Stereotypes And Prejudice Their Automatic And Controlled...

Article 1 – Stereotypes and Prejudice: Their Automatic and Controlled Components Devine (1989) argues that stereotypes are inevitable on the basis that stereotypes and prejudice coexist and that stereotyping occurs automatically. Devine attempts to prove this hypothesis in three experiments. Devine reasons that â€Å"as long as stereotypes exist, prejudice will follow.† This hypothesis is rooted in a correlation. Prejudice and stereotypes are related, however there is no clear evidence of causality; Knowledge of a stereotype does not mean an individual agrees with it. The first experiment conducted by Devine and colleagues conducted a well thought out experiment in terms of their technique. In all three studies the authors’ randomly assigned the participants to the experiments increasing the ability to generalize this sample to a larger population. In addition, the participants were asked to freely respond to the question, providing a more accurate knowledge of s tereotypes because no cues were provided to influence the subjects’ knowledge. The anonymity of the participants also allows subjects to freely provide information without being judged resulting in an easier access to their private thoughts. Alternatively, in all three studies the authors recruited a number of white participants. This may produce bias in their results as stereotypes and prejudice towards blacks have historical roots in their culture. In the first study, the list of traits do not completely captureShow MoreRelatedEssay on Is Stereotyping Inevitable?1740 Words   |  7 PagesPrejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is theRead MoreStereotypes, Public Compliance, And Negative State Relief906 Words   |  4 Pagesexemplary depiction of contemporary society entangled in the cyclic, and often chaotic, entails of modern prejudice – a lingering by-product of big-city living. In an attempt to flesh out the complexity and breadth of modern prejudice as a consequence of fear and urban-living (urban-overload hypothesis); I will propose and elaborate connections to three social-psychological concepts: stereotypes, public compliance, and negative-state relief hypothesis as some of its perpetuating agents. AdditionallyRead MoreStereotyping And Its Effects On Our Social Lives1766 Words   |  8 Pagesthat we need to interact with, and people use stereotypes to interpret their surroundings. However, when people use stereotyping against groups of people who may be different from them, it can create neg ative prejudices. Many social psychologists have studied prejudices and what types of psychological tools that can be used to bypass prejudices. Stereotyping is a cognitive process of several prejudiced attitudes aims at a specific group or people. Prejudice is an inevitable consequence of a categorizingRead MoreThe Lingering Effects of Stereotyping831 Words   |  3 PagesThe Lingering Effects of Stereotyping The Lingering Effects of Stereotyping The three stereotypes upon which the paper will focus are: women are untrustworthy; all White Americans are rich; and the elderly population is useless. The first stereotype is that women cannot be trusted. Often arguments to support this stereotype come from media representation in television, film, and otherwise. Women are often represented as liars who have intercourse outside of marriage or a relationship. Women areRead MoreRacial Bias By White Police Officers Essay1228 Words   |  5 Pagespsychologists have studied the cause and effect of biases, specifically by white police officers towards minorities. Implicit bias, specifically racial bias, describes a psychological process in which a person’s unconscious racial belief (stereotypes) and attitudes (prejudices) affect his or her behaviors, perceptions, and judgments in ways that they are largely unaware of and typically, unable to control (Graham). Research centers for the study of racial bias have developed experimental studies to helpRead More Stereotypes Essay2627 Words   |  11 Pages To adequately investigate the question as to whether stereotypes are the psychological lubricant on intergroup behaviour, several areas need to be considered. In the context of this essay the concept of stereotypes needs to be defined. Although Lippmann (1922) is credited with first using the term stereotype in this context it is perhaps Brown (1995) who offers the most applicable definition when he wrote that quot;to stereotype someone is to attribute to that person some characteristics whichRead MoreThe Mind-Body Relation1833 Words   |  7 Pagesmystic and the metaphysical explanation of mankind took into consideration an inexplicable resident or entity that governed not only the body but also the mind. The mind was not associated with the physical brain. The mind was a system believed to be controlled by an entity called the soul. Looking at this chain of thought, it has to be noted that Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, argued that the soul is incorporeal, being intangib le and spiritual; the mind was the intellect, meaning it had knowledgeRead MoreCulture Bias in the Media1778 Words   |  8 Pageschanges, if needed, can occur; and (2) there is a need to determine if the portrayals of minorities on television exacerbate racial stereotypes (Mastro, 2000). Devine (1989) contended that the negative perceptions and stereotypes of racial minorities are widely held and culturally embedded intentionally and inadvertently within the American public. Continuing with stereotypes on television does nothing to help the situation. Minimal representation, in conjunction with possible stereotyping, would accentuateRead MorePsychology : What Motivates People Do What They Do1847 Words   |  8 Pagesextrinsic motivation, including a combination of both at the same time. (Devine and Plant 2002) A study psychological study on motivational response to prejudice demonstrated that people who showed to be highly internally motivated didn’t want to believe they were prejudice, while externally influence people did not want to be perceived as prejudice. Those who demonstrated external motivation compromised their own personal beliefs because they thought others were placing judgments and assumptions fromRead MoreSSD2 Module 1 Notes31223 Words   |  125 Pagesintroduced and allowed for the uniformity of language across large distances. A leap in technology occurred when the Gutenberg printing-press was invented in the 15th century. The third stage is characterized by the transfer of information through controlled waves and electronic signals. Webster s dictionary definition of communicate is to make known; disclose, to manifest, to transmit to others, to express oneself effectively. It defines communication as the act or process of communication; transmission;

