Theme of Blindness in Lear and Oedipus Essays

Theme of Blindness in Lear and Oedipus Essays Theme of Blindness in Lear and Oedipus Paper Theme of Blindness in Lear and Oedipus Paper Essay Topic: Bless Me Ultima Blindness Sometimes the blind can see more than the sighted. During a scary movie or a horrific event, people may cover their eyes, choosing not to see the truth. As human beings, we often become entrenched in the material world, becoming oblivious to and unable to see the most apparent truths. Oedipus, the main character in Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, could not see the truth, but the blind man, Teiresias, saw it plainly. Sophocles uses blindness as a motif in the play Oedipus Rex. Oedipus, known for his intelligence, is ignorant and therefore blind to the truth about himself and his past. Yet, when Teiresias exposes the truth he is shunned. It is left to Oedipus to overcome his blindness, realize the truth, and accept fate. Oedipus, who bear the famous name, fled his home of Corinth in fear of fulfilling the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. During his flight, he Oedipus kills a caravan of presumed low-class travelers. Oedipus comes into Thebes a stranger and hero who solved the riddle of the sphinx. Believing that he is blessed with great luck, Oedipus marries the recently widowed Iokaste and becomes King of Thebes. After many years, a plague vexes the city and Kreon, brother of Iokaste, comes to Oedipus with news from the oracle. He states that the plague will be lifted when the murder of Laios is avenged. Oedipus claims that he sees and understands the terrible fate of Thebes and vows to find the murderer. Since the criminal is said to still be in Thebes, Oedipus believes that a man of his intelligence should have no difficulty in finding the perpetrator. When Oedipus is confronted by Teiresias with truth, perhaps it is Oedipus own hubris, which blinds him to the unthinkable truth. Unwillingly, Teiresias the blind seer provides Oedipus with the hurtful truth. Although before the truth is announced, Oedipus describes Teiresias as a seer: student of mysteries. Oedipus looks to Teiresias for help in finding the murderer of the former king. He is trusted and respected by everyone in the city as evidenced by his introduction as the holy prophet In whom, alone of all men, truth was born. Yet, when Teiresias speaks, reluctantly but honestly to Oedipus, he is shunned and his credibility and motives are attacked. Oedipus accuses Teiresias of plotting against him and helping Kreon become king. He claims that Kreon has brought this decrepit fortune-teller, this collector of dirty pennies, this prophet fraud to him. Sadly, the citizens represented by the chorus, who once trusted Teiresias, will not side with him because there is no proof that h is prophecy is true. Within one conversation, the lavish praise of Teiresias crumbles into Oedipus hatred of him. Responding to Oedipus attacks, Teiresias tells him you with both your eyes you are blind: You can not see the wretchedness of your life, Nor in whose house you live, no, nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You dont even know the blind wrongs That you have done them, on earth and in the world below. Although, Oedipus and the citizens of Thebes do not know the truth, the audience understands that Teiresias represents insight, therefore his wise words should be perceived as prophecies of events to come and morals to learn. Teiresias though physically blind can see better or more clairvoyant than Oedipus who has perfect vision and yet still blind to the truth. In the same dialogue, Teiresias foreshadows the double lash of your parents curse will whip you. Out of this land someday with only night Upon you precious eyes. Leaving with the last word, Teiresias exits the stage telling Oedipus the truth once more. It is not till the confession of the Shepherd and the suicide hangin Now with the truth of himself realized, Oedipus is filled with grief and guilt. He blinds himself, left forever with the knowledge of the destruction and shame he has brought on his family. He says goodbye to daughters because he must live the rest of his life in exile and die where his parents intended, the wild hills of Kithairon. Oedipus blinding himself symbolizes his increase of knowledge, his sensitivity, and gives him the ability to finally see. He is now able to recognize the flaws of his hubris and the consequences of which his pride brought him. The same theme appearing in most Greek stories applies to Oedipus; the will of the gods is ultimate, and one must live humbly.

