Leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leaders - Essay Example His step towards achieving this was to make learning to be student-oriented to the best extend possible. After briefing the students on the various topics, he consulted them when and on how best they wanted to learn about a certain topic within the course. His major focus was the less motivated students who were generally performing low. Most of them suggested that for every difficult topic, they wanted the professor to take them through it on a lecture, followed by other experimental and participatory activities like practical exercises, watching of video clips or visit to places. This would be followed by individual and group discussion questions to test their understanding on the topic. The lecture lessons were also moved to morning when most of the students had more capacity to take in lecture information. The results were splendid! Initially, he would yell at the students to achieve great compliance but now, he does not even point a finger. All the students long for his lessons and there is great improvement in the performance of many students as indicated by the regular individual and group work assignments and tests he offers them. Basing on the explanation of Montana and Bruce (2008) the leadership style employed by the professor in this case was democratic type of

Segment and Profiling Examples Essay Example for Free

Segment and Profiling Examples Essay * CARL’S JR. The brand continues its growth with an emphasis on quality, service and cleanliness, pioneering concepts such as partial table service and self-serve beverage bars. The introduction of the signature Six Dollar Burgerâ„ ¢ in 2001 marks the latest Carls Jr. ® advance in the quick-service industry, confirming the chains constant emphasis on product innovation and representing a desire to satisfy the tastes of young, hungry consumers. Who: male and female consumers between the ages of 18 – 25 with an average education level of a high school graduate or higher and a income level of 000 000. This also includes family consumers who typically consist of married or single parents with 1- 4 stay at home children and roughly $1300 of disposable income that is usually spent at QSR’s. Common lifestyle characteristics include parents who work full time and who are not always able to prepare a meal for their family, households where 3 of the four people in a typical family do not know how to cook, consumers who spend 71% of their time or more outside the house, consumers who spend a majority of their time in busy high traffic districts of the city and teenagers between the age of 15 – 19 who work full or part time jobs and or go to school full time. Consumers in this target market regularly make purchases at QSR’s 1 – 2 times a week and expect healthier more nutritious meal options such as specialty salads, deli style sandwiches and grilled chicken sandwiches. What: The overall nature of the message would be image intensive with a majority of advertisements directed toward tv, print (including coupons etc.) and internet banners/stream videos. Where: The target market exists mainly in suburban areas, high traffic business districts and in some rural areas of Canada. The weight of the media funding would be allocated primarily based on this info and population patterns. When: Since a majority of ads will be spent on tv, commercials would be aired Monday to Friday from 3pm to 10:30pm, playing 3, 40 second commercials in an hour. On weekends commercials would air from 11:00am to 10:00pm, 2 times an hour. How: By using the profile-matching strategy in all chosen forms of media Carl’s Jr. would be able to achieve the desired regional coverage needed to successfully launch into the Canadian market. This effort combined with ‘skip’ schedule advertising will generate awareness, interest and trial purchase Endorsements is a technique that Carl’s Jr. has already used somewhat successfully and could continue to do so by getting endorsements from celebrities that would be easily recognized and accepted by the target audience. This would include Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba and Sarah Jessica Parker who could add to the presentation with sexually blatant appeals that could be easily â€Å"confused† with benefits of the product. Such as an ad where one of the above celebrities would mention how they have met someone who gives them everything they want and keeps them satisfied with his â€Å"big†¦., thick†¦., so large I can barely get both hands on it†¦..†, these references would of course be toward Carl’s Jr. and the size of their new ‘Six Dollar’ Jalapeà ±o burger. Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant could also be used to target the segment of customers who may be more influenced by the endorsements of professional athletes and their reference to the amount of meat found in the premier burger. With this type of commercial we would also introduce taglines and slogans to complete the message. For the ad endorsed by an attractive female celebrity the tagline would be â€Å"If we can get her this HOT, imagine what we can do for you.† this would introduce the Jalapeà ±o burger as a spicy meal to consumers who prefer a ‘kick’ to their food. The slogan used for the entire advertising campaign would be â€Å"We’re new. We’re more. And we can make it HOT.† * BROTHER’S BURGER Brothers Burger is a fast-casual restaurant that now has a total of 18 branches— six franchised and 12 company-owned — in Metro Manila, Baguio City, Cebu City. â€Å"We wanted to give the market good comfort good,† says Martin, the company’s vice president for business development and marketing. But it was Quito, a California-trained chef, who brought up the idea of selling a premium burger. To bring this idea to life, DJ and Martin quit their jobs to help Quito. Their burgers are all quite big and charbroiled a lot of health conscious people who order this if they are craving for burgers. * BURGER MACHINE BURGER MACHINE IS THE MARKET LEADER OF THE BURGER-ON-WHEELS SEGMENT OF THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRIES IN THE PHILIPPINES OPERATED BY FRANCHISEES NATIONWIDE. Burger Machine is the market leader of the burger-on-wheels segment of Philippines Food Industry. To simply put it, Burger Machine is the National Burger Stand of the Philippines. 🙂 (Among the other famous burger stands in the Philippines are: Angels Burger, Scott Burger Buy 1 Take 1 Burgers, etc). Burger Machine is not the resto type, it has been consistent in identifying itself as the-burger-next-door; you can see it everywhere, in every block, and in every corner possible. It is open 24 hours, the reason why it earned its name the burger that never sleeps. * McDonalds McDonalds has segmented their products according to bases of Demographic, Psychographic and Behavioral. They have segmented their products and positioned their products according to kids, students and family. But they haven’t segmented their products according to Adult target group. And also haven’t started segmented related to breakfast in every outlet. * Happy Meal for Kids. Playing area for Kids Music and Dance floor for youth. Toddler zone -an active play environment with age-appropriate games that develop physical coordination and social skills. Active zone-designed for children aged four to eight that promotes physical fitness through fun play Sports Zone-a series of sports-oriented activities to promote aerobic exercise for children aged nine to 11 Parent Zone-features seating and provides a monitoring area for their children; and the Dining Area which allows family to eat. Geographical segmentation From geographical segmentation above we can see that McDonald offered their services based on certain country basic food. Demographic/psychographic segmentation Demographic segmentation divides the market into groups based on variables like gender, age, nationality, religion, family life cycle and family size. McDonald offered their services by segmented their customer based on age, religion and family life cycle McDonald segmented their product based on customer’s religion To offer the best services McDonald still concern about variations due to differing tastes and cultural issues for their customer over the world. For example: ‘Demographic segmentation divides the market In Malaysia, In Muslim country like Malaysia pork is not due to Muslim dietary laws, the hamburger is called beef burger avoiding the word â€Å"ham† (McDonald Malaysia). Additionally, in North African Morocco as well as other Muslim countries, all meats is slaughtered in the halal method and labeled as such. On The other hand, In Israel, kosher dietary laws forbid the mixture of the meat and the dairy product, because of this, cheeseburger are not popular. McDonald runs kosher restaurants in Jerusalem and in Buenos Aires (Gurdian Unlimited, 2007), Argentina and offer a â€Å"Passover bun† (only in Israel) for the eighty day period in which practicing Jews abstains from leavened bread. Contrary, â€Å"Veggie burger† are offered wherever there is significant demand, including India and much Western Europe, but McDonald rarely certificate it product as vegetarian. Indeed, McDonald’s was subject to high profile lawsuit and eventually forced to apologized for using small beef in the preparation of fries marketed as cooked in 100% vegetable oil. While in the liberal countries like The United States McDonald offer any kinds of food which one of it not available in other countries such as, hamburger, big n tasty, crispy chicken mCclub, McRib Jr, bacon egg and cheese bagel, BBQ bacon chicken mCgrill and cherry pie. (Bizjournal strictly business, strictly local, 2001) Behavioral segmentation Behavioral segmentation focuses on dividing consumer based on their knowledge, attitudes, uses, benefits sought, or responses to company’s product (McNamee McDonnell, 1995). One of the best form of segmentation is to divided buyers according to the different benefits that they want to get by purchasing the product. Usually, people who look for in their product class or look for each benefit. For example, McDonald provide McDelivery for 24 hour, this the only one delivery service that not stop even once in a while a day by just call it and order, after that within a minute it comes to your place with the food that still hot and fresh. For example, they who are working until late night in the office or they who are not sleep at night, they use this service to feed them because not all McDonald restaurants is open for 24 hour, certain McDonald restaurant only open until 2 am in the morning, for customer who look for each benefit they will just call McDelivery to send what they order rather than comedown directly to McDonald’s restaurant. McDonald segmented McDelivery menu based on the time that customer order: ∙ Breakfast extra value meals: bagel with omelet, big breakfast, hotcakes with sausage, hotcakes, sausage mCmuffin, egg muffin, fillet-o-fish, hashbrown. Happy Meal breakfast includes free toy: 2pc breakfast hotcakes. ∙ Lunch/Dinner/supper: big mag, double cheeseburger, fillet-o-fish, mcwings, French fries, mCchicken, mCspicy, grilled chicken foldover. Happy Meal lunch/dinner/supper includes free toy: chicken mCnugget, grilled chicken bun, chicken mCnugget. ∙ Sides: French fries, corn cup, apple dippers. ∙ Beverages: mCcafe cappuccino, mCcafe latte, mCcafe long black, coke/ coke light, sprite, ice lemon tea, jasmine green tea, 100% pure orange juice, limeade, iced milo, evian, fresh milk, hot chocolateor tea, hot milo. ∙ Dessert: McFlurry, sundae, apple pie. (McDelivery, 2006) McDelivery menu by McDonald (2006).. According to the data above, we can see that McDonald segmented their McDelivery menu based on how customers considering each benefit. Another behavioral segmentation in McDonald that we can guess is they proudly Big Mac, we can measure how customer is loyal to this McDonald’s product. In my opinion, Big Mac is one of popular burger in the world everybody knew it, know what it calls, know how to get it and know how it tastes. Year to year the sales of Big Mac keep on steadily and it is never drop under what we are predicted. On the other hand it sales also never suddenly totally increased, it is one of the evidence that Big Mac is reputable in common meanings it well-know because of it big size of burger under the brand of McDonald which all the people knows how it fast food feeder popular but it do not mean that this Big Mac do not have competitor. Nowadays, there is a lot of fast food feeder that serve any kind of burger with tempting taste and affordable price, this is what people said â€Å"the taste balance with the quality† which the brand is Burger King with their lot of menu choices and MOS burger that now serving their burger not with bread rather than rice, so many unique and unimagined ideas about how people create an interesting food and take business burger seriously. The reasons why this three brand of burger consume by community is because they all concern for the word halal kosher, they also know how to compete by creating the best test and design the appearances of burger until it brings kind of history to our life. Additionally, it also because of their good marketing which know how they persuade people and how they advertise their burger by make it commercial break that published in television, advertise their burger in big billboard, put their poster in bus until send their discount coupon (direct mai l) to public.

