Three names of Nelson Mandela

Some people say that the name reveals personality. Some argue that the name affects the individual’s life. However, it is clear that the name reveals existing conventions and peculiarities of the society. One of the most famous leaders, Nelson Mandela, had three names.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Three names of Nelson Mandela specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These names can help trace the development of the society of South Africa in the first part of the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela’s first name reveals the way the people of South Africa cherished their tribal traditions in the beginning of the twentieth century. The first name he got was Rolihlahla, which â€Å"literally means â€Å"pulling the branch of a tree,† but its colloquial meaning more accurately would be â€Å"troublemaker.†1 Mandela notes that his childhood was a happy one even despite the wrongs of the whitesâ⠂¬â„¢ policies. As a boy, Mandela enjoyed playing with his numerous brothers and sisters and being in the nature. Notably, Mandela recalls that in African culture there is no such a notion as a cousin or aunt as the mother’s sister is not an aunt but the mother. His life â€Å"and that of most Xhosas at the time, was shaped by custom, ritual, and taboo†.2 Clearly, Mandela depicts this tradition with great respect which is also a sign of his attitude towards his people’s traditions. He was proud of his name which was a part of African tradition and culture. However, South African people who lived in the first part of the twentieth century did not enjoy freedom as British invaders tried to ‘civilize’ Africans. These attempts had certain positive effects, but they mostly had devastating impact on the development of the country.Advertising Looking for essay on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the one hand, Africans were given education and they could learn more about western culture to be able to fight for their rights in a more effective way. On the other hand, British people tried to make Africans believe they needed to be civilized. Thus, young Rolihlahla went to school but he was given a new name to make it easier for British teachers or to make him forget about his cultural background. The name Nelson was given to Mandela when he was seven.3 Nelson Mandela notes that Africans of his generation all had two names.4 Admittedly, this can be regarded as a symbol of the British imperialism as Africans were under constant pressure. The third name given to Nelson Mandela was Dalibunga, meaning â€Å"founder of the Bunga†5. Mandela notes that he was proud of this name which was the symbol of his empowerment as he became an adult who could take part in discussions. After that, he could express his viewpoint and he was listened to. Apart from Nelson†™s personal empowerment, his third name can be regarded as a symbol of African’s empowerment. There was the moment when Africans understood the value and importance of their heritage. They started their attempts to regain their power over their own land. They cherished their traditions and tried to continue living in accordance with those conventions. On balance, it is possible to note that the history of Nelson Mandela’s naming can be regarded as a certain reflection of the life in South Africa in the first part of the twentieth century.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Three names of Nelson Mandela specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, Africans lived their own lives and cherished traditions of their ancestors and took pride in what they were, but British people came and tried to ‘civilize’ Africans. Nonetheless, these people managed to preserve their culture and become empowered. B ibliography Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company, 1995. Footnotes Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (New York: Little Brown and Company, 1995), 3. Ibid., 11. Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (New York: Little Brown and Company, 1995), 13. Ibid. Ibid., 28. This essay on Three names of Nelson Mandela was written and submitted by user Jacob H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Learn How to Ask Questions in English as an ESL Student

Learn How to Ask Questions in English as an ESL Student There are many ways to ask questions in English. Its important to understand the situation when deciding how to ask questions. In other words, is the question you want to ask a polite request? Would you like to confirm the  information you already know? Are you gathering details about a subject? How to Ask Direct Questions Direct questions are the most common type of question in English. Direct questions are asked when asking for both simple and complex information. To begin with, here is a guide to the structure of direct questions: (Question Word) Auxiliary Subject Verb Form (objects) ? Examples: When do you get to work?Do you like fish?How long have you been working on this project?Where are those ties manufactured? How to Ask Yes/No Questions Yes/No questions refer to simple questions you ask to receive either a yes or no as a response. Yes/No questions do not use question words and always begin with the auxiliary verb. Auxiliary Subject Verb Form (objects) ? Examples: Does he live in New York?Have you seen that film?Is she going to come to the party? How to Ask Subject and Object Questions Look at the following example sentence and questions: Jason likes playing golf. What does Jason like playing? (Answer: golf)Who likes playing golf? (Answer: Jason) In the first question, we are asking about the object. When asking about the object, use direct question construction beginning with a question word followed by the auxiliary verb. Wh? auxiliary subject verb? Who does he follow online? In the second question, we are asking for the subject of the action. When asking subject questions, do not use the auxiliary verb. The Wh question word plays the role of the subject in the question. Wh? (auxiliary) verb object? Who understands this problem? Note: Remember that the present simple or past simple do not take the auxiliary in positive sentence structure. Examples: Who enjoys playing tennis?Who is coming to the party next week? Common question forms for subject questions: Which Which bicycle goes fast? What kind of What kind of cheese tastes mild? What sort of What sort of tea costs very little? Who Who goes to school here? How to Use Question Tags to Ask Questions Another type of common question in English is the question tag. Many languages such as Spanish also use question tags. Use them to confirm information that you already know, or think you know. This form is used in conversation and when checking that you have understood something. Construct a question tag by making a statement followed by a comma and the opposite (positive negative, negative positive) form of the appropriate auxiliary verb. Examples: Youre married, arent you?Hes been here before, hasnt he?You didnt buy the new car, did you? Indirect Questions When we want to be more polite we often use indirect question forms. They ask the same as direct questions but are considered more formal. When using an indirect question, use an introductory phrase followed by the question itself in positive sentence structure. Connect the two phrases with the question word or if in the case the question is a yes/no question. Construction Chart Introductory phrase question word (or if) positive sentence Examples: I was wondering if you know the way to the nearest bank.Do you know when the next train leaves? Here are some of the most common phrases used for asking indirect questions. Do you know...I wonder/was wondering...Can you tell me...Im not sure...I dont know... Examples: Do you know when the next train leaves?I wonder when he will arrive.Can you tell me where he lives?Im not sure what he wants to do.I dont know if he is coming.