How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper

How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper A literature review can differ from other assignments, but it is basically a review, which defines the rationale and the preface regarding the primary research. It is essential that a literature review be included since it is mandatory in a research paper. The basic objective is to examine, while being very critical, a part of a published source from its classification, summary, and assessment by using previous research studies, theoretical studies, and assessment of literature. Meanwhile, while writing the introduction, the scholar needs to define the main topic, the problem or the area or concern, which would give the necessary background for a literature review. The student needs to mention the basic trends which have been written about the topic; or evidence, methodology, conflicts in theory, and conclusions; or scholarship and gaps in research; or different view of immediate interest, or a unique problem. Moreover, the writer’s opinion and point of view needs to be established, the scope, the sequence, and the criterion for analyzing the literature needs to be mentioned. Once you move to the body, you need to combine research articles and different sorts of literature such as case studies, theoretical articles, and reviews, which should all have common factors, such as objectives, author’s conclusions, quantitative versus qualitative approach etc. The writer should summarize all the individual articles, and components, which may include small or large amounts of details, depending on merit. Keep in mind that the length of writing signifies its importance. You need to give the reader well balanced information, and structure in the beginning, body, and conclusion so that there is sufficient comprehension of the knowledge provided. While drafting the conclusion, sum up the main contributions of the important studies, and incorporate them into the main body of the thesis draft, while making sure that the focus and theme created in the beginning of the dissertation is maintained in the writing of the draft. You then need to analyze the existing state of the art regarding the body of information, which has been reviewed. Pick out the main methodological gaps, or errors, while carrying out the research, irregularities in the findings and in theory, and issues and areas which are essential for future study. Conclude the paper by giving some of ideas of the link between the main essence of the literature review and the superior area of study, for example, the profession, scientific endeavor and the discipline. The student needs to make sure that the main elements of the topic are covered, and that the thesis statement is relevant to the text written in the draft. Moreover, there needs to be sufficient attention given to the minor concerns such as good grammar free of mistakes, and correct sentence structure. Also, complete the paper well before the deadline so that there is sufficient time to proofread the paper and make sure that it is in a perfect condition before it is submitted. You can also order such a paper online to find out how a proper literature review paper looks like, and save yourself a lot of stress concerned with reviewing and studying guides. Do not hesitate to ask our service for literature review writing help provided by professionals!

Nutritional quality of rapeseed oil and health benefits of omega fatty Essay

Nutritional quality of rapeseed oil and health benefits of omega fatty acids - Essay Example The plant bears yellow flowers. Rapeseed is popular for the oil that can be produced from it. The most popular brand is the canola oil, which is a refined form of rapeseed oil. Until a few years ago, Rapeseed oil was used as an efficient lubricant for steam engines. Currently, the oil is used as biofuel and human edible oil and the by-product is used as animal food (USDA, 2010). The oil has high levels of erucic acid and glucosinolate because of which it tastes bitter. Canola oil has lesser amount of acid and glucosinolate and hence is palatable. It has higher quantities of omega fatty acids which reduce LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels (USDA, 2010). Canola oil has low saturated fat and high levels of monounsaturated oil. Infact, when compared to other vegetable edible oils like sunflower oil, corn oil and peanut oil, canola oil has very low ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats. The main omega fatty acid present in the oil is alpha-linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 f atty acid. 1.3 grams of this fatty acid is present in one serving of the oil. 1ml of the oil yields 12 calories and 1.4 grams of fat. Only 10 percent of the fat is saturated. The oil has no cholesterol, protein, carbohydrate or sodium. The oil is rich in vitamin E which is a valuable anti-oxidant (Ingle, 2010). Despite the popularity of the rapeseed oil as safe and beneficial edible oil, many experts have condemned the nutritional benefits of the oil. Some researchers are of the opinion that the useful ingredients of the oil are destroyed in industrial manufacturing and that during such a process, trans-fatty acids develop which are not only harmful to the body but also are detrimental to the beneficial actions of the useful ingredients of the oil. Some experts opine that Canola oil or the irradiated rapeseed oil can cause certain problems of the central nervous system like tremors, palsy, shaking, uncoordination of movements, slurring of speech, blurring

Project on Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project on Financial Management - Essay Example The balance sheet of my family reveals that we have just enough assets to cover our liabilities. We keep liabilities to a minimum because we have three growing children and our money goes to support their daily expenses. Aside from paying for the mortgage, there are just the monthly utilities and the telephone and cable to pay for. But as can be reflected, the liabilities already consume about 77% of our resources. The asset to debt ratio of 1.29 shows that our financial liquidity, or our ability to cover our liabilities. As shown, our assets are still more than our debt which enables us to pay for our obligations by keeping them to a minimum – only that which we can afford. The only investment asset we have is our life insurance which has a cash value of $3000. Since we are still paying for our house, it is still not considered as an asset since the title to the property is not yet in our name until it is fully paid. The $5000 in our checking account is composed of the $300 per month I struggle to save for emergency purposes plus other savings made in the process.

