daunting task of dealing with government agencies and multiple third parties in a foreign language. The complexity is exacerbated by variables that can constantly change and remain in a near-fluid state. Managing day-to-day events is complicated by the need to factor in multiple working locations, distant time zones, multiple handoffs of products and associated information, different national holidays, language and cultural barriers, and the ongoing regulatory changes. For example, effective January 1, 2006, the Ministry of Commerce of China updated numerous regulations for export processing zones, while at the same time Chinese customs issued new regulations for bonded logistics parks that support export-related handling activities. Understanding how such changes  impact your supply chain requires in-country operating experience and deep collaborative relationships with logistics services providers who manage daily in this dynamic environment. Not to be overlooked is the significant influence that culture and management style can have on implementing and managing a logistics operation. For example, some of the fundamental differences prevalent in the Far East: confrontation avoidance, top-down decision making and agreements formed through handshakes with less regard to contractual specifics are the norm. While the Western approach to dealing with supply chain partners and vendors is to collaborate and pursue a win-win outcome, that attitude rarely prevails in many emerging market locations. Do not underestimate the impact of negotiating style and approach for dealing with suppliers found in different business cultures. In emerging market countries where rule of law can be erratic, establishing sound relationships with known entities is critical. Getting a jump on technical obstacles to integrated supply chain management Leveraging emerging markets as both product source and product destination can be a dynamic response to global market pressures; however, many companies are not well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities. The key objectives for the technical aspects of managing logistics in emerging markets are to build flexibility into the design, develop a core competency to bring logistics suppliers on board in a seamless fashion, and to enable meaningful information capture that supports continuous improvement. For example, effective supply chain management depends on visibility into the status and location of in-transit materials and products, but many companies do not have these systems in place. Fortunately, many technology-based solutions are available from a range of providers. Nearly all transportation companies offer some type of shipment status or information-sharing system accessible through their Web sites. In addition, there are dozens of advanced logistics planning and execution software applications that companies can install and use themselves. While there is no comprehensive solution that effectively serves all industry verticals and logistics partners across the supply chain, it remains critical that companies efficiently integrate multiple applications across diverse trading partners. Even with an integrated value chain that seeks to  leverage leading applications, true visibility into order and shipment status across the logistics chain depends on tightly defined processes and the ability of all logistics partners to exchange and provide timely status reports on materials in transit. Managing logistics within and outside of emerging market locations can make these processes even more challenging — the increase in variables makes consistent execution and the timely exchange of information very difficult to achieve. Meanwhile, the very nature of an emerging market means that the number of logistics services providers with the appropriate experience is limited. And switching logistics providers can be very expensive. So part of the challenge becomes finding partners who either have the appropriate experience or have established networks and partnerships with reputable local providers. Managing and mitigating the risks associated with emerging market logistics In order to address the challenges of leveraging emerging markets as a cost reducing, and eventually, a profit-boosting strategy, companies are finding that they need to develop a strategy for managing logistics that can support multiple service-level requirements. As one element of such a logistics strategy, you need to determine how, where and to what extent the services of logistics suppliers should be engaged. There are several logistics management options to consider before you enter a new or emerging market. One end of the spectrum involves developing extensive multifunction logistics talent within your company, and then managing specific tactical activities and numerous contracts with logistics suppliers that provide narrowly defined services within a specific region or country. In this scenario, pitfalls include the time it takes to develop or recruit the necessary level of logistics talent and leadership, and the administrative cost of managing dozens, if not hundreds, of logistics suppliers. The other end of the spectrum involves leveraging already established and proven capabilities of a few logistics service providers — or even one — who can orchestrate the many activities, dependencies, and relationships across a global logistics network. Companies taking this approach are able to react to new and emerging opportunities in a shorter, more cost-effective time horizon. Figure 1 summarizes the spectrum of relationships with logistics partners. Figure 1: Logistics service provider options While core asset-based logistics providers are critical to logistics execution, there continues to be a competitive desire among service providers to offer strategically integrated solutions with a global reach that include already established relationships in key emerging market locations. As companies decide which model to pursue and which logistics service provider(s) to engage as potential long-term partners in an emerging market, there are a number of factors to consider: †¢ Experience with integrating logistics across the supply chain and related business functions such as direct procurement †¢ Demonstrated ability to lead supply chain transformation in phased initiatives that align with current and future customer requirements †¢ An understanding of the unique characteristics of the emerging market(s) where you are considering expanding sourcing activities or establishing operations and distribution capabilities †¢ Familiarity with your industry vertical and the nature of your supply chain requirements †¢ Proven capabilities to advise on support and manage international trade and customs regulations †¢ The capacity to offer robust middleware as an enabler of cross-functional IT integration with multiple supply chain partners †¢ The experience and capacity to act as information broker between you and your supply chain partners †¢ Infrastructure and business process designs that are highly scalable and redundant †¢ A track record of solid financial health and sound corporate governance A global logistics view in alignment with a top-down business strategy helps to avoid a piecemeal logistics contracting or outsourcing management approach that could exacerbate the challenge of integration and shipment visibility. Your approach to outsourcing should help you develop a responsive, plug and play, logistics management capability that will support your entry into emergi ng markets. This is also a key capability for enabling an adaptive global supply chain footprint and competitive advantage. To further support this goal, it is important to consolidate and align your supply chain management infrastructure, processes and procedures to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Leading logistics providers now have the resources and expertise to help you design your network and make location decisions that optimize the tradeoffs in cost, service level and risk; but you should be aware that such companies may also be driven by their own business goals. When you  receive advice about which emerging markets to target, ask yourself whether this advice is aligned to your business goals, or whether it reflects the logistics supplier’s own growth strategy. It is very important to look for an objective logistics partner who can establish clear business performance metrics and accountability for the entire ship-to deliver cycle. This includes activity from the shipping dock in the source country through each leg and mode of shipment. Such information should be a key part of the overall supply chain performance management dashboard — your logistics service provider should be able to supply you with a range of data and performance metrics such as on-time delivery, damage rates, error rates, cost/sales percentages and related financial metrics that drive continuous improvement efforts. IBM Case Study — overcoming emerging market implementation hurdles Strong global partnerships with leading logistics suppliers are a highly valued asset when it comes to entering emerging markets. IBM offers a case in point. Several years prior to the sale of their personal computing division to Lenovo, IBM shifted PC fulfillment operations to low-cost jurisdictions and emerging market locations. IBM had been conducting business in China for many years, which provided a leverage point for establishing the necessary legal entity and business model to support a manufacturing operation that could act as a global fulfilment center for a limited line of products. Setting up shop in one of China’s free-trade zones offered proximity to key suppliers and abundant availability of low-cost labor during a time of intense, industry wide cost pressures. But from a logistics management perspective, the implications seemed daunting. IBM needed to design and implement the capability to ship from a factory in Shenzhen to customer locations in the United States, Europe and the rest of Asia. This effort required robust process design with multiple logistics suppliers, not to mention the trade-management-related complexities associated with exporting from a free-trade zone to numerous other countries — most of which had their own unique entry and customs-related procedures. In the high-tech industry, the supply chain must be responsive and fast. In logistics, this means pre-clearing shipments through customs while flights are in-transit. The most minor of data inaccuracies on the commercial invoice or shipping  manifest during the entry process can delay shipments for hours. While an import delay of only a few hours may not seem drastic, the result can be a missed cutoff time with the in-country ground service delivery provider. This means an entire day can be added to the shipment cycle time. IBM found that design and implementation challenges resided at the most basic levels. The infrastructure and necessary processes just for getting the trucks