Religious freedom in prison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious freedom in prison - Research Paper Example However, the court rulings set limitations to the right of worship when a prisoner’s demand of worship endangers prison safety and function. Almost all correction facilities offer these structures mainly for religious faiths such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Chaplains and volunteers provide pastoral care to prisoners and wardens (Livingstone 313). Allowing inmates freedom of worship has both positive and negative implications. However, prisoners’ right of worship should be granted because it benefits them and it is their constitutional right. Inmates should be allowed to worship within established structures provided by prison programs and religious organizations. The disadvantage of freedom of worship according to the government is it may endanger prisoners’ the lives. The law limits freedom of worship if it interferes with safety of the prisoners/wardens and prison operations. When this happens, the government can deny the right of worship for the greater good of all citizens. However, the government uses this clause to abuse prisoners’ rights (Livingstone 310). For example, a case where a Muslim prisoner wanted to retain his long beard for religious purposes was upheld by the Supreme Court. Gregory Holt, the prisoner, had requested the prison to allow him grow a half-inch beard as a religious practice. The prison officials denied the request claiming security reasons of inmates smuggling contrabands in beards. Judge Samuel Alito said since prisoners were allowed to grow long hair on their heads, the prison systems should allow religious beards like Gregory’s. In this case, the prison authorities denied the prisoner his right without good reasons. Prison authority may restrain the right of worship for security reasons but should have concrete reasons or concerns for the restriction. Many advantages exist of allowing prisoners to

The need for London Experience to develop the talents of its human Essay

The need for London Experience to develop the talents of its human resource, for future advantage - Essay Example The intention of this study is London Experience that owns and runs three visitor attractions in Central London which include the City Heritage Museum, the London Underworld Experience, and London Tour Buses. The London Experience employs only 200 regular employees and additional 300 people will be employed on contractual basis during peak seasons. This means that in times like this, the company needs to employ at least 600 personnel. As a company handling visitor attractions in Central London, London Experience usually tries to conduct half-day classroom-based introduction and followed by on-the-job training with its newly hired personnel. The hiring process within London Experience is not that complex because the General Manager just conducts informal interviews at each of the attractions. Not only that, short-term contracted people are recruited through word of mouth. These all lead to some important problems or issues facing London Experience at the very moment that need to be el aborately considered. Recently, among the problems facing London Experience are complaints about communication difficulties, poor language skills, poor customer service and lack of knowledge of the attractions. All of these hinder the main objective of London Experience to substantially bestow the best experience they could provide with their visitors. As a result, having these specific problems, London Experience is eventually providing only a less value for the satisfaction of their visitors. In other words, based on the point of view of customer satisfaction, London Experience substantially is giving poor value for its customers. This should give them proper guidance on the assessment of their service quality. From the point of view of Parasuraman, Ziethmal and Berry in measuring service quality, London Experience at the very moment is at the level in which there is a need to realise the service quality gap that exists between expected service and perceived service of their visit ors (University of Florence, 2008). In other words, prior to understanding the expected service of the visitors, the management of London Experience should primarily consider its external communication to visitors and the word of mouth, their personal needs and past experience. These are all determinants of perceived service quality (Ryan, 2002). The value of communication The increase of level in business determines the increasing importance of communication (Singla, 2009). In other words, communication remains an integral part of every business as it continues to be advantageous in it. In line with this, business requires people with good communication skills (Lesikar and Flatley, 2002). External communication to its visitors is important in the case of London Experience because it determines what the visitors expect to be the kind of service they would receive. As a result, London Experience needs to develop personnel with substantially good communication skills. This particularl y applies to personal communication in which the primary function is to ensure direct flow of information or message from one person to another. There are different types of interpersonal communication and these include interpersonal, group and mass communication (Smith, 2004). Recently, it is most familiar to come up with mass communication as it is capable of addressing important desires and needs of an individual or the masses and businesses (Smith, 2004). This may apply to both London Experience

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Environment - Essay Example Singla also mentioned that the organisation can be of two different types in broader perspective; formal and informal. The formal organisation is an organisation where the structure of it is designed by the management to achieve or accomplish a predefined objective or task. Where as, in case of informal organisation, it is a general grouping of people in the work situation to achieve a particular goal (Singla, 187-188). According to Cole the overall objective of any organisation is to grow as a successful business unit, keeping in mind the benefit of the customer, employee, and stakeholders and also for the community in which they are operating. (Cole, 149).The importance of any organisation can be classified in to following heads namely: synergy effect, team spirit, attainment of common goal, economic development, minimizing economic disparities and transfer and adaptation of technology. Synergy effect: In any organization, people with different sets of skills and expertise work tog ether to develop the synergetic effect with the use of latest technology.  