Is it ethical to feed live food to reptiles Free Essays

string(102) " leaving live food in the various for long periods of time and by providing shelter and water for it\." Is it ethical to feed live food to exotic pets? Abstract Live food items are often fed to exotic pet species whether they be birds, amphibians, reptiles or mammals. This raises issues of welfare, both of the animals fed live prey Items and the prey Itself. Concerns over live food welfare are particularly marked In the feeding of vertebrate prey Items and evidence presented here shows the prolonged time taken for rodents to die, this fuelling these concerns. We will write a custom essay sample on Is it ethical to feed live food to reptiles or any similar topic only for you Order Now And yet the welfare of all exotic pets relies both on providing optimal nutrition and ensuring, as such as possible, that their natural behaviors can be expressed. Does that mean that predatory species must be fed live prey? This paper discusses this problem and seeks potential solutions. Introduction Many of the â€Å"exotic† species that are kept as pets (companion animals) or for study, or which form part of a zoo or rescue centre, are wholly or partly carnivorous and therefore require food of animal origin. Many omnivores also feed In part on live or dead animals and some essentially herbivorous/carnivorous species, such as finches (Freeloading), require invertebrate food when they are nestlings. In this paper emphasis is on the provision of still living food, but brief mention will be made of dead animals. The discussion relates mainly to live food given to captive exotic animals but it must be remembered that free-living Individuals also kill and eat live prey. The use of live food Food comprising live animals or their derivatives is widely considered to serve two main purposes. First, from a nutritive perspective, It contains important, sometimes essential, amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients; secondly, from a behavioral viewpoint It provides captive animals with stimulation, especially when It Is resented to them in an imaginative way, providing a very important form of environmental enrichment. The subject of â€Å"live-feeding† of animals in zoos and private collections has become a specialist topic, with numerous papers in the literature about how best such diets should be chosen and presented. These include precautions to minimize damage to the prey species by attacks from the animals provided as live food. O be well-substantiated; as noted above, it provides behavioral enrichment and represents a natural or near-natural method of providing essential nutrition . There s, however, another important consideration, which is sometimes forgotten or ignored. This is the question of the wellbeing of the live food that is being offered. After all, the food consists of living animals which, regardless of their taxonomic status, may be subjected to and affected by stresses, including pain during the period before and during being eaten. There are several stages at which the prey species may be subjected to stresses. The first of these is during production or collection. Live food is either bred in captivity or collected in the wild and in many cases such breeding or collection may involve stress for the animals involved. When offered as food, prior to being devoured the live food prey item is often in what for it is an unusual, an â€Å"alien† environment. It may, for example, be exposed to abnormally high temperatures or bright lights, rendering the individual, by definition, vulnerable to attack/apprehension by the animal to which it is being fed. The key welfare issue for many animals provided as live food will be when they are being devoured. Some live food is killed almost instantaneously by the predator, using physical or chemical means from trauma to veneration, both of these potentially rendering the prey immobile while losing consciousness. In such circumstances there may be little in risk of poor welfare. But often death takes much longer – for instance, a rodent constricted and thus killed by suffocation by a snake, or a cockroach dismembered while it is still alive. Some prey items may be swallowed whole and are therefore still alive – and presumably conscious – for some time until they die of asphyxia or the effect of the predator’s gastric Juices; If not immediately devoured uneaten prey may be taken and consumed abstinently, perhaps on another day, but in the meantime it has to survive in an alien environment, often without water, food or appropriate shelter. Sometimes the prey item is never eaten, either because the predator is no longer hungry or because the prey escapes. As a result, it may die as a result of starvation, dehydration, hyperthermia or hypothermia in the predator’s cage. It may, alternatively, establish itself in that cage or escape into the home/zoo environment. Here crickets (Grilled) are the best example. The debate Vertebrate food Some decades ago concern began to be voiced by some individuals and certain institutions about the practice of feeding live vertebrates to captive mammals, birds and reptiles. The methods employed began to be subjected to greater scrutiny and criticism as a greater understanding of, and sensitivity to, issues of animal welfare evolved. Society of London) introduced a ban on the feeding of living vertebrate food to its captive reptiles and instead to train the latter to take freshly-killed prey or items (for example, a freshly dead rabbit) that could be moved to simulate life or placed in an unusual environment, such as a hollow tube, to interest the hungry predator. In Britain, at any rate, many other zoos and herpetologists followed suit and by the late asses the use of dead, not living, prey was considered to be â€Å"good practice†. During the decade of the asses claims were regularly made by animal welfare groups that live-feeding was â€Å"illegal† in the I-J but these assertions were countered in lectures and articles (1). The point was made that there was no specific legal ban on live- feeding but that such a practice might lead to a prosecution under the Protection of Animals Acts (2). Herpetologists who still wanted to feed live food to their charges ere encouraged to take steps to minimize suffering in various ways – for example, by not leaving live food in the various for long periods of time and by providing shelter and water for it. You read "Is it ethical to feed live food to reptiles" in category "Food" Those recommendations in Britain were in a large part a modification and refinement of the approach taken by the senior author nearly a decade beforehand, when, in an attempt to encourage a more humane approach to live-feeding of snakes in East Africa, a document was drawn up by the Kenya Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (KAPPA). This is reproduced as Appendix A. Force-feeding† of non-living food is also a possibility, particularly used for ‘difficult’ species such as Royal pythons (Python argues) but this can be stressful. Another argument used on both sides of the Atlantic, to dissuade reptile-keepers from feeding live vertebrate food was that the latter could easily attack and damage the predator species. Thus, for instance, live rodents put in Bavaria as food can cause severe skin lesions in snakes (3, 4, 5). Having said that, a casual glance through online video clips, as detailed further below, shows that live vertebrate prey are still fed to pitiless by a number of keepers. Invertebrate food Questioning the feeding of live invertebrates to captive animals is less common even today . In the asses an â€Å"animal rights† group based in Scotland lobbied for more awareness of the welfare needs of invertebrate animals and included in their concerns the use of crickets, maelstroms and other species as food items for captive mammals, birds and reptiles. In the past two decades interest amongst veterinarians and others in the health and welfare of invertebrates has grown (6, 7). In its wake, discussion and studies on whether or not invertebrates â€Å"suffer† pain have become reverent (7), including some limited analysis and discussions of the ethical considerations of using these animals as live prey. A problem, of course, is that the term â€Å"invertebrate† is very broad, covering around 30 distinct phyla, and the ability of such animals to react to a noxious stimulus varies greatly between, say, a coelenterate that has no generalized nervous system and a cephalic with a well-developed nervous system and pain responses (7). The main groups of invertebrate that are used as food for other animals are arthropods, phyla produce endorphins and may, therefore, be able not only to respond to pain by appropriate escape behavior but be aware of it. Research on the nematode Conservationist elegant, for instance, has shown that activation, an invertebrate homologue of morphogenesis, together with improprieties, modulates aversive activity that mimics behaviors associated with chronic pain in vertebrates (9). While such primitive species can exhibit inception, it would be questioned by many as to whether they feel pain, defined as ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage’ (italics added) (10). Even a single- led amoeba moves away from a noxious stimulus, but cannot be said to have an emotional response – so where on the evolutionary ‘ladder’ does such a response occur? Certainly there are behavioral indicators of pain in several crustacean species (11) and some mollusks (12). In some situations such as the use of live insects in biomedical research, the approach advocated by certain authors has been â€Å"to give them (invertebrates) the benefit of the doubt† and therefore (for example) to employ an anesthetic agent when a procedure to be performed that might cause pain (13). Such a precautionary Renville has not apparently, however, been applied to the use of these same species as live food for mammals, birds or reptiles – and probably would not be realistic. We are, after all, here in a situation where the benefits of one species, the predator, must be weighed against those of the prey species. Such is the very essence of nature. Hopefully, wherever possible, in a captive environment the welfare needs of both predator and prey can be considered and predator species trained to accept dead prey rather than live. ‘ A preliminary study of welfare of live prey species Perhaps a start on such a Journey is to ask for evidence regarding the welfare of prey species when being fed to a predator species. For that reason, we present here a preliminary study using online You Tube videos of various captive reptiles as the predator and mice, rats and crickets as live prey items. Clearly this cannot be a controlled study, but the videos were sampled by accessing the first ten adequate clips defined by ‘reptile eats live mouse’, ‘reptile eats live rat’, and ‘reptile eats live locust’ and recording the time taken from apprehension of the prey item to death as determined by the time of last movement of prey item. It could be argued that the prey species may not lose consciousness until after that period and, in some cases, vivification by the prey item may occur after the last obvious movement, but in those documented in Table 1 this was not the case. The time to death as estimated by cessation of any movement was 62Ð’Â ±29 seconds for mice, 54Ð’Â ±21 seconds for rats and 18Ð’Â ±17 seconds for locusts, with ranges from 38 to 120 seconds for the mice, 24-82 seconds for the rats and 5-62 seconds for the locusts . These figures are clearly influenced by the size of both prey and of predator. Euthanasia of laboratory rodents by carbon dioxide may take 2-3 minutes (14) while cervical dislocation successfully killed animals apparently instantaneously in 79% of animals in one study (15). In another study electroencephalographic activity during the 30 seconds immediately (at 5 to 10 s), 10-15 seconds after exposure to 100% CO, 15-20 seconds after decapitation and at 20-25 seconds with cardiac arrest caused by KC injection but not after administration of 70% CO (15). A painful and fear-provoking death taking p to 2 minutes as seen in many live food subjects would not, we argue, be acceptable in any circumstances. Interestingly, few if any rodents seemed aware that a predator shared the various with them, many mice actively investigating the snake until the moment of attack. Other rodents in the enclosure did not appear to show behavioral evidence of fear even when other rodents in the same various were attacked, constricted and killed. On the other hand, the fear and pain indicated by rapid movements and vacillations of the prey item, was clear in many of the cases as noted in Table 1 . These author found it disturbing to watch the video clips in many cases and we would argue that the suffering of prey species in many of these video clips and in many is contrary to the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (2006) in the United Kingdom, as discussed further below. Discussion There can be no hard-and-fast rules about the feeding of live food to captive animals. However we advocate that, if it is not necessary to sustain the life of the prey species in order to stimulate the predator to pretend and swallow, live-feeding should not take place.. When such a feeding practice is necessary – and is not De facto in intervention of legislation – it should be carried out with care and sensitivity and follow a code of practice. As noted at the beginning of this paper, there are two elements to live-feeding – the predator and the prey – and these both warrant a humane approach. Although reptiles have attracted particular attention in the debate about live-feeding, other carnivorous tax have also come under some scrutiny, especially in Europe. The feeding of large felid such as lions, tigers and cheetahs with live vertebrates, such as rodents or alligators, has long ceased to be accepted practice in zoos in cost of Europe. The use of living animals, such as mice or quail, to encourage falconers’ birds and wildlife casualties to perfect their hunting skills has, likewise, been officially phased-out. Some of the practices alluded to above have stopped because of public attitudes but legislation has also, indirectly, had a result. Thus, for example, the I-J Animal Welfare Act 2006, while not specifically outlawing the feeding of live food to carnivorous species, puts an onus of responsibility on keepers on a duty of care to all animals in their possession and thus an obligation to ensure as far as possible that ere species are killed before being offered as food. How to cite Is it ethical to feed live food to reptiles, Essays

Making Fun Of Optimism, Religion And Greed Essay Example For Students

Making Fun Of Optimism, Religion And Greed Essay Voltaire who was a French writer, philosopher and one of the leaders of the Enlightenment is known as one of the greatest satirist ever. Voltaire wrote about important genres: tragedy, history, philosophy and fiction just as his English contemporary Samuel Johnson. American heritage dictionary defines satire as, An artistic work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Irony or caustic wit used to expose or attack human folly. The satirist adopts a critical attitude and usually presents his material with wit and humor. Voltaire uses many literary writing tools to share his views. Voltaire reasons for using satire is because he believes it is entertaining which many at time also agreed with him. During this time, many great authors wrote about things that they believed to be interesting for others to read. Voltaire was a big believer in writing about things that really happen to others. Some of the tools he uses are irony, symbolism and satire. The point I will be talking about is satire. Voltaire choices satire because this way he can make a joke out of serious matters such as death, rape, and murder. Through his satire, Voltaire sometimes expressed outrage, and other times he was playful. This is the literary term he uses the most of the time. Voltaire targets of satire are many and varied. Three topics Voltaire uses satire for are philosophical optimism, religion and greed. I will be focusing my paper on these three ideas. Voltaire was a serious man but felt it was important to entertain others by using humor as long as he thought it was funny. Voltaire’s main purpose in writing Candide was to demolish the theory of Optimism, and that is why is used exaggeration. To oppose optimism Voltaire used a variety of forms. The one that proved to be most effective was satire. â€Å"Gottfried and Leibnitz, the German philosopher, provides Voltaire’s most specific target in Candide, with the complexities of his version of optimism reduced for satiric purposes to be facile formula.† (World Masterpieces 316) Leibnitz thought that everything had a cause and an effect. He believed that for everything that happened there was something else that would follow due to the previous. Through Voltaire’s experiences, he came to realize that not everything was for the best. In the story, irrational ideas are taught to the main character, Candide about optimistic versus the reality of the rest of the world. Out of every unfortunate situation in the story, his philosopher-teacher advised Candide that everything in the world happens for a reason. â€Å"Private misfortunes contribute to the general good, so the more private misfortunes there are, he more we find that all is well.† (Voltaire 31) Pangloss was a devoted friend and an optimist who claims that there is no effect without a cause, and that everything has a purpose. Pangloss was not meant to be a direct attack on Leibnitz. Although Voltaire wanted people to realize how distorted Leibnitz idea was. During the story, an earthquake strikes killing many. In reality, this is a horrific predicament to be involved in. In Pangloss’ world, â€Å"It is impossible for things not to be where they are, because everything is for the best.†(Voltaire 35) Pangloss believed that the earthquake was necessary in the course of nature, so there was definitely a reason why it happened. Pangloss tries to defend his theories by determining the positive from the negative situation. As Candide grew up and encountered many unfortunate things Pangloss would turn the situation around, bring out the good in it. Candide learns that optimism is â€Å"The passion for maintaining that all is that all is right when all goes wrong.† (Voltaire 86) Every time Candide experienced some terrible danger and or suffering, he wondered if Doctor Pangloss might begin to doubt his own philosophy. .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .postImageUrl , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:hover , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:visited , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:active { border:0!important; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:active , .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4 .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u72d2acde5e6bce9a7e6d34b3b1a7caa4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Wuthering heights summary Essay Pangloss ultimately changed Candide’s optimistic philosophy. Pangloss preached that wherever one was it was the best possible place to be. Candide had questioned Pangloss on a number of occasions because he felt that there must be a better place to be when there is so much evil where he was. Throughout his life, Candide was affected

