Consumerism Essay

Taking the green to the extreme A lot of consumer groups are starting to show up against capitalism and consumerism. They strive to come out with the message that â€Å"less is more†, meaning that buying less is better for the environment. They are taking recycling to another level. The question is, is it possible to make a huge impact? Do we really need to stop consuming to make a difference? And how bad do we need a change? One of these groups are called freegans. Freegans are people living an anti-consumer lifestyle, they choose to re-use food that is being tossed to the curbside but the food being tossed is edible.A lot of people think that it is obscene to eat food out of a dumpster or curbside and that it is impossible to know how long the food has been out there. They are not necessarily being freegans out of economical issues they are doing it out of principle because they do not wish to fund those big corporations that are spoiling the environment and they also think about the homeless people and give them some of the food they find since they get so much that they cannot take it all home. Their message is being well received, since some stores put the food in way that makes it easy for them to pick and choose and they even wink at them.Another group is the Compact that are against consumerism. It originated in 2005 at dinner party in San Francisco, where the guests decided to take recycling to another level by going a whole year without making a new purchase but they are allowed to buy used items and are encouraged to borrow and reuse whatever possible. They too think that consumerism is destroying the world and that most of us own more than we need. Their concept is being taken rather seriously and has quickly been spread all across the United States of America. Almost 3. 00 people from all over the world has taken part of the concept on Yahoo and the participants think that it has been a rewarding experience. Quote from John Perry the co-foun der of the Compact group – â€Å"We’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and competitive spirit with friends,â€Å" Perry said. â€Å"And it’s been really good for us to think about what we need, as opposed to what we want† When Colin Beavan got the news about global warming and he did not feel that the government was doing something about it, so he decided to do something about it, therfore he did something that nobody has done in thousands of years.Colin Beavan decided to live without electricity through a whole year with his daughter and wife. Other initiatives are to use low-energy transportation, eliminating trash, eating locally and seasonal and so on He wrote a book called â€Å"No Impact Man: A Year Off the Grid† based on his experiences throughout the year he was living without electricity. Colin Beavan says that whenever they were bored they went to the park and hung out with their neighbors and in this way they were both being social and sparing the environment. Colin Beavan has encouraged people to do the same by starting the No Impact Experiment.There is a webpage were you can register yourself to join the No Impact Experiment, you can schedule how you are going to live a week and upload videos of how well you are doing, so that everyone can see your results. Personally I think that these are some amazing initiatives and it is very inspiring but I do not think I would be able to live by eating food from the dumpsters or without electricity, I am too accustom to the way I am living like right now and I believe a lot people would have difficulties because they are to accustom to the way they are, I know a lot of people who cannot live without their cell phones or being on Facebook.A lot of the things that a couple years ago we almost did not use have become a necessity for us, e. g. internet, or at least for my generation. I do think that even the smallest thing you do, can help the environment and the small steps are the ones that are going to help the environment. ?

Modeling Product Line Variants

CNC &CSEE – 2013 Complete Program Schedule Registration-8. 00AM— 8. 30AM Date:22-Feb-2013 Hall I Session 1 Time: 8. 30AM – 11. 15 AM Chair 1: Dr. Janahanlal Stephen ( Ilahia Chair 2: Dr. Yogesh Chaba ( Guru College of Engg & Tech, India) Jambheshwar University of Sc. & Tech. India) Paper ID Title Registered Author CNC2013 ­Ã‚  27  F On ­line  Power  System  Static  Security   Sunitha  R Assessment  in  a  Distributed  Computing  Frame Work CNC2013 ­Ã‚  30  F Multiple  Automatic  Design  Vector  Generation  for   Selva  Kumar  R   Efficient  Systolic  Architecture  using  NICCNC2013 ­Ã‚  32  F A  Rough  Set  Based  Feature  Selection  Algorithm   S  Ã‚  Muthurajkumar for  Effective  Intrusion  Detection  in  Cloud  Model CNC2013 ­39  F Sub ­feature  Selection  with  Privacy  in Hemanta  Kumar Decentralized  Network  based  on  Fuzzy Bhuyan Environment CNC2013- 54 F Active  Inductor  based  Tunable  VCO  for  UMTS,    J. Manjula CDMA  2000,  EDGE,  Flash  OFDM  and  802. 15. 4 Applications CNC2013 ­Ã‚  56  F An  Efficient  Design  Approach  for  Low  Leakage  &   Shweta  Singh   High  Performance  MTCMOS  Circuit;  with  NBTI Aware  Analysis CNC2013 ­Ã‚  61  F A  Novel  Fingerprint  Indexing  Technique  based   N  Ã‚  Poonguzhali n  Level ­1  and  Level ­Ã‚  2  Features CNC2013 ­Ã‚  68  F A  Review  on  Security  in  Vehicular  Network Bhagyashree Gadekar  (Dharaskar) CNC2013 ­Ã‚  72  F Personal  Authentication  based  on  Angular   K. Usha Geometric  Analysis  using  Finger  Back  Knuckle Surface CNC2013 ­Ã‚  76  F A  New  Trust  Management  Mechanism  for   A  Sudhir  Babu Improving  the  Performance  of  DSR  Protocol CNC2013- 85 F Framework of an Automata Capable of Modeling Arpit Reversibility along-with Concurrency and Probabilistic Environment CNC2013-534 F Computational Solution of First Order Linear Elayaraja AruchunanFredholm Integro-Differential Equations by QuarterSweep Successive Over Relaxation Method Tea Break 11. 15AM – 11. 30 AM Official Inauguration -11. 30AM—12. 00 PM Key Note-12. 00 PM—12. 45 PM Photo Session-12. 45 PM — 1. 00 PM Lunch Break- 1. 00 PM—2. 00 PM Date:22-Feb-2013 Hall I Chair 1: Dr. Janahanlal Stephen ( Ilahia College of Engg & Tech, India) Session 2 Time: 2. 00 PM – 4. 00 PM Chair 2: Dr. Deshmukh Ratnadeep (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, India ) Paper ID Title Registered Author CNC2013-535 F Efficient  computer  aided  system  based  on   B. Sridhar athematical  morphology  and  higher  order partial  differential  equations  for  breast  cancer detection CNC2013 ­544  F Fuzzy  Based  Node  Disjoint  QoS  Routingà ‚  in   Vijayashree  Budyal MANETs  by  Using  Agents CNC2013-546 F Trust Assessment Policy Manager in Cloud Ajay Basil Varghese Computing CNC2013-556 F An  Analysis  of  Linear  and  Non ­linear  Controller   A. Rameshkumar on  Quasi ­Resonant  Buck  Converter CNC2013-558 F Prefiltering Approach to the Non-Blind Beamforming Swapnil M. Hirikude Algorithm for Smart Antenna CNC2013 ­Ã‚  34  S A  Gaussian  Plume ­based  Population  Exposure   Manish  VermaApproach  to  Railroad  Transportation  of Hazardous  Materials CNC2013 ­Ã‚  44  S Artificial  Neural  Network  Based  Learning  in   Mithra  Venkatesan Cognitive  Radio CNC2013 ­Ã‚  50  S Speech  Recognition  using  Hidden  Markov  Model Varsha  N  Degaonkar CNC2013 ­525  S Optimization  of  Inter ­satellite  Link  (ISL)  in   Amandeep  Kaur Hybrid  OFDM ­IsOWC  Transmission  System Tea Break 4. 00 PM â€⠀œ 4. 15 PM Date:22-Feb-2013 Hall I Session 3 Time: 4. 15 PM – 5. 45 PM Chair 1: Dr. Yogesh Chaba ( Guru Chair 2: Dr. Deshmukh Ratnadeep Jambheshwar University of Sc. & Tech. (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada India) University, India ) Paper IDTitle Registered Author CSEE2013- 10 F Classification of Devnagari Handwritten Characters Dinesh V. Rojatkar using Single Hidden Layer Neural Network with Mixed Activation Function CSEE2013- 15 F Fuzzy Logic Controller with Maximum Power Point Arulmurugan R Tracking Using Creative Design of DC to DC Buck Converter for Photovoltaic Power System CSEE2013-519 F Power  Gating  Approach  for  Design  of  45nm  Low   Chhavi Saxena Ground  Bounce  Noise  Carry  Look  Ahead  Adder Circuit CSEE2013- 8 S An Optimization Approach for Power Factor S. Neelima Correction and Capacitor Placement in a Distribution SystemCSEE2013- 502 S Wireless  Sensor  Network  (WSN)  Using  Particle   Shekh  Md Swarm  Opti mization Mahmudul  Islam CSEE2013- 521 S Simulation and Design of SRF Based Control Gnanaprakasam D CSEE2013- 14 P CSEE2013-520 P Algorithm for Three Phase Shunt Active Power Filter Effect of Energy storage Devices in Hydrothermal Power Systems by Using Various Controllers Fuzzy Controlled Shunt Active Power Filter for Line Harmonic Mitigation B. Partheeban Durgalakshmi. K Date: 23-Feb-2013 Hall I Chair 1: Dr. Janahanlal Stephen ( Ilahia College of Engg & Tech, India) Paper ID CNC2013 ­Ã‚  65  F CNC2013- 11 S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  22  SCNC2013 ­Ã‚  33  S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  55  S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  57  S CNC2013 ­59  S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  64  S CNC2013- 71 S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  82  S CNC2013 ­Ã‚  87  S Session 4 Time: 9. 00 AM – 11. 00 AM Chair 2: Dr. Deshmukh Ratnadeep (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, India ) Title Registered Author K ­phase  Erlang  Distribution  method  in  Cloud Ayush  Agarwal Computing A Framework for Evaluating Web Service based on B Taslina Threat Patterns Integration  of  Customizable  Wireless  Sensor A  Ã‚  Lakshmi Node  with  Cascade  Control  System Sangeetha A  Meta ­Heuristic  Approach  to  Rail ­Truck Manish  Verma Intermodal  Transportation  of  Hazardous MaterialsWeMDAG:  Web  Sequential  Pattern  Mining  using   Srikantaiah  K  C Directed  Acyclic  Graph A  Semantic  Web  Approach  to  Verifying  Product Sheikh  Md. Alam Line  Variant  Requirements Hossain Privacy  for  Feature  Selection  in  Distributed  Data   Hemanta  Kumar   Mining  using  Knowledge  based  Data  Support Bhuyan An  Effective  Resource  Allocation  Scheme  in M  Ã‚  Prasad Relay  Enhanced  LTE ­A J. Sengathir Selfish  Aware  Mathematical  Model  Based  On Conditional  Reliability  Expectation  Coefficient A  Unified  Architecture  for  Surfacing  the G  Ã‚  Pavai Contents   of  Deep  Web  Databases Multi ­Objective  Clustering  Using  Artificial  BeeSeyed  Saleh Colony Rastkhadiv Tea Break 11. 00 AM – 11. 15 AM Date: 23-Feb-2013 Hall I Session 5 Time: 11. 15AM – 1. 00PM Chair 1: Dr. Janahanlal Stephen ( Ilahia Chair 2: Dr. Yogesh Chaba ( Guru College of Engg & Tech, India) Jambheshwar University of Sc. & Tech. India) Paper ID Title Registered Author CNC2013-514 S P Asha Mining  Interesting  Association  Rules  with  a Heterogeneous  Environment CNC2013-516 S Multilevel Cryptography Scheduler Chaitali Chandankhede CNC2013 ­529  S A  Review  of  Matrix  Converter  and  Novel  Control   K  V  Kandasamy Method  of  DC ­AC  Matrix  ConverteCNC2013 ­549  S Impact  of  Fin  Dimensions  and  Gate  Dielectric   Kiran  Bailey Thickness  on  the  Static  Power  Dissipation  of  6T ­ FinFET  SRAM  cell Reconfigurable  Supercell  Design  f or  Pseudo Inverse  Module  using  Xilinx  System  Generator CNC2013 ­37  P Comparative  study  of  Effects  of  delay  in  Load Balancing  scheme  for  highly  load  variant Interactive  Applications CNC2013 ­Ã‚  51  P A  Novel  Approach  For  De ­Noising  CT  Images CNC2013  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  52  P Highly  Parallel  Pipelined  VLSI  Ã‚  Implementation   of  Lifting  Based  2D  Discrete  Wavelet  Transform CNC2013 ­Ã‚  63  P Enhancing  the  security  framework  in  cloud C infrastructureCNC2013 ­511  P Challenging  Issues  in  Inter ­Satellite  Optical   Wireless  Systems  (IsOWC)  and  its  Mitigation Techniques CNC2013 ­513  P Policy  Driven  Dynamic  LUN  space  optimization   Based  on  the  Utilization CNC2013 ­515  P Challenging  Issues  in  VANET  Network  and  its   Routing  Algorithms ­An  Analysis CNC2013-562 S Shirly Edward. A Sampada  S Kalmankar Mredhula  Ã‚  L Jayaraj  U  Kidav Kiran  S Aparna  B  Bhat Amandeep  Kaur Taranisen  Mohanta Shashi  Kant Lunch Break 1. 00 PM – 2. 00 PM Date: 23-Feb-2013 Hall II Chair 1: Dr. Yogesh Chaba ( Guru Jambheshwar University of Sc. & Tech. India) Paper IDCNC2013-526 P CNC2013 ­532  P CNC2013 ­540  P CNC2013-545 P CNC2013-574 P CNC2013-576 P CNC2013 ­582  P CNC2013-560 T CNC2013 ­563  T CNC2013-577 T Session 6 Time: 2. 00PM – 3. 45PM Chair 2: Dr. Deshmukh Ratnadeep (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, India ) Title Registered Author Information Extraction in Knowledge Grid based on Praveen Desai Algebraic Approach using Software Agents An  Analytical  Approach  To  Analyze  The  Impact   Usha  G   Of  Gray  Hole  Attacks  In  Manet A  Comparative  Study  of  Different  Load Pooja  Gandodhar Balancing  Techniques  for  heterogeneous  nodes P. V. MuralidharSpectral  Analysis  Of  Shadow  Ã‚  Window ­FIR Filters An Integrated Framework for IT Infrastructure V. R. Elangovan Management by Work Flow Management using Hierarchical Tree Structure Evaluate  Combined  Sobel ­Canny  Edge  Detector   Luma Salal Hasan for  Image  Procssing A  Secure  Software  Engineering  Perspective Arun  Mishra Agent Based Aggregation of Cloud Services- A Sreedevi R. Research Agenda Nagarmunoli How  Unstable  is  an  Unstable  System  ? Garimella  Rama Murthy Service Selection using Non-Functional Properties K. Ponmozhi in MANETs Tea Break- 3. 45 PM—4. 00 PM Closing Ceremony 4. 00 PM – 4. 30 PM