Economic Globalization And Offshore Sourcing Management Essay

Economic Globalization And Offshore Sourcing Management Essay In tune with increased economic globalization and offshore sourcing, global supply chain management is becoming a vital subject for many businesses and Somerset Furniture is one of the companies facing the challenges when set up its global supply chain. The business strategy constitutes overall direction to achieve corporate objectives and goals in long term, but supply chain strategy focuses on driving down operational costs, streamlining procedures and maximizing efficiencies. However, most companies have wonderful business strategies but most of them are unlikely designed a seamless supply chain strategy which can result in great failure when doing business overseas. In this case study, Somersets current approach to manage its supply chain resulted in poor business performance, the visible hazards and other negative factors frustrated Somerset included poor logistics management, ineffective order system and inventory management as well as inconsistency of product quality. In adopting a value chain, Somerset must incorporate and execute a robust supply chain management strategy for best-fit suppliers selection, further establish on how to work with supply partners, distributors, suppliers, customers or even customers customers as a way to remain competitive. Otherwise, the company will not survive. As the marketplace changes rapidly and becomes very competitive, it is critical that Somerset reinforces existing relationships and work together internally and externally. That being said, a well-practiced supply chain strategy results in value creation for the whole organization. In a nutshell, supply chains have shifted from a cost focus to a customer focus, until currently to a strategic focus, scrutinizing the success of a strategy is just as good as the companys capabilities to fully and properly execute all. A great supply chain strategic approach, connected with operational excellence, can provide success for not only the company in crisis but also its partners and customers. 1. Introduction Somerset Furniture is an established ornate residential home wood furniture company with over 50 years history in USA, renowned for producing quality and affordable furniture with a practical range of innovative design. To cope with the fast growing U.S. market, Somerset has developed its marketing strategy by introducing new product lines every few years and successfully gained creditable reputation during the last half of the twentieth century. The company was a pioneer in furniture manufacturing processes and in applying TQM principles to furniture manufacturing. However, Somerset soon faced with thorny problems emerging in mid-1990s, such as stiffer competition, high labour rates, diminishing profits. As a result, the company downsized the domestic manufacturing facility and labour force through outsourcing several internal furniture product lines to China manufacturers, this led to be very successful in reducing costs and increasing profits initially. By 2000, Somerset closed entire manufacturing facility in the United States and outsourced all of its manufacturing to suppliers in China and then set up global supply chain, at which a series of chain-reacting problems raised and affected business. The primary focus of this paper is to find out outsourcing solution and rectify the global supply chain strategy to be very competitive. The evaluation of Somersets approach on managing current supply chain both from strategic and tactical viewpoint will be addressed in Chapter 2. The subsequent Chapter 3 and 4 respectively describes the new strategic supply chain approach and then explains the transformational requirements for changing Somerset supply chain effectively and efficiently. The conclusion will be made in Chapter 5 outlining the study points for readers. Evaluation of Somerset Furniture Companys Approach to Managing Supply Chain from both strategic and tactical viewpoints. Somersets Existing Global Supply Chain Process Map Figure 2.1 Somersets Global Supply Chain Logistic Flowchart Source: Adapted from Fawcett, Ellram and Ogden (2007, p.218) Foreign Competition While Somerset formulated a good strategic marketing plan for continually launching new product lines every few years during half of the twentieth century, simultaneously, experienced the positive effects of applying the TQM in its furniture manufacturing and popularly is known as high-quality yet affordable wooden furniture provider in domestic market. However, since the mid-1990s, the company suffered from the stiffer competition, high labour rate and decreasing profits. To get out of this situation, Somerset started outsourcing several furniture product lines to China that helped benefit from cost-effective and reduced operating costs. Another strategy was reducing the manufacturing facility and labour force, to keep the low costs in line with the pace of outsourcing. It was very successful initially in reducing costs and increasing profits for the company. By 2000, Somerset decided to set up global supply