Radio Frequency Identification Essay -- Cyberstudies Art Technology Es

Radio Frequency Identification "Select one particular area of the arts, media or communication industries and discuss the way in which new technologies could influence future developments in that field† â€Å"This is the most dangerous technology humanity has come up with since the nuclear bomb. Our children's generation will judge us by how we handle this† (Centaur Communications, 2003). What possible atrocities could this be in reference to? Could it be Saddam Hussein’s hidden weapons of mass destruction, or perhaps an opposition to genetic engineering? No, this is a statement from marketing academic Albrecht describing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. What is RFID and what are the connotations of adopting this technology on future generations? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by examining the following issues: Firstly it will start by providing an explanation and definition of RFID. Next it will discuss possible future developments of this technology as being currently explored by major corporations as well as the public concerns related to possible developments. Finally it will look at the probability of these predictions becoming reality and assess the advantages and disadvantages of these predictions coming to fruition. RFID is fundamentally a form of active one-way communication, where electronic tags are programmed with unique information which enables objects to be identified or tracked by receivers. These tags can then be placed on almost an infinite array of items such as pallets, clothing, vehicles, grocery items and even animals, which opens up a vast range of possible uses for them (Advanstar Communications, 1999). RFID tags could be explained as a type of revolutionary bar... ...ontline Solutions, 7, p48. Centaur Communications Ltd. (2003). Insight: Tagging along. New Media Age, p24. Forester, T. (1987). High-tech society. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd. James, G. (2004). Can’t hide your prying eyes. Computerworld, 9, p35-36. Jones, P., Clarke-Hill, C., Shears, P., Comfort, D. & Hillier, D. (2004). Radio frequency identification in the UK: opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 32, p164-171. Lillo. A. (2004). Store of the future is here today. Home Textiles Today, 19, p11. Neff, J. (2003). P&G products to wear wire. Advertising Age, 50, p1. Rosenberg, J. (2003). Bye-bye to bar codes. Editor & Publisher, 36, p20. Stackpole, B. (2003). RFID finds its place. Electronic Business, 9, p42. Wagstaff, J. (2003). Eyes on you, the shopper. Far Eastern Economic Review, 31, p31. Radio Frequency Identification Essay -- Cyberstudies Art Technology Es Radio Frequency Identification "Select one particular area of the arts, media or communication industries and discuss the way in which new technologies could influence future developments in that field† â€Å"This is the most dangerous technology humanity has come up with since the nuclear bomb. Our children's generation will judge us by how we handle this† (Centaur Communications, 2003). What possible atrocities could this be in reference to? Could it be Saddam Hussein’s hidden weapons of mass destruction, or perhaps an opposition to genetic engineering? No, this is a statement from marketing academic Albrecht describing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. What is RFID and what are the connotations of adopting this technology on future generations? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by examining the following issues: Firstly it will start by providing an explanation and definition of RFID. Next it will discuss possible future developments of this technology as being currently explored by major corporations as well as the public concerns related to possible developments. Finally it will look at the probability of these predictions becoming reality and assess the advantages and disadvantages of these predictions coming to fruition. RFID is fundamentally a form of active one-way communication, where electronic tags are programmed with unique information which enables objects to be identified or tracked by receivers. These tags can then be placed on almost an infinite array of items such as pallets, clothing, vehicles, grocery items and even animals, which opens up a vast range of possible uses for them (Advanstar Communications, 1999). RFID tags could be explained as a type of revolutionary bar... ...ontline Solutions, 7, p48. Centaur Communications Ltd. (2003). Insight: Tagging along. New Media Age, p24. Forester, T. (1987). High-tech society. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd. James, G. (2004). Can’t hide your prying eyes. Computerworld, 9, p35-36. Jones, P., Clarke-Hill, C., Shears, P., Comfort, D. & Hillier, D. (2004). Radio frequency identification in the UK: opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 32, p164-171. Lillo. A. (2004). Store of the future is here today. Home Textiles Today, 19, p11. Neff, J. (2003). P&G products to wear wire. Advertising Age, 50, p1. Rosenberg, J. (2003). Bye-bye to bar codes. Editor & Publisher, 36, p20. Stackpole, B. (2003). RFID finds its place. Electronic Business, 9, p42. Wagstaff, J. (2003). Eyes on you, the shopper. Far Eastern Economic Review, 31, p31.

Assurance of learning exercises

Implemented plans to Inhalant and accelerate the turnaround of the Mix business in Europe. Their plans focused on enhancing the brand by improving product appeal. In order to do this the company made key appointments to the Mix Europe Holdings management team. Along with appointing a new interim CEO, they appointed John Moore as consulting Vice President. Mr.. Moore came with an extensive background. Mr.. Moore was an Important factor with Firebombed & Bitch's Hollister Co. Line and ModernAmusement for Moslem Inc. LIZ Collarbone Inc. Believed that the turnaround process was at a critical juncture and the enhancements, structural changes and new leadership were necessary to reinvigorate the brand and improve performance (Bloomberg. Com). Liz Collarbone Inc. Hired Thomas Grate in 2009 as their permanent CEO for the Mix chain. Grate headed up a plan to improve the chain by changing the business modes so that one manager would oversee all aspects of a product segment, Including design, p roduction, product management, and merchandise management. He called this â€Å"one-hand responsibility.Then there was an urgent need to have a new corporate brand identity focused on the core markets in Germany and the Benelux countries. He implemented sales productivity improvement by accenting a â€Å"consumer need-based merchandise planning approach† and placing an emphasis on e-commerce (Reuters. Com). Grate continued to focus on the right products for the targeted group, not making the Mix line too much Like casual American sportswear or too city oriented. Grate resigned as CEO In 2012. Shortly after this LIZ Collarbone Inc. Sold Mix to The Gores Group which has also implemented many changing in leadership.I think that you need to do whatever is necessary to keep the business thriving. In this case the leaders are very informed and knowledgeable in their industry. The execution has at least stopped the Mix line from its downward spiral. The losses today are less than t hose predicted by Wall Street. The management brought the Mix line out of the gutter and made it possible for LIZ Collarbone Inc. To sell a majority stake to relieve some of the worries of the struggling chain.

