Friday, November 29, 2019

What Could Shakespeare Be Saying About Honour and The Difference Between Male And Female Honour Essay Example

What Could Shakespeare Be Saying About Honour and The Difference Between Male And Female Honour? Essay Much Ado About Nothing is exactly that. It is a lot of dishonour and angst over something which never happened. So what did Shakespeare think about the gullibility and prejudices of the men and women of his time? All of the characters in the play are either honourable people unwittingly doing dishonourable things or dishonourable people deliberately doing honourable things, for example Don John: Lady Hero hath been falsely accusd, the Prince and Claudio mightily abusd, and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone. (5.3.102.5-9) I think this play is typical of William Shakespeares writing because he is challenging the opinions and social prejudices of the time he lived in. We will write a custom essay sample on What Could Shakespeare Be Saying About Honour and The Difference Between Male And Female Honour? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What Could Shakespeare Be Saying About Honour and The Difference Between Male And Female Honour? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What Could Shakespeare Be Saying About Honour and The Difference Between Male And Female Honour? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another strong example of Shakespeares free-thinking and non-stereotypical characters is The Taming Of The Shrew where the heroine of the story is at first a strong-willed and outspoken young woman, similar to Beatrice, who through out the course of the play is beaten, starved and mentally abused until her husband Petruchio is satisfied that he has tamed his wifes unladylike ways. As at the time this would not have been an uncommon occurrence then perhaps this play was a personal attack on events which Shakespeare may have been forced to play witness to at some point. However, having said that it was not a rare occurrence, it still shocked and concerned a lot of its early audiences when it was first played out. I think The Taming Of The Shrew was also very strongly focused on the idea of honour, however the events it involved were far more sinister than that of Much Ado About Nothing even though they are both considered comedies. Petruchios actions towards his shrewish wife Kate are not spawned from his want of a happy marriage, but from his desperately proud and egotistic personality. Those personal flaws are what makes him so neurotic about Kates behaviour as any actions on her part which are perceived to be in any way masculine impedes upon his own masculinity and therefore his male honour. This demonstrates the fact that in the sixteenth century, most married men were more concerned about what their peers thought of them than their own wives well-being. Returning to Much Ado About Nothing, the ideas of male, female and even familial honour play a prominent role in the story. However, whenever someone is dishonoured in the play, it is almost always a woman who gets blamed for it. The only exception to this rule is when Don Johns deceit is discovered, however even then, Leonato still blames Margaret even though she was probably tricked into doing it, FRIAR: Did I not tell you she was innocent? LEONATO: So are the Prince and Claudio who accusd her, Upon the error that you heard debated; But Margaret was in some fault for this, (5.3.103.27-30) Even when everyone knows that Hero is innocent and that it was all a trick played by Don John, they still do nothing about it until after Hero and Claudio, Beatrice and Benedick are married before they do anything about it which allows John time to run from the town. In the beginning of the play, Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick have just returned from fighting a war against Don John and his comrades Borachio and Conrade. Despite this fact when they arrive in Messina, they are all together as one party and Don Pedro has seemingly forgiven his brother for whatever sparked the war. Everyone is courteous and polite to him, making no comment about it and even: LEONATO: Let me bid you welcome, my Lord, being reconciled to the Prince your brother:I owe you all duty. (1.1.27.21-22) This demonstrates how a felony or betrayal by a man is so easily forgotten, and has no effect on his honour or on his future reputation. This is almost disturbingly different to how people would have reacted if he had been a woman. They would most likely have been spitting on him in the streets and his family, rather than taking him with them wherever they went, and would have denied all associations with him. In fact, a wonderful example of Shakespearian biases is Leonatos proclamation of Do not live Hero, do not ope thine eyes; For did I think thou wouldst not quickly die, Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames, Myself would on the rearward of reproaches, Strike at thy life. (4.1.79.16-20) This shows the attitudes during the sixteenth century which seem kind of skewed compared to our perceptions nowadays. Leonato is basically saying that he would rather his daughter was dead than have to live with the fact that his daughter is not a virgin. This is very different to how fathers react now, because now most young Western women are not virgins when they get married but nobody minds very much because this is generally the norm, the main exception to this rule being in the Islamic faith. In Islam, many young women are forced into arranged marriages which can put their lives in danger if they refuse. Some of these marriages are to men whom the girls have never met let alone fallen in love with which can make the faith seem very behind the times, particularly as even in Shakespeares time people were often married for love like Hero and Claudio, Beatrice and Benedick. Many of the characters seem honourable at the beginning of the play but seem to become darker as it continues. In particular John, he is a bastard so he is, even at the beginning of the play less honourable than others, like Claudio. John is quiet and submissive a lot of the time and seems grateful to his half-brother for having him with them and particularly to Leonato for welcoming him into his home as a friend, I thank you, I am not of many words, but I thank you. (1.1.27.23-24) He is often described as melancholy or morose, these words make the audience empathise with him as in Shakespearian times, to be melancholy was associated with being in love or in particularly, with being in an unrequited love, something which made a man a lot more interesting to the women and would improve what his male peers thought of him and therefore make him more honourable. Having said that, and although there is no mention of Johns emotional attachments, some portrayals of the play have implied that there is an affair between Don John and his man-servant Conrade who is also described as being born under Saturn which generally implies that they are miserable or melancholy characters (again, both supposed symptoms of being in love). This in itself would have been unheard of and possibly the most dishonourable and therefore worst thing to be branded (even worse than being a coward) and if Shakespeare had intended for John to come off as being homosexual then not only would Shakespeare have been ridiculed, his views rejected by all, and he could even have faced being arrested, committed to the dreaded Bedlam Hospital and excommunicated. Had John been homosexual, he could have looked forward to a cell in Bedlam or prison, and possibly even execution, whatever the consequences were it would certainly have made him even more of an outcast than he is already because it is only in very recent years that homosexuality has become accepted in society and even now, there are many societies which frown on it, the Catholic church and Islam in particular. John would have been completely dishonoured had someone discovered him to be homosexual. John seems almost proud of his treacherous personality as he boasts to his men: it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. he also says I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when I have cause, and smile at no mans jest, eat when I have stomach, and wait for no mans leisure: sleep when I am drowsy, and tend on no mans business, laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour. (1.3.34.2-7) This makes him seem slightly less of a villain and therefore of a more honourable character because he is actually admitting that he is a bad person. When reading the script of the play, it is quite easy to miss John a lot of the time but when the play is performed John is present during almost every scene even though he doesnt say anything in them. The fact that he is always in the scenes but never joining in the jokes or the general joviality of the group and instead feels more comfortable hovering on the outside, never quite making it into the main group rather implies that he does seem to long for the sort of camaraderie that exists between his brother, Benedick and Claudio probably made to seem particularly strong to him because of his sense of being shunned, unloved and dishonourable all his life because of his being a bastard. This was the generally conceived opinion about illegitimate children during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries however again, nowadays we do not think like this, in fact around half of the population come from single parent families with children from one night stands or failed relationships. I think Shakespeare attempts to persuade his audience to dislike and find people dishonourable based on what they do and not on whether or not their parents were married when they were born. I think this because all of the bastards written in Shakespeares plays are written as villainous or unkind characters, for another example Edmund in King Lear. However, this