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans Assignment

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans - Assignment Example Written by Mitch Albom in 1997 to pay for his favorite teacher’s medical bills (CNN, 2001), â€Å"Tuesdays With Morrie† has sold more than 1 million copies and is one of the top literature used to teach and cultivate critical thinking skills in undergraduate health care courses. The novel tackles the true story of Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor of Brandeis University who developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a summary of the weekly conversation between the author and Morrie which dealt with issues such as marriage, family, relationships, culture, love, emotions, forgiving, aging and death. Mitch described it as their â€Å"last class together†¦[where they] talked all day about what’s important in life once you know you’re going to die† (CNN, 2001). The book is often categorized as a biographical and philosophical novel and is read for entertainment but it also provides different insights for medical practitioners. Over the years, it has served as a guide towards understanding health equity, and social justice in health care. Its lessons about aging and dying provides readers with a unique approach towards dealing with individuals who are terminally ill. The story raises various moral dilemmas, perhaps the most important of which is the understanding of death. In the book, Morrie remarks, â€Å"Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it† (Albom, 1997, p.76). This was a comment not only about the fear of death, but also, the lifestyles that people live. Morrie believed that most Americans do not prepare for death, hence they are unable to appreciate their lives. He expounds, â€Å"[M]ost of us walk around as if we’re sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do† (Albom, 1997, p. 77). People prioritize work over their families because they think they need money in order to enjoy life, but in the process, they waste their time working, never realizing that their families are moving on without them. People have become so involved in materialistic things that they never really appreciate the beauty of nature, â€Å"the loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted† (Albom, 1997, p. 78). Morrie’s insights were unique in that it talks about the failure of the American culture to provide its people with a sense of purpose. The American belongs to a society of consumers – their homes, cars, and bank accounts determine their success. Hence, early in life, most people are already conditioned to work hard in order to fulfill their economic needs. For Morrie, people waste their time running after things that does not provide them with purpose. He says to Mitch,

Film Viewer Opinion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Viewer Opinion Paper - Essay Example I watched movies which listed great performers but the movie itself was a disappointment and I also watched not well-known actors on unpopular movies but was more satisfied at the end of the film compared to some well-advertized movies. Just because well-known artists are performing does not always guarantee a satisfactory movie experience. It is also important to take a look at other works of the director, if there have been good reviews constantly given, the film might be worth watching, though it is not also a guarantee because directors are also artists who may make a masterpiece and one that is not satisfactory. If the three aforementioned features are met, watch the film. I love humor in stories but of course when the entire film portrays humorous events, it would not be realistic anymore. I think the most important things to consider, to ensure an enjoyable movie, are humor and facts. I guess we basically experience the same emotions and that is what most would look in a movie. It is the thread that undeniably binds actors, directors and viewers. Twists make a film interesting also because it stirs up a viewer’s curiosity and mathematical abilities to be put at work. When unexpected turns unfold, viewers are satisfied that they have not guessed the possibilities before the scenes were shown and they are left to be amazed at how the story was presented. I think that makes a movie interesting. On the other hand, when viewers can tell what would come next in the story, they feel they can almost tell the story even without finishing the film. This makes them feel bored and might regret even giving the movie a thought. Lessons learned also make a film enjoyable. When a movie offers insights that viewers could adopt for practical living, it can spark their interest and hold their attention until the finish. That is why movies

American Children Addicted to Fast Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

American Children Addicted to Fast Food - Essay Example There are many types of fast food outlets that are providing the consumers with burgers, soft drinks, French fries and other such types of items that are considered as non-healthy. Some popular brands of fast food outlets are McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Hardees and other such types of outlets. The reason why the young generation gets attracted towards the fast food outlets are they like hanging out with friends and partying all the times, fast food items are available almost everywhere and it is also inexpensive. Students are able to buy the fast food with their pocket money. In school canteens if we observe, majority of the items sold to students are of junk food and unhealthy items such as chips, fries, burgers and other such items. These types of unhealthy food affect the ability of the child for attaining proper nutritious food. Due to constant intake of fast food, the consumers and especially students may have to face situations of malnutrition. Unhealthy food has a lot of consequences. It affects the health very badly for both young and old consumers. Unhealthy diet tends to be the cause of many diseases that an individual may have to bear due to unhealthy eating lifestyle. Fast food products use a large quantity of oil and as we know fried food is not good for the health. The constant use of fast food products by students tends to make them habitual of constantly enjoying fast food and they develop this habit at their adulthood level as well which is not a good sign at all. Fast food may lower the self esteem of an individual as these types of food may make a person feel too full to think actively or do anything active for that matter. Therefore, as we can see many side effects are present for having fast food products by children and especially in America as we know a huge amount of fast food products are consumed by the children. The children may suffer from