Loneliness and outsiders Essay

An outsider like crippled Crooks has no one to protect him, all he has is his American Civil Law book which defends his rights as a individual living in the U. S. A and seems to give him a certain comfort knowing that not anyone can argue against his tattered old book. Just as all of his feelings are exposed, Curley’s wife threatens him and once again, he withdraws himself back to the liniment which seems to be the only thing in the world that makes Crooks feels better, even if he is ostracised from the rest. Curley’s wife is one of the most significant characters to the novel because she shows loneliness on different levels. Because of being married to Curley she has a high status in the ranch, but this is exactly why she has no one but herself. Workers are afraid of getting too close to her in case innocent talking turns into more which could cost them their jobs†¦ or even lives. Nevertheless she is led to seek solace with the other men even if they are at the bottom of the social hierarchy on the ranch. And due to all the isolation, the only way to get noticed by the other men is to be a charmer, but this is what makes her so misunderstood. She expresses her true feelings about what could have been to Lennie while he sits on the hay and absorbs absolutely nothing but reflects on the poor little pup that he unintentionally killed. Curley’s wife reminisces about how she could have been a Hollywood star and had all the superficial items that so many celebrities buy. Throughout her time on the ranch she has always thought her mother was the reason why Hollywood never became a reality for her, she said, ‘I never got that letter, I always thought my old lady stole it. So I married Curley. ‘ This was her dream while on the ranch and like so many others, it shows how much of an outsider and a gullible person she was. In her life there had always been dominant figures like her mother and then Curley. So she has no real idea about how to be autonomous and become more of an independent woman. It could be said that she doesn’t know how to interact correctly with people, persistently asking sympathetic rhetorical questions and also being very manipulative and discerning. These virtues are what make Curley’s wife such a great character, she has no official name but is possibly one of the most complex characters to depict. Lennie is a simple person, mentally and literally. No one actually understands what he is saying most of the time because the ranch workers have never seen anyone so perplexed and bewildered as he. Without George he would be lost in life, Lennie relies on him to eat and to get him out of trouble whenever it’s needed most. Even though he blows arguments out of proportion by saying things like, ‘I wouldn’t eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me’ although he really does want the ketchup and is just playing on his own innocence. In one perspective Lennie is quite clever because if there is an opportunity where he can get George to take pity on him, then he will take it, but the majority of the time he is just retarded through no fault of his own. In the book sometimes Lennie is compared to an animal, like when he didn’t want to give the mouse to George but then handed it over and started to sulk, ‘Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball back to its master, Lennie approached. ‘ And another time was when he was walking along the dusty road with George, ‘He walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. ‘ Steinbeck chooses to describe him as an animal to symbolise the title, ‘Of Mice and Men’, maybe Lennie is the mouse and George is the man or the other way round. That’s how Lennie is an outsider, because he’s an amoral animal who doesn’t know his own strength, which is sometimes practical, but when he handles creatures and humans too ruthlessly, he does not know when to stop and that is when the exertion begins for George and Lennie. Lennie and George stick together through thick and thin, even when times get complicated, George seems to find a way out for the pair of them. ‘Circular narrative’ is when something happens in a story and after a while it occurs again. Throughout the novel Lennie repeats phrases and quotes to George that they have already talked about previously, like the whole ketchup scenario, tending the rabbits, owning and living off the fat of the land etc. This shows that Lennie knows George so well that he assumes all there is to talk about is rabbits and land. That is what makes him a lonesome man because all the conversation is about the same thing and whatever he wants to talk about. All the characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ go through a form of loneliness and a feeling of not belonging. At times they can be self-centred which is mainly when two characters are in discussion which each other but not paying attention to the other. Maybe this is one of the reasons that loneliness strikes them, as they do not listen and are all wrapped up in their own impenetrable worlds. But this is what makes the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ so fascinating to read, all the people have their own problems and dreams because they all share the strong emotions of loneliness and individuality, and even though they may think that they are all diverse, the audience can grasp that each person is more and more like the other.

Stonewall Jacksons illustriou essays

Stonewall Jacksons illustriou essays Stonewall Jacksons illustrious career Stonewall Jackson, born January 21, 1824 was one of the most famous confederate generals and one of the best officers to serve for General Robert E. Lee (http://norfacad.pvt.k12.). Since his parents died when he was very young, life was very rough for Jackson. His uncle, Cummins Jackson, a miller who lived near what is now known as Weston, West Virginia, raised him. Stonewall became one of the best and most able general in the Civil War. He was a devout Christian who was determined and dependable. When Jackson was young he had a limited education. His love of reading made up for the years of school he was unable to attend. He went to the U.S. Military Academy in 1842. He had to work several times harder than the other cadets to learn the lessons in school because of the poor education he received when he was young. But his grades slowly increased until he graduated. He was said to have been in the upper third of his class. His military career had just begun. As soon as he received his commission as lieutenant of artillery, Jackson was assigned to the war zone in Mexico. There he first met Robert E. Lee. Jackson served at Vera Cruz, Contreras, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. Jackson left the army in 1850 and became a professor of artillery tactics at Virginia Military Institute where he taught for ten years. He was not a very good teacher. He memorized his lesson the night before and was unable to elaborate on them. Many students mocked him and made fun of how religious he was. He demanded absolute attention and was responsible for some six expulsions from the school. In 1853, he married Elinor Junkin, who died a year later. In 1857, he married Mary Anna Morrison. Jackson offered his services to the confederacy. He joined the Confederacy and soon made his reputation as Stonewall Jackson at the First Battle of Bull Run(civilwarhome.com). Many people debate on how Jack ...

An Evaluation of Operations Strategy Essay Example

An Evaluation of Operations Strategy Essay Example An Evaluation of Operations Strategy Essay An Evaluation of Operations Strategy Essay What is operations strategy? 3 Operations3 Strategy5 Operations strategy6 The content of the operations strategy8 The process of the operations strategy9 Sustainable alignment9 Substitutes for strategy11 Implementation11 Conclusion13 Bibliography14 Introduction In a world, where humans do their best to survive, a never ending need for goods and services is always in people`s mind. In order to meet with these requirements, raw materials and processes should be organised and managed. In other words, `operations` is needed so that resources can be worked on to obtain products. Operations strategy has become a basic thing for organizations. In order to survive in the business world, strategies must be designed and the objectives of each operations should be indicated. Essential thing that every operations of organizations is produce either goods or services. Sometimes both goods and services should be produced in order to satisfy customers. Every organization regardless of their type has an operation function (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008). What is operations strategy? Operations Operations` can be described as the act of management of inputs such as resources and transformation of these inputs into outputs such as goods and services. During these procedures a strategy should be followed. By doing these sequences of actions, inputs (resources) transforms into outputs (goods and services) and this is called the `input-transformation-output` model of operations (Slack N. and Lewis M. , 2008). In figure 1. 1 an illustration, which is adapted from Meredith a nd Shafer (2010), of production scheme of operations is shown. In this system, three stages must take place in order to obtain outputs from inputs. These stages are, as in the order of its use, strategy, inputs and transformation process. During these, environmental factors have effects on the whole process. Therefore, a control mechanism should be applied on the whole process. Figure 1: The Production System (Meradith, Jack R. and Shafer, Scott M. , 2010) As it can be seen on the figure 1. 1, operations produce two types of outputs at the end of the process which are facilitating goods and services. Carmona and Sieh (2004) state that: `facilitating goods is the material bought or used by the costumer for example food items. Furthermore facilitating goods can be defined the things that provided by the costumers themselves such as medical history. ` On the other hand services considered as benefits. And these benefits may be either tangible or intangible; moreover, they can be escorted with facilitating goods (Meradith, Jack R. and Shafer, Scott M. , 2010). In the figure 1. 2 a visual is shown to demonstrate the differences between products and services (Meradith, Jack R. and Shafer, Scott M. , 2010). Figure 2: The relation between products and services (Meredith, J. R. , 2010) Strategy Although, strategy has a well-known meaning in the military the situation in the business world is not the same. In the business world there are, in fact, many answers to this questions since there is no an actual statement about what it really means. Out of many ideas about the meaning of strategy, Johnson et al. (2005) proposed the widely accepted definition of strategy which is ` Considering the long-term organizations, strategy is the path and choices of organization and through its pattern strategy must have the objective to help its organization to succeed in its markets. The path of a strategy should be planned in general. A strategy must concern about long-term aims and work on the big picture rather than details. While considering and planning the route of an organization, strategy consists of three features and these features have an interaction between them. These three elements are the organization`s objectives, its internal forces and its external forces. The interaction of these elements can be seen in figure 1. 3 which is adapted from (Meradith, Jack R. and Shafer, Scott M. , 2010). Figure 3: Strategy formulation (Meredith, J. R. , 2010) In an organization a strategy may be planned at three levels. As Barnes (2008) points out these levels are corporate level strategy, business level strategy and functional level strategy. Firstly, corporate level strategy deals with the long-term route of organization and its choices. When an organization deals with more than one division within itself, corporate level strategy should be designed to determine what those divisions should be and how resources should be shared between them (Barnes, D. , 2008). Second of the three levels is business level strategy. It mostly works on to find solutions such as how a specific division should compete with its opponents and also determines division`s aims and objective (Barnes, 2008). Lastly, functional level strategy works as the lowest level of strategy. Functional level strategy deals with specific functions such as marketing, manufacturing, finance, etc. It concerns about functions strategic aims and their way of using the resources (Barnes, 2008). Operations strategy Operations strategy is and should be interested in the total picture since that it the entire business. It also should be aware of what kind of changes is happening in its competitive environment. So that required actions can be planned for both present and future challenges. Moreover, there is a necessity of sustainability of operations. Therefore operations strategy must also concerned with the long-term objectives. Considering all of these, different explanations were made about what operations strategy is and what does it include. As Slack and Lewis (2008) points out, there are four important perspectives about operations strategy. These perspectives, as Slack and Lewis (2008) indicates, are; `the top-down perspective, the bottom-up perspective, the market requirements perspective and the operation resources perspective. The figure 1. 4, which is from Slack and Lewis (2008), illustrates these perspectives and their relations with each other in order to achieve a strategy. Figure 4: Four perspectives of operations strategy (Slack N. and Lewis M. , 2008) Creating operations strategy consists of decisions which were taken within the operations functions. Afterwards these decisions are taken, organization`s corporate strategy is affected from these decisions as well as its business strategy. To sum up the operations strategy, as Slack and Lewis (2008, p: 18) state, is; â€Å"Operations strategy is the total pattern of decision which shapes the long-term capabilities of any type of operation and their contribution to overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources. † (Slack N. and Lewis M. , 2008, p: 18) The content of the operations strategy Within the operations strategy, long-term objectives should be concerned and in order to design and improve its route strategic decisions should be made. These decisions are also important since they are the building blocks of an operations strategy (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008). The collection of these decisions is named `the content of operations strategy` by Slack and Lewis (2008). In addition, Barnes (2008) points out that these decisions are to be decided in specific and important areas. The mentioned areas concerned with the structure and infrastructure of operations (Barnes, 2008). The structural decisions areas, as they are indicated by Barnes (2008), are: ? Facilities: decisions about facilities should find solutions to questions like what the size of each facility will be and where these facilities should be located. The decisions also emphasise the product range of each facility and their target markets. ?Capacity: the question that how the facilities will be used is answered by the decisions which are taken in this area. Furthermore, due to these decisions, a specific facility of organization will be affected. Additionally its ability to serve in its market will be affected. ?Process technology: the equipment’s technological statuses which are used in operations processes are the main interest of these decisions. ?Supply network: decisions about supply network become important in order to decide which suppliers in which locations should be chosen. These decisions also help organizations to manage their relations with their suppliers (Barnes, 2008). The route of operations which is to last through organizations life is set by these structural decisions. Truly these decisions mostly cause large amounts of money to the organizations. Therefore they should be well thought strategically in order to avoid any unnecessary changes in the future. Issues that are concerned by infrastructure are (Barnes, 2008); ? Quality: In order to achieve quality, some decisions must be made for quality management policies. ?Performance measurement: Decisions about both financial and non-financial management. ?New product development: Decisions which are made in order to design and develop new products. Work organization: The structure and scheme of the organizations in operations. ?Human resources: The decisions about recruitment; training and management style. (Barnes, 2008) The process of the operations strategy The reconciliation which is essential between market requirements and operations resources of operations can be formulated and controlled by using the process of operations strategy. To put it another way the formulation of the process of operat ions strategy deals with the questions like in which way operations strategies should be designed and combined. Regardless of the type of organizations, reconciling operations resources with market requirements is the aim of the process of operations strategy (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008). Slack and Lewis (2008) indicates that the process of operations strategy can be formulated in three steps. First of all, the objectives of formulation should be studied and an alignment between market`s requests and operations capabilities to satisfy these requests must be achieved. Once an alignment is achieved decisions and plans should be made in order to keep it through operations life. In other words a sustainable alignment is needed. For the second part of the process, substitutes are to be used for the strategies. After achieving a sustainable alignment and improving it with substitutes the third part of the process takes place which is implementation (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008). Sustainable alignment Providing a sustainable alignment in operations strategy plays an important role to obtain a settlement between market requirements and operations resources. To make the word `alignment` clear, a figure is shown which is adapted from (Slack , N. nd Lewis, M. , 2008). Figure 5: Alignment of strategy (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008) On this figure, the vertical side of the axis system is to symbolize market requirements. A rise occurring on the scale means market capabilities is also rising along with it. On the other side, the horizontal scale of the system symbolizes operations resources and the processes capabilities. A few points, which are stated below (Slack and Lewis, 2008), can be considered within this factor: ? The consideration of operations success regarding its skills for the achievement of objectives. Operations skills to use its resources effectively. ?The firm’s resources power to support its business processes. With analysing this figure Slack and Lewis (2008) points out that `in order to obtain alignment, a well-designed balance is needed between required market performance and actual operation performance. As a visual proof for this balance, a diagonal line on the axis systems is shown. To sum up, it is stated that an alignment is the point where market requirements and operations resources unites. In order to create an alignment some organizations follow the path which is fitting resources to the requirements of the markets. Alongside this, some other organizations may do vice versa. They can evaluate their capabilities and then apply these into markets. Substitutes for strategy New approaches to operations have been made up and they have become more popular recently. Organizations may think well about these new approaches and there are few common reasons for that. Firstly, as it is pointed out by Slack and Lewis (2008), the new approaches are quite easy to understand and to apply which helps to avoid the complexity of modern operations. Secondly, most operations have tried one of the new approaches and they are likely to work. Furthermore, managers, who learned about these new methods either from a consultant or from a book, think that it might worth a shot since nothing else have helped them to achieve what they ask for. It is indicated by Slack and Lewis (2008) these approaches are: ? Total Quality Management ?Lean Operations ?Business Process Reengineering ?Enterprise Resource Planning ?Six Sigma It must be well-known that these approaches are not strategies and they are general within themselves. However, they are strategic decisions as it is stated by Slack and Nigel (2008). These methods can be part of a strategy and since all of them have different aims and path they should be fully understood before they are being used. Implementation In order to finish the process of operations strategy, a final step must be completed. This final step is the implementation of strategy and it is a quite important part of the process of operations strategy. After planning all the activities in order to create a strategy, the steps have to be organised so that everything goes as smooth as they are planned. This is called implementation. In a general way there are few key points to the formulation of strategy process. (Slack , N. and Lewis, M. , 2008) points out these key points and they are called five Ps. These are as follows: ? Purpose ?Point of entry ?Process ?Project management ?Participation Conclusion In conclusion, operations strategy is an essential thing for every organization. It focuses on the objectives of the operations. While concerning these long-term objectives strategies works on the total picture of the business and its competitive environment rather than details. A process which is called transformation process allows operations to produce goods and services. In order to decide the range of these products different perspectives are studied such as market requirements and operations resources. Through these perspectives a direction can be drawn for operations long-term objectives. Every detail of organizations such as their facilities, locations, capacities, suppliers, the quality of their products and services etc. comprise the content of the operations strategy. Once important decisions are taken strategies must be processed and in order to do this an alignment between operations market requirements and operations resources should be obtain. Afterwards different methods can be used to improve the strategy so that a sustainable alignment is achieved. However, for strategies to become real an implementation must take place otherwise all the decisions would not matter. Bibliography Barnes, D. (2008). Operations Management: An International Perspective. Royal Holloway University of London: Cengage Learning EMEA. Carmona, M. and Sieh, L. (2004). Measuring Quality in Planning: Managing the Performance Process. TaylorFrancis. Johnson, G. , Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy (7th ed. ). Harlow: Prentice Hall. Meradith, Jack R. and Shafer, Scott M. (2010). Operations Management for MBAs (4th ed. ). John Wiley Sons. Slack , N. and Lewis, M. (2008). Operations Strategy. Harlow: Financial Time Prentice Hall.

