Analysis Of Different Types Of Competition Economics Essay

To travel markets back towards perfect competition, have to hold a really big figure of houses, complete freedom of entry, a homogenous merchandise and perfect cognition of the goods. In the short tally, the supranormal net incomes can be because there is no clip for new houses to prosecute the market. However, the supranormal net incomes will be competed by new houses in the long tally. In the short tally, the demand curve and the supply curve is equal to fringy cost. In the long tally, monetary value is equal to hanker run mean cost. The perfect competition market is a monetary value taker, so the monetary value is non alteration.MonopolyIn monopoly, has merely one house in an industry, restricted or wholly out of use freedom of entry, merely one alone merchandise. Barriers to the entry of new houses is apparent to protect a monopoly from rivals such as economic systems of graduated table, control over supplies of inputs or end products, patents or right of first publication, and t actics to extinguish challengers. Monopoly will acquire maximized monetary values. If the demand curve and cost curve of monopoly are the same of absolutely competitory industry, monopoly will bring forth less and halt at the higher monetary value than absolutely competitory industry to maintain their clients. Potential of rivals is of import such as a house ‘s monetary value and scheme.Monopolistic CompetitionIn monopolistic competition, has a rather big figure of houses, unrestricted freedom of entry, has different sort of merchandises. In the short tally, the houses can gain supranormal net incomes because clients still want to purchase the merchandises even though the monetary value goes up. However, in the long tally, the demand curve will touch the long-term norm cost curve ; it means the monetary value goes up so clients do non desire to purchase the merchandises because their wages still the same degree. Therefore, the houses will non acquire more net incomes. Many hou ses under monopolistic competition can prosecute in non-price competition such as merchandise development and advertisement to keep an advantage over their challengers. Monopolistically competitory houses may hold higher costs than absolutely competitory houses, but clients can acquire different sort of merchandises. Monopolistically competitory houses possibly have fewer economic systems than monopolies and have less research and development, but they can maintain monetary values lower than under monopoly.OligopolyIn oligopoly, has few figure of houses, restricted freedom of entry, has apathetic merchandises or merchandise distinction. Besides the houses under monopolistic competition, there are assorted barriers to the entry but similar to under monopoly.Chapter fourMarket StructuresTable Of ContentssIntroduction†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . p. 1Theory†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . pp. 2 – 3Part I – Perfect Competition†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . pp. 4 – 7Part II – Monopoly†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . pp. 8 – 10Part III – Monopolistic Competition†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . pp. 11 – 13Part IV – Oligopoly†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . pp. 14 – 15Decision†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . p. 16Mentions†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . p. 17IntroductionPresents, the market construction of the concern are plentiful and assorted. Classifying markets require each company or house have to understand item clearly to be after the right manner to make concern. As a consequence, market construction has four sorts: Perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly. It can be said, in any states which besides happen to positive and negative of each type. Therefore, chapter Four of Necessities of Economics is traveling to explicate four types of market construction. Besides, the competitions are between companies together is based on what sort of concern and the strength they have from each specific instance. This chapter besides give information about advantage and disadvantage of market construction because some sorts can acquire much net income merely and some sorts have to vie. In peculiar, each house will hold assorted schemes because they will hold assorted challengers and competitions.TheoryThe manner purchasers and providers interacts each other in the industry to make up one's mind the monetary value and the measure is defined as market construction. There are 4 market constructions that have been used in the economic universe: Perfect competition, Monopoly, Monopolistic competition ( Imperfect competition ) and Oligopoly. Perfect competition is the free-entry market in which there are limitless purchasers and Sellerss called monetary value taker. They have no power to command the monetary value of the merchandises which merely based on demand and supply in the market. There is a market that has merely individual marketer. It is stated as Monopoly market where the monetary value is set by one marketer. Example: EVN, Petrolimex†¦ Monopolistic competition or Imperfect competition is similar to hone competition, which