On Being A Music Therapist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On Being A Music Therapist - Essay Example t; highly developed aural awareness; and the ability to make arrangements for unconventional combinations of instruments requiring variable or minimal levels of playing proficiency† (Musictherapyworld.de). A basic knowledge in â€Å"human psychological, physiological and emotional response to music, historical development of music therapy, detailed study of one music therapy approach, wide range of music therapy approaches and their theoretical bases, and the ability to compare contrast and critically evaluate clinical applications† are significant in the practice and application of the profession (Musictherapyworld.de). In becoming a professional MT, one must possess fine personal qualification and attitude such as: being responsible; good in written and oral communication skill; good interpersonal skill; â€Å"knowledgeable in professional and institutional code of ethics, experience in a multi-disciplinary team, sharing and accessing Bachelor degree in music therapy is necessary in acquiring the profession as a music therapist. United States of America is setting a standard in granting the board certificate to MT graduates. â€Å"A music therapist must complete 1200 hours of clinical training in addition to required coursework, research, and passing a nationally accredited certification exam† to be a Board-Certified or MT-BC (Wikipedia.com). The various cultures, practices, and lifestyles have an influence on physical, emotional, and mental aspects of a person. Dealing and living with our high-stressed, busy, and sophisticated technology-oriented environment subject us to sickness, depression, psychological illness and others. Thus, music therapy gives more opportunity in terms of employment and career because everyday more people are having those negative feelings that need to be treated. I have great interest in choosing this career since I have the potential skills in the field of music. I can play guitar and electronic organ and even compose my own songs.

Micro economic assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Micro economic - Assignment Example From the Isocost Isoquant analysis graph above, we assume that corn (C) and Oil (O) are utilized in the production of biofuels (B). Therefore, the production function for biofuels will be represented by B= f(C, O). In the graph, the prices of oil and corn have been represented by PO and PC respectively. Figure 2: Equilibrium Price and Quantity in the Market for Corn .High Isocost and Isoquant curves results when the demand of biofuels increases which results in an increase in production levels of biofuels. For the production of biofuels to be effected, corn has to be used. Since, increased biofuels demands imply increased production of biofuels, it is right to say that the demand for corn will also increase significantly. Consequently, the demand that arises from the production of biofuels and that of food consumption would be compromised as depicted in figure 2 with D2 and D1 respectively. The result ripple effect will, therefore, mean that the price of corn will increase thereby le ading to a reduction in the consumption of corn as food. Many people will, therefore, opt for alternatives or substitutes since there will be reduced food availability. An isoquant is a curve that combines factors that are employed in production to arrive at the same output level. The isoquant has no effects in the changes of input prices. Every isoquant shows an output level. Isoquants of Higher levels show high output level (Baumol and Blinder 2011). An isocost line on the other line combines various factors, which are same in cost (Baumol and Blinder 2011). That why it is a straight line. The intercepts represent the amount of units of input which can be employed when it is the only purchased factor in a budget. The slope gives the price. The higher the line means that a higher cost is incurred. Therefore, the increase in prices of corns leads to a movement of the isocost line along the x axis towards the origin. Given a constant budget the quantity of corn can only be reduced. T his will lead to a change in the isocost lines. This will further lead to a rise of isocost line along conventional axis. ii. Analyze how developments in agricultural and conversion technology might influence the impacts identified in Part A (i). To counter the effects caused by increased demand for biofuels, increased conversion technology and agricultural productivity as well as use of Agricultural biotechnology and second generation biofuels would suffice (Zilberman, et al. 2008). Changes in technology are internal or depend on the economic conditions. An economy that opts to move away from inputs that cost much can always adopt technology changes. It is a mechanism that solves the increased cost of input problems. In the situation of increased costs of corn, there can be an adoption of technology to deal with the problem. Changes in technology will lead to reduction of quantity of input that is needed and, therefore, reduce the costs that are involved. The output level will incr ease with the same cost constraint. Therefore, the supply will increase hence the demand will fall (Rubinstein 2006). iii. Analyze the effects of increased competition between participants in the oil market on the impacts identified in Part A (i). In case, there is increased competition in the market of oil ceteris paribus; the prices of oil are bound to fall. If the prices of oil fall, it means that the prices of inputs will drop as oil is the input used in production of biofuels. Therefore, using the same cost allocated for production the

Analyze the influences of internal politics in desired career path in Essay - 1

Analyze the influences of internal politics in desired career path in criminal justice - Essay Example I am able to implement several strategies in order to escape the cut through satisfying my boss with decent, high-quality work. To begin with, I have to be smart in everything I does. I have to demonstrate the level of my education and the significance of attaining a master’s degree in social work, psychology and criminal justice to complement my experience and advance in my career. The advantage I have is that several of the other probation officers hold bachelor’s degrees in associated fields therefore, with my masters; I am still in a good position to beat them and understand these probationers. Moreover, I also have to connect and share information with other professionals, which I may come across probably those that we did, masters degree together. Most of them are involved in community activity groups, social service programs, and even the family members of the probationers (Walker, 2001). Working with such people may help me get to understand new approaches for administering probationers. Besides, through spending additional time with other individuals in the life of the offender, I will be demonstrating that I have a stake in supporting and helping the offender get back to productivity. Afterwards, the offender will be more principled and predisposed to obey my rules and suggestions thus increasing the rate of my success and accomplishment. Throu gh such a strategy, it is difficult to be cut off because the outcome of my handwork will be evident and everyone will appreciate my success (Walker, 2001). Those are the most appropriate and professional way to manage the challenges posed to me by my

Answer the following questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the following questions - Essay Example Criteria, which allows for different pay structures include skills, efforts, responsibility levels and working conditions. These factors form the broader categories of pay levels. In deciding upon internal pay structures several other key factors also have to be considered. These include, whether the remuneration will be Job or Person Based; the degree of importance placed on performance and how its linked to remuneration; organisation’s position in the labour market (i.e. Pay Master or Low Payer) how important will internal and external equity be; degree of importance of hierarchy in pay; how flexible will the remuneration mix be, and what level of significance does seniority and job security holds (Lawler 2000). In addition to these, in determining pay levels an organisation must consider external and internal relativities, the worth of the person or the team to the organisation and the collective bargaining arrangements (Armstrong). Based on experience, the skills and degre e of importance placed upon performance in administering pay structures are the most important. In today’s competitive business environment, organisations need the best performance from the human capital in order to achieve a competitive edge. Therefore, skills, competencies and performance should be the main factors of importance influencing pay structures. Job Analysis resulting in Job Descriptions and Person Specifications. These facilitates the recruitment and selection process as well as training and performance appraisal functions Job Analysis involves the systematic gathering of information about jobs and analysing this information using subjective, rational or statistical analysis methods. One of the major decisions involved in a job analysis process would include, which method to use for information gathering on jobs. Secondly, how to analyse these collected data should be decided. While a host of