Management Strategy Models

Introduction Comprehensive business situation analysis can take many forms. Situation analysis involves the evaluation of the situation and the trends in a particular company’s market. The commonest is the analysis on the basis three C’s. According to Orcullo (2007), his particular situation analysis refers to the study of the major elements of the businesses that crucially affect the direction that any business takes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management Strategy Models specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gotz and Mann (2006) say that customers, costs and competition traditionally form the core of the three C’s analysis. Strauss (2008) says that, nowadays business situation analysis includes collaboration, the company itself and competitive advantage that the company holds over its rivals. According to Bohn (2009), another model that will be used to evaluate Morison’s company is th e SWOT analysis. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that Morrisons is experiencing relative to its competitors will be analyzed to determine the situation and recommend the possible remedies and strategies it should take to avoid losing ground to other supermarket chains. The C’s Business Situation Analysis Customers Like the other leading three stores, Morrisons has focused on the mid low-end segment of the population. The company has pursued a strategy focusing on offering unbeatable customer service and a favorable shopping environment. Again, it regularly competes on special offers and other promotions that aim to convince customers as savings oriented. The strategy has had considerable success evidenced by the number of customers who visit the stores every year. For instance, the store announced that a whooping 10.8 million customers visited the store in the three months leading to November 2009. The figures were way ahead of predictions and further ser ved as a vote of confidence in the customer service polices that is in place. Competition Morrisons supermarket faces competition from many other retails chains in the UK that already control a big share of the market. Waitrose, Sainsbury, ASDA and Tesco provide for the major competition for Morrisons in the UK. Apart from Waitrose, the rest are way ahead of the Morrisons in the market in terms of diversity of goods and services and regional presence.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Company Morrison Supermarkets plc. is classified as the fourth largest super market in the United Kingdom. It is got a sizable market share in the UK that was estimated at 11.8% in 2008. Currently, it is estimated to employ more than 124, 000. However, compared to its competitors, Morrisons was the smallest in terms of the market share segment. It is way behind market leader Tesco with a market s hare of 30.9%, Asda with 16.8% and Sainsbury with 16% (Li 2008). The company majorly deals with groceries and consumer goods that form the core of its revenue sources. Its revenue in the year 2010 is estimated to have hit 14, 528 million pounds. It is made a net profit of 460 million pounds in the year 2009. SWOT Analysis The C’s analysis above brings out many strengths and weaknesses of the Morrison’s retail chain. Similarly, it analyses the opportunities that can be exploited and the threats that are encroaching on its survival in the market (Fine 2009). Any strategy therefore that the new leader is going to carry out must address the elements identified in the SWOT analysis. Strengths It is apparent that Morrisons has a distinct advantage in the Northern part of the UK. Its historical ties with the place and success in courting low and mid low-end customers is one of the strengths that it boasts over its smaller rivals. The acquisition of Safeway’s retail gro up has only served to reinforce that advantage of consolidating Northern UK and other parts of the country. Again, unlike its competitors who have diversified in the products they offer, Morrison is yet to diversify universally beyond groceries and non-food offers. It therefore provides an area of strength that can be exploited by the retail chain to its advantage. The chain also has enormous strength among the upper middle class segment of the population. Morrison too has its â€Å"good quality food† tag that it has cultivated over time and which accords strength that its competitors do not have. Morrisons has a strong balance sheet besides owning majority of its store portfolio which is estimated at 89%. Estimates put its value of property to be 7.5 billion pounds higher than its market capitalization. With only 19% as its debt equity, Morrisons comes out top in the sector.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management Strategy Models specifically for yo u for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company therefore is stable as far as asset worth and accumulation is concerned. The above are financial strengths that the company can use to its advantage to increase business Weaknesses The supermarket however seems unsure which direction it should take. Failure to establish presence in the south when all other major chains did so was a case in point where the retail chain’s top management failed to make quick decisions and take risks to increase its market share in the UK. Opportunities Concentration on the low-end market means there still is an opportunity for the supermarket to grow its customer base in the high sections of the population. The fact that its leading competitors have larger market share and make more profits with their low-end client base is reason enough that there is still opportunity in expanding the customer base. Though Morrisons has ventured into the southern part of the UK, there st ill is an opportunity to expand its operations throughout the country to make it a nationwide chain hence access a larger client pool. While Tesco for instance has 2282 stores, Morrisons has 447 stores, giving it a huge opportunity to grow its branches to effectively compete with the leading three stores. All of Morrisons rivals have developed online shopping options for their customers. They have expanded their market reach to accommodate those that rely on the internet for shopping. Morrison’s new CEO has acknowledged the company is looking into the possibility of developing such a system. It is an opportunity that if exploited could see is customer base grow while the market share will be increased. Threats The price war between Morrisons and Tesco placed Morrisons at the receiving end. A Tesco advert in 2007 sought to inform prospective customers how Tesco had over 3000 items priced cheaper than at their rival Morrison. The financial muscle and the greater market share of the competitors will always be a threat to Morison’s position and progress as a market leader in the UK.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strategy development Given the stiff competition among supermarkets in the UK, it is important that Morrisons develops a strategy aimed at maintaining its competitive advantage. Its strengths as identified in the SWOT analysis will be consolidated while the measure will be put in place to stem the weaknesses. The strategy has to focus on exploiting the existing opportunities to increase the revenues of the company. Porter’s Generic Business Model According to Porter’s generic business opportunities model, innovation, quality enhancement and cost reduction form the core of any business strategy (Rundle and Johnson 2010). Innovation aims to increase the differentiation of products and adds value to them. Kossowski (2007) asserts that differentiation will enhance creativity that will ensure uniqueness of products giving a company’s good s and services an edge over the others. Quality enhancement on the other hand will involve concentration of particular market segm ents and development of highly developed products for those markets. Provision of cost leadership involves reduction of costs while remaining competitive on pricing. Charging lower prices will ensure while maintaining an acceptable profit margin on each unit of goods sold will effectively manage costs leading to profitability. Porter’s generic business opportunities model suits Morrisons as it seeks to increase its market share while raising its revenues. The new Chief Executive Officer needs to focus on new innovations that will bring new customers on board. Their marketing ways have to change so as the message goes beyond the mid low-end customer base that forms its core clientele. Innovation is also critically needed if the company is to increase the variety of goods that it has offering its customers. Pricing has been one of the fronts that the super markets have engaged each other. Morrison’s has a strong financial backing which can easily be turned to price offer s to customers. The new CEO will need to focus on specific market segments like they are doing now with a reduced margin and an intention to win the price war. A price war can easily turn against the company especially if the rivals have a considerable financial muscle like that of Tesco and the other two leading supermarkets. Morrisons has numerous factories where its products are manufactured. Possession of these factories gives them an advantage over their competitors. In the quest to improve sales, the new management should focus on improving the quality of their goods. This will be easier especially because they have control over the production of a majority of goods for their outlets. The leadership of the company should focus in making goods difficult to imitate by competitors and counterfeits. That way they are able to lock in any intended onslaught on their products by the competitors. Diversification beyond food products is necessary if market leaders like Tesco are to be challenged. Considering all leading supermarkets target the low-end segment of the market and regularly engage in price competition with Morrisons, it is important the new CEO carefully reviews the strategy. Caution will need to be applied in order to ensure costs are minimized while profits are maximized. Five forces Model Five forces model is another strategy model that is popular with businesses (Hax 2009).This strategy model suits into Morrisons current needs and the new management can use it to improve its market share while combating the challenges that face the company. According to Shaw-McMinn et al.(2001), the model involves analysis of the market through five fronts which touches on almost every aspect. Threat from new entrants in the market, the industry, bargaining power if suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers and the threat of substitute products constitute the five forces that shape strategy formulation in many companies. There are likely to other new entrants in the UK market. Though they present no considerable threat, it is important that the new management of Morrisons take note of them. New entrants normally enter the market with the intention of capitalizing on the existing player mistakes. Lack of online shopping for Morrisons may be one of the weaknesses that new entrants may be targeting. Considering they will be competing for the same clientele, it is important that Morrisons take steps to consolidate the customer base and ensure loyalty of customers. One way the new CEO can do it is through introduction of the shopper’s card that promises rewards for loyal and consistent customers. The supermarket industry in the UK is vibrant and any innovation player is guaranteed to keep its place. The new management of Morrisons should increase industry presence through offering diverse types of goods. Morrisons has already consolidated its position on the food sector. Its time the new management focused on other fronts that as a result will net new customers hence increase customer base. Keeping competitive advantage should also be top of the agenda. Morrisons would want to keep its superb infrastructure that greatly aides its domination of the groceries market. All goods that Morrisons distributes are obtained from suppliers. Considering it is largely a grocery oriented chain, suppliers come in handy. Suppliers determine the quality of the goods sold by the supermarket. Good relations with suppliers are therefore critical to Morison’s survival in the market. A few years back some industry analysts in the UK felt supermarkets in the UK including Morrisons were being too tough on suppliers. It is understandable because Morrisons has packaged itself a store that offers quality products compare with its rivals. Considering suppliers too have power and they can decide to sell their produce to other willing industry players, it is important the new management develop a relationship that is beneficial to both pa rties. It will be important for the new CEO to avoid the common hostilities that normally characterize supplier-buyer relationships. Buyers or customers are the main backbone of any business that has intentions of surviving in the market. The bargaining power of customers if not checked and carefully dealt with can easily lead to losses. Businesses have to perform a delicate balancing act where they need to make a sale and gain profit and ensure a customer is not lost or the reputation of the company is not damaged. The financial strength that Morrisons has plus an expected jump in profits through sound management will be enough for the new management to offer promotions that can double up as bargaining events. Substitute products offer reprieve to customers when they feel that do not experience maximum utility from the products they are interested in. It is therefore important that Morrison’s stock substitute products that will offer customers a wide variety to choose from i f their original intentions are not met. That calls for diversification of the products on offer in the stores in an effort to go beyond food products as earlier said. Conclusion The models described above do not offer the ultimate solution to Morrisons quest of increasing its market share in the UK. It is important for the management to note that its other leading competitors have overseas operations which gives them a competitive edge over Morrisons. The new CEO should consider taking Morrisons operations abroad in order for the company to increase its revenues and to improve its international market share. References Bohn, A. (2009) The SWOT Analysis. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Hax, C., A. (2009) The Delta Model: Reinventing Your Business Strategy. New York: Springer. Fine, L. G. (2009) The SWOT Analysis: Using Your Strength to Overcome Weaknesses, Using Opportunities to Overcome Threats. New York: Booksurge Llc. Kossowski, A. (2007) Strategic Management: Porter’s Model of Gener ic Competitive Strategies Theory and analysis. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Li, E. (2008) Supermarket Chains and Grocery Market in the UK. Web. Mann, C. J. and Gotz, K. (2006) Borderless business: managing the far-flung enterprise. London: Greenhood Publishing group. Orcullo, N. (2007) Fundamentals of Strategic Management’ 2007. Manchester: Rex Bookstore, Inc. Rundle, S. and Johnson. N. C. (2010) Business As Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice. New York: Inter-Varsity Press. Shaw-McMinn, Peter, G. and Moss, Garry L. (2001) Eyecare business: marketing and strategy. London: Elsevier Health Sciences. Strauss, S. (2008) The small business bible: everything you need to know to succeed in your small business. London: John Wiley and Sons. This essay on Management Strategy Models was written and submitted by user Spencer L. 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.