chain and closed entire manufacturing facility in the United States by outsourcing all of its manufacturing to suppliers in China. Shipments of Raw Materials and Inconsistency of Product Quality Somersets global supply chain facilitates the wood shipments from the United States and South America to manufacturing plants in China. This shipment itinerary takes a long time to arrive China, therell be unexpected delays for processing shipment which incurs customer complaints and orders cancellation. Despite of long shipping time, the costs of shipment to the final destination and the raw material from US and South America are apparently high that reduced the profits. As the manufacturing plants employed Chinese workers to produce products by hand in China, it will cause discrepancies in product dimension and quality. Customers would ask for exchange or refund as the quality is not assured by hand-made. Poor Distribution Network and Transportation Management The finished furniture products are shipped by containers from Hong Kong or Shanghai to Norfolk, Virginia, once arrived, the containers are transported by truck to Somerset warehouses in Randolph Country, where all of retailers stores located and installed the furniture to prevent from damage during transport. Ineffective Order Management It is found that therere some critical flaws exist internally within Somersets global supply chain on its order processing and fulfillment system. Somerset processes orders weekly and biweekly and it takes 7-14 days to developing demand forecast and 12 -25 days for processing order which amount totally 22 to 45 days for purchase order to eventually complete. It requires another 60 days to produce product by hand when going into production. Poor Transportation Management As required by Chinese logistics, all finished furniture items have to be transported from the manufacturing plants to Chinese ports, which can take up to several weeks depending on trucking availability and schedules. Since 9/11, random security checks of containers will delay shipment for another one to three weeks and the trip overseas to Norfolk takes 28 days. Hence, from China to Norfolk port, it can take more than two months delivery time. Thereafter, clearing US customs can take another one to two weeks before local workers take another 1-3 days to unload containers and transfer the furniture onto truck to Somersets warehouse in Randolph County. Ineffective Inventory Management The variability of supply chain estimated is up to 40% for schedule deferment. Due to Somersets innovative conception to introducing new products frequently, it resulted in substantial excess inventories left over in warehouse where the obsolete furniture occupy precious space and increase high disposal and storage costs. Somerset proudly stands behind its products and customers can get a warranty period of 1 year from the date of purchase. It brought a serious problem for parts replacement, because China supplier is only able to provide these parts which are in production, but most of the parts are not produced anymore after 1-year guarantee period. Poor Product Quality Although quality auditors are employed by Chinese suppliers to perform quality audit every few weeks, Somerset still encounters several quality issues. Consequently, Somerset has to inspect every piece of furniture it receives from China due to retailers and customers complaints. 3. Development Justification of New Strategic Supply Chain Approach to be used by Somerset Foreign Competition Owing to fierce competition, Somerset has to close its entire US manufacturing facility and outsource all of its manufacturing to China to reduce costs and increases profits for the company. Outsourcing has become a common strategy that is adopted by all US companies and managing supply chains has now become a trend due to globalisation. It is felt that Somerset should have an outsourcing strategy which will continue to evaluate alternate low-cost furniture manufacturing plants around Asia or other regions. Depending on just low-cost China manufacturers which product its products by hand may not be a viable long term solution for its overall corporate or supply chain strategy. 3.2 Shipment of Raw Materials Consistency of Product Quality Somersets shipment of wood from the United States and South America to manufacturing plants in China is a costly and time-consuming process. Raw materials should be sourced from within China or from neighbouring countries around manufacturing facility to ensure low cost and better efficiency in materials movement. The China manufacturing plant produced all furniture products by hand, which is not only time-consuming, taking 60 days to finished the production, but also cause inconsistency of products quality. It is thus recommended that China manufacturing plant be ISO9000 certified, to provide Quality Assurance and invest in partial or fully automated machine to manufacture some of these furniture products so as to cut down the production lead-time and provide better consistency in products quality. In the meantime, the leader should take action of outsourcing another