Growing Up on Fast Food Essay Example for Free

Growing Up on Fast Food Essay Most Americans have eaten at a drive-in restaurant, diner and/or fast-food restaurant in their lives. Customers frequent these establishments for its convenience and affordability. Part of the fast-food lure is to satisfy the body; another part is a family sitting down and enjoying a meal together. Many people back in the 1950s and 1960s did not understand food safety and its dangers. Food was cooked in butter or lard instead of Trans oils, vegetable oil or margarine that are used today. Foods in the past were loaded with fat and cholesterol, which made consumers early candidates for cardiovascular diseases, stroke and other health issues. Food may have tasted delicious, but that came with a heavy price. Consumers of today are more educated concerning the risks and rewards of eating out and how food is prepared. They still face similar obstacles as their parents and grandparents did generations ago. How is the food made? What ingredients are used in making the selected dish? Is the place where the food is grown/processed/made reputable? Any of the aforementioned questions that are answered in the negative should be cause for concern.   Recent examples in the U.S. include the peanut recall. In that case, the product was tainted at the manufacturing plant. The items were put out for mass consumption, and that decision lead to many people getting sick and others dying. The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) voluntarily recalled peanuts that were manufactured in either Georgia or Texas for fear that consumers would be exposed to Salmonella poisoning. (FDA, p.1) Although the outbreak did not affect jars or peanut butter commonly found in supermarkets, the tainted supply went to institutions and other establishments. (MSNBC, Fast Food 2 p.1) This meant restaurants could have received the contaminated peanut butter. Where hundred of people were injured and a half-dozen people died from Salmonella poisoning, this could have been even more tragic if not for the recall. (1) The news becomes important since many restaurants offer peanut and jelly sandwiches on their kids menu. It is a comfort food for many people—for the young and young-at-heart. (Phantom Gourmet, 2009) Having that option taken away would have been tough for restaurant owners who would have removed that item off its menu and the patrons who would have ordered the sandwich. (Phantom Gourmet, 2009) This is where the fast food industry can either be a friend or foe. They offer many choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Items range from bacon and eggs in the morning to prime rib in the evening. Many places like diners are open 24 hours, so people can get what they are craving any time. Being able to order what customers want when they want entices people to eat out. Another reason people go out to eat is the restaurant’s atmosphere. Certainly a fast-food facility such as McDonald’s will have a different motif than a diner, which will have a more distinctive ambiance than a mom-and-pop restaurant. The â€Å"Golden Arches† typically serves hamburgers, fast sandwiches with French fries and soft drinks. Kids are usually seen playing in a designated area. Not a place for people without kids who want to sit down to a quiet meal. The problem comes as much of the food is either fatty to begin with or comes with condiments that are also high in fat, calories and other things that can expand a waistline or harden an artery. Fast food companies are adapting to the way Americans eat by offering salads, parfaits and other healthier choices. McDonald’s has spent billions of dollars in advertising these menu changes (McDonald’s Corporate, p.1) Fast Food 3 Diners have been around this country for decades. Most people have one either in or near their town. These establishments offer good food and reasonable prices. That is often not the primary reason patrons flock to the diner, however. The restaurant set up is the main attraction. Some places have rally nights featuring vintage cars and motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s. Other places house 50s-era memorabilia with photos of Singer/Actor Elvis Presley, Actress Marilyn Monroe, Actor James Dean and advertisements for Coke products that were very inexpensive in those days. Try getting a bottle of coke for a nickel today—it will not happen because of the cost of making the item and most companies use plastic instead of glass. There is less of a safety risk involved with plastic and it is cheaper to produce. Then there is the modern convenience of take-out or drive through. Being able to take home a bag from a fast-food place is certainly convenient and one does not mean unloading the family of the car. A menu is set up outside where people can give their orders, drive up to the window, pay the server, get their food and drive off to their next destination. Sounds easy in that the food still comes out fast (and correctly, one hopes), but what the experience lacks is people enjoying the food. Sure, the family sits in the car eating their hamburgers and French fries, but at the cost of getting the car dirty, having to throw out the garbage later and being cramped in a car seat without the benefits of stretching or using the restroom if needed. That type of convenience may be too much for some people. There is no wrong answer to how people dine. Time, the order itself, and other circumstances dictate if and when a person of family sits inside the restaurant, takes it out, or drives through. The bottom line for the restaurants is making sure the food is properly served to its customers so they return. Fast Food 4 This paper also hopes to debunk the myths surrounding fast food, how people who grew up eating at such places have adapted with the times, and how the restaurant industry has attempted to enlighten its customers about the choices they have. Iconic restaurants such as McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken (A.K.A. KFC) had a formula for encouraging return visitors. Offer customers good food at reasonable prices and they may come back again and bring friends. Both franchises have been going strong for more than five decades because their philosophy has not changed much during that time. Healthy Does Not Bad Tasting One problem fast food companies had to address is the quality of the ingredients used to make their trademark dishes.   Is the meat for the burgers made at McDonald’s or Burger King the best quality they can find? Are the chickens raised for use at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fed a solid diet of nutrients? Those questions and answers matter to a point. Everyone will demonstrate the excellence of their products to show they care about their customers. If they fail, then actions such as recalls (for peanuts as previously mentioned) happen. This puts the industry under negative light and those working within the industry must work harder to regain the customer’s trust. Restaurants that did not have any trouble with the recalled product will be challenged to make their products better or fall behind in the marketplace. McDonald’s has been proactive over the past three decades in educating consumers about their foods and service (McDonald’s, p.1). They began printing up nutrition information for their customers to read if they wish. They might not like the fact a â€Å"Big Mac† sandwich has 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of saturated fat. (1) Fast Food 5 Or, a McRib† sandwich has 48 percent of the RDA of saturated fat. (1) Clearly, these are not choices for people looking to either lose weight or remain physically fit. Their nutritional information may be found either by accessing the company website at www.mcdonalds.com or stopping in any one of their restaurants and picking up a brochure. Eating at McDonald’s—or any fast food place—for a prolonged period of time can have detrimental consequences. Morgan Spurlock wrote and directed a 2004 film about the fast-food industry, â€Å"Supersize Me!† The plot was simple: Spurlock would eat nothing but the contents of the McDonald’s menu for 30 consecutive days. He had to order everything off the menu at least once and had to supersize his order if asked. He would also refrain from exercising during the one-month period. (Spurlock, p.1) His point was to demonstrate the hazardous effects of eating out at fast food restaurants. Watching the film makes people cringe as he begins to gain too much weight, lose energy in wanting to do any real activities. Because of his McDonald’s diet and his lack of exercise, Spurlock not only gained a whopping 24 ½ pounds in 30 days, consumed a pound of sugar a day on average and his cholesterol rose an unbelievable 65 points from when this experiment started. (Spurlock Quotes, p.1) Besides the obvious physical ailments that befell Spurlock during his thirty days, there were also the psychological aspects. He said during the movie: â€Å"I nearly doubled my risk of coronary heart disease, making myself twice as likely to have heart failure. I felt depressed and exhausted most of the time, my mood swung on a dime and my sex life was non existent. I craved this food more and more when I ate it, and got massive headaches when I didnt. In my final The movie was nominated for an Academy Award had had quite the reaction from moviegoers. Although McDonald’s officials denied the moved at the time, they scrapped the supersize option several weeks after the movie was released. (Wikipedia, p.1) They also offered its customers healthier alternatives such as salads. Spurlock said those choices contained more sugar than a bag of cookies. (1) Spurlock accomplished what he set out to do: find the causes of overweight people in the US and the bigger problem of obesity in this country. McDonald’s and the rest of the fast-food industry had to take note that their foods, if taken as much as Spurlock had, would have devastating effects on people’s health and well being. Nobody suggested that families eat every meal at restaurants. That logic would be expensive as well and unhealthy and would not make much sense. His body changed for the worse after his 30-day McDonald’s binge. It took five months for Spurlock to lose the weight he gained during that period (Spurlock Quotes, p.1). He suffered from liver damage, high blood pressure and other damaging ailments while performing this experiment. Moderation for anything is the best course of action when attempting to so something. That McDonald’s food was not healthy struck a chord, that Spurlock damaged his body making a point struck an even louder chord.