Missouri ST - Admissions Information

Missouri ST - Admissions Information Missouri University of Science and Technology Admissions Overview: Missouri University of Science and Technology admits 79% of those who apply each year, making it largely accessible to those who apply. Students interested in applying to Missouri ST will need to take the SAT or ACT, and send in those scores to the school. Additional materials include an application form and high school transcripts. Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016): Missouri ST Acceptance Rate: 79%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 583  / 678SAT Math: 603  / 698SAT Writing:  - / -What these SAT numbers meanTop Missouri colleges SAT score comparisonACT Composite: 25  / 31ACT English: 24  / 31ACT Math: 25  / 30ACT Writing: - / -What these ACT numbers meanTop Missouri colleges ACT score comparison Missouri University of Science and Technology Description: Founded in 1870, the Missouri University of Science and Technology was the first technological institution west of the Mississippi. The school has gone through several name changes during its history, and it was in 2008 that it changed its name from the University of Missouri-Rolla. The schools home of Rolla, Missouri, is a small and safe city surrounded by the Ozarks. Outdoor lovers will find lots of opportunities for hiking, biking and canoeing. For a larger city, Saint Louis is about 100 miles away. Missouri ST has a 16 to 1  student / faculty ratio  and an average class size of 27. Lab sections average 17 students. On the athletic front, the Missouri ST Miners compete in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 8,835  (6,906 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 77% Male / 23% Female90% Full-time Costs (2016  - 17): Tuition and Fees: $9,057  (in-state); $25,173 (out-of-state)Books: $836  (why so much?)Room and Board: $9,780Other Expenses: $2,372Total Cost: $22,045  (in-state); $38,161 (out-of-state) Missouri University of Science and Technology Financial Aid (2015  - 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 96%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 89%Loans: 57%Average Amount of AidGrants: $9,045Loans: $6,756 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Aerospace Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering What major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Retention and Graduation Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 83%4-Year Graduation Rate: 22%6-Year Graduation Rate: 64% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Cross Country, Swimming, Football, Track and Field, BasketballWomens Sports:  Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Basketball, Cross Country Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Missouri University of Science and Technology, You May Also Like These Schools: Saint Louis University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphPurdue University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Kansas: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphIowa State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphDrury University: Profile  University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStanford University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphColorado School of Mines: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphTruman State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphKansas State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphWashington University in St. Louis: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph

Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer Assignment

Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer - Assignment Example One of such indispensable figures in the implementation of military structures is the non-commissioned officer. The non-commissioned officer, however, does not work untamed: for the non-commissioned officer to succeed in his role as a leader, he needs to be guided by basic military principles. This is to say that the non-commissioned officer cannot rule within his own discretion but needs to be guided by principles such as the application of the FM 6-22, counseling and the seven Army Values. A non-commissioned officer is a military officer who is given authority through a commissioned officer, but he or she is not technically considered to be in command. Non-commissioned officers rise up through the enlisted ranks, generally with several years of experience to their names before they reach positions of nominal power. The rank an officer has to reach to be accorded the position of a non-commissioned officer varies from country to country and from military force to military force. Also among the ranks, there divisions such as Junior NCOs and Senior NCOs depending on which nation is in question and which military force, be it the Navy, Army or Air Force. In the United States, for instance, all ranks of Sergeant in the United States Army, United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps are termed Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) as are Corporals in the Army and Marine Corps. However, the rank of Corporal in the US Army is known to be a junior NCOs whereas Corporal s in the grades are referred to as senior noncommissioned officers. The non-commissioned officer can, however, be generalized to be ‘an enlisted member of the armed forces, such as a corporal, sergeant, or petty officer, appointed to a rank conferring leadership over other enlisted personnel’.

Dicussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Dicussion - Assignment Example In that case, then the law and the government in general may put limits to bringing out such issues when it enforces laws against expression of religious controversies. On the contrary, some religious behaviors and practices may become a threat to the society and general relationships of people holding different religious views in the same society. For example, people from different religions may hold too much from their religious beliefs to an extent that they do not try to understand the essence of other people’s religions (Washingtonpost, 2007). This may result in conflicts based on religious aspect and views among people in the society. Therefore, cases like clashes and other religious wrangles may erupt which poses a threat to the well being of the society. For example, cases like terrorism may be due to extreme religious behaviors among certain individuals in a society. The government therefore, needs to consider other people’s opinions and expressions when they have anything to say concerning religious matters. This will then avoid religious conflicts that may pose threat to the society. Washingtonpost. On Faith: A Conversation on Religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn question for April 19, 2007. Accessed on 31st October, 2014 from

The Duties Owed by Agents to their Principals May or May not be Essay

The Duties Owed by Agents to their Principals May or May not be Dictated by the Express Terms of the Contracts Between them - Essay Example (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. De Busccche v Alt (1878) 8 ChD 286 in Reddy, J., & Johnson, H. (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. Headley Byrne & Co ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd (1964) AC 465 in Reddy, J., & Johnson, H. (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. Robinson v Mollett (1875) LR 7 HL 802 in Reddy, J., & Johnson, H. (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. Solley v Wood (1852) in Reddy, J., & Johnson, H. (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. Turnbull v Garden (1869) 20 LT 218 145 in Reddy, J., & Johnson, H. (2011). Q & A Commercial Law 2011-2012. Oxon: Taylor & Francis 6th ed. Turpin v Bilton (1843) 5 Man & G 455 in The Law of Agency, The Law of International Trade and Carriage of Goods. Accessed 2 Nov 2011 Watteau v Fenwick [1893] 1 QB 346 in University of London External Programme Accessed 2 Nov 2011 Weigal l& Co v Runciman & Co (1916) 85 LJKB 1187 in Munday Roderick and Munday R.J.C. LJKB 1187 Agency; Law and Principles (2009) Oxford, Oxford University Press The duties owed by agents to their principals may or may not be dictated by the express terms of the contracts between them Agency is an exception to the doctrine of privity in a contract in that a principal is bound by all acts of his agent by virtue of an agreement between him and the agent. Both law and specific terms of contract between them govern the duties owed by agents to their principals. Although a contract of agency is subject to the same rules as in any other contracts, there are certain terms implied such as fiduciary relationship between the principal and the agent which gives rise duties owed to the principal by the agent and rights he can exercise against the principal. In addition, a type known as ‘commercial agent’ also is subject the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 pursuant t o European Union Law dealing with termination of agreement in respect of self-employed agents who arrange contracts for the sale or purchase of goods. As per these regulations, a duty is cast on the agents to act ‘dutifully and with good faith’ which term cannot be contracted out by a separate contract between them. Even in the case of gratuitous acts of an agent where there can be no contractual obligations, the agent has fiduciary duties which cannot be avoided merely because of lack of consideration. He will also be liable under torts. In Watteau v Fenwick (1893), hotel owner was held liable for the price of cigar bought by the manger who had been instructed not to buy other than mineral water and beer. This decision is still controversial since the agent acted against the instructions though the supplier assumed that the manager was the owner (Reddy & Johnson, 2011) (Sealy, Hooley, & Hooley, 2008). An agent’s duties regardless of the contractual terms between him and the principal are as follows. Duty to obey All lawful instructions of the principal must be obeyed by his agent. He should not also exceed his authority. This is applicable to both paid and gratuitous agent categories. However, if the instructions are not

How to Write the Best Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Write the Best - Essay Example The structure of an essay depends on what type of essay it is, but most essays follow a general pattern that includes an introduction, two or three main body paragraphs, and then a conclusion to wrap everything up. The outline does not need to be very detailed because it only provides a guide for how the essay will look when finished. Each paragraph in the essay should only have a couple of sentences to explain the key points and supporting evidence if any. Part of the process of forming an outline usually involves some kind of research. There are many sources available for students to find information about their topic. Many students make the fatal mistake of including information from sites such as Wikipedia. The vast majority of lecturers do not approve of the use of such sources because they are not reliable. Any Internet user can change a Wikipedia page, so the information contained on a Wikipedia page may be untrustworthy. The types of sources that should be used in an essay mu st be reliable sources. This means that the information should invariably come from a book, a peer-review journal, or newspaper article. Any source that has been professionally published by an expert in a particular field of study counts as a legitimate source. Â   Â   Â   Â   The next step in producing a high-quality research paper is to write a rough draft. This stage is all about getting down thoughts on paper rather than trying to come up with the perfect essay. If an outline has already been completed, then this stage can be concluded at a faster pace than without one. The introduction of an essay should be designed to introduce the reader to the topic without giving too much key information away. The most common way to do this is through the use of a hook, which is designed to catch the reader’s attention. After the hook, a thesis statement should tell the reader what the student’s view on a particular issue is. This part is extremely important because it will set the tone for the rest of the paper. It will also tell the reader what reasons the student is giving for justifying their position on a topic.

Is Buddhism Truly Compatible With Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Is Buddhism Truly Compatible With Science - Essay Example A focal idea is the statement that "everything is produced through mind" (Verhoeven, 2001). b. Buddhism was a moral perfect free of superstitions. i. Buddhism adjusted to the logical perspective of a requested universe ruled by law (Dharma)ii. Buddhism's perspective of the existing universe does not include heavenly mediation (karma) (Verhoeven, 2001). c. Buddhism was a religion of self improvement. i. Buddhism gets rid of the idea of a preeminent being, as does science. ii. Buddhism clarifies the inceptions and workings of the universe regarding regular law (Verhoeven, 2001). 2. No, Buddhism cannot be fully compatible with science. a. Science is taking into account experimental confirmation while Buddhism is focused the subject of "mind". i. Mind is a matter that cannot be measured (Verhoeven, 2001). ii. Mind cannot be approved observationally by an outsider (Verhoeven, 2001). iii. Such investigation cannot be compatible with experimental science. Connection of man to the world an d of the one who knows to the known. i. Buddhism is in light of a thought of non-duality (Verhoeven, 2001). ii. Buddhism prevents numerous from claiming these fundamental refinements that are vital to Western science. c. Science is keen on the exact examination of the material world, while Buddhism, as a religion, focuses on the inner world. i. Buddhism goes for the inward world: moral, otherworldly, mental, and scholarly (Verhoeven, 2001).

How to Write the Best Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Write the Best - Essay Example The structure of an essay depends on what type of essay it is, but most essays follow a general pattern that includes an introduction, two or three main body paragraphs, and then a conclusion to wrap everything up. The outline does not need to be very detailed because it only provides a guide for how the essay will look when finished. Each paragraph in the essay should only have a couple of sentences to explain the key points and supporting evidence if any. Part of the process of forming an outline usually involves some kind of research. There are many sources available for students to find information about their topic. Many students make the fatal mistake of including information from sites such as Wikipedia. The vast majority of lecturers do not approve of the use of such sources because they are not reliable. Any Internet user can change a Wikipedia page, so the information contained on a Wikipedia page may be untrustworthy. The types of sources that should be used in an essay mu st be reliable sources. This means that the information should invariably come from a book, a peer-review journal, or newspaper article. Any source that has been professionally published by an expert in a particular field of study counts as a legitimate source. Â   Â   Â   Â   The next step in producing a high-quality research paper is to write a rough draft. This stage is all about getting down thoughts on paper rather than trying to come up with the perfect essay. If an outline has already been completed, then this stage can be concluded at a faster pace than without one. The introduction of an essay should be designed to introduce the reader to the topic without giving too much key information away. The most common way to do this is through the use of a hook, which is designed to catch the reader’s attention. After the hook, a thesis statement should tell the reader what the student’s view on a particular issue is. This part is extremely important because it will set the tone for the rest of the paper. It will also tell the reader what reasons the student is giving for justifying their position on a topic.

British economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

British economy - Essay Example In the entire EU the industries that are marketing or technology-driven had grown at the quickest rate. The media, printing, publishing and the sports commodities industries also made a considerable growth. Since 1995, the UK’s electrical, chemical as well as the optical sector (and also going tandem was the IT and communications sector) had a faster growth rate surpassing that of the whole economy. It’s believed that the shipbuilding, steel, clothing and textile industries were slowly moving to the poor nations due to the stiff competition by the aforementioned growing industries. As a result the capacity of manufacturing and the labour force dedicated to the manufacturing sector experienced a fall. ( Winford, et al 2005 pp 90-91) A while ago UK was called the ‘workshop of the world’. In UK is the origin of the industrial revolution as per the belief of many. The sector of manufacturing held the highest number of workers in the labour force of UK and the output used to be very high. However, the manufacturing sector of UK started to experience several over takings; first by the nation of Germany and later on by the US. This has gone on relentlessly and China as well as Japan have followed suit. Factually, the employment in the manufacturing sector of UK did not start in the last three decades, but since the 1950s. Towards the late 1970s the labour force proportion working in the UK manufacturing sector was about 7 million but in 2005 the number of employees was at 3.5 million. As an activity, manufacturing has been said to decline and it’s a verdict by many commentators. Most of the decrease has been linked to the fall in the workforce. Particularly, the fall in this sector in the context of UK has been witnessed from the 1850s due to the rise in the rate of industrialization of other nations. Also the

