The Relationship between Internet Activities and Depressive Symptoms Essay

The Relationship between Internet Activities and Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of College Freshmen - Essay Example Firstly, a review of the literature indicting a link between high Internet usage and depression shall be presented. Secondly, research that has found a connection between Internet usage and social phobia and anxiety will be provided, as well as studies that argue for Internet use as a psychological support. Next, sub-groups that appear to be most affected by high Internet use shall be identified. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points of this paper and make recommendations for future research. Many research papers investigating the effects of the Internet on individual psychology have pointed to its 'over-use' or addictive characteristics as a factor that maintains experiences of depression or other psychopathologies (Campbell, 2003). Recent figures estimate 20 million North Americans annually experience episodes of depression (Morgan & Cotton, 2003). For many North Americans, access to the Internet is easily available, many people owning a PC and having Internet access, or are able to access the Internet through schools, universities, Internet cafes, public libraries, their place of work, or even their mobile phones (Campbell, 2003; Sanders, Field, Diego & Kaplan, 2000). It has been argued that high use of the Internet is replacing time spent socializing, and subsequently access to social support mechanisms essential to psychological health, such as time with family and friends (Campbell, 2003).In a recent study of North American Internet users, 'high' Internet use was d efined as a users who spent three hours or more a day engaging with the world wide web. In contrast, 'low' Internet users were defined as people who spent less than one and a half hours a day on the web (Kraut et al., 1998 as cited in Sanders et al., 2000). A two-year longitudinal study investigated the use of Internet amongst families that had not previously owned a PC or were accessing the Internet on a regular basis (Kraut et al., 1998 as cited in Sanders et al., 2000). Results showed that higher levels of Internet use were positively related to a decrease in family interactions, as well as a reduction in social networks. A survey study utilized the Beck Depression Inventory Scale (BDI) as on online instrument to investigate the relationship between depression and high Internet use (Young & Rogers, 1998 as cited in Sanders et al., 2000). It was found that the average BDI scores of respondents who had been identified as high users, was between the mild to moderately depressed rang e of scores. Although another survey study undertaken by Sanders and colleagues (2000) found that adolescents who were high Internet users did not significantly experience more episodes of depression. However, interpretation of the results was tentative as the depression scale used, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), may not have been sensitive enough to detect depression symptoms in teenagers. It was also found that low Internet users experienced much more interactive and rewarding relationships with their friends and family.Alternatively, literature has also identified a relationship between high Internet use and other negative psychological experiences, such as social phobia and anxiety (Campbell, 2003). A study by Campbell (2003) investigated the relationship between social phobia and anxiety, as well as depression, and high levels of Interne

Walter Murch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Walter Murch - Research Paper Example Walter Murch attracted the Academy Award nomination for sound mixing for Francis Coppola’s movie The Conversation, in 1974. Not to say, Walter Murch succeeded in collecting his well deserved first Academy Award in 1979 for his work in Apocalypse Now. Walter Murch is credited to be the only person who has ever won an Academy Award for both sound mixing and film editing (Last B08). Walter Murch also directed a movie Return to Oz in 1985. It goes without saying that in the contemporary cinema, Walter Murch is vouched to be an authority in the realm of film editing and sound mixing. Murch is justly credited to be the father of the discipline that is today known as ‘Sound Designing’ (Last B08). He is also ascribed with the honor of developing the much adhered to 5.1 channel arrays, the standard film sound format, which raised the art of sound designing to new heights (Last B08). Murch happens to be the single most important person and technician who have made stupendou s contributions to the discipline of film editing and sound processing. As per his views evinced in an interview with Michael Jarrett, Murch delineates his approach to sound in relation to images by declaring that when it comes to sound, a sound designer always tends to have more freedom as compared to images (Online).

Racism Prejudice Crash

Racism Prejudice Crash Crash The movie Crash gives many examples of how racism and prejudice affect nearly everyones lives. . Racism and prejudice surround us. This movie follows people of various races and social classes and details the encounters of these people with each other. It suggests that everyone has to deal with their own racism and prejudice, no matter what their own race, class or ethnicity is. According to Sullivan, racism is the view that certain racial or ethnic groups are inferior and that practices involving their domination are therefore justified. Racism from multiple ethnic groups is illustrated many times in the movie Crash. Prejudice is â€Å"an irrational attitude toward certain people based solely on their membership in a particular group,† according to Sullivan. Prejudice is another main theme in the movie. The first example of racism and prejudice in Crash is the character played by Matt Dillon. At first glance, his character seems to be racist because of the way that he was raised by his parents. Dillon exhibited a close bond with his father and later, we discover the roots of his racism. I originally assumed that Dillon was absorbing external cues from his father regarding his attitudes towards black people. It turns out that his father was not racist towards black people. It was Dillon who, in combination with his fathers negative experiences and his own as a member of the LAPD, formed his own perceptions towards blacks. Dillons character looks down on every black person that he encounters, and even uses his power as a police officer to grope a black female in front of her husband, simply because he can. One main example of racism and prejudice occurred at the beginning of the film when the Persian family was attempting to purchase a gun. The clerk at the gun shop made a few blatantly racist comments about the perceptions of the customers. There were several references to the twin towers and planes. It didnt matter that the two were Persian, not Arab. A reoccurring theme was that post 9/11, all Middle Eastern people became potential terrorists. It is amazing that people have the ability to interpret bad events and cast their own prejudices on different ethnic groups to mask their feeling of anger and frustration. Certain stereotypes have stood the test of time, no matter how many strides for racial equality have been made. Sandra Bullocks character made the statement about the relationship between white and black people: â€Å"If a white woman sees two black men walking towards her and turns the other way, shes a racist. Well I got scared and didnt say anything, and the next thing I knew, I had a gun shoved in my head!† Perhaps stereotypes like that have maintained their prevalence because there are so many people that perpetuate them. It is often believed that all young black men are destined to be thugs, criminals and drug dealers. As a young black man, it must be difficult to break free of that stereotype. â€Å"Things will never change.† That attitude along with the perpetuation of existing stereotypes may be largely responsible for negative racial longevity. Ludacris character was one of the most interesting to me. Here was this articulate young black man that spent his life stealing cars from white people. â€Å"Rap music is the music of the oppressor,† he said. It is often easier to blame others for your shortcomings than it is to confront them head on. On the reverse, trouble facing stereotypes can occur anywhere. They are not simply restricted to skin-tone and neighborhoods. Racial discrimination transpires through social class as well. This creates division within the same racial groups. In the film, Cameron was portrayed as a wealthy, black, television actor. He achieved success as a hard working black man, but at what cost? Cameron faced scrutiny from both of his ‘people, namely his wife and from his white producer. It was like a catch-22, if he wanted to be successful, he needed to act like a white man. With that came two major problems. Just because he had a good paying job, he failed to acknowledge that all the money in the world couldnt change the fact that he was, â€Å"Indeed a black man.† Look what happened with the LAPD, they did not care that he was a law abiding Buddhist, he was still black. With the success he had as an actor, it was also possible that he developed a complex, thinking he was entitled to white privileges. As a result of that theoretical complex, he faced a flood of embarrassment, shame, frustration, and anger. We as a society have gotten so emotionally complicated that we have developed a prevalent selfishness and apathy towards understanding others. It is easier to label someone a gang-banger, because it dehumanized them. Snap judgments are often made because we have it all figured out. Everyone is lumped into his or her respective categories and we accept it because things are uncomplicated when everything is in a neat little package. Rather than taking the time to move past initial stereotypes and preconceived notions, we often get it completely wrong. When Sandra Bullock, first saw the Mexican locksmith, she made a snap judgment. â€Å"He is a gang-banger because of his shaved head, prison tattoos and his pants around his ass.† She determined that he was going to sell her house keys to one of his â€Å"homeys.† Contrary to her analysis, he was a soft-spoken, sensitive family man. Bullocks discrimination at the beginning of the film could be interpreted as blatant but somewhat covert. She didnt anticipate that he would hear her comments and if she had, I assume she would have expressed herself in private to avoid the awkward social situation when he left. Regardless, it was wrong and hurtful. The Persian shopkeeper cast a similar first impression based solely on existing stereotypes. He made the false assumption that the Mexican locksmith was a member of some elaborate scheme to rip him off. The shopkeepers brazen ignorance and inability to listen prevented him from hearing valuable information. If he had listened, he would have gotten a new door and thus prevented the vandalism. Neither Bullock nor the shopkeeper took the time to familiarize themselves with him and move past their own prejudices. To them, he was just passing by temporarily to fix the glitch of inconvenience that was disrupting their lives. It is easy to relate the movie Crash to the conflict perspective. According to Sullivan, the conflict perspective is based on â€Å"the idea that society consists of different groups who struggle with one another to attain the scarce societal resources that are considered valuable, be they money, power, prestige, or the authority to impose ones values on society.† This movie fits into this theory because there are many groups (blacks, whites, etc.) that are constantly struggling and belittling each other so that their group can be the one in power. It is this struggle that has created racism, prejudice and stereotypes. Until we as a society can take the time to understand the roots of discrimination and take a good look at our own thought patterns, well never move forward. Films like Crash are forcing us to look outside are own lives and fears, to realize that were more alike than we think. Aside from the 2% genetic differences between us, we all have problems and internal struggles. Thats what makes us human.

History of the Soybean :: Essays Papers

History of the Soybean Before cultivation, wild soybeans grew abundantly in northeast China and Manchuria. As early as 2700 B.C. they were classified as one of the five principal and sacred crops, having both medicinal and food value. They have been cultivated for at least 4,500 years. However, they were not very popular. (They were said to cause flatulence!) During times of bad harvests in China, soybeans were one of the nine staples on which starving millions in the country depended. In the famine of A.D. 194 when the price of millet soared in relation to the price of soybeans, many people were forced to eat soybeans which they often prepared in a gruel called congee. Buddhist monks experimented with soy cultivation and found that flour, milk, curd, and sauce from the soybean all brought necessary additions of protein to their vegetarian diets. They carried the soybean wherever they went as missionaries. By the sixth century A.D. they introduced it into Japan and Korea. When the soybean mixed with the Shinto religion, it quickly became a staple in the Japanese diet. From Japan, soldiers, merchants, and travelers helped to spread the soybean to Vietnam by 200 B.C., and to Thailand by the tenth century A.D. It reached India by the twelfth century, brought there by traders. The bean was slow to reach beyond Asia, however. Although the Spanish and Portuguese traded in East Asia, the soybean was slow to catch on in Europe; it did not fit into the various cuisines of the continent. In 1765, a sailor aboard an East India Company ship that had visited China brought soybeans to the American colonies. By the mid 1800’s the soybean was quickly being disseminated around the globe. During the Civil War, American farmers became interested in cultivating soybeans as a forage plant. This lowered the cost of feeding livestock by replacing the more expensive grass, hay, and corn. At the beginning of the twentieth century, America was trying to feed a population swelling with immigrants. Perhaps the bean that was so high in protein could feed people as well as animals. Soybean cultivation seemed like one way to meet the demand for more food. Following World War II, soybeans became the world’s most important crop. By the end of the war, the United States had become the biggest exporter, growing more than 75% of the world’s soybeans.