manufacturer in China to replace the current one, because the current plant may not have enough capital to purchase all necessary expensive equipment. Furthermore, the conversion from undeveloped factory to a qualified lean manufacturing facility cannot take place in one day since it is viewed as a long term transformation. Therefore, Somerset should outsource the production base to other China furniture manufacturing facilities, which comprise the following competencies: Lean manufacturing system implementation Lean manufacturing results in significant cost savings over a two to three year period. Specifically, manufacturing companies report significant reduction in raw materials, in-process inventories, setup costs, throughput times, direct labor costs, indirect labor costs, staff, overdue orders, tooling costs, quality costs, and the cost of bringing new designs on line (Swamidass 2002) ISO9000 certification Flexibility (refers to modification, design, machine, production lines and time flexibilities) Capacity (in terms of space, labor, equipment, IT and materials) 3.3 Better Distribution Network Transportation Management According to Chopra Meindl (2010), with regards to movement of products from factory to customer, there are six distinct distribution network designs for company to select one of them, as shown below: Manufacturer storage with direct shipping Manufacturer storage with direct shipping and in-transit merge Distributor storage with package carrier delivery Distributor storage with last-mile delivery Manufacturer/distributor storage with customer pickup Retail storage with customer pickup Somerset can select one of above distribution network to help in improving its distribution network. Choosing the manufacturer storage with direct shipping will help to eliminate the movement of furniture from Somerset warehouse to retail stores. This will have the advantages of better customers experience and lower inventory costs. Installation of hardware can therefore also be done at customers house instead of at retail stores. However, it has the disadvantages of higher transportation costs (because of increased distance and disaggregate shipping) and requiring investment in information infrastructure to integrate manufacturer and retailer. Another improvement in transportation is to eliminate export of raw materials from US to China by sourcing these materials from China or its neighbouring countries. This not only saves transportation time but also costs of materials. Purchasing department of Somerset will thus have the task to source for these new raw materials around Asia. 3.4 Effective Order Management The order processing and fulfillment system in Somersets global supply chain is too long and it is suspected that Somerset and Chinese manufacturing plant may not have the necessary information technology to enable the rapid sharing of demand and supply data. Per Harrison Hoek (2002), they mention that integration of demand and supply data so that an increasingly accurate picture is obtained about the nature of business processes, markets and consumers, can provide increasing competitive advantage. Figure 3.1 shows a conceptual model of how supply chain processes (supply, source, make, distribute and sell) are integrated together in order to meet end customer demand (cited by Harrison Hoek 2002, p.14): Figure 3.1 Integrating demand and supply chains Source: Harrison Hoek (2002, p.14) Another solution is to ensure that Somerset utilizes software for order processing which will automatically route for approval and issue purchase order in an efficient manner. There should also be policy in place to ensure that the approval routes are short and approving manager does not take too long to approve it. 3.5 Better Transportation Management Apparently, the Chinese logistics arrangement, depending on trucking availability and containers, causes wide times variability in shipment of finished furniture items from China ports to Norfolk. It is really critical for Somerset to have a good logistics/transportation manager to understand the root causes, select work with the Chinese suppliers to reduce this time and wide-variability to avoid delay shipment to customers. Langley et al. (2009) recommends proactive management approach to identify and solve transportation problems by reducing the number of carriers, negotiating with carriers, establishing carrier contracts with prescribed service levels, and modifying loading procedures. Hence, Somerset can negotiate and establish new contracts with Chinese suppliers or carriers to ensure that the finished products can depart China ports consistently at a shorter lead-time. In fact, Somerset should establish contracts with all transportation modes to ensure the required transportation service level and lead-times predictability. Other means of improvement and cost-effectiveness can be done through consolidating shipments and monitoring transportation service quality. 