The audience respond to these changes Essay Example for Free

The audience respond to these changes Essay Task: How does Shakespeare present the changes which occur in Capulet throughout the play and how do the audience respond to these changes? From analysing Romeo and Juliet as an audience I have seen Capulet in many different ways. I have seen him as the caring father, the ruler and the person in charge. In some scenes as an audience I have been quite sympathetic towards Capulet but then in other scenes I have felt that he has been rather harsh to members of his family and other characters in the play. From looking at Act 1 Scene 1 I saw that Capulet was a very irresponsible character. When he saw that there was a brawl between the Capulets and the Montagues, he wanted to get involved. His wife, Lady Capulet, told him that it was the wrong thing to do but he dismissed this. So from the first scene, it has already made us aware, that he has control over the family and that he does not like to be told what to do. This scene links with scene 5 because again Tybalt questions his authority and he becomes very angry with him and says some very rude, arrogant things, in his concealing conversation with him. The other side of Capulet, which we as audience see is his caring, considerate side. He shows us this in a variety of scenes. The first time that this side of his character is illustrated is in Act 1 scene 1. He is willing to lose a good, kind, considerate husband for her daughter because of her happiness. This portrays to us that he is willing to put his daughters feelings first, although it may mean losing an eligible husband for her daughter. This is also shown in a similar way in Act 1 scene 5 at his old accustomed feast. In this scene he acts very warm and hospitable towards his guests. In this scene he shows fairness towards Romeo, although Tybalt does not agree. He shows fairness towards Romeo because he does not want to cause a commotion at the feast that he has organised. The next time that we meet we are in act 3 scene 1 Capulet Shakespeare has deliberately not allowed Capulet to speak. As the audience this is very significant because normally Capulet takes charge in situations like this but, in this situation he has stepped back and let his wife say what she feels. At the beginning of act 3 scene 5 Capulet is very worried about his daughter he used beautiful imagery he says that hes daughters tears were like a river, her body was like a boat and her sighs were like the wind. This is then completely contrasted because he becomes very sarcastic, abusive and harsh, towards hi wife, daughter and lady Capulet. The reverse in his attitude came around when Juliet refused to get married to Paris. In Elizabethan times daughters were like possessions and daughters were supposed to do what there parents told them to. Capulet said some very harsh things including: Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch This shows to us that his attitude towards his family can change very easily depending on the situation. Then he begins to think about resorting to physical violence and exclaims My fingers itch this implies that he could of hit his daughter. When Juliet then agrees to the marriage (under false pretences) Capulet then admires his daughter and is put back into his element. He again is focused on in control, organising his daughters grand wedding. His mood is again totally reversed he says My heart is wondrous light, but the dramatic irony of this is that we know that Juliet is going to appear dead so that she doesnt have to go through with her arranged marriage. In the concluding scenes in the play Capulets behaviour and mood change from being joyous and delighted to being in despair and shock. When Capulet Is arranging the wedding he is full of delight and excitement. His girl has been reclaimed. Again he is control of the situation, her id making the decisions and is giving out the orders. Again he is showing his status towards his servants by using crude language and showing them there place. Capulets feelings then again changed to despair when he realised that his daughter was dead. Capulet used elaborate imagery he exclaims that Death lies on her like an untimely frost Upon the sweetest flower of all the field This illustrates that hes daughter was not supposed to die. Also he says Ties up my tongue and will not let me speak this portrays what he actually felt for his daughter. Finally Capulet shows generosity towards the Montagues he makes the first move to bring happiness out of all the evil that has took place. This illustrates to us as an audience that really capulet can be very considerate and emotionalyly when tradgic things happen. He tries to make amends with people that were enemies and at the end of the play we realise that he doesnt want to bear anymore grudges against other people. To conclude from analysing the scene I have come to the conclusion that Capulets mood and behaviour changed repeatedly through the play. He can be a kind, considerate, caring, emotionally character in some situations. But ion other situations when hes authority is questioned he can lose his temper and say things that are very harsh and un -thoughtful.

Natural Language Processing Technology

Natural Language Processing Technology Melchor Abejon Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science devoted to emulating the human mind (Wager, Lee and Glaser, p.305, 2013). Today, one common use of AI is integrated into the Google search engine which can suggest alternative keywords when a user types a misspelled word in a chain of keywords. Another form of AI is the Siri for the iPhone. In the field of healthcare, the rising use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in many health care facilities entails the use of innovative technologies that likewise incorporate AI to facilitate the transition from paper-based health records to EHRs. One type of AI technology that can be found in healthcare settings is the Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. The purpose of this paper is to: Define the Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. Determine the possible benefits the NLP technology will provide to medical professionals and health organizations. Determine the possible disadvantages that could occur to using the NLP technology. Determine the barriers to using the NLP technology. Definition of NLP Technology Wager, Lee and Glaser (2013) define NLP as a program that takes human language (typed as text or input as voice) and translate it into a standard computer instruction (p.306). It is a fact that majority of the clinical documentations that can be found in healthcare today are unstructured and are buried within EHRs. These unstructured information are faulty and redundant and can obstruct the healthcare industrys goal to establishing an efficient and data- driven clinical decision making. And with the emergence of the NLP technology, the extraction of valuable information can be leveraged to create a more informed clinical decision making to improve the quality of patient care and at the same time reducing the healthcare cost. Benefits of the NLP Technology NLP enables meaningful use. NLP integrated in EHRs can significantly assist health providers to easily capture specified health facts such as vital signs, allergies, smoking status and health problem lists via narrative description or voice. These health facts are difficult and time consuming to capture via the EHR system alone. The capture of specified health facts with the aid of NLP technology enables providers to qualify for incentive payments by the federal government. NLP enables predictive care. A more advanced Clinical Language Understanding (CLU) solution or technology can provide immediate feedback to health providers at the point of dictation whether they are using a mobile phone, digital recorder or PDA.ÂÂ   An example is, when CLU technology is integrated and running in the background of an EHR system, the system can notify a physician for adverse drug reaction during the documentation of prescription for a patient, and it would even recommend an alternative medication treatment for the patient. When NLP is integrated in an EHR system, it can develop opportunities for a more efficient Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI). NLP can assist CDI specialists to quickly perform a comprehensive data mining. Identification of patients for clinical trial enrollment can be accelerated. NLP can assist organizations to quickly identify patients who maybe qualified for immunotherapies and clinical trials and research. NLP technology can help organizations comply with the core measures. Immediate assessment of documentation upon admission, and close monitoring of a patient is made possible with the use of the NLP technology. It also enables quick review of program notes and problem lists. NLP technology can provide real-time patient data. NLP can be used concurrently to monitor treatment of patients during their stay in the hospital. The alerts and reminders generated by NLP can help the providers to monitor their patients to mitigate the risk of acquiring infections. NLP technology enables effective billing system. NLP can improve the documentation process thus alleviating a lot of pain from the billing process for health providers and coders. Disadvantages of the NLP Technology Generic searching can be very difficult. Problem with synonyms. The abundance of synonymy in the medical field can be a problem in the use of NLP. Problem with homographs. Homograph refers to words that are spelled the same but has different meanings. Problem with polysemy. Polysemy refers to a word or phrase with many possible meanings. Ambiguous. Difficulty in identifying all of the possible meaning of words or combination of words. Non-standardized and not very compact. User needs to think of own search terminology and or synonym. Barriers to Using NLP Technology NLP is not a new technology in the field of healthcare, but so far its programs have met with limited success. Before it can reach the expected reliability performance, computer and NLP experts are expected to perform a tremendous job to address the barriers to integrating NLP tools in the clinical care. Though NLP is already embedded in products for some EHR vendors, the unstructured narrative texts and clinical notes still pose a major challenge for computer experts. According to Townsend (2013), a clinical text which is often ungrammatical and consists of bullet point telegraphic phases with limited context and lacking complete sentences poses a major challenge to using NLP. Other barriers to using the NLP technology are the poor standardization of data elements, inadequate policies on data governance and the never ending variation in the programming and designs of EHR systems. Conclusion As computer experts continue to seek refinement of the NLP technology, NLP will continue to deliver an important role in the management of health population and data analytics by extracting valuable health information and making them into actionable data to improve healthcare outcomes. Unstructured data in healthcare will remain a major challenge, but as efforts continue to build a stronger information governance and better standardization of data elements, the future of the NLP technology in the healthcare industry looks promising. References Bonney, S. (2015). Practical applications of NLP in healthcare: Enhancing the value of electronic data. Retrieved February 12, 2017 from http://porterresearch.com/practical-applications-of-nlp-in-healthcare-enhancing-the-value-of-electronic-data/ HealthIT Analytics (n.d.). What is the role of natural language processing in healthcare? Retrieved February 12, 2017 from http://healthitanalytics.com/features/what-is-the-role-of-natural-language-processing-in-healthcare Nadkarni, P., Machado, L.O., and Chapman, W.W. (2011). Natural language processing: An introduction. Retrieved February 12, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168328/#b29 Petro, J. ( 2011). Natural language processing in electronic health records. Retrieved February 12,2017 from http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/09/natural-language-processing-electronic-health-records.html Townsend, H. (2013). Natural language processing and clinical outcomes: The promise and progress of NLP for improved care. Retrieved February 12, 2017 from http://bok.ahima.org/doc?oid=106198#.WKJo100rKUm Wager, K.A., Lee, F.W., Glaser, J.P. (2013). Healthcare information systems: A practical approach for health care management (3rd ed ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