A Timeline History of Mathematics

A Timeline History of Mathematics Mathematics is the science of numbers. To  be precise, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines mathematics as: The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, abstractions and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations  and generalizations. There  are several different branches of mathematical science, which include algebra, geometry and calculus. Mathematics is not an invention. Discoveries and laws of science are not considered inventions since inventions are material things and processes. However, there is a history of mathematics, a relationship between mathematics and inventions  and mathematical instruments themselves are considered inventions. According to  the book Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times, mathematics as an organized science did not exist until the classical Greek period from 600 to 300 B.C. There were, however, prior civilizations in which the beginnings or rudiments of mathematics were formed. For example, when civilization began to trade, a need to count was created. When humans traded goods, they needed a way to count the goods and to calculate the cost of those goods. The very first device for counting numbers was, of course, the human hand and fingers represented quantities. And to count beyond ten fingers, mankind used natural markers, rocks or shells. From that point, tools such as counting boards and the abacus were invented.   Heres a quick tally of important developments introduced throughout the ages, beginning from A to Z.   Abacus One of the first tools for counting invented, the abacus was invented around 1200 B.C. in China and was used in many ancient civilizations, including Persia and Egypt. Accounting The innovative Italians of the Renaissance (14th  through 16th century) are widely acknowledged to be the fathers of modern accounting. Algebra The first treatise on algebra was written by Diophantus of Alexandria in the 3rd century B.C. Algebra comes from the Arabic word al-jabr, an ancient medical term meaning the reunion of broken parts. Al-Khawarizmi is another early algebra scholar and was the first to teach the formal discipline. Archimedes Archimedes was a mathematician and inventor from ancient Greece  best known for his discovery of the relationship between the surface and volume of a sphere and its circumscribing cylinder for his formulation of a hydrostatic principle (Archimedes principle) and for inventing the Archimedes screw (a device for raising water). Differential Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was a German philosopher, mathematician and logician who is probably most well known for having invented differential and integral calculus. He did this independently of Sir Isaac Newton. Graph A graph is a pictorial representation of statistical data or of a functional relationship between variables. William Playfair (1759-1823) is generally viewed as the inventor of most graphical forms used to display data, including line plots, the bar chart, and the pie chart. Math Symbol In 1557, the sign was first used by Robert Record. In 1631, came the    sign. Pythagoreanism Pythagoreanism is a school of philosophy and a religious brotherhood believed to have been founded by Pythagoras of Samos, who settled in Croton in southern Italy about 525 B.C. The group had a profound effect on the development of mathematics. Protractor The simple protractor is an ancient device.  As an instrument used to construct and measure plane angles, the simple protractor looks like a semicircular disk marked with degrees, beginning with 0 º to 180 º. The first complex protractor was created for plotting the position of a boat on navigational charts. Called a three-arm protractor or station pointer, it was invented in 1801 by Joseph Huddart, a U.S. naval captain. The center  arm is fixed, while the outer two are rotatable and capable of being set at any angle relative to the center one. Slide Rulers Circular and rectangular slide rules, an instrument used for mathematical calculations, were both invented by mathematician William Oughtred. Zero Zero was invented by the Hindu mathematicians Aryabhata and Varamihara in India around or shortly after the year 520 A.D.

I Miss Not Seeing You

I Miss Not Seeing You I Miss Not Seeing You I Miss Not Seeing You By Guest Author This is a guest post by Julie Link. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. â€Å"I love France,† my friend sighed, and I nodded my agreement. â€Å"I miss not being there,† she added. Huh? My commiseration over lost croissants gave way to puzzlement over this odd expression. You love it, but you regret not being absent from it? A quick perusal of the internet yielded more instances of the erroneous idiom. A headline on .OhGizmo.com laments, â€Å"Goodbye, F-117A. We’ll Miss Not Seeing You.† A query posted on WikiAnswers.com asks â€Å"How do you say i miss not seeing you in french† [sic]? Dictionary.com defines the verb â€Å"to miss† as â€Å"to regret the absence or loss of: I miss you all dreadfully.† The definition makes clear that what my friend missed was being in France rather than not being in France. How did â€Å"I miss being there† morph into â€Å"I miss not being there†? I’ve never seen the expression misused when the object of the verb is a person or a thing. Does anyone say â€Å"I miss not my mom?† (Well, perhaps, but that’s a topic for another day.) No, we all understand that that when we miss something or someone, we regret its absence or loss. We miss the warmth of summer, Gran’s apple pie, or a dear friend. The problem occurs only when what is missed is an action: â€Å"I miss seeing you,† â€Å"The children miss playing at the beach,† or â€Å"Nana misses rocking her grandbabies.† Perhaps the error derives from trying to emphasize the regret. Doesn’t not rocking the babies sound sadder than rocking them? But to add the word â€Å"not† is to create a double negative. Parsing my friend’s remark, for example, would suggest that what she regrets is being in France; that was not what she intended to convey. The definition of â€Å"miss† already denotes a negative- the absence or loss of something- so the addition of the word â€Å"not† negates the loss and creates, if not an arithmetic positive, then at least a grammatical confusion. Why this simple expression, so easily grasped that children use it comfortably, becomes so slippery when a few words are added is difficult to explain. An understanding of grammar is helpful; diagramming the sentence (Does anyone do that nowadays?) would demonstrate that whether what is being missed is a person, a thing, or an action, the structure of the phrase does not change. Rather than exposit the grammatical technicalities of gerunds and direct objects, I think I’ll cogitate over a croissant. The only problem is that I miss not counting calories. About the Author: Julie Link is an experienced editor and avid lexiphile who loves reading and writing about language and grammar. She may be contacted at julieolink@yahoo.com. 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)15 Types of DocumentsHow to Send Tactful Emails from a Technical Support Desk

