Saturday, August 31, 2019

Confucianism vs Taoism

The Teachings of Confucius versus the Tao Te Ching The teachings of Confucius and the Tao Te Ching are two important schools of thought in China. In Confucius’s Analects, he talks mostly of political and social issues and also speaks about how people must govern by following rules and displaying virtuous qualities such as honesty and integrity. Lao Zi on the other hand talks of how the world has a propensity towards balancing itself and that people should govern by â€Å"going with the flow† while the cosmos sort out the events of life.He also mentions that people should have a detachment from many things in life such as material objects. Ultimately, the main difference between the Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Confucius is that the Tao Te Ching says that people should live their life in an ethereal manner by following the forces of nature, whereas Confucius’s teachings have a strict moral code that people must abide by. Confucius’s teachings tell peop le how to act by mentioning what character traits they should have and how to take action accordingly.For example, in the analects Confucius says, â€Å"He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it† (The Analects, Wei Zheng, 1). Lao Zi on the other hand describes the concept of governing in an entirely different manner. He says that, â€Å"Prizing no treasures keeps people from stealing †¦Ã‚  The  sage governs them all† (Tao Te Ching, 2). There is a noticeable difference between the ideas that are presented in the quotes of Confucius and Lao Zi.Confucius talks of ruling others by way of virtue and says that once people see the example being set by a government official, then they will follow it. On a different note, Lao Zi says that people should become detached from worldly things in order to encourage others to follow the rules and instill Te (virtue). The Ta o Te Ching and the Confucian analects differ here because Confucius talks of ruling by setting an example based on morality, whereas Lao Zi talks of governing by doing nothing and detaching oneself from material objects.Overall, the method of governing mentioned by Confucius involves worldly actions while Laozi’s method involves inaction and faith in an otherworldly force to sort issues out. The film  Confucius  was released in 2010 starring Chow Yun Fat. Given that Chow is a â€Å"superstar,† his casting tends to overshadow the verisimilitude of the film. For example, much of Confucius’ personal life in the film is fictionalized as we are introduced to his wife and daughter. Similarly, a scene in the movie is dedicated to the legendary meeting between Confucius and Lao  Zi  in which Confucius asks for and gets advice. [clip  three at 17:30]. The scene is a bit romanticized though because it features Confucius and Lao Zi meeting on a mountain above clo uds. Nevertheless, this scene reflects the ideas of Confucius as a scholar that believes in governing by morality and Lao Zi as one that believes in governing by inaction. On the mountain, Lao Zi mentions that Confucius believes in acting through â€Å"rituals and benevolence† while Lao Zi himself has the belief that one should act by doing nothing and should gain an otherworldly detachment from things such as desire.He offers Confucius this insight but Confucius politely refuses, saying that he must â€Å"follow his own path† and describing Lao Zi’s ideas as too ethereal for him to follow (Clip 3). Their conversation illustrates the basis of these two men’s ideas. The film portrays Laozi as one who believes in the natural course of things. He believes that by doing nothing and going with the flow of things, situations will eventually get better. This idea is even more exemplified when Confucius tells Lao Zi that he thinks he has failed in his mission to knock down the city walls.Laozi tells him to â€Å"stop trying when you have achieved nothing† and â€Å"maybe the best contribution is no contribution† and further reveals his Daoist principles (Clip 3). All in all, the film Confucius, Lao Zi is portrayed as a man who believes in otherworldly solutions to problems while Confucius believes in strict, absolute ones. A depiction of Confucius’s ideas of governing is also apparent in the beginning of the film. When talking to the emperor of Lu, Confucius mentions that people should respect the law because they’re civil and honest and have integrity to make their homeland a better place.This approach involves making an effort to have those specific character traits and differs from the teachings of the Tao Te Ching because it involves what Lao Zi called â€Å"chasing the light† (Tao Te Ching, 3). He says that too much light blinds, which in this case is the seeking of morality, and that it is better to want less instead of more. The confliction of Confucian and Daoist ideas illustrates the profound differences they have in regards to how people should act and be governed. Confucianism involves adhering to a strict moral code whereas Daoism involves going with the natural order of hings and by acting through inaction. Though the ideologies of Confucius and Lao Zi differ a great deal, they do have one similarity. They both serve as major moral codes that many people in China still follow today. Biblography Legge, James. The Analects. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. Web. http://ctext. org/analects/wei-zheng. 6 Mar. 2013. Red Pine. â€Å"Tao Te Ching. † N. p. , n. d. Web. https://elearning. uh. edu/bbcswebdav/pid-394869-dt-content-rid-1739781_1/courses/H_20131_CHNS_3354_11272/red_pine_dao. htm. 6 Mar. 2013

