Write about your religion (islam) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Write about your religion (islam) - Essay Example This paper will discuss my life in the religion and how I share my ideas and leave with the world. I was born in a family that has always been part of the religion. I have always been encouraged by my family’s commitment in the way it attended the five prescribed daily prayers. I am glad I followed suit in the teachings of Islam and took up the challenge of to reading the Quran. As a Muslim, the faith has taught me that human beings exist for the core purpose of serving and loving God. The faith has also taught me that Allah is the only God and comparable to none (Quran 112:1-4). The words of the Quran are of divine origins that Allah revealed from Himself. It contains His words which already existed before creation and can, therefore, not be subtracted, added or amended (Brown 185). Unlike it is wrongfully believed by non Muslims, the Quran is not made up of Prophet Muhammad’s words because it was there before him. To enable Muslims get a deeper insight and understanding of the Quran and the life of Muhammad, a collection of traditions, known as Hadith, was compile d into comprehensive literature by various people. Muslims, just like Jews and Christians, believe that in death, the spirit departs from the body then waits for resurrection on judgment day (Quran 21:19-20). The three faiths’ doctrines on heaven and hell, angels, the devil, morals and the last judgment are very similar. This forms a strong basis of sharing the ideas of religion with the world. The best way of working with the world and conveying my ideas of religion is by convincing non Muslims to shun the stereotyping that every Muslim is an extremist or terrorist. There is a whole lot of genuine Muslims around the world that can be considered mainstream. It is my duty and responsibility as a Muslim to take an oath, follow the Five Pillars and uphold the Six

The Historical Progression of African American Essay Example for Free

The Historical Progression of African American Essay In Unit One, life for African Americans was transformed by Lincoln’s proclamation of emancipation. The social/cultural issue they faced was without economic dependence, effective freedom would never be had. In response to that issue they chose to gain literacy, build black churches, and remain working for white land owners. The outcome of that was the establishment of black churches controlled by freed staves, blacks were trained to be teachers, and sharecropping agreements were made between white land owners and African Americans. In Unit Two, life for African Americans was plagued by violence and intimidation. The political issue they faced was reform for the support of white supremacy. In response to that issue they chose to protest against segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement. The outcome was the establishment of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which rallied for the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. In Unit Three, life for African Americans was leaning toward financial independence. The economic issue they faced was securing better paying jobs. In response to this issue they sought employment in the railroad and automobile industries. The outcome was the black owned businesses, Pullman porters, and growth in the entertainment industry by way of the Harlem Renaissance. In Unit Four, African Americans became influential in the television and film industry. The literary issue that they faced was unbiased portrayal of their culture. In response to that issue African Americans became freelance writers and photographers. The outcome was the showcase of the talented African American writers and photographers who achieved rose above the achievements of their peers. In Unit Five, the life of African Americans was ridiculed by the increase in teenage pregnancies. The religious issue they faced is abstinence is more spiritually moral than birth control. In response to that issue they choose use the methods that they saw fit to counter act teenage pregnancies. The outcome of that was a decrease in the incidents of teenage pregnancies. The historical progression of African Americans was accompanied by new found freedom, racism, and struggle for equal rights and opportunities. The Civil War was supposed to be justification of social and political freedom for all American born people. The end of the Civil War bought freedom to enslaved African Americans but the change in social status did not provide much relief for them because they lacked economic dependence. The period from 1865-1876 was the most transforming period in history for African Americans. Emancipation freed slaves from whippings, the breakup of families, sexual exploitation, and constant confinement. For African Americans freedom meant the right to travel without the permission of their white captors. The south witnessed a massive migration of freedmen as they traveled to reunite families and establish permanent homes. Politically, it became evident that emancipation and equality were not synonymous and that oppression arose in a variety of forms. Political actions influenced an economic situation that was already bleak (Meacham, 2003). Prominent African American leaders fought the National Republican Party to secure rights promised by the Equal Rights Amendments and to extend those rights into material independence for the freed people. However this would be difficult because of the numbers of newly freed slaves who were largely uneducated, highly migratory while searching for family or employment, and largely disorganized by centuries of oppression (Meacham, 2003). After the Civil War, the newly freed southern blacks developed many methods to obtain the freedom and equality that they had expected from emancipation. One such effort was the Exoduster movement. The Exoduster movement was an attempt by Benjamin â€Å"Pap† Singleton, a former slave and others to encourage migration of African Americans from the old south to Kansas. Singleton worked towards this goal within the black community in a variety of ways and developed support in the dominant societys institutions. Singleton saw the need to improve the material status of freedmen. In 1880, he told the Senate, â€Å"My people want land we need land for our children and our disadvantages that caused my heart to grieve and sorrow; pity for my race, sir, that was coming down, instead of going up that caused me to go to work for them. Because of the freedmen history of agricultural labor, land seemed the most expedient need for their economic development (Meacham, 2003). Blacks remaining in the South after the war had few choices, so they had to continue to work for white landowners. Although they paid some wages, whites wished to continue the old system of labor consisting of close supervision, gang labor, and physical punishment. African Americans’ refusal to work under these conditions or live in the old slave quarters near the master’s house, afforded them the task of erecting cabins on plantation land located far away from the main house. Wages were at $5 or $6 a month but in the year 1867 wages increased to $10 a month. Because African Americans farmed were able to farm separate sections of land, a rise in sharecropping developed. African Americans would tend the crops and split them with the white landowner at the end of the planting season (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). After the Civil War, education became the main source of release from the mental chains of slavery. During this time there were many who had never experienced basic education due to the constraints of slavery. However, those who had been exposed to formal as well as informal education established what was called â€Å"Sabbath schools† which were operated in churches on Sundays and through the week. Religious denominations such as African Methodist Episcopal, Colored Methodist Episcopal, and Black Baptist helped to educate freedmen because they knew that education was a form of eradicating illiteracy, poverty, and the degradation of slavery. Education was not just a strike against discrimination, but a means of gaining respect and dignity ( Butner, 2005). The anti-freedom movement progressed and grew stronger. During the period from 1877 to 1920, the situation hardly changed for better. The discrimination of African Americans was ongoing. The 1890’s was one of the lowest points for African Americans. Lynching increased, black voting suffered drastic restrictions, and special facilities were used to segregate whites from blacks. This segregation was represented by signs painted with the words â€Å"For Whites Only. † African Americans from all walks of life began to fight back against such discriminations. Booker T. Washington tried to influence blacks to accept segregation but W. E. B. Du Bois believed that intellectual growth would be damaged if they settled for vocational training. Du Bois, not accepting of the discriminatory caste system structured by whites, also believe that blacks could achieve a better future if they fought politics to gain suffrage and equal rights. As a result of protest against segregation, disfranchisement, and discrimination; the Niagra Movement was formed in 1905. This movement sought political and economic equality for colored people. However, in 1909 a coalition of black and white reformers came together and changed the movement into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which challenged the legality of the Jim-Crow system of bigotry and segregation (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). Black professionals identified the Achilles heel of white supremacy. Segregation provided blacks the chance, indeed, the imperative, to develop a range of distinct institutions that they controlled. Maneuvering through their organizations and institutions, they exploited that fundamental weakness in the separate but equal system permitted by the U. S. Supreme Courts 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. For all their violence, lynching, prejudice, and hatred, white supremacists could not exterminate black people. The white supremacists major goal, after all, was to maintain an exploitable labor force that would remain in a inferior place (Hine, 2003). However, in 1921-1945, the situation started to improve and the civil right movement of African Americans had started to grow stronger. The 1920s were the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. As a result of the Great Migration of African Americans from South to North, their number of blacks in Northern states increased steadily. They had more opportunity to exercise their rights because oppression in the North was not as severe as in the South. The cultural movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance, spread nationwide and became a powerful movement which proved that African American communities had the power and ability to achieve success in the US (Tolnay, 2003). Since the time of Emancipation in the 1860s, economic circumstance handicapped Baltimores African-Americans. They understood that advances in economic opportunities were crucial to other gains in social access and civil rights. During the 1930s workplaces across Baltimore begin to yield such access and opportunity. Increased access and opportunities came in a wide array of industries. The strength behind the change rested on the expanding black population. Ariving by bus, train, and by car, African Americans came to Baltimore in search of higher wages and to escape from the hedged-in experience of the deeper South. They came in search of greater job variety and greater political freedom. By the mid-1940s, Baltimore-bound blacks averaged fifty people each day and as many as 300 per week. Drawn to Baltimore for the chance at something better, they more than doubled the citys African-American population in the forty years following 1910. Union goals and civil rights aims largely paralleled each other. Amid the talk of labor reform, a rights consciousness developed among blacks, supplying working-class militancy with a powerful, moral foundation. War-time protests, such of the 1942 March On Annapolis, also emphasized the need for opportunities. For example, when white workers walked off their jobs at Western Electric in 1943, in protest of the absence of worksite segregation, in spite of racial tensions many blacks progressed economically and occupationally. Beyond industrial work, blacks struggled through the 1940s. All of the 800 employees in the citys post worked as custodians or mail handlers. The municipal government as well as many other city departments barred African-Americans from employment. By the early 1950s, most municipal entities dropped their color bar, including the Baltimore City Fire Department, which appointed ten black firelighters in 1953. In the private sector, several important companies offered semi-skilled positions to blacks for the first time, including the Yellow Cab Company, which opened driver opportunities in 1951(Terry, 2004). In the post-World War II period, from 1946 to 1974, African Americans became major contributors in the television and film industry. African American actors and actresses were forced to accept demeaning roles or have no roles. However in spite of these demeaning portrayals, African Americans starved to see folks who looked like themselves in films and on television. During the 1970s, several African American families were introduced on American television with series such as The Jeffersons (George and Louise) and Good Times (James and Florida Evans). Both shows were spin-offs of Norman Lear programs: The Jeffersons hailed from All in the Family and Good Times from Maude. Two important components regarding these programs addressed are their overall societal harm and/or good and the different way, in which blacks and whites processed the programs contents. The widely popular Cosby Show arrived in the 1980s, providing a stark contrast to the ghetto based comedies of the 1970s (Mastin, 2006). In 1964, Sidney Poiter’s acting talent and skill earned him an Oscar, making him the first African American male to win this prestigious honor. Finally, teenage pregnancy has plagued the African American community for many years. The high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-American adolescents and damaging consequences of premature parenting make it imperative that strategies be developed to address these problems. This oversight is tragic given that an early adolescent pregnancy often predicts the beginning of a rapid succession of unwanted births and that such repeat pregnancies have adverse consequences for the infants health as well as for the mothers developmental, educational, and occupational well-being (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998) The period from 1976-present, several attempts have been made throughout the African-American community to provide programs and services to prevent this problem. However, some scholars and practitioners argue that such prevention programs and services are doomed to failure when African-American communities lack the ability to recognize or build on the cultural integrity of that community. The continued high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-Americans, despite extensive intervention and prevention efforts, brings to the forefront the issue of cultural consistency as a key ingredient in providing prevention programs (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage program is a translation of the theoretical underpinnings of an Afrocentric conceptual model into a prevention program. It influences adaptation of socialization processes observed in African cultures, which acknowledge that it is necessary to assist adolescents in the transition or passage from childhood into adulthood. â€Å"Rites of passage† is a cultural experience which requires that ideology, education, training, and culture be taught prior to an activity or celebration marking the successful transition from one stage of development (adolescence) to another (adulthood). For example, young people in many African societies are involved in initiation and training experiences that can extend from a few days or weeks to several years. More often than not, the training is conducted by elders in the society and includes a period of total separation from ones family and community during which the young person lives alone or together (communally) with others who are also in training. The young persons return from the separation-back to her family or community-signifies the successful completion of a developmental process and the earning of the respect of the community for having done so. This is the time that new responsibilities and privileges are given to the youth The Rites of Passage program began in 1991 as a pilot project of the Memphis City Schools Adolescent Parenting Program. It initially targeted pregnant and parenting adolescents and was offered as an after-school program at the Comprehensive Pupil Services Educational Center (CPSEC), home to the systems special program for pregnant and parenting students. The subjects that are covered in the Rites of Passage program are: Knowing Africa increases awareness of global Africa, her geography, people, culture, beliefs, community, and family. Knowing Self and Others introduces participants, adult facilitators, leaders, and elders to the Rites of Passage program as a means of socializing youth for adult roles and responsibilities. Family History encourages appreciation of the African-American family, including its role and function from a cultural and historical perspective. The History of African People increases basic understanding of the history and accomplishments of people of African descent. Family Life Education increases knowledge and awareness about family life matters, including human sexuality and how ones sexuality relates to responsibility, values, and respect for self and others. Spirituality: The Journey Within increases understanding and awareness of the importance of spirituality to well being. Taking Care of Self and Etiquette promotes understanding of the importance of total wellness, including physical, emotional, and spiritual well being and enhances understanding of socially acceptable (appropriate and inappropriate) behaviors. Housekeeping and Finances increases understanding of the overall management of a household, including financial planning, money management, and homemaker skills (cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, sewing, and mending). Values Clarification and Goal Setting develops awareness of the traditional value system that guided African people, and explores and begins to clarify individual values and encourages behavior, including life goals, that is consistent with values Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention increases awareness and understanding of violence, including the kinds of violence that are destroying AfricanAmerican communities and people as well as the cause and consequences of violence. It also illustrates that violence is preventable and that there are alternatives to violence. Creativity increases basic understanding of the contribution of people of African descent to the creative arts as well as knowledge and appreciation of the creative arts, particularly those related to the history and culture of African people. X Life Management: Time, School, Work, and Leisure develops skills to appropriately manage ones life in regard to time spent at school, work, and at leisure. HIV/AIDS and Other Life-Threatening Conditions increases knowledge and awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and other health conditions (high blood pressure, homicide) that threaten the longevity of people of African descent. Communication increases awareness of the importance of communication skills. Assertiveness and Leadership increases awareness of the qualities of leadership, including those qualities shown by famous and/or high profile African-Americans, as well as the importance of assertiveness and leadership to ones growth and development. Career Development exposes participants to a variety of career options and the requirements for each career (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage† program helped to decrease the incidents of teenage pregnancy among African American teenagers by providing them with knowledge of ancestrial heritage, self, family values, spirituality, and personal skills that influence them to make effective decision about birth control and sexuality which will not hinder them from succeeding in life due to teenage parenthood. Conclusion Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in Unit One subjected African Americans to a life where economic dependence was vital in securing true freedom. The assistance of black churches enabled them recognize the importance of education in developing their own communities, securing employment, and gaining respect of white land owners. Although violence and intimidation was a part of the political reform of the Democrats in support of white supremacy, African Americans remained steadfast. Protests of social injustices such as segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement, influenced the formation of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) defenders of the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. African Americans’ achievement of financial independence in Unit Three was dependent on securing better paying jobs. The migration from South to North and the Harlem Renaissance afforded them the opportunity of employment as factory workers, postal workers and government employees. The unbiased portrayal of African Americans in television and film in Unit Four encouraged the creation of sitcoms and movies that presented the progression of blacks from demeaning roles to award winning roles that showcased their talents as award winning writers, photographers, actors, and actresses. The development of prevention programs in Unit Five, helped to decreased the incidents of teenage pregnancy by increasing community awareness. References Butner, B. (2005). The Methodist Episcopal Church and the Education of African Americans After the Civil War. Christian Higher Education, 4(4), 265-276. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://search. ebscohost. com. Davidson, J. W. , Gienapp, W. E. , et al. (2008). Nation of nations: a narrative history of the American Republic (6th ed. , Vol. 2). Boston: McGraw Hill. Hayes, J. (2009). Political-Cultural Exodus: Movement of the People! Black History Bulletin, 72(1), 7-13. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1708145821). Hine, D. C. (2003). Black professionals and race consciousness: Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 1890-1950. The Journal of American History, 89(4), 1279-1294. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 322744531). Mastin, T. (2006). Color Television: Fifty Years of African American and Latino Images on Prime Time Television/Representing Race Racisms, Ethnicities and Media. Review of Journalism Mass Communication Educator, 61(2), 218-222. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1124893681). Meacham, M. (2003). The Exoduster Movement. Western Journal of Black Studies, 27(2), 108-117. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 828030721). Okwumabua, T. M. , Okwumabua, J. O., Elliott, V. (1998). Let the circle be unbroken helps African-Americans prevent teen pregnancy. SIECUS Report, 26(3), 12-17. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 26859760). Terry, D. (2004). Dismantling Jim Crow: Challenges to Racial Segregation, 1935 1955. Black History Bulletin, 67(1-4), 14-17B. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1379490521). Tolnay, S. (2003, August). THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GREAT MIGRATION and BEYOND. Annual Review of Sociology, 29(1), 209-232. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Essay -- Walt Whitman on Democracy