Write a paper which reflects your understanding of the relation Essay

Write a paper which reflects your understanding of the relation between religious views of creation and the way that humans based on these views think - Essay Example The definite stand of Christian left for instance, is to go for same-sex marriage, has become controversial, contrary to the Christian right’s beliefs, but this group has remarkable explanation appealing to the human intellect and reason for justification. According to the Christian left, God has created everyone equal and it is the ultimate goal of Jesus Christ to liberate the oppressed and give freedom to those who are in bondage of sin. From their own interpretation of some Biblical texts associated with this thought, Christian left remakably reflected that Jesus would want to end the oppression against the third gender, and so legalizing the same-sex marriage as they believe would substantially end the repression against the homosexuals. Christian views nowadays are therefore trying to create a way to justify the human actions, unlike from the past which the literal interpretation of the Bible was most likely emphasized. Today, Christian views are still remarkably placing higher authority on God’s Word, but some views are susceptible to create justification leading to the belief system that is highly intellectualize and rich in substantial reasons. However, no matter how diverse these doctrines are, Christians have been united with the basic idea that God from the start would want to ensure a good plan for his creation, but as the humanity failed, he wants restoration and this was made possible through the death of Christ at the cross. This is the basic foundation of the Christian belief, as Christians remain to believe that God is the ultimate creator and source of everything. Furthermore, as creator of all things, God allows calamities at present to inflict remarkable consequences and pains on the humanity. A Christian view concerning this may lead to the very characteristic Jesus would want to show to the mankind. With his

Summaries of Five Lectures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summaries of Five Lectures - Research Paper Example Often companies overlook the actual cause by focusing on the tip of the iceberg. At this stage, companies also decide whether to undertake exploratory (exploring the motivations of consumers), descriptive (answering questions such as what, where, when, how) or causal (establishing cause-effect relationships in consumer’s behavior) research. Next, a plan is formulated which is implemented by collecting either primary or secondary data is the desired manner. There are two main types of research: qualitative (comprising of focus groups, observations and third-person techniques) and quantitative. Primarily, companies engage in research by employing the four core media; that is, telephone, internet, mail and face-to-face conversations. For instance, Pepsi conducted a blind-taste test (known as Pepsi Challenge) where consumers were told to taste two cups (one with Pepsi one with Coke). The results revealed that Pepsi was the popular choice amongst Americans. Lecture 3 discusses the three core steps of marketing namely segmentation, targeting and positioning. Segmentation refers to grouping the population into categories based on common characteristics pertaining to behavior, psychographic elements or profile of customers. Segmentation based on behavioral aspects tends to focus on the purchase behavior, benefits, features, usage patterns as well as perceptions of the customers. Psychographic segmentation is based on lifestyle patterns and personality traits of the customers. Profile refers to categorizing the market based on age, income and socio-economic status. Targeting comes after segmentation and refers to the selection of one or more such groups towards which the elements of the marketing mix are aimed at. These segments are evaluated on the basis of criteria such as their potential profitability, size, as well as their coherence with the organizational goals. Finally, positioning refers to the whole or space in customers’ mind that the company wis hes to acquire. In short, the company decides the area in which it would differentiate itself from competitors as well as how it intends to do so. For example, Diet Coke positioned itself against Coke Zero by appealing to a different target market (women) compared to Coke Zero that targeted athletics and sportsmen. Lecture 4 discusses the buyer behavior process. This begins with an analysis of the various roles that consumers take on as â€Å"initiators†, â€Å"influencers†, â€Å"deciders†, â€Å"buyers† and â€Å"users†. A personal consumer is one who is the end user of the product bought, whereas, an organizational consumer is one who buys with the intention of using the product in the manufacture of some other product. The process of making decisions involves recognition of the fact that the consumer has an unsatisfied need which he/she attempts to satisfy, searching for potential ways to satisfy that need, evaluating alternative products on th e basis of various criteria, purchasing and finally, evaluating the decision in retrospect. When the product falls short of the customer’s expectations he/she may experience cognitive dissonance. Consumers purchase products owing to peer pressure (for instance, a Mercedes to show off his status) as well as his/her personality traits (for instance, drinking ground coffee instead of Nescafe’s 3-in-1 satchel). The buying process for organizations is far more complex and involves a more rational, well-informed choice as opposed to purely hedonic or impulsive behavior

An Insight into Academic Writing Essay Example for Free

An Insight into Academic Writing Essay Authors Gerald Graff and Cathy Berkenstein claim in their book, They Say, I Say, that academic writing is not about â€Å"playing it safe and piling up truths and bits of knowledge,† like many people assume. Rather, it is about the dynamic interaction between other people’s points of view and the author’s response to those perspectives. In chapter one of Graff and Berkenstein’s book they emphasize the necessity of balance when implementing certain writing â€Å"moves,† specifically, when introducing a counter-view, summarizing other’s arguments, and when quoting someone else’s words. Graff and Berkenstein contend that by opening an argument with an explanation of what the thesis is responding tointroducing a counter-viewgives the main point clarity and relevance. They encourage stating the opposing view or assumption initially so that it will define and explain what the thesis is addressing. But, they also caution the writer not to bloat their introduction with extraneous information for fear of losing the audience’s focus and engagement. What Graff and Berkenstein suggest, then, is that â€Å"as soon as possible you state your own position and the one it’s responding to together, and that you think of the two as a unit. † Basically, they insist that the best way to give a â€Å"genuine response to other’s views† during academic writing is to have a balance between introducing what â€Å"They Say† (the opposing point of view) and what â€Å"I Say† (the writer’s response). If being in a constant dialogue with others’ positions is essential to arguing persuasively, as Graff and Berkenstein claim, â€Å"then summarizing others’ arguments is central to [the writer’s] arsenal of basic moves. † All too often during a summary, writers will provide their own opinions on an article’s topic rather than revealing what the article is actually stating. On the opposite extreme, there are the writers who â€Å"do nothing but summarize,† which dilutes their own views in an ocean of someone else’s ideas. Graff and Berkenstein remind us that a â€Å"good summary requires balancing what the original author is saying with the writer’s own focus. † In other words, an exceptional summary contains the perspective of the original author, while emphasizing the points the responding author wants to address. One of the best ways to initiate an effective argument is not only to summarize what they say, but to quote their exact words. According to Graff and Berkenstein, â€Å"Quoting someone else’s words gives a tremendous amount of credibility to your summary and helps ensure that it is fair and accurate. † By quoting someone else’s exact statement it serves as a proof of evidence that you are not just fabricating another’s claim, but that you are disclosing their true ideas. Like introducing a counter-view and summarizing, quoting requires that you find an ideal balance between the quantity of quotes and content of commentary. A common issue with quoting is when the author assumes the quote speaks for itself. As Graff and Berkenstein, quotes are like literary orphans that have been taken from their original context, â€Å"they need to be integrated into their new textual surroundings. † In simpler terms, a quote needs to be introduced, interpreted, and then connected to the central idea. I found chapter one of Graff and Berkenstein’s book, â€Å"They Say,† to be extremely interesting and useful. The way they tied all their information to a central idea, while explaining how to do just that fascinated me. I felt like their writing had a constant flow from introduction of a move, to implementing balance, to common problems, how to fix those problems, and then to exercises that would reinforce their primary concepts. Their style and content kept me engaged and focused. Also, I learned a handful of writing tactics, like introducing a counter-view, summarizing, and inserting quotes, that I was not one-hundred percent sure on how to do prior to the reading. Overall, I found the chapter to be engaging, informative, and beneficial to me and my writing style.

Hemp: The Earths Greatest Plant :: essays research papers

Hemp: The Truth About the Earth's Greatest Plant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a perfect world there would be a product that could serve as a fuel source, a food source, a paper source, a textile source, and this product would be easy to produce in any of its forms. Believe it or not such a product does exist; it is the plant known as hemp. No tree or plant species on earth has the commercial, economic, and environmental potential of hemp. Over 30,000 known products can be manufactured from hemp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemp was a common crop grown in the U.S. until 1937 when it was unjustly banned. A common misconception about hemp is that it was banned because it was a widely abused, harmful drug. Hemp was banned because it was a competitive threat to the wood industry. Corporations that profited from the demise of hemp spread rumors that marijuana was a major drug problem, which it was not at the time. They also propagated a campaign that it was a drug that induced uncontrollable violence, another complete falsehood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemp is the plant scientifically known as cannabis sativa. It is referred to as hemp when it is grown for its fibers, stem, and seeds. Its leaves and flowers produce the drugs marijuana and hashish. However, sterile breeds of the plant are still illegal to grow in the U.S. Literally millions of wild hemp plants grow throughout the entire Midwest today. Wild hemp, like hemp used for industry purposes, is useless as an intoxicant. Yet U.S. drug law states that one acre of this can result in the owner being sentenced to death. The death penalty exists for growing one acre of perfectly harmless, non-intoxicating weeds!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemp can produce any product that paper can produce. The difference is that one acre of hemp can produce four times as much paper as one acre of trees ( a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Also, a crop of trees takes twenty to fifty years to be ready for harvest where hemp is ready to harvest four times as much in just a year. In addition, hemp produces twice as much fiber per acre as cotton. Twenty five percent of all pesticides in the world are used on cotton, averaging to four pounds of chemicals per acre of cotton in the U.S. every year. Since hemp is a natural repellent to weeds and insects, it needs almost no insecticides or herbicides. If it were substituted for cotton it could greatly reduce the pesticide usage. Again, hemp can produce anything cotton can and what's more it can produce it better.