Friday, August 30, 2019

Let’s start with Africa, book rerort Essay

The Caribbean is a distinct civilization made up of a range of culture, tradition and religious practices. In the Caribbean there are a number of books written by Caribbean authors that attempt to give insight into the way of life of Caribbean people. Let us start with Africa Foundations of Rastafarian scholarships is one such book that delves into the sphere of Rastafarianism. Let us start with Africa: Foundations of Rastafari scholarship is based on the commemoration on the inaugural Rastafari Studies Conference, held in August 2010. It provides significant unpublished work of the past fifty years of Rastafarianism. The book was edited by Jahlani Niaah: a lecturer in cultural and Rastafari studies, institute for Caribbean studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, where he also coordinates the Rastafari studies unit and Erin MacLeod: a teacher at Vanier College in Montreal, Canada, and has served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. The editors aim is â€Å"the text meant to both commemorate and celebrate scholars and practitioners of Rastafari- our aim is to demonstrate not only a range of thinking about the movement but the ways in which the movement, a movement which takes reasoning as a key practice, has encouraged reasoning about itself, the Pan African community and the international African presence’. The main contributors to the collection are: Mortimo Planno, Roy Augier, Barry  Chevannes and Rex Nettleford. Various social, political and historical issues were highlighted in the book. Consequently this paper will seek to discuss the issues that appealed to me intellectually as well as emotionally; gender disparity, repatriation and the role of reggae within the Rastafarian Diaspora. Rastafarianism is a male dominated movement that reflects gender differences. This is enforced by various rules and practices that perpetuate a woman’s subordination and inferiority to men. For example the Nyabinghi practices tend to reinforce the patriarchal orientation to the Rastafari movement. Males dominate binghi proceedings in their roles as drummers, priests and keepers of the binghi fires. Furthermore, women are not allowed to take part in the communal ritual of reasoning: a context defined as sacred by the Rastafari. This was the context in which the brethren prayed, in which elders coined ideology, in which new members were socialized, and through which all sought the inspiration of the divine. The reasoning ritual is a key aspect of the Rastafari and the fact that women are excluded from this important ritual is endemic of the minute role women play in the larger issues of the Rastafari movement and undercuts generally their involvement in the faith. In addition to being excluded from significant rituals within the movement, a woman dress code is dictated by the men within the faith. For instance, women heads must be covered so that her locks are not exposed as a sign of modesty and obedience to her husband or Kingman. Also her clothing must cover her shoulders and extends to the mid calf or ankle. These forms speak to symbolic subordination in the understanding that a woman’s path to Jah is always through a man. It is ironic that Rastafarianism as such a socially conscious movement dealing with the horrors of oppression and exploitation of blacks faced under the British colonial rule would invoke this kind of injustice and superiority over the women of the faith. Under British rule women were seen as unproductive and therefore paid lower wages to that of their counterparts. They were also seen as child bearers and were considered to be financial liability. It is inconceivable to me that women today are faced with the same indignities proposed to them of† Massa’ days by black men who have experience the struggle first hand to reduce to the same ideology. In my opinion women are  being dictated by another form of imperialism through the Rastafari movement. Rastafarian women are as such challenging their roles and demanding greater equality. For example, one of the earliest published statements by a Rastafarian woman critiquing the position of women within Rastafari is that of Maureen Rowe. Central to Rastafarian theology is the notion of repatriation. Thus throughout the book, the issue of and repatriation kept surfacing. Repatriation is physical movement to return to the land of Africa, the new Zion. Repatriation is a theological rather than a political concept. Rastafari attributes to Marcus Garvey the inspiration to look to Africa. In Roy Augier’s keynote lecture, he stated, â€Å"Rastafari began with Africa, from Garvey’s prophetic call to look to the east, to the commitment of early adherents to a newly crowned king in Ethiopia, it is clear that Rastafari begins in Africa†. Not coincidence with the title of the book, Let us start with Africa. The 2010 conference made the connection to Africa as it marked the eighteen anniversary of the coronation of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie and the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark publication of the report on the Rastafari movement in Kingston, Jamaica by scholars inclusive of Roy Augier. Repatr iation is a topic that has caused a number of debates. For instance, at the conference Augier describes the need for a strong relationship between the Caribbean and Africa. However his thinking, presents a trajectory that leads not physically but spiritually to Africa within the Caribbean and specifically in Jamaica. This new thinking was a topic of controversy as Augier was challenging one of the fundamental tenets of the movement. Many others regard the Rastafari as unpatriotic and anti-Jamaica because of their asserted Ethiopian identity and the stance they took on repatriation. The topic of repatriation, in my view furthers the notion of Caribbean identity: the histories of displacement brought about by slavery. It is an attempt to reconnect with a â€Å"lost† Africa. The identity with Africa because they were told that’s where they came from and may be wondering to where do they belong. In spite of this though, I believe that if this is their desire to return to their ancestral home it should be considered by the powers responsible for the disconnect between Africa and the Caribbean but more specifically Jamaica. Consideration of repa triation  should also be given as they were not afforded the same opportunity as indentured laborers did in acquiring land or being given the opportunity to return to their land of origin. Many of them stayed in the Caribbean but it was freedom of choice. Therefore the controversy surrounding the issues of repatriation is reflected on the colonial view of Africans. Unquestionably is the role music played on the Rastafari movement? The power in the music is an important part in understanding how Caribbean society is shaped and structured. Many societal thinkers have pointed to the importance of music as representative of the soul of a society. This can be said of the genre Reggae, synonymous with Jamaica and Rastafari. That reflects the lyrics of oppression. The rhythm of reggae occurred from the Ska in the 1950 ‘S, rock steady in the 1960’s and later roots reggae in the 1970’s†¦ Bob Marley gained popularization with his lyrics of redemption, which demonstrates the power of reggae music to fight for human rights, freedom and unity. Reggae music encapsulated the spiritual tone of Rastafarianism and poverty. Reggae music is an important means of transporting the beliefs of Rastafarianism. According to Rex Nettleford, in his writing; From the Cross to the Throne, â€Å"the influence was very strong, and this reflected in t he music. I keep telling people that the music, from ‘Ska’ right through to reggae and I presume dancehall, appropriated the Rastafarian movement not the other way around†. Reggae music was able to perform important persuasive functions, such as recruitment and legitimation of the Rastafarian faith. Furthermore it reconceptualized the notion of Rastafarian from â€Å"criminals† and Drug addicts† to the movement which sought for social change. The musician became the messenger in particularly Bob Marley whose messages was able to cross international borders. Maybe due to the themes of his songs that cut across all aspects of humanity. Reggae evokes a message of universal suffrage, and in doing so spreads a theme of class consciousness to the poor, illiterate and oppressed and a medium through which one can express their discontent. As a social commentary, reggae is a powerful means of attacking what is wrong in Jamaica, as well as the world. The music of Rastafarians is not only an artistic creation in the Jamaican society, but an expression of rejection of the white man’s Babylon. Reggae’s increasingly politicized lyrics addressed Rasta concerns with social and  economic injustice, the rejection of white culture, and the pressures of life in Jamaica. Early reggae artists, such as Jimmy Cliff, Peter tosh brought the message of Rastafarianism into the musical world but it is my opinion that the movement was popularized by Bob Marley. Therefore it is hard to imagine Rastafarianism without reggae and by extension Bob Marley. The contribution made by BOB Marley was delivered by Mortimo Planno in a bush Radio Interview; â€Å"So that was the purpose of having Bob Marley in Trench town, that we use him as our MessenJah who carry the messages around the world that today I can able feh be talking to my brethren and sistren in South Africa†. In writing this paper I discovered a few things. The first is that Rastafarian women have experienced a great deal of denigration and oppression by the male counterparts and women are speaking out on the issue of biases with the movement. Although it has been changing significantly women still have quite a long way to go in order to achieve equality within the movement. However, I am also sympathetic to the fact that the Rasta culture is something that I can never quite understand due to my not being a part of it. I must look at it more objectively and see that many Rasta women finds content in their position and they may find content in this position and feel that it is an integral role to their family life as well as to their community. This leads me to the conclusion that I should not be quick to judge the Rastafarian faith and their beliefs. Despite their negative treatment of woman, Rastafarian has an abundance of positive and socially conscious ethics. These should be preserved . In my own opinion, I feel that those elements of the Rasta faith can be preserved while still allowing woman a more prominent and equal role in the family and community. Another aspect that was discussed was is the issues of repatriation. In the early years of the movements development, one of its tenets were Haile Selassie was the embodiment of Christian divinity(the Black Christ or Black Messiah) and the entire African race shared in his divinity; and there would be a mystic return to the African homeland(known as Repatriation) as a redemption). This was met with controversy as it was seen as an unpatriotic. Undoubtedly, was that reggae music played an integral role in the global spread of the Rastafarian movement? With the lyrics rooted in fighting  social and economic injustice. Bob Marley was one of the major contributors to the expansion of the faith. I found the book to be useful, particularly in debunking the myths of Rastafarian culture. Despite the fact that upon purchasing when I read the book covers in its entirety I was disappointed to Rastafarian which meant the book was about Rastafarianism, which as a Christian was not really intere sted. I wanted to purchase another book but financial strains would not allow me to. However I am glad that I read the book and would recommend it to students of Caribbean studies, anyone with an interest in culture and history. The Language of the book was a bit challenging; especially in the first chapter but as you continued reading it was read with more ease. Bibliography Gebert Paravisini Lizabeth Olmos, fernandez, Margarite,. Creole Religions of the Caribbean. New York: New york Press, 2003. Print. Niaah Jahlani, Macleod Erin. Let us start with Africa, Foundations of Rastafari Scholarship. Mona, Kingston, Jamaica: The University of the West Indies Press, 2013. Print. The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religious. Vols. volume 2 M-L. n.d.