Ã‚  The benefit of working in a group is always higher compared to that of any individual work. Organizations make possible the complex activities completed more effectively. Team Spirit: The most important part of any organizations is the team spirit among the staff members. It always enhances the unity within the members of a particular organization. The culture of working in a team within an organization will also help to build the team player attitude among the individuals which in turn helps in the development of the society. In any public limited company it is a very important aspect towards its success. Attainment of Common goal:  Ã‚  Different individuals in every organization have different goals in respect of their social values. They join the organization in the expectation of the fulfillment of the same. A successful and effective Organization structure fulfills their goals by creating the sui table work environment, and simultaneously achieves the organizational goals with the individual goals. Economic Development:  Ã‚  With the help of the employment, purchasing power will increase as well as the organization has to pay tax which ensures more revenue collection for government. This revenue will help in the infrastructure development of the country like roads, hospitals etc. More over the success of organization directly helps country’s economy to grow farther. Along with that, employment generation is also a key part in the economic development for any nation. Employment generates income, income develops the purchasing power, purchasing power responsible for demand, and to meet that demand production should be increased. To produce more, additional employment is necessary. By this, any country’s economy get stronger. Minimize Economic Disparities: with the development of the organization and the country’s economy, people of the lower level get th e opportunity to work and get remuneration. As a result the gap between different levels of the society in terms of economy gets reduced. Transfer and Adaptation of Technology: Any organization is involved in ongoing process of research to enhance its level of services. In this course, it adapts the

Effect of Standard Pricing Changes on Firm Operations

Effect of Standard Pricing Changes on Firm Operations The Rise and Fall of Standard Pricing and Its Effect on Everyday Operations For European and American Firms Table of contents (Jump to) Executive summary General overview Accounting overview Literature review Standard pricing as accounting practice Operations management Operations life cycle Continuous improvement Core value systems Discussion and conclusion References EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The overall purpose of this paper and study is to investigate cost or lean accounting within the operations management realm and how its unpredictable rise and fall allow organisations to continuously learn and utilize knowledge management as a core value. It was also important to use a larger organisation that has history of outstanding operations and customer centered focus upon services. This investigation will require an in-depth study of work processes, communication and leadership with regard to knowledge management as a value within the team construct while looking at how this reflects leaning accounting principles. What tools are available and what kind of evolution is Nestle undergoing in order to remain competitive in a changing economy? How does this change knowledge management and communication company wide? What this study argues is that accounting practices are changing due to the evolving business plan. This is a movement toward modern accounting and it is important to see the relationships between costing accounting, its fluctuations and how they impact the health of the organisation as a whole with regard to productivity and job satisfaction. How an organisation applies methods of costing into its framework for accounting of expenses and its direct rise and fall over the time period of the product life cycle, directly influences the production, operation, distribution and employee retention of the global company. In fact changes in accounting practices have led to many tried and true business models to no longer exist. Costing and its rise and fall can have a direct relationship with success and competitive advantage in the market place. However the purpose of this study is to explore and reflect upon how accounting practices change operations management and the supply chain management model as a tool of managers and team members alike. Really it is how accounting practices have changed business practices because of new legislation focusing on global companies in Europe and the United States. Accounting costs, expenses and losses reflects the health of the organisation and with change comes confusion. This study argues th at with such changes comes a lack of defining the company’s value within the market but also the value it has for its employees, as they become active participants and investors. GENERAL OVERVIEW How corporate accounting is handled is changing worldwide. How each expense is accounted for within an organisation’s financial sheets has been evolving. Such a proposal for change has received much commentary from not only the financial community and corporate America but also key members of Congress, European union leaders and the public. Such a response results from the uncertainty that such change will benefit businesses and economic growth. It is feared that such change will have the opposite effect and cause world leaders to lose its competitive edge in the global market. Still this has not stopped the fuel of the fire as the American Financial Accounting Standards Board (also referred to as FASB) has struggled for an answer to such a dilemma. The urgency for a solution has only been stressed recently in light of such debacles like Enron and Tyco. It is believed that companies do need to account honestly for expenses but at what price to its employees, the public and the economy? Part of the issue with current legislation to change the practice of accounting for employee stock options is that there is no real way to value their worth. This creates an unsettling feeling among investors and employees struggling to understand this benefit. ACCOUNTING OVERVIEW What this truly means for any corporation functioning globally or even locally this that effective cost accounting because a volatile issue for management to consider. One could argue that such rise and fall of how costing/pricing pays a part in the entire operation has a negative effect upon how the company’s valuation is seen on the open market. Costing at every step of the product life cycle plays a huge part in how this valuation is decided from inventory at the shop floor level, to everyday operations management, to an employee’s value with the company and their net worth personally. Changes within the global economy in the recent years the disappearance of tried and true business models leaves many with a poor taste in their mouths because one must understand how efficiency, affordability and effective leadership come into play. Effective pricing or costing of routine operations and corporate behaviours must be tracked and studied in order to carve the fat. This s tudy aims to look at exactly what the rise and fall of pricing or costing means to a global organisation conducting business on many levels. For the purpose of proving the argument that such changes in accounting practice has a negative effect on the organisation, one will look at examples from the shop floor to the employee’s estimated value with the company in the form of job satisfaction. Accounting for such expensing and pricing correctly is what makes the organisation strong but also accurate in valuation. With this in mind, traditional business models like Wal-Mart and Nestle are discussed because these are globally operating corporations. Debates about whether or not the fair value of the employee and the company stock options should be expensed on the income statement continue to rage among industry representatives, politicians, and pundits. Expense recognition of stock options can have