Inter Organizational Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Inter Organizational Information Systems Information Technology Essay In these decades, most of the businesses rely on Information systems in each every aspect. As a result of globalization not only all the countries but also the companies in the world try to adjust with new technology as well as with the electronic systems such as information system. Nowadays businesses like to outsource their company activities rather than bind with same industries. But there is an out sourcing cost which has to be born when the tasks of the company are outsourced. There are so many advantages as well as so many disadvantages can be seen like secret information can be spread all over the industry by outsourcing of such systems such as salary systems, financial systems, HR systems, manufacturing systems in an organization. There are so many information systems are found in companies as payroll systems, accounting systems like AC pacc packages, Accounting spread sheets, Oracle, SAGE and so on. They are providing a value added advantage to the business by minimizing manual errors, frauds etc. But in outsourcing of manufacturing functions of an organization; core-competencies, improving in production as well as the quality must be considered before outsourcing. Inter organizational information system is an important tool to carry-out organizational activities more than above mentioned information systems. These kinds of systems are supporting to enhance telecommunication technology among the business units. It is a good sign for future markets. The inter-organizational systems are also built as result of e-business as well as globalization. Importance of the Study This kinds of system are very important in so many hands like, can share information as well as decision from top to bottom by using information systems. With the help of such systems organizations can address each and every kind of people not only the managerial people but also in normal employees such as clerks, peons and so-on. Information system actually plays a wide role in business world not only by providing information to the organization body but also by gathering facts, data, information from out -side which are useful to the company. Exchanging sharing ideas among the business units is very helpful to survive in the business world, hence inter-organizational business acts major role to fulfill such circumstances. As an example, if in such company divided in to business units as manufacturing unit, human resource unit, finance unit and so-on, this inter organizational information system is very much essential to make co-ordination among these units and achieve specific goals within a minimum time period. In present we can see so many accounting information packages as mentioned earlier to build inter-organization relationship between accounting divisions of same organization. Most recently, businesses like to out-source their functions with out-side companies who provide out-sourcing facilities; in such situations inter-organizational information system act as a connector of the main business as well as the out-sourcing units. This also can be used to get the competitive advantages by understanding the threats and opportunities. Inter organization information system is one of the system tools which helps to make efficient in business in modern world since most of the companies addicted to practice such systems more than earlier decades as a result of new technology. IOS dependencies and its significance Todays world is well known for the technical computer oriented world. Renewed organizations totally depend on the E-business (Electronic Business). E-Business proves a very good source for the advertising of product. E-Business is very good example of inventions and innovations as well as improved skills of technology of a company. So there can be seen a strong relationship between IT and Inter-organization system. An industry has many branches like firms but each industry has its own IT (Information Technology). Each company has a desire to spread its business in worldwide area such as multinational company. So there can be seen a desire to make profit, attract consumers, offer facilities to its own clients. There is a trend of international trade as well as strong relationship between an industry and outside partners. When a companys will is on global, then there will be major point of outsourcing. For the uprising of the industry and the whole firms of an industry tries to offer a high quality production to its customers, IT proves a major aspect for the advancement of the organization. When a company make a product then it has to spend a large time to see gain profit, improve quality, consumers, competitors, price, substitutes, demand, supply chain, stock, as well as internal and external suppliers. For example when an organization produces a product the major points will be demand for the product, price of the product and status of competitors among the industry, when demand increases for a product then automatically output and input of the product increases according to supply and price. Substitutes are also involving for the production of the product. Demand is flexible, so production is also flexible. A product is always built to order (BTO). It requires order, demand, outsource, employed etc. There can be seen long term demand as well as short term demand such as the demand for warm clothes increases in winter not in summers but on the other hand patrol is all ways needed. When the price of the product will decrease then demand will be increased. The effective policies permitted by law prove beneficial for the further development of the organization. Each organization concentrates on social, economic condition as well as cultural, policies, suppliers and buyers teach it how to manage in society. Inter-organization system is related with suppliers and buyers performance. Planning and decision making process is also related to supply chain management. Inter-organization is also related to market such as shareholders, stock, demand factor. To improve supply chain management there is a system of Quick Response System (QRS) in this way an organization can improve its relationship with suppliers/buyers and between two parties. Supply chain management can improves itself by offer a high quality of product as well as good quality of raw material. A high quality of the product will have ability to provide satisfaction of its customer. The three well known level of communication is micro, meso and macro. Micro related to individually, Meso related to group and Macro related to broader aspect communication. Senior management makes decisions for organization to make product, to gain profit as well as investment. RESEACRCH CONTRIBUTION I have analyzed the higher level of external co-operation shared towards advancement process efficiency where inter organizational systems allows firm to gain sourcing trust over their suppliers. Higher level of Information system may not be useful for gathering information from the market and compare with the different available options. Information system also provides the facts that the firm produces standardized and good facing cut throat competitors by process efficiency by working enhancement higher level of corporation. IOS allows the organization to achieve all the aim target process oriented suppliers and buyers. Mangers should be very careful to check the processes which are fulfilled by the employees on the base of IOS. It is controversial that using ISO and gives advantage for transactional needs. It can help organization in the use of electronic system to target market as well as valuable suppliers. Were as all the process can be achieved only when the electronic system is established through integrated system. Suggestions helps the managers to identify the different facts of inter organizational system and making a decision and implementation and the use of inter organizational systems in different sections, the findings done by various researchers in the field of knowing the impacts in relation to the adoption of the impact of Inter organizational system. When needed to widen and the classification related to IOS concepts. Which also helps to include much wider scope in the enhancement latest website based processing data system and suppliers in co-operation or interrelationship with the management system. This will advance and increase the analyzing the various processes and facts of ISO and it will also need to have more spectacular internal and external perspective implementation. For example by analyzing done by Hard and Saunders(1998) he found out that one process of EDI can determine or find out factors of different processes. Thus we can explore and determine the performance and functionality of impact on inter organizational system. Theoretical processes and its functions INTER-ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROCESS INTERGRATION AND FUNCTIONS Direction of inter organizational information systems in the role of system to human and system to system in the process of effective system function for the various process carried on by the instructions from the computer to computer and then to the process of the human understanding interface. This can be understood by the following Mainly there are 2 most important parts in an inter organizational information systems that determines the correct and effective functioning of the programmed automated information dispensation in field of system integrations are broadly classified into 2 parts they are system to system and system to human incorporation. The system to system incorporation mainly causes the transformation of data between the inside of the information systems of the executing data for an organization is fully automatically done, there is no need for the human mind to be applied or not needed to input computerized functions to processes the information systems. It is designed to make the process outcome automatically with accurate results with in a less period of time. For example as the electronic data interchange carries out the main classical automated data to compile and execute the data for the user for the directed desired outcome of result by the various amounts of transactions done and carried out by the implementation of EDI. (Matthew K. McGowan, 1996) Now lets pass on to system to human incorporation. Under this the data which is been transacted is semiautomatic by this term we come to know that the human intervention is included as well as the system process the data from one person through the inner information systems to and is send in a form of electronic system design layout to another person and then the receiving person collects the data and then processes it physically or by hand. Mainly this type of method is done in supply chain electronic incorporation where the internet based technologies have provided this in order to avoid very expensive system to system functioning costs this is done by even providing web gateway most commonly known as web portal. In order to gain fast functions to be carried on and less errors to be caused and more of accuracy in short period of time that would cause in best time management in information systems then the implementation of inter organizational information systems should be done. J ouni Kauremaa, mikko karkkainen, Timo Ala Risku , Helsinki University of technology, Finland RESEARCH MOTIVATION Under this a broadly classified impacts were studied and various researches were conducted on the influence and impacts of inter-organizational information systems for miniature company suppliers. At the first earlier analyzing were only done in an organization or company depending on the observation of the company executives and mainly the data that was in process in operational stability and measurable performance data was not taken into consideration and was not composed in order to know the impacts of inter organizational information systems. And at the second the studies on internet based electronic data interchange was concentrated in order to carry out purchases and also processes like one technology and one function was applied and later on other internet technology like e mail and various websites caused a presence. What I feel is that the clear comparisons on the intensity of inter organizational information systems and the impact on SMEs is not there in various articles. Research planning and its appropriateness Inter Organizational Information System contribute a lot towards their businesses and other organizations. Information used in organizations is for various functions like planning, controlling decision- making and organizing. The planning of information systems is done to support the activities of organizations information needs by recognizing the apt portfolio of applications that are computer based. Due to recent changes in the external business environment, Inter-organizations relationships have become an important part, which makes a need for organizations to interact, share information and technology, and even cooperate in a healthier way with each other. If theres a balanced approach between Business and IT, it is expected that business opportunities and advanced IT technologies are able to innovative essential plans. It can help the organizations to achieve their business goals. An organization needs to select a planning approach based on the management culture and business environment of the other organization. Its not an easy task to plan this system because of the stakeholders involvement, which means that organizations should be very careful in planning. There is also a possibility of using other organizations strategy, which is a negative impact. Success in the planning of Inter Organizations Information System has become difficult and a bit critical. It is been studied that a planning based on evolution and learning is more relevant and successful, builds a level of being adaptive and flexible in the process of coordinating and control activities. People in organization may differ in levels of IT skills and knowledge, it helps them to learn to understand and implement the challenges and benefits of the cooperating through an Information System. It is much difficult for an organization to cooperate in Inter-Organizational Information System if the Intra -Organizational infrastructure is still not maintained. The knowledge gained through this relates to building of Inter-organizational information system and issues like effects in the technologies. The plan of using IOIS has increased as theres a modification in the process of business, so that the organizations can respond well towards their opportunities, trading partners and even the needs of the customers. Thus, by planning IT system has enabled an organization to bring changes in its activities. The system helps in creating competitive advantage and also improves the economic performance of each organization. It helps in managing better relations with buyer-suppliers. By the process of planning to use the information system, organizations become dependent on each other and a mind-set of trust is increased among partners. For the development of cooperation between organizations, they need to assure that there is continuous flow of information between the cooperating partners. The main purpose of this system is to share data, information, business applications to make available the electronic transactions about buying and selling of goods and services for the business partners. It has also been recognized as a key or major factor for the growth in their business. So, there should be proper planning before implementing it, the organizations needs to be very careful, as its useful and at times a harmful for the organization. Key findings and limitations LIMITATIONS OF INTERNAL AND INTER ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS: In this context we will a have wider look on the merits and demerits of internet based internal and inter-organizational Information system for an Organization: As in this cut-throat competitive world of business, organizations have set up internal and inter organizational information system to run their business in a more efficient way.To begin with, first of all, we will discuss the merits of IOIS. Firstly Internal IT gives a wonderful chance to employees to understand the business strategies in a broader way. IOIS is also familiar for its business name Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), as it is an easier and comfortable way of interchanging data for organizations. Moreover Internal Information system helps employees up to a great extent to save their precious time, as they can collect data for their work sitting at one place only and it can be very helpful for organization in terms of gaining more profit. Furthermore, Inter-organizational information system is a boon in field of business for all organizations, as it gives comfort to them to collect and interchange their data while communicating via internet only, by using this indispensable tool of IT, it gives golden opportunity to organizations to place electronic order for goods, confirming their collection time and share number of other documents instantly with their business partners world wid. In addition, reduction in cost of communication, labor and paper work are other inevitable benefits are given by IOIS.IOIS gives chance to firms to improve their relations with their business partners and supply chain as well, as lots of problems and conflicts can be sorted out with far-away places trading partners with the introduction of this system and which gives a mutual benefit in business. In contrast, as each prospect involves pros and cons. So IOIS has few negative features as well. First grey area of IOIS is its additional expenditure to Value Added Network (VAN) reaches up to $5000-$7000 per month (Bartholomew 1997). Consequently, adoption of this system is not that much easy specially for small companies because of its expenditure, so it can be unaffordable to bear its cost for small scale organizations. As well as, for a successful Implementation of IOIS, a compatible hardware is must at both the ends, for instance, on one hand, one company is having a compatible set up for IOIS, however it is not the same with its trading partner on the other side, so it is obvious to arise difficulties while communicating and data interchange, so undoubtedly these hurdles due to poor hardware will affect the business financially as well as the relations personally in future. Moreover, one major drawback of this system is, as it is an internet designed system. So business strategies and policies, scheduling goods of various firms are available online such as financial reports and so on, So gathering and misusing data that is just childs play for a person who has full command on computer operations and that thing can be damaging for companies, as their secrecy can be leaked and misused by any other organization for their own benefits. Not surprisingly, IOIS is not reliable enough in terms of Security, as authentic informations and companys unwanted plans can be revealed and altered or adopted easily by any other company, which can harm the company in a harsh way. References Robert B Johnston, Kai Reimers, Stefan Klein, bled Slovenia june 21 23,2004 The Shaping Of Inter-Organisational Information Systems: Main Design Considerations Of An International Comparative Research Project http://www.wi.uni-muenster.de/wi/forschen/veroeff/Shaping_of_IOIS.pdf Jouni Kauremaa, Mikko Karkkainen, Timo Ala Risku, Helsinki university of technology , http://legacy-tuta.hut.fi/logistics/publications/IOIS_SME.pdf Stefan Klein, Stefan schellhammer, Kai reimers, Kai remer University of Munster, http://www.kai-reimers.net/Evolutionary%20Paths%20of%20Inter-organizational%20Information%20Systems.pdf Donatella Sciuto, bled Slovenia, June 6.8.2005 exploring the role of inter organizational information systems within SMEs aggregations, http://www.bledconference.org/proceedings.nsf/0/02d5f171ae4576e8c1257014004a2af8/$FILE/29Ravarini.pdf Nicholas Berente, Ryan Baxter, Case Western Reserve University, USA, supporting knowledge creating through inter-organizational information systems; pragmatic collaboration between object worlds, http://www.bledconference.org/proceedings.nsf/0/02d5f171ae4576e8c1257014004a2af8/$FILE/29Ravarini.pdf   Aurelio Ravarini, Federico Pigni, Giacomo Buonanno,1Università   Carlo Cattaneo, Italy 2005, Exploring the Role of Inter-Organizational,Information Systems within SMEs Aggregations London School of Economics and Political Science Stakeholder identification in inter-organizational systems:  gaining insights for drug use management systems Information Systems Department, Kenneth C.Laudon, Jane P.Laudon, Hardcover Edition, 2003. Management Information Systems, Deanna J. Richards, Braden R. Allenby and W. Dale Compton,  National Academy of Engineering ,2001, Information systems the Environment Source:www.ebrc.comAvailable http://www.ebrc.fi/kuvat/Makipaa_paper.pdf Source: www.bledconference.org http://www.bledconference.org/proceedings.nsf/0/02d5f171ae4576e8c1257014004a2af8/ $FILE/29Ravarini.pdf .khalid S.Soliman Hosfstra University (2000),http://www.wi.uni-muenster.de/wi/forschen/veroeff/Shaping_of_IOIS.pdf Brian D. Janz The University of Memphis (2000). Scala,S.and McGrath,R.,Advantages and disadvantages of Electronic data interchange, Information Management,Vol.25,no.2 August 1995,PP.85-91. Lacovou,C.L;Benbasat,I.;and Dexter,A.S. quarterly,Vol.19.No.4,December 1995,PP.465-485 ,Electronic data Interchange and small organizations : adoption and impact of technology ,MIS Khawaja A. Saeed1,*,  Manoj K. Malhotra,Varun Grover Article first published online: 2 AUG 2005 DOI:  10.1111/j.1540-5414.2005.00077.x, Examining the Impact of Interorganizational Systems on Process Efficiency and Sourcing Leverage in Buyer-Supplier Dyads Donald r greer, Laura, Richard j. Adams leadership and the dynamic of inter-organizational communication and development www.greerblackcompany.com/la1_2006_abstract.pdf Auther, chen, injazz, paulraj, antonym, lado Augustine, 2008, 2004 competency-antecedents-and-performance-outcomes-i-html,www.faqs.org/abstracts//inter-organizational-communication-as-a-relational Stanley e. Fawcett, Gregory magnan, Sergio g. lazzarini, Fabio r. chaddad , michall cook (2002) the rehetoric and reality of supply chain integration integrating supply chain and networking analysis: the study of net chains www.ssrn.com zu zhi xing wei xue- john r schermerhorn 2004 perspectives on organizational communication terrence l garinlo, ebrary, inc-2005, the strategic use of stories in organizational Organizational behavior CONCLUSION By this study we can examine to know that inter organizational information systems is the main factor for the connection of buyers and suppliers, to be in connectivity so that they can carry out all the transactions between them smoothly. We come to understand the concept and depth of inter organizational information systems in the merit to large and small enterprises, that information systems plays a main role in an organization for various processes and functions such as accounting, data transfer, emailing, recording data, secured transaction data and semi manual organized data. This type of functioning helps the organization to do its work and transacting of details to the computer and to the party with in a small period of time which makes the work of an organization even faster. Thus this even helps in building good relationship with buyers and sellers. This type of software is expensive most commonly termed as system to system. But various small companies or outlets need infor mation systems so semi automatic, system to human interface is provided thus this software is not expensive also and is effective for such data transfer. The term information system means handling or providing information about a particular subject from one party to another party in the mutual understanding between them. System to system and system to human integration has helped the buyers and sellers to resolve the problem of leaving back the barriers of electronic business but it is only partly resolution only if total efficient benefits are the aim. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS 1. Research limitations on organizations whose business processes carried on by inter organizational information system tasks are mainly outsourced. 2. When needed the concepts relating to practical narrow area can be applied. 3. The reliability and sustainability in IOIS is a bitter experience for various organizations due to its inflexible electronic intend. 4.For doing various research on organizations researchers are not free to get important documents from the firms due to its secrecy, this documents could help researchers to find out a way around to provide solutions for various problems relating to IOIS impacts on SMEs. RECOMMENDATION In todays world of computer oriented functioning it is possible for information systems to get hacked by various hackers who do this to destroy ones organization and to steal money. I recommend that security measures should be taken by providing such strong software that can avoid unauthorized entry in the information systems of an organization. Inter organizational information systems effective functions depends on the management of the organization to implement effective procedures to resolve the errors caused in the information system and to keep an eye on the employee of the information technology department for their delay or miss input of data for transactions from system to system, that would cause in heavy loss to the organization. The study on comparisons between the intensity of inters organizational information systems and the brunt on small medium enterprises is not done or found in various books and articles. To determine the study on brunt on small medium enterprises should be taken into consideration. I recommend that small and medium sized enterprises should be taken into consideration because they have been departed from the co operated networks provided by inter organizational information systems. System to system integration is very expensive in comparison to system to human. In order to make all small, medium and large organizations to use this facility of software they should price the software in fluctuation comparison between both the data processing systems, depending to their customer needs and motives. REFERENCES University of Bedfordshire handbook, 2010-2011 Group report-6, 12.12.2010 inter organizational information systems 3. University of Bedfordshire BREO Conclusion Each every aspect Inter-organizational information system is an essential system to any kind of organization since it has been providing facility to run the organization in a smooth manner. Not only technological industries but also manufacturing, production kind of businesses need information systems to faster their functions within the organization. Not like earlier decades, now all organizations carry their activities based on e-business, computerized systems informational systems as a result of globalization. In our selected study it explains about how the inter-organizational information system acts in such a business which out-sources their activities. In here it shows the connectivity with out-sourcing divisions using information systems. If information systems is used by any kind of company, Organizational activities, business functions, customer relationships, industrial relationships can be maximized. It provides information which is relevant to decision making, build -up relationships among the organizational divisions within short time period; since Electronic systems are faster than the manual systems. Last not least we can say Information systems plays a wide role within the inter organizations by providing relevant details within a short time period by minimizing manual and technical errors. So every organization must incline to practise such systems for development of their business tasks in a proper manner. Research Limitations Mainly focuses on the business whose tasks are out-sourced. Concepts applied to narrow area when concerned It is not good for small scale companies Data relevant to decision making and other activities can be spread all over the sectors as well. It is a disadvantage to the organization. This mainly happens due to the company out sources their activities with external parties Recommendations Before practising of Information systems; company should aware of the system and must know about the information which are generated from the system which is being used to decision making within the industry. Cost to benefit analysis must be needed when company hopes to rely on such electronic system This system should be in a method of exchanging information in divisional levels and industry level in a trust worthy manner. Also this kind of information systems should be updated according to time to time; otherwise facts generation of such systems may be out-dated when taking decisions. Also decision taking based on out-dated information may leads to wrong picture about the organization in the industry. Inter-organizational information system is an important element to carry-out organization activities in business world since all the activities based on electronic systems such as internet business and so on. All the employees in the industry should be given a proper training in how to use such electronic internet based system in a proper manner. These kinds of systems should have some features like time saving, faster, proving proper facts related to activities, etc. All the systems which are based on internet systems to be in user friendly, otherwise it will be a difficult task to feeding and gaining of information by the users. References Kenneth C.Laudon, Jane P.Laudon, Hardcover Edition- 2003, Management Information Systems Deanna J. Richards, Braden R. Allenby and W. Dale Compton,  National Academy of Engineering  -2001, Information systems   the Environment CONCLUSION In my opinion, IT (Information Technology) refers to E-Business (Electronic Business) as well as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). But all these aspects are very good source to spread business in the world wide area as well as to achieve smart goals for business. The new technology is well known the excellent result of inventions and innovations. Strong relationship between IT and IOS related to internal and external suppliers but it also depends on suppliers and buyers behavior. A high ability of management system of an organization spread it as a multinational company in the worldwide environment. But there can be seen two major aspect S2S (system to system) and S2H (system to human). S2S is an automatically (electronic) process and there is no need for the human mind. On the other hand, S2H is linked to internet as well as web portal because by the way of internet, data goes one person to another person. It is related to internet technology, e mails, and web-sites. The processes of business are based on IT and IOIS of the organization. Communication is also become a major aspect of busines