Global Wine War Essay

Introduction Human beings have been dealing with wine for thousands of years, from the Mesopotamians to the ancient Egyptians, from the Greeks to the ancient Romans, the latter which under their vast empire spread viticulture through the Mediterranean region. Through centuries countries, such as France and Italy, obtained a consolidated position in the wine industry, both in demand and production. In the last part of the 20th century newcomers (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, USA, etc.) have successfully challenged the leadership of the so-called Old World that represented the majority of global market share. Wine Industry Analysis using the Porter’s Five forces Model A brief Porter’s five forces analysis can help understand how the evolving of competitive environment is actually composed and why this market shake occurred. Figure 1. 1: Porter’s Five Forces Model For what concerns the threat of new entrants; the Old World companies completely underestimated this threat. When the newcomers entered the market they could bargain market share of the pre-existing ones without facing real opposition, exploiting better marketing strategies and more efficient organizational approaches. Regarding to the threat of substitute products; this seems to be a challenge for the future, with the introduction of branding as a marketing approach; the threats from the beer industry and â€Å"soft drinks† producers must be taken into account. Referring to the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, the entrants are in a much better position because of bigger production plants which allow them to gain a stronger contractual power towards distributors; moreover their value chains are more concentrated removing the troubles of the too much fragmentation and variety of actors between the producer and the consumer, which on the contrary, Old World’s competitors are facing. Furthermore analyzing the rivalry among existing competitors it is possible to understand that the traditional producers are facing much more difficulties, because they cannot exploit advantages the newcomers have, such as professional management, large marketing investments and economies of scale and scope. Unfortunately, these are not the only intricacies they are bearing with; the pre-existing producers have always been in competition one against the other, making it more difficult to achieve competitive advantages through cooperation. Eventually the newcomers are concentrating their action in the new growing markets while the old ones are still mainly struggling in the Old World declining markets. Network value analysis It is also of a relevant importance introducing the Chain Value Model that was at first presented by Porter in â€Å"Competitive Advantage. Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance†. This model was introduces in order to better understand the activities through which a firm, in particular a wine firm, develops a competitive advantage and creates shareholder value (fig. 1. 2). Concerning the primary activities we can see that in both the inbound and the outbound network logistics, the NW producers managed to reduce costs of transport and warehousing, exploiting new technologies of packaging (an example is the Australian â€Å"wine-in-a-box† instead of the classic glass bottle. ) Analyzing the outbound logistics, it is possible to explore the fact that as consequence of being big multinationals the newcomers can bargain power of the distributors, carving out margins which the European competitors are not able to gain due to the excess of fragmentation which reduce contractual power towards the distributors. With reference to the inbound logistic a major role in reducing costs per unit is played by mechanization and scale economies, which are widely exploited by the NW producers. The same advantages are reflected on the operations where mechanization of harvesting and scale are making the incumbents competitors more profitable, moreover they are also exploiting scope economies, while in the Old World, the fragmentation and the wide specialization, which were the strength of the systems now are showing themselves as weaknesses. Figure 1. 2: â€Å"Chain Value Model† by Michael Porter The use of new technologies and new organizational approaches are also incident on the quality of the final product, which is granted by the integration of the processes and an efficient network strategy by the newcomers, while in the OW these challenges have not been answered yet. One of the largest disadvantages the mature competitors are facing concern the activity of marketing and sales, where due to the newcomers approach they are loosing the market confront. The Old World is exploiting factors largely underemployed by the Europeans, the use of professional marketing, market researches try to understand and forecast the market in order to be more responsive to the real needs of the demand. The correct use of branding from part of the NW producers is resulting as one of the strongest competition advantage towards the OW ones. Concerning the support activities the situation does not vary, the new-comers have advantages in the firm infrastructures mainly because of a more efficient organization of the all networks and because of a better organization and integration of the production chain. As regards to the Human Resources Management the differences are mainly a consequence of the different organization types of the actors of the market; in the New World the companies are organized as multinationals with professional managers and marketers, in the Old World the firms are often too small, fragmented and in competition among them to have access to such resources. On the side of technology development the newcomers are exploiting the new technologies in order to gain efficiency and quality, developing new mechanical tools and new approaches mainly regarding harvesting. Completely different is the approach of the New World competitors, strongly opposing the use of new technologies providing quality with a traditionalist method, an unfortunate approach for gaining market share. In terms of procurement it is unclear if there are advantages of one system towards the other. The outcome of the analysis shows how the New World could gain market share against the Old World, challenging a domination that lasted for centuries. 1. How did the French became the dominant competitors in the increasingly global wine industry for centuries? What sources of competitive advantage were they able to develop in order to support their exports? Where were they vulnerable? * Competitive advantage sources: history and traditions; know-how; experience; strong internal demand; world wide quality recognition; leader in wine sector for centuries. * Weak areas: fragmented chain of production; too strict regulation and classification; scarce innovations; no differentiation of the product; poor marketing; no branding bargaining power. As wine production grow up in the Mediterranean area, this alcoholic beverage became more and more blended with cultures, religious traditions and everyday life in the area that now is called the â€Å"Old World†. Wine first uses and its complex production made it not accessible for all, actually it was considered a luxury good. But centuries of development in the production process, like vineyard horses or row plantations, innovations in the distribution and preservation of the wine, like cork stopper or mass production of glass bottles, made it affordable for everyone generating a strong internal demand in countries such us French, Italy, Germany and so on. Specifically, regarding France, in 1966 the domestic demand accounted for 120 liters per capita and it became the country with the higher consumption of wine, followed by Italy with 110 liters. In order to better understand the dimension of the market, in the same year in Australia, USA and UK the annual per capita consumption was far less than 10 liters. In France, wine was not only highly consumed in every house, but it became one of the business strengths of the country. Actually it was the second largest French export, because History and tradition made the French wine synonymous of quality in the whole world. Moreover, since there were hundreds of different types wine, French government codified a hierarchical classification (Appellation d’Origin Controllee – AOC, Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure – VDQS, Vins de Pays) and nurtured the concept of terroir to help consumers recognize their finest wines in a highly fragmented market. This significantly strict regulation was an important innovation that made the difference among the main competitors, such as Italy or Spain. French source of competitive advantage was not only the century know-how that permitted to have a high quality wine and the strong internal demand, but also the demand coming from the neighboring countries without a highly developed wine industry. Wine producers, in many countries of Europe, were isolated from each others, and most of the world’s wine drinkers consumed either local wines or imported from close winemakers. This tradition made the fortune of France, since the climate and the soil in the United Kingdom didn’t allow grape growing enough to satisfy the huge internal demand, British were forced to import from the closest producer. The century tradition was an advantage for the French wine because it was a symbol of quality, but it was also a drawback, because it fiercely limited the flow of innovation and development concerning the production, distribution and branding of wine. Moreover, since the whole production chain was fragmented in many segments, there was a lack of economies of scale and integration that had terrible results in market power of the French producers. Actually branding was poor or even not existing and a number of small producers with very small bargaining power were incapable to deal with retailers as supermarkets loosing market visibility and the connection with the whole segment of customers. The direct competitors, the Old World producers, were all in the same situation: fixed to the traditions and unable to satisfy the increasing fast-changing consumer tastes and preferences. The fact that they had been the market leaders for centuries made them unconscious about the possibility of new hardened competitors growing in the New World. 2 What changes in the global industry structure and competitive dynamics led France and other traditional producers lose their market share to challengers firm Australia, US, and other New World countries in the late 20th century? In the last twenty years, the worldwide wine industry has become increasingly internationalized and sophisticated, though over the years, the market has become fragmented, international, multi-lingual, operating in many currencies, and information-intensive. The wine industry globally faces continued shake-up and consolidation and the generation of mega wine companies has become inevitable as no one wine company – listed or private – currently has more than one percent of the world wine market, in stark contrast to other beverages. Global wine showed solid growth in volume terms in recent years, up nearly two percent to 25,066 million liters. Still red wine provided much of the impetus for volume growth in the world wine market over survey period, with sales rising nearly 12% between 1998 and 2003. However, volume growth of global wine was dampened by changing patterns of consumption in important Western European markets, like Italy, France, Portugal and Spain, as younger consumers moved away from traditional everyday wine drinking to more occasional consumption. Globally, the two countries that are leading the wine production and consumption businesses are France and Italy. However, the irony is that these two countries are also witnessing a steady erosion of their global market share. In our opinion there are five key success factors that we have identified that are extremely relevant to compete favorably in the global wine industry: * a strong existing domestic market * domestic market growth potential * economies of scale advantage * industry adaptability to change and * potential to attract foreign investment. First, a strong domestic market is one where a large volume of wine is purchased and where consumers readily select domestic wines. Second, even more important is the potential for growth in a producer’s domestic market, as this shows if opportunities for additional sales exist where producers may have local knowledge and other native advantages such as local distribution. Third, countries where production is dominated by larger firms have the advantages of scale and scope as well as improved power in promoting and pushing their wines to consumers and retailers. Fourth, industry adaptability to change summarizes the willingness of producers to experiment with cost saving production methods or to pioneer new marketing techniques. It also indicates if producers are free from excessive regulations or blind adherence to long standing traditions. Finally, countries that have business-friendly climates, favorable costs or other natural comparative advantages will attract foreign investment in wine production, which makes these countries stronger global competitors. Old World producers were the first to define tastes and quality standards and they have traditionally been supported by a strong local consumer base. The New World has had to work hard to build their wine industry, both in infrastructure and reputation. Large scale wine production is relatively recent, and many of the New World producers faced difficulties such as currency collapse, prohibition and international sanctions. Per-capita consumption also lags that of the Old World countries. Yet New World producers have recently been successful in producing consistent quality wine and in capturing global market share. .The group with the strongest competitive position includes Australia, Chile and the United States. Australia and Chile both have small populations that provide for a tiny domestic market with little potential for growth. However they are very well positioned to produce and export wine with their adaptive, large-scale producers and their great lure for foreign investments, providing them with a position of a strong competitive advantage. The US is a populous, affluent nation, and while the US wine market is already large, it has even more potential to expand. With all other key success factors strongly favorable, the US also possesses significant competitive advantages. The countries with the weakest competitive advantages in the global wine industry are two traditional strongholds of wine production in the Old World: France and Germany. While they have large domestic markets, there is little opportunity for further growth. There are many causes of the decline of France, and the Old World in general, in the market share of this sector; these concerns globalization, changes in the demand, more responsive strategies of the rivals and also the lack of market research and marketing investments by the French firms and totally ineffective technology and innovation policy. Moreover, the concentration of production into small wineries, complex labeling practices and inability to leverage new production and marketing techniques does also not bode well for effective competition in a global market place. Nor does either country hold much potential for attracting foreign investment, save for some traditionally undervalued areas of France, like Languedoc. In response to the shrinking costs of transport, globalization allowed companies situated in different areas of the globe competing in the same final market, an example is the UK one, where in the past the demand was completely satisfied by French, Italian and German wines. Although consumption per person has decreased in traditional consuming and producing countries (Italy, Spain, France), the consumption and production of wine is increasing in new countries in northern Europe, Americas and Asia. Countries like South Africa, Australia, Chile and Argentina are radically modifying the industry’s competitive environment. With the â€Å"globalization† of the wine market, the environment is becoming more competitive and producers are implementing new strategies. We can observe two very different production and marketing models. * The traditional French model, based on the certificate of guaranteed origin (AOC), whose objective is to turn out a high added value typical product in limited quantities through the combination of a demarcated territory called terroir and enforcement of constraining specifications and regulations. * The second, is being implemented by producers in the so called New World (the United States/California, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina). It is based on â€Å"industrialized† mass production and intense marketing of relatively standardized products which are easily identifiable through private brands. There are different observable relationships between the players and the production sites in the industry. In this context, the French wine industry appears to be in an insidious or even open crisis. In most producing regions, a major symptom is the decrease in domestic sales in a context of market shrink. In addition, there is a loss of export market shares which is estimated at ten points in several countries that have traditionally been markets for French such as Great-Britain, Germany and Canada. In these cases, these losses are not due to an overall market decline, which is actually on the rise, but rather to the increase in competition by producers who are mostly from the southern hemisphere (Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa) and California. The real alleged weaknesses of the French wine industry have been the subject of numerous analysis and reinforcement