significant impacts on net income and earnings per share, so this is a debate worth having. But many of those who analyze companies consider operating cash flow a better performance metric than income. One reason is that operating cash flow is thought to be free from the infection that makes income grossly weakened. In the case of employee worth and stock values, however, there is proof that this assumption is flawed. Option exercise affects operating cash flows in ways that analysts need to understand. Repurchasing shares to fund option exercise also results in financing cash outflows. The net cash flow impacts of options are often negative, but can be quite volatile from year to year. LITERATURE REVIEW STANDARD PRICING AS ACCOUNTING PRACTICE It can be difficult to assess why a product has a certain cost or price to the consumer. How is it that companies arrive at certain amount for a product or service? What are the factors that play into this amount and do they change over time while in the market? Mish defines clearly, price as being â€Å"the value or worth; the quality of one thing that is exchanged or demanded in barter or sale for another† (2004, p. 985). A mistake that happens to many companies is they allow the market to manage the price of the product and avoid strategic management of pricing in general. What is usually done according to Nagle is â€Å"they list the prices based on their own needs and then adjust transaction prices to based on what customers say they are willing to pay. Only a few companies question why someone is willing to pay no more that a particular amount or how that willingness could be changed† (2002, p. 1). In order to be strategic in pricing, a company must confident and understand that â€Å"pricing involves managing customers’ expectations to induce them to pay for the value they receive† (Nagle 2002, p.1). Fortunately, when it comes to financial products, many customers remain in the dark about product and services. Sometimes a service oriented company such as the Bank of England can take advantage of such undulation but as more information becomes available due to the Internet, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for a company to set the pace this way. More than not, more companies especially financial ones that rely on customer relationships, allow for a value-based price structure that is contingent on the customer paying when value is delivered. This type of pricing system relies heavily on segmentation of the demographic when it comes to offering promotions and incentives to buster customer loyalty. Much of this applies to financial type products that are well defined for the consumer either through education or these pr oducts are a must in life like the credit or loan product. Keeping this in mind, many financial products consist of high quality products and add-ons that when offered by one company allows that company to diversify and establish the price. The table here below aids in illustrating this point. Table 1: Pricing Strategies (Anderson Bailey 1998, p. 2) It is also important for a company to keep in mind demand for the product or service. This is why diversification and globalization are quickly becoming elements of strategy as companies look for new ways to target consumers and enter new areas where their original product has a new life cycle. This is a matter of economics but important for understanding marketing strategy with regards to cost switching or price switching. â€Å"The greater the price elasticity, the closer the company can price products to similar competitive products and vice versa† (Allen 2002). In an industry like the mortgage industry where homeownership is more prevalent in Western nations, elasticity is high and therefore, it is fair to remain competitive with other companies. Also a company like Nestle can bet that charging less may lead to more food products created as customers find they get more service for less money. In this respect elasticity can work either way. It really depends on degree of ri sk one company is willing to take. Still it remains to be found if such a tactic even works when it comes to customer loyalty, as this will be explored in greater detail later. However, it remains to be seen if price loyalty does exist. It seems â€Å"the key to effectively competing for loyalty is ensuring the quality of the customer experience, not the quantity of customer rewards or discount prices† (Compton 2005, p.1). However, the price needs to be adjusted for what the customer expects. It can be a cycle that changing continuously depending on the product or service. Carmona, and et al (2004), writes of the origin of activity based costing method of accounting or ABC that came into vogue in Europe during the 1920s. What ABC does specifically as Carmona, and et al (2004) speak of Vollmers’s work as: Deployed significant efforts to account for distribution and marketing costs, which ‘tend to be ignored today.’ This first event is then taken as record of the origin (both in terms of time and space), from which the new practice mainly spread both temporally and spatially. (p. 36) This is the start of a movement toward the double entry system and this saw delay and many weaknesses because it did not present a clear, complete picture of accounting. Its weaknesses were found in inefficiencies with charges and discharges. As a result, early double-entry systems were seen as unreliable and not useful to big business. It would not be until later that advanced book keeping procedures would take into account advanced operating processes in production. Carmona, and et al (2004) found these systems although not perfected were used in England and the Colonies as early as 1760 (p. 37). It seems this was the trend as no real streamlined, conforming system would be adopted until modern business practices came into place in the United States. Move to a global arena and model of production purposes and a more refined system is needed because a lot more is at stake. Global business is all about the details. It became common practice more investment applied, the more generally accepted accounting practices became as a diffusion of new technology. Accounting practices became more generally accepted behaviours as businesses became bigger and more prominent in communities across the world. Practices are implemented as Abu-Raddaha, and et al (2000) surmises the following: The information provided by accounting should facilitate international trade and capital flows, not hamper them. It should inform, not just report. More importantly the information demands of both domestic and international financing and other commercial relationships, have to be satisfied. (p. 19). Everything must remain in balance or presented as a well-oiled machine. How does an organisation get to this point of transformation with its accounting practices? Modern accounting asks for more participation and optimisation from the start to finish by the corporate accountant. The actions of the corporate accountants must change as the movement toward lean functioning continues to take place. It should not be a painful process but one of creativity, flexibility and growth. There is a concern that lean accounting requires one to turn off creativity and be boxed into one function or thought process. This will be explored late as a post-modern viewpoint of business where each person has a function within the total quality management or TQM perspective. Modern business may use this as a framework but