could be interrupted two completely different ways, one: Shakespeare wanted people to look past the characters illegitimacy and judge them on their actions, or two: Shakespeare shared the common belief of his time that if a person is illegitimate then they will always be bad people so that is what he writes them as. John is a fairly good person for the first part of the play, certainly not matching up to his brother and only starts to show his true colours, namely his black hearted villainy and his yellow-bellied cowardice. Throughout the play though, John is doing things which are dishonest and dishonourable but until he flees instead of staying to face the consequences of his actions at the end of the play, in doing this, he brands himself a coward. Being a coward is basically the only way a man could dishonour himself, whereas a woman could dishonour herself easily. For instance she could have sex out of wedlock, this is what Hero is accused of and nothing she says to the contrary seems to matter whereas if a man (any man, even John) had been accused of the same thing then he could have denied it and that would have been an end to it. The worst thing John could have done would have been to run, unfortunately he does just that: He is composd and framd of treachery, And fled he is upon this villainy. (5.1.96.20-21) In contrast, his companions Borachio and Conrade show their true honourable characters by staying behind to face the consequences of their actions even though they did it under Johns command: BORACHIO: Let this Count kill me: I have deceived even your very eyes: what your wisdoms could not discover, () my villainy they have upon record, which I had rather seal with my death, than repeat over to my shame: the lady is dead upon mine and my masters false accusation: and briefly, I desire nothing but the reward of a villain. (5.1.96.2-13) Benedick is a difficult character because he has many honourable traits but he is fickle, somewhat two faced and shallow: He hath every month a new sworn brother. (1.1.25.6-7) God help the noble Claudio, if he hath caught the Benedick, it will cost him thousand pounds ere a be cured. On the other hand, he is loyal to Beatrice and is even willing to murder his best friend Claudio to defend Beatrices cousins honour, albeit a little reluctantly at first, BEATRICE: Kill Claudio. BENEDICK: Ha, not for the wide world. () Is Claudio thine enemy? BEATRICE: that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? Act IV, Scene I, Page 84, Lines 18-31. He does eventually agree, BENEDICK: Think you in your soul the Count Claudio hath wrongd Hero? BEATRICE: Yea, as sure I have a thought, or a soul. BENEDICK: Enough, I am engagd, I will challenge him, (4.1.85.22-25) Benedick also later calls Claudio a coward, this being a direct insult, Claudio would have no choice but to meet his challenge because if he didnt then not only would he be branded a coward by everyone, he would also be extremely dishonoured and likely never properly redeem himself, this would also make him more like John than any of them would probably be comfortable with. The way honour is earned and lost in the play and in the sixteenth century, is very different for men and women, the best example of this in the play is of course Hero. The reason she loses her honour is because she is supposedly not a virgin on her wedding day, however if Claudio were not a virgin then there would be very little fuss made about it. Hero is a young woman, of honourable birth so she was respected from birth, however when it is thought that she is no longer a virgin, almost everyone turns on her except for her cousin Beatrice and her maid Margaret. Beatrice persuades Benedick of Heros innocence but it takes the Friar and even a full confession from Borachio, Conrade and Margaret before Leonato and his brother Antonio are persuaded. This demonstrates the damage that could be inflicted by even the slightest suspicion of inappropriate or dishonourable behaviour during the sixteenth century. Having said that this only happened in Shakespeares time, if you compare the characters reactions to the accusations in the play to the likely reactions of an Islamic or Muslim family today, then there would be very little difference, young women in Islam are still very much considered inferior to the men and are therefore in more danger of having false accusations thrown at them and there being tragic repercussions from it. Anoth er similarity to modern day life is the fact that had Hero been a man, then not only could she have denied the accusations of her being unfaithful but, had she wanted to, she could have owned to them and probably improved her social status by doing so, this outcome applies to the era the play is set in but also very much so in the present day. There are even prejudices and biases between classes in the play, not just between sexes. Margaret and Hero are both unfaithful in the play, however truthfully Hero is only thought to be, Margaret is seen making love to her lover, Don Johns man Borachio at Heros window: DON PEDRO: I am sorry you must hear:upon mine honour, Myself, my brother, and this grieved Count Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night, Talk with a ruffian at her chamber window, Who hath indeed most like a liberal villain, Confessd the vile encounters they have had A thousand times in secret. (4.1.79.8-15) When everyone thinks it was Hero who was seen, they are all in an uproar about it but when it is discovered that it was not Hero but her maid Margaret, nobody bats an eye that she is not a virgin because she is of a lower class and almost expected to do things so sinful as make love to a man whom she is not married to. The works of Shakespeare are unusual in the fact that many of his plays breech the typical morals and views of the people of his time. His plays, in particular his comedies, often show authority figures in a bad light. Not all authority figures but almost always the heads of families: the Lords Montague and Capulet in Rromeo and Juliet (a tragedy) are shown as quite tyrannical because their hatred for each other makes them disregard their own childrens feelings which leads to the suicide of Romeo and Juliet and the murder of Mercuchio and Tybalt. In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare shows every authority figure in a bad light except for the Friar who, aside from Beatrice, is the only one who believes in Heros innocent the whole time. The others however, do not fare so well. Leonato and Antonio are more inclined to believe the words of three men whom they hardly know than those of their niece and daughter, and Leonato even says that he would rather Hero was dead than have to live with the shame shes supposedly brought on them all. Don Pedro, who is the Prince of Arragon, having just fought a war against his brother John and therefore knowing his intentions are likely to be less than that of a concerned companion, believes John when he says that Hero is unfaithful to Claudio, although in fairness, he does think that he himself witnessed it as well. As for Claudio, he is shown as naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, gullible and fickle. At first he adores Hero and enlists Don Pedro to woo her for him, then when the idea is planted in his head by none other than Don John, that Pedro is only wooing Hero for himself, Claudio turns against his best friend JOHN: you are very near my brother in his love, he is enamourd on Hero(2.1.40.18-19) BEATRICE: The Count is neither sad, nor sick, nor merry, nor well: but civil Count, civil as an orage, and something of that jealous complexion, (2.1.44.13-15) then when he is told that Pedro was wooing her for him, Claudio reconciles himself to Don Pedro again and resumes his position as lap-dog. DON PEDRO: here Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Hero is won. (2.1.44.18-19) CLAUDIO: Lady, as you are mine, I am yours, I give away myself for you, and dote upon the exchange. (2.1.44.27-29) In conclusion and having studied briefly other works by William Shakespeare, it is my opinion that on the whole Shakespeare did not agree with many of the morals, prejudices or opinions held by his peers. In particular, I believe that he did not share the general opinion of male superiority, or at least not as much as others did. I believe this because almost every one of his plays features a strong willed and dominant woman, in this case Beatrice, who ends up happy. He also portrays a downtrodden or submissive woman, in this case Hero, who, at some point in the course of the play gets beaten down and defeated, whether metaphorically (Hero) or quite literally as in The Taming Of The Shrew, Kate who begins as a fiery young woman much like Beatrice who marries a man she does not love and finishes the play with a disturbing monologue about a womans job being to obey her Lord completely and never fight with him or nag him. Finally Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet who, believing her love for h er new husband to be pointless because of their warring families decides to run away with Romeo rather than stand and defend their marriage to their parents, this in my opinion misguided decision leads to both their deaths. I also think that Shakespeare felt that honour and dishonour are not things which one can be born with, rather they must be earned by ones lifes deeds, or misdeeds as the case may be. He also seems to be very judgmntal of his own sex as the bards song in the play clearly shows that Shakespeare was less than content with the way men treated women in his time and that he thought women were certainly the fairer sex: Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more, Men were decievers ever, One foot in sea, and on on shore, To one thing constant never, The sigh not so, but let them go, And be you blithe and bonny, Converting all your sounds of woe Into Hey Nonny Nonny! Victoria Holland 11BM