In Loveing Memory Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I've learned that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. It certainly is the truth. We were the bagel shop groupies as you would call us. More personally his bagel shop groupies practically there every day. Sue, Paulina, Gentile, Jessica, Phil, Ryan, Steve, Kevin, Nick, Glen, Ruben, and myself. The list could go on for hours on end but I have neither the time nor the heart to go on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So as I was saying we were there almost everyday, and at the start of each day he was there to make us laugh, to make us smile, and to even get us into some trouble if the day permitted. No matter how you look at it though he was the kind of man who could swallow you with the warmth of his heart. He could make even your worst dreams seem like they weren't so bad; he was always there. They called him the giant because of his size, but we called him the giant because of his heart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alex was one of my closest friends. We went through a lot of things together. I couldn’t have imagined my life without him. None of us could have, but we soon found that we were going to have to do just that. I remember the day clear as crystal, although sometimes I wish the day had never come. I wish I could have taken that chance to tell him I loved him. I wish I could have said good-bye . I wish I could hear his voice just one last time. I wish that I could spend my life inside my junior year and never have to see the last day of school. For Alex would still be here alive and well for me to talk to and hug whenever I felt like it. If not for myself then for his family and loved ones so that their pain and suffering would end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It had to have been around 6:00 in the morning, when I got there. I got there early because it was the last day of school. I didn’t want to miss a thing, but when I showed up no one was there and the store was closed. To me it seemed so strange and I thought to myself that something did not feel right. The bagel shop was never closed, it was like the post office or the mail rather, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &... ...;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hervias 4 will wake up and it will all be gone in an instant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From this experience I have learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words for it maybe the last time that you will see them. I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts. I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you can’t. I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become. I’ve learned that maturity has more to do with the types of experiences you’ve had and less to do with how many birthdays you‘ve celebrated . I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world does not stop for your grief. I’ve learned that even when you think you have nothing left to give, a friend cries out and you will find the strength to help. Worst of all I’ve learned that the people you love most in life are taken from you too soon.

