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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