PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY NURSING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY NURSING - Essay Example Of concern specially is smoking among adolescents which can contribute to several health problems and birth defects in babies born to pregnant women who smoke. Thus, the community selected for critical analysis of health needs in this essay is adolescent smokers. The extent of problem and the impact and effectiveness of public health in the primary care setting with reference to this community will be discussed through review of suitable literature. The Community According to the 2009 statistics, 29 percent of pupils have tried smoking atleast once and the prevalence of smoking in young people was 6 percent. Though this proportion is the lowest since the time the survey began in 1982, it continues to be a significant problem for both health authorities and public. The prevalence of smoking between 11-15 years old has been estimated to be 6 percent. The prevalence is more among girls (7 percent) when compared to boys (5 percent). Another important finding of the survey is that the pre valence of smoking increases with age. At 11 years of age, the prevalence is 0.5 percent and at 15 years of age it is 15 percent. Ethnicity has an influence on the prevalence. It is more common in White pupils when compared to Black of Mixed ethnicity pupils. It is also more prevalent in pupils coming from lower socioeconomic strata (Smith et al, 2009). According to the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use survey of 2006 (NHS, 2007), nine percent of pupils in England are regular smokers and a further 5 percent are occasional smokers. The survey defined regular smokers as those smoking atleast one cigarette per week and occasional smokers as those smoking less than one cigarette a week. Pupils who smoked regularly smoked an average of 6 cigarettes a day, approximately 43.5 cigarettes a week. 74 percent of the regular smokers smoked cigarettes from a packet and 6 percent smoked from rolled tobaccos. Girls were more likely to smoke from a packet (NHS, 2007). Regular smoking in this age group has been associated with drug abuse, alcohol intake and truancy and school exclusion. The dependence of smoking by children is mainly related to the time they spend as regular smoker. Those who have smoked for more than a year as regular smokers have reported that they find it difficult to not smoke each day. However, more than 50 percent opined that they knew the ill effects of smoking and thus would like to give up. Most pupils knew that smoking caused lung cancer. But two-thirds of them reported that they felt relaxed because of smoking. Thus, the immediate benefits of smoking outweighed the future potential hazards of smoking. According to the survey, majority of pupils were aware of the fact that their families had negative attitude towards smoking. One third of the pupils who smoked did so secretly and occasional smokers were more likely to be secret smokers. Also, households of pupils who smoked were more lenient that those who did not smoke (NHS, 2007). Since most adult smo kers begin smoking at young age, it is every important to ascertain and understand the causes of smoking in young children so that predictors of smoking can be evaluated and targeted for prevention. Several risk factors have been studied in this regard. According to the Liverpool Longitudinal Smoking Study (Smith et al, 2009), deprivation at both school and home was strongly associated with smoking among adolescents. The trial of smoking is influenced by several school-related environmental factors

Does Bureaucracy Remains The Essential Core of Public Administration in The Practice of New Public Management?

Does Bureaucracy Remains The Essential Core of Public Administration in The Practice of New Public Management? Introduction The changing role on how the government should act in order to improve and guarantee an adequate public service delivery has come to an era where the concept of New Public Management (NPM) is introduced to replace the practice of so called ‘red tape bureaucracy. The concept suggests new management techniques and practices that involving market type mechanisms related to private sector practices in order to bring changes to the management of government in making public service delivery. The reforms try to redefine the role and character of government institutions to be more market and private sector oriented. The reform efforts have been commenced first by developed countries from the late 1970s to the 1980s, and then followed by developing and transitional countries in recent years (Larbi, 2006). The economic crisis in developed countries led to the search of new ways in managing and delivering public services and redefining the states role. Similar thing also occurred to developing countries that was experiencing economic and fiscal crisis that led to the rethinking of state-led development that involving bigger size, functions, and the cost of state and its bureaucracy. The idea is how to strongly endorse the market and competition to the private and voluntary sectors and leaving the practice of strong state where everything is controlled and done by the state. However, the idea of NPM has raise a question of whether bureaucracy should still exist or, even more, would still be the essential core element of public administration. The paper will discuss about this question and find out what would be the answer. The outline of this paper will firstly discuss about the essence of bureaucracy in the practice of public administration. Afterward, it will introduce what and how does the NPM works in the practice of organising and managing public service. Finally, this paper will analyse whether bureaucracy would still be the essential core of public administration although NPM is being implemented. What Is Bureaucracy? Common citizens might just think that bureaucracy is a burden in public administration because of its inefficiency, long chain of decision making, self interest, and other bothersome reason that makes it undesirable form of administration. In the United States, public bureaucracy has gain wide scepticism and reached a high point as a major theme in the Reagan administration. The president contempt on bureaucracy was supported by public opinion polls, which had been detecting a widespread conviction that the government is wasteful and ineffective, and much of the concern aimed on public agencies and their employees as the major part of the problem (Milward and Rainey, 1983). On the contrary, there are also views that think bureaucracy in more positive term with their own evidence. For instance, merit based bureaucracy can fosters economic growth in developing countries (Evans and Rauch, 1999). It can also contribute to the effort of poverty reduction (Henderson et al, 2003). Furthermore, bureaucratic rules are considered to have a contribution in promoting democratic equality because those rules do not make differentiation of wealth and other resources among citizens that they serve. These two standpoints, negative and positive, about bureaucracy forced us to understand more about the substance of the so called â€Å"Weberian† state structures. In the view of public administration, bureaucracy means much more than those negative characteristics mentioned above because the term â€Å"bureaucracy† in serious administrative literature mentioning a general, formal structure elements of organisation, particularly government organisation (Stillman, 2000). The most comprehensive, classic formulation of the characteristics of bureaucracy was generally acknowledged as the work of a German scientist, Max Weber. He pioneered the term â€Å"bureaucracy† by saying that â€Å"bureaucracy is the normal way that legal rational authority appears in institutional form, it holds a central role in ordering and controlling modern society, also it is superior to any other form in precision, in stability, in stringency of its discipline and in its reliability†. Weber thought that bureaucracy is indispensable to maintaining civilisation in modern society. He suggested that although a lot of people are saying about the negativ e views of bureaucracy, it would be impossible to think that administrative work can be carried out in any field without the existence of officials working in offices. Weber noted three of the most important major elements of the formal structure of bureaucracy, which are the division of labour, hierarchical order, and impersonal rules. Firstly, specialisation of labour means that all work in bureaucracy should be divided into units that will be done individuals or groups of individuals that has competency in accomplishing those tasks. In other words, the specialisation of labour brings out the idea of professionalism in administrative bureaucracy. Secondly, the hierarchical order in bureaucracy that is meant to separate superiors from sub ordinates in order to recognised different authority, responsibility, and privileges. It also meant as a base for remuneration of employees and a structure that will enable a system of promotion to the employees. Thirdly, impersonal rules that form the means of a bureaucratic world. It limits the bureaucrats in any opportunities for arbitrariness and personal favouritism because their choices are restrained by l egal bureaucratic rules that provide systematic controls of sub ordinates by superiors. Those major elements of bureaucracy derived from what is known as The Weberian ideal type, which suggested four revolutional thinking in public administration. First is the concept of recruitment for the officials which is not supposed to be based on personal relationship but more to a merit based recruitment. Second is the point of view that servants should give their loyalty to the community not to individuals or groups. Third is the mentality aspect of the servants where they are pressured in improving public welfare so they have to eliminate the practice that give opportunity for rent seeking and fraud, which will inflict the public welfare. Last concept of ideal type is that employment should be subject to job performance not on political support. The Concept of New Public Management New initiatives introduce new management technique, which include not only structural changes but also attempts to change both process and roles of public sector management. Wide drafts of initiative and change processes in the UK public services have taken place since the 1980s (Ashburner et al, 1994). Furthermore, a survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in early 1990s has concluded that new management techniques and practices that involving market type mechanisms associated with the private for profit sector would bring changes in countries public management that have wide governance, economic and institutional environments (OECD, 1993a). Those technique and practice changes have then being labelled as the New Public Management (NPM) or the new managerialism (Ferlie et al, 1996). The search for new management technique in public sector administration was initially forced by some occurrence that happened worldwide. The first wave for reforms came up as a result of economic and fiscal crisis, political change, and criticism on over extension of the state. The next wave for reforms were mainly because of the role of donors, improvement in information technology, and pressures of globalisation that strongly promoted competition among countries. Nevertheless, the concept of NPM still need to be clearly defined of what the new public management actually is, what made it distinct to be said of moving away from traditional public administration. The attempts to overview what kind of practice should be done in implementing NPM noted that there are at least four new public management models (Ferlie et al, 1996) that can distinguish it with the traditional public administration. The models meant to be the initial attempt to build the typology of new public management ideal types. The first model is The Efficiency Drive that known as the earliest model to emerge. It represented a model that tried to make public sector more like businesses, which is led by high importance of efficiency. It increased attention to financial control, extension of audit, deregulation of the labour market, empowerment of less bureaucratic and more entrepreneurial management, and a greater role for non public sector providers. This first model of NPM sees public sector as a problem not solution because it was wasteful, over bureaucratic, and underperformed. The second model is Downsizing and Decentralisation on the management of public sector organisations. This model implemented some general organisational change, which include staff downsizing, increased contracting out, and increased decentralisation strategy. The model tried to represent public sector in facing issues about their replacement with the market. The third one called In Search of Excellence that had strong highlight on organisational culture. It define NPM as techniques and practices in shaping public sector organisational culture by promoting and forming values, rites, and symbols to show people how to behave at work. The fourth and last model called Public Service Orientation. This model tried to combine private and public sector management ideas by adopting private sector practices. It takes ideas from the private sector to be applied in the public sector organisation. The rise of Total Quality Management in order to achieve excellence in public service deliveries can be noted as one of the implementation for this model. Overall, there seems to be only two core elements that exist in the concept of NPM. The first one is managerialism and the other one is marketisation and competition (Osborne and Gaebler, 1992). Managerialism includes the practice of decentralisation of authority, devolving budget and financial control, delayering and downsizing public sector organisations, implementing performance management, and forming executive agencies to do specific tasks in public services. While marketisation and competition stressed on the practice of contracting out, charging for public services, focusing on quality, and changing employment relationship. Larbi (2006) also mentioned those two core elements in a detailed table, which is also adapted from Hood (1991). However, the market type mechanisms associated with private for profit sector, which is the life blood of NPM, also have a challenge to answer that what if the market fails. It comes to another perspective of NPM in anticipating market failure, which is regulating. The idea is quite paradox because if we discuss about new public management reform, usually it will talk about de-regulation and not re-regulation, but the state has to face the reality that the market will not always succeed. This where regulation is meant to, being an instrument to impose outcomes which would not be reached by the operation of free market forces and private legal rights (Ogus, 1994). Regulation meant to make the market works more efficient or make the monopoly provider to operate as if there were a competition. Nevertheless, the practice of how to regulate has also been an interesting topic of whether in the form of state control or on the basis of giving incentives. Where Bureaucracy Stands In the New Public Management? After reviewing the definition of bureaucracy and the practice of new public management, we have to answer two questions that arise in the beginning of this paper. The first question is whether bureaucracy would still exist in the implementation of NPM or otherwise should be abolish at all. The second question, as continuation from the first one if the result is yes, where does it stand in the NPM, would it supposed to be the core elements too? The answer for the first question supposed to be yes, bureaucracy would still exists despite the emerging implementation on New Public Management. There are at least two reasons that can explain why bureaucracy will still exist. First of all, Weber suggested that bureaucracy can serve any master. This is in the meaning of whatever the form of a government, whether it is an authoritarian or democratic, bureaucracy would still be relevant. The facts that can be seen as evidence is what happened around the mid-1990s where ideas derived from neo-liberal economics began to falter as policy guides to economic development. A number of processes and events were responsible for this. The World Bank (1993, 1997) finally began to recognize the positive role that states could play. It became clear that the concept of the minimal state had theoretical flaws and led to policies that could be shattering for growth, most visibly in Eastern Europe (Henderson, 1998). Nevertheless, the Washington Cons ensus came under pressure as a consequence of inappropriate policy responses to the East Asian economic crisis (Chang, 2001). The recent writing by Chang (2002) revealed that the now developed world, including its most neo-liberal exponents, Britain and the United States did not pursue free market policies as their roads to riches, seems destined to advance this process. The second reason is the Weberian perspective actually does not negate the positive effects of strengthening market institutions, but it does postulate that bureaucratically structured public organizations, using their own distinct set of decision making procedures, are a necessary complement to market based institutional arrangements (Evans and Rauch, 1999). Then the second question, what about its significance in the NPM. More precisely, would it still be the core element in the practice of NPM. There are some arguments that we can use to answer this question. As noted before, Weber argued that public administrative organisations, which are characterised by meritocratic recruitment and a predictable long term career rewards, will be more effective at facilitating capitalist growth than other forms of state organisation. This hypothesis certainly cannot be dismissed just because of the fact that people who call themselves bureaucrats have engaged in rent seeking and fraud activity, or that corrupt governments have undermined economic growth (Evans and Rauch, 1999). Henderson et al (2003) explained in their paper that meritocratic recruitment can be expected to lead to organisational effectiveness because of several reasons. Firstly, it can ensures that staff has, at the very least, a minimal level of competency to fulfil job requirements. Secondly, it tends to encourage organisational coherence and an organisational spirit, where it is expected that this will eventually help to raise the motivation of staff. Finally, higher levels of identification with colleagues and the organisation help to raise the levels of shared norms and increase the intangible costs of engaging in corrupt practices. Moreover, bureaucracies that offer rewarding long term careers have greater possibility to perform well because it encourages more competent people to join the organisation, which, in turn, further increases organisational coherence and makes attempts to conduct corrupt practices by individuals will be less attractive because the costs of being found out ar e very high. Another argument comes from an empirical study, which is written by Evans and Rauch (1999), to test the significant correlation between bureaucratic effects of the Weberian State Structure with economic growth. Evans and Rauch constructed a â€Å"Weberianness Scale† that tried to measure the degree to which core state agencies in various countries were characterised by meritocratic recruitment and offered rewarding long term careers. After that, they compute the scores on the scale for 35 semi industrial and poor countries. Then, they analysed the correlation of these scores to the total growth of real GDP per capita in those countries from 1970 to 1990, and found out that there is a strong and significant correlation between the â€Å"Weberianness Scale† score and economic growth on those respective countries. Furthermore, they also analysed and concluded that the East Asian countries, which have higher â€Å"Weberianness Scale† score and economic growth than A frican countries, has demonstrated a high performing key institutional element of the scale that resulted in economic growth. Almost similar arguments also came from James Tobin, the winner of Nobel Prize for Economics in 1981. He observed that the rapid growth of the public sector in the United States had actually accompanied the greatest economic advances of any country in history, and that he knows of no evidence that government spending and growth are responsible for current economic difficulties. These arguments should at least give us a hint that bureaucracy would remains to be the core element in public administration. Conclusion Critiques about inefficient, red tape, and waste bureaucracy has raise an idea to abolish and make it as minimum as it can in order to provide and improve public welfare. This has lead to the concept of making business-like public sector, where it is assumed that the practice will bring goodness to public welfare. However, it has been revealed that the oversimplified calls on business-like public sector, which impose free market approach, have eventually being falter. This has made some modification on the practice of New Public Management. Some arguments have shown that bureaucracy should remains as the core element in the practice of NPM. It is required not just to anticipate market failures but also to make sure that the market, especially for monopolistic public service, would feel that there is a competition, through establishing sets of regulations. Moreover, empirical study has proved that the role of bureaucracy is actually significant for the economic growth. Thus, there are strong reasons not just to put bureaucracy in the practice of NPM, but also make it as an essential part of the New Public Management.