proposals: regulations which are too strict and consequently slow down innovation, a complex and hard to understand product supply, minimal or even no effort made concerning promotion and marketing. Furthermore, we believe that the main mistake lies in the structural organization of the wine industry in France. Hence, we would like to not concentrate on the wine product and its specific qualities but will try to compare the way the industries’ players are organized, in order to analyze where the French industry is not adequate to modern challenges. The terroir/AOC model has been a reference for worldwide wine production until the 1980s but it is no longer the case in the early 2000s. Why is France’s position on the international wine markets degrading while New World wines experienced spectacular improvements and now aim at catching up with traditional â€Å"Old World† products? From an organizational point of view the terroir/AOC model seems to have a certain number of cumulative weak points in comparison to the new world’s model (identifiable with Porter-like clusters.) In terms of the supply structures, the French established supply model and infrastructure are characterized by fragmentation and a high number of small winemakers that have a negative effect on investment capacities (material or immaterial) in the industry as a whole. This fragmentation has certainly a negative effect on the ability to innovate in terms of products, processes and even marketing and selling. The small scale of businesses and lack of tradition as regards pooling resources do not allow producers to find the financial means necessary for heavy investments. This weakness tends to neutralize the local industry’s reaction capability when it faces the new environment pressures. The fragmented supply chain is, indeed, both the cause and the consequence of a â€Å"non-competitive/non-co-operative† tradition among producers; individual strategies of traditional producers aim to avoid all forms of comparison with neighbours and potential competitors. This lack of cooperation is, in Porter’s perspective, one of the major weak points. On one side, for New World producers, wine-making is an economic activity and is taken on as such: producers define output, profit and market share growth objectives and give themselves the means to reach them. On the other, for traditional terroir producers, wine production, though highly lucrative, is not taken on in its economic dimension but rather centered round the â€Å"cultural† nature of the product. The â€Å"New World producers are turned towards innovation, the terroir is founded on immutability of tradition; it is consequently strongly resistant to change. Terroirs’ organization model is traditionally supply driven in a context of scarcity. This avoids producers to think about productive environment and production method change. Consequently, traditional producers have had trouble in considering both the qualitative and quantitative evolution of demand and its consequences on supply, where â€Å"New World† producers are used to have a proactive behavior and, therefore, anticipating and stimulating it. And even when the need to change is implemented, the existence of tight regulation within a specific AOC can make a substantial product modification or production method more difficult to happen. A further set of identifiable weak points is linked to the nature of the top-down complementary relationships between grape growers and wine traders and to the transaction costs that result. The terroir/AOC† model of organization tends to generate opportunistic behaviour that can call into question its very survival, specifically in a very competitive context. In fact, while the perspective of getting an AOC label encourages players to enhance production quality, it may lead to let up on efforts made to maintain product quality once the label has been obtained, interfering with the overall image of the terroir and raising suspicion as regards product quality. To particularly highlight is the existence of incomplete contracts between grape growers and winemakers/wine merchants, the latter being responsible for the marketing of the product. This â€Å"generates considerable price variations and makes it impossible to set up contracts that guarantee traders constant and adequate wine supplies in terms of quantity and quality. The problem can spread to wines beyond generic wines and condemns, in advance, all ambitious and viable marketing strategies from the traders. † The presence of extremely heterogeneous quality levels within the same appellation can thus call into question the appellation itself and therefore the whole of the â€Å"terroir/AOC† organization and strategy. To avoid such opportunistic behaviours, autonomous certification bodies should be entitled to reconsider such certification on a regular basis and ban weak products/producers. The industry’s players themselves or a third party must assume responsibility for product quality guarantee. A major terroir organization characteristic is fragmentation and corporatism. Consequently, taking responsibility for such guarantee scheme is extremely difficult owing to incompatible corporatist and general interests. What is more, the existence of non-market regulation mechanisms (based on, for example, family or friendship ties) can in this case be counter-productive. Indeed, players can be tempted not to sanction one of their kin in the name of these relationships and later themselves avoid possible sanctions, whereas the intervention of a third party that is likely to guarantee this quality is difficult to promote with local entities. Under the AOC label, regulation is indeed carried out at local level by local players themselves and therefore known to be rather lax: making it impossible to use the label as a genuine quality guarantee. 3. 1 What advice would you offer today to the French Minister of Agriculture? To the head of the French wine industry association? To the owner of a mid-size, well regarded Bordeaux vineyard producing wines in the premium and super premium categories? * French Minister of Agriculture: increase government investments in the wine industry; promote a responsible wine consumption of wine through events marketed at the new generation; create a new clear classification system based on the consumer tastes; promote the creation of big companies and disadvantage the proliferate of little-medium producers; sign contracts with other agriculture ministers of consumers countries in order to favour the French wine. * Head of the French wine association: better integrate the network; quickly spread the know-how, techniques and innovations throught the French producers; promote wine events to increase the consumptions; promote the invention of new products made with wine; try to anticipate the next changes in the consumer tastes; advertise and invest more on the type of wine that is preferred by the consumers in that very moment; make advertisement aimed to a responsible and wealthy consumption of wine; try to drive the consumption to the type of wine that is over offered; lobbying the ministry of agriculture in order to have grants and privileges. * Owner of the mid-size, well regarded Bordeaux vineyard: found a bigger company with the surrounding producers; invest in innovating the production process in order to increase the quantity and the quality; buy extensive land in the New World and exploit economic scale advantages. 3. 1 Possible advices to the French Minister of Agriculture Since the main objective of France is to take back the market share of the past and maintain the leader position in the wine market, it has to better exploit its competitive advantages and adopt some technical and marketing innovations in order to compete and defeat the new threatening producers. The first functional recommendation for the French Minister of Agriculture is to increment the government investments in the wine industry. The larger flow of money would be used, firstly, to invent or to develop techniques and tools for harvesting or farm vineyards, secondly, to achieve and overtake the distribution and marketing level of the New World producers. All those developments will also increase the production of wine and fulfil a larger portion of the international demand. In the last ten years, the new generation has grown with a high consumption of beer and super-alcoholic cocktails, the French Minister could aim to substitute these beverages with the wine. He might promote a responsible wine consumption through events directed to the new generation. It is important to advertise wine as a drink for all ages instead of a refined beverage just for mature people as this would implement the demand from part of the younger generation. One of the common problems of wine consumers is choosing which kind of wine and which brand purchase at the supermarket. This issue could be solved with a classification of brands and wine names that could be easily understood and memorized by the consumers. Quality can be maintained and highlighted also gathering the large number of different types of wine in few clusters with easy names to remember. This problem is also due to the large number of brands in the market. The majority of potential consumers are confused and at the end they prefer to buy a bottle of beer of a well known brand. It’s possible to overcome this situation promoting the creation of big companies and disadvantage the proliferation of little-medium producers. Big companies bring into the market well-known brands, which massively increase producers’ market power. In order to increase the French market power compared with the direct and New World competitors’ ones, the French Minister of Agriculture could sign contracts or agreements with other agriculture ministers of consumers countries in order to favour the French wine. Since, UK, one of the larger consumer countries is next to France, it would be easy to find something to exchange for a commercial agreement. 3. 2 Possible advices to the head of the French wine industry association As the Head of the French wine industry association to manage and represent all the wine producers, its objective is to promote and give advantage to its associates. Furthermore it would be useful to advise him to promote a better integration of the wine production process from the vineyards to the final consumer. This issue could be achieved through a cooperation or collaboration between the wine producers, merchant traders and the retailing sector. A superior control, permitted by this form of collaboration, avoid more handling stages, holding less inventory, capturing the intermediaries’ mark-up, sharing common objectives and improving the time to market. Moreover, the cooperation can spread the know-how, technique and innovation through all the French associates. It is really important to promote higher investments in R&D in order to fill the gap that has occurred between France and the other New Word competitors. New innovations and technologies bring new developments and improvements to overtake and succeed on the marketing and distribution level of the competitors. Concerning the distribution, communities, retailers, and consumers are demanding more sustainable, eco-friendly packaging options, whether for everyday items or higher end purchases like fine wine. For some products, the barrier to conversion has been package performance. Therefore would be important to spread the use of â€Å"green† materials to pack and deliver the products. Since the French has never developed an efficient marketing strategy it has been difficult to align the interests between supply and demand. The French wine association has to try to anticipate the next changes in the consumer tastes, by means of market surveys and data collected through an effective wine industrial analysis. It is also important to drive the offer towards to the type of wine that is preferred by the consumers in that very moment. On contrary it is possible to drive also the demand and not only the supply of wine. Guiding the consumption towards the type of wine that is over offered or over produced it is hoped to avoid sure future losses. Nowadays people are blasted with advertisement that recommends not consuming wine because it is unsafe for the drinkers’ life. There will be an increment of demand persuading consumers that a little quantity of wine is not dangerous but rather really healthy, in particular the consumption of red wine. As well as the French Minister of Agriculture the Head of the French wine industry Association might promote and arrange wine events to increase the new generation consumption of wine. 3. 3 Possible advices to the owner of a middle size well regarded Bourdeaux vineyard producing wine and premium and superpremium category The main issue for French wine producers in the actual competitive environment, considering how the newcomers are acting and consequently gaining market share, is size. One of the challenges each small producer has to face is a competitive market without boundaries, totally changed from what it was only 10 or even 5 years ago, in which large multinationals are now efficiently operating. There is no univocal solution to this problem, but a few advices could be given to small or mid sized European companies. In order to gain advantage in terms of scale but even scope, the best way is to control the full production chain. From the vineyard to the glass, this can be obtained through either acquisition of neighbour producers, merging with other companies to better integrate or forming and exploiting networks. Each winemaker should analyze the market, an affordable process, and identify its possible cooperation/competition strategies. Maximum control over the value chain can often guarantee that the final product is produced and sold at the company’s standards. One of the troubles the incumbents have to face is the inconstant quality often found within the same wine denomination. Bottles often sold at very high prices, due to a very lousy quality denomination system, are ruining the reputation of the other products of the same wine group. This is unacceptable as it ruins the whole regional system, but a solution can be found through the aforementioned network implementation or radical integration.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Human Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources - Assignment Example This is aimed at ensuring that all the roles work together to drive its business objectives. Tesco has a seven-part framework that describes the major skills and behaviors for each job at every level in the organization. This aids the employees to comprehend whether they have the right skills, knowledge, or resources to carry out their roles We are going to have an insight how Tesco company will utilize workforce planning to ensure that employees work efficiently. This is a systematic assessment of the future needs of the workforce and the determination of actions and strategies that are needed to meet those needs. Moreover, it is a systematic process that is integrated, ongoing, and methodological. It determines the human capital skills, when and where they will be required to meet the objectives of the organization. Discussion Workforce planning, organizational culture and employee efficiency It is very crucial for a company like Tesco to plan ahead thus the need for work force pla nning. This is because the company is rapidly expanding. This is because vacancies arise from the company when it creates new jobs when it changes its processes and technology, if employees leave the company, and when it opens new stores internationally and in the UK. As a result, the company uses strategic workforce planning where the positions are open, funded, and filled. Strategic workforce planning takes into consideration the projected loss of knowledge through exist of employees and the projected knowledge requirements for progressing and sustaining the business. The knowledge requirements may include new skills, technology, new roles, and documentation of key the workforce intelligence or new business demands. Planning is more agile, proactive, not exclusively top-down, less reactive and more driven by the line leadership. Therefore, workforce planning is a method that a business uses to forecast on the number and type of employees they currently need now and also in future. They then match the right type of employees to the requirements of the business. Workforce planning is helpful to many businesses as it helps them to identify trends, anticipation change, and implementing new policies from the human resources. Moreover, it is also an important part of the overall strategic plan of a business and should be centralized to ensure that the whole business can actually be taken into account. Strategic workforce planning helps the business leaders to anticipate the type, quality, and number of talent needed to execute the strategies of the business (Morell, 2011: 56-8). Tesco utilizes a workforce planning table to determine the anticipated demand for new staff. This considers both the non-managerial and managerial positions. The managers use this as a tool for determining where to focus development and also how to leverage the knowledge of the long term workers. For the employees it is an opportunity to contribute ideas and energy for improving the compan ies operations, future career opportunities, and an opportunity to understand the priorities of work and where contribution and skill is required most. The workforce planning process includes planning, implementing, evaluation, and assessment. The steps for workforce analysis include, conducting a workload analysis, assessing the current programs gaps, establishing the future skills gap and the capability requirements,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Do EU Regulations Provide Sufficient Protection From Child Essay