from the manufacturing site to the Hong Kong airport caused delays. The frequency and timing of the flight schedules became the hard constraint that all other cutoff times were forced to meet. Getting the necessary level of lift capacity during the high-volume, end-of-quarter seasonal peaks required frequent communication and forecast updates with freight forwarders. Continuous design improvements were needed to reach the necessary process and system integration needed between the freight forwarder, broker and customs agents in the designated country. For small shipments, IBM took advantage of integrated services provided by UPS and FedEx, both of which have ground and air assets for multi-leg shipment continuity. More problematic were larger shipments requiring multiple third party logistics organizations in a series of freight and information handoffs. IBM believes that a core logistics objective should always be to design and implement an integrated end-to-end solution that includes a process and technology design spanning all involved parties, from the shipping site to the final customer delivery location. Other emerging-market implementation hurdles faced by IBM China is not the only major emerging market with strategic significance to the IBM supply chain and global business model. For many years, IBM has sold and distributed products in East European countries. Over the past two years, IBM has expanded operations in countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic. IBM’s most recent effort included going live with assembly and fulfilment operations with an OEM partner in Hungary. Prior to making a decision about the final location, IBM conducted a network optimization study. Its purpose: to understand the tradeoffs between fulfillment costs, logistics costs, inbound transit times from supplier locations, and outbound transit times to customers throughout Europe. The longer transit times and greater variability were key to understanding if entering the Hungarian marketplace to seize the benefit of lower fulfillment costs was an optimal  supply chain decision. The distance from the manufacturing site to the primary airport in Budapest is a three-hour commute on a two-lane highway. For time-sensitive orders, this long transit time effectively pushes back the cutoff time for shipping to around noon, a loss of nearly a half day. Once the decision was made to operate and ship finished products from Hungary, several supply chain and logistics design points became important to the overall cost reduction strategy. Here are some key elements that helped enable logistics management for IBM in an Eastern European emerging market location: †¢ Extended vendor managed inventory (VMI) programs and pricing agreements with OEM partners to ensure purchase-order flow continuity and control †¢ Extended IBM’s logistics contract agreements to components suppliers on inbound lanes in order to mitigate rising logistics costs and transit time variability †¢ Formed strong partnership with logistics service provider to allow for vendor on premises activity — service supplier resources and systems that manage the flow of finished goods off the back dock †¢ Utilized the network of experienced logistics management professionals in the European region to ensure operational communications and continuity within the same time zones †¢ Took advantage of IBM business presence in-country and local resources to ease the language, culture, and knowledge barrier during transition and initial set up. The above examples reflect IBM’s ability to efficiently enter and enable logistics operations as a strategic component of our global business operating model. Figure 2: IBM logistics cost savings 1995–2004 The cost savings illustrated in Figure 2 were realized during a time when IBM was entering emerging market locations to enable an integrated global footprint. The largest portions of savings were in procurement by utilizing fewer core service providers, and the physical network design efficiencies of operating in key emerging market locales. Realizing competitive advantage from logistics transformation You can prevent rising costs and complexities from eroding the benefits of your global sourcing strategy. The advantages of a strategic approach to logistics are broad and can result in a significant increase in shareholder value. In fact, managing logistics  costs, service-level lead times and overall supply chain security is critical to your marketplace competitiveness. Figure 3: IBM Global Logistics Operating Model The IBM model for managing global logistics highlights its capabilities as a Global Trade Orchestrator. IBM is able to scale this capability for both internal divisions and external customers. The key to managing global logistics is to enable your company’s supply chain with the capability to efficiently unplug from one location or operating scenario, and enter a new or emerging market location. This capability will be both a strategic requirement and a competitive advantage, as long as worldwide business, economic and socio-political variables remain dynamic. Enabling this strategic capability requires cross-function process design, technology integration, and subject matter expertise ranging from network optimization, logistics contract and operations management to global trade and compliance management. This level of orchestration and collaboration is very scalable when merged seamlessly with a global governance model and strategically oriented leadership. Cycle time compression Logistics managers have long recognized the importance of order cycle time, and this concept has entered into the planning and operation of inventory control and distribution systems for decades. More recently, logistics executives have come to recognize the strategic significance of planning, and indeed reducing, the cycle times in their systems. Throughout many different industries, and taught by the examples of successful Japanese competitors, firms are working to reduce the total time required to bring products to marketplace. As George Stalk and Thomas Hout explan in their best-selling book competing against time, today, time is on the cutting edge of competitive advantage. The ways leading companies manage time- in production, in sales and distribution, in new product development and introduction- are the most powerful new sources of competitive advantage. A cycle time compression logistics strategy can be applied to distribution and production, and firms have also shown how the strategy can be employed in product development and roll out. In one frame of reference, cycle time can  be thought of as the time which elapses between the point at which a customer places an order and the point at which the property is received. Traditionally, logistics managers have attempted to control or reduce this order cycle time by increasing in stock availability rates, pre-positioning field inventories close to customers, or using premium flight services to speed delivery. While effective, these tactics are not without cost. From another point of view, customer order cycle times are obviously important, but they do not measure the true response time of the firm since the finished goods inventory performs the function of uncoupling the demand process from the production process. From this point of view, the cycle time is the length of time material remains in the firm as it flows from raw material, to production, to finished goods, and on to delivery to the customer. Attacking this cycle time has several benefits. First, it makes the firm more responsive; that is, the firm may be able to produce and distribute a product to a given customer more quickly. Second, cycle time reduction will reduce the time that material is held as inventory, and hence will increase inventory turnover and return on assets. Firms have employed many different tactics to achieve cycle time compression in their logistics processes, but most successful applications share these common characteristics: (1) The responsiveness of the total system is increased. The firm can more quickly respond to changing customer requirements because the logistics system has become more flexible and adaptive, and more easily able to react to changes in plans. (2) Inventory levels are reduced at all points in the system as on-hand stocks come to reflect more closely true customer requirements. (3) Risk and the associated costs of risk are reduced. As the cycle time falls, the demand forecasting horizon can be reduced, which reduced the risk of stock out, lost sales, obsolescence, redistribution, expediting, and all the other problems associated with forecast error. (4) The information content of the system increases. The system comes to rely  on fast and accurate transmission of information as a substitute for the inventory previously used to operate the system. To reduce cycle time companies need to look at the four major discrete cash cycles within their firms. — Sales Cycle — – Delivery Cycle– –Billing/Collection Cycle – –Make/Buy Inventory Cycle – The sales cycle is the first one to tackle. How long does it take from first contact with a customer to get a signed purchase order? Typically you’re incurring, and paying for, sales expenses during that process. If your normal sales cycle is three months, is there any way to collapse it to two months? One of the best ways to answer that question is by bringing together people within the organization who both work in the sales arena and interface with it. It can also be helpful to have someone from the outside who is not all that familiar with the process in the review. Benefits of cycle time reduction are common in all four areas. The result will be reduced cycle times that translate into a more effective organization and additiona l money in the bank. Cross-docking: The need for speed In today’s high velocity supply chain world, companies are increasingly focusing on distribution methods that will drive efficiency and increase customer satisfaction. Gone are the days where customer service was merely a buzz word. With the focus on customer service, companies have moved away for a supply driven business towards a demand driven business. Companies are also constantly searching for ways to reduce inventory and holding cost. The increase in speed has forced companies to search for ways to reduce product cycle time and move product quickly and cost effectively. Over the years, companies have seen a dramatic increase in the number of stock keeping units (SKU). The increase in the number of SKUs has added complexity to the business and also has increased the cost and time needed to manage the business. Department heads face additional pressure as they are required to stock shelves with the right products and ensure that customer demand is met all times. In today’s high speed world, shipping windows are changing rapidly, as retail clients demand increased speed to meet store requirements. To achieve these goals, cross-docking has been pushed