Walt Whitman is possibly one of the best examples of an artist who drew no distinctions between art and culture. To Whitman art is culture, and culture is history. His role as an artist must then be intrinsically manifesting himself as a representative of the America masses, or express himself as America personified. He saw democracy as an inseparable attribute of Americaness. However, the America he lived in was desperately fractured amongst differing factions with different opinions on the definition of â€Å"democracy†. Regardless, Whitman did not see the problems of his day as a top versus bottom, bottom versus top issue (no entendre intended). But, rather, an issue that exploded out of every orifice of American life. Ernesto Guevara spoke of love and conflict: â€Å"Let me say, with the risk of appearing ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. It is impossible to think of an authentic revolutionary without this quality†¦Our vanguard revolutionaries must idealize their love for the people, for the most hallowed causes, and make it one and indivisible†¦They must struggle every day so that their love of living humanity is transformed into concrete deeds, into acts that will serve as an example as a mobilizing factor.† (Minogue, 33). Ezra Greenspan explains that most contemporary criticism falls into one of two camps that are separated by two major historical events. He explains that there is a â€Å"Cold War generation who tended to focus on what they perceived to be the unrestrained freedom of the self† (143) and that there is the â€Å"post-Vietnam War† generation who argue â€Å"that Whitman’s attempts to celebrate modern freedom are compromised and complicated by the immersion of author, subject and t... ... on the battlefield, however, they return to the eternal mother in which they again convene and become an even more physical manifestation of a collective as they combine into the geography of America â€Å"in unseen essence and odor of surface and grass, centuries hence† (396). Works Cited Greenspan, Ezra, and Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Song of Myself†: A Sourcebook and Critical Edition. New York [u.a.: Routledge, 2005. Print Minogue, Kenneth. â€Å"Che Guevara.† The New Left. New York: Library, 1971. 17-48. Print. Pascal, Richard. â€Å"Walt Whitman and Woody Guthrie: American Prophet-Singers and their People.† journal of American Studies 24.1 (1990): 41-59. Web. Apr. 2012. Press, H. â€Å"The Existential Basis of Marxism.† Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 37.3 (1977): 331-344. Web. Apr. 2012. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. New York: Bantam, 1983. Print.