Do EU Regulations Provide Sufficient Protection From Child Exploitation Within Member States - Essay Example (Beckett, 2007) The European Convention on Human Rights 1950 was a more general attempt to define the rights of humans and it was not a child centric legislation. However, it sets the overall tone of the regulation and suggests that the rights of children have also been considered. This is also significant in the wake of the fact that EU Court on Human Rights has developed significant level of jurisprudence to cover extensively human rights issues pertaining to children. (Bueren, 2007) Local and national governments in EU are considered to be closer to their communities and are considered in a better position to safeguard the interests of the children under the UN Human Rights Charter and Child Rights. It is critical to note however, that children did not featured as a voice in the overall policy making and legislative process in EU till late 1990s. At the time of formation of treaty, though there was an emphasis on bringing in equality between men and women however, children hardly featured into the overall policy making and legislative process in the region. (Renucci, 2005) The Amsterdam Treaty for the first time however, realized this anomaly and clarified new changes though which discrimination based upon age was discouraged. Amsterdam Treaty was enacted in 1997 and supplemented the European Union Treaty. The Article 13 of the treaty clarified that Children should be included in the treaty and discrimination against them should be treated equally along with adults. (Cockburn, 2010) The overall child protection can also be viewed from the perspective of social protection. Expenditure on social protection is considered as one of the indicators of how the 27 member States actually contribute and intervene into reducing predefined risks to... Most of the existing studies on the topic are the reviews of the legislations made over the period of time. This research study will focus upon exploring as to whether these regulations have been effective in achieving their objectives. This research study will therefore provide an insight into how future legislations need to be done in order to make them more applicable and result oriented. Ethics are normally concerned with right, wrong, good and bad and outlines as to how issues of moral concerns can be explored. Since exploring the issue of child protection involves understanding the ethical point of view also, it is therefore critical that ethical inquiry should be blended with the qualitative research design to explore underlying research issues.More appropriately, the existing regulations from EU with respect to child protection will be explored from the perspective of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism outlines the greater good for the greater number of people and as such existing regulations pertaining to child protection may be viewed from utilitarian perspective. Quantitative research methods will also be employed to explore and understand the impact of the legislations on the reduction of child exploitation. For the purpose of this research, a sample set of 10 member countries will be chosen. This sample will be randomly picked countries officially admitted to the membership of EU since last 10 years.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Analysis writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis writing - Essay Example Eventually the dwarf is admitted to the monastery, never to return to his family. This essay examines ‘Keeper of the Virgins’ in terms of underlining metaphors that extend the story from one simply about a dwarf, to a story that relates to a broad spectrum of humanity. One of the early considerations in the story is the nature of the dwarf. The author spends a modicum of time establishing character elements for the dwarf. In this way, the text writes, â€Å"he had broadened his interests to taking in the whole planet† and â€Å"He wrote poetry and prose, and sent it to newspapers, even though a word of it had never been published† (Al-shakyh, p. 9). In addition to establishing the dwarf’s characterization, these notions extend the dwarf’s struggle to one not simply unique to his situation, but to that of many individuals. In this way, the dwarf is partially positioned as an individual struggling to achieve recognition or a place in society. Th is metaphor is extendable to the dwarf’s very position as a dwarf. Just as many members of society feel they are small compared to more powerful people, so does the dwarf metaphorically symbolize this feeling of much humanity. As the story progresses there is the recognition that one of the central components of the plot is the dwarf’s daily journey to the covenant and his waiting outside. It is difficult to determine the dwarf’s exact intentions for making this journey and simply sitting outside the covenant. The dwarf’s family postulates that he simply is looking for an adventure. The nuns think his presence is slightly odd and make jokes about him. It seems, however, that the story’s intentions in exploring this notion are to establish meditative and spiritual elements. Consider when the story states, â€Å"He would sit in the generous shade of the sycamore tree, or lie on a blanket he had brought with him beneath its spreading branches, starin g at the convent walls† (Al-shakyh, p. 9). While the story is Lebanese, there is seemingly an in-direct reference to the Buddhist myth of the Bodhisattva sitting under a tree and reaching enlightenment. In this situation, the dwarf seemingly has sought the convent as a means of achieving enlightenment and a heightened state of purity or essence. One additionally considers the frequent reference to states of purity. For instance, the story title ‘Keeper of the Virgins’ speaks to the nature of purity. The nurses are also frequently characterized as pure and holy. Ultimately, then the dwarf’s visit outside the convent is a central metaphor of a similar seeking of purity and enlightenment among all members of humanity. A final consideration within the text is the dwarf’s final entrance into the convent. There are a number of metaphorical considerations within this occurrence. While the dwarf is depicted as deeply wanting to enter the convent his intentio n is kept partially vague. In this way, it seems to a degree the dwarf’s entrance into the convent is a metaphor for a significant transition period in his life. One considers that the dwarf’s family is upset about his entrance into the convent and his refusal to leave. The story states, â€Å"The one night the dwarf failed to return home. His mother wept loudly† (Al-shakyh, p. 11). While the dwarf’s mother is upset about his refusal to return home, on a broader scale one recognizes that the dwarf has achieved a level of