Gun Control: American vs the NRA Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Ess

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a Friday afternoon in Charlesbay High School. Students are piling into the lunch lines awaiting hot pizza, fresh French fries and ice-cold sodas. As the students discuss what they are going to do after the football game and how their 1st hour test was, a gunshot is heard not far away. The students are ordered to stay low to the ground by school security guards. None of the students know what is happening outside the lunch lines. What is going on is a 17-year old frenetic boy who attends Charlesbay, got upset with a couple students. He was sick of hearing them call him â€Å"dumb† or â€Å"butterball† and pushing him around the hallways. Robby, we’ll call him, took matters into his own hands and decided to do something about his bullies. The way Robby obtained his gun was by a friend, an older friend. This lethal weapon caused the death of 3 students and 5 injuries. What was just explained seems to be a typical storyline heard on the news daily. The debate over firearms has been polarized for too long. Gun law is a never-ending issue because there hardly is any true debate. Americans (and even gun owners) do support the governments efforts to make sure guns are less dangerous in violent hands, but that is the main problem-the guns getting in the wrong human hands. Millions of law-abiding Americans do own and do enjoy their guns. But criminals and sometimes-disconcerted kids often use firearms to kill. The use of firearms has increased tremendously. An average day in Los Angeles is four people dying in a gun related crime and the United States faces approximately 87 deaths a day. There are more than 200 million guns in circulation in the United States and if you don’t own a firearm, chances are that your neighbor or friend does (Fineman 27). Sure, the Founding Fathers incorporated the Second Amendment as â€Å"the right to keep and bear arms,† but it did not give the distinction of using guns to kill more childr en and people than anywhere in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I. It is happening all over the country: kids are dying from guns. (Restatement) A. According to the governments statistics, 4, 223 children were killed by firearms in 1997, while many of these deaths occurred while playing at a friends’ home or even in their own neighborhood (Bai 32). 1.It is mostly due because their parents or other gun owners ... ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Madmen will always do mad things (Aphorism). People do kill with broomsticks and their bare hands. Yet the facts are inescapable, there are more than 200 million guns in circulation and more than 1/3 of American households owns a firearm (Fineman 32) (Restatement). Products are something we need to regulate, be they cars, lawnmowers or pharmaceuticals. It is time to apply this consumer-product safety standard to firearms. Perhaps it will take another school shooting to get the Americans and political leaders thinking. Perhaps it will take one more school shooting to move us from people who support for gun control to people who actually vote for it. Perhaps it will take one more shooting to make the Americans more powerful than the NRA. Perhaps it will take our school to be the chosen school to have a rampage, to finally open up our eyes to see how dangerous guns really is (Repetition). Works Cited Matt Bai, â€Å"Searching for Answers† Newsweek 10 May 1999 31:36 Howard Fineman, â€Å"The Gun War Comes Home† Newsweek 23 May 1999 22:32 Andrew Murr, â€Å"Follow the Firearms† Newsweek 10 May 1999 34 Anna Quindlen, â€Å"The Widows and the Wounded† Newsweek 1 Nov. 1999 98