Essay on The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel    Brian Moore, and Margaret Laurence’s concern for the plight of the individual and their position in society is clearly self-evident in their novels The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel. Finding one’s place in society is a major dilemma many people face every day. Once people find their place in society they understand who they are, what is expected by them and what their roles are. Once a person has found their place in society they understand their life and which direction it is going.   The main characters are portrayed as two different individuals with very different lives who have only one thing in common- their inability to find their proper place in society. Brian Moore, and Margaret Laurence’s concern for the plight of the individual and their position in society is clearly self-evident in their novels The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Stone Angel . The main characters Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley both struggle to survive with dignity even though their overwhelming pride often obscures reality. Throughout the novel it becomes evident that both Ginger Coffey and Hagar Shipley’s overwhelming sense of pride obscures their reality and therefore causing problems for them. Coffey the main character in Brian Moore’s novel The Luck of Ginger Coffey is portrayed as a comic hero who has endless limitations that he does not see. Ginger Coffey believes he is his own man, which is why he leaves his homeland Ireland and moves to Canada . Coffey be lieves Ireland would not allow him to become the person he thought he could be, " What was his aim in life ? Well...he supposed it was to be his own master, to provide for Vera and Paulie, to...to what ?...To make something of himself, he supposed." (Moore, pg.21) Coffey’s values do not seem to be unrealistic or selfish in themselves, but because he sets unobtainable and unrealistic goals he encounters numerous failures. Coffey cannot content himself with a simple job and provide for his family in this way; he wants to become someon! e important, and achieve personal status. Not realizing that these very ideas bind him to a life of repetitive failures. Because of his pride Coffey sees himself not as the middle aged man that he is, but as an attractive young boy out for new adventures.

James Joyce :: essays research papers fc

JAMES JOYCE James Joyce’s “Clay'; and “Eveline'; were two stories impacted by the break with his family, church, and his country. In this paper I will give examples to show that my thesis is correct. I may also enlighten you by telling you the story of an excellent Irish writer. James Augustine Joyce lived from 1882 to 1941. He was an Irish novelist and poet, “whose psychological perceptions and innovative literary techniques make him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century'; (Encarta, 1). “His first book, Chamber Music, consists of thirty-six highly finished love poems. In his second work, Dubliners, a collection of fifteen short stories, Joyce dealt with episodes of his childhood and adolescence and with family and public life in Dublin, Ireland'; (Encarta, 1). “Joyce employed symbols to create what he called an “epiphany';, the revelation of an emotional or personal truth'; (Encarta, 1). “Using experimental techniques to convey the essential nature of realistic Daniels 2 situations, Joyce merged in his greatest works the literary traditions of realism, naturalism, and symbolism'; (Encarta, 1). “In 1941, suffering from a perforated ulcer, Joyce dies in Zurich on January thirteenth'; (Encarta, 1). “Joyce’s story, “Clay';, starts off on Halloween, which is the Celtic New Year’s Eve and Feast of the Dead. In Irish customs, it is a night of remembrance of the dead ancestors and anticipation of the various fortune telling games'; (Masterplots, 1). The story is about Maria, a middle age spinster who works in the kitchen of a laundry established for the reform of prostitutes. She makes her way across the city of Dublin to the seasonal festivities at the home of her former father figure, Joe Donnelly. Joyce draws a character portrait, which conveys much of Maria’s past, present, and future. The story develops at three scenes: at the laundry, on the journey across the city, and at the Halloween party. At the laundry, Maria’s fussy personality is shown as she prepares tea and anticipates her reunion with Joe and Mrs. Donnelly. When she travels northward stopping at the city, she is reminded of her isolation, first by the irritation of the girl in the cake shop and again by the polite attentions of the gentleman in the train. When she reaches the Donnelly’s she is greeted with mixed emotions since she interrupts the children’s party and disrupts the festive atmosphere. The festive fun is restored all the same by fortune telling games.

Related Literature on Crm Essay

According to Gartner Inc., the provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, the estimated size of the CRM software market in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa was approximately $2.3 billion in total software revenue in 2006. The forecast indicated that the market will have an annual growth rate of 11.3%, which will result in revenue of approximately $3.9 billion by 2011. Companies based all over the world are developing their own approaches to the CRM business strategy in order to increase their efficiency and effectiveness in operations. With the wide spread of CRM, problems and issues examined in this study are apparently not unique to the U.S. Heinrich (2005) examined the role of CRM in the development of the relationship CRM in Russia and US Journal of Technology Research Page 4between the customer and the company in the context of goal implementation. He addressed the process goals of CRM involved in the development of the relationship including building trust, the transaction, and the conversion to a social relationship. He found little relationship between the collection of data and the success of the salesperson and identified 10 relationship motive categories of customers including: gratitude oriented, prestige oriented, collective oriented, experience oriented, and security oriented. CRM, in his view, is a tool not as an end but the means to the end. Nairn (2002) says the origins of CRM can be traced back to the July issue of the 21st volume of the Journal Marketing where â€Å"segmentation† was first mentioned in 1956. Put literally CRM is the practice of managing relationships differently within different customer segments; with the advent of information technology and the application of statistical research methods, the ability to segment customers has become accessible to virtually any organization; as a result the CRM industry grew exponentially from the mid to late 1990s. Vendor hype would have the market believe that CRM technology applications are a panacea for all things related to the customer, yet the market is replete with CRM technology implementation failures resulting in billions of wasted investment dollars, all in search of a CRM nirvana that never eventuated. Starkey & Woodcock (2002) state that contributors to CRM failure include managerial short-term focus, failure to see change through, ignoring the basics of what defines good CRM and business performance, making CRM too complicated, CRM existing functional and departmental silos, customer management techniques and practices not widespread and poor implementation of customer management projects to name just a few. Enterprise web identity If you work within a larger organization, always make your relationship to the larger enterprise a clear and meaningful part of your site design. If your institution has an identity program or a web template system, use it. Adopting the design standards of the larger enterprise can save you a lot of time and money. Institutions notorious for poor governance—universities, government agencies, large nonprofit agencies—also often have chaotic web sites. Large companies sometimes have the same problems, but the standards and norms of corporate identity programs are well established in the business world, and most corporate sites start with the expectation that everyone will share a common look and feel and user interface and that each discrete corporate site will project a clear relationship to the parent enterprise.