to the frontline of the distribution strategy. What is cross-docking? Cross-docking is a system that relies on speed and agility and is normally used in hub-and-spoke operations. Cross-docking, in short, is the shipment and receiving of goods by bypassing the storage facility. In the process of cutting out the need for a storage facility, inventory can move quickly from one end of the supply chain to the other. Cross-docking is a fairly simplistic way of handling inventory that involves loading and unloading inventory from an incoming truck onto an outboard truck. During cross-docking storage time varies. However, most experts would agree that anything less than two days can be considered as cross-docking. In some cases staging also takes place. For all of its simplicity, cross-docking requires detailed planning and collaboration with partners. Companies require advance knowledge of product shipment and final destination of goods. Setting up the required infrastructure and systems can take time and capital. Logistic managers are increasingly making use of technology such as Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and automated processes. It is important to note that technology is not the key to success. However, the right system can smooth out problems and increase visibility in the chain. Companies now have the ability to send products on a Friday night, receive them on Saturday, and sell the products later in the day. How is it used? Cross-docking is used in a variety of strategies that include consolidating loads of less-that-truck load (LTL) carriers, consolidate loads from multiple suppliers and/or plants, deconsolidating orders, and preparing for shipping. Cross-docking can be divided into different complexity levels including one-touch, two-touch and multiple-touch. One-touch is considered the highest productivity as products are not loaded on the dock, but is loaded directly on the truck. During two-touch the focus is on load optimization and driving efficiencies. Inventory is received and staged on the dock, without making use of a storage facility. During multiple-touch, products are received and staged for reconfiguration and customization. An increasing number of companies are starting to use cross-docking in their operations. In a 2008 cross-docking trends report in the US, 52 percent of respondents stated that use cross-docking with a further 13 percent planning to start cross-docking in the next 24 months. A number of companies are  outsourcing cross-docking. By doing so, they avoid the challenges of setting up and running a cross-docking operation. Many companies start small and pilot projects are common as they explore the configuration that best fits their needs. For cross-docking to succeed it needs to be a coordinated effort that relies on close partnership and collaboration. What are the advantages? One of the key advantages of cross-docking is that companies are reducing their need for warehousing space, which reduces inventory holding cost. Cross-docking facilities are much cheaper to set up and run than warehouses and companies can save on the capital investment in warehouses. In some cases, companies can reduce warehouse floor space and sell off or lease out underutilized facilities. Companies like Toyota have designed and built their own cross-docking facilities. Normally these facilities are strategically located to reduce distance and maximize support. Some of the biggest advantages for companies are transport related. Companies can achieve significant cost savings, by consolidating loads of LTL carriers. Pallets that are heading for the same destination are consolidated and staged by order sequence. By doing this, companies can reduce the distribution cost of the total supply chain and pass the savings on to the consumer. By making use of cross-docking, companies can furthermore reduce the impact of rising energy cost. Companies like Toyota have used this strategy to great effect. With the increased reliance on Just-in-Time (JIT), parts are being shipped at higher frequency and lower quantity. By making use of cross-docking, Toyota has reduced distribution cost by consolidating smaller part supplies into consolidated loads. Cross-docking has allowed companies to increase JIT and remove waster or muda in the organization. The increased speed in the supply chain helps companies to reduce product cycle time and move product quickly and efficiently down or up the chain. In Toyota’s case, this has allowed them to increase delivery frequency and in some cases even double delivery cycles. Cross-docking also have some major benefits where inventory is limited. As inventory is not kept in storage, companies require less stock. The reduction in inventory will reduce holding cost and at the same time satisfy demand. One of the major benefits of cross-docking is also the reduction of labour cost. With the downturn in the  economy, companies will increasingly look at cross-docking as a possibility. Cross-docking can reduce staff numbers and their associated labour cost and also gives the organization greater flexibility during an economic downturn. Many companies, however, do not start cross-docking primarily for cost reasons. They start to improve customer service. Today’s customers require greater speed and are also more demanding. Companies should establish clear goals and be willing to test different options. For companies that want to streamline operations and increase the supply chain velocity, cross-docking may be the right solution. Implementation Issues and Conclusions Many firms have embraced and employed supply chain management and cycle time compression strategies in their logistics operations with dramatically positive results. However, not all such attempts have been successful, nor has every implementation proved straightforward or simple. In this section, I will list observations and conclusions drawn from scores of firms which have implemented these logistics strategies: (1) Supply chain management and cycle time compression are complementary strategies. The logistics manager is not forced to choose between these two strategies in and either/or basis. In fact, the two strategies are often mutually supportive and self-reinforcing. The strategies so frequently are seen together that it can be difficult or arbitrary to distinguish between them. In practice, the distinction between the two strategies is often blurred. A principal reason to develop supply chain management is often to capture and amplify the benefits of cycle time compression by applying the strategy at all levels in the chain. (2) Each strategy has common barriers to successful implementation. There are many pitfalls involved in employing these strategies, but the most significant problems are generally of two types: High complexity. The new systems are usually much more complicated than the systems and procedures which they replace. Supply chain management, as embodied for example in a quick response system, requires co-ordination of SKU-level item flows across firm boundaries in near real time with great precision and reliability. Low  inventory levels place the entire operation at risk to errors at any level in the system. New data systems and communications systems are needed to drive the logistics flow, and these systems are needed to drive the logistics flow, and these systems must perform flawlessly. In a successful cross docking operation, vehicle schedule and despatching is crucially important as well, and completely reliable carriers must be found. High trust. Supply chain management and cycle time compression must be based on high levels of trust within the various parts of a given firm, such as between production and distribution and between sales and distribution. In addition, very high levels of trust must be established and maintained between buyers and sellers in the supply chain, as well as between shippers and carriers and warehouses. Supply chain members must share and safeguard highly sensitive data, and all parties must be given candid estimates of production schedules, shipping status, and delivery dates. Inability or unwillingness to share these data will generally frustrate meaningful attempts to establish the close co-ordination implied by these strategies. (3) Information technology is the key enabling technology. Another common thread in the successful implementation history of these strategies in American firms is the reliance on fast and accurate information technology. Most such logistics systems use barcode scanning or some other form of automatic identification to provide input of SKU-level transaction data onn sales, inventory and shipments. Data are normally telecommunicated between various operating locations, usually by EDI. In addition, some form of high-level logistics system software is needed to guide the operation of the strategy. (4) Inventory reduction as a benefit. Most successful case histories of supply chain management or cycle time reduction will include inventory reduction, but inventory reduction will not be the whole story. Generally, inventory reduction will be one item on the list of benefits and cost savings which were sought or obtained. In many cases savings due to inventory reduction will be substantial, while in other cases inventory reduction may be a relatively minor consideration. (5) Successful logistics strategies must be integrated with production, marketing, and total corporate strategy. Supply chain management and cycle time compression are strategies which are often highly compatible with the overall strategy being pursued by the firm. Compression of the logistics component of the firm’s total cycle time is an integral component of the firm’s overall strategy of time-based competition. Logistics cycle time compression and supply chain co-ordination are also highly supportive of the general strategy of flexible manufacturing towards which many firms are moving. Many other firms are moving towards a marketing strategy which looks beyond mere ―customer satisfaction in an attempt to move past the competition by ―delighting the customer. In this context, compression of logistics cycle time increases the responsiveness of the logistics system to the customer’s desires. Incorporating the customer into the formal supply chain system should improve the level of support provided to the customer as well as increase the customer’s ability to convey its needs and wants to the firm and have them acted on. In this way supply chain approach will work to reinforce the marketing strategy. Supply chain management and cycle time compression are complementary logistics strategy which progressive firms are employing in many different ways and in many different settings. These strategies are not simply or easily developed, but the results achieved through their use are often dramatic. Any firm which is truly serious about competing in the marketplace should very carefully consider the implications of these strategies for its operations.