Sadada

Heineken Netherlands B. V. : Reengineering IS/IT To Enable Customer – Oriented Supply Chain Management In June 1993, Jan Janssen, financial manager of Heineken Nether lands B. V. and the person responsible for Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT), and his IS manager, Rob Pietersen, faced the challenge of developing an IS/IT configuration that would add value to the business and support the ongoing transformation of Heineken's supply chain management system.This system was extensive, not only supplying the Dutch home market, but also providing a significant part of the supply to more than 100 export countries served by the Heineken Group. Supply chain management central to enterprise-wide transformation. Management was committed to a process-driven organization, customer service partnerships, 24-hour delivery lead time, major innovations in the transport system, and resulting changes in the way people worked. And Janssen knew that all of these-and more-requi red fundamental changes in the way this new work was to be supported by information systems and technology.Janssen was convinced that the effective management of information as well as a more appropriate IT infrastructure were critical to achieving Heineken's goals of increased flexibility, greater coordination, and a sharper focus on customer needs. In his mind, the change program initiated in 1990 in the IS/IT area had just been the beginning. Now, he and Pietersen needed to design an information systems and technology backbone that would be flexible enough to evolve with the changing business needs and adapt to continuous changes in technology.HEINEKEN NETHERLANDS B. V. Heineken Netherlands B. V. was the principal operating company responsible for operations in Heineken's home market. It also accounted for a significant part of Heineken N. V. ‘s worldwide exports. Of the 60. 4 million hectoliters' of beer produced worldwide under the supervision of the Heineken Group in 199 4, a significant portion was produced in the company's two Dutch breweries- Zoeterwoude and `s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch).Likewise, 11 percent of the Heineken Group's sales took place in the domestic market, and more than 5400 employees worked for Heineken Netherlands. Supply Chain Management The supply chain at Heineken Netherlands began with the receipt of the raw materials that went into the brewing process, and continued through packaging, distribution, and delivery. Brewing took six weeks; it began with the malt mixture of barley and ended with the filtering of the beer after fermentation.Depending on the distribution channel, the beer was then packaged in â€Å"one-way† or returnable bottles or cans of different sizes and labels, put in kegs, or delivered in bulk. The variety of outlets meant that the company had to manage differences in response time (beer for the domestic market was produced to stock, while exported beer was produced to order) and three distinct distri bution channels. While each channel consisted mainly of the same steps from the receipt of raw materials through brewing, they differed greatly in packaging and distribution.Beer could be distributed to either on-premise outlets (hotels, restaurants, and cafes, where it was delivered in kegs or poured directly into cellar beer tanks), off-premise outlets (supermarkets, grocery and liquor stores, where it was sold in a variety of bottle and package sizes for home consumption), or to export markets (export deliveries were made to order). Ongoing Transformation With key customers requesting faster response times, the development of a process-driven view of Heineken's supply chain activities became critical.The company started the transformation of its supply chain management system by creating customer-service partnerships with its largest domestic customers. The overall objective was to improve the logistics chain dramatically for these customers. In response, delivery lead times were reduced and the transport system was changed. However, the supply chain transformation was seen as a never-ending process. New Customer-Service Partnerships In these new service partnerships, Heineken was requested to reduce the time from the placement of the product order to the actual delivery.Before, this delivery lead time had been three days, but the supermarket chains wanted Heineken to supply their warehouses in the Netherlands in 24 hours. Each of the warehouses carried only 8 hours of stock at any time, so the supermarket chains depended on quick and flexible delivery to maintain low inventories and fast response times. To further enhance its close cooperation with customers, Heineken had embarked on a pilot test of a new logistics improvement called â€Å"Comakership† with Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands.Comakership was part of Albert Heijn's Efficient Customer Response project, â€Å"Today for Tomorrow. † The Albert Heijn reta il stores sent their sales information as scanning data to the computer in their central head office. There, the data for Heineken products were scanned out and separated. The beer sales information was then relayed via a standard EDI system (provided by a value-added network operator) from the central office of Albert Heijn directly to Heineken's Zoeterwoude brewery. Heineken was usually able to deliver within 18 hours.Although the pilot had been initiated in only one of Albert Heijn's distribution centers (and the set of stores it served), it had already resulted in lower lead times, decreased costs, and less complexity in the distribution system. Moving to a 24-Hour Delivery Lead Tinge As a result of these successes, top management concluded that delivery lead time could be cut to 24 hours for most domestic customers. However, it would require major shifts in the company's stock levels, distribution centers, work organization, transport system, organizational structure, and infor mation systems.The 24-hour lead time allowed for greater stock turnover and for lower stock levels in the customer distribution centers. There was, however, more interdepot traffic and higher stocks of packaging material (â€Å"returnables†) on the brewery premises (which had been located elsewhere along the supply chain). But management believed that as less total inventory was held in the system, these packaging material stocks might be reduced over time. New Transport System Until 1991, Heineken Netherlands had contracted out the transportation of its products from the two breweries to about 50 transporters.All of them used a lorry-trailer system with â€Å"dedicated† drivers-a driver and his â€Å"truck† could make an average of 2. 1 deliveries per day. To meet the 24-hour lead time, Heineken had to completely change the fleet used for transport and reduce the number of transporters from 50 to 10. Heineken then contracted 4 cabin trucks from each transporter (40 cabin trucks in total) and paid them for the use of the trailers. The ability of the driver to move from one trailer to another without waiting for unloading meant that he could make an average of 2. deliveries per day (a cost reduction of approximately G1. 5 million ). New Information Management (IM) Needs Heineken's customer-service partnership with Albert Heijn and the other changes Heineken had implemented in its supply chain activities brought new information requirements to support the more stringent delivery dictates. With the pilot testing of the Comakership logistics improvement, Heineken needed to implement systems which could manage this new transfer of information, and make appropriate modifications in work activities and organizational structure.Furthermore, the new IS/IT infrastructure needed to be flexible enough to handle and reflect individual retailer and customer beer purchasing patterns. In the context of these changes in supply chain activities, Janssen ref lected on the beginnings of the transformation of IS/IT: The transformation of IS/IT and the shifts occurring in our supply chain activities were concurrent without causality. That is very strange, but it just happened that way. I can't say to you that it is a â€Å"chicken and egg† kind of story. Of course, there was a link but not an explicit one. Somewhere in our minds, when you do one you do the other, too.Jansen knew that the relationship between information management, information systems, and information technology had to be clearly defined to have optimum support for the new approaches to value creation. Information management focused on supporting customers and creating new â€Å"bundles of goods and services. † Information systems focused on developing applications software, managing data, and supporting the new business processes. Finally, information technology related primarily to data and text services, and the underlying operating systems, interfaces, ha rdware, and networks.PHASE l: RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR CHANGE In July 1989, at the beginning of all the changes at Heineken, Janssen (then at headquarters and responsible for IS/IT worldwide) received a request for a second mainframe at Heineken Netherlands, costing G6 million (with another G6 million required in three to four years); Janssen brought in the consulting firm Nolan, Norton, Inc. to evaluate the IS/IT infrastructure, first at the corporate level and then at the operating company level for Heineken Netherlands: A proposal to purchase a second mainframe focused everybody on our IS/IT infrastructure.You have to have some kind of crisis to get people thinking. IS/IT Benchmarking Nolan, Norton, Inc. benchmarked Heineken's IS/IT cost structure against the beverage industry IS/IT average and it was clear that Heineken was indeed not competitive-the company was spending twice the money for half the functionality. â€Å"The Nolan, Norton report confirmed what a very wide group of the users thought,† Janssen commented. In response, management recommended decentralizing the data center and having each business area manage its own computing resources.At the same time, Janssen asked Heineken Netherlands, the largest operating company, to develop a new IS/IT plan based on new computer technology, â€Å"which meant looking for mid-range platforms, decentralized computing, and standard software packages, rather than developing customized programs for every new application-previously the standard practice. † Before determining an appropriate IS/IT plan, Janssen made sure that information management scans were conducted in every functional area. Managers were asked, â€Å"What do you need and how can that used to create information plans.Working with KPMG Management Consultants and Nolan, Norton, Inc. , Janssen developed a list of priorities for IS/IT and selected a new IT platform (IBM AS/400)-both were accepted in July 1990: The AS/400 became the c ore of our new IT platform for two reasons: first, we had been a client with IBM for roughly 40 years, and it was not their fault that we used their mainframes in the wrong way; second, we already knew that huge masses of application software were being written for the AS/400, as a quick scan easily confirmed.Furthermore, we were starting to think about an appropriate IT architecture and we were considering the possibility of using personal computers as peripherals linked together through local area and wide area networks. Implementation of the New IS/IT Plan Before the end of 1990, Janssen was appointed financial manager. He became the person responsible for IS/IT at Heineken Netherlands and was to oversee the implementation of the new IS/IT plan. Janssen concluded that outsourcing would play a critical role in this process: The decision to outsource was part of the plan.When we came to the conclusion that a major change was necessary, that we should look for midrange computers, th at we should go for standard software, that we should not go for dumb terminals but for personal computers as peripherals, it became clear to us that this was a big operation and we could not evolve to it. We could not manage just to keep the old systems in the air with all the problems and have enough management attention for building up the new systems. So we told the organization, â€Å"Gentlemen, we are going to outsourcers, and we are going to freeze the applications to free up management time. PHASE 3: OUTSOURCING TO DEVELOP THE NEW IS/IT INFRASTRUCTURE Outsourcing enabled the IS group to keep the â€Å"old† mainframe applications running while it developed a new IT approach-focusing on the development of its client/server distributed processing infrastructure, the appropriate new IT architecture, and the IS people and skills to achieve these new objectives. Outsourcing In 1991, after scanning the outsourcers' market, Janssen chose Electronic Data Systems (EDS), the la rgest provider of computer services in the United States.EDS provided the expertise and infrastructure required to meet Heineken's information systems and technology needs, and career possibilities for Heineken's mainframe personnel, both vital to the successful transformation of its IS/IT infrastructure. Finally, the five-year contract (with declining involvement each year) provided â€Å"guaranteed continuity† while Heineken maintained control. The plan indicated that the last mainframe program would be replaced in 1996 and the contract with EDS would end. Development of the New IT Architecture The development of the new IT architecture took place almost concurrently:We moved in two directions-one, to outsource our operational concerns, and two, to focus on our new architecture development, eventually replacing everything which was on the mainframe with standard packages on AS/400s. With the decision to downsize-to move off the mainframe platform-and to decentralize the inf ormation management and systems, Janssen chose a comprehensive client/server strategy using a combination of workstations, local and wide area networks, mid-range systems such as AS/400s, and local area servers to complete the technology architecture. (Refer to Figure 1 for Heineken’s IT architecture. â€Å"Personal computers† became â€Å"Heineken workstations† to eliminate the confusion and â€Å"mess† of having 2000 â€Å"personal† workstations-in this way, every workstation had the same setup. Furthermore, the sales force began using â€Å"Notebooks† for customer sensing and information sharing. Changing Over to Standard Packages and Developing Greater Flexibility to Serve the Business In 1993, Rob Pietersen became IS manager at Heineken Netherlands. He believed that the decentralized IS/IT operations gave more â€Å"computer power to the people,† and enabled the â€Å"user† to become the process owner.Old mainframe program s were replaced with new standard application packages that covered all the functions in the supply chain. Heineken started this â€Å"changeover† by focusing on the software applications dealing with clients: order entry, delivery, transport, invoicing, and accounts receivable. Selecting Standard Software Packages To increase flexibility and customer responsiveness, Pietersen knew that Heineken had to shift from the â€Å"waterfall approach† to the development of standard software packages: At that time in the mainframe orld, we were developing software applications using a methodology often referred to as the â€Å"waterfall. † You started with a requirements definition from the users, developed a design and the code to implement that design (getting signoffs at each point along the way). You put the code in production, tested the code, released the code into operation and then you maintained it. When you adopted the code, you went back to the users and asked them if this was what they wanted, and often they said â€Å"What? This waterfall process took 18 to 36 months or more, and by the time it was completed, the users' requirements often had changed. Pietersen began using the PILS (Project Integral Logistics) – named after the successful approach developed to select appropriate logistics software – to test and select standard software packages (refer to Figure 2). The PILS approach involved: Oidentifying appropriate software packages; Osetting the top two package vendors against one another in a â€Å"shoot-out† as in the American â€Å"Wild West†-where the specific elements of each software package were compared and contrasted;O implementing it; O evaluating its performance. For IS people, this meant moving from COBOL programming to developing a thorough knowledge of the business. Pietersen chose PRISM for the logistics area and J D Edwards for the financial area. Pietersen found that the new systems and p olicies better fit the information needs of the company: We needed more flexibility, more power, and less cost. Our current systems have scored high in each of those areas. Computer power is now where it belongs: not with the IT people, but in the hands of the people who need it. IS Group ReconfigurationOutsourcing the mainframe and mainframe applications to EDS led to a change in the configuration of the IS group as well. Contracts with employees from software houses were stopped, and many of the individuals working on the mainframe went with the mainframe systems to EDS while other staff shifted to other areas of the IS group, such as systems management. Pietersen was convinced that the competencies and capabilities of the IS group had to be expanded to align the use of IT with the evolving supply chain, rather than simply promoting IT solutions as â€Å"answers† to the company's information management â€Å"problems. Pietersen understood that this change in approach for t he IS group required not only a deeper knowledge of business processes and strategy, but also an understanding of how people used the information. Pietersen therefore transformed the IS department from units for application development, customer support, and operations (a functional structure) to teams solution, and customer-service areas-the â€Å"process owners† (a team-oriented business approach). (Refer to Figures 3 and 4 for the IS organization before and after 1993. The information management needs of the business areas were thus defined by people from both the business areas and IS. These account teams helped select standard application packages and, afterwards, adapt the business process to the software package or adapt the software package to the business process. These teams thus developed and implemented systems that gave the required support for the respective business processes and delivered information to enable a better control of the supply chain. Shrinking fr om 130 to 40 people, the IS group was now â€Å"doing what they had been doing differently. Pietersen and Janssen believed that increasing overall access to information would support management's efforts to enhance the employees' empowerment. Client/server systems also fostered teamwork and horizontal decision making. They were fast, flexible, and permitted greater communication with customers and suppliers, which resulted in improved customer service. And they promoted the development of a â€Å"process view† (focusing on total processes rather than on discrete tasks). Furthermore, the new configuration of the IS group, with its more team-oriented business approach, also promoted a spirit of greater cooperation and communication.Pietersen commented, â€Å"If we still had the mainframe, all this would not be possible. † Evaluating IS Performance In 1995, Pietersen and Janssen were still trying to determine how to measure the performance of the IS/IT department. They a greed that IS/IT needed to serve the business, and different service level Agreements were to be negotiated with the different functional areas (as shown in Figure 5): What is our business? Is it information technology? No, our business is brewing and selling premium beer of high quality.We changed our IT policy to make it clear that IT supports the business, but doesn't drive the business. We started to focus on having a beautiful bottom line rather than beautiful IT applications. IS performance then became based on the timely and successful completion of projects. The most important measure was the improvement of the business process for which a system or service was meant. In the future, Pietersen and Janssen would be trying to develop criteria to measure the impact of an IS project on improving overall business performance.INFORMATION ASSETS IN THE BUSINESS Executive Information Systems (EIS) By 1995, Heineken's operational supply chain system-from supplier to end customer-was i n its final phase, and the company had begun to add the decision support element. Decision-support or executive information systems would make it possible for managers to express their information requirements directly. Pietersen hoped that their ease of use would encourage managers to analyze past performance in greater depth and enable them to simulate the possible consequences of proposed actions more accurately.When it came to selecting the appropriate software, Pietersen had chosen EIS Express: I call it the technical infrastructure; the basic logical infrastructure of all these systems is in place, and now we come to enabling real improvement, not just the EDI links we have with our retailers, but also such things as installing executive information systems (EIS) to give our management team the control instruments they need to navigate us through the more turbulent business environments we will face in the coming years.The executive information systems gather their data from t he data warehouses of the different business systems in all areas and can show this easily through different (graphical) viewpoints. One of Janssen and Pietersen's goals for the use of executive information systems was to have unity in the data. Janssen explained: Having unity in our data is crucial. Only a few years ago we discovered some departments were using different unit volumes than we were. And that just should not happen in any organization. Better Planning ToolsA key part of the IS/IT strategy was to develop an integrated set of systems to plan and control the overall supply chain, both in the short run (bottle-line scheduling and daily operations) and over a longer horizon (sales forecasts and long-term operations research). The aim was faster and more flexible control of supply chain activities. Jan Janssen elaborated: What we are working toward is a coherent and consistent set of planning and scheduling tools which are more or less compatible and interconnectible so tha t you can build up or build down the basic data.Our goal is to be able to model business processes and to have the data, like sales forecasts, to support our decisions about capacity, bottling lines, and stocks. We want to be in a position where, if you have to make a decision, you can run simulations based on actual data. The concept of supply chain management ultimately served as the driver for to optimize the supply chain activities as well as to ensure better information management. (Refer to Figure 6 for Heineken's information systems. )Janssen and Pietersen had put in place information systems to collect and integrate information on Heineken's â€Å"on-premise† customer activity. Information on each hotel, restaurant, and cafe/pub that Heineken Netherlands had contact with (as owner, financing agent, or product supplier) was included in these systems. In this way, Heineken Netherlands was able to provide the relevant sales force with an integrated view of their customer s (large or small) as well as with information on competitors catering to the same establishments, beer sold, and contract terms. Janssen elaborated:We are thinking about what the â€Å"next stage of the rocket† will be. We have defined the baseline and are looking at workflow, EDI and planning information systems-how should these planning systems interrelate? We are in the process of defining the next phase of the vision for Heineken as a business in the Netherlands and for the IS/IT fit to that. The current debate is just how far to go. This case is a condensed version of Heineken Netherlands B. V. A&B. It was prepared by Research Associate Kimberly A. Bechler under the supervision of Professors Donald A. Marchand and Thomas E.Vollmann, as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation. The names of the Heineken managers involved have been disguised. It was developed within the research scope of Manufa cturing 2000, a research and development project conducted with global manufacturing enterprises. The authors wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of Heineken management, especially IS manager Gert Bolderman. Copyright @ 1996 by IMD- Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. Not to be used or reproduced without written permission directly from IMD.CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1. Analyze Heineken Netherlands using the value chain and competitive forces models. Why did the company feel it needed to transform its supply chain? 2. Analyze all the elements of the new IT infrastructure that Heineken selected for its new business processes. Were Heineken's technology choices appropriate? Why or why not? 3. What management, organization, and technology issues had to be addressed when Heineken Netherlands reengineering its supply chain? ‘Hectolitre = 22 Imperial gallons = 26. 418 U. S. gallons; Heineken 1994 Annual Report. 21000 Guilders (G) = approximately ? 368 = U. S. $575 (at December 31,