Ethical Audit Report of Tesco

1. 0 Introduction According to Mamoria (2010), business ethics is defined as the businessman's integrity so far as his conduct or behaviour is concerned in all fields of business as well as towards the society and other businesses. Thus, the conduct or behaviour by businessman towards the society or others may have some conflicts and contradictions. The intention of this report is to highlight what and why the incidents happened. The incidents include the employment of illegal workers, price fixing, and poor product quality.All these incidents tend to spoil the corporate’ image of the company and also bring harmful effect to the communities and other stakeholders. So, Tesco took action by compensating to the victims, restructured corporate management system for better performances, and provided training programme and learning course for the employee. The ethical theories applicable to Tesco include Ethics of Justice, Ethics of Duty, and Feminist Ethics, which will also be disc ussed in this report. Related article: How Tesco Communicates With CustomersIn addition, the organization’s best practices and values such as corporate social responsibility and protecting the environment will also be discussed for the close up of this report. 1. 1 Background of Tesco Tesco, one of the largest retailers in the world started its business in 1919. The Founder, Jack Cohen started a grocery stall in East End of London. He made a profit of ? 1 from sales of ? 4 on his first day. After 5 years, in 1924. Mr. Cohen bought a shipment of tea from Mr. T. E. Stockwell where the â€Å"Tesco† brand first appearance.Tesco expanded its business to petrol station in 1974, and became the UK’s largest independent petrol retailer. It generated a total sales topped ? 1bn and doubled up to ? 2bn in 1982. In order to overtake the UK’s leading grocer in 1990, Tesco made an aggressive marketing campaign to open more stores to gain its businesses. In 2000, Tesco continued to expand its business by product range from clothes to electrical and personal finance products when Tesco. com was launched (www. telegraph. co. uk). For more detail on its corporate background, kindly refer to Appendix I. 2. 0 Ethical DilemmasEthics in general and ethics in business are very intimate to one another. Therefore one's personal ethics cannot be completely separated from one's business or organizational ethics. If you are a man of principles, then you are more inclined to insist on high moral standards in your business and organizations (Gavai, 2010). No matter how strong the corporate policy and system, ethical dilemmas still exist as everyone is looking for their own interest. Tesco, one of the biggest retailers in worldwide also faces the same problems such as illegal workers, price fixing and poor product quality. . 1 Illegal Workers Tesco was caught for hiring 30 illegal workers who were foreign students at one of its warehouses. These students were from 11 different nationali ties; mostly Bangladeshi and Indian origins were alleged for working up to 3? times longer than their allowed working hour in visa permit (www. visabureau. com). They worked as much as 50 hours extra than the allowed hours of 20 hours per week. This incident happened after the UK border Agency enforcement team visited their factory on July 2012 in Croydon (www. immigrationmatters. co. uk).The retailer took responsibilities by giving corporation to the investigation as they insisted they did not condone illegal working (www. telegraph. co. uk). Anyhow, employees were considered the victims in this incident as they had not been protected by the company’s employment rules, where they were forced to work for extra hours. They faced big losses such as inability to further education and having a work-life balance. Employer did not protect for employee welfare, they abused employee right to work extra which prompted to product high productivity, maximize the profit margin by saving cost of employee salary.Supplier played a key role in this scenario, as it was the only party to transform information between the employers and the employee while in the process of recruitment. In fact, there was wrong information sending either to the employer or the employee. 2. 2 Price Fixing Tesco was accused in the scandal of the pricing fixing on its dairy products such as cheese and milk. The consumers from the Office of Fair Trading in UK reported that Tesco had charged them an additional of approximately ? 270M between years 2002-2003.The huge amount was accumulated from 3 pence extra for a pint of milk, 15 penny extra for each quarter-pound of butter and the same amount per half-pound of cheese for every single purchased together with another 8 firms were implicated in the collusion (www. dailymail. co. uk). They were caught by breaching the competition act in synchronising the increased price with other competitors for certain dairy products. However, Tesco’s comp etitors had admitted and OFT had been given discount on the fined amount as they had given cooperation in the investigation.When the corporations did not practice fair competition which comply with the competition law, consumers were the victims because they did not protect in fair trading. This is clearly a strong violation of consumers’ rights (www. savistamagazine. com). Shareholders in the corporations basically earned extra profits in this scenario. Whereas, this practices was not encouraged as they must obey the corporate law which was stated in the Corporate Governance. Government department plays a key role in this embarrass scenario; their intention was to protect the consumers.Their penalty towards the corporations sent a clear signal to them not to violate consumers’ rights. In fact, families in UK suffering big loss of expensed extra for the daily goods in unknowingly. They should be protected under the fair trading policy which ensured them to trade in wor thiness. 2. 3 Poor Product Quality Tesco also received a punishment from the Bracknell Magistrate Court for selling 127 outdated foods in the Martins Heron branch on May 2011. The foods included beef-burgers, ham and chocolate cheesecake. This incident happened when a girl fell sick after consuming chargrilled chicken pasta salad.This prompted Bracknell Forest Trading Standards officers to investigate the matter after receiving the complaint. The officers found that the foods had expired for 16 days during a visit to the store (www. getreading. co. uk). Trading Standards officers commented this matter as the â€Å"worst case of out-of- date product† that they had ever seen (www. mirror. co. uk). The irresponsible behavior acted by the management of Tesco was strongly affected to the public health. It also brought suffer to the consumers from physically and mentality. The shareholders were also facing lost when the management was careless in managing the stocks.Besides the abo ve, Tesco was discovered for selling 100 expired food products which included yoghurts, fruit smoothies, soup, gravy, vegetable pakoras, packaged salad, pasta bowls, samosa and bhaji snack packs and guacomole dip. These items were past their sell-by-dated of between 1 to 17 days. The occurrence was engaged by a manager who had 20 years experience but his first time to manage the largest store chain, Tesco Extra. Shoppers had complaint about the poor problems to the Coventry City Council and the trading standards officers had proven the issues after their raids at the branch in Gielgud Way, Walsgrave in November 2009 (www. oventrytelegraph. net) 3. 0 Actions taken to solve these dilemmas According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dilemmas are situations or problems where a person has to make a difficult choice; an ethical dilemma is a problem where a person has to choose between a moral and an immoral act (smallbusiness. chron. com). Dilemma occurrences in the workplace are common and action taken to solve them is very important, whereas theory of ethics can be applied as guidelines which may bring the moral decision. 3. 1 Reinforce in recruitment and management system Tesco was fined for a total of ? 15,000 by UK Border Agency (UKBA) for 23 students, of various nationalities who had breached the visa working terms (www. telegraph. co. uk). UKBA was reflecting UK government’s intention into act which has promised to overwhelm on visa abuse. The 23 individuals were not permitted to enter UK again (www. visabureau. com). The Britain’s biggest supermarket had ensured that the incident in this nature will never happen again. One of the executive had been laid off after the lacklustre performance (www. telegraph. co. uk). Tesco was a founder member of Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).They searched employee with high standard by applying the ETI base code which included; no exploitation of child labour, working hours not exceeding (20 hours per week f or foreign workers) and regular employment is provided (www. tesco. ie). However, the government had carried out a good job by taking serious action against any employers who had breached the visa working terms. After the fined it brought a â€Å"warning† to the competitors and simultaneously as a reminder to them to have good ethical practice while in competition. Nobody is allowed to breach the rules in order to obtain success in competition.In addition, after UKBA taken action against the employer, the rest employees will enjoy the benefits which to work in regularly, fair treated, feel protected and concerned by the government. Employer was ensured that the management system been improved after laid off an employee who made mistake. Employer was informed to put employee’s welfares as priority. 3. 2 Defending the rights Tesco was slapped with the fined of ? 10m for price-fixing of its dairy products by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in 2011 after seven years of in vestigation. However, they threatened to fight back by taking legal action against OFT to defend themselves.The company claimed they were â€Å"surprised and dismayed† with the fined and strongly denied with any collusion in changing pricing detail with each other via the dairy processors. Tesco stand at its point vigorously and throughout the court. However, it had urged the government to deprive OFT of its power to investigate and punish firms under the competition act (www. mirror. co. uk). The intention of OFT was to alert the industries that the competition laws was enforced in ensuring the shopper in a fair trade condition. Hence, after the punishments were sent, it was ensure that the competition was maintained under the competition laws.Furthermore, competitors were only able to divulge information to each other via dairy suppliers. Suppliers were also not been honest in this incident. Suppliers did not bear responsibility of providing high quality products with reaso nable prices where the consumers are able enjoy the benefits. Thus, suppliers being fined by the OFT were considered reasonable. No matter how the employer wanted to fight back with OFT, they had to pay the fine and settled it in the fastest way where to stop any embarrassing matters to affect their sales figure.At the same time, the costly and time consuming case might affect the expense of both taxpayer and business as well. So the fine paid has benefitted the consumers which bring fairness of their trading. 3. 3 Compensations After Tesco had admitted selling of outdated food, it was fined by the Bracknell Magistate Court for ? 12,000, and ? 15,000 in legal fees and a ? 15 victim surcharge. The Charges were related to 88 types of food which were put on shelves for sales. Tesco had to bear for the penalty as they knew that selling of out-date-food brought harm to the public health (www. tutorcare. o. uk). In order not to repeat their mistake, they were reinforced through staff trai ning at the Bracknell store to ensure all the processes undergone strict quality control and the procedures were complied. Customers are the cause and purpose of every business. A business is supposed to serve them satisfactorily (Gavai, 2010). According to Tesco Corporate responsibility, they were running local supplier programme for the purpose of getting fresh and quality products. Therefore, the company had to enforce the programme to ensure it was running smoothly and the supplier complied with it.Employers had to bear the responsibility for the incident where there was serious problem in the management. The accused significantly spoiled the corporate image and reputation which cause the sales figure to drop. However, the employers had made a right decision for admitting the mistake and paid compensation. It significantly showed that Tesco was applying the Ethics of Justice. According to Plato (2010), justice is an order and a beauty of the parts of a whole. Justice is effectiv e coordination. It is an effective harmony of the whole.Ethics of justice can be defined as what is right and what is wrong in clear and precision. It was related to the notion of fairness. When a person is been treated unequally or deprived from what he deserved, then he was treated with injustice. Tesco realized that treating someone injustice was an immoral action, so they pledged guilty and paid fined which tend to bring fairness to the consumers as to determine this action on the criterion of rightness, which is one of the concepts in Ethics of Justice as well. Furthermore, Tesco was fined for ? 33,400 for 43 charges of selling 100 out-of-date foods at a hearing in Coventry Magistrates Court and a further of 94 charges after considering their sentenced. However, some shareholders of Tesco were present in court to show their seriousness of this matter and their concern on the case. They pledged guilty on the charges and their managers were laid off and two other employees were b eing disciplined (www. lacors. gov. uk). Employees had the responsibility to carry out their job by following the corporate system. Some of the mistakes were not being tolerated and it has brought harm to the public health.The Coventry council was pleased with the results as the sentenced brought a warning to other competitors in the same industry that the government had stand at their point for the communities was appreciated. 4. 0 Best Practices and Values According to Donald, White and Bedner (2010), value is a concept of the desirable, an internalized criterion or standard of evaluation a person possesses. Such concepts and standards are relatively few and determine or guide an individual's evaluation of many objects encountered in everyday life. Values are tinged with moral flavour involving an individual's judgement of what is good, right or desirable.Tesco has practiced several communities’ works as a return to the society and tried to deliver values to them. Corporate social responsibility is in the interest of business because, by contributing to social change, it can create a better environment for its own transactions, thereby developing business while being socially responsibly (Rendtorff and Dahl, 2009). 4. 1 Communities Works Tesco plays a vital role in the local communities by supporting them actively without preconditions. They wanted to have a good relationship with the communities in which they operated.The fundamental condition that Tesco can provide to the communities is providing good quality, affordable foods and goods, and offering job to the unemployment. Besides that, they are listening and responding to the local communities for their needs and values, carrying out the issues that matter to them positively, and improve the local area by providing lasting contributions. They regularly set up a new store in the area where the retailers or businesses had been neglected. Tesco also launched a Regeneration Partnership Programs in UK where Tesco was proud as this prompted to providing job opportunities to the long term unemployment.In May 2012, they had their first launched store under the regeneration program in Hungary at Debrecen. Hiring 100 unemployed and providing 42 with courses organized by Regional Labour Centre helped them to readjust in their routine of daily work. Tesco also gathered the local communities in a centre point for them to interact. In Turkey, Tesco Kipa Family Club offered Cooking class, Dancing class, chess and learning English Class to their 60,000 members. In addition, Tesco had over 100 schools of Extended Class in South Korea to let the customers and families to attend Arts and English Class.Presently, Tesco had over 750 communities champion working into the communities which communicated with the communities effectively. They were organizing activities such as Healthy Eating to the primary school and local school children, charity event by collection or bag packing, and also asking the staff and customers to join the events like Race for Life (www. tescoplc. com). Without doubt, values to the communities such as responsibility, accountability, concern and unity had contributed absolutely by Tesco. â€Å"Value† so understood is a very broad category.It includes all sorts of things, from personal desire like health or a sense of humor to social ideals like wealth or liberty (Weston, 2010). They are responsible to the communities by giving them quality product in affordable prices. In addition, they were giving values of accountability by organizing learning class for the communities to gain their knowledge and interests. Tesco is also concerned about the communities of the unemployment, giving priority to the unemployed for job opportunities which also gave them better future and better life.Unity of the communities is very important in local area, Tesco provided a platform for the communities to communicate, interact and work together. They looked forwa rd that every business and store were valued by the communities as they were trying hard to give interest to the communities. Tesco contributed a lot of times and fund to the community works. This demonstrates the application of Ethics of Duty. According to Kant (2010), a duty is obligatory and one has to do his duty regardless of any situation.Most of the time duty implies an action that one is expected to do as a part of society which may be neither for self-satisfaction nor for immediate happiness. Tesco knew what their prime duty to the communities was. Having a good thought is not enough but must in action. An action with potential concern showed their responsibility to the communities. 4. 2 Protecting Environment Protecting the environment is one of the important missions set by Tesco. The only way to deal with it was reducing the impact on the environment, including water and energy usage.All the suppliers have to follow the program with Tesco by reducing carbon footprint on the product and manage the water usage in all the store chain. The mission to be achieved is to become a zero-carbon business by 2050. Achieving a mission is not only in planning but practice. Tesco has converted over 100 stores to natural refrigeration across the corporate. The project in Kenya for the Lake Naivasha water stewardship helped to reduce water pollution and raised the water levels, replace transportation from lorries to rail transport which saved 15,000 tonnes of CO2e per year.Tesco had also collaborated with Unilever to create awareness amongst customers of sustainable product choices; more than 10,000 customers were advised to reduce their water footprint in Turkey. Tesco practiced by reducing in packaging and minimizing waste in their dairy operation which helped to reduce the impact on the environment. Reducing waste was the priority plan for Tesco. They used a market-leading store ordering system which helped to predict what each store chain will sell, this minimi zed waste of food accurately before it reached their customers.The programmes of minimizing the store’s operational waste started running since 2009 throughout the world’s store chain. They did not send any wastage from the UK store to the landfill. If the wasted were unable to recycle then it will be converted into other sources of energy. In China, cardboard and wasted oil in the stores had been fully recycled. In Poland, in order to increase the rate of recycling, they have conducted an audit of waste segregation in stores. In Malaysia, they encouraged the employees to recycle by launching a weekly league table to record who recycled the most.In US, they sent their waste food to the food bank for those who needed to reduce the wastage. And lastly in Slovakia, they donated the waste food the Hunter’s association for feeding animals. The materials used for product packing were the lightest weight and sustainable and also gave opportunities for recycling. Since 2007, Tesco have reduced the packaging of own-brand product more than 15% in UK, which included cutting glass usage by 420 tonnes annually when producing their own label Champagne. They also changed traditional packaging of toys to new packaging reduction technique that brought 15% reduction.In UK, Tesco also has commitments with WRAP’s Courtauld 2 (Waste and Resource Action Programme) to reduce the packaging waste by 2012. The commitments included the reduction of weight, recycled content of grocery packaging to be increased, rates of recycling to be increased, and carbon impact to be lowered by 10%, reduction of 4% for the UK household food and drink, and reduction of 5% for the products and packaging waste in the supply chains (www. tescoplc. com). Caring for the environment brings value of duty, love, hope, and comfort. Tesco has carried out their duty towards the society by committing on wastage reduction.All the resources taken from the earth and environment were fully utilized and the balances were recycled. This duty is belonging to everyone; therefore Tesco has taken it into priority. Tesco also showed the values of love. In terms of loving the earth, loving the environment, and loving each others in the world by saving the resources such as water. Human being is unable to live without water. Tesco knew the seriousness so they ran several programmes on reducing the usage of water. Tesco is giving Hope to the society as well, saving resources in order to prevent resources shortage, and climate changing.Value of hope is generating with these practices to the people. Living in harmony and secure which may concern for the next generation as well. With the clean environment, the values of comfort arise and the people can feel that they are living in a peaceful world. This is the main objective achieved by Tesco. A comfort lifestyle may bring positive thinking to the people, staying with tolerance and forgiveness. Tesco has significantly practiced et hical theory of right for the programme. According to William Sbaw (2010), a right is an entitlement to act or have other acts in a certain way.Everyone has a right in doing certain action and simultaneously expecting others not to deprive its right. However, others also possess a right to disagree to the action, but they cannot dismiss it. Tesco promoted the protecting environment programme and has prompted to let the communities knew that they had the right to live harmony. Right and Duty are correlated as that our prime duty is to protect the rights of people (Gavai, 2010). Tesco has the duty of giving fairness to the society and the communities have the right to enjoy the fair treatment. 5. Conclusion Business ethics is important for a corporate because it brings significant benefits and advantages. Corporation with good business ethics prompt to have good image and reputation in the market, which assist to create market awareness and promote sales easily. Furthermore, a corpora tion best practice such as corporate social responsibility is also very crucial which to protect the employees and communities’ welfare, corporation may enjoy benefits for itself also because a good corporate social responsibility may create loyalty of an employee.A loyal and committted employee will stay with the corporation constantly and increase productivity, which can reduce labour turnover as well. Whereas, Tesco, as one of the biggest retailers in the world, which cover business internationally (refer Appendix II for International business Chart), they realize the importance of these and working hard to practice good ethical behavior, create value for the communities and providing moral decision to settle the ethical dilemma to ensure the stakeholder and communities can enjoy the benefits.