the modern business model has evolved beyond this fixed view. The truth of the matter is that modern accounting practices could not be further from this view of being boxed in but rather goes beyond breaking the box and creating a different mindset where thin king is seen differently than before. Accounting is seen differently as not having finite possibilities but infinite reasoning. Traditional methods are flawed as proposed by Van Der Merwe and Thomson (2007), â€Å"the direct costing approach doesn’t absorb any overhead or even fixed costs†¦resource consumption accounting or RCA makes no arbitrary assignments at all† (p. 29). A lean, effective method allows for a more detailed account of capacity costs and a basic approach to data collection. Modern times call modern values and thought processes with regard to business seamless behaviour across the production floor. The lean method maintains a â€Å"one-touch flow system† (Van Der Merwe Thomson 2007, p. 29) for information diffusion across the life cycle. This one-touch flow system can be integrated with a supply chain easily and reflects this value added element as a method for better, honest accounting. OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT A most important factor for facilities management to recognize is the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) or a variation of TQM. TQM according to David Steingard is â€Å"a set of techniques and procedures used to reduce or eliminate variation from the production process or service delivery system in order to improve efficiency† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). TQM fits with the facilities management way of doing things as many of their functions require repetition or constant monitoring of daily, weekly and monthly items. Because this is a modernist concept and the modernist movement believed in certainty and static methods of looking at the world, there is not much room for the uncertainty that change creates in today’s workplace using strictly TQM. Therefore either change in this environment must be controlled change or a variation of TQM must be used for the process to work and involve new technologies. Otherwise, TQM alone invents a work environment reminiscent of Franz L ang’s Metropolis and dehumanizes the employee. A variation TQM can be used in facilities management to aid defining team member responsibilities as it sees the whole team as a â€Å"machine creates a system of interlocking parts each with clearly defined use, centralized authority and high degrees of worker discipline culminating with the goal of routinised, efficient and predictable system performance† (Steingard 2002, p. 2). Each team member plays a role in the functioning of the machine. Still much like today’s business environment where change is constant, this system requires continued adjustment, modification improvement of function. TQM as way of defining a work process cannot operate entirely in today’s global market because it succeeds at the expense of innovation and the growth of the employee. It also does not leave room to incorporate change and new ways of improving functions. Still a memory of pure TQM feeds the â€Å"modernist machine of c onsumer capitalism which encourages over-consumption, planned obsolescence, ecological damage and depletion of natural resources† (Steingard 2002, p. 4). This memory has also burdened management as the obsession for perfection, control, consistency, productivity and efficiency increases over time. In today’s facilities team, there must be a healthy medium to not only use past methods for increased productivity and efficiency but also to include modern tools and equipment to make the job easier. In order to remain competitive, technology cannot be ignored, the systems it provides must be implemented in order for logistics to remain seamless and keep up with demand and customer expectation. For instance failure to embrace logistics and technology results in inventory costing a company more money to store than it is worth. McCullogh writes, â€Å"Right now sitting around the globe is a bunch of inventory (worth an estimated) United States $1 trillion—United States $1 trillion of boxes of stuff is just sitting around a warehouse† (‘Warning: Don’t Snub Logistics’, p. 1). This has the potential to represent about 60 percent of the average company’s working capital. This is capital in limbo that is not maximizing its investment potential. A sign of successful shop floor operations is reliance on very little warehousing. In other words, warehousing is measured as the amount of days per month a product sits in the warehouse and if logistics is implemented effectively, this number will decrease and stabilize. The retail average storage of inventory is 26 days of investment not being utilized, profit being lost and daily expenses being incurred in an endless holding pattern. In order to reduce the amount of days inventory sits means companies must create tighter relationships with suppliers via the web or perfect a system of communication between resources to cut out warehousing all together. Instead of inventory remaining stored because of wireless communication and data collection, the product can go straight from the supply source to the retailer’s shelves via a distribution centre that acts much like mail sorting centre. This can work because technology enables a retailer to send data immediately to the supplie r of products that are moving off the shelves with a click of a button. From this electronic message, the supplier knows what the retailer needs, what products are popular, how much and sends then instantly to the retailer’s distribution centre. In organisations the size of Nestle or Wal-Mart, logistics strategy requires much forethought and planning, as there are many branches and divisions that are involved in the process. The idea is to reduce expenses and increase value to the organisation by making the company more productive and efficient. This needs to be done as seamlessly as possible to continue brand loyalty and customer relations while maintaining market share and competitive advantage. In many ways, implementation of this strategy creates a delicate balance. In order to have better Business to Business or B2B relationships, one must understand the connection. Robert Thierauf and Hoctor (2003) explain, â€Å"B2B is about connecting shared businesses and information processes of the extended trading networks, planning, shipping and logistics, inventory management and customer retention to name a few† (Thierauf Hoctor, p. 181). In other words, an optimized planning process can save millions dollars and allow a multination corporation to carry out its objective and gain market share. This means applying advanced technology such as i2 used by Dell Computers and typical ERP vendors. In today’s act of doing business, B2B exchanges are based on supply chain management or SCM technologies (Thierauf Hoctor, 2003, p. 182). This will mean considerable investment in such technology but the benefit of market share will prove it to be a valued investment over the long-run (Burn Hachney 2002; Scerbo 1999). Running these centres effectively certainly poses a challenge of management. Manufacturers must develop new skills and confront channel conflicts with dealers, distributors and independent operators. Leaders in these positions must have an understanding of managing the conflicts in these channels. But well-managed distribution centres would more than justify the risks, as