Questions on International Marketing

1. What are the important issues that need to be addressed when conducting marketing research in a foreign country? Cultural differences, racial differences, climatic differences, economic differences, religious differences, historical differences, language differences, differences in actual and potential target groups. 2. What are the factors that add to the complexity of international marketing research? Ethnocentrism, polycentrism, regiocentrism, geocentrism. 3. What are the steps to be taken in coordinating international research? Identifying and defining your problemDeveloping your approach Establishing research design and strategy Collecting the data Performing data analysis Reporting and presentation 4. What are some ethical problems that marketing researchers face in designing and conducting field studies in different countries? Some questions can be very strong or offensives to some culture, but this same questions can be very normal to another culture, so people who are thi nking in doing a international marketing research should be very careful in how they structure the questions because everything depends in the culture. . Peter Philips, an engineering student, has designed an innovative piece of equipment to help the physically disabled to communicate. The equipment incorporates a system of electronic signals emitted with a slight turn of the head. This product is currently a success in the United States among health-care organizations. Peter wants to market this product in different countries. Acting as Mr. Phillips’ marketing/international business consultant, suggest a course of action to help Peter bring this product to the international market. This is an extra question which will have more weight than the other questions) Well, first of all peter has to choose which market he is going to hit, I mean in which country he would like to sell his product. Then he would have to make an international marketing research in which this investigat ion clearly helps him to know if this country it’s interested in this product, because a lot of people might not be interested in this product or they don’t know this new product.The research need to give very important information about how the economy is going in that country, I mean this product can be in the profit range for American people but a some other people in other country can’t afford such an expensive equipment, so it might be very risk to enter to that new market. Besides this here comes the legal and policies barriers in which he have to know how to negotiate all this barriers. So it is very important before introducing a new product to a country to make an marketing research so you can know and measure the risk that it would take to introduce your new product another country.

Rttegng Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers

Rttegng Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers Rttegng Rttegng Jag valde att kolla p en rttegng dr mlet rrde sig om ringa narkotikabrott. Rummet dr rttegngen gde rum kallas frhandlingssal. Dr ska klagaren bevisa med hjlp av utredningen att den talade r skyldig. De som var med i rttegngen var tre nmndemn, en ordfrande, en protokolfrare och en klagare, den tilltalade var inte nrvarande vid rttegngen. Jag var med p rttegngen som hrare. Rttegngen brjade med att ordfranden kontrollerade med att de som kallats till rttegngen var med, men som sagt var inte den tilltalade dr, rttegngen stlldes dock inte in utan fortsatte. Sedan lste klagaren upp de brott som klagaren ansg att den tilltalade var skylidg till vilket var ringa narkotikabrott. klagaren gick drefter igenom bevisen som fanns, klagaren lste upp ett frhr frn polisen dr den tilltalade hade erknt. Efter det gick de igenom den tilltalades personliga frhllanden, belastningsregister, samt inkomster och skulder. klagaren gjorde sedan en sammanfattning och berttade vilket straff som ansgs lmpligt till den tilltalade, vilket d var bter. Efter det var det verlggning och vi fick lmna frhandlingssalen. Det var en rtt s snabb rttegng eftersom att den tilltalande inte var dr, och efter att ha kollat p andra ml som det hr och sett vad de har ftt fr straff s anser jag att det var ett rttvist straff som d var bter. Det var kul att kolla p en rttegng och se hur det gr till. Nader El Hage

Free The Skinny Culture Analysis Essay

Free The Skinny Culture Analysis Essay The Skinny Culture Introduction The Western view of fashion and style has become obsessed with thinness. Dubbed the skinny culture, this social view maintains that aesthetic beauty and attractiveness coincides with an emaciated form. There are few limitations to the extent of thinness; in fact, for many, the attitude is the thinner, the better. This attitude is particularly prevalent among young women. This paper examines the phenomenon of the skinny culture, tracing its development and influence within the 1950s and 1960s to the present day. It begins with a section defining the skinny culture and then discusses the historical development of this cultural movement. Then, the paper explores how skinny culture manifests within the modern day and the impact of skinny culture upon society. In particular, the fashion industry helps to support the skinny culture and its values within the minds of Western youths. The skinny culture endorses exercise and helps individuals to avoid the negative health consequences associated with obesity. However, the skinny culture also risks the long term development of significant health problems associated with eating disorders and these negative consequences appear to be a significant threat to Western adolescent girls. What is the Skinny Culture? The discussion of the skinny culture should begin with a unified definition. The skinny culture associates the status of being thin physically with many positive, desirable characteristics, particularly for women. These include physical attractiveness, intelligence, self-control, health and sexuality (Miller et al., 2000). The skinny culture drives many to diet and participate in strict exercise regimes. However, the demands of the skinny culture cannot be achieved by everyone and this helps to maintain the status of skinny as being both enviable and difficult to obtain. The skinny culture similarly associates being overweight with negative characteristics. Individuals who are not skinny may be viewed as lazy, unattractive and weak willed. They may be viewed as being less sexually attractive and less fashionable. Obese women in particularly tend to be viewed as less graceful. The heightened understanding of the negative physical health effects associated with obesity further emphasizes the social desire to be thin. There are many potential advocates for the skinny culture First of all, the fashion industry promotes the skinny culture through its advertisements in order to boost sales in an efficient manner. Also, the media industry promotes the skinny culture because the camera tends to add weight; because of this, normal sized people may appear less attractive when in movies and commercials. This technological problem highlights the need for more skinny individuals. Furthermore, medical and health experts may promote the skinny culture because of the health benefits associated with being thin and avoiding obesity. The development of new technologies has resulted in a lifestyle that requires significantly less levels of exercise in order to survive. As a result, individuals who fail to engage in regular exercise are likely to gain weight. The skinny culture helps to create a social need for thinness since physical requirements no longer ensure that societys members are thin. The Development and History of the Skinny Culture The skinny culture is a relatively new historical phenomenon. Many cultures have associated physical beauty with being normal or even a bit healthy. A woman with a heavier frame would be considered voluptuous. Her ability to be well fed would demonstrate her familys wealth and further reinforce the idea of weight physically demonstrating social status. The history of skinny culture in the United States begins in the 1960s. During the previous decade, time, voluptuous women such as on these ads attests to the importance placed on obtaining a thin, attractive partner (Miller et al., 2000, p. 133). The medias reliance upon the use of thin models as a mode of promoting advertising had led to the increased acceptance of the skinny culture and the popularization of the idea that beauty requires thinness. The Impact of Skinny Culture upon Society The skinny culture certainly has some potential to generate positive societal benefits. In particular, the skinny culture helps to support a healthier lifestyle that promotes good eating habits and exercise. In fact, obesity has become one of the most serious health problems facing individuals living in the United States. The Center for Disease Control (2007) explained that during the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States (p. 1). In fact, in a survey of the 50 states populations, the CDC found that nearly half reported obesity rates in at least one fourth of their total populations (CDC, 2007). Western children also face an increased risk of obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among American children has been increasing at an alarming rate (Story et al., 2006, p. 109). Childhood obesity is a problem that is occurring at an alarming frequency and obesity is one of the most serious health risks facing children today (Story et al , 2006). The skinny culture helps its adherents to avoid the negative health problems associated with obesity, including an increased risk of heart disease. Therefore, if the skinny culture helps to reduce the rate of obesity in the United States, then that should be regarded as an important advantage of the culture. Unfortunately, the dominance of the skinny culture is likely to lead to significant problems because the culture has the potential to become excessive. In particular, many individuals suffer psychological problems associated with their failure to conform to skinny ideals. Individuals are constantly receiving unclear and often harsh messages about attributes deemed important by society (Miller et al., 2000, p. 140). Overweight individuals face an increased risk of psychological problems such as depression or low self-esteem. Furthermore, the over-emphasis upon thinness as a necessary component of beauty has contributed to the increased incidence of eating disorders. Eating disorders are a serious health problem. While being too overweight can cause significant health problems, being too thin can also cause health problems. Golden et al (2003) explain that potentially irreversible medical complications in adolescents include: growth retardation loss of dental enamel structural brain changes pubertal delay or arrest and impaired acquisition of peak bone mass (p. 496-497). Eating disorders also have the potential of killing their victims because those who suffer eating disorders exhibit weakened immune systems and are more likely to succumb to fatal secondary conditions. Teens of both sexes are particularly likely to be impacted by the influence of the skinny culture. This is because of the physical and emotional challenges with adolescence. This stage of human development is very challenging and often teens seek outside approval in order to boost their self esteem. This pressure to meet established norms regarding physical appearance increases the likelihood of developing an eating disorder. These young people are particularly vulnerable to being influenced by media messages that support the skinny culture. Over five percent of all teenage girls develop an eating disorder (Golden, 2003). Teenage boys also face a high risk (Golden, 2003). Eating disorders are particularly damaging to teens because their bodies are still developing. The damage caused by an eating disorder is likely to be permanent and life altering. Some members of the population appear to face greater risks associated with thinness than others. For example, many studies and news articles have focused upon the fashion industry as one which cultivates an unhealthy skinny culture. The British Fashion Council reported that up to 40 percent of models may have eating disorders, compared with an estimated 3 percent of the overall population (Satter, 2007, p. 1). Fashion models are likely to suffer from eating disorders because they work in a professional field that glorifies and requires thinness. Conclusion: The Future of the Skinny Culture How long will the skinny culture continue to dominate the Western world? Some evidence demonstrates the likelihood that the popularity of the skinny culture is in a decline. First of all, some would continue that the skinny culture will inevitably decline because, as was the case with being voluptuous, not all people are capable of meeting skinny norms. Furthermore, the heightened concern over eating disorders creates societal pressure to stop emphasizing being thin as a necessary component of aesthetic beauty. In fact, even the industries that appear to be most influential in the perpetuation of the skinny culture appear to be less thrilled with the culture. Even members of the fashion industry recognize that the fashion industry is at least partially responsible for the perpetuation of the skinny culture. As one Italian official noted, its true that anorexia is not born on the catwalk but the fashion industry could not stand by as an indifferent spectator (Italian fashion 2007, p. 1). Individuals look to images in magazines, television and movies as the idealized forms of beauty. They naturally seek to emulate these examples. The underweight models inspired by the skinny culture have increased the risk of others developing an eating disorder. The thin models that we have seen on the catwalks have been a cause of the increase of this illness which has also caused numerous deaths (Italian fashion 2007, p. 1). In many nations around the world, the fashion industry is banning models who are t oo thin from working. These men and women are being required to gain weight for their own health and well-being. In the United Kingdom, the British Fashion Council recently decided to screen models for potential eating disorders as a pre-emptive health strategy (Satter, 2007). The UK has also recommended that the fashion industry begin to carefully screen teen models to ensure that they were not being exploited (Satter, 2007). In nations such as Italy and France, the restrictions against underweight models are even more stringent. Italy has an even more strict policy that requires its working models to maintain a BMI (body mass index) of 18 or higher. Under the new self regulation code drawn up in Italy by the government and designers all models in future shows will be full bodied, healthy and radiant Mediterranean types (Italian fashion 2006, p. 1). These nations have become known as being integral components of the fashion world and their actions are severe and send a very clear message. The fashion industry is not willing to tolerate the negative publicity associated with deaths associated with eating disorders. The days of the skinny cultures domination of Western society appear to be numbered. The banning of underweight models is important to the future of the skinny culture because the fashion industry helps to construct societys views of beauty. If heavier models become the established norm, then society is likely to change its views on beauty. The change is likely to be gradual. However, the change will mean an end to the skinny culture as society once again shifts to develop its views regarding aesthetics and sexual attractiveness in the human form.