Montclair State University Essay

Negative changes in financial conditions can disturb even the most flexible individual. Mixed this with a death of a loved one and one is more likely to perform below expectations. These were the events that led to the drop in my GPA. In the Fall of 2004, my father informed me that he would stop providing for my education. This had been a surprise since because he promised to help me out with my studies until I finish college. He was doing well financially that I couldn’t understand why he made that decision. He didn’t even offer an explanation and he refused to talk to me about it. In a snap of a finger, he had cut me off his life. After that massive blow, I get myself together and went on with my life. I took two jobs to pay for my education. I lived with my grandparents to save on the rent. I struggled to finish the school year out and I did. However, the new role that I have to assume, that is being the sole provider for myself had stressed me so much that my GPA suffered. And as they say, when it rains, it pours. In 2005, my grandmother died and my grandfather was diagnosed with a lung cancer. I spent the year coping with what seemed to me a mocking twist of fate. During that time, my main goal was to survive each day. I was oblivious to what is happening around me. The plans I had for my future seemed to belong to another lifetime. Fortunately, in January 2006, things began to pick up. I started to do some volunteer work. During my free time, I am a volunteer EMT for the Maplewood first aid squad. I loved it from the moment I started. It gave me a new zest for life. Helping others made me feel good about myself. I realized that I can always be of service to others despite my own constraints. Fate rewarded this effort after a few months. In September 2006, I became a visiting student in Montclair State University for the school year 2006-2007. I was anxious at first but I soon found my place. It felt like coming come. During my stay as a visiting student, the students and the faculty members of Montclair University didn’t treat me as outsider. They were very warm and friendly. They made me want to stay. This is my reason for wanting to transfer to this university. My stay also provided me with a glimpse of the quality of education in MSU. And based on my experience, I would say that MSU offers a high quality education at an affordable price. Given my current situation, I believe that transferring to this university is the best investment I could make for my future. I also think that I could be a good investment for MSU if it admits me as I am a very determined, hardworking and innovative person. These were the qualities that made me triumph over adversity and I believe that these same traits would make me excel in whatever field I have chosen for myself.

Maquiladora essays

Maquiladora essays What role does maquiladora play in the development of a country? Why is this phenomenon seen as a new phase in capitalist development? Is this a reasonable claim? The role that the maquila plays in the development of a country is an interesting topic to discuss. To understand the role that maquiladoras play, one must first gain an understanding of the original purpose of the maquila. Then, by studying the evolution of the maquiladora to a big manufacturing base, one may have a better understanding of how this type of firm may lead to the development of the host country. In the first section, I will discuss the origination and development of the maquiladoras. In section two, I will provide the opinions of some economists and their insights as to how the maquiladora has affected developing countries. The third section deals with capitalism and how maquiladoras play a role in the development of a capitalist economy. In section four, I will discuss my opinions on the arguments that I h ave presented. The final section will include some concluding remarks. Now, let us familiarize ourselves with the maquiladora. The word maquiladora is derived from the Spanish verb maquilar, which means to mill wheat into flour. Farmers would mill wheat into portions and then give a portion to the miller; this portion was called a maquila. As time passed, the word maquila became associated with manufacturing, assembly and packaging processes that were carried out by someone that was not the original manufacturer. In todays economic world, the word maquiladora stands for a special type of company in Mexico (Maquila Overview 1). The component that makes the maquiladora different from any other manufacturing plant is that they are allowed to import raw materials, equipment, and parts needed for assembly, and export the finished good to the United States on a duty free basis (Maquilas 1). The first maquiladoras were bu...