it would save the organisation a significant amount of overhead. With operating expenses as the main cost, it is possible to make the distribution venture essentially self-funding. Facilities can be rented on short-term leases and surrendered if the location isnt successful within a year or two. The cost of goods and labour can be managed as volume grows. Companies should remember that a manufacturers original warranty work usually accounts for about half of the labour expenses and for as much as 20 percent of the total value of services rendered, but these costs are typically charged back to the business unit rather than borne by the company’s distribution. In markets poorly served by local dealers or other distributors, for instance, a centre should gear itself to its company’s end users or consumers by choosing a high-traffic retail site. Profits at these locations are generated largely through the sale of accessories and optional services to walk-in or mail order customers; outlets thus need appealing product displays or sales pr esentations. Different kinds of retail distribution centres pursue different economic models. Although gross margins on sales to end-users are higher, orders tend to be smaller. Locations that focus on distributors can achieve scale faster and be just as profitable. The largely similar economics of service centres vary only according to which customer segment is best served at each location. Companies run their own centres and tie management bonuses to profit and growth goals at each site. Either way, some support functions, such as marketing, human resources and information and financial systems, are best managed at the corporate level. Warehouses and distributions centres are caught in a squeeze between customer service demands and cost drivers. The challenge for most organisations is create a network that can deliver on customer demands while keeping costs down. This is the number challenge in supply chain management. Supply chain management presents a huge undertaking when it comes to overhead operating costs. Many of the tools have come down in price because usability has gotten easier. As a result, more and more companies are adopting a supply chain management philosophy for distribution and are re-evaluating its effectiveness every two years as opposed to before at every five years. Management members are interested to see if the efficiency of the centre matches its service level provided. Research has found a direct relationship between the number of distribution points, transportation costs and customer service targets. The network and its design are driven by improvements so that the cost of transportation can be offset. This may include reviewing an organisation’s transportation arrangements. Loading patterns should also be examined to find ways to cube out containers and trailers (Trunick, p. 1). What possibilities can be used to have a cost-effective outcome for the distribution centre? Does this mean consolidating shipments or a move to parcel and less than truckload shipments? Can shipments be combined to make greater use of truck cargo space? Can the organisation hire rail or air as better shipping alternatives to using company trucks over longer distances? In addition to examining loading can the routes used by the trucks be adjusted to be add to cost-efficiency? An organisation would benefit using their state’s transportation management system or a department of transportation, DOT to map out distribution volumes and patterns. This would help in providing dynamic routing options that can be flexible to change distribution needs in the network. This can benefit the fleet by reducing fuel supply needs and help control costs and usage. These efficiencies would result because the routes would decrease in mileage and also wear/tear on the vehicles and insurance costs. Efficiency inside the four walls of the distribution centre can also be improved. Relatively speaking the size of the average distribution centre has grown from 300,000 square feet to one million square feet (Trunick, p. 2). This is simply due to operating space needed to move inventory from point a to point b. But the real reason the distribution centre is larger today is mainly because organisations have seen the need to put all operations under one roof. By putting multiple facilities into one larger distribution centre improves the time it takes to transport inventory. Still the larger centre is made possible because of improved transportation systems but also implementation new technologies that not only enhance a brick and mortar store but also a virtual one. Plus, the organisation has the manpower under one roof. The company only rents one building and keeps the inventory in one place rather than moving it from warehouse to warehouse. This allows the company to provide better service to the consumer. Because of these factors, information systems are critical to the success of the larger distribution centre. Data has the need to travel from one area to another and that is why more and more companies are investing in radio frequency terminals both handheld and vehicle mounted. Investment of these RFID systems is not inexpensive and many retailers such Wal-Mart and Target are looking for ways to enrich the present technology and systems without implementing a whole new infrastructure into the walls of the centre. By being able to enhance present systems proves to be cost effective because not only is an upgrade cheaper but also it is easier to train employees to run. It is a company’s ability to effectively handle investment of new technologies that allows the centre to run better. Still as Trunick writes, the concern is not found in hardware but in data. â€Å"Databases have traditionally been structured to feed a number of different systems, but that’s not a long term architectural solution† (p. 2). Part of the problem a distribution centre faces with data storage is being able to provide the data in real time and allowing the data to remain clean and not crowd. As a result many companies are searching for better solutions than using RFID in supply chain management. It has not proven to be productive in the distribution centre setting not like 8 percent in the warehouse setting (Trunick, p. 2). One new technology that was introduced to the Nestle facilities management team in 2006 was the use of a computerized tracking system for client user orders. This system was implemented to better track the status of job orders among the team members. This system acted to alert a team member of potential deadlines and current job load status. It also allowed management to better track individual and team progress. This resulted in a monthly recognition program to signify when quotas had been met or when a team member received a client user compliment. This system also had the capability to record the negative such as being late to a service call or failing to complete monitoring of weekly items for inspection. The system would then e-mail the team member and the direct supervisor if such conduct occurred (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 11). This system replaced the old process of â€Å"tracking† client user orders that consisted of logging each order into a spiral notebook. With the advent of the company’s intranet site, management hoped to improve communication between the facilities team and the client user by offering an electronic request system. This would reduce the amount of time the facilities team