Tasmanian Devil Facts

Tasmanian Devil Facts The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)Â  is the worlds largest carnivorous marsupial. The animals common name comes from its ferocious feeding behavior. Its scientific name means Harris flesh-lover in honor of naturalist George Harris, who first described the devil in 1807. Fast Facts: Tasmanian Devil Scientific Name: Sarcophilus harrisiiCommon Name: Tasmanian devilBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 22-26 inch body; 10 inch tailWeight: 13-18 poundsLife Span: 5 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Tasmania, AustraliaPopulation: 10,000Conservation Status: Endangered Description The Tasmanian devil resembles a dog-sized rat. It has a large head for its body, which allows it to exert the strongest bite for its size of any carnivorous mammal (strong enough to bite through steel wire). It stores fat in its non-prehensile tail, so a thick tail is a good indicator of the marsupials health. Most devils have black fur with white patches, although 16% are completely black. Devils have excellent senses of hearing and smell, plus they use long whiskers to navigate in the dark. The animals eyes can see moving objects, but probably dont focus clearly. CÃ ©cile Boucher / Getty Images Mature males are larger than females. A males head and body averages 25.7 inches long, with a 10-inch tail and a weight around 18 pounds. Females average 22 inches in length, plus a 9-inch tail, and a weight of 13 pounds. Devils can hold food and other objects using four long forward-facing toes and one side-facing toe on each forefoot. There are four toes with non-retractable claws on each hindfoot. Both male and female Tasmanian devils have a scent gland at the base of the tail used to mark the ground. Habitat and Distribution About 3,000 years ago, the Tasmanian devil disappeared from mainland Australia. Many researchers believe dingoes and human expansion may have eradicated the animal. Today, devils only live on the island of Tasmania, Australia. While the animals occupy all habitats, they prefer dry forests. Diet and Behavior The Tasmanian devil rests in a den or the bush during the day and hunts at night. While devils do not form packs, they are not entirely solitary and will share a range. Tasmanian devils can hunt any animal up to the size of a kangaroo, but they usually eat carrion or take smaller prey, such as wombats or frogs. They also eat vegetation and fruit. Reproduction and Offspring Devils reach sexual maturity and start to breed at two years of age. Mating typically occurs in March. While Tasmanian devils are not territorial in general, females claim and defend dens. Males fight for the right to mate a female and the winner ferociously guards his mate to drive away competition. After a 21-day gestation, a female gives birth to 20-30 young, which are called joeys, pups, or imps. At birth, each joey only weighs from 0.0063 to 0.0085 ounces (size of a grain of rice). The blind, hairless young use their claws to move from the females vagina to her pouch. However, she only has four nipples. Once a joey makes contact with a nipple, it expands and holds the joey inside the pouch. The joey remains attached for 100 days. It leaves the pouch 105 days after birth, looking like a tiny (7.1 ounce) copy of its parents. The young remain within their mothers den for another three months. Tasmanian devils can live up to 7 years under ideal conditions, but their average life expectancy is closer to 5 years. Young Tasmanian devils are small versions of their parents. aaron007 / Getty Images Conservation Status In 2008, the IUCN classified the Tasmanian devils conservation status as endangered. The Tasmanian government has instituted protection programs for the animal, but its population continues to decline. The total population is estimated to be around 10,000 devils. Threats The principal threat to Tasmanian devil survival is devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), which is a contagious cancer devils transmit via bites. DFTD results in tumors that ultimately interfere with an animals ability to eat, leading to death by starvation. Devils also die from cancer that may be related to high levels of flame retardant chemicals in the environment. Road mortality is another significant cause of devil death. Tasmanian devils scavenge roadkill at night and are difficult for motorists to see because of their dark coloring. Tasmanian Devils and Humans At one time, Tasmanian devils were hunted for food. While it is true devils will dig up and eat human and animal corpses, there is no evidence they attack people. While Tasmanian devils can be tamed, their strong odor makes them unsuitable as pets. Tasmanian devils look and sound fierce, but they pose no direct threat to humans. CraigRJD / Getty Images Sources Brown, Oliver. Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) extinction on the Australian mainland in the mid-Holocene: multicausality and ENSO intensification. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 31: 49–57, 2006. doi:10.1080/03115510609506855Groves, C.P. Order Dasyuromorphia. In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 28, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.Hawkins, C.E.; McCallum, H.; Mooney, N.; Jones, M.; Holdsworth, M. Sarcophilus harrisii. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2008: e.T40540A10331066. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T40540A10331066.enOwen, D. and David Pemberton. Tasmanian Devil: A unique and threatened animal. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen Unwin, 2005. ISBN 978-1-74114-368-3.Siddle, Hannah V.; Kreiss, Alexandre; Eldridge, Mark D. B.; Noonan, Erin; Clarke, Candice J.; Pyecroft, Stephen; Woods, Gregory M.; Belov, Katherine. Transmission of a fat al clonal tumor by biting occurs due to depleted MHC diversity in a threatened carnivorous marsupial. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (41): 16221–16226, 2007. doi:10.1073/pnas.0704580104

Critically analyses the role of Resources Manager in Our Business Plan Essay

Critically analyses the role of Resources Manager in Our Business Plan - Essay Example nt of the gym and even their staffs is to provide a customer friendly atmosphere so as to retain their customer base as well acquire new ones through reference of these customers. The business plan of this gym takes into consideration the diverse culture base and different opinions and ideas of people. The plan even encompasses promoting more of environmental awareness and offers services such that it can help the community as well as protects the nature. The businesses aims at providing efficient gym services to all community members at a much cheaper rate and even expand its business operations outside the region where it plans to operate currently. The mission of the gym is to provide services as well as products that can improve upon the level of mental relaxation and also physical fitness of their client base so as to promote a positive living in the region which is already facing obesity and various health issues. The plan aims at acquiring various sources of funds and handling all its resources effectively so that it can provide the best quality services as it not only provides gym services but also provides healthy food and yoga classes for its clients. As a resource manager there are several duties that need to be performed effectively so that all of the resources are well aligned with the business operations. There are various categories of duties firstly is to analyze whether the financial resources that are needed for the business is in sufficient capacity and if it is there then to take proactive measures so that there is availability of additional funds whenever there is a turmoil in the business. The second function is of HR planning to ensure that all of the HR activities such recruitment, retention, training programs, performance appraisal etc., are aligned to the goal of the company and the best of staff members are a part of the team so that quality services can be offered to the customers. The next function is that of design and acquisition of

Myeloproliferative Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Myeloproliferative Disorders - Essay Example In 2005, similarity in the major disease groups of MPDs got some explanation when Janus Kinase 2 V617F (JAK2- V617F) which in fact represents a G to T somatic mutation of JAK2 at nucleotide 1849, in exon 14, which eventually end up in the substitution of valine to phenylalanine at codon 617 (Tefferi 2006). Apparently, it seems that all group members of MPDs contain JAK2-V617F in equal proportion in all patients, persistently; which raises the question of capturing all disorders in the group through a single mutation, how is it possible But this is not the case! In fact, various diseases of the group carry this mutation in their genetic materials with different proportions in different patients; moreover, these diseases do not constantly carry this mutation as a universal principle. ... Various researchers have got the evidence to describe that the proportion of the patients with one of the three diseases of MPDs carry JAK2-V617F in different proportions and among these diseases PV is the disease which carries it to the maximum level. According to Tefferi (Tefferi 2006), almost all patients with PV carry the mutation while in the remaining two diseases, ET and IM, about half of the patients each in the two groups carry JAK2-V617F. While Jones et al (Jones 2005) gave could capture lower frequency of the mutation in these diseases, like: 81 percent of the patients with PV could show JAK2-V617F, 43 percent with IM and 41 percent with ET were able to reflect the mutated genetic material. This non-consistent behaviour of the mutated genetic material demands some further exploration in this area. One possible explanation in the favour of single mutation with multiple diseases still exists and which is related to sensitivity and specificity of the tests capturing the findings, which support JAK2-V617F. There are chances that mutation is present in the disease groups belonging to MPDs but the available tests are not efficient enough to detect that. For this answer we need to wait for the availability of refined testing system. At the same time it seems obvious that some other mechanisms are also operating in differentiating the progenitor to different diseases. Whether these mechanisms are timed before, after or at the same time as the mutation develops; it is to be answered. Jamieson et al (Jamieson 2006) found through their study that: in samples of PV patients, the cells with haematopoietic stem cells phenotype produced JAK2-V617F which in