Shark Valley :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Shark Valley Shark Valley †¦ Where were the sharks and the valley? Grass, alligators, birds†¦they were all there but the sharks were missing in action. Anyways, I may have missed the sharks but I did come away from Shark Valley with two lessons learned. One is that determination pays off and second that it is never too late to try something new. Fifteen miles sounded like a challenging ride but I figured I could do it. I thought to myself, â€Å"you're young and in decent shape it shouldn't be so bad.† Lets just say that the dark sky and threat of rain were an ominous warning of what lay ahead. I jumped on my bike and the first couple of miles went by easily. There were birds to see and alligators to avoid. Then the wind started to take its toll. I felt like I was peddling and going nowhere. The wind was determined to keep me from making any forward motion. Miles started passing slower and slower. The tower, the halfway mark and my refuge, seemed a distant dream. It was frustrating and tiring. I started to empathize with Chaz's character from Skinny Dip . The everglades changed from a place I once liked to one I couldn't wait to get out of. I understood Chaz's eagerness to get home and be comfortable and away from the sweat and labor. Then I realized that I was identifying with a whining, lazy con artist and I stra ightened myself out. I told myself that the tower wasn't that far away and that if I kept pushing I would be there in no time at all. My mind said keep going but my legs were saying stop right here. Determination to reach my goal carried me to that tower and onto a comfortable bench. After lunch I was feeling rested and my legs were ready to go. The ride back went a little smoother because the wind was not a factor. It no longer teased me as I struggled to move forward. Not even the rain could stop me. I was on a roll and I wasn't going to stop rolling until I reached the end of the trail. It was a challenging ride for me but I was determined to complete it. Needless to say, I have never been so happy to see my car before.