Monday, August 26, 2019

Communication and practice within the early years environment Essay - 1

Communication and practice within the early years environment - Essay Example It will be a way for the practitioner to assess whether or not she is on the right track in terms of communicating effectively with children, parents, colleagues and other professionals and make the necessary amendments to be a better communicator. Interpersonal communication is the process of sending and receiving information between two or more people. Almost anything that takes place in work and personal life involves communication (Dubrin, 1996). It consists of verbal and nonverbal interactions which play a part in the effective exchange of ideas. Lefebvre (2008) advises that when speaking, one must also be aware of body language and tone and inflection of voice. She notes that different ideas may be conveyed by simply emphasising different parts of the statement. Being an active listener helps one understand the message being relayed to him. As the listener, one should hold his response until the speaker is done, and keenly observe nonverbal cues expressed. It must always be rem embered that communication is a give and take process. One must learn to wait his turn to be the speaker and the listener (Lefebvre, 2008). This is one important key in effective communication. Although currently, there are many available forms of communication, this essay will be limited to the discussion of face to face interpersonal communication, most especially in the context of the early years environment. It will draw specific, practical examples from the practitioner’s experiences in placement. Verbal communication or speaking out to another person is often accompanied by non-verbal language which includes facial expressions, gestures, posture, body language and tone of voice. Sometimes, such non-verbal expressions say more than the verbalizations of a person. Whereas verbal language must be delivered clearly for it to be understood, it is much more difficult with non-verbal language (Lee, 2008). With verbal language, most of the time, the verbalization is thought out first, before a person releases it. However, with non-verbal language, it naturally comes out, even without thinking. Hence, the non-verbal communication can sometimes betray what a person says when his actions are not compatible with his words. Usually, this is where miscommunication occurs (LeFebvre, 2008). An individual’s communication skills reflects his emotional intelligence. Goleman (1998) defines emotional intelligence as one’s capacity for recognising one’s own feelings and those others, to be able to motivate oneself and manage emotions well for one’s sake as well as for his relationship with others. This means that if one knows how he will react to a certain situation, he will be able to manage his communication style better and be able to send his message across effectively. Thus, it is essential that a practitioner becomes emotionally intelligent in dealing with various situations in placement in order to establish and maintain harmonious in terpersonal communication (Goleman, 2006). From the placement period with young children, the practitioner learned how important interpersonal communication is. Through daily interactions with children, they develop relationships that help them about themselves and the world that is why adults in the early years setting should be able to create and maintain positive and healthy relationships

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Affordable care act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affordable care act - Assignment Example Some of the reasons that led to its failure were technical, and others were political. Political problems came about due to the presidential over-promising as well as radical political opposition that the project faced. The process used to choose companies that were supposed to create a website by the government was faced with fraudulent. This resulted to massive failure of the website that was intended to make it simple to apply and acquire insurance hence the process was not running the way it was supposed for everyone. The website was too slow, and people could get stuck throughout the process of application. The government should have solved this problem by invalidating the list of contractors who had been chosen through a fraudulent process and carry out transparency procurement process.Regardless of the problems officials of federal health proceeded with the designed rollout. The outcome was that the website went down shortly after many people tried to run the process. This fai lure was said to have been caused by the government over-reliance specific contractors for the technology work hence the process producing uninspiring outcomes. However, other people attributed the problem to be poor planning and implementation rather than contractors hired from private companies. In addition, companies that offered insurance services complained that they were getting incomplete information about customers. This led to suggestions that made Obama hire outside experts to try to help in fixing the website tribulations.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research - Assignment Example adults, the current trend on the progression in lung cancer among the U.S adults, the relevance of smoking among the above mention group, the effect of passive smoking among the U.S. adults etc. The several study reported under this category also included the effect of long term assessment of these factors. The important journals that have reported the relevant articles for the research question proposed here are Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Lung Cancer, Clinics in Chest Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Social Science & Medicine, Health Psychology and Preventive Medicine. The search strategy adopted to locate the relevant articles is by using an appropriate search tag like "smoking + lung cancer + U.S. Adults" within each of the journals listed earlier. About 1109 journal articles were located in the database in the initial search effort. Further refinement of the search using appropriate fields gave the total number of articles as 78.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The History of Projective Geometry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of Projective Geometry - Essay Example In the everyday life, one often does come across varied aspects of projective geometry. For example a motion picture being displayed on a screen is an example of projection. The shadows brought into existence by opaque objects are one other example of projective geometry. Projective geometry evolved and developed into a formal constituent of mathematical studies over a long period of time. History The history of projective geometry is an apt example of the confluence and collaboration between science and art. Projective geometry, to begin with had its origins in the studies in optics carried on by the Arab mathematicians like Alhazen (Boyer et al., 143). During the Renaissance, when the Western Europe developed a more look outside approach to varied aspects of life including mathematics and art, the discoveries and studies of Arab mathematicians that had by that time reached Europe through trade routes greatly influenced the Western world (Boyer et al., 145). The one big flaw in the Western art that had been created till now was that it was more or less flat in its presentation and style. However, soon, several early Renaissance artists after being influenced and inspired by the essentially Arab studies in optics, started to develop techniques of visual depiction that endowed their works of art with a three dimensional depth and perspective (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online) . The creations of Renaissance art had a significant impact on the contemporary and future mathematicians. The projective geometry evinced nascent reverberations in the architectural drawings of Leon Battista (1404-1472) and Filippo Brunelledchi (1377-1446). In fact, it was these two individuals who laid down the foundation of the method of perspective drawing (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online). The primary approach of this method was to connect the eyes of the painter to various points on a landscape with the help of seemingly straight lines. The original drawing was created on the basis of tracing the intersection of these lines on a vertical plane. Obviously, this approach towards drawing was named projective geometry as it intended to project a real plane on a picture plain (Encyclopedia Britannica: Online). Further, Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and Gerard Desargues (1591-1661) further expanded the scope and possibility of projective geometry by developing the concept of ‘point of infinity’ (Boyer et al., 221). In that context, it would not be wrong to say that the works and studies of Gaspard Monge at some time during the end of the 18th century played a central and pivotal role in the future development and study of projective geometry (Boyer et al., 221). Still it was Jean-Victor Poncelet (1788-1867) who is attributed to be the father of modern projective geometry (.Encyclopedia Britannica: Online) Jean-Victor Poncelet was a renowned French engineer and mathematician who are credited with the honor of systematically and formally reviving projective ge ometry in the 19th century. Some mathematicians go even as far ahead to claim that his work Traite des  proprietes projectives des figures was actually the first credible, authentic and well researched work on projective geometry after what was published by Gerard Desargues in the 17th century (.Encyclopedia Britannica: Online )To begin with it were the French mathematicians Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Literature paper #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature paper #2 - Essay Example A sensible reading of the text would reveal Gregors metamorphosis as a metaphor of the modern society where people have become quite alienated, burdened with familial responsibilities and obligations, neurotic, and lack understanding, love, or communion. Twentieth-century modernist images of metamorphosis, on the other hand, lead us to question not only the boundaries of man’s relationship with nature and the supernatural, but the very status of humanity itself, transformed into the monstrous. Gregors metamorphosis is governed by uncontrollable factors that cause both physical and mental changes in his personality. No doubt, Gregors tragedy stems from his strong sense of familial obligation and responsibilities; his subsequent guilt due to his inability to fulfill his responsibilities turns him into a bug and this metamorphosis brings about drastic changes in the gender roles and sibling relations.Gregor’s metamorphosis underlines that man’s existence is absurd a nd meaningless and that human nature is essentially monstrous. His transformation is more inward than physical; it is Kafka’s inner conviction that human nature is inevitably monstrous and meaningless that makes him to depict Grgor’s character as animalistic, and the only possible escape for Gregor is to succumb to the ultimate reality-death. In Metamorphosis, one experiences man’s inner struggle and longing to survive in a world where one cannot find any sort of solace. Everyone seeks his/her existence and is likely to get disillusioned and desperate when things go beyond one’s comprehension and control. Even though the metamorphosis of Gregor sounds to be supernatural and beyond human comprehension, the touching story of Gregor’s misfortunes points to the meaninglessness of human life; man is incapable of fighting the supernatural elements and the essential monstrous human nature that unleashes itself in such turbulent