English Life

The and Adventures of Native Americans In the story The Morning the Sun Went Down, Darryl Babe Wilson discusses his personal Journey as a 20th century as an Indian living within and without the dominant American society. The documentary film Even the Rain by Iciar Bollain is about the issue of oppression in the world county and the history of global economics. However, the movie overlaps with not only the production of what is being filmed in the movie, but also as the struggle that the Bolivian people had with the government and water.The people are being overcharged for their water, even the rain water was not permitted to be obtained. Noam Chomsky, author of â€Å"The Zapatista Uprising Profit Over People,† states how the signing of the NAFTA resulted in a big problem for the indigenous people in Mexico. The Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the United States and Mexico were eliminated, including labor and environm ental services.The film A Century of Genocide in Americas: The Residential School Experience is about how Native American children were taken from their parents, ere forcedly sexually abused and were sent to residential schools in Canada and the United States because of their race. Each of these authors suffered In The Morning the Sun Went Down, author Darryl Babe Wilson states the nearly simple life spent as a young child growing up in the tradition and ways of his people came to a sudden and tragic end when his mother's life was taken by a large, commercial truck barreling down on the wrong side of an isolated highway while trying to gain speed. The engine had to produce more speed in order to produce money faster† (Wilson 170). When he and his siblings were not in school, they played a variety of games including: hide and seek, making soap bubbles, playing Stagecoach (where some of the children were passengers and others were â€Å"Indians†), running in the woods and swimming in the creeks. The boys tried to take rattlesnakes as their grandfather had. In those few moments, his world had directly intersected with the same unyielding, unforgiving, profit-driven force that has been chasing and decimating his people for more than 500 years.But the story starts much earlier than that. Although Darryl Wilson grew up in the mid-20th century, in many ways his life was no different. The father couldn't raise his family, as the state officials removed Darryl and his siblings from their motherless home and placed them under the Jurisdiction of the state. They â€Å"were now relocatable property of the State of California† (94). After years of being moved from one foster home to another, Darryl was turned over to Juvenile authorities, placed into a lock-down facility, being allowed out of his cell only to go to school.His life had become reduced as the land that once â€Å"simply fed us† (85). His â€Å"life withered and turned a silent gray † (79). Wilson was allowed to go to school for one simple reason: education was, and still is, a major means by which the disenfranchised are dealt with. The film Even the Rain (Tamien La Lluvia) by Iciar Bollain, addresses the issue of oppression in the world country and the history ot global economics. The tilm takes place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which depicts t conquest of Christopher Columbus.As Sebastian and Costa arrive to Cochabamba, Bolivia, they go into a moral crisis. As the riots in Cochabamba break out on the njustices as the water price arose by 300 percent, resulted in a violent protest against the government by the indigenous Indians and the citizenry of Cochabamba. Therefore, Bolivia who claimed their rights. Unfortunately, Sebastian and Costa engage the cheap Indian population in the minor role by the average daily income for the Indians was $2 dollars a day.Spanish imperialism through incidents taking place 500 years apart, while examining the personal belief systems of the members. Iciar Bollain focuses on the priests Bartolome De Las Casas and the oppression of the Indian population by the Spanish invadors. As Columbus realized the wealth and great prestige that the territories might bring, he got to a point to get obsessed with the gold. He then enslaved the natives to bring gold and if they didn't bring enough gold, they would make them suffer. As Spain conquered the new world of gold 500 years later, water is gold which not much has changed.However, the movie reflects how the higher power not only in the past but the present still hurt these poor innocent people who only want to live. The movie shows how the Indies where being used by the higher power for the gold, which was by Christopher Columbus. The ovie Tambien la Lluvia, shows us how the Bolivian people whom are acting as the Indies are going through similar struggles by not being allowed to obtain â€Å"life† if strict rules aren't followed. These people couldn't affo rd water, in which it reflected life. This all reflects back on the past struggles of the Indies.Neither in the past or present could these people live without giving â€Å"non-obtainable† profits to the higher power without suffering the consequences of life and death. This movie showed me that something as small as water that we as Americans take for granted is something as precious as a life in another country. After seeing these people struggle and fght for the ability to Just obtain rain water hurt me to see. These people risked there Jobs, there city, and even their life's Just, so they could freely get rain water.I honestly would never think something ridiculous like this could be happening in a third world country where these people don't even make a quarter of what most of us make working a part time Jobs. This movies shows us how something like a title of government or power can ruin the lives of millions. It's hard to see how these people struggle and fght for some thing that shouldn't have a price to, but nfortunately that is how life is in other countries. So what is shown in the movie Tambien la Lluvia, the reflection of struggles in the past and present in the South all because of the greed of higher power should be remembered.Just because it happened hundreds of years ago doesn't mean that it's not going on still. It might be different but the struggles shown by the people in Bolivia for life and water should show us that nothing should be taken for granted. Just the way the people in the film do, after all theyre only fighting to survive with water that shouldn't have a price on. Everything in life has a price, but life it's self shouldn't. For the past several years, there has been an on going movement to liberate the large population of farmers in Mexico.These farmers are fighting to win back their pro-claimed rights to their farm land. In the world today the emphasis on human rights is strong, this is why the Zapatistas have gained so much attention. In Noam Chomskys â€Å"The Zapatista Uprising Pront Over People,† notes that â€Å"We are the product ot 500 years ot struggle. † (Chomsky 1) As the Zapatistas declaration of war stated, â€Å"The struggle today s for work, land, housing, food, health care, education, independence, freedom, democracy, Justice, and peace. † (Chomsky 1).Over 17,000 people are in hiding away from the land that they could be using as income for themselves as well as the Mexican government. Mexico's government is trying to come a major player in the world stock market, so why not help themselves by increasing the amount of exports that could be coming from the country by allowing the Zapatistas back onto their land. Furthermore, it reflects very poorly on a country when they have 17,000 people who are refugees in their own country. It simply does not make senses for the government to not allow the Zapatistas back on their land.Who is going to want to do business with a country who cant even find peace within itself? I support the Zapatistas in their movement because I believe human rights are a very import factor in upholding a country. People should be allowed to live off the land in which they were born to. It is not Just for some political fgure to say, â€Å"No you cannot live here anymore, find somewhere else to live. † Peace must be found in order to stabilize Mexico and to do this the Zapatistas must be given back their land.

Critical and Creative Thinking in Short Essays Essay

Describe a situation of public interest in which critical and/or creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations. Recent racial unrest has been a hot topic in the public interest arena. With the death of a young man as a result of an encounter with law enforcement is difficult enough to deal with. Add to that dynamic that the young man was black and the officer was white, and the dynamic instantly intensifies. That moment becomes and instant opportunity where critical and/or creative thought should be considered instead of a knee jerk reaction since there was nothing in place prior. My addressing this does not have anything to do with the result of the riots, but everything to do with the reactions from both sides of the dilemma. Both sides needed to consider what actually happened, how the entire event took place and ended, as well as what the next step should be in anticipation of every scenario possible. There are enough brilliant minds in law enforcement as well as in the community that feel defied, to bridge whatever differences that may have been occurring prior to the event. If the community and the department that is in place to serve and protect them would pause long enough for what is in the best interest of all, they likely would have opted on an approach similar to a Community Policing approach where both sides were involved with changing the minds, actions, and directions of the entire community. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts. What role does each play in critically assessing situations? Free will, by definition, is having the ability or power to act without regard to limitations and at the individuals own discretion. Now, to define the word truth, it would be that it is anything that is true  in accordance with fact or reality and is also a fact or belief that is accepted as true. Next is knowledge which is defined as facts, information, or skills learned by a person or group of people. This can be done through experiences or an education. Simply, it is having the awareness or familiarity that is gained by experience of a fact or situation. Lastly, is the word opinion. This relates to a view or judgment formed by an individual or a group about something or anything and it is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Often it is an estimation of the quality of worth of someone or something that is the beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing. It essentially is an estimation of the quality or worth of someone or something. Each of these has a role and each plays in critically assessing situations. For instance, ‘free will’ allows for a decision to be made based solely on how an individual feels about what is being addressed. They can form their own belief or judgment and choose how they feel about it, how it affects them, without the concern on how it will make others feel about them. Now relating to ‘truth’, all of the information that is known and to be true is presented and a determination of how one feels about it or allows it to affect them is their choice. ‘Knowledge’ allows a person to form an immediate attitude or estimation about any topic because personal experiences or obtained information creates an influence or reaction immediately. The word ‘opinion’ has almost as much of an opportunity to make an immediate impression. This is mostly based on knowledge that may have been obtained but not personally experienced. Identify three hindrances to the critical thinking process. Determine methods for overcoming these hindrances. Identify a time in which you experienced a hindrance in critical thinking. Describe a method you could use to overcome the hindrances. To define  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhindrances’ before identifying how it effects the critical thinking process, I would say it is a resistance to change, conformity, and/or self-deception. I will address how to overcome these in the order that they listed. First, to overcome resistance to change, a person must be open-minded and welcoming to things that are new. This does not mean that they must be immediately accepted, just considered. Secondly, to overcome conformity, it simply needs for a person to think for themselves and not be concerned about what other people believe or even if they share your view. Lastly, to overcome self-deception, we must be honest with ourselves, our inner selves. Once we obtain as much information about a person, subject, or topic, we base our findings on what we now know or feel about it. A time when I was personally faced with any of the hindrances listed, was when I assumed the new position with this startup company. It is very different from any other position that I have held. Although I do not have a vast knowledge of everything that goes on in the company, I bring an incredible amount of experiences. Here, I have experienced many coworkers at my level of management that insist that they know what is in the best interest of the company on any given situation. Although they ask for opinions, they often go with their own. Everyone is just supposed to be on board and there are some that act like lemmings and simply follow along. To not ‘make waves’, I often allowed this to continue, although I felt strongly that the input I had was not only valid, but equally important. To combat the resistance to change, I openly considered what the final decision was going to be and honestly weighed it against my input. I then decided that conforming was not necessarily in the best interest of the company, so I composed an approach to share what I had to offer and compared it to what was being considered. During establishing how I was going to present it, I was able to share this with vigor and assurance because I was honest with myself when weighing both mine and their options. Identify a message in advertising. Describe how you perceive the message of the advertisement. Try to determine the reality of the advertisement. Distinguish between your perception and the reality of the message. I am a Harley Davidson fan, I own one and I ride it often despite the weather conditions. Very often, other motorcycle companies will do what they can to mimic the style and grace of the Harley Davidson. This is to convince potential buyers that they are just as good  if not better, and less expensive. Although some parts of their advertisement may be true, there are many parts of it that are not. What they often end up doing is over emphasizing quality as well as quantity. It is not that it cannot be obtained, it is just that it can only be obtained for a nominal fee. Again, it is the fine print that most people overlook that actually reveals the truth. I have been deluded myself because of how convincing they campaign is, that I have pondered at least looking at their offer. With the advent of ‘pausing’ your television, I do so at the end of the commercial and read the fine print. More times than not, it reveals the condition that the motorcycle comes in and it is never what you see being driven around by the actor(s). Critical and creative thinking occurs in everyone’s life whether they realize it or not. It would be in the best interest of everyone if they realized the importance of learning to be a more critical and creative thinker. This way, they can feel better about the outcome or realize that the decision was theirs and not someone else’s. It is easier to learn from your own mistakes.