Non Extraction Treatment In Class Health And Social Care Essay

Anterior and posterior arch breadths in the eyetooth and molar parts from the most labial facet of buccal surfaces the eyetooths and the grinders were measured with the aid of digital caliper on the survey theoretical accounts and compared statistically to find whether the dental arches were narrower after extraction intervention.Consequences:At the start of the intervention maxillary and inframaxillary intercanine breadths both groups did non differ statistically.At the terminal of Treatment in both the groups anterior and posterior arch breadths were same except for the intercanine dimension which was 0.82 millimeter larger ( P & lt ; 0.05 ) in the extraction group.Decision:The extraction intervention does non ensue in narrower alveolar consonant arches than non extraction intervention in intercanine and intermolar part. Clinical significance: The narrow dental arches are non the expected effects of extraction intervention so, esthetically compromising consequence of narrow dental arches on smiling is non a systematic out semen of extraction intervention. Cardinal words: Arch breadth Changes, Intercanine and Intermolar breadth, extraction and Non Extraction Treatment.Introduction:The extraction versus non extraction argument is about every bit old as the coming of orthodontias pattern and boulder clay today the quandary exists. Angle1 believed that all 32 dentitions could be accommodated in the jaws, in an ideal occlusion with the first grinder in Class I occlusion, extractions was bete noire to his ideals, as he believed bone would organize around the dentitions in their place harmonizing to Wolff ‘s law2. However this was criticised by Case who stated that extractions were necessary in order to alleviate crowding and assistance stableness of treatment.3 However depending upon clinical scrutiny, radiographic and accurate diagnosing the extraction determination should be taken. Assorted transverse and perpendicular malrelationships such as crowding, bulge of dentitions are observed in Class I malocclusion which can be handled by extraction or non-extraction intervention depending upon infinite disagreement.However the long term stableness in both interventions is surrounded by a contention. It is good documented fact that addition in dental arch length and breadth during orthodontic intervention tend to return toward their pre-treatment values after retention.4,5,6,7 One of the unfavorable judgment of extraction intervention is that it consequences in narrower arches as compared to non-extraction treatment,8.The popularity of non-extraction intervention are condylar supplanting, narrowed smilings accompanied by dark corners, dished in profiles with extractions and suboptimal inframaxillary growth.9-16 Some surveies claim that dimension alterations occur in both extraction and non-extraction treatments,17 18 It is believed that the pre-treatment values of intercanine and intermolar breadths present a place of muscular balance so it is suggested that the maintaince of these values provide postretention stableness 19,20.Strang21 and Shapiro concluded that inframaxillary intercanine and intermolar breadth dimensions have a strong inclination to get worse. In the past many surveies have been carried out to analyze the effects of extraction and non-extraction intervention but the decisions vary a batch which could be because of different intervention techniques, malocclusion types and sample size examined during these surveies. So the purpose of present survey was to compare dental condescending breadths alterations in Angle Class I malocclusion after extraction of first premolar and non-extraction with a homogeneous survey group in footings of malocclusion and intervention mechanics.The arch breadths were measured in inframaxillary arches because condescending breadths are normally established by inframaxillary arch.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective survey orthodontic survey theoretical accounts of 30 patients who had first premolar extractions and 30 patients treated without extractions were selected.in the extraction group there were 19 misss and 11 male childs with average age 14.2+-2.9 old ages and in the non-extraction group had 18 male childs and 12 misss with average age 14.3+_2.12 old ages All the patients were treated with preadjusted contraption by assorted teachers in a dental institute. While choice the undermentioned standards were applied All patients had skeletal Class I malocclusion All patients had full compliment of teeth upto 2nd grinders without any losing dentition, excess dentition, or congenitally losing dentitions. None of the patients had a adjunctive contraptions such as quad spiral, any functional contraptions, rapid palatine expander during intervention In the extraction group all patients had first premolar extraction as a portion of orthodontic intervention. With an digital calliper, the breadths of the anterior and posterior parts of the maxillary and inframaxillary alveolar consonant arches were measured in the eyetooth and the molar parts from the most labial facet of the buccal surfaces of those dentitions. The calliper was placed at the best estimation of a right angle to the palatine sutura in the maxillary arch and to a line bisecting the incisor section in the inframaxillary arch. The recorded breadths between the grinders were the widest distances between the first or 2nd grinders. The widest portion of the posterior portion of the arch invariably was in the 2nd molar part. Each distance was measured 3 times, and the norm of the 3 values was used as the concluding step. The duplicability of the measurings was evaluated by analysing the differences between 10 dual measurings of intercanine and intermolar distances, indiscriminately selected and taken at different times. The mistake of measuring was assessed by Dahlberg ‘s expression: Sx = where D is the difference between extra measurings, and N is the figure of dual findings. The mistakes were 0.21 millimeter for inframaxillary intercanine breadth, 0.60 millimeter for inframaxillary intermolar grinder breadth, 0.36 millimeter for maxillary intercanine breadth, and 0.21 millimeter for maxillary intermolar breadth. Means and standard divergences were calculated, and a 2-tailed T trial was used to find statistically important differences with P & lt ; 0.05.ConsequencesThe inframaxillary intercanine and intermolar breadths did non demo statistical differences at the start of the intervention in both the groups. ( Table 1 ) At the terminal of intervention the condescending breadths of both the groups were besides statistically similar except in inframaxillary eyetooth part. ( Table 2 ) The mean inframaxillary intercanine dimension was 0.82 millimeter larger in extraction sample than non-extraction sample. During intervention the average inframaxillary eyetooth width addition was 1.28mm in extraction group and the 0.66mm addition in non-extraction group which was non statistically important. ( Table 3 & A ; 4 ) The inframaxillary intermolar breadths for both extraction and non-extraction group were non changed. Table 1. Pretretment inframaxillary intercanine and intermolar arch breadths: agencies and SD ( millimeter ) Extraction ( n=30 ) Non-extraction ( n=30 ) Significance Intercanine 30.47 AÂ ± 2.09 30.27 AÂ ± 1.82 Nitrogen Intermolar 59.25 AÂ ±2.92 59.05AÂ ± 1.67 Nitrogen NS-Not Significant Table 2. station intervention upper jaw and inframaxillary arch intercanine and intermolar breadths: agencies and SD ( millimeter ) Extraction ( n=30 ) Non-extraction ( n=30 ) Difference Significance Mx Intercanine 39.12 AÂ ± 1.98 39.84 AÂ ± 1.81 0.72 Nitrogen Md Intercanine 31.75 AÂ ± 1.84 30.93 AÂ ± 1.92 0.82 0.01 Mx Intemolar 61.01 AÂ ± 1.98 60.98 AÂ ± 2.09 0.03 Nitrogen Md Intemolar 59.81 AÂ ± 1.25 59.01 AÂ ±1.98 0.80 Nitrogen Mx- Maxillary ; Md- Mandibular ; NS-Not Significant Table 3.Mandibular intercanine and intermolar breadth alterations: agencies and SD ( millimeter ) Extraction ( n=30 ) Pre-Treatment Post- Treatment Difference Md Intercanine 30.47AÂ ± 2.09 31.75 AÂ ± 1.84 1.28 Mendelevium Intermolar 59.25 AÂ ± 2.92 59.81 AÂ ± 1.25 0.56 Md-Mandibular ; NS-Not Significant. Table 4.Mandibular intercanine and intermolar breadth alterations: agencies and SD ( millimeter ) Non-extraction ( n=30 ) Pre-treatment Post- Treatment Difference Md Intercanine 30.27 AÂ ± 1.82 30.93 AÂ ± 1.92 0.66 Mendelevium Intermolar 59.05 AÂ ± 1.67 59.01 AÂ ± 1.98 0.04 Md-Mandibular ; NS-Not Significant.DiscussionThe two grounds for which the extraction interventions are criticised are that they result in narrow alveolar consonant arches which are unesthetic because of big black trigons in buccal corridors and it is stated that the intercanine and intermolar breadths tend to diminish during station keeping period 5,19-22 Harmonizing to findings of the present survey the arch breadth in both eyetooth and molar part in the inframaxillary arches did non demo any statistical important results.in fact the arches in extraction group were about 0.82mm wider than non-extraction group. Although these findings might non fulfill some writers who support non-extraction interventions. The consequences of this survey can be compared with surveies on station intervention long term stableness in which inframaxillary incisor stableness was acceptable. The inframaxillary intercanine breadth increased 1.07mm in an extraction sample23 in contrast in non-extraction topics where the addition in inframaxillary intercanine dimension was less than 1mm in Class I 24,25 and Class II patients.. In boundary line instances the long term addition in intrecanine breadth was 1mm in extraction interventions and 0.5mm in non-extraction 26 treatments.Luppanapornlarp and Johnston found that inframaxillary intercanine breadth of extraction topics was greater at all phases of intervention in extraction instances than in non-extraction instances which indicate that extraction of 4 first bicuspids does non bespeak narrowing of arches.27BeGole et Al 28 found 1.58mm addition in extraction sample as compared to 0.95mm in non-extraction sample.Udhe et al 29 found a larger addition in extraction group than in non-extraction group. Gianelly 5 studied inter arch alterations of extraction and non-extraction groups and found that the alterations in maxillary and inframaxillary arch breadths indicated that extraction intervention does non ensue in narrower arches than non-extraction groups. This determination is in conformity with the present study.On the footing of constructs documented in the literature13,30,31 1 might anticipate narrower arches after extraction.However Kim and Gianelly suggested that the breadths of the both the arches were 1-2mm larger when compared with the condescending breadths of non-extraction group at a standardized arch depth.The intermolar breadths of both the groups were same after intervention this determination supports the position of Johnson and smith32. Who stated that arch breadth at any peculiar location is maintained or somewhat increased after extraction. Weinberg and sadowsky33 found important addition in inframaxillary intercanine and intermolar breadth in class1 malocclusion treated non-extraction and stated that the enlargement of buccal sections in the inframaxillary arches helped in declaration of Class I herding. However 16 out of 30 patients had some sort of palatal expander which might hold contributed to inframaxillary enlargement In the present survey no interventions were given for enlargement. To some research workers maxillary arch breadth is deciding of smile esthetics,34, the maxillary arch breadths in extraction and non-extraction groups were same so it can be expected that the intervention effects in maxillary arches will be the same, and there will be no difference in esthetic tonss in both the groups.In fact the intercanine breadths in extraction groups were wider than non-extraction group. However the hereafter surveies in the maxillary arches in assorted malocclusion categorizations with assorted intervention mechanics will be productive. It is stated that enlargement more than 1-1.5mm in intercanine enlargement is unstable so appliances designed to increase arch width more than this were non used in the present survey. On the footing of findings of the present survey it can be said that extraction instances do non ensue in narrow dental arches than non-extraction instances and thereby do non hold compromising consequence on smiling esthetics and stableness of orthodontic intervention. However future surveies with assorted malocclusion groups, intervention mechanics, larger sample size and long term alterations in arch dimensions will be utile.DecisionsThe present survey findings indicate that the premolar extractions to alleviate crowding does non ensue in narrowing of dental arches in extraction interventions when compared to non-extraction interventions. A proper intervention program and intervention mechanics in accurately diagnosed instance can ensue in intervention success regardless of extraction or non-extraction intervention.Clinical significance:The narrow dental arches are non the expected effects of extraction intervention so, esthetically compromising consequence of narrow dental arches on smiling is non a systematic out semen of extraction intervention.