The Progressive Era Essay examples -- American Reform Movement

The Progressive Era was a period that exposed the contradictions found in American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Theodore Roosevelt summed up the Progressive/Reform feeling in his "Square Deal" speech - that it was all about morals, not economics. His goal was the "moral regeneration of the business world." He preached that it was wrong for some people to get ahead in business and politics by tricks and schemes, while others were cheated out of the opportunity. This was the kind of talk that millions of Americans from all areas of society could understand and respond to. Roosevelt simply acted in the interests of the common working man, fixing things that they found unjust. For years, the poor and immigrants were unhappy with treatment from their big-business employers. Their long working hours and exploitation of children were, among other things, exposed by the Muckrakers. The Muckrakers were journalists who exposed corruption in business and politics and made many of their readers angry. These new reformers took over the old Populist idea that the government should work for the public's economic well being.(Mintz, 2015) Reform groups near the turn of the century were interested in the moral changes of the way the government and businesses were run. They wanted the government to be more open and listen to the people. Also, they wanted the government to put more effort into protecting the well being of all citizens. This would require government action to regulate business, improve public health and safety and make sure that every citizen had the chance to succeed and to be happy. Today there are also many reform groups. Just like the progressives of the early twentieth century, modern reformers are trying to change things for the better. One modern reformer is Ralph Nader. Nader is a leader in the consumer-protection movement. He organized investigative teams of young lawyers, consumer specialists, and students, popularly called Nader's Raiders, to conduct surveys of numerous companies, federal agencies, and the U.S. Congress. Nader is a controversial man; his investigations have at times been criticized as biased against big business and government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cesar Chavez was another modern reformer. The issues that he dealt with included: Women Farmworkers, Farmworker Health Issues, and Migrant Labor. Many issues th... ...nion. He held the vice-presidency for less than a year, succeeding to the presidency after the assassination of President McKinley on November 14, 1901. In 1904 Roosevelt was elected to a full term as president. The ideals of the twentieth century were built on the work of reform groups. Reform groups still play a large part in changing the way large corporations and the government are run. Because of the constant need for change and reform, the turn of the twentieth century to the twenty-first could be called a progressive era just like the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century was.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Consulted Barbuto, Domencia. American Settlement Houses and Progressive Social Reform. New York: Orynx Press, 2009. Buenker, John. Progressivism. Chicago: Schenkman Books, 2007. Cohen, Miriam. "Women and the Progressive Movement" Gilderlehrman.org Web. 25 April 2015. http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/politics-reform/essays/women-and-progressive-movement Mintz, Steven. "Reform Movements of the Progressive Era" Gilderlehrman.org Web. 25 April 2015. http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/politics-reform/resources/reform-movements-progressive-era

Describe the Different Stakeholders

Kentucky Fried Chicken There are many stakeholders of KFC the main ones are Employees, Customers, Delivery services, Contracted Vending Companies, suppliers and Contracted Cleaning Companies. Employees- †¢Employees are important stakeholders in the business as they provide the service to the customer who eats at KFC. Without well trained staff the business would not run smoothly. The interest of the staff would be to make sure they have a secure job and a steady wage.If employees feel they are being treated poorly they will be less enthusiastic towards work. Customers- †¢Without customers going to KFC it would not make profit and eventually go bust. Customer’s interest in KFC would be to go to their restaurant to have a fast food meal in which they enjoy. Delivery services- †¢Delivery services expand the product and services for the customers. Without delivery services being on time and well ran KFC would not have the stock that is needed. Contracted Vending com panies- Their interest would be to supply their product to KFC so they sell it on and get their product in the restaurants. Contacted Cleaning Companies- †¢They would insure that KFC stays hygienic and the image of the company is good. Employees- †¢ Employees are important stakeholders in the business as they provide the service to the customer who travels via Translink. Without the staff being able to do their job correctly the company would not run according to plan. If the staff do not do their job correctly it will not insure they stay in the work place. Related essay: What Can Business Learn From Text Mining?Customers- †¢Translink supply a service to the people of Northern Ireland which are customers. Customers aren’t as important to Translink as they are to KFC as Translink is government run and does not make a profit. Even if customers don’t use Translink it will not go bust as everyone pays tax’s to keep it running. Bus/ Train manufactures- †¢They want to insure Translink are running well so they have another company that will buy new equipment off them. Contracted Cleaning Companies- Translink will spend a certain amount of money each year to provide a clean station and equipment this will make sure of a tidy company and will keep customers coming back. G4S security company- †¢G4S want to keep their contract with Translink as this will make them a profit. They are contracted so that the stations are safe and the staff feel secure. Local Shops- †¢They would want Translink to be close to th eir shops so that commuters going and coming off the Train or Bus to go to their shops.

Cultural Behavior Essay

Culture is a very important factor that should be determined in every occasion, across the globe. Knowing once culture enhances the spirit of solidarity through understanding one another despite the differences of nationality. It creates communication and it clears the communication. One of the biggest problems today is the miscommunication of people despite the advancement in telecommunication industries that delivers a wider range of means of communication. One might ask what culture could do; obviously it can create good rapport between people and between nations. Having a cultural intelligence is a plus factor but it doesn’t mean that, a person without it can never mingle with a person with a different culture. Cultural intelligence entails a lot of things, most importantly it can help-us manage cross-cultural differences moreover it can help eliminate racism. To be specific, cultural intelligence can lower the cultural barriers caused by the terms, ‘us’ and ‘them’ and this allows you to predict what ‘they’ are thinking and how they will react to your behavior patterns through becoming aware with the cultural differences as well as its similarities; and it harness the power of cultural diversity. In our world today that is fast-paced, companies and their business managers who interact with employees, customers, partners, competitors, among others who are diverse cultural intelligence is important. Hosting an international conference of sorts will not be possible without knowing who the participants are. Making a successful affair with other countries means tapping their soft spot. That is possible by studying what please them and respecting what they believe in, not only that, but their practices, values, expectations, attitudes, and ideologies. Those can be boiled down to one thing, knowing the culture because it is the â€Å"lens† through which you view the world. It entails the centrality of one’s attention, the perception and the expression. In this paper, there are two countries that should be given importance of – Brazil and Turkey. The former is known for their expertise in playing football while the latter is known for their good-looking men, as I would put it. BRAZIL, â€Å"The Land of Contrasts† This country is the fifth largest country in the world, and the largest nation in Latin America. Having the culture name of Brazilian, and their people are called depending on gender – Brasileiros for boys and Brasileiras for girls. In the late sixteenth century Portuguese introduced a Romance language called Portuguese, then this language is now the widely-spoken language in the country. Roman Catholic is the predominant religion. The Brazilians prides in themselves being democratic with race, they do not have prejudices over the different citizens that reside in Brazil. This ideology shapes their perception in terms of cultural behavior. This is not an assessment of complete non-existence of racial discrimination, but compared to other nations like the United States, in Brazil the expression is far more subtle and discreet. To add proof, the word â€Å"jeito† is familiar in Brazil which means that nothing is set in stone. Aside from those verbal greetings, there are things that should be learned about Brazil. One of this is their body language because becoming aware of this could help a person avoid any trouble in this country. For some countries, okay or OK hand signal means an approval or giving a nice reaction to other person but in this country it is a rude gesture. For example, in the Philippines the okay hand signal can brighten someone’s day, it is a simple gesture but it could mean a lot of positive meaning. Some politician even uses this for their campaign during election. When a Brazilian expresses appreciation, s/he may appear to pinch his/her earlobe between thumb and forefinger while to other counties it could mean that a person is shy or ashamed of something s/he has done. The â€Å"fig† is placing the thumb between the index and middles finger. This indicates a sincere invocation of luck towards another person. When the fingertips were flicked underneath the chin it means that the person doesn’t know the answer. But for other countries it indicates that the person is thinking or in a deep thought. It is common practice to almost every country to have privacy, may it be about personal life or whatever. Privacy is a concept of personal space. This is an event the Brazilians do not seem to care because lack of space is what they are used to. A crowded place is an appealing space for them. Touch and physical expression is evident in their culture. Being informal can be seen with the way women and men easily express their emotions through touch. There is a saying that time is gold. It applies to most of the countries around the world, especially in this time and age where you have to keep up with the fast-changing world. When it comes to time and work, some regions are casual about it. There are two cities in this country that are strict when it comes to following time especially business meetings. These are San Paulo and Rio, as for the latter, personal and social events are the things considered casual. Main meal happens at midday while light meal happens at night. Having good manners and etiquettes or the lack of it is a big issue. It shows how a person was raised and it shows ones upbringing. It is also important because it deals with a person’s reputation and his/her identity. When entertained into someone’s house, the guest should send flowers saying â€Å"Thank You† to the hostess, for it shows politeness. This shows the satisfaction and appreciation of the hospitality a hostess have shown. This is also a way to build a good impression. However, one should take note of the color of the flower to be given because purple-colored flowers are for funerals alone but it is fine to send out color violet. Saude (Sah-OO-Day) or Viva (Vee-va)are words that expresses â€Å"cheers† during toasts. Hello and goodbye, use good eye contact while handshaking and make sure that you handshake with everyone present. Stay away from phases such as, â€Å"Is it true that everyone in Brazil is either very rich or very poor? † It is very likely you will be talking with someone that isn’t either one. Brazilians usually address teachers, doctors, priests, and other professionals using their title followed by their first name—Professor Joao, Doutora Maxine or Presidente Henrique. Making a successful business in Brazil means adhering to their business custom, this helped a lot because as I have said before it can make you close to your â€Å"would-be business partner. † To have an â€Å"executive† connotation, wearing a three-piece suit is advised because office workers are associated with two-piece suit. Wearing conservative attire with manicured nails are important for women who are transacting business. In making appointments, make it in two weeks advance and â€Å"out of nowhere† calls are not good especially at business and government offices. This could mean impoliteness that would lead to the impression of disrespect to the concerned person or people. The key to business success in Brazil is to be prepared in committing long term resources, may it be money or time. In every business meetings, their standard operating procedure is that the host starts the business discussions and it usually begins with small talks. TURKEY The official name is Republic of Turkey, and its capital is Ankara. Turkey is a crossing between two unique cultures from the European and Middle Eastern boundaries. The society is characterized with nationalism patriotism. A combination of traditional and modern views, the society attributes significantly to their ancestors. The rapid modernization of the country had contributed to the success of its market. One of the nice things about people of different nationality is that they have the unique form of greetings. It is normal to greet the Turkish with â€Å"Asalamu alaykum† which means peace be upon you, and the common reply to this is, â€Å"Wa alaykum salam† or peace be with you. It is normal to every tourist or every visitors of foreign land to know the hidden meanings of body language of the people in that particular country. That is an advantage so that a person would know what or what not to do. It is customary to greet Turkish counterparts with a handshake, failure to do so may be considered rude. Women are expected to extend their hand first as the men awaits this gesture. An eye contact with Turkish counterparts while speaking depicts sincerity. When the thumb is placed between first two fingers it signifies insult and the person doing it is being rude. Wagging the head in the US means â€Å"no†, but in this country it means â€Å"I don’t understand†. Personal space does not matter to Turks in fact they consider it as unfriendly. That is why backing away when a Turks stand close to you is not good. This shows aloofness that could trigger to becoming indifferent. Turks have a â€Å"polychromic time†, they are multitasked that they do several activities at the same time and continue several conversations about different topics. They can surely keep up with busy schedule because they manage to do one thing at the same time. This also shows that the Turks are good in dividing their attention, it also shows that they are good in doing rush works and other stuff. Reputation precedes a person’s identity. Making a reputation is through the guidelines of having good manners in almost everything a person does. This also means having respect to other people and showing appreciation of ones culture. Respecting and paying courtesy to an elderly or the eldest person when arriving at a gathering or room is advised in this culture. Age is highly given importance in this country. Age signifies wisdom and respect from the society. In this country, public display of affection id discourages and is considered inappropriate. For establishing business in Turkey, there are business rules and regulations. These should be strictly followed if a businessman wants to make it big in this country. Turkish people celebrates the Turkish holidays, like the Ramadan (fasting period) and months like July and August are considered as annual holidays of Turkish business men. These dates should be avoided as the celebration is most considered rather than business ventures. It is important to schedule business appointments in advance to ensure that you avoid Turkish holidays. Punctuality is also important for the Turkish people. In all business contexts, when one should be late, he or she must immediately inform the persons concerned immediately. Islam also extends its influence in the society as all appointments and meetings should fit the 5 daily prayer times. The Turks prefer to do business with people they know and establish personal relationships with them for future benefits in their business ventures. Bibliography Bibikova Anastasia and Vadim Kotelnikov. Cultural Intelligence: Knowledge, Arts, & Skills. http://www. 1000ventures. com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cultural_intelligence. html http://www. cia. gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br. html Nicol, Joni. Brazil. http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/brazil. htm Gorrill, Jodie R. A Turkish Culture Overview. http://www. communicaid. com/turkey-business-culture. asp