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY - Essay Example Therefore, like the social, economic, and political elements, which countries borrow from one another, design forms are considered part of a country’s culture, and countries borrow these or elements of these when they come into contact through the process of globalization. This has therefore, resulted in the globalization of designs today (Eldemery 2009). Nonetheless, the globalization or internationalization of designs is not wrong, neither is it disadvantageous to any country in major ways. However, various concerns have been raised today with regard to the globalization of designs. Primarily, some designs are distinct, and only identified with specific countries. These therefore, act as a kind of cultural identity of the countries. Therefore, when such designs are globalized, the country loses a part of its cultural identity, since the design will also be identified with other countries (Eldemery 2009). Therefore, despite the globalization of design forms, it is important f or countries to uphold the cultural, regional, national, and local aspects, as these remain of great importance. This essay will, therefore argue the case for these factors being included as influences on design processes and outcomes. According to Kim (2010), the processes of globalization and internationalization have influenced different forms of designs in different countries, including the architectural designs. However, this was witnessed since the eighteenth century, especially among the East Asian design forms, which were highly adopted by most European countries. The various designs from East Asian countries that were adopted in Europe included fashion designs, architectural designs, and art designs, among others. For instance, the popular American architect Lloyd Wright is known to have adopted various elements from Lao –Tzu, including other design elements of the Japanese architecture. Nonetheless, only the outstanding designs by a country are most likely to be ado pted by different countries. For instance, although Korea belongs in the same region with China and Japan, its designs, including architectural designs, have not attracted interest from outside countries, and this therefore reveals something about Korean designs, which might be unattractive to (Kim 2010). Nonetheless, the first factor, which is considered important to a country and its design amid the high level of globalization today, is mainly the cultural factor, which also includes the historical element. Culture is specific, as each community or society has its own culture, which is distinct, and might not compare to culture from other communities. On the other hand, culture of any community dates back to the historic times, although several components might show great changes today. Furthermore, the culture of a community is responsible for the identification of its people. Members of a community are identified by their cultures, including the various components therein. Archi tectural designs are components of the culture of any community, since each community has its distinct way of designing their buildings. Since this is crucial, countries need to preserve their historical designs, as these give meaning to their cultures, and help countries to restore their originality. An illustration of the cultural aspect might focus on Korea. The architectural designs of the Korea highly borrowed from the country’s philosophy, which is a cultural element. Kim (2010) notes that the Korean, â€Å"pungsu,† which was the Korean philosophy, contributed to the traditional architectural

Business Plan Reflective report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Plan Reflective report - Essay Example People now seek to consume food as they shop down the town streets. We had a brain-storming session where we invited some friends over who are not from this industry. We wanted different perspectives and wanted to challenge our own assumptions. People sought something different from the standard menus of Mcdonald’s and Burger King. At the same time people also wanted the freedom to choose their salads and fillings. This immediately led us to the concept of Subway and then we were overwhelmed. We decided to combine the concept of Subway with the road-side concept but we would not restrict ourselves to sandwiches. We decided to include several snack-based food items. We believe this would create a point of differentiation, which according to Porter can provide competitive advantage. This prompted us to fill the gap and set up a fast food joint in Kingston, which has very few such outlets. We then started evaluating where we have the necessary skills and expertise. We found that all four members of our team for the proposed venture have sufficient experience in the fast food industry and have served in various capacities with renowned corporations. The formation of the team itself can affect subsequent performance (Owens, Mannix & Neale, 1998) and hence we made sure we were a team that was comfortable to work with. To ensure high level of effectiveness, we ensured that each member contributed to necessary technical skills, knowledge, expertise and ability. This was because we recognized that each individual would be able to contribute their knowledge or expertise to solve a jointly owned problem which would be difficult for an individual to solve on his own (McGreevy, 2006). We had defined individual roles, and rules of interaction as well as an agreed system of decision making, as this would help enhance learning for the team members as well as others in the organization (Macneil, 2000). While each member of our team contributed diverse skills and knowledg e, we also ensured that we shared the same values, beliefs and attitudes which could facilitate coordination and communication. However, we soon realized that setting up a business is far different from designing and thinking of a business plan. We first tried to think whether we really needed a business plan. We decided to prepare a business plan as this would help us evaluate the business opportunity (Chwolka & Raith, 2012). Besides, we needed external funding and investors need to see a business plan before they decide to invest (Mason & Stark, 2004). We knew we had the resources such as technical know-how and experience but we realized that putting our thoughts on paper would help us understand whether we can achieve what we expect to. Ideas were fragmented since none of us had experience as entrepreneurs before this and we needed to assimilate and evaluate our thoughts. A business plan was just the right tool to organize out thoughts on paper. A business plan can be informal or a formalized plan, and is essential for both internal and external purposes. It defines how the venture would operate in the current business environment but we also needed to evaluate performance after five years because we planned to expand in about five years, when more funding would be needed. Business plan is a strategic planning document that serves to guide the business and also act as a monitoring device as the business progresses (Richbell, Watts & Wardle, 2006). Presenting the plan has helped us

DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY STORAGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY STORAGE - Essay Example Decreasing generation would technically increase the dependency on conventional resources and that it will not entail additional costs. The third section explores the optimal combination of different renewable energy sources for Scotland. Although a national report says that there is not right mix that would work best for the country, the combination of wind and marine power is recommended nevertheless. Finally, the fourth section discusses the importance of energy storage for renewables. It further explores additional storage facilities that Scotland would need to effectively accommodate future demand. This report concludes that fully realizing the potential of Scotland will make the country one of the largest sources of renewable energy, thereby affecting demand in the global scale. II. Scenarios for Generating Renewable Energy: Impact on Demand Management A. Background Renewable energy is a major potential alternative to moderating the effects of climate change. However, renewable energy sources only account for 19.6% of global electricity and 13.5% of global energy demand (IEA, 2004 cited in Neuhoff, n.d.). While they are indeed limitless and reduce costs of operations in energy generation, renewable sources produce an unreliable energy supply since the weather, on which renewables greatly depend, can become very unpredictable so that its generation may not come in consistently large quantities that meets demand. Generation of renewable energy relies on several technical, economical, and social and environmental factors (Kopacek & IFAC, 2006). Much of the carbon emissions come from conventional electricity consumption and transportation but renewable energy sources encourages a harmless ecological exploitation because they do not give off hazardous byproducts (e.g. carbon dioxide) upon consumption. In the United Kingdom, Scotland generates 50% of country’s renewable energy chiefly from wind, hydropower, marine and biomass sources (Great Britain House of Lords, 2008). As a matter of fact, Scotland has approximately 60 GW of raw renewable electricity sources that could make the country a world leader in renewable energy generation (Scotland, 2009). The country can generate renewable energy five times more than it consumes (McDermott, 2010). But the challenge remains, however on the transmission of this energy potential in which regulatory, financial, logistical, and environmental factors should be taken into account especially in improving the grid network and the policy considerations (Scotland, 2009). The Scottish Government, in response to its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by at least 42% in 2020, aims to â€Å"flex generation [of electricity] to meet demand, and ...flex demand to meet generation† (Scotland, 2010a). Taken from a national report, the following scenarios present how RE generation affect demand management in Scotland. In all three scenarios, demand levels are satisfied. In the second and third scen arios, supply will exceed demand with transmission upgrades, constraints approaches , and reduction of demand in consideration. B. Scenario 1 The Scottish Government had recently increased its renewable target to 80% for 2020 due to the expansion in wind power through which renewables may be

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example g to the increasing significance of technology in the daily lives of mankind, many people share their personal information on the internet which can at times prove dangerous due to web hackers who can misuse the data due to immoral practices. Anonymity helps to maintain the secrecy of individual’s identity. This also helps to protect specific actions performed by the individuals. For instance, anonymity helps protecting funds and monetary transfers made by individual over internet. It has often been observed that people feel uncomfortable to share banking or personal information on the internet as it might hamper their personal interests. Anonymity is often regarded as the option which can be useful in such situations as it creates a sense of security and helps to protect privacy by a large extent. There are many negative effects of anonymity on individuals as well. To be illustrated anonymity also helps people who have malicious intentions to hamper the interests of other users and escape without being identified. It also creates misrepresentation about the user’s profile on internet. In the recent phenomenon, the most apparent negative effect of anonymity can be identified as cyber crime. Hence, as it can be observed from the above discussion, to a certain extent, the negative impacts of anonymity tend to be stronger and more effectual than its benefits, which in turn outweigh its advantages. Question: 2 Are non-literate internet users at a higher risk for experiencing identity theft? Explain specifically how end-user tracking and recording technologies may either increase or reduce cyber security risks for non-literate users when using the internet, or when shopping at a brick and mortar establishment The non-literate internet users have a high risk because of the increasing cyber crime, as they tend to share personal information without having proper knowledge of the website. At times, the information of those non-literate users is hacked by the cyber

DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY STORAGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY STORAGE - Essay Example Decreasing generation would technically increase the dependency on conventional resources and that it will not entail additional costs. The third section explores the optimal combination of different renewable energy sources for Scotland. Although a national report says that there is not right mix that would work best for the country, the combination of wind and marine power is recommended nevertheless. Finally, the fourth section discusses the importance of energy storage for renewables. It further explores additional storage facilities that Scotland would need to effectively accommodate future demand. This report concludes that fully realizing the potential of Scotland will make the country one of the largest sources of renewable energy, thereby affecting demand in the global scale. II. Scenarios for Generating Renewable Energy: Impact on Demand Management A. Background Renewable energy is a major potential alternative to moderating the effects of climate change. However, renewable energy sources only account for 19.6% of global electricity and 13.5% of global energy demand (IEA, 2004 cited in Neuhoff, n.d.). While they are indeed limitless and reduce costs of operations in energy generation, renewable sources produce an unreliable energy supply since the weather, on which renewables greatly depend, can become very unpredictable so that its generation may not come in consistently large quantities that meets demand. Generation of renewable energy relies on several technical, economical, and social and environmental factors (Kopacek & IFAC, 2006). Much of the carbon emissions come from conventional electricity consumption and transportation but renewable energy sources encourages a harmless ecological exploitation because they do not give off hazardous byproducts (e.g. carbon dioxide) upon consumption. In the United Kingdom, Scotland generates 50% of country’s renewable energy chiefly from wind, hydropower, marine and biomass sources (Great Britain House of Lords, 2008). As a matter of fact, Scotland has approximately 60 GW of raw renewable electricity sources that could make the country a world leader in renewable energy generation (Scotland, 2009). The country can generate renewable energy five times more than it consumes (McDermott, 2010). But the challenge remains, however on the transmission of this energy potential in which regulatory, financial, logistical, and environmental factors should be taken into account especially in improving the grid network and the policy considerations (Scotland, 2009). The Scottish Government, in response to its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by at least 42% in 2020, aims to â€Å"flex generation [of electricity] to meet demand, and ...flex demand to meet generation† (Scotland, 2010a). Taken from a national report, the following scenarios present how RE generation affect demand management in Scotland. In all three scenarios, demand levels are satisfied. In the second and third scen arios, supply will exceed demand with transmission upgrades, constraints approaches , and reduction of demand in consideration. B. Scenario 1 The Scottish Government had recently increased its renewable target to 80% for 2020 due to the expansion in wind power through which renewables may be