spent fielding phone called requested and allow for multi-tasking of various jobs. What management had hoped the system implementation would result in, did not happen mainly due to team member lack of communication and resistance to change due to a pre-existing TQM elements within the old process of handling client user orders. Management had hoped as the Business Open Learning Archive details, â€Å"automation would exploit available technology to speed up operations, make them more reliable and to reduce unit costs and their risks and costs. This would bring flexibility to the system already in practice† (Operations Technology 2005, p. 1). This type of new technology or just-in-time or JIT technology requires careful handling and extensive training. What facilities management team leaders had not prepared for was the team member response. Many of them despite being competent, responsible employees did not have knowledge of computer systems. Many of the team members had been with the company over twenty years and had been hired to the division. Many of thes e types, fall into the category of being older but also having a specific specialization in which they were in the field most of the time (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 24) not requiring any other extensive skills. Another factor management had not anticipated was a considerable language barrier as many team members who had worked together for years, continued working in their native tongue of Spanish. A final aspect of the mixed response for the team had more to do with timing than anything. Management provided a three-day training session and then allowed two weeks for the new system to be adopted. The transitional period was too short and was met with much resistance from many members of the team. Many did not accept the change or completely understand the new system. Many did not check their email or use the tracking component. Finally, despite company wide advertisement of the new online request feature, most client users did not use it and continued to phone in requests. This resulted in not a decrease in time spent on the phone but due to the new system’s lack transition and rejection by some of the team, the group received three times as many calls in one week (Facilities Training Group 2007, p. 33). The team had to hire a temporary employee to aid in taking calls while team leaders provided on the job training and supervised walk-through of the new process. The period of six weeks it took the team to get ba

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Our Explotation of Technology Human technology is developed to serve a purpose and this reason often is dependent on what needs a particular society has. In the case of war and in other aspects of culture, technology is developed for a particular reason, such as to defeat the declared enemy. This connection serves to influence the type of inventions developed. Ehrlich notes that in World War II during the battle at Midway Island in 1942, there was a difference in capabilities between the Americans and the Japanese. While it would be apparent that there was a direct correlation between the readiness of resources and success in battle this connection turned out not to be true. In reality, planning, expertise, and chance were more of a determinant (Ehrlich, 2000). This result shows that technical knowledge is not sufficient to be successful but usage of available resources is necessary to ensure gains. This combination underscores the need for culture to move technology forward. A new invention without cultural demand would not serve much benefit since it would not be used to improve society. However, a cultural need can lead to the development of an invention since the demand moves the technology to an outcome. Trade provides a primary method of connecting technology to the world. Initially trade was exchanged as items of barter. Cattle, shells, crops, salt, and other items served as a means of providing a fair exchange of goods between parties. The invention of currency has much to do with the needs of trade. It is impractical to ferry a heard a cattle to a place of sale in order to buy the good. However money is more portable than livestock and many other items of barter and helped ease the trade process (Ehrlich, 2000). The importance of trade to culture led to a streamlined process with the invention of currency. While items of barter have value that is tangible, such as food produced by crops, modern currency is only valued by the culture since a government body guarantees it. As a result of the governmental backing, currency can be used a meaningful method of exchanging value. Money that does not contain precious metals is simply a symbolic way of representing value. A culture recogni zes the currency as representing value and can be used as an effective accounting system for trade. Additionally, the influence from the cultural value of trade translates into placing less significance on the intrinsic value of the currency itself and instead considers what convenience the technology can provide to improve trade.

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In my research on issues of social development in adults, I found change and consistency in social participation plays a key role in early adulthood. I felt the need to choose and touch on this topic because I have the tendency to be a social butterfly and I also lost a dear friend that committed suicide from social isolation. I chose this article because after reading it I felt as if the information was solid and backed up with surveys and facts. I also felt as if the topic was thoroughly examined and the article gave a lot of helpful information about this particular issue with social development in adults. Social interactions and activities play a key role in the physical health and well being in adulthood. It is healthy and fun to be around friends, loved ones, and even relationship partners. Making plans, going out, and being social gives one the since of self worth. Further more, the lack of desire and absence of social contact and participation can cause one, such as in the incident of my friend, to become depressed, self-isolated, and have suicidal thoughts and/or even commit suicide. In the event that I would need to write a research paper on this topic, I would use this article. I would use the article because it has a lot of information about the topic and has many different details and survey information. This would all help my research and provide me with information to include in my paper. The authors, Harry Reis and Yi-Cheng Lin, research was to determine if age-related changes in social relationships and to see if interaction patterns would stay the same from college years to adult- hood. They researched a variety of different things like opposite-sex socializing, intimacy and satisfaction in adulthood, and implications for social development during early adulthood.