5 Steps to Determine Your LinkedIn Profile Focus by guest blogger Jill Schaefer

5 Steps to Determine Your LinkedIn Profile Focus by guest blogger Jill Schaefer You are a multi-faceted human being and yet you only get one LinkedIn profile (or two if one of them is in a second language). Perhaps you are unsure where to focus as a professional and thus how to present yourself in your profile. The question â€Å"Who am I?† is an important one for job seekers and professionals, and it’s not always easy to answer. You: The multi-talented All of us are good at MANY things; but the fact is you can’t be everything to everyone- especially as a job seeker. As Martin Yates, CPC, author of the famed Knock ‘em Dead series, elaborates in Knock ‘em Dead 2012: The Ultimate Job Search Guide, â€Å"People get hired based on their credentials not their potential†¦ Decide on the job that will be the easiest sell for you and the easiest buy for an employer.† In the almost two years that I have been writing LinkedIn summaries for The Essay Expert, I have encountered clients who attempt to be all things to all people. They want to highlight their experience in A, B, and C industries and their accomplishments at X, Y, and Z jobs, AND promote their small business- all within the space of 2,000 characters. Sound familiar? You may think this broad-ranging type of summary says, â€Å"I’m dynamic and versatile.† In reality, most readers interpret it as, â€Å"This person is confused, random, and indecisive.† 5 Step Plan Here’s how to convey focus and strength in your LinkedIn summary: Step 1: Pick one thing The first step to finding your LinkedIn focus is to zero in on the PRIMARY job that you’re after or the PRIMARY professional pursuit you want to come across loud and clear in your profile. How do you do that? Back to Martin Yates’ words of wisdom. â€Å"Based on the skills you possess today, what is your primary job target?† Step 2: Find job descriptions for your target job or profession. Identify keywords. Look up 3-5 job descriptions for your target job category. For example, if I am looking for a marketing or communication manager position, I would go to indeed.com, monster.com, or careerbuilder.com to find posted positions, such as Marketing Communications Officer or Marketing Services Manager, that employers are actively recruiting for. You don’t have to limit yourself to a certain geographic area for this exercise. The point is to learn what job title is most commonly used and what language employers use to describe the job’s requirements. What is the problem a person in that role must solve? What skills would an ideal candidate have? (Note: If your target job requires you to do things that you hate, go back to Step 1.) Copy and paste the contents of the job descriptions into an electronic file or print them out. Highlight mandatory skills from the job descriptions. What keywords- the words that LinkedIn recruiters and hiring managers would search on- keep popping up? Hint: â€Å"team player† is not a keyword phrase, â€Å"alliance management† is. Learn more about keywords in Brenda Bernstein’s Baffled by choosing keywords for your LinkedIn Profile HEADLINE post. Make a list of the most common keywords from the job descriptions. You might want to use Wordle.net to help out with this part. Step 3: Identify your accomplishments With your target job position in mind,   create a list of your top five relevant accomplishments. Organize each accomplishment into a Situation/Action/Results format: Briefly DESCRIBE THE SITUATION or problem. List the ACTIONS YOU TOOK to amend the situation. Describe the RESULTS YOU ACHIEVED. Use quantifiable statistics and metrics, if possible. Step 4: Evaluate how you match up Compare and contrast the similarities between the job descriptions and your accomplishments. How do you match up? If you do, great! If not, it’s time to re-evaluate whether you have matching experiences or successes in the areas that are important to an employer. Step 5: Be THAT person Make sure everything you say about yourself on your LinkedIn profile supports your ONE target position or singular professional objective. Don’t muddy the waters by including keywords from everything that you’ve ever done in your working life. Keep it focused. Remember if you decide today that you’re most qualified to be a genie and tomorrow you decide you’d rather be a zookeeper, you can change your LinkedIn profile accordingly. It’s a living document that reflects who you are as a professional right now. Once you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile, start monitoring the â€Å"Who’s viewed your profile?† section on the right side of your LinkedIn home page. How many times has your profile appeared in searches over the past few days? If your hits are in the single digits, change a few keywords, reassess, and repeat until your numbers go up. Feeling lost? The Essay Expert is here to help you find your professional self. We have helped many a client with multiple professional personalities benefit from a focused, successful LinkedIn summary. About Jill Schaefer: Jill is a professional copywriter and freelance writer who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. She specializes in environmental communications, connecting with clients, giving LinkedIn profiles a makeover, and producing compelling copy. View winning LinkedIn summaries Jill co-wrote for The Essay Experts clients: Shashi Dosaj | Marissa Keller Outten | Michelle Henry

Career Development Programs Support Retention

This paper attempts to explain the human resource best practices in a fashion company known as Pearl collections by analyzing the six stages of the employee lifecycle. These six steps include; recruitment & selection, orientation & onboarding, employee services, talent development & retention, performance management and transition. This essay will then examine how these cycle stages contribute to Pearl collections and also the implementation process.   Human resource best practices are one of the human resource management models pioneered by Pfeffer who advised when put into practice would improve the performance of an organization  (Pfeffer, 1998). Best practice according to Boxall and Purcell's, emphasizes the vitality of empowering an employee's ability through right staffing and training, offering strong financial incentives and providing an open and engaging environment where the employees can share ideas and participate.  (Purcell, 2003) It is important to understand that applying a few human resource best practices in one company, industry or corporate culture may not necessarily yield the same results or be the right practice in another. The methods highly depend on the demographic makeup of a company, size, resources available, socioeconomic factors, location, regulatory and legal environment. Understanding employees and what might engage them to perform better should is vital before implementing any strategy. The HR Reporter shares the culture of Zappos to be crazy in that they believe in having fun at work to the extent of asking employees to dress up as superheroes. The employees who are disengaged are paid to leave the company which may be a huge number as not everyone might be comfortable with it (Kreissl, 2013). At Carswell, a favorite activity that makes the workplace more fun is their annual ice cream day and this according to management is a fun little program that drives employee engagement. The culture at Zappos and Carswell when compared are entirely different, and various people might share both positive and negative feedback on them. These examples prove that not every policy, practice or program will work at every company hence the importance of internal and external analysis of the organization.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruitment and selection are the first stages of the employee lifecycle and are, therefore,     the foundations for human resource management. Pearl Collections pride itself to be an attractive employer that recruits locally whenever a boutique opens, one that cares about gender inclusivity, diversity, employee growth, health, and safety. During this stage the human resource manager analyzes the job, its role, creates a person specification which consists of the skills and qualifications required, experience, and comes up with a remuneration package. This process follows advertising, shortlisting and then selection of the preferred candidate while taking into consideration passion, attitude and behavior as the essential characteristics. To aid in recruitment, Pearl uses a few agencies who prescreen the candidates on the level of position, education, and skills. This process gives the company an upper hand regarding maximized exposure and increases the number of applicants for va rious positions. According to PRADA Group, the information collected during the selection process strictly relates to the authentication of the professional profile being sort, while respecting candidate's personal opinions  (PRADA, 2007). This open dialogue gives the applicant room to be open minded and share his/her views openly enabling the human resource department to get a comprehensive analysis. The second stage of the employee lifecycle is orientation & onboarding. PeopleAdmin shares that Onboarding is a process and orientation is an event and that a sound onboarding process spans from one to two years  (PeopleAdmin, n.d.). Pearl collections believe in carrying out successful orientation and onboarding processes as the transition ensures success on the candidate’s part which impacts on the company. Pearl is aware of the importance of enabling a candidate to reach his/her full potential hence carries out the orientation process accurately and concisely. The HR department issues the candidate with information on the company, appropriate forms, takes the candidate around to meet other agencies and promotes communication. The onboarding process conveys the brand, values, professional culture, product knowledge and sales techniques and expectations to the candidate and provides tools to aid in his or her productivity. To ensure employees are well taken care of, Rag & Bo ne has an HR team of six individuals which is fundamental to its growth strategy and research shows that they excel at recruitment with high-profit margins (Pike, 2015). Employee services as an employee life cycle stage are benefits offered to employees by employers to instill their loyalty and prevent them from leaving for greener grass. The fashion industry is known to rotate employees and to keep them from jumping ship; Pearl collections complies with the legal departments of all states, offers medical insurance, a life insurance plan, disability insurance, offer paternity and maternity leaves, holidays and sick leaves. As the company is keen on being relevant, it is planning to open a child care area in one of the spare rooms to enhance productivity and to also introduce a wellness program by offering reimbursable gym membership costs which could reduce health care costs through promotion of healthier lifestyles. At HUGOBOSS, healthcare is a significant factor, the company cafeteria follows a balanced nutrition plan, and the company has a fitness studio offering courses in back training and aerobics which increase staff retention rates (HUGOBOSS, 2012). Talent development & retention is the fourth employee cycle stage, and it is crucial to both engagement and the output of the company. Key elements of talent and leadership, development, strategies and best practices are key under this stage. Pearl endeavors to involve itself in talent development by continuously grooming and upgrading the employees by attracting the right staff, providing the latest technology, sensitizing them on how to excel, use of rewards and incentives, motivation, empowerment and offering career advancement opportunities. The company understands that high employee turnover is a problem hence the strategies aid in developing a sense of loyalty by investing in the employees. Rag and Bone has an employee-led development scheme which enables the employees to take charge of their development by providing tools and resources to get their employees thinking ahead about their careers and not waiting for their managers to develop them  (Pike, 2015). Performance management as the fifth employee cycle stage is strategic with the aim of ensuring employees are contributing positively to the objectives of the business using a range of HR activities and processes. Pearl has customer care indicators that are used to gauge employee performance standards. These indicators have a collection of customer surveys, focus group discussions and customer complaints. Pearl recognizes it gets successful when the relationship between managers and employees is one of fairness, trust, good communication and contains an open door policy to enable generation and utilization of ideas. Pearl is keen on fostering good performance management because it helps every staff; understand the path of the business and what it wants to achieve. The standards of performance required, everyone's role in helping the company accomplish its goals. Understand how they can develop their performance and contribute to the growth of the organization and also where there are performance problems and how to handle them. The PRADA group encourages management and employees to take up responsibilities, to work, win challenges and achieve corporate objectives. This entrepreneurial culture recognizes, promotes and rewards the pro-activeness of the individual and teamwork. This cultural contribution aid in the achievement of the company's strategy and adopting consistency and responsibility traits  (PRADA, 2007). The sixth employee life cycle is transition which is the process when an employee leaves a company on retirement, better opportunity, getting fired, being laid off or due to personal reasons. It is, therefore, the work of the HR to manage the transition process by ensuring the following all procedures and processes. Pearl's HR department has an employee development plan in place to aid in the smooth transition. This plan contains a list of the employee's pending projects with a step by step process detailing actions this individual will take to finish the tasks. The HR follows up with the employee in the days following the day of departure. A form is shared with the employee for him/her to share honest opinions on their views about the company, reasons for leaving and areas for improvement. The HR delegates the tasks that cannot be completed before the employee's departure to other employees either do it or manage it until they hire a replacement. According to Forbes, Ron shares an e vent where a senior manager, unannounced and fired his employee and directed all his questions to the HR who at the time was ill prepared. This manager had for the last six months given the employee positive feedback and claimed his firing grounds on the lack of teamwork. This behavior as Ron further explains probably generated a major lawsuit and he calls it an extreme example (Ashkenas, 2013).  Ã‚   In conclusion, human resource best practices are one of the most dominant ways for a business to ensure the creation of value for the customers especially at Pearl collections and our profitability. The apparel industry is highly dominated and competitive, and by putting into place the six stages of the employee lifecycle, our relevance reinforces our strategic position. Pearl's measurement of success relies on low employee turnover, employee satisfaction, enhanced performance, career growth, increased responsibility, high levels of customer service, competency, high profits, improved morale, access to information, communication, self-improvement and existence of development programs just to name a few. In the future, Pearl collections are determined to continue offering fashionable items at quality prices and expand by opening more boutiques in various countries as our profitability and growth are on track. Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2003).  Strategy and human resource management  (1st ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan Education. Code of Ethics  (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://www.pradagroup.com/documents/governance/code_of_ethics_en.pdf Fashion Companies Need to Rethink Their HR Function.  The Business of Fashion. , from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/the-strategic-importance-of-hr Forbes Welcome. (2013).  Forbes.com. , from   https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2013/03/11/if-you-have-to-fire-an-employee-heres-how-to-do-it-right/#3c954ad0151f Gomez, M. (2014).  How Career Development Programs Support Employee Retention.  Td.org. from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Career-Development-Blog/2014/10/How-  Ã‚  Ã‚   Career-Development-Programs-Support-Employee-Retention Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), AN HRM CASE STUDY. (2009) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://colbournecollege.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23793496/5385hrm_case_study_0.p  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   df How to manage performance | Advisory booklet | Acas.  Acas.org.uk. Retrieved from https://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2927 Kreissl, B. (2013).  What exactly are HR best practices? | Canadian HR Reporter.  Hrreporter.com. , from https://www.hrreporter.com/columnist/hr-policies-  Ã‚   practices/archive/2013/04/22/what-exactly-are-hr-best-practices/ MANAGEMENT REPORT. (2011) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://group.hugoboss.com/files/HUGOBOSS_GB2011_Lagebericht_En_AGAbschluss.p  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   df Pfeffer, J. (1998).  Seven Practices of Successful Organizations  (2nd ed.). California. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeffrey_Pfeffer/publication/265114424_Seven_Practices_of_Successful_Organizations/links/56cbb52b08aee3cee54192bc.pdf Thompson, S.  Human Resources Life Cycle.  Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from   https://smallbusiness.chron.com/human-resources-life-cycle-62078.html Types of Employee Services.  Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-employee-services-2802.html What is employee transition planning?.  Reference. Retrieved from   https://www.reference.com/business-finance/employee-transition-planning-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   46898c77ac071e75 What is Onboarding Exactly? - PeopleAdmin.  PeopleAdmin. Retrieved from https://www.peopleadmin.com/2013/01/what-is-onboarding-exactly/

Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revolution - Essay Example The damage rested in the people's faith that the government could carry out economic policy. Specifically in the context of the government being able to do this without manipulation. During this time a remarkable suggestion of the replacement of adaptive expectations by rational expectations was the "Lucas Critique," This critique illustrated that expectation parameters, and endogenous variable dynamics, depend on policy parameters. (Muth p. 315) The presentation and discussion of this critique is taken into consideration for purposes of this discussion from the vantage point of the issue. The issue for this discussion is the issue of bounded rationality, where for transparency it is modeled to bounded rationality by means of simple adaptive expectations. The examination of this critique will illustrate that for a range of processes, monetary policy remains subject to the Lucas critique. (Cooley p 64) Nonetheless, "there are also regimes in which the expectation The adaptive expectations hypothesis was introduced by Cagan (1956) and Friedman (1957) as a plausible and empirically meaningful approach to modeling expectations of future variables in a world of uncertainty. "Their apparent empirical success led to widespread utilization of the adaptive expectations hypothesis before it was ultimately swept away by the rational expectation revolution, initiated by Muth (1961) and advanced by Lucas (1976) and Sargent and Wallace (1975). Rational expectations has the great advantage of providing optimal expectations; under the standard of optimality, adaptive expectations suffers by comparison and should be rejected. (Cooley 1973) One of the most salient implications of rational expectations is the critique of traditional policy making presented in Lucas (1976). The traditional theory of economic policy is characterized as treating the time series process followed by the economy as fixed and invariant with respect to exogenous changes in policy. Under rational expectations, however, the forecast or expectation (Muth 1973) rule will be affected by policy changes and, if the economy is in turn affected by expectations, these will alter the time series process followed by the economy. Lucas provided examples of this phenomenon based on prominent macroeconomic models. Our objective here is to reconsider the Lucas critique in the context of adaptive expectations. The starting point of our argument is Muth (1960). In that paper Muth showed that adaptive expectations, with an appropriate adaptation parameter, are fully rational if the variable being forecasted follows an exogenous IMA(1,1) stochastic process, i.e. if the first difference of the variable is a first-order moving average process. Rational expectations, however, assumes that the true process generating the data is known, an assumption that many feel to be implausibly strong. Recently Evans and Honkapohja (1993, 2001) and Sargent (1999) have argued that adaptive expectations may be a reasonable, if not fully rational, forecast method when the true process is unknown. Economic Structure: We consider a simple macroeconomic model, inspired by Lucas (1973) and Fischer (1977), in which aggregate output is affected by unanticipated price level changes. Let aggregate supply be specified as follows: qt = (pt pe t ), (1) where qt and pt

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

Zapp - Essay Example This is essential as it involves understanding the needs and issues that face other individuals. This principle can be applied in the sense that an individuals working as a team understands the concerns of the team members in order to work effectively and for the team or individuals within the team to be zapped. Through the process of understanding the concerns of other individuals effective measures are able to be applied in dealing with such concerns whenever they arise. Another important principle in Zapp that an individual may apply to zapp themselves involves asking for assistance in terms of problem solving. Whenever problems arise for instance within an organization an individual should engage other employees in the problem solving process. This is crucial as through seeking of assistance ideas, suggestions and information will be shared by the employees. Hence, in order for an individual to be zapped there should be sharing of information in relation to solving various issues within the organization as this will boost the morale of

Ethical and Legal Implications of Medical Errors Essay

Ethical and Legal Implications of Medical Errors - Essay Example Codes of conduct at the place of work are fundamental observe. Moral values of caregivers hold it that instances of errors should be on the minimal possible. This further gives an insight into what healthcare providers consider being right or wrong. Hospital-Acquired Infections are crucial to account for. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are regarded as places where healthcare issues are addressed. As a result, Hospital Acquired Infections to some extent fails to constitute ethical occurrences. Nurses, doctors, and all medical professionals should come up with ways that alleviate or significantly minimize Hospital Acquired Infections.Rules of practice should be highly observed so that all stakeholders do not view Hospital Acquired Patients are entitled to quality and effectiveness healthcare. All responsible parties in that pursuit should ensure that the underlying rights and freedoms are observed. Failure to do so may highly attract lawsuits between the patients and the healthcar e providers. Medical errors affect different patients in different ways, and so are the legal processes that different patients will result in times of medical errors like Hospital Acquired Infections. The legal structure operates on proves, but not necessarily what the lawsuit parties individually know. For this reason, prove of conditions that exacerbate the occurrence of Hospital-Acquired Infections is highly likely to favor patients, thereby placing the healthcare sector and healthcare providers in jeopardy of service.

What is the role of mass media in liberal democracies Do you think the Essay

What is the role of mass media in liberal democracies Do you think the media fulfil these functions (Base your answer on liberal theory and the political econ - Essay Example But, evidence from electronic and print media today reveals that the media houses have largely failed to live up to their defined roles. This essay will expound on this thesis by way of citing relevant examples from scholarly sources. One of the talking points amongst the intelligentsia is the dangers posed by lack of diversity and representation in the mainstream media’s coverage. The phenomena of media concentration, which has seen greater consolidation in the last decade, gives rise to production of news content that serves the interests of select media elite. This concentration of power in the hands of large media conglomerates makes it easy for them to set the political agenda on the national scale as exemplified by Rupert Murdoch’s near monopoly ownership of media space in Britain. It is no surprise then that the issues that they cover are infested with their personal biases, prejudices and interests. The general public, made helpless by this system, are presented a narrow political agenda that holds no real significance for them (Eldridge, Kitzinger & Williams, 1997, p. 27). In other words, while the media has the power to elicit a policy response from the government, the outcomes tend to ben efit the media elite and ruling classes rather than people. Only a few news stories get picked for publication/broadcast among numerous other pieces competing for the same space/time. The journalists in charge of deciding the news content are subject to personal biases, external coercions (both implicit and explicit) and other constraints that influence their decision making. For these reasons, there are only a minority of journalists who adhere to standards of objectivity and professional integrity, while the rest succumb to various pressures consciously or otherwise. This decline in journalistic ethos is seen across geo-political entities and cultures,

Under what conditions could it make sense to combine private and Essay

Under what conditions could it make sense to combine private and public warehouses in a logistical system - Essay Example Private warehouses are those ones that are owned by the companies for their manufacturing and storage purposes. These warehouses are operated by the companies to store their products. These companies tend to have enough resources to buy their own warehouses using large areas and money to buy the place. These warehouses are beneficial as they are a one-time cost for the company and they can design these warehouses as per their own needs and product demands; for example controlling atmosphere for edible products (Ismail, 2008). On the other hand, some companies use public warehouses. These warehouses are owned by the public sector but are given on lease or rent to the companies who need them to store their products mostly for a temporary period of time. These warehouses can be expensive and not always available. However, companies may choose them because of their location in the center or near to the manufacturers. Mostly small scale companies lease these warehouses as they don’t have enough resources to buy their own warehouses whereas large companies buy their own warehouses to avoid inconvenience (Ismail, 2008). The third type of warehouses that companies may go for is contract warehouses. These warehouses are combined of private and public warehouses. Companies chose these warehouses for several reasons and decide to combine the private and public warehouses for their logistical system. These warehouses are chosen by the companies because contract warehouses operate on a contract basis with a long-term relationship maintained which lowers the cost as compared to an average public warehouse. Contract warehouses can also benefit in operations such as flexibility, expertise, and economies of scale as equipment, labor, management, and risk is shared amongst a number of clients (Voortman, 2004). Companies thus combine private and

Ethical and Legal Implications of Medical Errors Essay

Ethical and Legal Implications of Medical Errors - Essay Example Codes of conduct at the place of work are fundamental observe. Moral values of caregivers hold it that instances of errors should be on the minimal possible. This further gives an insight into what healthcare providers consider being right or wrong. Hospital-Acquired Infections are crucial to account for. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are regarded as places where healthcare issues are addressed. As a result, Hospital Acquired Infections to some extent fails to constitute ethical occurrences. Nurses, doctors, and all medical professionals should come up with ways that alleviate or significantly minimize Hospital Acquired Infections.Rules of practice should be highly observed so that all stakeholders do not view Hospital Acquired Patients are entitled to quality and effectiveness healthcare. All responsible parties in that pursuit should ensure that the underlying rights and freedoms are observed. Failure to do so may highly attract lawsuits between the patients and the healthcar e providers. Medical errors affect different patients in different ways, and so are the legal processes that different patients will result in times of medical errors like Hospital Acquired Infections. The legal structure operates on proves, but not necessarily what the lawsuit parties individually know. For this reason, prove of conditions that exacerbate the occurrence of Hospital-Acquired Infections is highly likely to favor patients, thereby placing the healthcare sector and healthcare providers in jeopardy of service.