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Project Management - Essay Example The provided analysis critically assesses the most important issues of the project especially in the planning and development phase and the way they should be approached and dealt. The general recommendations include: 1. Developing a detailed project documentation especially in the areas of the specification and the expected quality for the product deliverables; 2. Developing detailed risk mitigation strategies especially for mitigating the inherent risks; and 3. Developing a specific communication and reporting procedures which will ease the coordination of the activities and will favour fast reaction in risky situations; Table of Contents Project Background 3 Project Concept and Strategy 4 Project Scope 5 Project team and structure 7 Project management plan 8 Project schedule 10 Project budget 13 Project control and monitoring 13 Outline project risk register 15 Conclusion and Recommendations 16 References and Bibliography 17 List of Tables Table 1 Training Themes Table 2.Project C ost Table 3. Project Responsibility Matrix Table 4. Risk Register Outline List of Figures Figure 1. Project life Cycle Figure 2.Work Breakdown Structure Figure 3. Project Organisation Figure 4. Gantt Chart Project Background Big Ideas Ltd plans to organize a one day training event in project management, with a specific focus on the MS Project use and the Critical Path Analysis (CPA) as a planning technique. Big Idea has no project management experience in managing events of such caliber which is why several companies with expertise in project management have been approached for providing an offer and a solution of how the event should be managed. The Project management Ltd (PML) offer is provided in the following sections. Project Concept and Strategy PMBOK and PRINCE2 are standard project methodologies used by many PM practitioners across the world. The both methodologies recommend that the projects begin with a project initiation phase in which a clear identification of customer, in this case the owner’s requirements is made (PMI 2008, OGS 2005). In the case of Big Idea’s project, PM practitioners as Field and Keller (2007:8-15) and Gardiner (2005) and in line with the PM standards, recommend preparing a Feasibility study or a Business Case in the terminology used in Prince2 PM approach (OGC 2005). The Business Case is a standard tool in project management which aims at investigating the financial, technical and managerial implications of the identified solution for accomplishing client’s requirements. The Business Case enables the Management team to make a decision on the future development of the project , its objectives and scope (Field and Keller 2007: 25-40). The outputs of the project initiation phase are: (1) an Appointed Project Manager and a (2) Project Initiation Document (PID). In the process of the initial project development and the definition of the project objectives, the project practitioners as Turner (2009) and Kerzner (2009) recommend an identification of two set of factors for measuring the project success. The first set is made out of the success criteria, or the dependent variables by which the successful outcome of the project will be assessed: time, cost and quality. The second set are the success factors or the independent variables which will influence the successful achievement of the success c