3.6 Effective Inventory Management It is highly recommended that Somerset adopts Just-In-Time (JIT) and Lean thinking concepts, as discussed by Harrison Hoek (2002), that can reduce delay, waste and inventory costs. Long-standing approaches to material control, such as reorder point stock control (ROP), economic order quantities (EOQ) and material requirements planning (MRP) can be made far more responsive by the application of JIT principle whereas lean thinking seeks perfection by gradually reducing waste from each of below four areas: Specifying value from the customer perspective Identifying the value stream ( through time-based mapping) Making the product flow through the supply network (by applying JIT principles) Letting the customer pull (through pull scheduling) Somerset may also adopt vendor-managed inventory (VMI) where it takes responsibility for monitoring sales and inventory in the retailers process. This information is used to trigger replenishment orders. As VMI is facilitated by willingness to share data, the use of integrated systems, and standard procedures, it is made more difficult by such factors as long replenishment lead times, inaccurate data, and unwillingness by either party to invest in systems support. Murphy Wood (2008) highlights tracking technology, radio-frequency identification (RFID) to keep track of inventory, which can further improve the efficiency in the supply chain network. 3.7 Better Product Quality The fact that Somerset has to inspect every piece of furniture it receives from China proves that China manufacturing plant must be ISO9000 certified and implement Quality Assurance System in-house. In addition, this will avoid the need to get quality auditors who are employed by Chinese suppliers to perform quality audit. A Quality Improvement Team should be formed in the China manufacturing plant and be trained so as to improve quality on a continual-basis. Somerset can also assist in the implementation of lean manufacturing for its outsourced China manufacturing plant or introduce Lean Six Sigma methodology to effectively control the process for better consistency in products quality. The requirements for the successful implementation of lean manufacturing, as per Swamidass (2002), are: All levels in the plant, from the production worker to the president must be educated in lean production philosophy and concepts. Top management must be totally committed to this venture and provide necessary leadership. Everyone must be involved in the change, and the internal customer must be empowered to play a vital role in this evolutional process. Everyone in the plant must understand that cost, not price, determines profit. The customer determines price, the plant determines the cost. Everyone must be committed to the elimination of waste. This is fundamental for becoming lean. The concept of standardization must be taught to everyone and applied to documentation, methods, processes as well as system metrics. 4. Evaluation Transformation Required In order to change the Somersets Supply Chain Philosophy from its traditionally position of functional independence to an integrated single entity, top management of Somerset has to ensure that conflicting functional objectives along the supply chain are reconciled and balanced. According to Barnes (2001), supply chain management requires a new approach to systems: integration is the key. Somerset must better manage its supply chain effectively through adapting the six building blocks for effective supply chain management (Harrison Hoek 2002) as follows: Develop a supply chain strategy Elements to be incorporated are: Customer service requirements Plant and distribution centre network design Inventory management Outsourcing and third-party logistics relationships Business processes Organizational design and training requirements Performance metrics and goals Gather supply chain information Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to facilitate the flow of information across their organization Develop effective partnerships and alliances Collaborative approach with key suppliers and customers for better decisions in procurement, production, inventory and fulfillment. Pilot new supply chain solutions Piloting initiatives on a small scale reduces risk and can encourage buy-in from others within the organization or supply chain. Elements to be included in any pilot projects are: Involvement of key stakeholders, suppliers, customers and employees. Selection of scope and environment Identification of critical success factors Organise for supply chain performance Organisational change for cross-functional instead of functionally based structures. Develop measurement system for supply chain performance Cross-supply chain instead of function focused measures: On time in full, outbound On time in full, inbound Internal defect rates New product introduction rate Cost reduction Order to delivery lead time Fiscal flexibility Somerset can also consider the proposal by Heinrich Betts (2003) to transform companys supply chain into adaptive business network. This new business model joins companies as partners, into an adaptable and flexible set of business relationships such that each company is able to respond more swiftly into changing market conditions and leverage the networks cumulative ability to: Plan