Under what conditions could it make sense to combine private and Essay

Under what conditions could it make sense to combine private and public warehouses in a logistical system - Essay Example Private warehouses are those ones that are owned by the companies for their manufacturing and storage purposes. These warehouses are operated by the companies to store their products. These companies tend to have enough resources to buy their own warehouses using large areas and money to buy the place. These warehouses are beneficial as they are a one-time cost for the company and they can design these warehouses as per their own needs and product demands; for example controlling atmosphere for edible products (Ismail, 2008). On the other hand, some companies use public warehouses. These warehouses are owned by the public sector but are given on lease or rent to the companies who need them to store their products mostly for a temporary period of time. These warehouses can be expensive and not always available. However, companies may choose them because of their location in the center or near to the manufacturers. Mostly small scale companies lease these warehouses as they don’t have enough resources to buy their own warehouses whereas large companies buy their own warehouses to avoid inconvenience (Ismail, 2008). The third type of warehouses that companies may go for is contract warehouses. These warehouses are combined of private and public warehouses. Companies chose these warehouses for several reasons and decide to combine the private and public warehouses for their logistical system. These warehouses are chosen by the companies because contract warehouses operate on a contract basis with a long-term relationship maintained which lowers the cost as compared to an average public warehouse. Contract warehouses can also benefit in operations such as flexibility, expertise, and economies of scale as equipment, labor, management, and risk is shared amongst a number of clients (Voortman, 2004). Companies thus combine private and

Youth Culture Case Study & Play as the Childs Work Essay Example for Free

Youth Culture Case Study Play as the Childs Work Essay Almost every era has seen the emergence of youth sub-cultures specific to that time and place, socio-economic factors, geographical location and ideologies. Youth sub-culture could be said to be part of the way many young people connect to and take part in society. Most youth sub-cultures share common features such as distinctive dress styles, behaviours, music, appearance as well as shared interests and beliefs but the specifics of each youth sub-culture is unique to that group of individuals, for example the difference between Punks and New Romantics. Poverty in 1960’s Kingston, Jamaica saw the emergence of the youth street culture, â€Å"Rude Boys†. The name derives from a slang word for ‘wicked’ in Jamaica, used to describe the anti-social behaviour of the individual who identified with the sub-culture. The sub-culture was often associated with violence and delinquency that was present in the aftermath of independence and lack of employment opportunities for young people. Building discontent and bitterness led to hostility and fighting as a way of expression for the rude boys. Many youth sub-cultures according to Cohen (1955), â€Å"arise when people with similar problems get together to look for solutions† (Gallacher Kehily 2013). Within the sub-culture much of the music either promoted or rejected rude boy violence and so further sub-cultures became apparent. On the one hand some recording artists tried to persuade young people to be less aggressive, such as Stranger Cole’s 1962 â€Å"Ruff and Tough† where he sings â€Å"Don’t bite the hand that feed you† versus the 1967 recording â€Å"Tougher than Tough† by the Heptones which declared â€Å"rudies dont fear, tougher than tough, rougher than rough, strong like lion, we are iron†. Lyrically the songs reflected the social conscious of the times and motivated people to take action. Rude boys have distinctive stylised features such as their appearance, indicative of the significance of fashion. Suits, thin ties and hats (taken from the movie gangster image of the time) often based on a black and white two tone design, as shown in the illustration below. The style was seen as edgy with an emphasis on masculinity – appearance was important. The predominant musical influences of the sub-culture were a mix of big band and Mento, which was a fusion of African style music played in the West Indies. This gave way later to Ska and Rocksteady, which was based on a blended form of reggae, jazz and blues. A very rhythmic music with a steady â€Å"off† beat, the characteristic dance is one of stepping whilst keeping a straight back, rocking/punching arms side to side, the origins of which come from â€Å"Rudes† stabbing a rival. This way of dancing is referred to as â€Å"skanking†an immediately identifiable part of the sub-culture. â€Å"Rude† influenced British youth culture through immigration and in terms of music and fashion, but not so much the violence associated with its early origins. Young people adopted the music and fashion style of â€Å"Rude† boys and 1970’s Britain saw a â€Å"Rude† boy’s revival with the creation of bands such as â€Å"the specials† and â€Å"the beat†. The music and fashion became the primary focus for young people belonging to this exciting, upbeat sub culture. This youth sub-culture became known as â€Å"two-tone†, named after the integrated bi-racial youth that created it. The original â€Å"rudes† youth sub-culture was symbolic of the tormented, unemployed young population of Jamaica and its emergence in multicultural Britain as a dangerous and edgy, anti-mainstream movement made it extremely exciting to young people. As Wayne Hemmingway says in the Don Letts subculture series of documentaries, it was â€Å"everything British youth culture wanted to be† (Skinhead and Rude-boy Culture, 2012). The Rude Boy culture has contributed significantly overall to popular music culture and its historical impact been celebrated as such by the media. However, back in the 1960’s the media berated the youth culture because of its association with violence and anti-social behaviour. Realisation that ska music with its fast tempo and powerful lyrics had a part to play in the aggressive identity that â€Å"Rudies† adopted, so responsibility fell on the artists to influence a more peaceful approach to the culture and with a slower tempo and more anti-violent lyrics. Nicholas Stambuli 2011, points out â€Å"As much as ska had influenced these cultures, it also had the ability to change them†. The Rude boy culture was a community based on a common interest and a source of inspiration for the oppressed – this symbolism and historical meaning has been lost in subsequent years and whilst the culture does not exist in the format I have outlined above, the music, dancing, fashion of that culture is still relevant today.

The UK Brewing Industry: PESTLE Analysis

The UK Brewing Industry: PESTLE Analysis The macro-environment of the UK brewing industry are the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence its operating organizations decision making, as well as its performance and strategies. To identify and assess its key factors, using the PESTLE framework will provide a comprehensive list of influences and key drivers in six main categories, which are: political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental. This method allows businesses to consider and explore how their external environment might change so that they are prepared if things should change. PESTLE analysis of the UK Brewing Industry Political Changes and reforms of Licensing Laws in line with Government policy Relaxation of opening hours and late night opening National minimum wage increase affecting salaries and wages EU influence and legislation regarding measures of drinks EU and National Government guidelines regarding health Local and National Government concerns regarding negative aspects of binge drinking Budget increases in duty on alcohol Government plan to increase taxes equating to around  £8million Increased duty on beer to 9% and inflation by 2% Economical National and international economic downturn means people generally have less disposable income for socialising Rise in staff wages due to National Insurance and Minimum Wage increases Cut price offers for alcohol in supermarket promotions Increases in transport costs in line with Fuel pricing Steadily falling employment Pubs create 18 jobs per pint than the supermarkets who only create 3 Rising costs of energy, food tax and employment Social Culturally pubs are the centre of social life, place to meet friends and for locals to socialise Easily accessible as pubs are generally situated close to Town Centres or on main routes Localised venue known for gigs, live music, themed nights for younger consumers Demographically increased local student population Media concern with negative aspects of binge drinking   Increased awareness of health concerns   Increased advertising on mainstream media of consuming alcohol responsibly   Wider choice and taste of alcoholic drinks in supermarkets for consumers Technological Developments in delivery of cold beers and chilled ale Development of wide range of flavoured alcoholic drinks Local interest in nightlife promoted via multi-media, websites, blogs and social networking Advertisements for alcohol awareness and responsible drinking on mainstream media Increased advertisement for alcohol brands via multi media Legal Smoking Ban Stronger enforcement of underage drinking regulations on local and national level Changes in Drink Driving Laws EU legislation on measures of drinks served Environmental Recycling Waste, litter, refuse produced in local area Transportation and delivery costs of goods The Macroeconomic Environment Key Drivers The Changing Nature of the Competitive Environment Present a Five Forces analysis of the competitive environment of the UK beer industry and discuss the changing nature and effect of these forces (30 marks) The brewery industry is highly competitive and highly saturated business. There are a number of forces at work here all of which can provide an insight into how appealing the brewery industry is, in terms of whether it is the type of industry to enter or leave; if there is room to exert any type of influence and how the competitors within this industry affect its performance (Johnson,2009). To help provide an analysis of the brewery industry and develop a business strategy, using Michael E. Porters Five Forces Model will determine its competitive intensity or attractiveness of a market. Porters Five Forces Analysis for the UK Brewery Industry ***NOTES FROM WORKSHOP: The industry is unattractive and unprofitable, the forces reduce the profits the firm can make†¦its getting worse The Strategic Directions of Adnams Against the background of a declining industry, the brewer and pub operator Adnams seem to be bucking the trends. Assess the strategic directions chosen by Adnams that have aided their progress. (40 marks) Adnams is a British brewery founded in 1890 in Southwold, Suffolk. In 2008 in spite of the economic downturn, Adnams began to make changes in how the brewery process operates to reduce its impact on the environment. In doing so Adnams decided to work more closely with local farmers and producers who supply their breweries and hotels; in addition to this through a partnership with a local business Adnams installed an anaerobic digestion plant to turn brewery and food waste into biogas, which has been a huge success. CONCLUSION Table of Appendices Meeting Logs Meeting Title: Strategic Management Assignment Date: 22ndFebruary 2011 Time: 12:00 Location: Kingston Hill Campus (Library Resource Centre) Meeting No. 1 Attendees: Alfred Okanlawon, Andrina Beau-Pierre, Damian Brooks, Rosetta Azah-Thomas, Jermaine Randolph Topics: Familiarize ourselves with one another and exchange contact details Ensure everyone has a copy of the case study Skim over the case study and brainstorm possible routes for questions 1, 2 and 3 Next meeting date: 1stMarch 2011 By the next meeting everyone should have read and understood the case study fully, and made bullet points for each question. Meeting Title: Strategic Management Assignment Date: 1stMarch 2011 Time: 12:00 Location: Kingston Hill Campus (Library Resource Centre) Meeting No. 2 Attendees: Alfred Okanlawon, Andrina Beau-Pierre, Damian Brooks, Rosetta Azah-Thomas, Jermaine Randolph Topics: Gather all the notes made for each question Decide who will do which question Next meeting date: 8thMarch 2011 By the next meeting everyone should have made a start on their assigned question so that everyone can read over it and offer suggestions Meeting Title: Strategic Management Assignment Date: 17thMarch 2011 Time: 14:00 Location: Kingston Hill Campus (Mid Level) Meeting No. 3 Attendees: Alfred Okanlawon, Andrina Beau-Pierre, Damian Brooks, Rosetta Azah-Thomas, Jermaine Randolph Topics: Combined the work that everyone has done so far individually for each question Whatever is left to do everyone should do, and we will bring it together for the next meeting Next meeting date: 22ndMarch 2011 By the next meeting all the questions will be answered by everyone and put together collectively and everyone will read the assignment and take notes on which sections they feel are irrelevant so that it will be cut down to make relevant together so that everyone is happy with its content Meeting Title: Strategic Management Assignment Date: 22ndMarch 2011 Time: 11:00 Location: Kingston Hill Campus () Meeting No. Attendees: Alfred Okanlawon, Andrina Beau-Pierre, Damian Brooks, Rosetta Azah-Thomas, Jermaine Randolph Topics: To discuss why sections of the assignment are irrelevant To take out sections that everyone agrees are irrelevant Next meeting date: Meeting Title: Strategic Management Assignment Date: 24ndMarch 2011 Time: 13:00 Location: Kingston Hill Campus () Meeting No. Attendees: Alfred Okanlawon, Andrina Beau-Pierre, Damian Brooks, Rosetta Azah-Thomas, Jermaine Randolph Topics: To write up the introduction (preface) and conclusion as a group Hand in the assignment Next meeting date:

Societal and Individual Interdependency in Salingers Catcher in the Rye :: essays research papers

In a perfect world, everyone would be happy with the way they are and everyone would accept the differences of others. Unfortunately, the world we live in is not perfect and not everyone accepts who they are . Is there a reason why people cannot be content with their lives or with the differences of other people? The answer is yes, and the reason for the discontent is society. With society telling the masses what is, and is not acceptable, it is no wonder that people seem â€Å"lost†, and are desperately searching out their place in the sun. This search for identity seems to be the case in JD Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Through settings in the novel and symbolism, Salinger illustrates that while the main character, Holden Caulfield, needs the support of the environment around him, the environment also needs Holden as a person. Holden Caulfield is out of place in any environment in which he is placed. At Pencey, his school, Holden gets excluded from the act ivities of his classmates. At the very beginning of the novel, Holden becomes expelled because his grades are not up to Pencey’s standards and also because he does not feel like he belongs there. Holden separates himself from his classmates for the most part by not becoming involved in the school. Although Holden is the equipment manager of the fencing team, he distances himself from his companions by losing the equipment, showing that he does not fit in, and he really does not want to. As he reflects back on his final day at Pencey he says: â€Å" They kicked me out. ...I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself at all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself...but I didn’t do it† (Salinger 4). The school is throwing Holden out because he is not what they want to represent to potential students. They want to show examples of fine, upstanding young men, instead of giving off the image of the failing, confused young man. Salinger uses Pe ncey as a mock society of some sorts. Holden does not fit in at Pencey, and he most definitely does not fit in as seen in the later settings of the novel. A second example of Holden’s isolation from his classmates can also be seen when he stands alone on the top of the hill during the â€Å"big game†.

Carnivore :: Research Papers

Carnivore No one can speak for all Americans in deciding the trade-offs between equal protection of the laws, privacy, and fearless exercise of democratic freedoms. - Rob Geis Envision a future where every action you make is recorded and reviewed by unknown means — A world where a government spies on its own citizens more frequently than other nations — A government that reads everyone’s email, in order to try to thwart unpreventable actions. Does this sound like a science fiction story? Well it is not; this is a reality according to civil libertarians. Ever since the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) program, named Carnivore, was introduced to the world in 1999, civil libertarians have been up in arms claiming that Carnivore violates civil human rights. This claim and others about Carnivore are shortsighted, because there are misconceptions about Carnivore itself. Carnivore is not a vicious wolf, eating its prey (email) at will; it is a harmless puppy, which can barely open its eyes; I will go into some detail on what Carnivore is, why it causes commotion, and why it is inadequate to do any good. It is the role of any gover nment to protect its interests and its citizens. Carnivore does not live up to its expectations, but if used effectively can capture some criminals. History of biting Carnivore is a third generation on-line protection program. In â€Å"How Carnivore Works† by Jeff Tyson, he states, "While information about the first version has never been disclosed, many believe that it was actually a readily available commercial program called Etherpeek" (Tyson, 2). The second generation, Omnivore, was deployed in 1997. Information about Omnivore has not been public until recently. The third generation, DragonWare Suite, was introduced in 1999 which contains three parts, â€Å"[1] Carnivore - A Windows NT/2000-based system that captures the information. [2] Packeteer - No official information released, but presumably an application for reassembling packet into cohesive messages or Web pages. [3] Coolminer - No official information released, but presumably an application for extrapolating and analyzing data found in the messages† (Tyson, 2). In short, Carnivore is a program within the DragonWare suite that captures email packets from Internet Service Providers (ISP's) in order to prevent criminal actions that are conducted through email. According to Tyson, â€Å"The FBI plans to use Carnivore for specific reasons. Particularly, the agency will request a court order to use Carnivore when a person is suspected of: Terrorism, child pornography/exploitation, espionage, information warfare, or fraud† (Tyson, 5).