Second-Hand Smoke essays

Second-Hand Smoke essays In recent years, the cigarette industry has come under attack for a variety of issues, including second-hand smoke. It is important to examine the effect this second-hand smoke has on non-smokers. The use of tobacco "remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 440,000 deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more the $75 billion in direct medical expenses. Nationally, smoking results in more than 5.6 million years of potential (tobaccofreeqc.org/adult/secondhand_smoke.shtml)." People who are exposed to secondhand smoke run the risk of dying from the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. There are thousands of chemicals, many which are extremely toxic, released in tobacco smoke, and this smoke is the only source of most of these chemicals. "Some of the smoke is inhaled by the smoker, but a larger amount of smoke is released into the air. Two-thirds of the smoke from a cigarette is not inhaled by the smoker (tobaccofreeqc.org/adult/secondhand_smoke.shtml)." Secondhand smoke (SHS), "sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning ends of a cigarette, pipe, cigar, bidis, and kreteks (sidestream smoke) and the smoke emitted at the mouthpiece and exhaled from the lungs of smokers (mainstream smoke) (cdc.gov/tobacco/>)." The smoke inhaled by the smoker contains almost the exact same chemicals as found in secondhand smoke, however, secondhand smoke may actually contain a higher chemical concentration. Secondhand smoke is composed from a "complex combination of more than 4,000 chemicals, and includes irritants and systemic poisons such as hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia and formaldehyde. Secondhand smoke contains "at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic or caus...

Essay on Discussion 1 week 2

Essay on Discussion 1 week 2 Essay on Discussion 1 week 2 The Studying and Self-Regulated Learning (SSRL) SIG is dedicated to promoting the development of theory and research in academic studying and self-regulated learning across the life span. The SIG brings together researchers and practitioners to share expertise in all aspects of self-regulated learning, including motivation, metacognition, learning and studying strategies, and the ways in which learners manage their emotions and environments I use self regulating everyday, We all do like setting your clock for 5:00am every morning to go to work or you may have to put the kids on the bus on time, getting assignments finished on time or say you start dinner at a set time, All of those are using self regulating but sometimes we all have so much going on in the day that we don't use self regulating in the other things that we need to be done in our every day schedule, Like me I have to go to work every morning on time but when I get home my day just don't stop they are things I still have to do and it is hard to try and get everything done then when I do its like I just want to set back and put my feet up then I think I still have to get my school work done. But its like I talk my self out of it and say I have another day to get this finished, When I should not think like that, My assignments should be finished in a timely manner not at the died line, And that is why I am going to start using self regulate and a schedule w ith work, school and my family, A time to study,

Unobtrusive Measures in Sociology Experiments

Unobtrusive Measures in Sociology Experiments In research, an unobtrusive measure is a method of making observations without the knowledge of those being observed. Unobtrusive measures are designed to minimize a major problem in social research, which is how a subject’s awareness of the research project affects behavior and distorts research results. The main drawback, however, is that there is a very limited range of information that can be gathered this way. One way to assess the effect of racial integration in schools is to compare the academic records of students educated in schools whose student populations vary in their degree of racial heterogeneity. Another way that one can determine the results of an experiment utilizing unobtrusive measures is to analyze data and behavior from a hidden camera or through a two-way mirror. In either case, privacy may come into play and a test subjects individual rights are in danger of being violated. Indirect Measures As opposed to obtrusive measures, indirect measures occur naturally during research and are available to researchers in pretty much limitless supply, depending on the researchers innovation and imagination. Indirect measures are naturally unobtrusive and are used to collect data without introducing any formal measurement procedure of which the subject is aware. Take for instance trying to measure foot traffic and item popularity in a fashion boutique. Although placing a person in the store to observe shoppers might give you great data on what people buy, it also has a chance of intruding on the study by letting the shopper know they were being watched. On the other hand, if a researcher installs hidden cameras and observes data collected from those to notice trend, the measure would be considered indirect or unobtrusive. Similarly, some cell phone apps now allow retailers to track the movement of cellular devices in the store if the customer is logged into a discount app for the store. This specific geolocation can measure exactly how long customers spend in different parts of stores, without being aware theyre being watched. This raw data is the closest one can get to understanding how a shopper spends his or her time in a store when he or she feels no one is watching.   Ethics and Surveillance Unobstructive measures come with their fair share of ethics concerns, primarily in terms of privacy and surveillance. For that reason, researchers should be careful with which methods they use and how they use them when conducting these types of sociological experiments.   By definition, indirect or unobtrusive measures collect data and observations without the experiment subjects knowledge, which could be cause for concern for this person being observed. Further, it could be a violation of the persons right to privacy by not using informed consent. In general, it is important to understand the laws governing privacy in the context of your experiment. Chances are, most will require consent from the participants, though this is not the case with certain public spaces such as museums or amusement parks, where buying a ticket acts as a contract for the patron which often times includes video surveillance and monitoring.

Human environmental hazards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human environmental hazards - Essay Example Chemical hazards are considered to be the most common of human environmental hazards because there are numerous types and the majority of them are quite simple for a human to obtain. The majority of people are unaware that they are even being subjected to the many chemicals in the environment until their health becomes compromised. The physical hazards category consists of natural disasters, which are events that human beings have no control over. The greatest danger about physical hazards, besides not being able to control or prevent them, is that they can occur without warning.These events have the ability to harm human life, as well as plant and animal life, and property. Cultural hazards consist of hazards that can often be foreseen, but tend to go unnoticed until it is too late. Cultural hazards come as a result of where we live, our occupation, behavioral choices, and our socioeconomic status.People have the ability to control the majority of cultural hazards, such as taking better care of themselves or living in safe environments, but many people are unaware of the damage that can happen. Biological hazards come about from ecological interaction primarily between human beings, but there are times when other organisms can get involved, such as animals. Biological hazards can be prevented when people are more attentive to their health, cleanliness, and how they interact with other people.

Business Event Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Event Management - Assignment Example The legal obligations in organizing a career event mainly constitute of getting the permission from the Institute and officially inviting the companies to the event. Usually, a department from within a university, college or a school organizes such events. They need the permission from the school authorities. Second, the venue needs to be booked, which has its legal requirements. Similarly, the sponsors that the management readily seeks need to qualify the legal requirements for sponsoring such an event. The sponsors should not be promoting an illegal product or services. The Operations Team liaised closely with The Legal Department regarding licenses, insurances, and contracts required for the event. This department also worked closely with other departments to ensure they meet all regulations required by the LSBF. Also they provided information regarding minor legal issues encountered and ensured they provide the legal department with and correspondence and legal documentation that is crucial to this event. The operations department is the main body of the whole event. It is about making arrangements, the timing, resources, logistics, ambience, supervision, registration of attendees and on the spot coordination between the team members, so the whole event proceeds as planned and the participants gain as much from it as possible. This section of the business event is about promotion. The marketing is not only to attract the potential employees but also the companies and institutes that will communicate their market knowledge. Also, marketing ventures out into designing flyers, posters, websites and social media pages. Public relations is also a crucial element in marketing. People love to attend seminars and job fairs that have great public speakers sharing their knowledge. This part is the lifeline of the whole event. Funding the event requires