Monday, November 25, 2019

Characters in The Poisonwood Bible and The Awakening Essay Example

Characters in The Poisonwood Bible and The Awakening Essay Example Characters in The Poisonwood Bible and The Awakening Paper Characters in The Poisonwood Bible and The Awakening Paper Essay Topic: The Awakening The Bible Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening both portray the desire of women to seek independence as seen by Orleanna and Edna’s dissatisfaction with treatment from their husbands, the significant decision to leave their current locations, and the self-discovery found in a life that breaks their expected norms. Although Leonce and Nathan live on opposite sides of the world, they show a similarity in how they treat women as objects, evoking unhappiness due to this treatment. For example, one of the first scenes in The Awakening portrays Leonce’s genuine attitude towards Edna. The story states, â€Å"‘You are burnt beyond recognition,’ Mr. Pontellier added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage† (Chopin, 7). This quote exemplifies Leonce’s condescending nature and his tendency to view Edna as only an object that benefits his self image, which causes Edna to feel rather worthless in the marriage. As the story progresses, readers see deeper into Edna and Leonce’s relationship, only to realize how truly dissatisfied Edna is with the expectations and treatment she receives from her husband. â€Å"If there is any real discord between the couple it is that Leonce wishes Edna to have more di rect involvement with her children. It is only when she breaks with every social convention of the time that he questions her as a wife† (Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Awakening,† Caldwell). This constant questioning that Leonce lays upon Edna only causes her to become more disgruntled with her marriage. Orleanna experiences similar treatment from Nathan in The Poisonwood Bible and can relate to Edna’s struggle of being worn out by her husband’s immense expectations. As Orleanna and her four daughters grow accustomed to dealing with Nathan’s overzealous and overdriven attitude in Kilanga, they begin realizing that Nathan does not value them like

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Social Constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Social Constructivism - Essay Example Social constructivism does not distinguish between truth and falsehood, judging both equally suspendable. It leaves no place for the distinction between true and false accounts of nature in its accounts of the development of science. By being uninterested in whether a science is true, by treating truth and falsity equally, that is, by treating unequal as if they were equal, constructivists suspend and fail to see the essential. Whereas it would be a major accomplishment for the sociology of science to explain true knowledge as well as false pretensions of knowledge, it is a major regression for such sociology to obscure the difference between the two. A central theme of social constructivism is that no social practice must be enshrined as a restricted way of getting at truth. No practice can put claim to universal, eternal, or context-free legitimacy. Social constructivists and other postmodernists seek to demystify or deconstruct science's epistemic authority. One route to demystifi cation is to argue that science is just a highly elaborate set of social conventions--a "discursive formation" (Foucault) or "form of life" (Wittgenstein)--which arose in a particular historical setting and captured the loyalty of our culture, but which has no intrinsic claim to epistemic superiority. Translated into our terminology, this position implies that science is veritistically no better than other practices, despite the special reputation it enjoys. The constructivist perspective embodies a number of theoretical tensions stemming. from its attempt to embrace a relativistic epistemology with respect to selected aspects of science while exhibiting a fairly inflexible commitment to epistemological realism in its own work. ( Woolgar 1983: 262) Constructivist sociologists adopt a variety of strategies in their attempt to defend themselves against the criticism that constructivism undermines itself. Some constructivists merely assert that constructivism does not undermine itself, in the hope that repetition will be as effective as argument or evidence. Other constructivists claim that their studies analyze how the original account was arrived at, but have no implications for the truth or falsity of that account. Constructivists thereby only criticize the view that scientists see the world "plainly," "straightforwardly," without skills ( Yearley 1991: 120, 143). Thus constructivist sociology of science has no implications concerning the validity of science, constructivist criminology has little bearing on the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

In 2014, why women still earn less than men in Canada Annotated Bibliography

In 2014, why women still earn less than men in Canada - Annotated Bibliography Example Additionally, the article describes changes in the female graduate earning across different years from 1988 to 2007. The trend facilitates easy comparison and understanding of the various differences that prevail amidst gender disparity. Based on the article, the first two to five years after graduation have female graduates earn 6% to 14% less than men. The distribution furthermore links job attributes and observable personal characteristics found in women as major drivers of gender wage differences between men and women. In this respect, Boudarbat and Connolly article proves worthwhile in not only explaining but also detailing reasons why women still earn less than men in Canada. Chapter three of Hobbs and Rice’s book focuses on poverty as a major problem in the Canadian society. The social assistance resulting from the process makes it difficult to ascertain employment security, housing and working conditions. Hobbs and Rice reiterates that the difference forces unequal distribution of wealth in the society especially in Canada where there is less social infrastructure. Based on the book, regardless of occupation, women earn less as compared to men. The risk is mainly prevalent in Aboriginal women who face illumination from policy antecedents. In addition, Hobbs and Rice identify unattached and limited involvement of the Canadian authorities as major factors that influence the ability of women to remove poverty from the Canadian society. Evidently, the rate of poverty is higher in the country as it was in the past 30 years. The main reason according to Hobbs and Rice directly links to wage disparity, which leaves women with no capital and investment. Therefore, the book is important for the research as it brings into light several factors that contribute to uneven earnings while providing effects in the hind sight. Chapter four of the book describes the role, effects and

Monday, November 18, 2019

NEW HAIR PRODUCT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NEW HAIR PRODUCT - Essay Example Marketing strategy. Initially ARG Hairs Group wanted Hair Softe to be carried by supermarkets in UK and Ireland. ARG Hairs Group also plans to open a company website wherein prospective customers can order the product on line. A separate study on the marketing strategy is being prepared to initialize the campaign. Production capability. Hair Softe Shampoo is a commodity item that is saleable for both men and women, and a target of 24,000 ml units of shampoo monthly could easily be sold in the UK market. It has a production capacity of 1,000 ml. units per day, but has the capability to increase future production. Investment plan. An investment of $150,000 and equity capital of ARG Hairs Group are needed to launch the product in the market. Owners’ capital is $65,000.00 while investors will have to provide $150,000 in form of stock equity. 1. The return on the equity of the owner is 9% on the first year of operation. The 9% return on investment is higher than the prevailing bank rate of interest in UK which is 0.5%. UK interest rate is expected to remain at the recent level because of the government’s monetary policy. (Bank of England, 2011) Monetary Policy Decisions. (http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/) 2. The cash flow statement of the company prepared for a 12 month operation shows that for the first three months there is a shortage of cash inflow to sustain all the expenses of the company and there is a need for an outside financing for its day to day operations because of capital expenses during these months. Thereafter, after March, company will have available cash to pay for its loan obligations, taxes and interest and to pay for equity. The cash flow has been prepared based on the 1,000 ml. units of production per day and operations of 24 days in a month. Sales are expected to increase by 5% a month, and profit is also anticipated along the operations. The cash flow statement present all the cash expected to be

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Promotion Mix To Create An IMC Campaign Marketing Essay