Supplier Relationships: a Strategic Initiative

Supplier Relationships: A Strategic Initiative Jagdish N. Sheth Goizueta Business School Emory University Arun Sharma University of Miami Jagdish N. Sheth is Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Emory Business School, Emory University and Arun Sharma is Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Miami. This paper extends research published by the authors in Industrial Marketing Management (March 1997). Please address correspondence to Arun Sharma, Department of Marketing, University of Miami, P. O. Box 248147, Coral Gables FL 33124, Telephone: (305) 284 1770, FAX: (305) 284 5326.Supplier Relationships: A Strategic Initiative* Abstract In an increasing competitive marketplace, firms are seeking new methods of enhancing competitive advantage. Today, purchasing is becoming a strategic function and a key factor in competitive positioning. This paper suggests that effective relationship with suppliers will provide firms with next-generational competitive advantage. With conso lidation of firms within industries, continuos product evolution and constant pressure on costs, supplier relationships will become more critical in the future.This paper discusses the emergence of supplier relationships, and how this shift toward supplier relationships has and will change the role, processes and strategies of firms. Although purchasing has strategic importance within a firm, good relationships between customers and suppliers are elusive. Firms, therefore, need to emphasize aspects that will enhance supplier relationships. * This paper extends research published by the authors in Industrial Marketing Management (March 1997). Supplier Relationships: A Strategic InitiativeIntroduction Firms are facing increasingly competitive environments characterized by continuos pressure on costs, large global players, continuously evolving products, customer fragmentation and emerging technologies. To ensure success, firms realize that they cannot be experts in all businesses and are concentrating on their core competencies. As an example, Westinghouse is selling its power and defense lines to concentrate on the broadcasting business. To enhance their performance in non-core competency areas, companies are reevaluating business relationships so as to form closer relationships with strategic suppliers [1, 2, 3].Firms have realized that collaborative business relationships improve a firm's ability to respond to the new business environment by allowing them to focus on their core businesses and reduce costs in business processes. In an earlier paper, we had suggested that the source of next-generational competitive advantage will be collaborative relationships that firms have with their suppliers [4]. We suggested four reasons for this phenomena. First, marketers or sellers are driving this change as firms have started identifying and catering to the needs of specific customers.Thus, having a relationship with suppliers will enable firms to receive better servi ce and therefore be more efficient in procurement. Second, firms recognize that supplier relationships will allow them to be more effective. It is easier to implement strategies such as quality platforms, if firms have relationships with their suppliers. Third, there are enabling technologies that allow firms to select their best customers and suppliers. Computer programs allow firms to calculate profitability Page 2 associated with each customer or supplier.Finally, competition and the growth of alliances are forcing firms to develop better supplier relationships to maintain a competitive edge. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize that supplier partnerships will provide a strategic advantage to firms. This paper identifies the benefits of supplier partnerships and provides guidelines for future supplier partnering. Shift in Organizational Strategy The reason for the emerging emphasis on supplier relationships is the shift in organizational buying strategies [4]. Organizational purchasing strategies have been dramatically changing for four reasons (please see Figure 1).First, global competitiveness had made firms realize the competitive advantages of creating and managing supply chain relationships. Second, emergence of the Total Quality Management philosophy has encouraged â€Å"reverse marketing† starting with external customers and moving backward into procurement processes. For example, Demand Driven Manufacturing or flexible manufacturing and operations have been instituted in order to serve the diversity of demand with respect to form, place and time value to customers. The role of suppliers is critical in this regard.Third, industry restructuring through mergers, acquisitions and alliances on a global basis has reorganized the procurement function from a decentralized administrative function to a centralized strategic function. This is further intensified by outsourcing many support functions such as data processing, and human resources. Fin ally, uses of information technologies have restructured the buying philosophy, processes and platforms by allowing firms to share market information and use market information to schedule design and manufacturing of products better. Page 3Fundamentally, the consequence of changing paradigms of organizational strategy is likely to result in a two dimensional shift as shown in Figure 2. Organizational purchasing strategy shifts from a transaction oriented to a relational oriented philosophy, and from a decentralized domestic sourcing to a centralized global sourcing process. Relationship with Suppliers As stated earlier, we suggest that developing relationship with suppliers will be critical for the effective functioning of firms. This trend is reflected in Table 1 that shows that large firms have substantially reduced their number of suppliers.This trend also suggests that some suppliers would be exclusive to firms. The primary reasons are that corporations are becoming leaner. The procurement function is becoming more centralized while the profit-and-loss (P) responsibility of firms is becoming less centralized. Business-unit heads are raising more questions about the way things are bought. And as vertically integrated companies – those that have complete internal capabilities and are self-sufficient – become relics and outsourcing of operations become a reality, more opportunities to partner with suppliers will arise.Taking advantage of these opportunities is increasingly important for several reasons: †¢ Declining market prices. Nobody expects prices to rise anymore. There is going to be a tighter squeeze on the margins of customer companies. They would like to get that margin reestablished by working with suppliers. †¢ Rising competitive intensity. With the restructuring of the world economy, the formation of the World Trade Organization, and greater economic integration within and between regions, global and regional consolidation is clearly taking place and resulting in greater Page 4 competition. Advanced technology enablers. Electronic commerce and networked computing are here. Dramatically reduced cycle times are becoming an ordinary achievement. These require partnering with suppliers. †¢ Reverse marketing strategies. The traditional process flow – from R and sourcing to manufacturing, sales and service – is becoming a thing of the past. Today, market-focused organizations are organizing into reverse marketing – starting with the end users. Partnering with suppliers is critical to this strategy. †¢ Strategic positioning. In the past, companies partnered primarily for operational efficiency (i. . , just-in-time procedures or zero-inventory models). Today, intense competition is coming from existing rivals, new entrants and the threat of substitutes. Partnering with suppliers is an increasingly important way of minimizing the competition’s negative impact on an industr y. Example of Companies Benefitting from Supplier Relationships The major research regarding the advantage of supplier relationships comes from a study of the Japanese automotive component industry [5]. They found that the average length of the relationship between suppliers and buyers was 22 years.In addition, the major customer bought about half the output of the supplier firm. About 26% of the supplier’s development effort was devoted to a single customer. Competition was restricted to 2-4 other suppliers. Finally, the quality of delivered product was very good. The data would suggest that supplier relationship enhanced the design efforts of the buying company and reduced uncertainty and costs for the Page 5 supplier company. Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, Levi Strauss, DuPont , McKesson and Bose corporation demonstrate that some savings can be achieved by supplier relationships [2].These firms as well as examples of other firms using specific tactics to benefit from s uccessful relationships are discussed next: Eastman Kodak Company: Eastman Kodak Company has outsourced its data and information processing system to IBM. Kodak has achieved substantial cost savings through reducing personnel, assets and capital expenditures in an area that is not its area of core competency. This shift toward asking data processing and systems management consultants to manage the information and data processing of a firm has accelerated as major firms such as Xerox and Ryder have outsourced their internal data processing systems.Ford Motor Company: Ford formed a relationship with one of their own clutch suppliers. Ford examined the production process of their supplier and was able to reduce the cost of the clutch by 20% benefitting both Ford and the clutch supplier. Similarly, based on their past experience with Donnelly, Honda picked Donnelly as an exterior mirror supplier, although Donnelly had no experience in the area [3]. Honda sent its engineers into Donnelly ’s plant, and Honda and Donnelly engineers reorganized the plant and re engineered the product process.Sales are expected to be $60 million in 1997 and costs are expected to decline 2% annually benefitting both Honda and Donnelly. JC Penny and Levi Strauss: JC Penny and Levi Strauss are linked with an electronic Data Page 6 interchange (EDI) that allows Levi Strauss to obtain sales data. Levi Strauss obtains data on the exact size of jeans sold in individual stores. This data allows Levi Strauss to better plan the production process as well as better control inventory and delivery. This saving leads to a reduction in costs and prices benefitting both JC Penny and Levi Strauss.DuPont: Dupont has reduced the costs of each purchase transaction in the maintenance and repair supplies division from $120 to $16 by working with a smaller number of suppliers. DuPont selected one distributor in each region for a supplier relationship. They then implemented a paperless order, receipt an d payment process. In addition to decreased costs of transaction, inventory at the maintenance and repair facilities were reduced by 50%. McKesson Drug Company: McKesson a major drug distributor, developed a relationship with Johnson and Johnson, one of their major suppliers.Through a joint computer system development effort, both firms receive data on inventory, point of sale, demand, and customer information. This has led to Johnson and Johnson providing better service to McKesson increasing the level of service that McKesson provides to its customers. Due to the success of the relationship, Johnson and Johnson has turned over a million dollars worth of business to McKesson. Bose Corporation: Bose corporation has attempted to eliminate both purchasers and salespeople by bringing suppliers into the manufacturing process.Suppliers have access to Bose’s data, employees and processes. They work with Bose’s engineers on present and future products. The Page 7 reduction in personnel reduces costs for both sides, and a direct contact between the user and producer enhances quality and innovation. Establishing and Maintaining Supplier Relationships Wilson [6] suggests that the majority of alliances fail. We feel that most of the problems are associated with the selection and maintaining of supplier relationships. We present research finding from academic research, USGAO [2] and our own experiences.In order to establish relationships, we suggest that firms be very selective in their criteria. In addition to the normal criteria of competency and quality, we suggest the following additional factors be taken into consideration: †¢ Trust and Commitment to Long-term Goals. Both suppliers and buyers need to demonstrate trust and commitment toward a long-term vision. Trust and commitment have been shown to be the major predictors of successful relationships. †¢ Mutual Benefit. The relationship should be of benefit to both the buyer and the seller.If t he relationship has one-sided benefits, the relationship will not last. †¢ Top Management Support. Most successful relationships are associated with support from the top managers of a firm. As examples, the success of Walmart and Corning in forming relationships is because their CEOs have supported supplier relationships. Also, DuPont and Roadway Express have formed an Executive Board that meets at both companies to enhance their relationship [2]. †¢ Compatible Organizational Culture. The culture of firms should be compatible. This Page 8 uggests that they share common values and share common reward systems. A major relationship initiative between two telecommunication firms did not work because they did not share a common work philosophy. One firm was very intense, whereas the other firm was laid back. The relationship dissolved in six months. †¢ Sharing of Information. Relationships require sharing of information. The benefits of relationships arise from reducing th e uncertainty associated with transaction oriented exchanges. Information increases certainty and reduces needless interaction.As an example, Bailey Controls, a manufacturer of control systems shares data with two of its main electronic distributors that has allowed Bailey to reduce inventory and costs [3]. †¢ Strong and Open Communications. Strong and open communications reduces misunderstanding and enhances the quality of relationships. Maintaining Successful Relationships The following aspects are regarded as important for the successful maintenance of relationships. †¢ Simple and Flexible Contract. Simple and flexible contracts enhance relationships as they are used as guides rather than specifying all contingencies.For example, when Kodak outsourced their computer support services to IBM, they used an eleven-page contract [2]. In contrast, typically simple business contracts run to about 30 pages. †¢ Intensive Management Involvement. Cross functional teams from b oth the supplier and buyer organizations that meet periodically to enhance their relationships. For example, Ford uses salespeople to provide suppliers with consumer feedback [2]. Page 9 †¢ Periodic Performance Monitoring. We have found that performance monitoring is critical for relationships. Suppliers also appreciate a formal performance evaluation method.As an example, Motorola evaluates and generates a score card for all of its suppliers [3]. The supplier’s next order is based on the supplier’s previous performance. Suppliers appreciate this knowledge and compete better. †¢ Internal Controls. It is intuitive but companies need to protect access and distribution of confidential information with rigorous internal controls. †¢ Problem Solving Procedures. Companies need to establish problem solving procedures that reduce conflicts or prevent conflicts. One of the simplest forms is frequent communication at all levels of the customer and supplier organiz ation.Organizational Changes Need to Establish Supplier Relationships As stated earlier, as we traverse from a transaction and domestic orientation to a relationship and global orientation, firms will need to emphasize the development of relationship with suppliers. This emphasis of a relationship orientation toward suppliers will lead to an expertise in many aspects of business buying. These areas are highlighted in Figure 3, raised in our earlier paper [4] and discussed next. 1. Supplier as a Customer. As discussed earlier, there will be a thrust toward developing and maintaining relationship with customers.However, firms’ understanding in this area is very limited. Firms will need to develop commitment, trust and cooperation with their suppliers. Firms will need to invest in mutual goals, interdependence, structural bonds, adaptation, non Page 10 retrievable assets, shared technology and social bonds to ensure successful relationships [6]. 2. Cross-Functional Supplier Team s. Marketers have used interdisciplinary teams to contact and maintain relationships with their customers. As individual suppliers relationships become more important we expect a similar thrust toward cross-functional teams that are dedicated or focused on their key suppliers.The importance of individual suppliers is expected to increase because of the emergence of sourcing on a global and relational basis with a few key suppliers. Firms will need to change goals, reward structure and group norms of the purchasing function. 3. Does Partnering Pay? Firms will need to monitor the return on investment in establishing relationships with suppliers. Therefore, firms will need to develop a performance metric that analytically quantifies supplier relationship equity. We feel that supplier partnering with smaller share suppliers will not be economical.The cost-benefit analysis of supplier relationships should result in increased supplier selectivity. 4. Supply Experience Curves. Managing sup plier relationships will not be an easy task. The task of managing relationships on a global basis will be more complex and not analogous to domestic supplier management as most business customers have realized. Therefore, in industries where supply function is a key strategic advantage, companies need to focus on creating core competency in supply side management and develop sharper experience curves. Page 11 5. Hub and Spokes Organization. We expect organizations to reduce the number of uppliers in each product or service category. In addition, re engineering has forced firms to out source internal activities. We expect the results of these two trends to lead to a hub and spoke organization in which one or two suppliers in each product or service category are the spokes and the procurement organization becomes the hub on a global basis. 6. Bonding with Suppliers. Marketers, specifically those that practice relationship marketing have learned to bond with their customers. Bonding r elates to the empathy that the marketing organizations feel toward their customer groups.With an increasing trend toward creating, managing, and enhancing ongoing relationships with suppliers on a global basis, organizations will have to invest in supplier bonding processes and philosophies. 7. Global Sourcing. We expect global sourcing to be a source of strategic advantage. While several global enterprises, especially in the automotive, high technology and the aerospace industries are establishing processes and platforms, it is still at an infancy stage of practice in other industries. Firms will have to develop expertise in global sourcing strategies as well as global logistics. . Cross-Culture Values. Firms will need to be more aware of cross-cultural values. These values may be in conflict with the firm’s present value system. As an example, firms in the US are accused of focusing on short-term profitability whereas firms in Japan are concerned about long-term positioning . Similarly, in some cultures, reciprocity is declared illegal and unethical Page 12 whereas in other cultures it is the preferred way of doing business. What is considered as an agency fee in one country is recognized as a bribe, subject to prosecution under the anticorruption laws.Similarly, doing business with family members and politically connected individuals are presumed to provide a sense of trust and commitment in some cultures whereas it is considered as nepotism and unethical behavior in others. 9. Cross-National Rules. Firms will also have to learn about cross national rules. Specifically, the two tier regulations (one for domestic and the other for foreign enterprises) are common with respect to ownership, management control, and co-production practices in countries such as China.With the rise of nationalism in recent years, this has become a key issue for global enterprises such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, General Electric, and Enron, especially as they expand their mark et scope and supply scope in large emerging nations such as India, China, and Indonesia. 10. Services Procurement. As organizations out source more and more internal services, and as suppliers engage in providing value-added services to their customers, firms need to better understand and research services procurement. Additionally, as most advanced countries are services economies, services procurement will rise in prominence.Conclusions The paper examined the reasons for the emergence supplier relations as source of Page 13 competitive advantage. The paper discusses successful relationships, rules for developing relationships and concludes with organizational strategies that will enhance supplier relationships. Page 14 References 1. Napolitano, Lisa, Customer-Supplier Partnering; A Strategy Whose Time has Come, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 4 (Fall), 1-8 (1997). United States General Accounting Office, Partnerships: Customer-Supplier Relationships can be Improv ed through Partnering, Report Number 94-173, Washington, D.C. (1994). Magnet, Myron, The New Golden Rule of Business, Fortune, February 21, 60-64 (1994). Sheth, Jagdish N. , and Arun Sharma, Supplier Relationships: Emerging Issues and Challenges, Industrial Marketing Management, 26 (2), 91-100 (1997). Wasti, S Nazli, Jeffrey K. Liker, Risky business or competitive power? Supplier involvement in Japanese product design, Journal of Product Innovation Management, 14 (September), 337-55 (1997). Wilson, David T. , An Integrated Model of Buyer Seller Relationships, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23, 4, 335-45, (1995). Emshwiller, John R. Suppliers Struggle to Improve Quality as Big Firms Slash their Vendor Roles, Wall Street Journal, August 16, B1, (1991). 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Page 15 Table 1 Reduction in the Number of Suppliers Company Number of Suppliers Current Previous 5,000 10,000 9,000 10,000 1,800 22,000 520 7,500 Percentage Change 90. 00% 70. 00% 66. 66% 45. 00% 44. 44% 36. 36% 26. 92% 20. 00% Xerox Motorola Digital Equipment General Motors Ford Motor Texas Instruments Rainbird Allied-Signal Aerospace 500 3,000 3,000 5,500 1,000 14,000 380 6,000 Source: Emshwiller [7]. Page 16 Figure 1 Changing Paradigm of Organizational Purchasing StrategyGlobal Competitiveness Technology Enablers Changing Paradigms of Procurement TQM Philosophy Industry Restructuring Page 17 Figure 2 Shift in Organizational Purchasing Strategy Global Sourcing Changing Paradigms of Procurement Transaction Oriented Relationship Oriented Industry Restructuring Domestic Sourcing Page 18 Figure 3 Emerging Areas of Expertise in Supplier Relationships Service Procurement Supplier as a Customer Cross Functional Supplier Teams Cross-National Rules Partnering Cross Cultural Values Supply Experience Curve Global Sourcing Bonding with Suppliers Hub and Spoke Organization Page 19