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Marketing Plan - Essay Example has more distinctive products than McDonalds; it has fewer items on the menu, as it focuses more on individual products. It should be highlighted that McDonalds also use traditional print, electronic and radio media followed by internet and new media for publicity and promotion. The company also initiated a promotional campaign named â€Å"I’m Lovin’ it†, sponsored Olympic athletes, host charitable events, Social media etc. to entice maximum customers towards its stores. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American international food seller that has established more than 15,000 KFC outlets across 109 countries and territories around the world. Indeed, the business serves an estimated 12 million customers each day at its stores. The business is an important competitor of Carl’s Jr. because it offers various similar products. The company has an advertising budget of over $1 billion and sales revenue of $11 billion in 2009 that shows its financial strength and brand acceptance among fast food lovers. In addition, KFC also utilizes all traditional and social media channels. KFC focuses on Product and Market Development through induction of new recipes and food products (such as fiery wings) in its portfolio. Indeed, it launched promotional campaigns including free vouchers, Family Feast Combo, free gifts, KFC buckets, KFC cricket promotion etc. to tempt customers towards its stores. (KFC.com) Hungry Jack is a subsidiary of Burger King Incorporation and it is operational in Australia since 1971. The company has strong brand recognition and establishment in Australia with over 300 stores in 2010. The franchise is unique in a way that it offers a complete range of breakfast, hamburgers, chicken meals, desserts, drinks, sides / salad and kids’ meals to its valued customers. Indeed, the company advertises heavily on electronic media to lure food freaks. Indeed, Hungry Jacks advertises heavily on electronic media for sales promotion campaigns. In addition, the

Daoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Daoism - Essay Example becoming an Immortal.† (Reninger). When Jing, Qi and Chen are cultivated, the individual can achieve a healthy state of mind and body. The three energies, the reproductive energy known as Jing, life energy known as Qi and spiritual energy, Chen are essential for maintaining health and this practice helps in transmutation of these energies. The loss of bodily fluids can result in the loss of Jing, vital force in the human body. In the Daoist Spiritual Practice of "Inner-Alchemy, an individual is helped to free himself from desires. This freedom from desires will result in preventing the loss of Jing through the bodily fluids. Jing is cultivated by practices which teach the person to control his physical desires and avert the discharge of bodily fluids. Qi can be cultivated by keeping one’s mind pure; the mind is trained to focus on the goal the person wants to achieve through the practice of Inner-Alchemy. Chen, the spiritual energy is cultivated by union of the body and mind. In this practice, one form of energy is transmuted into another and this process is reversed again to maintain the balance of yin and yang in one’s body. The three energies are utilized to maintain the balance of life. â€Å"The goal is to preserve, restore and transmute the energies within into their natural state that existed at conception, to their primordial state of Tao that existed before awareness of the world dissipated them.† (Fowler). The ultimate purpose of this practice is to extend longevity of human life and attain immortality. This practice aims at aiding an individual in the achievement of spiritual, physical and mental health. When a person succeeds in achieving these aims, his/her life can be free of health disorders, leading to a long and healthy life. The balance of yin and yang which is essential for preserving the human body and mental

PR Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PR Plan - Essay Example This will ensure that a new public relations plan can be unfolded and monitored effectively for progress and that shifts in strategy can be made according to achieved progress. (Twittasaur, 2011) Situation: Situation Analysis The company’s internal and external situations need to be established in order to create a benchmark which would be utilised to proceed further. To delineate the company’s internal and external conditions two different kinds of tools are being used. SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Strengths) is being used primarily to discover the company’s internal situation. (Menon, 1999) On the other hand the PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) tool is being utilised to comprehend where the market currently stands. (Armstrong, 2006) SWOT Strengths Weaknesses established supply chain for fresh delivery in most areas; only high quality meat used to create sausages; spiced and non spiced meat varieties offered; lowered fat con tent of sausages; British ingredients use ensured; herbs used extensively to promote healthy eating; dedicated and committed workforce. meat cannot be stored for long periods due to small freezers ? demand cannot be fulfilled in certain situations; some flavouring recipes used are French and exotic; operations in Middle England need to be expanded on ground. Opportunities Threats market is expanding after recession; sausage derivatives such as hot dogs can be easily introduced; Middle England is health conscious so a proven healthy food product can easily take over the market. people want more English recipes; fat levels are lowered but certain other brands have lower fat levels. PEST Political There are no bans on meat (such as through Mad cow) and the short term political outlook is healthy for the market. Economic The market is conservative but recovering gradually which will permit greater sales in the longer run. People have the buying power to afford sausages with ease. Social The food market is headed for reform which will enable healthier eating and thus healthier lifestyles. Sausages are becoming popular because of their readymade nature, ease of processing and rich taste. Technological Fat levels can easily be lowered from meat products using technology. Herbs and other spices can easily be added to sausage meat before making sausages. Sausages can be manufactured and transported with relative ease due to technology without compromising their quality. Objectives: Charting a Course Mission Configuring and implementing an effective PR campaign in order to expand â€Å"Banger’s† market share to promote company profits and healthy eating. Business Objectives Increasing sales in Middle England by at least 20% within 90 days of the launch of this campaign; Expanding â€Å"Banger’s† market presence by introducing it to 3 new counties in Middle England within the first month; Promoting the use of sausages as a healthy food item to replace other meat items on consumer shopping lists by 10% in 12 months. Prioritising Marketing Objectives Clear and concise marketing objectives must be established to ensure that a clear direction can be ascertained. (Stone, 2001) Moreover, the objectives have been assessed using SMART (Specific, Measured, Attainable, Realistic, Time bound) to validate them. (Doran, 1981) Two different kinds of markets are being targeted. First are markets where â€Å"

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News Case Study

What Happened During the Negotiation Process of Coast News - Case Study Example The paper throws light on negotiation as a method of performing group decisions among the parties who are engaged possessing different choices or likings. Basically, negotiation is a procedure of getting the things done from others that are expected from them particularly in the method of executing various vital decisions. Moreover, negotiation is regarded as a deal in which the engaged parties possess a direct influence upon the final outcome of the negotiation. It requires voluntary approval on behalf of the parties those who are involved in a particular negotiation. It is also considered as a give and take process in which the actual and definite conditions of a transaction are equally agreed. It is the act or technique of bargaining in order to accomplish a commonly satisfactory agreement or objective. The other significant conception of negotiation lies in the peaceful method in which the involved parties find ultimate solutions by themselves and ultimately gain maximum control of their desired result. The negotiation process is also considered as the legal and orderly management procedure by which the governments conduct their relations with other establishments and discuss, adjust as well as manage their disagreements or any differences. In this global financial market, the most significant and crucial matter lies in policymaking. It has been identified that the policy formations are related to various deeds among the parties regarding diverse issues towards communal interests and other related factors along with avoiding increase regarding the internal conflicts among the parties. In this connection, it can be observed that negotiation is a central component of policy-making procedures which determine the different issues that are addressed by the policy makers, finds solutions and required support from the involved parties to confirm that the planned policy-making decisions are sustainable. The conception of negotiation mainly takes place for various r easons. The reasons include such as the initiative taken by the involved parties in order to generate any new aspect and to resolve a problem or a dispute between the involved parties among others. A wide range of perspectives can be used in order to understand different aspects of negotiation such as economic theories and practices, psychology, political science, communication, labor relations and law among others. The same negotiation outcome can also be understood from several different perspectives because the people or the engaged parties in the procedure of negotiation can negotiate many different aspects along with considering the necessity of the fundamental process of negotiation for them who work with other people. However, the several characteristics that are common to all negotiable situations include the presence of the involved parties which may be individuals, groups or organizations among others and conflict of interest between them that is based on the dissimilariti es regarding their different views, opinions and ideas among others along with the methods in order to manage the conflict. Moreover, the characteristics of negotiable situations also include acting as a voluntary process.

PR Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PR Plan - Essay Example This will ensure that a new public relations plan can be unfolded and monitored effectively for progress and that shifts in strategy can be made according to achieved progress. (Twittasaur, 2011) Situation: Situation Analysis The company’s internal and external situations need to be established in order to create a benchmark which would be utilised to proceed further. To delineate the company’s internal and external conditions two different kinds of tools are being used. SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Strengths) is being used primarily to discover the company’s internal situation. (Menon, 1999) On the other hand the PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) tool is being utilised to comprehend where the market currently stands. (Armstrong, 2006) SWOT Strengths Weaknesses established supply chain for fresh delivery in most areas; only high quality meat used to create sausages; spiced and non spiced meat varieties offered; lowered fat con tent of sausages; British ingredients use ensured; herbs used extensively to promote healthy eating; dedicated and committed workforce. meat cannot be stored for long periods due to small freezers ? demand cannot be fulfilled in certain situations; some flavouring recipes used are French and exotic; operations in Middle England need to be expanded on ground. Opportunities Threats market is expanding after recession; sausage derivatives such as hot dogs can be easily introduced; Middle England is health conscious so a proven healthy food product can easily take over the market. people want more English recipes; fat levels are lowered but certain other brands have lower fat levels. PEST Political There are no bans on meat (such as through Mad cow) and the short term political outlook is healthy for the market. Economic The market is conservative but recovering gradually which will permit greater sales in the longer run. People have the buying power to afford sausages with ease. Social The food market is headed for reform which will enable healthier eating and thus healthier lifestyles. Sausages are becoming popular because of their readymade nature, ease of processing and rich taste. Technological Fat levels can easily be lowered from meat products using technology. Herbs and other spices can easily be added to sausage meat before making sausages. Sausages can be manufactured and transported with relative ease due to technology without compromising their quality. Objectives: Charting a Course Mission Configuring and implementing an effective PR campaign in order to expand â€Å"Banger’s† market share to promote company profits and healthy eating. Business Objectives Increasing sales in Middle England by at least 20% within 90 days of the launch of this campaign; Expanding â€Å"Banger’s† market presence by introducing it to 3 new counties in Middle England within the first month; Promoting the use of sausages as a healthy food item to replace other meat items on consumer shopping lists by 10% in 12 months. Prioritising Marketing Objectives Clear and concise marketing objectives must be established to ensure that a clear direction can be ascertained. (Stone, 2001) Moreover, the objectives have been assessed using SMART (Specific, Measured, Attainable, Realistic, Time bound) to validate them. (Doran, 1981) Two different kinds of markets are being targeted. First are markets where â€Å"