Changes in Supply Chain Management

Innovations And Development In Supply Chain Management (SCM) SUBMITEED BY: vaibhav kumar srivastav TABLE OF CONTENTS SI NO. TOPIC PAGE NO (1) Meaning and Introduction 1 (2) Tour of Developments in supply 2 Chain (3) Innovations and Recent trends in 2 SCM (4) Visited Companies: DTDC 6 †¢ DHL 9 †¢SAMTAL COLOR LTD 13 †¢BHEL 16 †¢BLUE DART 18 (5) Case Study on Innovations and 21 Development in SCM (Nikon Inc. ) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are very grateful to Prof. R. K. SINGAL, our Supply Chain Management Professor for giving us the guidance and help in grasping the theoretical oncepts of the subject and helping us in applying them practically in the Real Life Project at Many companies of Delhi Ncr. We are also indebted to manger who has guided us during company visit, for taking time out of his busy schedule, patiently answering our queries and helping us in understanding the supply chain management innovations and development followed at that particular company. (1) What is supply chain? Supply chain is a bridge between demand and supply. What is supply chain management? According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) â€Å"Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management†. INTRODUCTION : Having achieved significant improvements in manufacturing, many firms are now focusing their attention on their supply chains. With increased globalization, supply chains for most products have become longer both on the input as well as the output sides. This, combined with the trend towards proliferation of products makes management of the supply chain a very challenging task. SO in order to produce quality products with less cost & supplying it at less time many innovations & development has been made in the management of manufacturing supply chains. In the management of product flows, the innovations include concepts such as modularisation, postponement, mass customisation and flexible automation, time-based logistics, and cross docking. In the management of information flows, the innovations include the use of information technologies and strategic partnerships to improve the transparency of information. INNOVATION – is it relevant to SCM? : There are some W&H questions that will prove that innovations are relevant to SCM: WHY CHANGE IS REQUIRED? : Today Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone . . . Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES REQUIRED? Changes in thinking, products, processes, or services are required in SCM. The goal is positive change, to make something better or improve efficiency, productivity, quality, competitive positioning, market share, etc. (2) HOW THE CHANGE CAN BE ACHIEVED? : The most successful innovation occurs at the boundaries of organizations and industries where the problems and needs of users, and the potential of technologies can be linked together in a crea tive process. Now take a tour of developments in supply chain: . Creation Era – This era of supply chain management include the need for large scale changes, reengineering, and downsizing driven by cost reduction programs. 2. Integration Era – The development of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems in the 1960s & introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. 3. Globalization Era – Characterized by the attention towards global systems of supplier relations and the expansion of supply chain over national boundaries and into other continents 4. Specialization Era — Phase One — In the 1990s industries began to sold off non-core operations & Outsourced Manufacturing and Distribution . 5. Specialization Era — Phase Two — Supply Chain Management as a Service & Outsourced technology hosting for supply chain solutions. 6. Supply Chain Management 2. 0 – SCM 2. 0 results the combination of the processes, methodologies, tools and delivery options to guide companies to their results quickly. Innovation, Recent trends and changes in supply chain management: In the last one decade supply chain management has changed rapidly. There has been lot of involvement of new ideas. Few of them are described below:- (3) 1. Shifting focus from manufacturing to outsourcing: 25 years ago, most manufacturers owned their own factories and controlled their own production. They had complete, detailed knowledge of the capacity, schedules, and costs of manufacturing. Companies could adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace and restore the supply/demand balance more easily. Figure 1 shows the once-linear relationship companies had with their captive factories and sales offices. In the days before e-commerce, consumer demand fluctuated relatively slowly. With complete visibility into their own factories and sales offices, companies could easily find the status of inventory, work in progress, and customer orders currently in the supply chain. In the years since, a fundamental shift has taken place. More and more design, marketing, and sales take place on home shores, while parts manufacturing and final assembly are outsourced to offshore suppliers. In fact, a 2006 AMR Research study of contract manufacturing trends found that 92% of companies outsourced some of their production with 40% projecting they will outsource more in the next two years. . Emergence and proliferation of Information Technology: Information technology, even taken as an independent environmental factor and its adoption in professionally run businesses and firms has led to fundamental changes in supply chain behavior and further to the changes in governance structures. Virtually all sectors of industry in the developed and in the developing regions have witnessed t he following major trends over the past two decades: †¢Data storage costs have gone down in the past few years, while the volume of data gathered for business analysis purposes has increased dramatically. The cost per business transaction as well as the networking and communication costs within supply chains has been greatly reduced. Simultaneously, the capabilities and the content involved in the communications and the number and relevance of IT enabled business transactions have also increased. †¢With greater analytical capabilities and design technologies, new product introductions have increased, in part as a response to the need for greater product variety. As a consequence, product life-cycles have been shrinking, as documented for many industry sectors. The role of IT in the handling and communication of product design information is also well chronicled. These changes in IT (in particular business communication technologies) have played a critical role in enabling firms and supply chains to operate on a global scale [27]. Without IT being the enabler, the disintegrated supply network cannot be managed effectively. (4) 3. In the 1990s industries began to focus on â€Å"core competencies† and adopted a specialization model. Companies sold off non-core operations, and outsourced those functions to other companies. The specialization model creates manufacturing and distribution networks composed of multiple, individual supply chains specific to products, suppliers, and customers, who work together to design, manufacture, distribute, market, sell, and service a product. 4. Emergence of Retail Powerhouses: The consolidation or convergence of retail channels, as in the case of the retail chains such as Wal-Mart and the accompanying phenomena of smaller stores and chains being replaced by larger discount stores, not only have ad a profound impact on the supply channels, it has also changed the traditional roles defined for the manufactures, the retailers, the wholesalers and distributors. With the emergence of retail powerhouses, the large manufacturers of consumer items have seen incentives to outsource the cost and asset intensive operations to contract manufacturers, while focusing on creating and sustaining brand values through design and marketing activities. For retailers, the competition is now based on cost, logistics, and speed of innovation. These basic tenets of retail competition coupled with the change in the retail landscape have an enormous impact on the supply channels that feed the growing retail channels. These supply channels, both large and small, have to respond quicker and more efficiently to customer demand patterns. As a result, retail companies have attempted to change their business models and to dictate broad strategic and operating requirements to their vast supply base – thus there is pressure even on large and established suppliers to conform to the specific practices and the needs of the retail channels. In order to compete in the new landscape, retailers are taking on influential role in the design of products, they are also ready to reach in the second tier to develop market and distribute products that in some cases compete directly with their own suppliers. In short we can define latest trends in SCM as:- Trend 1. Demand plan sets the tone: Critical to the success of any Demand Plan is having all stakeholders, including sales, marketing, finance, product development and supply chain agrees upon a consensus Demand Plan. It is important for all participants to discuss factors affecting customer demand patterns, such as new or deleted products, competitors or market conditions, the aggregate demand plans and associated revenue plans. Once all demand for products and services is recognized, the information is consolidated into one Demand Plan. We have found that companies with dedicated resources focused around demand planning and forecasting yield stronger results and (5) drive more value to their company. Organizations that focus part time on demand planning and forecasting efforts yield substandard results. Trend 2. Globalization: The right Supply Chain Design is critical to managing the changes brought about by rapid globalization. A well thought-out Supply Chain Network Design can optimize the network and the flow of materials through the network. In doing so, network design captures the costs of the supply chain with a â€Å"total landed cost† perspective, and applies advanced mathematical technology to determine optimal answers to both strategic and tactical questions. TREND 3 can be found with: †¢Sales and operations planning †¢Transportation/distribution management †¢Improved product lifecycle management †¢Improved strategic sourcing and procurement Suppliers can differentiate themselves in a number of ways as well as provide value, additional services and capabilities to their customers. The differentiating factors include: †¢Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) †¢RFID †¢Labeling and packaging †¢Drop shipping †¢Collaboration TREND-4 Establishment of control mechanisms to proactively monitor the various components of the supply chain and, Information systems to connect and coordinate the supply chain as seamlessly as possible. A failure to excel at any one of these components can result in breakdowns affecting the entire supply chain. TREND-5: As the economy becomes more global, labeling and compliance to packaging requirements and regulations have become critical to success. Without adherence to local packaging and labeling regulations a product may violate local requirements, preventing it from being distributed and sold in that market. Product lifecycle management technology and processes can help ensure that products being produced and targeted for specific markets are well-managed and are compliant. TREND-6: Recent examples of collaboration have emerged in the expansion of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes that include upstream and downstream value chain partners as regular participants. S&OP processes help maintain a well-coordinated and valid, current operating plan in support of customer demand, a business plan and a strategy. The improved resulting (6) operating plan provides the management of each partner with a complete picture of forecasted demand, supply capacity, corresponding financial information with financial implications and allows them to make informed, critical decisions. We have visited some companies to show the Innovations and Development they have applied in their SCM for last 10 years: Company Profile: DTDC Courier & Cargo Ltd. (DTDC) was incorporated in the year 1990. Within a span of 20 years, through its business associates DTDC expanded its delivery network across the length & breadth of the country, thereby creating the nation’s Largest Domestic Delivery Network. Today DTDC is the second largest Indian company in the Express industry. DTDC can also be credited with pioneering the franchisee concept for the courier industry in India, and today has the largest franchisee network. Headquartered at Bangalore, with 4 of its Zonal Offices at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai & Mumbai, DTDC currently serves around 10, 000 pincode areas and has over 3700 franchised outlets supported by 176 offices which includes its Regional Offices, Area Offices, Branch Offices, Operational Hubs and Sub-Branches. DTDC has extended its service network to the overseas market and provides services to worldwide destinations using its own branches and international associates at prime gateways like USA, UK, Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, SriLanka & Hong Kong. Thanks to its strong IT infrastructure, the company is able to deliver 10. 