Positive Functions the Poor and Poverty Has on Society Essay

There is a lot of positive functions poverty and the poor have on society. The existence of poverty makes sure that â€Å"dirty work† is done. â€Å"Dirty work† is classified as dangerous, physically dirty, temporary, undignified, a dead-end, underpaid, and menial jobs. In America, poverty functions to provide low-wage labor pools that makes people, willing or unwilling, to perform dirty work at lowest costs allowed. The poor subsidize tons of activities that benefit the wealthy. They have supported the consumption and investment or the private economy by virtue of the low wages they receive. Barry Schwartz pointed out, â€Å"the low income of the poor enables the rich to divert a higher proportion of their income to savings and investment, and thus to fuel economic growth. This, in turn, can produce higher incomes for everybody, including the poor, although it does not necessarily improve the position of the poor in the socioeconomic hierarchy, since the benefits of economic growth are distributed unequally. † Poverty creates jobs to help serve the poor and shield them off from the rest of the population. Activities flourish because of poverty; examples would be anything considered a â€Å"number game† like the sale of heroin, cheap liquors and wines, prostitutes, pawnshops, and a group called Peacetime Army (this group only enlists poor men). The poor buy foods and other items that other people do not want, for instance day-old bread, fruits and veggies that would be thrown out at grocery stores, second-hand clothing, and deteriorating cars and buildings. The poor also provide incomes for lawyers, teachers, doctors, and other people who are either too old, incompetent, or poorly trained to attract the more wealthy clients/patients. There is a group of poor people called the â€Å"deserving poor†, these people are disabled or just have plain out bad luck. They provide the rest of the population with emotional satisfaction. They Induce compassion, charity and pity thus allowing the people who help them feel as though they are moral, practicing a religious ethic, and that they are philanthropic and generous. The â€Å"deserving poor† let those people feel fortunate for not having to deal with what they have to being struck within the poverty hole. Poverty also promises the status of the people who aren’t poor. In a stratified society, social mobility is an important goal. People need to know where they stand in the level of classes; poverty functions as their reliable/permanent measurement tool for status comparison. To end this long list of positive functions poverty adds to society, I have one last thing – the poor have played a large role in the shaping of America’s political process. They vote and participate far less than other groups in the economic standings. The system is free to ignore the poverty-stricken because of this; this has not only made politics more reasonable and centrist but it has added more to the stability of the processes involved in the American politics.

Aphrodite And Hephaestus Essays - Trojans, Ancient Greek Religion

Aphrodite And Hephaestus Essays - Trojans, Ancient Greek Religion Aphrodite And Hephaestus HEPHAESTUS AND APHRODITE APHRODITE Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures of Greek mythology. Because Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture,1 she was desired by nearly all of the Greek gods. Aphrodite was one of the twelve main gods on Mt. Olympus,2 and she was the most powerful goddess when it came to members of the opposite sex. THE BIRTH OF APHRODITE There are many origins to Aphrodite's birth. Some of them are: 1) She arose full-grown out of the foam of the sea, 2) She is the daughter of Zeus and Dionne, 3) She is the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, which would make her a Titaness, or 4) She is the daughter of Titans Oceanus and Tethys, making her an Oceanid.3 The most common origin of her birth is her being foam-born, which is what her name means. This origin says that Aphrodite arose nude and full-grown out of the foam of the sea and riding into the shore of Cythera on a scallop shell. She found Cythera to be too small of an island, so she went to live in Paphos, in Cyprus, which is still the principal seat of her worship.4 THE MYTH OF APHRODITE AND HEPHAESTUS AND ARES Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she had a magic girdle that she wore that made everyone fall in love with her. She could hardly ever be persuaded to lend it to anyone. Since Aphrodite had the magic girdle and was so beautiful, all of the gods fell in love with her. All of the goddesses were jealous of Aphrodite because all of the gods loved her instead of the other goddesses. Because of this, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.5 Aphrodite didn't really mind this marriage arrangement, though, because she thought Hephaestus would never notice her having marital affairs.6 Hephaestus knew nothing of deception until, one night, he caught his wife and Ares, the god of war, making love at Ares' home. Hephaestus went back to his home very angry.7 Hephaestus was so angry that he decided to get revenge on Aphrodite by literally catching the while they were making love. He got out a bronze hunting-net and attached to the posts and sides of the bed. He told Aphrodite that he was to a short holiday trip to Lemnos. Aphrodite did not offer to go with him. When Hephaestus left, she sent hurriedly for Ares and the two immediately went to sleep together. When they went to bed, they got tangled in the net.8 At dawn, Hephaestus returned from his trip. He summoned all of the gods together so they could see what Aphrodite and Ares did. Hephaestus thought that, by Zeus seeing how Aphrodite deceived him, Zeus would return all of the marriage gifts. Instead, Zeus told Hephaestus that this should handled by him and Aphrodite instead of being made a public affair, therefore Zeus did not return the marriage gifts.9 MYTHS OF OTHER LOVERS OF APHRODITE Hermes After Aphrodite had been publicly humiliated, she returned to Paphos and renewed her virginity to the sea. Soon afterwards, Hermes confessed his love for her, and she slept with him. She eventually bore a double-sexed child name Hermaphroditus. Poseidon Poseidon, like Hermes, also confessed his love for her, and she bore him two sons named Rhodus and Herophilus. Later Aphrodite also slept with Dionysus in which she bore a deformed son by him. The deformity was caused by Hera; she did this in disapproval of Aphrodite's permiscuity.10 Anchises Later, Zeus wanted to humiliate Aphrodite by making her fall in love with a mortal named Anchises. He was a handsome man, and he was the King of the Dardanians. One night Aphrodite visited him without him knowing who she was. When they Parted at dawn, she revealed her identity and told him not to tell anyone that they had slept together. Anchises was terrified when he learned that he had uncovered the nakedness of a goddess, and he begged her to kill him. She told him that he had nothing to worry about and that their son would become famous.11 A few days later, Anchises was drinking with one of his friends. His friend asked, Would you rather sleep with the daughter of so-and-so than with Aphrodite herself?12 Anchises' reply was, No, having slept with both of them, I find the question inept.13 Zeus overheard Anchises boasting, so he threw a thunderbolt at him that would have killed him immediately,