Christian Commission Essay

The foregoing discussion showed that during the civil war women served in many capacities. They helped in the war effort even though they only stayed at home by knitting socks and sewing shirts and uniforms; they organized themselves in order to raise funds for the war chest; they acted as medics and field nurses; and some of them, who proved as brave if not braver than the others, literally risked their lives by playing the dangerous game of espionage. However, their participation in the war did not stop there. They defied the law in both the North and the South which prohibited women to join the army as fighting soldiers by posing as men. Both the Union and the Confederate armies were duped into drafting women disguised as men. Although most of them were probably propelled by extreme patriotism, it turned out that many joined the army for other, more personal reasons. One of the most notable women soldiers in the Union army was Sarah Emma Edmonds. Sarah joined the army as a volunteer in Michigan, where she enlisted as a man by the name of Franklin Thompson. (Lewis, 2007) She later served with the 2nd Michigan Infantry for a couple of years. It was reported that there were times when she had to act as a spy disguised either as a black man or as a ‘woman. ’(Hall, n. d. ) She was reported to have seen action in the â€Å"Battle of Blackburn’s Ford, the Peninsular Campaign, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. † According some accounts, she later deserted and became a nurse with the â€Å"U. S. Christian Commission. † (Lewis, 2007) However, there were reports that she voluntarily left the army after contracting malaria and feared that she would be found out if she would submit for treatment. (CivilWarStudies. org, n. d. ) Her application for a veteran’s pension which was approved in 1884 was given under the name Sarah E. E. Seelye, her married name. (Lewis, 2007) She was later named to the â€Å"Grand Army of the Republic,† the lone female to have been so named. (Hall, n. d. ) Another interesting story was that of Malinda Blalock. In her desire to be with her husband, William Mckesson Blalock (known as Keith to friends), she pretended to be William’s brother, Samuel. She then joined F Company of the â€Å"26th North Carolina Infantry† where Keith was also serving. Malinda was a Confederate by heart while Keith was a dyed-in-the-wool â€Å"Lincolnite† and was loyal to the Union cause. Although Keith was pressured by his family and fiends into joining the Confederate Army, he was always entertaining thoughts of deserting as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Malinda, despite being a loyal Confederate subject, was prepared to desert with him anytime. (Hall, n. d. ) However, the opportunity for desertion not having presented itself, the couple fought alongside each other under the Confederate flag (in a total of three battles) until March 1862 when Malinda sustained a shoulder wound. Afraid that they would be separated as soon as it was known that Malinda was a woman and forced out of the unit, Keith covered himself with poison oak to develop skin blisters and high fever. Fearing a case of small pox, the company doctor decided to discharge him for medical reason. The couple left Company F together on April 20, 1862 and went home to the â€Å"mountains of western North Carolina† to rest. The risk of recall to duty remained for Keith, however. So what the two did was hide in the mountains and turned Union guerillas, operating in the mountainous areas of East Tennessee and western North Carolina. Keith and Malinda later functioned as scouts attached to the â€Å"10th Michigan Cavalry. † (Halls, n. d. ) There was also a case involving a 19-year-old immigrant from Ireland. He gave the name Albert D. J. Cashier when he signed up with the 95th Illinois Infantry on August 3, 1862. He was said to have participated in about forty major and minor battles until August 17, 1865. After his stint with the Union army, he found employment as an ordinary laborer and ultimately received a pension. He later lived in a Soldier’s Home located in Quincy, Illinois where, in 1913, he was eventually discovered by a home surgeon that he was actually a she. Albert D. J. Cashier’s being a woman made the headlines. Nobody who knew her during her whole adult life ever suspected that she was in reality a woman. On October 11, 1914, Cashier died in an asylum for the mentally ill. (Blanton, 1993)

Problems of Reverse Logistics in Electronic Commerce Essay

Problems of Reverse Logistics in Electronic Commerce - Essay Example Reverse logistics is the removal of returned or unused products and redistributing of these products in order to attain maximum profit. It can also be referred to all the "activities associated with a product/service after the point of sale" (Reverse Logistics Association, n.p, 2008). According to an estimate almost one-half of almost 1% of total United States GDP is due to logistics costs (Reverse Logistics Executive Council, n.p, 2008). Hence we can see that reverse logistics is an important part of any business. An efficient reverse logistics can lead to more profitability and hence a better competitive position. Reverse logistics is quite different from forward logistics. Forecasting forward logistics is easier than forecasting reverse logistics. In forward logistics the packaging, pricing and routings are clear and uniform whereas in reverse logistics the packaging might be damaged, uneven pricing and undetectable routings can lead to increased costs and hence reduced profits (Pablo Soto & Lourenco, 5 & 6, 2003). As more and more companies are now selling online, businesses now have to focus on their reverse logistics in order to maintain profits and satisfy customers. This increase in e-commerce or business on the internet has lead to more returned goods. However, most of the time the managers are trying to move the products out of the warehouse and lesser energy is consumed in developing proper reverse logistics (Porolec, 68 & 69, 2000). There can be several different reasons for product return such as: unsatisfied customer, installation or usage problems, warranty claims, faulty order processing, retail overstock, end of product lifecycle or product replacement, manufacture recall programs etc. A proper study of reverse logistics can help in dealing with all the above problems and even help in reducing them (Schatteman, 267-270, n.d). Some e-retailers have calculated that almost 50% of their products sold are returned. Even though the advent of internet and e-commerce has certainly made life easier, however without proper reverse logistics the online businesses instead of making money incur huge losses. Some products sold online have a higher rate of return than the other products. For e.g. electronic products have almost 80% rate of return. Hence we can see that different companies have different reverse logistics. (Graeml et al, 1-9, 2001) Companies providing services like ISPs, Jobs and E-mail accounts have lower rate of return and even if some of their products do come under the term 'reverse logistics', they will not incur much loss. However, if we look at companies selling apparel, electronics, shoes, jewelry and other similar items, we can notice a higher rate of return. Such companies usually suffer more in terms of reverse logistics. With more companies coming into e-commerce, companies now need to redesign their entire reverse logistics, in order to have a competitive edge (Graeml et al, 1-9, 2001). There are several problems associated with reverse logistics. Forecasting reverse logistics is more difficult than forecasting forward logistics. A company can never know which product will come back