Promotion Mix To Create An IMC Campaign Marketing Essay As defined by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan (Elliott, 2012, P:491). Companies that sell products or services use some or all of the components of a marketing and communications mix, also called a promotional mix. These include advertising, personal sales, sales promotions, public relations and direct marketing. Most national brands use all parts of the mix, each in proportion to the needs of the product. Cereal makers, for example, concentrate most efforts and money on advertising and sales promotions, such as coupons. Other products call for different mix ratios, with some mix components completely eschewed. In addition to these key promotional tools, the marketer can also use other techniques, such as exhibitions and product placement in movies, songs or video games, which have been growing in popularity in recent years. Before proceeding any further, however, it is important to stress that promotional mix decisions should not be made in isolation. As we saw with pricing, all aspects of the marketing mix need to be blended together carefully. The promotional mix used must be aligned with the decisions made with regard to product, pricing and distribution, in order to communicate benefits to a target market. But for a soft-drinks maker like Pepsi, IMC can also be used can be used to create more communication impact, e.g. Advertising can be combined with sales promotions and a little bit of public relations such as sponsorship/events. From the facts of the case study, Pepsi used a new approach in its marketing communication. Pepsi holds the number one, third and fourth position among music, overall position among all companies, and entertainment channels. It gives a significant contribution on the music channels with 12.81% share of coverage and holds the first position in that category. It has the third position on the whole TV media with overall 4.29% share of coverage, the effectiveness of which is reported in reduction by researchers (Kotler Keller 2006, p.576). Similarly, it comes at number fourth on entertainment channels. Overall, these new media win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. Q2. How effectively has Pepsi integrated digital and traditional media for the promotion of their products? Provide examples of digital media used. Nowadays millions of consumers converse on a daily basis in online communities, discussion forums, blogs and social networks. They turn to the Internet to share opinions, advice, grievances and recommendations. It has been said that traditional media is losing its face value and that the Internet is a fad and digital only applies to the millennium generation. While that may seem true, if you want to stay on the innovative cusp for your business, use both traditional and internet media marketing and here are some reasons why: 1. Online conversations can power or deflate a companys brand. Do you have a presence? 2. Discover specific issues that are being discussed around your company, brand or organization and create feedback to these issues. 3. There may be events, trends and issues that may be influencing industry and brand buzz. 4. Measure how your online and offline marketing campaigns resonate with consumers. 5. Leverage word-of-mouth to drive brand credibility, and ultimately sales if you use face-to-face marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Strategy, and Social Media Strategy correctly. People are more likely to communicate through both word-of-mouth and social media when they are engaged with the product, service, or idea. This engagement may come naturally for supporters of causes, political candidates, and trendy new technological products. However, it can also be creatively stimulated for products and services which generate less psychological involvement of customers. For example, Pepsi (2008) uses its Pepsi Stuff online customer loyalty program to engage consumers by enabling them to redeem points for MP3 downloads, television show downloads, CDs, DVDs, electronics, and apparel. Campaign participants are also allowed to participate in sweepstakes drawings for larger prizes, such as home theater systems and trip giveaways. Coca Cola (2008) has a similar campaign entitled My Coke Rewards. According to Nielson research, TV users watch more than ever before (an average of 127 hrs, 15 min per month) and these users are spending 9% more time using the Internet (26 hrs, 26 min per month) from last year. Approximately 220 million Americans have Internet access at home and/or work with a growing number using the Internet for research and social media. Knowing this research, traditional media entertains and communicates to a mass audience whereas digital media entertains, communicates with, and engages the individual. The benefits of digital media can be highly measurable and marketers can often see a direct effect in the form of improved sales in addition to establishing a direct link with the consumer. This can also be cost effective. However, the pitfalls of digital marketing can be that the medium is new, constantly changing and evolving with results that vary. You often get what you ask for! Digital media is known as digitized content (text, graphics, audio and video) that can be transmitted over the Internet. While digital media consumption such as twitter, facebook, youtube etc have increased tremendously, Pepsi cannot ignore consumers who still rely on traditional media for their informative and entertainment needs, as a result, 2/3 of their advertising budget is still dedicated to traditional media. Marketers must strike a good balance between using traditional and digital/social media and other promotional tools Q3. How might Pepsi measure the effectiveness of its new campaign? Provide examples. The most suitable criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of advertising, depends on a number variables, such as the advertising goals, the type of media used, the cost of evaluation, the value that the business or advertising agency places on evaluation measures, the level of precision and reliability required, who the evaluation is for and the budget. It is difficult to accurately measure the effectiveness of a particular advertisement, because it is affected by such things as the amount and type of prior advertising The best measurement of a campaigns effectiveness is its ability to meet its objectives. From the case study, Pepsis objectives could be: Attract more competitors users (such as Coca-Cola) Increase sales volume Hold present Customers Create brand awareness To project a rejuvenated image for Pepsi as a socially responsible corporation To change consumer attitudes from neutral or unfavourable (it is a soft drink after all) to positive To use newer, digital media to engage in two-way communication with their customers/public. To communicate its new image via it new packaging Generally, Pepsi could use the following to measure the campaigns effectiveness: Stimulate an increase in sales Remind customers of the existence of a product Inform customers Build a brand image Build customer loyalty and relationship Change customer attitudes Marketers recognize that in the modern world of marketing there are many different opportunities and methods for contacting current and prospective customers to provide them with information about a company and/or brands. The challenge is to understand how to use the various IMC tools to make such contacts and deliver the branding message effectively and efficiently. A successful IMC program requires that marketers find the right combination of communication tools and techniques, define their role and the extent to which they can or should be used, and coordinate their use. To accomplish this, the persons responsible for the companys communication efforts must have an understanding of the IMC tools that are available and the ways they can be used.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Philippine ethnic architecture :: essays research papers

Philippine Ethnic Architecture - Ethnic culture lies on Phil. Architecture, an amalgam on Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Indian, Chinese, Japanese & other foreign influences with sensibility of Pre-Hispanic, Pre-Western & Southeast Asian. Its Ethos’s is linked with elements and creatures. It draws inspiration from environment. It also responds to man’s communal and social needs. General Characteristics - Ethnic Structures are made of natural materials such as wood, vegetations & sometimes molds. The favorite material is bamboo, which is used for doors, flooring siding, roofing & many others. It is informal and usually designed by the owner itself and executed with manpower provided by his family and the community. Often influenced first by tradition, second by chance. Most ethnic houses conform to a general pattern: have steep thatched roofs to facilitate drainage; elevated on posts or stilts and have slanted flooring. The result is generally a comfortable and functional, yet durable and structurally stable. Decorations are aesthetics and socio-politico-religious factors. Pig skulls and carabao horns for instance in Ifugao to indicate social position. It is at modest proportions as it is used essentially as a shelter from the elements and as a place to cook, eat and sleep. At other times, the house doubles as a social and cultural center. It becomes the setting for weddings, wakes, death anniversaries, religious rites and other life-cycle celebrations. Ethnic architecture can be classified using four different considerations:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. According to structural methods used   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. According to use or function   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. According to historical period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4. According to cultural groups or people Types of Structures in History - Ethnic architecture has evolved in response to changes in time and history. Cave dwellings were perhaps the earliest shelters in the Philippines. The next stage of evolution of ethnic architecture was marked by the appearance of the â€Å"lean-to†, the first attempt at building. The practice of kaingin gave rise to a more settled life in a real house. But durability was not a major concern. The introduction of wet rice agriculture brought about a truly settled life and a need for a more permanent dwelling. The bahay kubo, the dwelling of the lowland, christianized populace had already been established even before the Spaniards came. Because of different environments, upland and lowland houses developed interesting contrasts. Lowland houses have more open, airy interiors, while upland ones are more tightly enclosed. Special types of houses developed in various parts of the Philippines. In Sulu archipelago, houses were built over water.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Dell Supply Chain Management Essay