and anticipate demand and supply. Execute plans efficiently and effectively. Sense events that affect the plans as those events occur, and analyze them for impact. Respond to and learn from ever-changing business conditions. Somerset can then move to an adaptive business network in four steps, as in Figure 4.1: Figure 4.1 The Four Steps of an Adaptive Business Network Step 1 Visibility: Sharing of information with partner companies. Many routine business processes with partners standardized. Information posted for common view on portal. Greater insight into business process and data accuracy problems. Step 2 Community: Moving day-to-day transactions to the portal. Establishment of minimum and maximum control thresholds. Reduction of inventory. Time savings via mechanizing transactions. Step 3 Collaboration: Sharing of customer demand data with members. Targeted replenishment of supplies. Responsibility transferred to supply replenishment vendors. Ability to reallocate inventory to fulfill maximum number of orders. Step 4 Adaptability: Time required for many tasks greatly decreased. Many tasks completely eliminated. Inventory and working capital dramatically reduced. New alliances, products, and revenue opportunities possible. Source: Heinrich Betts (2003, p.80) Harrison Hoek (2002) illustrates a number of transitional forces that need to be harnessed to give momentum to the change project, as structured in Figure 4.2 below: Figure 4.2 Transition forces Source: Harrison Hoek (2002, p.267) These 5 forces are described briefly as follows: Viability of current performance level Consider in light of market changes such as: Demographics Time-stressed customers One-to-one marketing The marketplace becomes the marketspace Perceived pay-off benefits from targeted performance Reap the potential benefits of e-business and benchmarking of improvement projects to quantify the potential benefits of making a change. Belief and enthusiasm Ability of project manager to communicate belief in the change process with enthusiasm. Ability to manage change Ability to plan the change, organizing the resources needed to make the change and managing the application of those resources in order to achieve the necessary outcome. Ability to operate in the new environment People in the organization must have the right skills, tools and techniques to operate the new process. The management of the new process will require a new set of performance measures to be in place so that its efficiency and effectiveness can be assessed. Specifically, there are several action items that are required to progressively (from Stage 1 to 3) change Somersets supply chain network to be effective and efficient, as illustrated in Table 4.1 below: Table 4.1 Action Items Required To Change Somersets Supply Chain Network Item Action Item Action To Be Taken Remarks 1 Foreign Competition Outsourced to China manufacturing plants Re-evaluate its capabilitycapacity Done 2 Shipment of Raw Materials from US Source raw materials in neighbouring countries of China Stage 1 3 Poor Distribution Network Manufacturer storage with direct shipping to customers Stage 3 4 Ineffective Order Management Integrating demand and supply data using technology Stage 2 5 Poor Transportation Management Re-negotiate new contracts with all transportation modes Stage 2 6 Ineffective Inventory Management Implement JIT approach and pull system scheduling Stage 3 7 Poor Product Quality Get China manufacturing plant ISO9000 certified Stage 1 However, the implementation of change in business is often frustrating and difficult, particularly in supply chains as it has to be undertaken in a coordinated manner across and between several organizations. It is therefore important to gain agreement from the top level of all companies involved before wide-scale changes can be made. 5. Conclusion In this case study, Somersets approach to manage its supply chain resulted in poor business performance. The visible hazards and other negative factors frustrated Somerset included poor logistics management, ineffective order system and inventory management as well as inconsistency of product quality. In adopting a value chain, Somerset must incorporate and execute a robust supply chain management strategy for best-fit suppliers selection, further establish on how to work with supply partners, distributors, suppliers, customers or even customers customers as a way to remain competitive. Otherwise, the company will not survive. In addition, top management of Somerset has to lead and motivate not only all internal functional teams, but also external suppliers and partners, to work as an integrated entity in the new strategic supply chain network, so as to achieve the overall corporate objectives. In a nutshell, supply chains have shifted from a cost focus to a customer focus, until currently to a strategic focus, scrutinizing the success of a strategy is just as good as the companys capabilities to fully and properly execute all. A great supply chain strategic approach, connected with operational excellence, can provide success for not only the company in crisis but also its partners and customers.