Nurse Leader Interviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nurse Leader Interviews - Essay Example Again the Director of Surgical Services reflected a participative leadership approach while dealing with the subordinates in the organization. Finally as for the Director of Employee Assistance the leadership style reflected a transformational approach. Thus it is found that the different nursing leaders reflect different types of leadership styles in their conducts within the organization. It is found that the Chief Nursing Officer acting on the Servant Leadership approach aims to build trust and confidence in the minds of the subordinates so that they easily communicate with the upper hierarchy and share their feelings and problems. Again acting on such leadership approach helps the Chief Nursing Officer in understanding the areas where the people fall short in their professional pursuits. Thereby such leaders help enabling both resources and opportunities to help them develop their professional traits and conducts in serving the concern (Ebener, 2010, p.11-12). This leader was chosen on account that the leader takes care in hearing to the problems and queries of the nurses working in the organization and renders commitment to help the nurses develop their potential to render quality healthcare through rendering institutional help. The Director of Surgical Services reflects a participative leadership style while going about in the organizational conducts. Such participative style reflected by the director is done by involving and empowering the employees and sub-ordinate groups working in the concern in decision making activities. This leadership style helped the leader to gain the views of the subordinates in the decision making ventures and thus helped to avoid conflicts. Hence such leadership trait reflected by the director is held to bring success in managing the employees by the leader (Walsh, 2009, p.75). Finally the Director of Employee Assistance is found

Chromium and Nickel in Welding Fumes Essay Example for Free

Chromium and Nickel in Welding Fumes Essay Chromium and nickel compounds are one of the many byproducts of the reaction between a metals and welding materials. Welders are exposed to these byproducts all throughout their welding works. However, too much exposure of a person to these by products may lead to serious health problems. In this paper, the disparity of American Welding Society safety facts and other organizations will be discussed. In addition, the ways to control exposure to the said compounds will be discussed. An overview of such effects of nickel and chromium compound fumes is listed by the AWS. It is stated that nickel and chromium compound fumes are possible carcinogens to the human system. Health effects of alloys that contain nickel and chromium to welders and users are not yet determined. Possible health effects should be referred to National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (American Welding Society [AWS], 2003). When one say that a person is exposed to a certain compound, this means many things. However, in this paper fumes that has concentrations of nickel and chromium compound. The disparity between the organizations will be examined. The American Welding Society (AWS) discussed three things, the immediate effects of exposure to fumes, the chronic or long-term effects of exposure to the fumes and protection against over exposure. In controlling exposure of a welder to nickel and chromium compounds, the AWS suggested a few things. First, welders or persons that are near welding sites should avoid inhaling the fumes. Second, Proper ventilation and exhausts should be provided to welding sites and arcs to avoid the gases to be near your breathing system. Third, Air samples should be tested for the correct level of compounds in the air if ventilation and exhausts are not properly established in a welding location. Last, minimize the exposure to the said compounds (American Welding Society [AWS], 2003). In contrast to the recommendations of AWS, Nickel Institute has a more detailed recommendation for controlling exposure to fumes with nickel and chromium compounds concentrate. In their recommendation, the level of concentrations of nickel and chromium compounds in fumes should be limited to 0. 05 mg/m3 up to 0. 1 mg/m3. In the recommendation, it is also stated that to control emission of fumes, proper choice of welding process must be employed. However, choice of welding process is usually determined by the technical and economic factors (Nickel Development Institute [NDI], 2001). Overall, safety of welders is still the concern that should be given proper handling. The goal of having a good control of the fumes with chromium compounds and nickel concentrations is to eliminate it. If one cannot eliminate it, then one should minimize it. First, proper welding process should be employed. Second, welder should work in a proper welding area. This means that the workplace should be fully ventilated and has exhausts. Third, proper welder equipments and apparatus should be used. Fourth, proper welder uniform should be used. This is one of the most important things to be considered. If a welder has a proper uniform, then possible direct damages to the person may be minimized or neglected. Last, routine checks of the work area, equipments, apparatus, and welders should be done. This means that a routine check of the said things must be done, like checking fume concentration levels, checking welder health, etc, in order to secure health hazards that may arise during the work. If the said recommendations are fully employed, then health hazards like over exposure to fumes can be minimized, if not eliminated. Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes is one of the most used materials in welding. Thoriated tungsten has thorium. Thorium is a radioactive metal that emits alpha, and small amounts of beta and gamma particles. Thorium is one of the best welding materials due to its long lasting, easy to use, low melting and low rate of consumption of electrodes. However, certain health hazards are associated to thorium. External exposure of a person to thorium is not a big deal. The real danger of thoriated tungsten is when dust particles during the grinding of the thorium is ingested or inhaled. If a person accidentally ingested or inhaled thorium from grinding it, there is a big potential of internal radiation to the person who ingested or inhaled the dust particles (American Welding Society [AWS], 2003). The source of the thorium exposure is mainly derived from the grinding of the tungsten before use so that maximum arc stability of the electrode is achieved. In that process of grinding, thorium dust particles are released in to the open air that creates an unhealthy environment to welding personnel. Health officers in work areas should employ some recommendations in order to reduce the exposure of workers to thorium dust particles. In order to eliminate thorium dust particles, one should eliminate the use of thorium tungsten electrodes. Many thorium-free tungsten electrodes are available. Some of these are cerium, lanthanum, yttrium, and zirconium tungsten electrodes. If thoriated tungsten electrodes cannot be replaced, authorities in work areas should utilize the use of proper handling of the said materials. That is following the Material Safety Data Sheet for thoriated tungsten electrodes. One should also take in to consideration the containment of the dust particles. This means that one should contain dusts created from grinding as soon as possible in order to prevent the health hazards associated to it. In addition to that, work area authorities should also assess the ventilations systems. In that way, one can control the flow of dust particles that is not contained so that workers will be able to prevent inhalation and ingestion of the said particles. Containment of the dust particles is only the first step. The next step after it is the disposal of the dust particles. Thoriated dust particles should be disposed properly and regularly. Disposal of thoriated tungsten electrode dust particles should be disposed with compliance to federal state (The Welding Institute, [TWI], 2008). Radiation obtained from thoriated tungsten electrode can be prevented if one complies with the recommendations that are given from the previous paragraph. There should be someone who is able to check if a work place complies with the recommendations. Federal authorities are one of the many institutions that implement the recommendations of the American Welding Society (AWS). In addition to that, public health officers are also responsible in implementing the said recommendations. Furthermore, work places should also have their own health and safety officers that ensure a healthy working environment for its workers (American Welding Society [AWS], 2003). Health risks in work places can be prevented in many ways. Recommendations made by some institutions are welcomed in order to have a healthy work place for welders. If strict implementation of health and safety recommendations made by AWS is enforced, health risks like internal radiation can be prevented. Knowledge is the key to being safe and healthy. Knowledge in proper handling of thoriated tungsten electrode and proper disposal of thoriated dust particles can eliminate hazards brought about not only by thorium but also by all of the other materials that can cause health hazards. In the end, safety and health of workers will still be the concern of everyone. References American Welding Society. (October 2003). Chromium and Nickel in Welding Fume. Safety and Health Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 6, 2009 from http://files. aws. org/technical/facts/FACT-04. PDF American Welding Society. (October 2003). Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes. Safety and Health Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 6, 2009 from http://files. aws. org/technical/facts/FACT-27. PDF Nickel Development Institute (NDI). (March 2001). Stainless Steel and Welding Fume. Nickel Institute. Retrieved May 6, 2009 from http://www. nickelinstitute. org/index. cfm/ci_id/229. htm The Welding Institute (TWI). (2008). The Use of Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes. Retrieved May 6, 2009 from http://www. twi. co. uk/content/faq_thoriated. html