Galileo Galilei Essay Example for Free

Galileo Galilei Essay They wanted Galileo to become a medical doctor. While pursuing his university studies, Galileo realized he had a passion for mathematics and instead became a professor of mathematics at the Universities of Padua and Pisa. The Pendulum In 1581, Galileo began studying at the University of Pisa, where his father hoped he would study medicine. While at the University of Pisa, Galileo began his study of the pendulum. According to legend, he watched a suspended lamp swing back and forth in the cathedral of Pisa. It was not until 1602 that Galileo made his most notable discovery about the pendulum the period, which the time in which a pendulum wings back and forth, does not depend on the arc of the swing, the isochronism. Eventually, this discovery would lead to Galileos further study of time intervals and the development of his idea for a pendulum clock. Tower of Pisa As a professor, Galileo argued against traditional views of astronomy. At that point in history, Aristotles theories were thought to be the fundamental laws in physics. Aristotles belief that objects with a greater density fall faster than those that was lighter in weight. In 1589, he was disproved by Galileo when he stood at the top of he Leaning Tower of Pisa and discovered that the reason for one object falling faster than the other had to do with the friction each encounters while moving through the air- two objects of different weight actually fall at the same rate. Mechanical Devices In 1 592, Galileo was appointed professor of mathematics at the University of Padua. While teaching there, he frequently visited a place called the Arsenal, where Venetian ships were docked and loaded. Galileo had always been interested in mechanical devices. During his visits to the Arsenal, he became fascinated by nautical technologies, such as the sector and shipbuilding. In 1593, he was presented with the problem involving the placement of oars in galleys. He treated the oar as a lever and correctly made the water the fulcrum. A year later, he patented a model for a pump. His pump was a device that raised water by using only one horse. Telescope Galileo invented many mechanical devices other than the pump, such as the hydrostatic balance. But perhaps his most famous invention was the telescope. In 1609, after word came from Holland of the invention of the telescope by Hans Lippershey, Galileo built his own version of the instrument. He created a telescope ater that same year that could magnify objects twenty times as opposed to other telescopes that can only magnify objects three times. With this telescope, he was able to make profound astronomical discoveries such as the moon, the four moons of Jupiter (Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), observe a supernova, verify the phases which the earth and other planets revolve around the sun. Prior to the Copernican system, it was believed that the universe was geocentric, meaning the sun revolved around the earth. The Inquisition Galileos belief in the Copernican system eventually got him into trouble with the Catholic Church. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies. A committee of consultants declared to the Inquisition that the Copernican proposition that the Sun is the center of the universe was a heresy. Because Galileo supported the Copernican system, he was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine, under order of Pope Paul V, that he should not discuss or defend Copernican theories. In 1624, Galileo was assured by Pope Urban VIII that he could write about Copernican theory as long as he treated it as a mathematical proposition. However, with the printing of Galileos book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo was called to Rome in 1633 to face the Inquisition again. Galileo was found guilty of heresy for his Dialogue. In 1638, because of his old age and poor health, the Inquisition allowed Galileo to move to his home in Florence for the remainder of his life. By that time he had become blind and immobile. In 1642, Galileo died at his home outside Florence. Galileos inventions and discoveries were a scientific marvel in his time; and have been incredibly important to cosmic and astronomical study.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Strategies for Supplier Relationship Management