5 million parcels a month to customers (7) across the world. To support its ambitious growth plans; DTDC has entered into an association with Reliance ADAG Group, and has on its Board, a Director from Reliance. Innovations and development they have taken in SCM for last 10 years: †¢V Express for Business Delivery: DTDC has lunched of V express, its new product which assures delivery of documents on the next business day. The product carries a unique feature of 100% money back if at all there is any service failure. The service shall be available in the 6 metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad in select princode areas. There will also be SMS Alert on delivery as avalue added service. †¢SMS Courier Limited for Speedy Delivery of Intra-City Consignments: DTDC has launched SMS Courier Ltd. , its subsidiary for the purpose of speedy intra-city deliveries and mass mailing activities. SMS Courier will be useful to organizations dealing in large volumes of intra-city consignments like the banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and cellular operators. The newly-formed subsidiary will ensure timely deliveries even to the remotest areas of the city. This service is available in the six metros and has made its entry into Pune as well. †¢Tie-Up with Reliance Money For Distribution Of Financial Services: To support their ambitious growth plans DTDC India’s leading Air Express & Cargo Company and Reliance Money Limited entered into a strategic alliance wherein DTDC will be acting as a distributor for Reliance Money’s financial products and services. DTDC already has a tie up with Reliance Capital and they would be happy to be associated with Reliance Money also. With DTDC’s distribution network, Reliance Money will be able to reach out to the smallest of investors in the remotest parts of India thereby achieving its objective of providing safe and secure financial services at a retail investor’s doorstep. †¢DTDC uses IT as its virtual vehicle: But what made the courier delivery system so efficient? IT (information technology) of course. The operations, efficiency and customer satisfaction were all enhanced with the application of IT and this is the secret behind the success of DTDC. The company uses IT as its virtual vehicle to provide timely and accurate information on the movement and delivery status of consignments. This is accessible through various digital modes like the DTDC website, mobile telephony (SMS) or its in-house developed track and trace facility. IT is the backbone of the entire operational and customer service process and e-mail is the lifeline of the company’s communications system. Launch of Time Definite Services Under DTDC Prime Time Plus†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9) â€Å"Prime Time Plus†, launched under the DTDC plus banner, is a guaranteed service for time definite deliveries of consignments within the next possible business day targeted at Time Critical Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Customer (B2C) Segments. PRIME TIME PLUS: PRODUCT/ SERVICE FEATURES  » Assured Time Definite Delivery with Money Back Guarantee*(MBG).  » Tamper Proof Security Pouch for Safe delivery.  » Real time Tracking and Status update.  » Dedicated High Performing Team to manage the service End to End.  » Distinct High Priority Operation Process.  » Dedicated Customer Support. Company Profile: DHL are the first letters of the last names of the three company founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn. 1111111111111 In 1969, just months after the world had marveled at Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, the three partners took another small step that would have a profound impact on the way the world does business. 111111111111111 The founders began to personally ship papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu, beginning customs clearance of the ship's cargo before the actual arrival of the ship and dramatically reducing waiting time in the harbour. Customers stood to save a fortune. 1111111111111111111111111111111111 ( (10) With this concept, a new industry was born: international air express, the rapid delivery of documents and shipments by airplane. 11111111111111111111 The DHL Network continued to grow at an incredible pace. The company expanded westward from Hawaii into the Far East and Pacific Rim, then the Middle East, Africa and Europe. By 1988, DHL was already present in 170 countries and had 16,000 employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ At the beginning of 2002, Deutsche Post World Net became the major shareholder in DHL. By the end of 2002, DHL was 100% owned by Deutsche Post World Net. In 2003, Deutsche Post World Net consolidated all of its express and logistics activities into one single brand, DHL. The world's largest express and logistics Network DHL is the global market leader in international express, overland transport and air freight. It is also the world's number 1 in ocean freight and contract logistics. DHL offers a full range of customized solutions – from express document shipping to supply chain management. 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Below are the global facts and figures that show you the scale of the world's largest express and logistics network. Global Facts and Figures Number of Employees: around 285,000 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Offices: around 6,500 111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Hubs, Warehouses & Terminals: more than 450 1111111111111111111111 Number of Gateways: 240 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Aircraft*: 420 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Vehicles: 76,200 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Countries & Territories: more than 220 111111111111111111111111111 Shipments per Year: more than 1. 5 billion 11111111111111111111111111111111 Destinations Covered: 120,000111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 (11) Supply Chain Management For DHL Information Flow 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Innovative Supply Chain Development Supply Chain Management services are delivered across industry sectors and provide expertise, knowledge and resources in terms of personnel and supply chain tools. All services are targeted at optimizing logistical operations in both process and strategy, and are aligned to the client's commercial expectations The services are as follows: ?Strategic Logistics Consulting ?Lead Logistics Provider ?Consulting and providing Transport optimization: Route-Pro and Trans-Pro ? Consulting and providing Supply Chain Design ?Consulting and providing Transportation ?Engineering, optimization and re-engineering Implementation and Project Management ?Process Management ?Outsourcing DHL’s consulting services also offer re-organization of customer facilities, project management for customers, implementation of new IT Systems, creation of tender documents and tender processing. (12) †¢Supply Chain Re-engineering DHL works with customers to review supply chain efficiencies. One of the main tasks is to evaluate cost efficiency to ensure that costs are being driven down throughout the contract duration. Data analysis allows DHL to provide customers with ‘what if modeling' or the impact of changing the business rules. Distribution to Stores Management DHL’s distributions to store solutions are focused on helping retailers create efficient and flexible supply chains to deliver product to retail outlets at high levels of service. 111111111111111111111111111111 These solutions are built from several core services including reverse logistics: ? logistics network strategy ?warehouse design and simulation ?Transport modeling. †¢After Sales Optimisation Optimising return logistics and spare parts logistics as well as maintenance and repair services. †¢Vehicle Management Services Our vehicle management services focus on the management of sales and marketing support programmes for automotive manufacturers. Combining a range of services and systems to deliver a global response, we help you overcome challenges at the end of the automotive supply chain. (13) Samtel Color Group Company Profile: Samtel Group's journey began in 1973, with a vision to create a world-class organization. Today, Samtel Group is India’s largest integrated manufacturer of a wide range of displays for television, avionics, industrial, medical and professional applications, TV glass, components for displays, machinery and engineering services. The group employs 6000 people in nine world-class factories and has an annual turnover of Rs 12 billion (USD 300M) Samtel Group has strong design and development skills and is a dependable player with excellent technological capabilities and a long-term commitment to the display industry. Its products are known for ruggedness and reliability and conform to the latest relevant quality standards. The group has excellent relationships with suppliers of key components and the ability to design new products as well as set up hi-tech manufacturing facilities. Samtel has registered many patents for developments in display technology. Chairman & managing director : Mr. Satish K. Kaura No. of employees – 6000 Corporate headquarters: TDI Centre, District Centre — Jasola, New Delhi We have visited one of its industries in GHAZIABAD i. e. (14) SAMTEL COLOR LTD Samtel Color is the flagship company of the Samtel group, and manufactures the widest range of Colour TV tubes in India and has a capacity of over 10 million picture tubes per annum. The company was incorporated in 1986 with a technical collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric, Japan to manufacture 14† and 21† Color Picture Tubes (CPTs). With a market share of over 60%, it is the largest tube manufacturer in the country. Its clients include leading domestic and international TV manufacturers. Integrated backwards with its component divisions at Ghaziabad and Parwanoo, Samtel Color also manufactures electron guns and deflection yokes for colour picture tubes. Samtel color ltd. Ghaziabad Was Established in the year 1988. Inaugurated by then FINANCE MINISTER N. D TIWARI. PRODUCT MANUFACTURED & EXPORTED: PICTURE TUBES MAJOR CUSTOMERS: LG, VIDEOCON, SAMSUNG, THOMSON etc. TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES: BTC, DELHI ASHARAM TRANSPORT ORDER PLACED -12 LACS (approx. ) It started with manufacturing picture tubes of 21’’ . They were out sourcing their raw materials from Samsung but later they started producing their own material at their own units . They mak e their products according to the anticipation of demand i. . PULL STRATEGY. They are having a continuous process. (15) Innovations and development they have taken for last 10 years: †¢Joint Venture With THALES Group: France’s THELES group, which has been operating in India since 1953, and has stepped up its presence in the country over the past two decades, has also teamed up with electronics manufacturer SAMTAL to create a joint venture, named SAMTEL THALES Avionics, which have an equity participation of 74:26 by SAMTEL and THALES. This joint venture design and anufacture global products to make the joint venture a part of THALES global supply chain. †¢Earlier they used to transport their products of small tones. Now they are transporting the goods in large tones. †¢As the needs of consumers were changing & because of stiff competition they were facing they started manufacturing & supplying TRUE FLAT PICTURE TUBES i. e. 29’’, 20’’, 21’’, 14’’ 6-7 years before. †¢Started manufacturing the raw- materials required in making picture tubes –panel, funnel, electron gun, DYs(Deflection Yoke ),band etc in its different units. t helped to increase the quality & reduced the time & increased