Challenging Logistics And Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay

Challenging Logistics And Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay The supply chain can be defined as being a group of partners who collectively convert a basic commodity into a finished product that is of value to the end user. In the supply chain each partner must perform a task which adds value to the final product/service (Harrison, Van Hoek, 2008). The supply chain is viewed as a single entity rather than a series of fragmented elements such as procurement, manufacturing and distribution. Logistics management could be seen to include the long-term decisions and plans needed for reform, whereas the supply chain includes the more operational elements. In a supply chain, every partner ought to add value to the finished productservice through some process or procedure (Harrison and Van Hoek, 2008). Elements of Logistics Management: Storage, warehousing, material handling. Packaging and utilization. Inventory. Transport. Information and control. Source: Lecture Slide 1, Logistics strategy M32 SOR. Aim Research the strategic position of Diageo Plc from a logistics context in order to develop a suitable logistics strategy. Objectives: Research analyse a UK based brewerys current strategic position from a logistics perspective. Evaluate the key strategic approaches to logistics management that could be used by a UK based brewery. Identify the management issues caused by implementing a new logistics strategy with consideration for available capital, technical and human resources Outline the strategic significance of new technology developments and business trends on future logistic strategies for a retailer. Prepare and submit the report Diageo Plc- Background Diageo Plc is the leading beer, spirits, and wine company in the world. The company has a well diversified portfolio of alcoholic beverages and stock brands such as Josà © Cuervo, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, JB, Tanqueray, Bushmills Irish, Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyards wines and Guinness (www.diageo.com). Diageo is listed both on the London Stock Exchange (DGE) as well as the New York stock Exchange (DEO). Diageo has a wide brand portfolio. The company strives to maintain its leadership position and provide value to the customer. Diageo has manufacturing plants spread across countries and continents including United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, India, Africa, Caribbean, United States of America and Australia.  The company had worldwide sales worth  £8.09 billion in the year 2008. It operates in 180 markets in five continents across the globe (www.diageo.com). Diageo Plc was created when two of the most established breweries- Guiness Plc and Grand Metropolitan Plc- merged to form the present company in 1997. The company was then reorganised in 2004 into three distinct strategic business divisions, namely, Diageo Europe, Diageo North America and Diageo International. In 2005, Diageo acquired the oldest distillery in Ireland called Bushmills Distillery. In 2006, the company expanded into Russia and got a majority stake in Smirnov vodka business (www.diageo.com). Logistics strategy: A logistics strategic framework is aimed at aligning the different partners of a supply chain in a manner so as to meet and match the customers evolving demands. The objectives of such a logistics strategic framework are: Capital reduction: It implies increasing the returns on investments made in logistics assets. Cost reduction: It is to minimiseoptimise the costs associated with storage and movement of goods and supplies. Improvement in Service: it involves processes so as to achieve customer satisfaction. Competitive Structure and Competitors The international drinks and beverages market has players, such as Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, Brown Forman Co-operation, Moet-Hennessey (LVMH), and Fortune Brands (Beam Global). Pernod Ricard is a Paris-based multinational company which in 2008, acquired a Swedish company, V S Group, the makers of Absolut vodka. Brown-Forman Co-operation is one of the largest USA-based manufacturers of alcoholic beverages. In 2007, it acquired a Mexican company, Tequila Herradura, to add tequila drinks to its portfolio (Business Insights, 2009) Bacardi, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda is well known for its brand of rums. It is a family-owned multinational company operating in over 100 countries. Moet-Hennessey is manufacturer of spirits under the Paris-based parent company, LVMH (the largest retailer of luxury goods in the world). Fortune Brands are America-based manufacturers of wines and spirits and acquired many brands from UK-based Allied Domecq in 2005 (Business Insights, 2009). Diageo: Strategic Positioning An understanding of Diageos overall strategic positioning can help us in designing a logistics management strategy. Evaluation of the overall strategy is a precursor to develop a concurrent logistics strategy aligned with the companys long term vision. Generic Strategies for Diageo using Ansoff Analysis C:UsersuserDesktoprohit gulatibreweryansoff.jpg As is evident from the Ansoff matrix, Diageo has the following strategies: Consolidation of its position and market penetration in mature markets such as USA and Europe where it is well established. It is doing so both by organic as well as inorganic growth strategies. It is looking at newer territories and emerging markets such as Africa and Asia for market development of its existing products. It is developing products in mature markets so as to increase the share of wallet of the consumer. An example is RTD or ready-to-drink beverages, such as Smirnoff Ready-to-Drink beverage. Porters Five Forces Model Michael Porter developed his Five Forces model in 1979 to help businesses understand competition in a more comprehensive manner. Diagrammatically, it can be represented as follows: Source: Johnson Scholes 6th ed, exhibit 3.4 The model, when applied to Diageo Plc, helps understand the company environment and competition as follows: Bargaining Power of Suppliers: this is low as Diageo is an established company with a large market share and strong brand name. To gain advantage over its suppliers, it enters into long term contracts. Bargaining Power of Buyers: this is low as Diageo now positions itself as a manufacturer of premium and super-premium spirits and other alcoholic beverages. The market share of premium and super-premium brands of Diageo increased by 4.5% and 11% respectively. Threat of Competitors: it is high as it has a few international competitors in the form of Pernod Ricard, Brown-Forman and Bacardi. Major mergers and acquisitions have occurred in the alcoholic beverage industry leading to fewer players with extended brand portfolios and cross-border capabilities. Threat of Substitutes: This is low as alcoholic beverages are a socially acceptable form of intoxication that is not acceptable with any other substance. Threat of New Entrants: it is low as entry barriers are high in the form of increased regulation, increasing need of marketing by beverage companies to inform customers and increasing competitive nature of the industry. Please refer to Appendix A for further reading on competitiveness. Development of Existing Logistics Capabilities The environment under which Diageo functions is dynamic and changing rapidly. The characteristics that define its environment that one needs to understand to develop the logistics strategy are as follows: Expectations of service levels are increasing Consumers are becoming more sophisticated. Government regulations are becoming more stringent Commodity price pressures and intense competition cause opposite effects on price, affecting margins. Logistics can be of immense value to a company if approached in a correct and definitive manner. Its importance for various businesses has now increased from merely a cost incurring but necessary function to: An activity to generate significant cost savings. An activity with the potential to increase sales and customer satisfaction. A marketing tool to gain sustainable competitive advantage. The costs incurred by Diageo can be broadly understood as follows: C:UsersuserDesktoprohit gulatibrewerycogs.jpg Source: Gosnell, Investor Relations Conference, 2005 The global supply and logistics strategy also includes people and processes which Diageo classifies as Partners for growth (Gosnell, Investro Relations Conference, 2005). These can be classified as follows: Key Enablers: These are associated with people, processes and attitudes such as collaboration, teamwork, responsiveness and capability development. Qualifiers: These include protecting brand as well as Diageo reputation through maintaining brand quality, brand integrity, corporate citizenship and other such means. It may also include the resolve of the company to deliver competitive service to the customer at the right value. Winners: these include processes to reduce end-to-end supply chain costs, overall costs, driving technology and research and ability to execute the strategy as expected. The various features of this strategy implemented by Diageo in inbound as well as outbound logistics and value creation are as follows: Reducing the overall cost of goods sold: Diageo has set a target of 2% real cost reduction each year. The philosophy here is that savings can come from all components of the supply chain such as procurement, logistics, manufacturing and brand value, each of which will be subsequently looked into. The large scale operations of Diageo provide it with an advantage in all these areas. Procurement: Glass and energy are two largest components of Diageos cost of goods. To control energy costs, it uses forward purchasing; spot purchasing as well as short term tactical purchasing. For glass supply assurance and price control, it entered a strategic relationship with Owens-Illinois and gave it the preferred supplier status. At the same time, it developed alternate supplier relations as well such as with Altajir, based in Europe, with which it entered a 3 to 5 year deal. Also, Diageo also leveraged newer supply sources from Asia and Eastern Europe as these emerging economies are reliable on quality, pricing, service and innovation. As an example, this has led to 40%-50% cost saving on cartons, 20% on crowns and 15%-20% on casings. Manufacturing: Diageo tries to maximise the benefits of economies of scale. It has larger but fewer manufacturing facilities, thus having high fixed costs but low variable costs. It has sold or closed 11 facilities in Europe, 5 in North America and 3 in Asia/Africa. In the rest of the manufacturing plants, it has tried to fully optimise the advantages of the Diageo scale; e.g.: Shieldhall, Scotland is the largest volume spirits packaging plant but still has only 7 lines. Logistics: Diageo uses the pilot principles involving a central hub warehouse that can supply to the surrounding markets. These warehouses are strategically located and use cross-border shipments to meet demand. This model also minimises costs by maximising throughput. This has led to 20% reduction in manpower requirements, 25% reduction in stock and enhanced service performance. An example of the pilot principles model in Europe for Diageo is as follows: C:UsersuserDesktoprohit gulatidIAGEO_brewery_3250warehouse.jpg Source: Gosnell, Investor Relations Conference, 2005 Brand Value and Value Engineering: An example of value engineering would be the Guinness can size that was reduced by 7%, weight reduced by 1% without loss of volume held. JW bottles glass weight was reduced by 22% as another example. This has led to reduction in packaging, hauling and shipping costs. Also, Diageo intends to create value for its customers while preserving its brand image. It intends to do so through Improving existing quality standards Implementing environmental management systems Crisis management simulations for business resilience Optimise supply flexibility Strategic Approaches to Logistics Management There are two motivations suggested for designing a logistics strategy (Whittington 1993). These included the goals of setting the logistics strategy and how deliberate the processes were of setting the logistics strategy. A matrix was hence developed and helped firms evaluate the logistics strategy. Benchmarking Diageo can utilise benchmarking to evaluate its logistics performance in comparison to its competitors or companies from different industries altogether. Benchmarking can be defined as a process of continuously measuring and comparing ones business performance against comparable processes in leading organizations to obtain information that will help the organization identify and implement improvements (Benson 1998). Benchmarking can also be understood as a process for identification of best practices by comparing key performance indicators for a specific activity across organisations and using these performance levels as inputs for corporate goal setting (Gourdin, 2001) Diageo can utilise this to compare its practices with respect to other companies, industries or markets. Benchmarking can be used in a variety of logistic processes such as warehouse operations, mode and carrier selection, order processing, forecasting and packaging. However, certain steps need to be ensured before em barking on benchmarking (Gourdin, 2001). These are as follows: Defining the present performance level of the benchmarked activity. Determining the level