The relationship between money supply and inflation

The relationship between money supply and inflation Introduction The current globalisation rate has led to many changes and effects on the value of most resources and especially the financial resources. The world’s population is increasing at a fast rate while on the other hand resources are being depleted without being replenished thus causing scarcity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The relationship between money supply and inflation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, economic crisis have occurred which have as well affected the living standards of a better part of the world’s population (Hardwick, 2002, p.176). Among the common effects are the high inflation and the amount of money supplied. Economists have however established the rate of Inflation and the money supply of a nation are correlated with one leading to another. This paper is therefore an analysis of the relationship between the inflation rate and money supply. Inflation Inflat ion is said to be the increase in the prices of commodities and services in a given economy. This makes the people buy less since their purchasing power goes down as a result of the lower value of the currency. Inflation rates of most countries keep fluctuating but their central banks try to keep the rates at a range of about two to three percent. The consumer price index is what is used to measure the inflation rates of an economy. It has been theoretically argued that inflation is caused by an increase in money supply in the economy (Hall and Taylor, 1997, p.637). Money Supply Money supply is an economic term which refers to the amount of money circulating in an economy. The central bank is bestowed with controlling the money supply of a country through regulation of the circulation (Williams, 2008, p.1). Money supply can be measured by looking at the value of currency, bills, credit, loans as well as other liquid instruments in an economy. The Relationship between money supply an d inflation Economists have suggested that there is a high degree of correlation between the inflation rate and money supply in an economy. To begin with is the fact that when the money supply is high the demand for money goes down.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because people are able to afford even the high priced commodities and services that they could not have initially afforded (Mishkin, 1995, p.89). It can thus be depicted that an upward supply of money in the economy results to inflation according to the graph shown below. (McMahon, 2009, p.1) A look at the graph at first glance does not show any instances of correlation however after the introduction of a time lag in which the two occur a situation of relationship is then established. This time lag is the difference in time between changes in the money supply and the changes in the inflation rat es. Thus, the relationship occurs after a period of time as it can be depicted on the graph in the years 1990, 1996, 2000 and 2001 among others. This can be practically explained in a situation whereby the people of a given small town are given the opportunity to raise a higher income than they would have before in a month. They would thus shift from using gasoline to gas as their source of fuel which costs higher. This is because in real sense, the gas will cost proportionally lower than the price they were paying for gasoline before the increase in income. As a result, the market will bear high prices for commodities and services leading to inflation which has come about due to increased money supply (Williams, 2008, p.1). The relationship between inflation rates and money supply can be differently explained using different economic theories. The Monetary theory explains that money supply is the most significant factor that leads to incidences of inflation in an economy.Advertisin g We will write a custom essay sample on The relationship between money supply and inflation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Quoting the words of a renowned monetarist by the name Milton Friedman, he said, â€Å"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon† (Williams, 2008, p.1). Thus according to empirical studies conducted by most historical monetarists, it can be asserted that inflation is a monetary phenomenon. This is in accordance to the equation; MV= PQ Where; M is the nominal value of money (money supply) V is the money velocity P is the price level Q is the real value index (Transactions) From the above equation, monetarists argue that the money velocity is not affected by changes in the money supply in the long-run (Mankiw, 2002, p.153). Therefore the output is highly dependent on the productivity of the economy.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Working with these assumptions it can be said that changes in price are dependent on the changes in the quantity of money in the economy thus the money supply. The chart below derived from the above equation shows the differences in inflation reflected by CPI and the money supply reflected as M2. Fig. A chart showing the relationship between inflation and money supply (Burda and Wyplosz, 1997, p. 267) According to the Keynesian theory, there still exists a relationship between money supply and inflation. However, they argue that money supply is not the only big factor that causes inflation as there are also other contributing factors. The Keynesians emphasize that aggregate demand is the main reason behind inflation and thus regulating the aggregate demands in periods of recessions and economic expansions helps stabilize the inflation rates as well. Nevertheless, the relationship comes about as aggregate demand is effectively controlled using economic instruments such as monetary p olicy and fiscal policy (Burda and Wyplosz, 1997, p. 275) Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that there is indeed a great correlation between money supply and inflation rates of an economy. It is evidenced that changing the money supply through the central banks leads to a control of the inflationary situations in the same economy. For instance, a country with high inflation rates and willing to lower them, they will do this through the operations of the central bank whereby the lending rates and the interest rates will be increased to reduce the amount f money leaving the bank (Baumol and Blinder, 2006, p.109). As a matter of fact, people will rush to deposit the cash they have so that it can earn as much interest as possible. This will in turn reduce the amount of money circulating in the region hence reducing the inflation rates as well. In a situation of deflation the vice versa will be applied where the central bank will reduce the lending rates and inter est rates so as to enable flow of money into the economy (Baumol and Blinder, 2006, p.109). The control between money supply and inflation rates is thus operated using the federal banking system of the central bank of the region. Reference List Baumol, W. and Blinder, A. (2006). Macroeconomics: Principles and Policy, Tenth edition. Thomson South-Western. Burda, M. and Wyplosz, C. (1997). Macroeconomics: a European text. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. Hall, R. and Taylor, J. (1993). Macroeconomics. New York: W.W. Norton. Hardwick, P. (2002). Introduction to modern economics, prentice hall publishers, New York. Mankiw, N. (2002). Macroeconomics (5th Ed.). Worth. McMahon, T. (2009). Money Supply and Inflation. Available from https://inflationdata.com/inflation/Inflation/Money_Supply_and_Inflation.asp . Mishkin, F. (1995). The Economics of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets, New York, Harper Collins. Williams, J. (2008). Money Supply Special Report. Available from   shadowstats.com/article/money-supply .

Icicle, Another Good Word Down the Tubes

Icicle, Another Good Word Down the Tubes Icicle, Another Good Word Down the Tubes Icicle, Another Good Word Down the Tubes By Maeve Maddox I became aware of what is happening to the lovely word icicle when I read a poem in which it was spelled ice sickle. There was nothing in the context to suggest that the poet intended a pun. A web search showed me that theres a comic book character called Ice Sickle. Numerous clever photographers have posted pictures of icicles shaped like sickles and tagged them ice sickle. Many of the thousands of hits on ice sickle certainly refer to the comic book character or are deliberate punnings. However, as is inevitable when pop culture gets hold of a pun, its not long before the original word falls into obscurity. Hi. I installed gutter toppers on my eaves this summer†¦.How should I hang my strands on ice sickle lights being that the toppers are now in the way? Thanks! Reverse Ice Sickle in my dogs water bowl. I took this picture [this] morning. †¦ It is shaped like a triangle at its base. Pictures and albums about Icesickles published in outdoors Black and white ice sickles on my front porch after all the snow started to melt and refreeze. (Note: The photo shows standard icicles.) For those who may not be familiar with the standard meanings, here are some definitions from the OED: sickle: a. An agricultural implement similar in form and use to a reaping-hook, but properly distinguished from this by having a serrated cutting-edge. Figuratively, something having the curved or crescent form of a sickle†¦ icicle: A pendent ice-formation resembling a rod tapering downward to a point, produced by the freezing of successive drops of water falling or trickling from the point of attachment, as from the eaves of a house or other overhanging point. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for MoneyList of Greek Words in the English LanguageEducational vs. Educative

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

Scientific Method - Essay Example According to a survey conducted by American farm policy as documented by Blatt (2008), the increase in obesity in the American society is not caused by eating more food, but by eating more processed food instead of fresh farm produce. As outlined by Deutsch (2010) most Americans obtain their food supplies from supermarkets and grocery stores and it is important to establish whether they just prefer processed food, or there is reduced availability of fresh farm produce. The following study will conduct a survey on three supermarkets on the quantity of processed foods in kilograms and compare them with the quantity of processed foods in kilograms. The three grocery stores were visited from 1pm to 2pm on 1st and 2nd which was on Thursday and Friday Most Americans buy their weekly supplies during weekends and a previous inquiry from the managers revealed that by Thursday and Friday they are always fully stocked in readiness for the weekend shoppers. The study employed the services of two high school teenagers who went to two grocery stores while the researcher personally went to one store. The researchers were supposed to visit the grocery section of both processed and fresh cereals and then record the quantity of foodstuffs in each section in kilograms. They researchers were provided with scientific calculators to convert units that were not in kilograms to kilograms. The researchers were also given excel sheets (sample provided in Figure 1) with separate sections for processed and fresh foods. Each section had provisions for recording the type of cereal and the quantity in kilograms. After the collection of data, the data was computed and presented in a percentage form to show which type of cereals had the highest percentage and whether the difference was significant. Percentages for each grocery store was also computed to