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Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Example Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Namus in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay Essay Topic: Chronicle Of a Death foretold ?Namus is an Arabic word which means law, custom, and honor. Namus is a fundamental concept, which defines the role of men and women in society, and when violated, it could have severe consequences. Namus plays a significant role in Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. It not only defines clear roles for the men and women in the society, but it also is the dominant reason leading to the assassination of Santiago Nasar. The concept of Namus in women is rooted in faithfulness, modesty, and obedience, and in men, it requires protecting the integrity of the women in the house and the society. ‘The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married’. Especially the virginity of the women plays a significant role in showing the clear role of Namus in defining the life of women in the Columbian society. Angela Vicario was â€Å"reared† by the Vicario family to be â€Å"perfect,† she was â€Å"raised to suffer.† Angela Vicario thus was prepared to be dominated and suppressed by the traditional elements in the society. This is emphasized when Bayardo San Roman, a man of influence, wealth and power chooses to marry Angela Vicario. It is a deal which â€Å"a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that price of destiny.† She does not have the option to accept or reject the proposal. The women too are conscious of Namus. When Angela Vicario confides her fears to two of her most trustworthy female confidantes, they say nonchalantly, â€Å"all women† lose â€Å"their virginity in childhood incidents.† They convince her to pretend to be a virgin so that the Namus can be honored. She had to â€Å"put on the veil and the orange blossoms† so that she could pretend she’s a virgin. Angela Vicario’s supposed lack of virginity plays a major role in the events in the novel. The split between Bayardo San Roman and Angela Vicario over the issue of virginity clearly means that Namus has been violated, and

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A META-ANALYSIS OF ADOLESCENT OBESITY AMONG IMMIGRANT LATINO POPULATION IN - Essay Example Thus, it is more comfortable for them to eat in fast foods and do not spend much time on cooking at home. A problem of obesity is a complex phenomenon that should be considered on the social, economic, psychological and cultural levels. A target group chosen for the research consists of immigrant Latino population in San Antonio, Texas. It has been often claimed, that ethnic minority groups are subjected to a high risk of becoming obese in comparison with other Americans. Lower living level, other spheres of occupation, a lack of proper education, inability to have a constant access to information about healthy way of life and possibilities to live this kind of life and many other factors have prevented ethnic minorities from being healthy people. Therefore, this target group is one of the most vulnerable social groups to the destructive influence of obesity. POPULATION: Latinos have become the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States of America, and are expected to grow to about one-fourth of the population by the year 2050 (Delva, O'Malley & Johnston, 2007). The term Hispanic is used interchangeably with Latino and refers to descendents of at least 25 different countries, all of which are Spanish speaking (Centrella-Nigro, 2009). Definition of Hispanic or Latino origin used in the 2010 Census refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Hispanics now make up 38 percent of Texas’s 25.1 million people, up from 32 percent a decade ago. Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, grew by 23.1 percent and is home to 1.7 million. In accordance with the 2010 census San Antonio population grew by 25 percent to 1.33 million people , the Hispanic population grew by 25 percent making to 63.2 percent Hispanics in San Antonio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, over 30% of adolescents in Texas are overweight or obese. That is 1 in 3 teenagers. Obesity is not just a physical condition –it has many psychosocial implications that need to be acknowledged. PREVALENCE: According to the Health Profiles 2005 by The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) the Hispanic population is expected to far outpace other ethnicities by 2040 and beyond. The Hispanic population faces well-documented health concerns, such as obesity. Programs addressing those areas should be maintained or increased. Bexar County’s Hispanic population is also younger with fewer college graduates than any other ethnic population. Those factors are often predictors of future poverty and increased risk for associated health problems such as obesity. Unfortunately, 90% of Hispanics in Bexar County have not earned at least a 4-year college degree. Moreover, the Hispanic population is burdened with additional risk factors for childhood obesity, including parental obesity, low socioecon omic status (SES), recent immigration, acculturation to US diet and lifestyle, and limited health insurance coverage, ethnic beliefs, differences in ideal body images, lack of appreciation of weight management, questionable literacy levels, and access to medical care (Wilson, Adolph, & Butte, 2009; Centrella-Nigro, 2009; & Harrington, 2008). Source: 2009 FITNESS GRAM, According to FITNESSGRAM a Healthy Weight equals BMI ranging from 14.7-27.8 for boys and 16.2-27.3 for girls

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How has the social psychology of prejudice enhanced our understanding of learning difficulties - Essay Example n of the fact that prejudice towards people with learning disabilities exits can help to eliminate the prejudice and discrimination towards people with learning disabilities to lifelong isolation and unemployment. Prejudice is gradually becoming unacceptable towards many other social groups, but it is not challenged enough in the case of people with a learning difficulties. These people are not visible members of their community; they exist in the community rather than living as part of it From this point of viÐ µw disÐ °blÐ µd pÐ µoplÐ µ Ð °rÐ µ forcÐ µd to livÐ µ in Ð ° sociÐ °l prison. WhilÐ µ no onÐ µ cÐ °n objÐ µct to cÐ °mpÐ °igning for ‘rights’ so thÐ °t thÐ µ prison in which wÐ µ livÐ µ is mÐ °dÐ µ morÐ µ humÐ °nÐ µ it is only Ð ° politicÐ °l buffoon who bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µs thÐ °t Ð µxploring prisonÐ µr Ð µxpÐ µriÐ µncÐ µs cÐ °n lÐ µÃ °d to Ð µmÐ °ncipÐ °tion! Nothing lÐ µss thÐ °n dismÐ °ntling thÐ µ prison Ð °nd rÐ µplÐ °cing it with Ð ° non-compÐ µtitivÐ µ form of sociÐ µty cÐ °n brÐ µÃ °kdown thÐ µ doors which bÐ °r our Ð µmÐ °ncipÐ °tion. I bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µ thÐ °t wÐ µ cÐ °nnot undÐ µrstÐ °nd or dÐ µÃ °l with disÐ °bility without dÐ µÃ °ling with thÐ µ Ð µssÐ µntiÐ °l nÐ °turÐ µ of sociÐ µty itsÐ µlf. To do this disÐ °blÐ µd pÐ µoplÐ µ must find wÐ °ys of Ð µngÐ °ging in thÐ µ clÐ °ss strugglÐ µ whÐ µrÐ µ thÐ µ historicÐ °l dirÐ µction of sociÐ µty is fought, won or lost. It is in this Ð °rÐ µnÐ ° thÐ °t thÐ µ boundÐ °riÐ µs of knowlÐ µdgÐ µ thÐ °t hÐ °vÐ µ put disÐ °blÐ µd pÐ µoplÐ µ Ð °sidÐ µ from thÐ µ ‘normÐ °l’ cÐ °n Ð °nd hÐ °vÐ µ to bÐ µ opÐ µnly quÐ µstionÐ µd. For mÐ µ rÐ µpossÐ µssing thÐ µ sociÐ °l modÐ µl of disÐ °bility mÐ µÃ °ns sÐ µÃ °rching for opÐ µnings in thÐ µ structurÐ µs of sociÐ µty whÐ µrÐ µ wÐ µ might Ð µffÐ µctivÐ µly contributÐ µ with othÐ µrs in thÐ µ rÐ µstructuring of sociÐ µty so thÐ °t it is nÐ µithÐ µr compÐ µtitivÐ µ nor disÐ °bling for Ð °ll pÐ µoplÐ µ. ThÐ µ SociÐ °l Modà  µl of DisÐ °bility wÐ °s dÐ µvisÐ µd by disÐ °blÐ µd pÐ µoplÐ µ, whosÐ µ Ð µxpÐ µriÐ µncÐ µ of thÐ µ hÐ µÃ °lth Ð °nd wÐ µlfÐ °rÐ µ systÐ µm, Ð °s wÐ µll Ð °s sociÐ µtys gÐ µnÐ µrÐ °l rÐ µÃ °ction to thÐ µm, mÐ °dÐ µ thÐ µm fÐ µÃ µl sociÐ °lly