1. Introduction Companies, nowadays have to face global competition in order to stay in the market. To be competitive, they have to employ new strategies based on new technologies. Supply chain management plays an important role in the success and growth of an organization. Efficient capitalization of supply chain management enables an organization not to bother about competitors in same line. Customer’s needs and demands play a vital role in making and implementing new strategies and reviewing the made ones time and again in order to stay in a market. Innovational steps in carrying out supply chain Management of an organization will help a lot to be competitive and leading in a same type of activities like enabling the organizations to transact online by improving transactions on traditional supply chain management arena to a technologically improved supply chain management. Web equipped supply chain management is an improved shape of technology these days. Dell a renowned follower of web equipped supply chain management technology is becoming famous among customers due to its real time dealing. Dell since 1984 is proving itself a hot cake for the customers all over the world. Disintermediation, just in time and technologically web based supply chain management made this product a real time choice of professionals. This results in competitivity growth, higher profits and more satisfied customers. 2. Literature Review First supply chain management will be viewed in the terms of already made studies and then Dell’s whole online operational process will be discussed including its founder, history, background, online process, supply chain management, benefits from online processing like just in time technique and its benefits towards human beings. A supply chain is a mixture of all participants involved, directly or indirectly, for providing convenience to customer request (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). We can say that a supply chain involves all organizational components that merge themselves to extract and furnished a complete package for the final customer. Supply chains can manage their structure differently in size, complexity and comprehension of relations between the participants of their carriage mean the operators and the location. In this sense supply chain has two main shapes: spontaneous or direct, in which only one supplier and one member of a party involved. Extendedly it works beyon d a supplier and a customer involving supplier’s supplier and a customer’s customer. Second the normal or general the supply chains have different appearances responding to the demand and thus involve systematically flowed information, gadgets i.e. products and resources between different stages (Lee, 2000). Supply chain management continues its journey with a motive to handle the appropriate needs and demands in the appropriate volume at the appropriate competitive cost (Cutting-Decelle et al., 2006), a situation that would respond highest level of services for the customer and highest reputed performance for the organizations. This proclaims that supply chain management considers the optimal appropriate management of operations between and among participants of the supply chain for the purpose of optimal profitability through the supply chain management’s operations.(Chopra and Meindl, 2003). Mentzer et al. (2001) suggested that Some researchers view supply chain management as a management interaction with structure approach, strategically oriented and custo mer oriented as its key focus, others used it in a sense to elaborate the group the systematic steps to disciplinal implementation of management concepts with integrated tendencies, commonly information sharing, risks and rewards, mutual understanding and collaboration of hardcore activities. Then the third step is a group of management activities (Chopra and Meindl, 2003). In this activity the researcher will follow the third term because it coordinates the others. Fugate and Mentzer (2004) described that the Dell’s phenomenal agenda related its supply chain is â€Å"the right mergence of activities and people elements† (Refer Table 2.1). This is clear from Michael Dell’s sense that â€Å"our research and development (R&D) keenly interested in activities and quality betterment in manufacturing† and that â€Å"one of our biggest challenges is finding managers who can share and respond to rapid changes† (Magretta, 1998). Michael Dell became the father of Dell in 1984, in spite that he was a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Initially the Michael Dell adopted the direct sales model. During this era the computers were sold over the phone and parts were joined according to the customer’s demands and specifications (Kramer et al., 2000). Retail channel was also introduced during the 1990 to 1994 and Dell again returned to direct model and furnished the Dell rapidly in the mid 1990s, In 1999 this made him the number one PC seller in the US and number two in the whole world (Kramer et al., 2000). Dell’s success was incredible because he made the Dell conceit. It became a big company of approximately 35,000 employees and over 25.000 million dollars’ sales in 2000 (Koehn, 2001), thus competing big rivals such as IBM and HP. By 2008, Dell had attained annual revenues of $61 billion and net income of $2.9 billion (Dell, 2009). Dell has decided to enter into new regions and to expand its product line i.e. Servers, workstations, printers, flat-screen TVs and digital cameras. Due to these certain reasons Dell changed its name in 2003 from â€Å"Dell Computer Corporation† into â€Å"Dell Inc.†, to â€Å"reflect the evolution and growth of the company from a computer manufacturer to a company that operates a wide variety of technology-related services† (Rivkin and Giorgi, 2004). The core ingredients of Dell’s business structure are its direct sales model, usually named as â€Å"direct model†, and the build-to-order mean just in time str ategy. Dell has operational facilities in Austin, Limerick, Ireland, and Penang, Malaysia. To make sure the uninterrupted flow of production supplies into these facilities, Dell has developed a two-ended strategy that follows different sourcing arrangements and supply schedules for custom and system parts. According to a recently published report by research firm IDC (Appendix 1), Dell’s hard competitors in its vital corporate PC market are IBM and HP. It faces competition from fellow direct vendor Gateway HP and Apple in the consumer and small business market. In the portable PC business, the key competitors are Toshiba, Lenovo, and HP. In the critical server and Internet infrastructure markets, Dell competes with Sun Microsystems, HP, and IBM. In Internet hosting, it faces competitors like Exodus and Corio, some of whom may also be Dell customers. Outside the United States of America (USA), Dell competes with regional and local vendors in many markets, such as NEC, Fujitsu, and Toshiba in Japan, Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer in European, and Lenovo in China. It also faces hard competition from HP and Acer in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Dell now has 13.7 percent of the world market, down from 14.6 percent for the same period a year ago. Kraemer and Dedrick (2001) claimed that the superior supply chain is driven by Information Technology (IT), e-commerce and virtual corporation. Online selling strategies are backed by online support and Infrastructure. According to Kraemer and Dedrick (2001), the mandatory principles for Dell’s business process are Build-to-order i.e. just in time, direct sales, customization, quality, quantity and periodical made changes. 3. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the systematic, strategic collaboration and coordination of the business functions that requires flow of materials, final goods and interrelated information among suppliers, company, retailers and ultimate consumers. The supply chain system must be rejoinder of customer specifications. Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines the supply chain management as it comprises the planning and management of all jointly held activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management. It also shows respect for the core elements and components of coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which are suppliers, intermediaries, service providers i.e. third party, and customers. Managing a supply chain is ‘supply chain management. A supply chain is a set of organizations directly linked by one or more of the upstream and downstream flows of products, processes, services, finances, information and operational model from a specific source to a customer. 4. Components of Supply Chain Management The under explained are five basic components of supply chain management. * Plan— This is strategically oriented phase of supply chain management. Organizations require a strategy for managing all the resources which are needed toward satisfying customer need and demand for their product or service. A big piece of supply chain management planning is developing a set of techniques to monitor the supply chain so that it is efficient, costs less and delivers high quality and value to customers. * Source— secondly companies have to choose suppliers after an in-depth evaluation to deliver the goods and services they need to manufacture their product. So, supply chain managers must develop a set of pricing, delivery and payment integrations with suppliers. * Make— This is the manufacturing and operational phase. Supply chain managers schedule the activities compulsory for production, assembly, testing, packaging and preparation for delivery. * Deliver— This is the part that many supply chain management examiners see it as logistics in which companies make sure to coordinate the receipt of orders from customers, develop a network of warehouses, and intelligently considers carriers to get products to customers and to set up an invoicing system to receive payments. * Return— This can be a head aching part of the supply chain for many companies. Supply chain planners have to create a responsive and flexible enough network for receiving defective and excess products back into their hunt from their customers. 