Selecting Right Partner In Forming International Joint Ventures Management Essay

Selecting Right Partner In Forming International Joint Ventures Management Essay Over the past twenty years, there has been a surge of interest of companies coming together, many of which were reflected in the popular management press and the academic journals of corporate links being formed. Many organisation now uses strategic relationship rather than competition among themselves to grow their business. These are formed for a variety of reasons, which include new technology development, expansion to new domestic market, reducing manufacturing cost, new product development, ability to increase profit margin, financial support and sharing of economics risk, overcome legal and trade barriers and many more. These are some of the reasons why collaboration sometimes called partnering, alliances or joint venture among many terms are formed. Joint venture is one of the most popular forms of strategic relationship and it utilises separate business entities like cooperation, limited liability company or partnership, this entity makes the involved parties to limit the lia bilities involved. In recent years global challenges has fostered many companies from many countries to go into international joint venture more stronger than in the past, manufacturing companies, oil and gas companies, construction companies, banking sectors, automobile companies and many more are forming the international joint ventures. Objectives As partner selection is considered to be very important to have a successful collaboration, this module will be focusing on selecting the right partner in forming an international joint ventures. The answers will be focusing on the literature on how to select a good and successful partner when forming a joint venture. Also the following factors will be considered in forming a successful collaboration: The main characteristics to look for in a good collaborative partner, selection criteria and the strategic, political and tactical implications. The factors thats determines the good partners match in collaboration. And what the two companies going into collaboration can do to create good partnership condition. Literature review introduction As it was started in the objectives in the previous chapter, this report will be discussing various factors that are needed to be highly considered in selecting a partner when forming international joint venture, but before going further below are the definitions of some common terms of collaboration. Some Basic Definitions Collaboration Different companies go into collaboration with different reasons, and the reason why many companies go into collaboration is to try and gain competitive advantage, entering new market and many more. Collaboration accomplish shared vision, achieve positive outcomes for the audience involved and it also build interdependent system to address issues and opportunities. It is a world in which almost anything, in principle, is possible since you are not limited by your own resources and expertise only but by tapping into resources and expertise of others. ( Huxham and Vangen, 2005). Members of the collaborations needs to be ready and willing to share their vision, mission, power, goals and resources to achieve success. Also Collaboration is the act of working together to create or produce something for mutual benefit. (Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, 2001). http://ayanthianandagoda.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/collaboration.jpg Fig 1 collaboration Source : http://ayanthianandagoda.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/collaboration.jpg Joint ventures There are many different definition for joint ventures, as experts opinions differ significantly. A joint venture is a strategic alliance formed by two or more parties usually in businesses, partner together to share markets, assets, intellectual property, knowledge and profit. (Valerie, 2006). Stephen et al.(1993) consider joint venture as a form of collaboration. He later defined it as a distinct business entirely created and jointly owned by two or more parent organisations. Robert L .Wallace ( 2004,) defined joint venture as the coming together of two or more independent businesses in which both of them have sole purpose of achieving a specific outcome that might be difficult for each of them to achieve individually. http://www.internationaltradelaw.org/images/partnership.jpg Fig 2 joint venture . Source : http://www.internationaltradelaw.org/images/partnership.jpg International joint ventures When joint ventures crosses across the border, it becomes international joint ventures. International joint venture is defined as the joint ventures that involve firms coming together from different countries cooperating across national and cultural boundaries. ( Aimin and Yadong, 2001). At times, international joint ventures are formed by two companies in the same country but located in a country other than their parent countries. (Geringer and Hebert 1989). Though majority involve two parent firms, one from foreign and the second one a local company. Also it may involve partners with complex nationality and cultural background. For example, Xerox Shenzhen company formed from Xerox (china) and fuji Xerox (US-Japanese joint venture in Japan.). International Joint Venture Fig 3. International joint venture Source : http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:shC_GkI4UDgeCM:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/3841640658_367ae3ab0d.jpg Merger and Acquisition There is a big difference between merger and acquisition, they should not be mistaken to be the same. Merger is when two companies come together to form a new company while acquisition is when one company purchase another company. Fig 4 merger and acquisition source : class module Motives of collaboration According to Ian Hewitt (2005), A company should not just go into collaboration just because other companies does, in fact different companies go into collaboration for different reasons. Below are few of the reasons why many companies does Increasing competitive pressure : competitors or rivalries in the market is one of the major reasons that force some companies into joint venture. Sharing cost and risk : one of the main reasons for joint venture is cost saving and risk sharing. It helps to achieve synergy through rationalizing of employment and other fixed cost, and it also research and development project like pharmaceutical, electronics, aero-engine, telecommunication and so on. Joint ventures are frequently used in capital intensive project like power stations or infrastructural projects Entering new markets : partnering with another company already established in a particular market also helps in entering new and emergence market effectively and it also helps in marketing an existing products and service to new customers. Total-quality-management. Do more with less : it brings about a quality management into business and help in achieving the companies objectives in less time. Access to new technology, technology know how and customers : joint venture helps to gain access to and to learn from partners technology , experience and skills as there is a rapid change in technology advancement day by day. Improve access to financial resources : coming together of the two companies improves the financial resources. Expand customer base : international joint venture also help to expand customer base in by making use of partners strength in different geographical area and both develop a wide network. Developing new products : a company can go into joint venture to provide new products or service to their current customers or new customer. Since it is joint venture, the companies can develop a new products to sell to their customers. In this new wave of technology, you cannot do it all yourself, you have to form alliances. Carlos Slim Helu. The Benefits and Risks Having considered few of the reasons why companies go into collaboration, it may sound interesting that collaboration is everything but an extreme care need to be taken when choosing the collaboration partner. Collaboration is good (when the right partner is selected) and it is bad (wrong partner). Before going into details of selection criteria in choosing a partner, below are the types, benefit and Risks associated with collaboration. Benefits Increased financial resources and stability : it allows the partners to contribute financially to the project in an appropriate ways to the joint operation and it increases the financial stability of the business. Improve buying power and economies of scale : it gives cost advantages and better purchasing power to increase the volume of business. Expansion to new market : forming joint ventures can help in capturing a new market. Share R D, engineering, production costs : joint venture helps when a company is trying to enter a new field of business, by forming joint venture with a company already established in the business, it makes it easier to enter into the market. Examples include research institute and national government level. Shorten lead time : collaboration shorten lead times and it makes it possible to achieve more in less time. Risks Loose overall control or desire for control : if it is not well managed, the stronger partner becomes a dominant and this can undermine the interest of the other partner and it may eventually leads to termination. Cultural issue : the partners must understand each others culture very well by doing an intensive research. Competent team that can negotiate in with people of different culture should be assigned to manage. Foreign exchange risk : in joint venture, high volatility in the foreign exchange market, the movements of Dollars, Yen, Pounds, Rupee, Franc and many more cannot be predicted, and even due to this in the oil transaction, it is generally accepted in the western world to trade in US dollars. Communication and translation problems : multinational project can become more complex if there is communication problem, and it is even better to have a translator or even two translators. Loose identity : individual company can lose their identity and they may end up in forming a new name and old customers loyalty may be lost, though if the partnership is well managed it will create new customer loyalty. Partners failure : if the partner failed to deliver, this mat cause a serious consequence or termination to the contract while the objectives have not been meant. Types of collaboration There are many ways in which collaboration can be formed, depending on the common objectives of the companies involved. Collaboration can be grouped into two namely : those defining the structure of the relationship and those defining the technical or commercial purpose of the relationship. Below are few types of collaboration that can be formed. Purpose Research Collaboration : which is most effective in scientific research and high technology new products. Joint Design and Development : involves two or more companies coming together to share the risk of developing a new product and this often leads to joint or parallel production. Joint Production : when two companies agree to produce separate sub-assemblies of the final product and this can leads to joint venture company. Parallel Production : when same and similar product is manufacture in two or more countries and one partner leads the development of manufacturing facilities. Licensing : formal agreement between two companies where primary company allow to use it design or know-how, or to manufacture a product and it involves payment of royalty fees. It may be of two types namely ;licensing in and licensing out, or both . Franchising : this involves third party to market proprietary products or services under the original suppliers brand name e.g. stores and supermarkets, fast food outlets, petrol stations, etc. Structure Informal and Gentlemans Agreements : this can be word of mouth agreement usually between partners of common interest and trust is essential. It can be a starting point for formal arrangement. Strategic Alliances : Michael and Srinivasa 1995) said it can be defined by simultaneously possessing the following three necessary characteristics; Two or more firm that unite to pursue a set of goals already agreed upon Partner firms share the benefits of the alliance and control over the performance of the assigned task Both contributes on a continuous basis in one or more strategic areas, e.g technology and product. It has no legal form, it is a relationship formed between two or more companies that share (proprietary), participate in joint investments, and develop link and processes to improve their performance of their companies. (http://www.apics.org/.). It can lead to creation of joint venture company. Strategic partnership : is a form of strategic alliance in which the partners are linked by a non-controlling level of shareholding, either bilateral or unilateral. (W.J.Bacchus 2005) Joint venture companies : this is an independent business entity, it involves ownership, operational responsibility and financial risk and reward. As it was started in the objectives in the previous chapter, this report will be focusing on joint venture companies. How to select a compatible Partner Companies that are more thorough and comparative in selecting international joint venture partners are more likely to be successful. When there is a need for joint venture, choosing the right partner is another important factor. Only few companies today believe they can achieve their goals and objectives on their own but by seeking partnership with another company to stay ahead in todays global economy, So due to this, there has been an high increase in the numbers of companies coming together around the globe . When a company is going into a joint venture, collaboration strategy need to be established. Furthermore in this report, it should be noted that a company in question will be represented by Company A and other companies that are available to choose from will be represented by Potential partner A,B,Cà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The company A planning and operational stages can be established as : 1st stage 2nd stage 3rd stage Fig 5. Planning stages Company strategic planning For any company going into collaboration, internal check is the first thing to consider. Internal check allows company A to analyse its performance so far in the competitive market, the knowledge and skills, financial stability and status, government policy, benefit and risks associated with joint venture, and most importantly their objectives of going into collaboration. To properly analyse these factors, S.W.O.T analysis can be used as follows : SWOT Analysis S- Strength What makes company A to remain strong in the market, backbone of its performance so far and this is part of what will attract a partner to go into joint venture with company A. W- Weaknesses Where they have been lagging behind, and affecting the company performance, it may be new technology innovation, lacks of skills or experience staff, inadequate training, breaking into new market and many more. O- Opportunities Opportunities can be to how strong company A is where it operates, reliability, wide network of customers, government connection, fast developing market, regional growth, license, market expansion and many more. T- Threats The treats can be government policy, competitors, Intellectual property right, fakes or fraud copies etc Table 1. S.W.O.T analyses of Company A After the S.W.O.T analysis of company A, having clearly analysed the needs and the objectives of the company, then a decision can then be made on types of strategy that will be best suited for them, either growing internally to combat the threats and weaknesses analysed while making best out of their opportunities and strength ,or by sourcing for a potential partner that they both have common objectives, and make sure the SWOT analyses of the two companies complement each other. The company As decision can be to grow internally or to seek a potential partner of product or project relatedness. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Fig 6. (Source : Class Module) Growth of Company A At this stage, company A should be clear of the strategy best suited for them, and to assume that collaboration is the best. Then what type of collaboration and with what type of partner. How to maximise the benefit of collaborations and how to mitigate the risks should also be noted. Initial Assessments of the Potential Partners Having decided to go for collaboration (international joint venture), Initial assessment of the potential partners is very essential at this stage before going into details or make any commitment to avoid some of the risks attached to forming a joint venture, which is money and time wasting. In doing this, the following factors need to be considered : Objectives : the objectives of the two companies should be common and complement each other. Backgrounds : knowing about the companies background is important, knowing about their past, present and future intention records. Reputation : integrity of the company going into business with is important as people tend to judge you by the company you keep. Check what people say about them in terms of trust and reputation and also the success of collaboration they have had in the past if there is any. There should be a clear indication that trust can be build inside the relationship. Reliability : the company must be reliable to trade with. Experience : also it should be checked if they have had any collaboration experience in the past, then what was the outcome of it, if it was a success or failure, What type of management team do they work? Capital : they must be financially secured and they do not have credit problems and free from debt . Culture : the culture of the potential partners must be well read and understood. In international joint venture, cultural issues need to be taking care of as different cultural background sees contracts different ways. Structure ; also the structure in which they operate must be understood, also their mission, vision and values must be clearly considered and check if the joint venture can work. Performance : the way they perform in the market is also important, their level of performance in satisfying their customers and suppliers also need to be considered. Their production performance is also important. Product : the brand value should complement each other . These are the characteristics to look for in a potential partner and these factors can be known by checking the websites of the potential partners, company magazines, company reports (quarterly, mid-year, or annual), journals, trade publications, consultants, investment banks, collaboration track records, their suppliers and customers, ex- employee, newspapers and/or from the proposal sent from the potential partner. Tactical planning The next stage is the tactical planning and analysis, it is one of the most important aspect to consider when selecting a partner, having gotten SWOT analyses of your company and all the companies involved. Analyses Company A Potential partner A Potential partner B S- strengths à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ W- weaknesses à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ O- opportunities à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ T- threats Table 2. S.W.O.T Analyses Comparison These allows to compare the general features of each of the potential partners with company As S.W.O.T analysis to check which ones complement each other , and to make initial consideration of the company that can be collaborated with. Key issues and objectives at this stage need to be analysed from these S.W.O.T analysis, and the type of options each company can offer in terms of working together. If collaboration is the best, then what type can be the best for each of the potential partners. Which partner share the common strategy with company A. Also what can be the benefits and risk of forming joint venture with each company need to be carefully accessed. Also at this stage, evaluation and initial assessment of most suitable partner attributes is next. Then the objectives must be clearly defined . it must be S.M.A.R.T. S- Specific M- measurable A- achievable R- realistic and T- time bound The following factors are must be carefully considered when selecting a partner : Cultural issues In international joint venture, cooperation between different partners of different cultures can be a major challenge. In America tends to be individualist and not group oriented but unlike the Japanese that practices collectivist and are group oriented. Aimin and Yadong,(2001), Said one partner may impose its cultural values and norms on the other partner without even consider what the latter attribute might be. And later said that Americans are not very good in learning from their partners as Japanese does, so many foreign companies uses joint venture as an easy way of gaining access to America market and technology. And apart from the national culture, company operational culture need to be well access and make sure that there is compatibility in organisational and management practices with potential partner. Other factors that need to be taking into consideration about cultural issues when forming an international joint ventures are : Language : the language of the contract must be well understood. Since it is international joint venture, it is most likely that the companies comes from a very different nationality, so there must be a common language agreed upon to be used in meetings. Moreover if it is difficult to communicate better in that language, then a competent interpreter that can easily understand the two languages can be used and to be more clear and perfect, two interpreters can be used. The language must be well understood with no hidden agenda. Negotiation : negotiation in international joint venture require a very good management team in order to be successful. The strength and success of o joint venture depends on the interactions of its people. The team must have the experience, skills and attribute it takes to manage joint venture or people with moderate experience but motivated and committed to gain more knowledge. The management team consider the following factors ; Possible outcome : it is essential to outline what the possible outcome of company A and even the potential partners can be. Either it will be a win-lose or win-win approach or mixed. Alternative to agreement : also Company A need to have in mind what can be the best alternative to what they have already agreed on, and also what can be the best alternative for the potential partners as well. Then Company A should find a creative ways to strengthen their own and weakens their partners alternatives. Contract termination : there must be a clear agreement on how to terminate the deal and the price at which any of the companies can breach the deal must be set and estimated for each company. Records keeping : proper record is essential in international joint venture and at the end of every meeting, they need to check what they have already agreed on and what is still open to be discussed. Build trust : the team must be very open, ask many questions for clarity, show respect and highlight complementary need and interest. Resources : a company going into collaboration might not have the full resources require available to meet the demand and may need to tap resources from the joint venture partner. Resources can be human (people), skills and training, technology, raw materials, manufacturing facilities and so on. It must be ensured that the there will be availability of full resources. Political issues The partnership should be checked if it is politically accepted in each country and political risks should be considered. It is possible for the international joint venture to be affected by the political events or political instability in a host country. Also when there is a change in political relationship between the two countries, it may also have an implication on the joint venture. The system of government of the host country, political stability, laws and regulations, existence of other governing bodies must be taken into account. In order to plan ahead of any unforeseen political risk, an insurance policy need to be done and there must be an agreement on financial and operating policies. Financial issues This is another critical aspect of joint venture, it is very important in choosing a joint venture partner. There must be negotiation and the involved parties should agreed on the financial requirements. Financial status or position of all parties involved, debt etc. should be checked Partners market credibility : the market credibility of all the potential partners should be considered Partnership records : their financial performance in the previous partnership they had in the past. Capital contribution : the percentage of capital contribution of each partner should be clearly stated Raising capital : in case there will be a need to raise capital, this can be overdraft, short or long loan, government sources etc. likely source must be outlined Working capital : the capital needed while working must be agreed upon Shareholding : the ownership right of each company should be stated and clear Financial management structure Transaction risk : to avoid transaction risk due to unstable foreign exchange market, trade in home currency or open foreign bank account in the country where the partner comes from. E.g if companies from US and Uk form a partnership, there can be a an account in US Dollars and another in Pounds Sterling to run the project. Taxation (import and export) :different countries with different tax policy, it is very important to discuss the percentage of taxation in the country, the import and export rate Board of directors : the board of directors should be decided. Chairman : the chairman of the joint venture must be decided Governance : the rule of the countries to govern the joint venture Role definition : each party role must be stated clearly Profit share : the percentage of sharing profit between the parties must also be agreed upon. Inflation : possible solution in case of inflation in any of the countries must be taken into account. Resources availability : resource availability in terms of assets, equipment, rent, intellectual property right must be well planned. Legal issue In joint venture company, legal agreement is essential and this can be by word of mouth, gentlemens agreement, memorandum of understanding (MOU), detailed specification, evergreen, full contracts and many more (class module). In international joint venture, the following issues must be considered Governing law : the law of the country to govern the contract must be agreed upon. Payment method : there must be an agreement on the type of payment method accepted. IPR : the right of each partner in terms of Intellectual Property Right must be stated. Patent right, copyright, trademarks etc must also be considered. Termination : it should be stated under which condition can any partner terminate the contract. Common events that terminates contracts are When the contract expires Change of goal of one of the partners Breach of contract by any of the parties Financial or legal issue. Responsibilities : what is expected from each party need to be understood Financial right : they must know their financial right. Veto power : there must not be a partner enforcing power on the other Communication : the way in which communication will be transferred from place to place must be addressed. Managerial right : the level in which each company will operate in terms of management must be stated. Capital : what each partner will contribute and what they will get out of it in terms of profit, product etc Transfer of share : there must be a mutual agreement on the share transfer, normally the parties entering into a joint venture is not expected to transfer its share to third party without the consent of its joint venture partner. Agreement : the management team must ensure that there is a proof of agreement between the partners. Language : the language of the contract must be plain and well understood by the joint venture companies. Criteria for selecting a partner Clear definitions and Common Objectives : select a partner that brings no hidden agenda when negotiating with them, the objectives must complements each other and there must be an evidence that the parties need each other, the language of the contract must be well understood. Strategy clarity and compatibility : the strategy of company A and the potential partner must be very clear, well understood and compatible with each other. Financial strength : it is advisable to partner with a company that has a very strong financial base as it was explain in this module. Mutual benefit : win-win attitude and approach is the ideal for the joint venture partner there must be a low risk of either of the partners becoming a competitor. Previous track records : it is not advisable to go into joint venture with a company that has a poor track record in terms of partnership, financial or customers satisfaction. Management : Culture compatibility : as different companies from different countries operates on different culture, there must be a clear understanding of the potential partner culture in compatible the your Compatibility of CEOs and Senior managers Market power : how strong the potential partner are in the market, customers satisfaction, suppliers relationship Overseas experience : the experience they have in doing business outside their parent country, how it was managed and the success stories they have had in the past. Product relatedness : the products of the joint venture companies must supplement each other, there must be product relatedness. Proper match : there must be proper match in terms of objectives, strength, weakness, opportunities, weakness, culture, financial capability, product relatedness, strategy and so on. There must not be gaps left behind or overlook. Common Objectives Strength Strength More opportunities Less threats