Christmas Celebration Essay

As Christmas arrives, instead of just opening presents, my family celebrates it by throwing a fun and exciting party. The events we plan are way to thrilling than any ordinary Christmas celebration because it’s our family’s tradition. For example, each year we make American style food and Vietnamese food, open presents under the Christmas tree, eat at the dining table, and sing! Most of my family members could not control their excitement and have broken one of the family’s traditions of opening presents by age. While we do celebrate Christmas like any other family does, we tend to celebrate it differently each year to change it up. Opening presents under the Christmas tree first, helps organize everything from causing chaos. Most of the time it’s our last event because it’s worth the wait, but most of us can’t help and take a peek at ours first. My family open presents uniquely different than other families because we wait for our turns. Our family has a tradition of opening of opening presents from youngest to oldest. We have been following this tradition for as long as I can remember. While, waiting, it’s hard for me to watch because I get extremely impatient, I’m always at the couch watching TV. Next, we heard over to the mall Christmas tree and take a Chinese red envelope filled with money. The envelope contains bills that vary from $1,$5,$10,$20 and $50. This is the most exciting part after opening presents because who wouldn’t want to test out their luck? I have the worst luck when it comes to picking an envelope off the tree. Every year, I always get $1 bills or $5 bills! This changed last year, when I hit the jackpot and won $50! Overall everyone not only receive presents, but goes home with money in their pockets. After opening presents and selecting our red envelopes off the tree, we take family pictures. The first picture is always serious because it has to be perfect. My cousin Michael, and I try our best to hold in our laugher, but we never successfully do. If the first shot isn’t perfect or if we joke around, then we all have to stand there until a perfect picture has been taken. After that we change into our Christmas sweaters and take silly photos. Nobody ever wants to see just serious Christmas photos in the family scrapbook! We take silly pictures to make it a fun and funny experience. Next we head over to the dining table to eat as much food as our hearts desire! Last, we brace ourselves again, for the serious karaoke competition! This is my favorite part of the day because it’s always funny to watch people mess up the lyrics. Each year, the competition gets more and more competitive; people take it way too seriously! My aunt thinks she is better than everyone else, but to our ears, that isn’t true. My aunts and uncles always fight over to see whose turn it is to go next because they love to have fun and show off their skills. When it’s my turn to sing, I remain calm and try my best to get a good score. Singing in chorus in high school for two years really pays off! Anyway, we all compare our scores at the end of the competition to see who wins a gift card to any store of their choice. The thing is, not everyone goes home empty – handed. Everyone wins a gift card too, but those don’t hold as much money as the grand prize. My family’s Christmas celebrations are the best! It’s great to see everyone having fun for once, rather than arguing about problems! I love the aura that everyone gives off with the smiles and laughter in the atmosphere! It’s the only time of the year where everyone can relax without causing any uproar. Overall, my Christmas celebrations are fun moments that I look forward to each year.

Safeness Of Vaccination - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 382 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/10/31 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Vaccines Essay Did you like this example? The phrase, an apple a day keeps the doctor away is analogous to the phrase it is always better to prevent a disease than treat it after it occurs because depending on the persons age and immune system, sometimes treatment can result to more harm than cure, especially for children. The only way to prevent hospitalizations is through vaccinations in order to prevent the disease. After a child is born, their body is not resilient and they are unable to produce much antibodies. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Safeness Of Vaccination" essay for you Create order It is factual that a newborn is temporarily immune during the beginning period of life because the baby possesses its mothers antibodies (CDC.org). However, with time and growth, when infants are first exposed to germs, their body recognizes the germs as foreign invaders known as antigens and their immune system automatically produces numerous protein macrophages called antibodies that can combat only those specific germs. This process takes time and if the body is unable to produce any antibodies, it can result to hospitalization where physicians would treat the patient with aggressive medications to assist the immune system and treat the infection. Ironically, the immune system also remembers that particular antigen that if the pathogen does invade the body again, even after many years, the antibodies will react quicker than a lightning bolt to persist the cause of a disease (CDC.org). This lifetime protection is known as immunity. The purpose of vaccines is to help prevent cause of disease. They contain inactive (dead) antigen that is injected into the dermis for the immune system to produce antibodies, not cause disease. For example, at birth the first dose of HepB (Hepatitis B) vaccine is given to prevent the virus from affecting the liver. According to kidshealth.org, those who are infected with HepB become lifelong carriers of the virus and may develop long-term problems such as cirrhosis (liver disease) or cancer of the liver. The injection fortunately provides long-term immunity from hepatitis B as well as eliminates the risk of cirrhosis, chronic liver disease or cancer. Vaccinations may be portrayed as a solution to avoiding bacterial infection, however there is a slight possibility for some infants and adults to develop allergic reaction, soreness or fever. Thus, it is safe to state, injections are safer than suffering from a disease.