Strategies for Supplier Relationship Management Supplier Relationship Management (including analysis) is the management an ongoing business relationship to guarantee competitive advantage for an organisation. The focus is on overall relationships between the supplier and the buying organisation rather than a focus on a specific contract. Its aim is to support purchasing and business management to develop an orderly understanding of the nature of current relationships that exist within and between the organisation and the suppliers (OGC, 2009). Supplier relationship management is a comprehensive approach to managing an enterprises interactions with the organizations that supply the goods and services it uses. The goal of supplier relationship management (SRM) is to streamline and make more effective the processes between an enterprise and its suppliers just as customer relationship management (CRM) is intended to streamline and make more effective the processes between an enterprise and its customers (SAP 2008). Buying organisations have a need to manage not only their contracts but also their suppliers. A number of suppliers will have multiple contractual relationships with individual departments and it is therefore important for them to be proactively managed. The process will be supported by information generated from the performance management arrangements that will be in place for each of the contracts, but this process is much more about the overall relationship rather than on activity on a specific contract (SAP.com 2008). OBJECTIVES The objectives for SRM include: Reduction in costs Service improvement Solution development Flexibility and mutual benefit (Adapted from Procurement Leadership 2006) There will also be the opportunity for improvement in the overall relationship with the supplier progressing in the direction of increased partnering type arrangements. This will potentially include: Established communication channels at all levels, up to and including CEO, between the organisations Joint planning and forecasting at a strategic level Increased trust Enhanced collaborative approaches and perspective Improved value for both parties (Adapted from OGC 2009) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is aimed at streamlining the supply chain by improving the communication between an enterprise and its suppliers. (PROCUREMENT -LEADERS, 2006). It streamlines the processes between an enterprise and its suppliers in the same way Customer Relationship Management (CRM) makes the processes between an enterprise and its customers more effective. In actual fact SRM practices enable a common frame of reference to improve communication between enterprise and supplier who may be used to different practices and terminology. Eventually SRM software can lower production costs and result in a higher quality, lower priced end product (SAP 2008). Modern SRM solutions support the whole procurement process in the company, including procurement strategy, qualification of suitable suppliers, tenders and contract design, and monitoring supplier performance. 2.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING SRM STRATEGY/PLAN SRM is becoming progressively more important for enterprises because, in the competitive global environment, purchasing-related savings are equally important as sales. In the past ten years, significant results have been generated through rationalising supply bases, introducing competition and moving to low cost countries. But recently results from these activities are diminishing, which is where SRM comes in (PROCUREMENT LEADERS 2006). When SRM is effective, companies improve on profitability, growth, market share and reputation. SRM is especially important when there is a limited supply base for a product and in this case, the peanut company has one supply and it is a major priority of the peanut company to maintain a good relationship with the supply. This is to say that the cooperative society has a full monopoly on the supply of nuts to Peanutty. A good relationship is necessary to avoid sudden increase in price, supply of quality products, and also the supply can decide not to supply to Peanutty. They therefore have a need to manage not only their contracts but also their suppliers. There will also be the opportunity for improvement in the overall relationship with the supplier progressing in the direction of increased partnering type arrangements.ÂÂ   This will potentially include: Established communication channels at all levels, up to and including CEO, between the organisations Joint planning and forecasting at a strategic level. Peanutty should encourage their suppliers to focus more on the strategic path to cooperative success and enhanced collaborative approaches and perspective Increased trust between the supplier and Peanutty, by finding compromise solutions to problems enhance both Peanutty Company and the cooperative supplier work towards achieving the long-term benefits Improved value for both parties, the demand of the product enhances the ability of both Peanutty and the cooperative supplier to have a clear vision towards its benefits. 3.0 QUESTION 2: What activities could be developed by Peanutty to reduce or manage the power of its customers to minimize risks and maximize profitability? Peanutty is a manufacturer of ingredients for the food industry and also a service provider of food items for large companies in the sector. Peanutty should use the strategies of customer relationship management (CRM). 3.1 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is an important part of modern business management. Customer Relationship Management concerns the relationship between the organization and its customers. Customers are the lifeblood of any organization be it a global corporation with thousands of employees and a multi-billion turnover, or a sole trader with a handful of regular customers. Customer Relationship Management is the same in principle for these two examples it is the scope of CRM which can vary drastically. Customer Relationship Management focuses on the relationship Successful organizations use three steps to build customer relationships: determine mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers establish and maintain customer rapport produce positive feelings in the organization and the customers In the business world, the organization and the customers both have sets of conditions to consider when building the relationship, such as wants and needs of both parties these conditions include; organizations need to make a profit to survive and grow customers want good service, a quality product and an acceptable price CRM can have a major impact on an organization through: shifting the focus from product to customer, streamlining the offer to what the customer requires, not want the organization can make and also highlighting competencies required for an effective CRM process The ultimate purpose of CRM, like any organizational initiative, is to increase profit. In the case of CRM this is achieved mainly by providing a better service to your customers than your competitors. CRM not only improves the service to customers though; a good CRM capability will also reduce costs, wastage, and complaints (although you may see some increase initially, simply because you hear about things that without CRM would have stayed hidden). Effective CRM also reduces staff stress, because attrition a major cause of stress reduces as services and relationships improve. CRM enables instant market research as well: opening the lines of communications with your customers gives you direct constant market reaction to your products, services and performance, far better than any market survey. Good CRM also helps you grow your business: customers stay with you longer; customer churn rates reduce; referrals to new customers increase from increasing numbers of satisfied customers; demand reduces on fire-fighting and trouble-shooting staff, and overall the organizations service flows and teams work more efficiently and more happily. 3.2 Features of good CRM The old viewpoint in industry was: Heres what we can make who wants to buy our product? The new viewpoint in industry is: What exactly do our customers want and need? and What do we need to do to be able to produce and deliver it to our customers? This is a significant change of paradigm and a quantum leap in terms of how we look at our business activity. What do customers want? Most obviously, and this is the extent of many suppliers perceptions, customers want cost-effective products or services that deliver required benefits to them. (Benefits are what the products or services do for the customers.) Note that any single product or service can deliver different benefits to different customers. Its important to look at things from the customers perspective even at this level. More significantly however, customers want to have their needs satisfied. Customers needs are distinctly different to and far broader than a product or service, and the features and benefits encompassed. Customers needs generally extend to issues far beyond the suppliers proposition, and will often include the buying-selling process (prior to providing anything), the way that communications are handled, and the nature of the customer-supplier relationship. Modern CRM theory refers to the idea of integrating the customer. This new way of looking at the business involves integrating the customer (more precisely the customers relevant people and processes) into all aspects of the suppliers business, and vice versa. This implies a relationship that is deeper and wider than the traditional arms-length supplier-customer relationship. The traditional approach to customer relationships was based on a simple transaction or trade, and little more. Perhaps there would be only a single point of contact between one person on each side. All communication and dealings would be between these two people, even if the customers organization contained many staff, departments, and functional requirements (distribution, sales, quality, finance, etc). The modern approach to customer relationship management is based on satisfying all of the needs people, systems, processes, etc across the customers organization, such as might be affected and benefited by the particular supply.(business balls 2002). Designing and implementing a successful CRM programme: Step 1: Creating the CRM plan Activities : Understanding the objectives, fit with Peanuttys strategy, development of software, costing and training Step 2: Involve CRM users from Outset Peanutty should establish a project/management team from all affected organizational area. Step 3: Select the right application and provider Use of internal IT tools to analyse and compare available products and suppliers Step 4 :Integrate Existing CRM application Centralised database containing customer information for all CRM associated user to actively involved in each customer. Step 5 : Establish Performance measures Use of performance measurement to evaluate if strategies have been met or not Step 6 : Providing CRM training for all users During implementation, Peanutty should provide training to all employees actively associated with CRM about it benefits and objectives. (MARKETING TEACHER 2000) 4.0 QUESTION 3: evaluate the benefit of performance measurement systems to this company? 4.1 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance refers to output results and their outcomes obtained from processes, products, and services that permit evaluation and comparison relative to goals, standards, past results, and other organisations. Performance can be expressed in non-financial and financial terms. Measurement refers to numerical information that quantifies input, output, and performance dimensions of processes, products, services, and the overall organisation (outcomes). Performance measures might be simple (derived from one measurement) or composite (BPIR 2007). Performance measurement system is an assessment system of measurement that represents a formal efficient approach to observe performance Performance measurement is the process whereby an organization establishes the parameters within which programs, investments, and acquisitions are reaching the desired results. This will be needed most especially in the roasting and peanut preparation line, so that the target of 12 hour per day will be attained. 4.1.1 PM focuses on results, rather than behaviours and activities A common misconception among supervisors is that behaviours and activities are the same as results. As a result, an employee may appear extremely busy, but not be contributing anything toward the goals of the organization. An example is the employee who manually counts the number of peas processed. The supervisor may conclude the employee is very committed to the organization and works very hard, thus, deserving a very high performance rating, where by his output is poor. 4.1.2 Aligns organizational activities and processes to the goals of the organization PM identifies organizational goals, results needed to achieve those goals, measures of effectiveness or efficiency (outcomes) toward the goals, and means (drivers) to achieve the goals. This chain of measurements is examined to ensure alignment with overall results of the organization. This is due to the fact that the employees complain about not knowing the direction and goals of peanut company. 4.1.3 Produces meaningful measurements These measurements have a wide variety of useful applications. They are useful in benchmarking, or setting standards for comparison with best practices in other organizations. They provide consistent basis for comparison during internal change efforts. They indicate results during improvement efforts, such as employee training, management development, quality programs, etc. They help ensure equitable and fair treatment to employees based on performance.mr Carmelo doesnt treat the employees like they are part of the organisation, probably because he is not aware of the effort these workers put into the company. therefore wit performance, he will be able to quantify the level of dedication and then will he will recognise their capability and potential, and thus give them Moore responsibility. Performance measurement will clarify expectations of roles and responsibilities of all the work stations in the peanut factory. It will also make it possible for the director, supervisor and the employees to discuss work related issues and develop solutions The will also be able to formally review performance and achievement of agreed goals and objectives Provide two-way face to face feedback and also link individual performance to broader strategic plans and key objectives. (Adapted from Supplychainer 2005) Overall, this will help Peanutty to set their long term strategy goals, work on their objectives, meet their target and measure the performance. 5.0 QUESTION 4. The supply chain process i would suggest is the lean manufacturing process. 5.1 Lean Manufacturing is an operational strategy oriented toward achieving the shortest possible cycle time by eliminating waste. It is derived from the Toyota Production System and its key thrust is to increase the value-added work by eliminating waste and reducing incidental work. The technique often decreases the time between a customer order and shipment, and it is designed to radically improve profitability, customer satisfaction, throughput time, and employee morale (ROCKFORD 1999). The characteristics of lean processes are: Single-piece production Repetitive order characteristics Just-In-Time materials/pull scheduling Short cycle times Quick changeover Continuous flow work cells Collocated machines, equipment, tools and people Compressed space Multi-skilled employees Flexible workforce Empowered employees High first-pass yields with major reductions in defects The term Lean is very apt because in Lean Manufacturing the emphasis is to cut out the fat or waste in the manufacturing process. Waste is defined as anything that does not add value to the customer. It could also be defined as anything the customer is unwilling to pay for. For example, if you order a shirt to be custom made, it may take 6 weeks. However the actual time the tailors or seamstresses are working on the shirt is only 5 hours. The rest of the time is taken up by such things as material ordering, waiting between processes and inefficient shipping practices. This extra time does not add value to you, the customer. As Lean Manufacturing principals are applied to the shirt-making process, one would see a reduction in delivery time from 6 to 5 to 4 weeks and even less. The ideal shirt-making operation would be streamlined to give you, the customer, what you want, when you want it at the lowest possible cost within the least amount of time (CONTINENTAL DESIGN ENGINEERING 2008). 5.2 Lean identifies seven types of waste: Over-Production Obviously a product that cannot be sold or has to be dumped at a reduced price is wasteful. Also producing product before the customer needs it requires the part to be stored and ties up money in inventory. Inventory Excess Inventory ties up a great deal of cash, which is wasteful. Stockpiling inventory between processes is wasteful. Conveyance Unnecessarily moving a part during the production process is wasteful. It can also cause damage to the part, which creates wasteful rework. Correction Having to re-work parts because of manufacturing errors is a large source of waste. Additionally, sorting and inspecting parts is wasteful and can be eliminated by error proofing (designing your processes so that the product can only be produced one way, which is the correct way, every time). Motion Unnecessary or awkward operator motions put undue stress on the body and cause waste. Improvement in this area should result in reduced injury and workmans compensation claims. Processing Unclear customer requirements cause the manufacturer to add unnecessary processes, which add cost to the product. Waiting The operator being idle between operations is wasteful. It is acceptable for the machine to wait on the operator, but it is unacceptable for the operator to wait on the machine. The 5S is a core method of lean manufacturing. Sort: The first stage of 5S is to organize the work area, leaving only the tools and materials necessary to perform daily activities. When sorting is well implemented, communication between workers is improved and product quality and productivity are increased. Sort is the act of throwing away the unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials in the workplace. Straighten (Set in order): The second stage of 5S involves the orderly arrangement of needed items so they are easy to use and accessible for anyone to find. Orderliness eliminates waste in production and clerical activities. Shine: this means keeping everything clean and swept. This maintains a safer work area and problem areas are quickly identified. An important part of shining is Mess Prevention. In other words, dont allow litter, scrap, shavings, cuttings, etc., to land on the floor in the first place. Standardize: The fourth stage of 5S involves creating a consistent approach for carrying out tasks and procedures. Orderliness is the core of standardization and is maintained by Visual Controls. Sustain: This last stage of 5S is the discipline and commitment of all other stages. Without sustaining, your workplace can easily revert back to being dirty and chaotic. That is why it is so crucial for your team to be empowered to improve and maintain their workplace. When employees take pride in their work and workplace it can lead to greater job satisfaction and higher productivity. 6.0 SUGGESTION FOR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT 6.1 BENCHMARKING 6.1.1 Benchmarking is a continuous measure of products, services and practices against firms best competitors. It is the process of evaluating and understanding the current position of a business in relation to the best practice to identify areas that need improvement and the means of improving performance. Benchmarking involves looking outward (outside a particular business, organisation, industry, region or country) to examine how others achieve their performance levels and to understand the processes they use. In this way benchmarking helps explain the processes behind excellent performance. When the lessons learnt from a benchmarking exercise are applied appropriately, they facilitate improved performance in critical functions within an organisation or in key areas of the business environment (Tutor2u). Application of benchmarking involves four key steps: Understand in detail existing business processes Analyse the business processes of others Compare own business performance with that of others analysed Implement the steps necessary to close the performance gap The goal of benchmarking is to identify the weaknesses within an organization and improve upon them, with the idea of becoming the best of the best. The benchmarking process helps managers to find gaps in performance and turn them into opportunities for improvement. Benchmarking enables companies to identify the most successful strategies used by other companies of comparable size, type, or regional location, and then adopt relevant measures to make their own programs more efficient. Most companies apply benchmarking as part of a broad strategic process. For example, companies use benchmarking in order to find breakthrough ideas for improving processes, to support quality improvement programs, to motivate staffs to improve performance, and to satisfy managements need for competitive assessments. I choose Benchmarking because it targets roles, processes, and critical success factors. Roles are what define the job or function that a person fulfils. Processes are what consume a companys resources. Critical success factors are issues that company must address for success over the long-term in order to gain a competitive advantage. Benchmarking focuses on these things in order to point out inefficiencies and potential areas for improvement (Reference for Business 2010). By using all types of benchmarking (Internal, external, functional Generic) Peanutty will be able to identify internal or external standard recognized leaders and compare the current process that was implemented for its process. Benchmarking performance measurement system will allow Peanutty to have clear vision towards its current process (internally) and its competitors (competitors) in order to have continuous improvement to achieve its goals on cost reduction and high quality products.