Dunkle v. State, 2006 Okla. Crim. 29, 139 P.3d 228, 2006 Okla. Crim Assignment

Dunkle v. State, 2006 Okla. Crim. 29, 139 P.3d 228, 2006 Okla. Crim. App. Lexis 29 (2006), - Assignment Example Character evidence was used in the court for the purpose of proving action and computer-generated crime scene re-enactments were used to persuade the jury that the state’s version were consistent with evidence at the scene and the defendant’s was not. Based on this, Dunkle was convicted of first degree murder. Dunkle has now appealed for her sentence and conviction. The issue is whether, by using improper character evidence, the appellant was denied of a fair trial. It is to be seen if character evidence provided is relevant and admissible in the court of law. Another issue is whether the computer-generated re-enactments are actual images of the crime or a set of possibilities. Previously, the Court had convicted Dunkle of first degree murder, but the decision has now been reversed and the case has been remanded for a new trial. It was found that there were reversible errors in admitting of computer-generated reconstructions and, irrelevant and inappropriate character evidence. The previous court had decided that the character evidence showcased and the evidence from computer-generated re-enactments were sufficient to prove that Dunkle had committed the crime and hence was convicted of first degree murder. But this court is of the opinion that evidence is insufficient to justify the decision. The court came to this conclusion as most of the arguments of the State were directed towards establishing that Dunkle had a bad character and a person who would kill someone but there was no attempt made to establish an apparent motive for the crime. The majority of the character evidence presented was irrelevant to the murder charge. And with respect to computer-generated re-enactments, the evidence only proves that defendant’s version is not consistent with the evidence at the scene but in no way proves the claim of the state that the

US criminal justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

US criminal justice - Essay Example Before going into the discussion regarding affect of one’s opinion about the purpose of sentencing on selecting the most appropriate type of punishment, let us get a better understanding of what sentencing actually is.Sentencing is a stage in criminal justice system in which a judge decides a punishment for a criminal. The purpose of sentencing plays a very critical role in deciding the most suitable type of punishment because it makes a judge decide whether to satisfy the victim or to punish the offender according to the law. The judges, however, can make the decision on their own in a very few situations because they have to look at the punishment which is set in the law for any specific crime. The way the juries make a decision against criminals has been continuously changing with time (Renter). For some crimes, there are laws, which apply fines and banishment for the criminals whereas for some crimes, there are very harsh punishments set for the criminals. â€Å"Today the re are many things the criminal justice system aims to do by imposing punishments and sentences† (Renter). One’s belief in the purpose of sentencing plays a crucial role in reducing the crime rate from a country. In the US criminal justice system, the aim of the judges is to reduce the crime by sentencing the criminals on merit. The goal should be to make the criminals refrain from crimes by giving law-based punishments to the criminals. Some judges believe that sentencing should be a way to stop the criminals from committing crimes by giving harsh punishments to the criminals whereas others believe that sentencing should also involve will of the victims in order to satisfy the victims properly. Therefore, one’s belief about the purpose of sentencing plays a critical role in deciding appropriate punishments for the criminals. Answer: No: 2 Some of the most famous sentencing models in the United States include indeterminate sentencing, determinate sentencing, and mandatory sentencing. Indeterminate Sentencing In indeterminate sentencing, the judges state a minimum and maximum length of imprisonment for the criminals depending on the nature of the crime committed by them. It is the most widely used sentencing model in the United States of America (Siegal 498). The minimum time of imprisonment is must for all criminals whereas the maximum time depends on some specific circumstances. The model gives power to the judges to decide the number of years for the imprisonment of the criminal by providing the judges with both limits for the years of imprisonment. Indeterminate sentencing provides range and flexibility to the judges by giving them the power to decide the appropriate duration for imprisonment of the criminals. Determinate Sentencing Determinate sentences are fixed terms of incarceration in which the offender has to spend a specific number of years in the prison. In determinate sentencing, there is a set of guidelines for the judges that define the parameters to be followed while deciding the sentences. For rehabilitation purposes, determinate sentencing model is too restrictive as compared to indeterminate sentencing. A good thing about the determinate sentencing model is that the offender keeps in mind the punishment for any specific crime and hesitates to commit the crime and go back to jail for anther term of imprisonment. Mandatory Sentencing Another type of sentencing model is mandatory sentencing in which a judge has to give a mandatory punishment to the criminal because in this model of sentencing, a judge has little or no control over the punishment set for any specific crime. Mandatory sentencing restricts sentencing disparity and limits individualized sentencing by limiting the discretionary power of the judges to impose any kind of disposition. Mandatory sentencing has helped the government of the United States reduce the overall number of crimes by incarcerating the offenders who might have

Taxation System in the New York Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Taxation System in the New York - Assignment Example Since his daughter furnished the apartment using his property, he would have to pay all the property taxes for the furniture. In 2009, the taxpayer also visited his regular doctor and traveled by taxi to and from JFK airport. The hotel expenses would also add to the amount of money he would have had to pay as taxation. In 2010, the taxpayer was in New York for an additional 47 days but returned home in September that year. For the time up to September, his salary would be subject to taxation in New York as a person working abroad. When he came back home, he would go back to being taxed as a local resident since he was no longer working abroad. He would also continue being on his daughter’s apartment lease as the guarantor and therefore pay all the subsequent taxes related to the lease. The taxpayer’s taxable income would be $150,000 from the sale of stock of a California corporation which only held New York real property + $4,000 in NY State lottery winnings + $50,000 distribution from his pension plan + $1000 interest income from his savings account from ING + $100,000 in gains from the sale of a painting located in Connecticut but sold while temporarily at a museum located in New York. The cost of the painting was $20,000. To make a total of $305,000 The amount of the taxpayer’s income that would be subject to New York taxation would be around 100/365 x 100,000. The time he spent working in the company’s out-of-state field offices would not be liable to taxation in New York. The allocation formula would be simply dividing the number of days spent in New York with a total number of days in a year and multiply with his total wages from the company for a year. There are around 155 days that the taxpayer cannot account for in terms of where he was working. Since there is no way of determining this, there would be no taxes calculated for these days.  

Geoffery Jack vs Wessex City Council Coursework

Geoffery Jack vs Wessex City Council - Coursework Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the legal issues, in this case, were as follows: first, the council argued that under Section 41(1) of the Highways Act 1980 it was only under a duty to maintain the highway and this duty did not extend to, as Mr. Jack alleged, keeping the road free of snow and frost at all times. Second, the issue was to construe the exact meaning of the word â€Å"maintenance† and whether it could contain the duty to keep the snow and ice off the road. Third, the issue was the scope of the duty that had to be attributed to the local authority to maintain the highway. Was it an absolute duty? Was it based on negligence on nuisance? Fourth, whether the council at that point in time when the accident occurred was under a duty to maintain (meaning according to the one decided upon earlier) and did it breach that duty. It is likely that Lord Hoffman stuck to the literal rule of interpretation. When construing the meaning of the w ord â€Å"maintenance† he laid down the possible meanings of this word, alluding to â€Å"repair† whether that included maintenance or not. But he also mentions in line 218 that regardless of what meaning is attributed to the word â€Å"maintain† the material issue in this question is that of whether the council had a duty to ensure that no ice has been present on the road that morning. The purposive rule is seen applied where Lord Hoffman tries to observe the intention of the parliament (or the draftsman) and looks at the entire historical context to hold that as far as maintenance was concerned, the council was already carrying that out. In rules of language, it could be said that Lord Hoffman made use of the ‘Ejusdem Generis’ as he quoted different meaning of maintenance in line 44. In determining whether a duty existed or not, the court clearly applies literal rule in holding that the council did not owe a duty to make sure that there was no sno w – and it held that a duty to maintain only includes maintaining the fabric of the road and not to make sure no snow was ever present on the surface. Lastly, from line 156 to line 190 the court seems to be operating on the presumption that the common law has not changed and no legislation (1959 or 1980) purposed to change the common law, instead of subsequent acts only codified it. There is evidence that Lord Hoffman referred to the long title of the Highway Act 1980 and that constitutes an intrinsic aid in statutory interpretation. Other intrinsic aids that he alluded to were the definitional section contained in the act itself.