of performance desired in this activity to be benchmarked. Determining what improvements can be made and to be made Determining how to make the desired improvements to achieve desired performance levels. Estimate and set a time frame for the completion of the process. Collaboration/Co-operation Collaboration is the most sophisticated form of electronic integration. If electronic integration occurs at all levels, namely strategic, tactical and operational, it is called as collaboration. It helps the supply chain members to come together so as to better forecast future demand and to design plans and implement them to meet these demands. The members can collaborate on new product planning, demand forecasting and replenishment planning. Collaboration allows information to be rapidly exchanged and hence, all participants of the collaboration have access to updated and latest information. It can also help to reduce costs and the data fed into the system can be used for monitoring and feedback activities. The co-operative approach simply refers to the degree of external and internal collaboration among the supply chain members. Partnerships/Alliances Companies now realise the concept of strategic long term relationship with suppliers. The underlying reason for this realisation is the need to improve customer service or add value to the finished product. An alliance is said to be strategic when it is strategic in focus and also directly supports one of the partners distinctive core competencies (Grant et al, 2006). Partnerships not only help the members in sharing information, knowledge and experience but also aid in lowering the risks for any one player. Diageo, as motioned previously, has a long term partnership with Owen-Illinois, a USA-based glass manufacturing company. It has been accorded special supplier status and given a contract for 3 years. It has also increased the scale of Owen-Illinois. Diageo can forge similar partnerships with various other members of its supply chain. Just in time (JIT) A JIT-based program aims at ensuring that the right quantities are produced at the right time and reach the consumer at the right moment of need so that there is no waste. Waste has been defined in JIT programs as anything that does not add value to the end product. One unit more or less than needed is considered as waste. Total Quality Management is a concept whose principle is concurrent with those of JIT and both may need to be implemented simultaneously so as to add value to companys operations. A successful and functional JIT program, however, needs the following to be achieved by the company: Steady production Flexible resources No machine breakdowns Reliable suppliers High quality product/service Rapid machine set-ups Discipline to maintain every of the above functions running over a continuum Implementation of JIT For JIT to be successful in Diageo, adaptation of the JIT concepts in its environmental set up is essential. The main concepts of eliminating waste, quick changeovers, flexibility in resources and partnering with suppliers have to be realised and has been described as a two-stage process (Gourdin, 2001). Establish foundations (this refers to quality, low cost, minimum lead times, flexibility: these can be achieved through Total Quality Management, flexible and trained workforce, reduction in setup time and focus on design). Core Techniques (pull scheduling, multi-functional workforce, JIT purchasing). JIT is a volume and demand driven program. It requires a certain level of stable demand for it to be successful. It cannot be implemented in a business that has unique orders or low volumes of operation. Moreover, companies should strive to improve JIT systems as technology advances. Lean Management First introduced by Toyota Production Systems, lean management is a concept of reducing waste and non-value adding activities from the value chain. The main elements of lean management are small batch size production, pull creation and reduction in variability. It says that a pull is created when a customer demands a product and only that should lead to production, thus reducing stock wastes and large inventories or batch sizes. Two very important principles associated with lean management are kaizen (continuous improvement) and kaikaku (radical improvement). This encourages improvement in the processes on incremental as well as radical levels. Lean management helps in reducing lead times and reduce variability in demand, supply and manufacturing by standardisation of procedures. Value Chain Analysis: Source: Johnson et al, 2008 The concept of a value chain was developed by Michael Porter. He suggested that the functions in an organisation can be split into primary activities concerned with creation and delivery of product and service and supporting activities (Johnson et al, 2008). The value chain analysis helps the company identify its various components of the value chain and what are the activities at which value added can be increased. A fundamental value chain for Diageo can look like this: C:UsersuserDesktoprohit gulatibreweryvaluechain.jpg Issues relevant to the development of strategies Integration of logistics strategy with corporate and business level strategies is essential for success of all these strategic outlooks. Diageo has integrated logistics strategy with the overall corporate strategy to streamline procurement, manufacturing and delivery operations (Gosnell, 2005). It has helped Diageo become the largest player in the international alcohol beverage market. However, scope for further improvement always exists. A Step Model can be used by Diageo to develop and assess its logistics strategy and identify its strengths and loopholes. What Diageo must realise is that there are certain factors in the supply chain that are beyond the control of the company. Trying to manage such factors by the management can lead to waste creation and loss of value. These can include increased competitive pricing and product pressures, unanticipated actions by competitors that can dent Diageos market share or size, legal and regulatory changes and many others. Management Issues Caused by Implementing Newer Strategies New strategy implementation can directly affect the capital, technical and human resources of a company. Good leadership during change as well as effective communication can help implement the change in an efficient manner. During implementation and modification of logistics strategy, due importance should be given to HR management and other organisational issues. Ignorance of HR issues is the most common, yet often ignored cause of failure to implement changes in strategy, even when they denote improvement over previous processes. These issues such as recruitment, training and appraisal, autonomy, flexibility and reward systems are important factors to be taken into consideration to enable smoother transitions. Specific to logistics, the management should review the current staffing and skills, allocation and training of staff, as well as current recruitment criteria and procedures. It should also consider the impact of market pull and technological push on the strategy design and p lan. Likewise, operational issues have to be monitored and requirements in terms of people, capital and equipment resources have to be met. These are necessary for any new tactically significant operations the company plans to undertake. Force field analysis can also be used to help stakeholders accept the change and understand the requirements, implications and resistances to the change in strategy. The model also suggests that there are two forces primarily in the business field, namely, driving force and resistance force. The management should strive to increase the strength of the former and reduce that of the latter while implementing change. Collaboration can play a significant role in the implementation of change. This is so because the companys suppliers and customers are also stakeholders in the company and can resist change. Internal collaboration, intercompany collaboration and electronic collaboration should be implemented while keeping in mind the ECR (efficient consumer response). New Technology Implementation and Future Trends in Logistics Strategy Diageo, due to its international and cross border supply chain should now focus on localised supply chains and distribution systems. This can help reduce haulage and shipping costs. Employment of low cost communications and cost computing technologies can aid in this endeavour and also help in increasing capability to extend product variety. Diageo has to be agile and flexible to incorporate these and any such positive technological advances. This can lead to increased pressure on cost-efficient, strategically beneficial logistics management due to increasing competition. As a result, increased pressures may be felt on supply chain networks viz. replenishment ordering, continuous ordering and supply flows, cross docking and stockless warehousing with product tracking (Harrison, Van Hoek, 2008). Scenario planning is a simulation attempt to generate realistic and plausible situations of the industry. Diageo can use it to simulate various market conditions, future situations and competitor capabilities. Such an uncertainty-based scenario matrix is highle effective in evaluation-based planning over the medium and long term. RFID Radio frequency Identification is used by Diageo wherever plausible. However, Diageo should try and implement the technology in all markets for more efficient product tracking, demand tracking and supply chain flexibility. It also helps in rapidly collecting data about demand levels and consumption patterns in various markets. RFID is a wireless technology that uses radio signalling for electronic identification and object labelling (Harrison, Von Hoek, 2008). This system works in alignment to the organisations information systems. This helps in improving business processes such as supply chain management while relaying significant market data. RFID systems primarily consist of three components: Transponders: These are also called as contactless data carriers or Tags. They can carry information data feeded into them and identify objects to which they are attached. Readers: These devices communicate with the RFID tags and read the information stored in them. Software Applications: These are the applications that feed and retrieve the data from a tag via the readers. RFID vs. Barcodes RFID are a technological advancement over barcode. The RFID tags can store as much information as a barcode can and sometimes more. Information carried by barcodes cannot be edited. In case of RFID tags information can be edited or updated. Moreover, this function can be repeatedly performed without any loss of data or damage to tags memory. The security systems inbuilt in the RFID systems are also better as it uses tags uses authentication and encrypted data transfer methods. ERP Baheshti, 2006 defined an ERP system as a collection of business applications, which links various business units of an organisation such as financial, accounting, manufacturing, sales and marketing and human resources into a tightly integrated single system with a common platform for streamlined flow of information across the entire business. Reengineering of companies is facilitated through ERP systems so that they are in a better position to empower employees, satisfy needs and demands of the customers and create better business value (Willis and Willis-Brown, 2002) ERP systems helps create reenergized companies that are in a position to better serve customers, empower employees, and drive greater business value (Willis and Willis-Brown, 2002). Since Diageo has three separate business units catering to different geographical regions, the task of collecting and analysing data is a daunting one at Diageo. ERP system can integrate these data flows across all the business units and their various divisions so as to better understand the industry events and design and/or modify strategy accordingly. It can thus act as a competitive advantage to the company in the long run by better understanding of the international market place and varied needs and requirements of the consumers across borders. This can thus help in driving Diageos overall operational efficiency and functional effectiveness. References: Presentation by David Gosnell, Managing Director, Diageo Global Supply, Investor Relations Conference, November 2005 Business Insights, The Top 10 Spirits Companies: Industry Trends and Growth Strategies of Leading Players, April 2009 Presentation by Stuart Fletcher, President, Diageo International, April 2009 Baheshti, H. M. (2006) What Managers Should Know About ERP/ERPII: Management Research News. Vol. 29(4) [online] available from Fenn, D. (2005) 10 edn. Key Note. Hampton: Key Note Ltd Gourdin, k. (2001) Global Logistics Management. Oxford: Blackwell Grant, D., Lambert, D., Stock, J., Ellram, L. (2006) Fundamentals of logistics Management. Berkshire: McGraw Hill Education Harrison, A., Van Hoek, A. (2008) 3 edn. Logistics Management and Strategy. Essex: Pearson Education Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2008) 8th edn. Exploring Corporate Strategy. England: Pearson Education Rushton, A., Croucher, P., Baker, P. (2006) 3 edn. The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management. London: Kogan Willis, H. Willis-Brown, H. A. (2002) Extending the value of ERP: Journal of Industrial Management Data Systems, [online] Available from www.diageo.com.