5. Process approach in Business through SCM According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), in many companies management has reached the conclusion that optimal product flows cannot be managed completely without implementing a process approach to the business. The core supply chain processes stated by Lambert and Cooper (2004) are: * Customer service management * Procurement * Product development and commercialization * Manufacturing flow management/support * Physical distribution * Outsourcing/partnerships * Performance measurement * Warehousing management * Customer service management process The Customer Relationship Management totally explains the coordination and the relationship between the organization and its customers. Customer service is the only authentic source of customer information. It also provides the customer with real-time information on scheduling and product availability with the company’s production and distribution operations. Successful organizations follow the following steps to determine customer relationships: * Mutually backed goals for organization and customers * establish and maintain customer rapport * produce and prevail positive satisfactory feelings in the organization and the customers * b) Procurement process Strategic plans are planned in accordance with suppliers to support the manufacturing phase and the development of new products. The desired outcome is a mutual win-win relationship where both sides benefit, and a reduction in time span for the design circle and product development. The purchasing advancements developed a truly rapid communication system, such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and Internet linkage to transmit possible requirements. Obtaining products and materials from outside suppliers involve a number of activities like resource planning, supply sourcing, negotiation, order placement, inbound transportation, storage, handling and quality assurance, many of which include the responsibility to coordinate with suppliers on matters of scheduling, supply continuity and research into new sources or programs. * c) Product development and commercialization In recent days as product life cycles shorten, the quality products must be developed and successfully launched with ever shorter time-schedules to remain competitive. According to Lambert and Cooper (2000), managers of the product development and commercialization process must have to: * interrelate with customer relationship management to identify the actual customization * Arrange materials and suppliers appropriately with procurement. * d) Manufacturing flow management process Manufacturing processes have to be responsive to daily based occurring market changes and must address mass customization. Orders are processes operating on a just-in-time (JIT) basis. Activities like planning the essentionals, scheduling and supporting manufacturing operations which controls an array of activities like work-in-process storage, handling, transportation, and time phasing of components, inventory at manufacturing sites and maximum flexibility in the coordination of geographic and final assemblies of physical distribution operations are carried out in this process. * e) Physical distribution The customer is the final destination of a marketing channel in this phase. This phase requires the availability of the product/service of each channel stakeholder’s marketing tiredness. Due to the physical distribution process the time and space of customer service become a vital part of marketing, so it coordinates a marketing channel with its customers (e.g. manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers). * f) Outsourcing This is not just about outsourcing the strategic planning of materials and components, but also outsourcing of services. The reason behind this tendency is that the company will surely shift its focus on those activities in the value chain where it has a distinctive competitive advantage i.e. expertise, and will outsource everything else. This movement has been particularly evident in logistics where the provision of transport, warehousing and inventory control is increasingly subcontracted to specialists which are named as logistics partners. * g) Performance measurement Competences taken from supplier capabilities and diagnosing a long-term supply chain commitment with a tacklance of customer relationships can both be interrelated with organizational performance. A.T. Kearney Consultants (1985) noted that firms engaging in comprehensive performance measurement realized improvements in overall productivity. Internal measures are generally collected and analyzed by the firm itself including; * Cost * Customer Service * Productivity measures * Asset measurement * Quality. External performance measurement is examined through customer shifts and benchmarking. * h) Warehousing management Warehousing management as an important source of reducing company cost & expenses is carrying the valuable role in company’s success. Storing and office with all facilities, reducing manpower cost, dispatching authority with on time delivery, loading & unloading facilities with proper area, area for service station, stock management system etc. 6. Dell Computers Dell Computer Corporation founded in 1984, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Dell is now reputed as one of the world’s most preferred computer system icons and a provider of products and services that customers globally need to set up their information-technology and Internet infrastructures conveniently as Dell always favors the customization. Dell is only the owner of the market leadership ladder because it has a strong and persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer requirements. Direct online selling from manufacturer to consumer is a vital element of its strategy. The company was incorporated on a basic idea that Dell is at its best to efficiently understand consumer needs and to provide the most effective and suitable customized computing solutions. This online business model eliminated retailers because all the computer related dealing is totally made through internet and phones. This activity saved time and cost because each and every system was made regarding the made order, offering customers powerful, richly configured systems at competitive prices. With the passage of time Dell introduced the latest technology much more quickly than competitors with slow-moving and turning over inventory an average of every four days. Now Dell has become the number-one retailer of personal computers, outselling IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq. 7. Direct to Customer Model Dell Computer’s strength is its unique direct to customer model. Through the implementation of model, the company outsourced all the components but it still performs the assembly. In this process the Dell eliminated retailers and directly delivered the computers from its assembly to end customers. This activity enabled Dell Cost leadership holder among the players in the arena. By eliminating the retailers, consumers were buying from Dell without the extra payment to retailers. Another Dell’s strength is its better access to technology compared to its competitors. Dell introduces the latest technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. Currently Dell’s initiatives include moving even greater volumes of product sales, service and support to the Internet, using the Internet to improve the efficiency of Dell’s procurement, manufacturing and distribution process and further expanding an already broad range of valu e-added services. 8. Dell’s value chain The value chain of a company is its entire product flow from the suppliers to the customers and managing the information flow in such a way that the customer receives maximum satisfaction while the company maximizes its profits. Dell Computer’s value chain is quite different because company sources all its components from vendors across the world and it undertakes the final assembly and sells it directly to the consumer. Dell’s direct model of selling and build-to-order supply chain i.e. just in time strategy have been the core at its policies and practical that have enabled it to gain competitive advantage in the computer industry. The value chain makes sure that all aspects are coordinated into attaining the firm’s stated goals. Dell makes sure that it monitors the value of its initiatives. Dell makes use of online value chain system. Such system helps the company control and coordinate business processes. It provides the company with a system with faster capabilities and lower cost and it eliminates the unnecessary steps which do not contribute the value chain and this also helps the Dell to make a decision regarding its employs’ promotion or demotion. 9. Dell’s Supply Chain Management Supply chain is an integral part of any business because through it raw material is systematically transformed into finished goods; these products are then sold to consumers for the company to have profit. In Supply chain management having a record of supplies is a valuable activity. Having a secured record of supplies gives a company benefits such as efficient list of supplies. Here products are received from a company’s suppliers and they are stored until they are needed on the assembly line of Dell then goods are moved around the organization. Dell relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell formulates its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaboratively work with it to achieve mutual success. Dell’s Process This process starts when Dell receives an order for a PC, it faxes or phones its requirements to suppliers who pick the ordered parts and pack them in reusable bins with cards attached. Trucks on a continuous connection between suppliers and Dell, known as a â€Å"milk run† deliver the sorted parts to the computer maker’s plant for final assembly. This process frees Dell from having to manage inventories and the costs associated with stock. Dell has made efforts to ensure that suppliers don’t get stuck with much inventory. The computer maker allows suppliers to participate in a â€Å"revolver program,† where they can sell parts stored at the warehouse to other customers than Dell. Dell’s supply chain competency comprises of four qualities which includes demand management, internal collaboration, leveraging partners, and financial fundamentals. Dell’s direct model enables the company to fully hold at demand management. The process of selling d irectly to customers and building product to order creates opportunities for true real-time collaboration between manufacturing and sales. Being in direct contact with the market, Dell can quickly see changes in customer demand. This allows Dell to respond more quickly to customer demand than its competitors can and this true demand management allows for highly accurate forecasts. Second integral aspect of Dell’s success is its ability to collaborate internally. This competency flourishes in a culture which values information sharing and empowers all employees. At Dell, â€Å"direct† refers not only to how the company sells but also to how team members communicate and attack issues to solve. Dell leverages its partners by linking suppliers’ planning and execution activities with Dell’s systems. The company uses information technology to gather and share a constant stream of data on supply and demand trends. Finally and lastly Dell’s entire supply chain is focused on fundamental business performance. Operating margin and not just profits or growth rate is the number that Dell cares about most to ensure long-term profitability. Dell thought differently because when Dell introduced the direct model at the same time its competitors were selling computers to end consumers via distributors. Dell sells directly to consumers and is continuously communicating with them and benefiting. Dell capitalizes the opportunities whenever they arise like seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs. The company also relies on customers’ knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model i.e. totally customized. The Dell supply chain management system handles a number of transactions and pieces of information, and includes multiple core components necessary to keep operations running smoothly. Some very important components are as follow: †¢ Configuration management; This component manages approximately over 1 million Dell part numbers