profits †¢They are having robots in their units which help in producing quality products, reduces the time for manufacturing products. †¢Now they are manufacturing ULTRA SLIM PICTURE TUBES as it is the need of the hour& it provides them competitive advantage over other competitors. †¢Research is going on making LCD in airplanes. †¢They are using new technology for producing better quality products & reducing the cost. (16) Company Profile: BHEL was founded in 1950s. Its operations are organised around three business sectors: Power, Industry – including Transmission, Transportation, and Telecommunication & Renewable Energy – and Overseas Business. Today, BHEL has a wide-spread network comprising 14 manufacturing divisions, 8 service centers, 4 power sector regional centers, 18 regional offices, and a large number of project sites spread all over India and abroad. BHEL is one of the largest exporters of engineering products & services from India. BHEL has established its references in around 60 countries of the world, ranging from the United States in the West to New Zealand in the Far East. Its export range include: individual products to complete power stations, turnkey contracts for power plants, EPC contracts, HV/EHV Sub-stations, O services for familiar technologies, specialized after-market services like Residual Life Assessment (RLA) studies and retrofitting, refurbishing & overhauling, and supplies to manufacturers & EPC contractors. BHEL's product range include: Steam turbines and generators of up to 500MW capacity for utility and combined-cycle applications; Steam turbines for CPP applications; Gas turbines of up to 260MW (ISO) rating; Custom-built conventional hydro turbines of Kaplan, Francis and Pelton types with matching generators, pump turbines with matching motor-generators; Spherical, butterfly and rotary valves and auxiliaries for hydro station; HSD, LDO, FO, LSHS, natural-gas/biogas based diesel power plant; Industrial turbo-sets of ratings from 1. to 120MW; Steam generators for utilities, ranging from 30 to 500MW capacity, using coal, lignite, oil, natural gas or a combination of these fuels; Pulverized fuel fired boilers; Stoker boilers; Atmospheric fluidized bed combustion boilers; Circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers; Waste heat recovery boiler; Boiler Auxiliaries; Heat Exchangers & Pressure Vessels; Pumps; Power Station Control Equipment; Switchgears; Bus Ducts; Transformers; Insulators; Capacitors; Energy Meters etc. (17) Classification of Materials: The materials for procurement can be classified in two categories: Direct Materials: Materials, which go directly into the Project/ Product/ Site/ Systems. Indirect Materials: Materials other than above, such as consumables/ packing etc which are used in manufacture of despatchable products and materials such as coal, cement, kerosene, oil etc which are used to run the essential services/ machine tools/ office establishment. Supplier registration is one of the primary and important activities of MM functions. This is the entry point of supplier in BHEL. A carefully chosen supplier will be an asset to the organization. DEMAND FORECASTING METHOD? ABC analysis and EOQ methods. JIT does not work for BHEL as most of the procured items are long cycle items and Inventories have to be maintained to avoid any production hold ups. Normally inventories sufficient for 3 month requirements are maintained. HOW ORDERS ARE PLACED ? BHEL quotes against the tender requirements (normally global) published in all the national newspapers and also made available on the web sites of respective customers. After evaluation of all the received bids by the customer, if the BHEL’s bid is found to be technically acceptable and financially the lowest then the customer places a Work order on BHEL. CUSTOMER FOR BHEL? NTPC, NHPC, STATE ELECTRICITY BOARDS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES FOREIGN COUNTRIES LIKE RUSSIA, GERMANY, FRANCE, MIDDLE EAST etc. (18) Supply Chain Management For BHEL, Company Profile: Blue Dart Express Ltd. , India's premier integrated air express carrier and logistics-services provider, has been one of the largest Global Service Participants of Federal Express Corporation, the world's eading air express transportation company, since 1984. From 1984, Blue Dart represented all FedEx interests, under a principal to principal arrangement, in India. Blue Dart-Federal Express Relationship: Blue Dart and FedEx have determined a new agreement in October 1997 to coincide with the introduction by FedEx of its first round-the-world flight touching Mumbai, as well as its direct entry int o the country. Under this agreement, Blue Dart is the exclusive provider of transportation, (19) ickup and delivery, customs and related services for FedEx's International Priority shipments, as well as the sole preferred consolidator of FedEx services. The Alliance seeks to leverage the strengths of both organisations for mutual benefit. While FedEx focuses solely on the development of its international business, with its link to the vibrant economy of the Sub-Continent, Blue Dart continues to consolidate its dominant domestic position, and service and enhance its international customer base as a licensee of FedEx, to support FedEx's international growth. The new agreement is designed to stimulate the development of India's international express market by combining the competitive advantages of FedEx's global reach with Blue Dart's domestic coverage to increase the market share of both companies. Innovations and development they have taken in SCM for last 10 years: TrackDartTM: You can track the status of shipment by using the TrackDartTM box, which is available on the upper left panel of every page on our website. You may track shipments sent on Blue Dart services within India or to Nepal, Bangladesh or Bhutan. You may also track international shipments sent on Federal Express to/from India. Shipments under single or multiple waybills may be tracked using either the waybill number or the reference number given at the time of shipping. MailDartTM: You may either use the Waybill Number or the Reference Number to track the status of your shipments. This feature helps you to track Single or Multiple shipments. To track the status of your shipments by Waybill Number enter the waybill numbers either in `Subject' or in the text of the mail, each Waybill number seperated by a comma. To track the status of your shipments by (20) Reference/Order Number. Enter the reference/order numbers in `Subject' of the mail, each reference or order number seperated by a comma. Location Finder: 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Find the service locations of Blue Dart and the Blue Dart counter or franchisee located closest to you. You may search by city, street name or pin code to find one of over 11,558 locations serviced in India, or in 211 countries worldwide. Transit Time Finder: 111111111111111111111111111111 You can check the transit times for your domestic and international shipments, and for the various services offered by Blue Dart to help you identify the service that meets your requirements. Price Finder: 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 You can calculate your shipping costs for your domestic and international shipments by using their Price Finder. Waybill Generation: 111111111111111111111111111111 The Online Waybill generation tool helps the credit customer to generate a waybill for a consignment. The user has to enter the details of the consignment and the waybill will be generated in a PDF format. Address Book: This feature comes with the online waybill generation module. The Address Book can be accessed by all credit customers of Blue Dart. You can create a new address list and modify or delete the addresses at any point of time. 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 (21) Case Study Case Study Nikon Focuses on Supply Chain Innovation— And Makes New Product Distribution a Snap Top consumer goods manufacturers now recognize that success requires more than just making market-leading products. Having the right distribution network is just as critical. Nikon Inc. is the world’s leader in precision optics, 35mm and digital imaging technology. So it’s no surprise that when the company saw the next big trend in photographic technology—digital cameras—they were ready to deliver with some of the most advanced product designs in the marketplace. But to ensure that retailers could meet the demand of tech-hungry consumers and professional photographers, Nikon, with the help of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, reengineered its distribution network to keep them well supplied. Client Challenge: To support the launch of its new digital cameras, Nikon knew that customer service capabilities needed to be completely up to speed from the start and that distributors and retailers would require up-to-the-minute information about product availability. While the company had previously handled new product distribution in-house, this time Nikon realized that burdening its existing infrastructure with a new, demanding, high-profile product line could impact customer service performance adversely. In our business, it’s not enough just to produce leading-edge products,† said Arnold Kamen, Nikon’s Vice President of Operations and Customer Service. â€Å"Having the ability—and visibility—to predict how much merchandise is (22) available and when it can be distributed makes the difference in staying ahead of customers’ needs. † For Nikon, that meant applying its well-known talent for innovation to creating an entirely new dis tribution strategy and taking the rare step of outsourcing distribution of an entire consumer electronics product line. With UPS Supply Chain Solutions on board, Nikon was able to quickly execute a synchronized supply chain strategy that moves product to retail stores throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and allows Nikon to stay focused on the business of developing and marketing precision optics. Our Solution: Starting at Nikon’s manufacturing centers in Korea, Japan and Indonesia, UPS Supply Chain Solutions manages air and ocean freight and related customs brokerage. Nikon’s freight is directed to Louisville, Kentucky, which not only serves as the all-points connection for UPS’s global operations, but also is home to the UPS Supply Chain Solutions Logistics Center main campus. Here, merchandise can either be â€Å"kitted† with accessories such as batteries and chargers, or repackaged to in-store display specifications. Finally, the packages are distributed to literally thousands of retailers across the U. S. , or shipped for export to Latin American or Caribbean retail outlets and distributors, using any of UPS’s worldwide transportation services to provide the final delivery. 23) With the UPS Supply Chain Solutions system in place, the process calibrates the movement of goods and information by providing SKU-level visibility within complex distribution and IT systems. UPS also provides Nikon advance shipment notifications throughout the U. S. , Caribbean and Latin American markets. The result: a â€Å"snap shot† of the supply chain that rivals the performance of a Nikon camera. Nikon has already seen the results of its innovation in both digital technology and product distribution. The consumer digital camera sector is one of Nikon’s fastest growing product lines. In addition, supply chain performance and customer service are measurably improved. Products leaving Nikon manufacturing facilities in Asia can now be on a retailer’s shelf in as few as two days. While products are en route, Nikon also has the ability to keep retailers informed of delivery times and to adjust them as needed, so that no retailer needs to miss sales opportunities due to lack of product availability. UPS Supply Chain Solutions is forging a broad spectrum of creative solutions to support the Nikon supply chain, including logistics, transportation, freight and customs brokerage services. Synchronizing those pieces to work together gives Nikon a significant advantage in leveraging the competitive strengths of UPS Supply Chain Solutions. â€Å"Through a combination of UPS services, we have been able to greatly shorten our supply chain,† Kamen said. â€Å"Although we are achieving greater speeds, we have better visibility of our products, which enables us to provide a higher level of service to retailers and ultimately, the final customer. † Once (24) again, Nikon leads the market in leveraging the latest developments in technology. â€Å"Thank You†