Acquiring characteristics of communication competence Essay

Communication competence results in keeping the channels of communication open and providing opportunities for others to communicate. The agreement among researchers on the general characteristics of competent communicators, whether the context of communication is interactions between friends or between teachers and students (Anderson & Martin, 1992; Chesebro & McCroskey, 2001; Hazelton & Cupach, 1986); Stemler, Elliott, Grigorenko, & Sternberg, 2006), provides guidelines for improving one’s own competence, the purpose of the proposed project. (It should be noted, however, that competence is not the same as communication success. For example, a teacher can have the characteristics that are necessary for competence, but if he or she isn’t also a master of the field being taught, students are unlikely to gain the meaningful understanding that generates retention and continued interest when the course ends. ) The most important characteristic is having knowledge of the rules that determine how and when to use different communication strategies (â€Å"ontological knowledge† in Hazleton & Cupach, 1986; â€Å"tacit knowledge† in Stemler, Elliott, Grigorenko, & Sternberg, 2006). For example, another characteristic necessary for competence is the ability to use different forms of nonverbal communication (Chesebro & McCroskey, 2001; Neuliep & Grohskopf, 2000), but the forms used depend upon the nature of the interaction. For example, men’s sports provide what’s probably the only stereotypically acceptable occasion for male-to-male friendly physical contact, as when â€Å"macho man† hits a home run and is rewarded by pats in the butt from his teammates. It’s hard to think of any other contexts where this form of nonverbal communication is acceptable, let alone effective. For a teacher, effective forms of nonverbal communication would be smiling, making eye contact, moving in order to provide equal attention to students sitting in different sections of the room, moving towards the student who is speaking, etc. The latter form was brilliantly demonstrated by Bill Clinton’s seemingly spontaneous movements off the podium and towards the audience in his first televised debate with George Bush. The third characteristic is actually a combination of two characteristics people tend to think of as opposites, being both responsive and assertive (Anderson & Martin, 1995; Neuliep & Grohskopf, 2000). However, it’s desirable to show interest, openness, and receptivity to what others are saying (being responsive) and also to be able to articulate one’s own views (being assertive). My goals are to increase my knowledge of the contexts in which different communication strategies are appropriate, my use of effective nonverbal communication, and my responsiveness towards and assertiveness with others. There’s a reliable and valid test measuring communication competence (Rubin & Martin, 1994) to use as an evaluation of my current competence. To minimize the problems in pre-post designs, retests will be conducted every three months for a period of a year. At some point in retesting, my score should improve and subsequent scores should either be higher or remain the same. References Anderson, C. M. , & Martin, M. M. (1995). Communication motives of assertive and and responsive communicators. Communication Research Reports, 12, 186-191. Chesebro, J. L. , & McCroskey, J. C. (2001). The relationship of teacher clarity and immediacy with student state receiver apprehension, affect, and cognitive learning. Communication Education, 50, 59-68. Hazleton, V. , & Cupach, W. R. (1986). An exploration of ontological knowledge: Communication competence as a function of the ability to describe, predict, and explain. The Western Journal of Speech Communication, 50, 119-132. Neuliep, J. W. , & Grohskopf, E. L. (2000). Uncertainty reduction and communication satisfaction during initial interaction: An initial test and replication of a new axiom. Communication Reports, 13, 67-77. Rubin, R. B. , & Martin, M. M. (1994). Development of a measure of interpersonal communication competence. Communication Research Reports, 11, 33-44. Stemler, S. E. , Elliott, J. G. , Grigorenko, E. L. , & Sternberg, R. J. (2006). There’s more to teaching than instruction: Seven strategies for dealing with the practical side of teaching. Educational Studies, 32, 101-118.

Amazon.Com’s European Distribution Strategy

Amazon Amazon is one of the biggest and most famous online stores in the world. It is divided into several independent organizations like Amazon Europe, Amazon US and Amazon Japan. Amazon was founded in 1995 by Jeff Bezos. At the beginning it was just a platform for selling books at soon it became the world’s biggest bookstore with up to 2,5 million different titles. Their strategy was clear and easy: hold modest inventories and rely on wholesalers. The wholesaler can fulfill the order quickly while Amazon employees pick and pack the order and ship it to the customer.In 1996 Amazon grew really quickly by expansion of their distribution center, increasing number of titles and software development. In 1998 they were not longer a bookshop any more but expanded their product lines to music and videos. However, they had to face tough competition, especially in 1998. So remain the leader of theonline stores Amazon decided to pursue a â€Å"get big fast† strategy to increase t heir revenue. Therefore they added new product lines and adapted its supply chain and distribution network.One big decision was also where they should locate their distribution center and how many they should build. Amazons pick was a distribution center in Nevada, Kansas and Dallas. Soon also three more centers were added to serve the Midwest and the Southeast. The next step was to choose which product types each of the distributions centers should carry. After that they had to make a decision regarding the equipment in the new distribution centers and the technology used in their warehouses.Finally, to maintain high levels of quality and productivity in its distribution centers, Amazon developed key metrics to measure worker performance, including number of items picked per hour, free replacement rate, inventory accuracy, number of hours from order confirmation to shipment, and cost per unit shipped. Performance information was routinely shared with individual workers. In 2000 the new Vice President of Operations Wilke started with teaching the staff to use a special method to reduce variations and defects.This approach was later also used to improve the inventory record accuracy. Moreover, Wilke hired staff to stimulate holiday season conditions and he made arrangements for additional storage capacity. On top of that Wilke also focused on inventory optimization in the fulfillment network. To have the products at the right time available will easily decrease Amazons inventory costs. There were several ideas to improve the inventory management: 1)Refine the software used to forecast customer demand )Establish buying rules to better allocate volumes among wholesalers 3)Integrate its supply management system with its own inventory, warehouse and transportation system 4)Implement buying rules to determine which supplier offers the best price and delivery options 5)Having â€Å"drop ship† orders which means that the product is directly shipped to the custo mer without going through an Amazon distribution center 6)Partner with other companies, with Amazon handling order fulfillment and the partner covers the costs for the inventoryThe last two points were just idea and never realized. Amazon entered Europe through the two countries Germany and the UK. To enter those markets Amazon acquired a leading online store in each country and the two sites were re- launched under the Amazon brand. In 2000 Amazon continued its expansion and entered France. They did not use the same strategy as in Germany and the UK, but build their site from scratch. However, there were several challenges to enter the European market. They had to be aware of the cultural differences in Europe.First, Amazon adapted their website always a little bit to the needs of the country; secondly, they needed to address the selling regulations in each country. Another very important point was the payment options. Because there were not many people in Europe using credit card they had to offer local paying possibilities. On top they recognized that it was impossible to replicate the US procurement strategy in Germany and France because of different supplier market factors. To implement these strategic choices Amazon in Germany, France and the UK were managed as independent Amazon subsidiaries.Each country has its own organizations and was headed by a country manager and every country has its own warehouse. Amazon also was evaluating opportunities to expand in other European countries. Amazon Europe needed to build up its infrastructure to support this ambitious vision. In June 2002, Tom Taylor was transferred from Seattle to London to address some of these issues. In the longer term, Taylor wondered which infrastructure would best support Amazon Europe’s growth potential. Amazon’s decentralized fulfillment model seemed to offer opportunities for rationalization and cost savings.One option was to link all distributions centers. The other opt ion was to keep the three distribution centers. There were also different options about the inventory in these three centers. One could hold the inventory in all three centers or just in selected ones. Another question was regarding the location of the distribution centers. Solution First there was the option of only one distribution center in Europe. This strategy certainly has advantages with regard to lower overhead costs, simplified internal communication, and increased bargaining power due to higher allocation volumes.Considering only the difficulties already encountered in attempting to coordinate national postal carriers for a trustworthy delivery service to international customers, the option to centralize delivery from the UK to all European markets would be a step in the wrong direction. This was a clear difference to the US market; where there was only one postal service serving the entire nation. Express delivery would further complicate matters, as European markets vari ed with regard to provider and service, another problem not encountered in the US.Since delivery time and quality are crucial to success at Amazon, this restructuring option was quickly eliminated from the list of alternatives. The division of Europe into North/South or East/West sectors, to be served by two Distribution Centers, would likely reduce delivery times in many markets and eliminate some of the difficulties associated with the single DC alternative. Compared to the current structure, cost savings could be achieved and activities could be bundled according to regional demands or opportunities (i. e. egal or financial flexibility). This structure would emulate the solution realized in the initial growth period in the US, where a DC was located on each coast, however there would be similar problems as noted above with the coordination of national postal carriers. Another primary difference compared to the US market could be seen with regard to regional consumer preferences a nd tastes. While the US product selection was largely similar, and a common language was used throughout, product selection and language differs from country to country in Europe.Expectations with respect to delivery time, service, payment methods, etc. also vary greatly among European markets and do not compare to the credit card-friendly and on-line purchase-accustomed customers in the US. A two-DC solution may likely not be able to offer the flexibility needed to serve the individual European markets properly. Considering that the three European locations are fully-functional, another alternative would be to simply keep the existing facilities while reallocating services and processes according to cost and service factors.One obvious advantage would be recognized in not needing to relocate or build/acquire new infrastructure. Activities could be spread among the three locations, for example books, media and smaller items in France, Marketplace headquarters in the UK, and bulk or special order items in Germany. This would allow for specialization of services and a clear distinction of functions for management of operations in Europe. In contrast, all services could continue to be provided in all locations, with the addition of products and Marketplace activities in each of the three.Expansion into further markets may be allocated to one of the DC's according to geographic proximity or if applicable, according to financial or logistical aspects. Disadvantages include duplication of activities and infrastructure, increased demand for management and personnel, and the administration/coordination of multiple and varying IT systems (including the integration of manual and automated systems). Our team of analysts proposes a solution which integrates components from each of the aforementioned alternatives.Due to the fact that consumer preferences and expectations vary significantly among markets, and since delivery systems are also not consistent from country to co untry, each market should be served as locally as possible. This does not exclude the option of bundling some functions in specific locations; in fact this should be undertaken. Marketplace activities, for instance, shall be centralized in the UK, since this activity mainly is based on and requires IT functionality.The central functions Customer Service and Procurement also shall be allocated to the UK. With respect to the expansion of product lines, this should be done according to regional/international classification. Items which are non-country or language specific, such as CD's, electronics, hardware, etc. can be allocated and administered at a central European location; in this case France may be selected. Bulk items would be the responsibility of a continental-based facility as well, preferably Germany due to its central location.Any country or language-specific items, i. e. books, fashion apparel, home decor, etc. shall be administered in mini-DC's located within each market . This would assure the â€Å"local touch† required by customers, and would allow for more effective negotiations with local market suppliers. Newly added markets could first be served from the existing three, with the establishment of a mini-DC in the market as soon as the product volume, logistic opportunities and demands, as well as customer buying behaviors are sufficient to justify local investment.Without a doubt, the solution our group has provided leads to higher costs and increased complexity in a number of areas. However, the underlying principle was to devise a way to build the brand and company image in a similar way that was successful in the US market – serving the customer in a quick and simple way. At the same time, the bundling of core functions offers an opportunity to reduce costs and redundancy.