every year with tackling approximately 200 product families, and over 2 million bills of materials (BOMs) every year. BOMs listing component part numbers are created for manufacturing facilities to build assemblies and subassemblies for Dell products. †¢ Procurement; The procurement component manages approximately 1.8 million purchase order lines every year from more than 5,000 suppliers worldwide. To smoothly process the procurement phase, Dell uses an automated application activity that includes workflow approvals and vendor communication and also enables services such as defective part replacement. †¢ Cost; This element runs smoothly to calculate the costs to Dell for all BOMs. The specific activity runs weekly, monthly, and quarterly, with each job aggregating total material costs. †¢ Inventory; The inventory component manages more than 3 million inventory movements daily from stock rooms to factory floors across all Dell sites. Dell also manages corresponding over 3 million messages transmitted to different systems for reporting, analysis, and factory scheduling. †¢ Accounts payable; this specific measure handles approximately 15,000 items per day which includes payments to Dell suppliers, invoices, and receipts. This component contains some important information under certain categories like vendor information section includes vendor ID number, location, negotiated terms, and contact 9. Significance and Advantages of supply chain management with a glance on disintermediation and Just in Time Explanation Dell’s supply chain consists of only three stages and these stages are the suppliers, the manufacturer (Dell), and the end users. The company’s direct contact with customers allows them to properly identify target markets demands, analyze the target requirements and profitability of each assignment and develop more accurate demand forecasts. Dell matches supply and demand because its customers order computer configurations over the phone or online. These computer systems are built from components that are available in suppliers’ jacket. Dell’s strategy is to provide customized, low cost, and quality computers that are delivered as on ordered time. Dell managed and implemented this strategy through its efficient manufacturing operations, better supply chain management and direct sales model. Dell reduces the cost of intermediaries of distribution channels that would otherwise add up to the total cost of PC for the customer by taking orders directly from the customers. This strategy also saves time on processing orders that other companies normally suffer in their sales and distribution syste m. By directly dealing with the customers Dell gets a clearer indication of market trends and relishes. This helps Dell to plan for the future and forecast properly besides better managing its supply chain. Another integral advantage Dell holds by directly dealing with the customer is that it enables itself to get the customer’s requirements regarding the software to be loaded. The elimination of a PC support engineer to load software, the customers gain both in time and cost. Dell computers have perceived 100% performance in performing a number of important activities which includes on-time delivery, and fill rate. Dell’s supply chain management most efficient trends include increasingly powerful private trading networks, increased transparency in measuring and monitoring the value chain performance, and outsourcing of non-core activities. Cost management techniques with taking practical performance improvement initiatives Dell have revolutionized the entire supply chain management process. Dell uses different software to follow and track its entire activities like Dell uses i2 Technologies software to track its supply chain activities. Dell monitors its supply chain time and again and this activity enables the Dell to make immediate changes (within hours) to respond the fluctuations in consumer demand. The software also alerts Dell to any supply shortages and Dell rapidly communicates order information including automatic replenishment requests to its suppliers through the internet. The company also uses the Web to interact with suppliers this interaction enables the suppliers to be up to date with its volume expectations and long-term planning data. Master production schedule updated after every two hours. Dell’s mass customization program enables 100,000 different computer configurations, 455 annual work-in-process turns, 52 annual inventory turns and a zero finished goods inventory. Dell Computer Corporation successfully uses a build-to-order(just in time) manufacturing program to hold down its inventory to only a five-day supply while shipping 95 percent of customer orders within eight hours. This strategy gives Dell an important competitive advantage as a low-cost producer. Dell can reap the benefits of lower material costs almost immediately and reflect that benefit in its consumer product prices. The Just-In-Time organization has a distinctive culture that gives it a competitive advantage which clarifies its standings among competitors. When big things change in its environment, Dell adapts successfully. People in the Just-In-Time organization are typically motivated more by values and pride in their company. The Coherence Index specifically measures the coherence or consistency of your organization’s strategy. Most Just-In-Time organizations will score moderately high in this area. Coherent companies have a clear set of capabilities that are in line with their strategy and that they use over and over again in their operations. The following are common patterns of behavior in just-in-time organizations. Just-in-time organizations often are often headed by a strong sense of mission. They want to chart new territory, inspire change, and make a big difference. Just-in-time organizations follow two different strategies. first the adventure-seeking and the more cautious professional managers. Adventure-seekers regard the unstructured environment and strained resources of the organization with a certain fondness. Second managers keep the joint running. What they lack in pure passion, they make up for in discipline and managerial skills. They are the more stable and reliable sorts. A great sense of urgency exists in the just-in-time organization. Everything is â€Å"life or death,† and the immediate emergency inevitably takes higher priority over so-called road building for the future. Every day brings fresh fires that need to be put out, and that’s where everyone directs their attention, even though yesterday’s still-smoldering ashes are not yet extinguished. 1 0. Cost effective and consumer friendly SCM of Dell A time when Dell was an infant its IT group ran its supply chain management database applications on large, expensive, proprietary servers based on the UNIX ® OS. As the company grew, servers lacking the necessary capacity had to be replaced with even larger, more powerful servers. The increased performance of industry-standard Dell PowerEdge servers has enabled Dell IT to create cost-effective, highly scalable systems using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) 10g. By sharing a large database across multiple PowerEdge servers, Dell IT can easily deploy additional low-cost servers when necessary to handle increased workloads rather than buying additional large, expensive, proprietary UNIX-based servers. Supply chain management is essential to Dell operations around the world, with both factory operations and internal systems dependent on supply chain management systems to provide real-time information about key business functions. Running these systems on Oracle RAC 10g clusters of industry standard Dell PowerEdge servers enables Dell IT to scale them efficiently and cost-effectively to handle increased workloads. By moving the systems to Dell servers when it did, Dell IT avoided significant additional expenditures for proprietary UNIX-based servers, enhanced performance, and provided a clear path for future growth. 11. Conclusion and recommendation The rapid development of Worldwide Web (WWW) technologies, Internet, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have generated the evolutionary online business solution and electronic-commerce (ecommerce) both of which are to provide support for both information and workflow control, and process management as well as enhance the communication. E-commerce technologies are perceived as a mainstream to improve productivity and information flow and communications which all have to process through a systematic phase of supply chain management. Technology based SCM allows the creation of extra value for the customer and have the goal to satisfy the client requirements in the best possible way and in real time. Migration to a technological based approach for SCM applications is required for streamlining Supply Chain activities, maintaining a consistent quality of service and controlled distribution of the data which otherwise cannot be achieved. A technological based supply chain management must have the components like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system which forms groups of business software functions like production, purchasing, CRM. These applications have to be interconnected so that to provide complete reports on customers, demand, suppliers, supply, finance, manufacturing, delivery, etc. 12. Reference Fugate, B.S. and Mentzer, J.T. (2004) ‘Dell’s supply chain DNA.’ Supply Chain Management Review, Vol.8, No.7, p.20-24 Chopra, S. and Meindl, P. (2003) Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning and Operation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Maney, K. (2003) ‘Dell Business Model Turns to Muscle as Rivals Struggle’. Online. USA Today. Available: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-01-19-dell-cover_x.htm [18 Jan 2009] Maguire, J. (2003) ‘Case Study: Dell.com’. Online. Ecommerce-Guide.com. Available: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/news/article.php/2013731 [18 Jan 2009] Magretta, J. (1998) ‘The power of virtual integration: An interview with Dell computer’s Michael Dell.’ Harvard Business Review, Vol.76, No.2, pp.73-84 Lee, H.L. (2000) ‘Creating value through supply chain integration.’ Supply Chain Management Review, Vol.4, No.4, pp.47-54 Kraemer, K.L. and Dedrick, J. (2002) â₠¬ËœDell computer: Organization of a global production network’. Irvine, California: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations. Online. Available: http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi Aitken J.M. (1999). Supplier Associations, A Methodological Opportunity in Supply Chain Research, Belfast and Dublin, United Kingdom and Ireland, 13-22. Ghiassi, M., Spera, C., 2003. Defining the Internet-based supply chain system for mass customized markets. Computers and Industrial Engineering 45, 17–41. McKnight, H.D. and Chervany, N.L. 2002. What trust means in e-commerce customer relationships: an interdisciplinary conceptual typology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Forthcoming. Saab S.S., W. Mhanna, and S.Saliba, â€Å"Conceptualisation Study for Using RFID as a Stand-alone Vehicle Positioning System,† Intl. Journal of Radio Frequency Identification Technology and Applications, vol. 2, issue. 1/2, pp. 27-45, 2009. Ross, F. (200 3), Introduction to e-Supply Chain Management, engaging

Friday, November 8, 2019

buy custom The Canadian Biotechnology Company essay

buy custom The Canadian Biotechnology Company essay This section reviews the issue of the Canadian company on how it should go about manufacturing and distributing the goods that they produce. The first option available is that of manufacturing the good at the home country and letting the distribution to be carried out by some middle people. It should be taken into consideration that the biotechnology company wishes to venture into a new region and as such there is the need to for the company to get an intermediate who best understands the market dynamics of the new place that they wish to open their products to. The following is an analysis of this option in terms of the advantages and disadvantage: The sales agents will only provide needed expertise for the specific job giving it high flexibility on whether to establish a long term consulting relationship- in this manner it becomes easy and convenient to handle such kind of expansion. Another advantage which is likely to accrue from the use of agents is that there will be a great field of experts to make a choice from. Furthermore the experts will be wiling help out in case of some unforeseeable situations concerning the distribution of the goods. It will cut down on the costs because the distributors are hired on a as needed basis. This will ensure that paid services are made use of when they are extremely needed. Lastly, it will be of great significance because the agents can be recalled in case of some advise concerning further distribution of the goods thus they will like a resource to the biotechnology company (Kuglin and Hook, 2002). If the company decides to manufacture the product at home but set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Europe to handle marketing this will rovide better coverage of local issues as well as an on the ground presence for developing future business in Europe. The advantages and disadvantages associated with this kind of manufacture distribution strategy is covered below. Making the manufacturing process to be based at the home grounds will make it easy for monitoring of the manufacturing process to be properly carried out. In most cases the technology and production mechanism are based at the home grounds of a company; this will act as an assurance that the goods will be produced will be exclusively of the right standards and which will meet the customer requirements. This will create customer satisfaction and will ensure that the customer remain loyal to the firms goods. Though it can be argued that the distribution might be problematic due to the factor of distribution expenses but this can be overlooked for the sake of satisfying the customers. Meeting the customer requirements and expectation can be viewed as the top priority at this point of the company since it is venturing into new markets where there is a need for the creation of a market presence. Setting the manufacturing units at the home grounds has couple of disadvantages: the manufacturing units being far from the market will incur transportation. It might not be possible for the firm to take advantage of abrupt short term demands for their goods. There is a likelihood of missing out on cheap labor at the distribution region (Kuglin and Hook, 2002). If the company decides to go into a joint venture with a large European pharmaceutical company, it will not be involved in the large overhead of setting up and maintaining a branch office (Glover and Wasserman, 2003). This brings about the following advantages and disadvantages: Mainly the Biotechnology Company will take advantage of the economies of scales. The company will not have the overhead involved with direct hires. It can argued that there are fewer bureaucratic constrains on hiring oversees persons as consultants rather than as full-time employees (Culpan, 1993). Forming a joint venture with the large company positions the Canadian biotechnology at a gaining position. There is likelihood that the company will gain more and new skills in the pharmaceutical world. The Canadian company is also to be introduced into new markets. Forming a joint venture with a large company also has its limitations. Due to the fact that the large company will more at stake, it is likely to dominate in the issues of major decision making. At times this might lead to making of decisions which might contradict the business policies of the Canadian Biotechnology; it can be argued that joint ventures sign memorandum of understandings but also it should be noted that the loarge will have more responsibility to making of decisions (Badertscher Reese, 2007). There are numerous reasons, benefits, and pitfalls available to the company whichever path it takes, but I will recommend that it goes into a strategic alliance, because besides the pros given this will boost its credibility in the eyes of its customers and also it will enjoy economies of scale. It will also be able to expand its geographic reach. Strategic alliance can be quite beneficial to a corporation especially if the company trying top form an alliance is not established yet. Through an alliance, a company is stretched to maximize its potentials Buy custom The Canadian Biotechnology Company essay

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there... Free Essays on Goodman Brown Free Essays on Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Islamic finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Islamic finance - Essay Example In this regard, the Islamic financial system with the assistance of macroeconomic models is able to conduct their operations effective in the Islamic economy. Islamic financial system came into existence in the mid-1980s wherein this system was practiced mostly in the Muslim communities that eventually nurtured trade and commercial activities in numerous nations. Islamic merchants became the brokers of trade related activities in Spanish and Mediterranean regions, which helped in promoting Islamic finance amid European financiers and capitalists. In the modern day context, Islamic finance has made a huge impact in various parts of the world, as it has been promptly growing in the financial sector. Islamic finance is not just limited to Islamic nations, but it has spread to other nations wherein the Muslim community is quite large. It has been identified that there are over 100 financial institutions using Islamic finance and the system is presently practiced in more than 45 nations. Industries using Islamic finance have witnessed a growth rate of 15% in their annual turnover from the estimation of the last five years financial performance s. Accordingly, it has been witnessed that the market’s annual turnover has grown to about 70 billion USD as compared to 5 billion USD in the year 1985. It has been further estimated that markets, which use Islamic finance will witness a growth of 100 billion USD by next century. In reality, Islamic finance commenced successfully from the time when the Islamic nations obtained surplus profit in their oil exporting businesses. It will be worth mentioning that anatomic and macroeconomic reforms in the financial system, privatisation of industries, assimilation of the financial markets and liberalisation of capital have cemented the growth of the Islamic financial system (Iqbal, 1997). The paper is primarily intended to summarise the chapter ‘The Financial System and Monetary Policy in an Islamic

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Post-industrialized cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Post-industrialized cities - Essay Example The Chicago School asserted that cities do not develop randomly but instead they develop according to favourable conditions in the environment. One example of this is the way in which large urban areas are found predominantly along shores of rivers or on fertile plains, as those features have been advantageous to their development. The School was influenced by the processes which were seen to occur in nature such as the effects which competition in an area has on the distribution of the various species of animal in an ecosystem. This became part of the theory which asserted that cities become ordered into 'natural areas' through processes such as competition, invasion and succession. It was theorised that patterns of location, movement and relocation in cities follow similar patterns to those observed in any ecosystem (Giddens 06). Lewis Wirth claimed that urbanism was a way of life. He noted that there were distinct differences between the way which people lived their lives in urban areas and in rural areas. Wirth highlighted the heterogenous nature of the people in the urban area as the predominant reason for this difference. In rural areas, people in any particular area live similar lives, with similar cultures, beliefs and ideals. In comparison, those in urban areas are diverse in cultures, beliefs and ideals, which Wirth theorised could drive the division of the urban area to naturally divide into neighbourhoods in which these characteristics were shared (Wirth 64). While this may be true, Wirth neglected to note that there were internal factors which were present in urban areas and not in rural areas. For example different occupational factors and class factors were present in the urban areas at the time compared to the rural areas, and these may also have been driving forces in separation of the urban n eighbourhoods. Robert Park asserted that the city was a social organism which was formed of distinct parts joined together by internal processes. Park theorised that the 'web of life' ensured that competitiveness was present between inhabitants of any urban area and that this led to natural structuring of urban areas. This was a result of comparing the nature of urban areas to Darwinian struggle present in any ecological system. The model put forth by Park also has several criticisms. For example the comments which he makes toward natural processes and the structuring of society are oversimplified. There are many differences between humans and other creatures in nature such as technological advances. These ensure that humans are not dependent on the natural habitat in the same ways as other animals although there are still benefits to be derived from natural features. Park also fails to take account of other factors such as government regulations. While there are critiques to be applied to the Chicago School of urban ecology, I do generally agree that this is a simplified but accurate view of early cities. I feel however that cities have developed in the modern day past the theories put forward in this school. Paper 2 Cities and urban areas began to move from industrialised areas to post-industrial areas during the 20th Century, when manufacturing industries began to close down and were no longer the focus of these cities. The cities began to develop