has a batch of Sellerss bring forthing a differentiated merchandise. Each can put its ain monetary value and measure ; nevertheless, they are excessively little to act upon the whole market monetary value and measure. Oligopoly is the market which has a little figure of Sellerss in the industry. At least one determination about the monetary value or the measure of one house can count to the others. Finally, when different purchasers buy the merchandise by different monetary value, that statement is defined as monetary value favoritism. In international trading, sometime it can do a dumping[ 1 ].CASE STUDYChapter 4Market STRUTURESPart IPERFECT COMPETITIONThe economic system, in general, is all about competition. Competition is good because it makes clients to be a male monarch who can make up one's mind what productions they will utilize and how quality is that. However, true aims of houses are n't to do the clients to be a male monarch. What they try to make is maximise their net incomes. But in ‘perfect competition market ‘ , the fact is, houses can do supranormal net incomes in the short-term but in the long tally they wo n't do any net incomes. They merely have adequate to remain in concern. Perfect competition is a market construction where all houses produce the same merchandise and noA producerA orA consumerA has the rightA or ability toA controlA theA market, A asA affect the monetary value. Perfect Competition is merely a theory that does n't be in the existent universe because of so many conditions have to be met. However, there are markets that come near to perfect competition market if it has four following conditions. First, there are so many houses or manufacturers that participate in the market and none of them have a right to alter the market monetary value. For case, the market for rice in Vietnam is so broad. Regardless of one husbandman has produced 100 more kgs of rice, the rice market monetary value is still maintained the same. This status of each house being so little that they are undistinguished comparative to the market is what makes the MR curve horizontal or absolutely elastic.[ 2 ] Fringy Revenue curve[ 3 ] One house can bring forth a noticeable sum of end product but it is nil compared to the market. As a consequence, the extra end product the house produces can be sold at the same monetary value as smaller measures of end product. Second, it has to be the market where all houses are selling an indistinguishable merchandise produced in the same manner. When all houses produce an indistinguishable merchandise, they are called homogenous merchandises.[ 4 ]The premise about homogenous merchandises means that all houses will sell their merchandises at the same monetary value. If all the merchandises from different houses are indistinguishable, clients will choose houses by taking the lowest monetary value. Any house that set their monetary value higher than others will lose all its clients. Third, there is no limitation to come in or go out the market means that new houses can easy acquire into the industry every bit good as the older houses can acquire out. In long-term, this is really of import. New houses when they try to come in the industry, there is no other manner to vie with other houses beside of lower their monetary value to pull clients. The existing houses must follow the new lower monetary value in order non to lose clients and after that, supranormal net incomes are no more. That is the ground why in long tally, houses merely make adequate net incomes to remain in the concern. Finally, 4th conditions, is that all houses are to the full cognizant of monetary values, the manner of lower cost of production and market chances and clients know all about the monetary value, the quality of the merchandise at all times.[ 5 ]The economic expert called it by perfect cognition or perfect information. Although Perfect Competition does n't be in any existent economic systems, it is an ideal economic that make the economic become better and more expeditiously. In other words,

Essay on Act III of the Crucible Essay

In the play â€Å"The Crucible† Arthur Miller creates a successful dramatic climax at the end of Act III. Integral to this success is Miller’s continued engagement with the audience. The principal reason why the climax is so dramatic and suspenseful is because the audience is involved with what is happening on stage. Throughout â€Å"The Crucible† Miller has achieved a powerful relationship with the audience both on an emotional and intellectual level. The audience in Act III continue to have an understanding of the personalities of the characters and an insight into their behaviour and how they react in different circumstances. In Act III the audience maintains a deep emotional relationship with the characters. They persist to despise certain characters such as Abigail who is exemplified as remorseful, untruthful and vengeful. In contrast the audience develops a more empathic relationship with some characters such as Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. The context of Act III within the play lies just after the incarceration of several villagers on the alleged charges of witchcraft including the wives of three esteemed men within the village John Proctor, Francis Nurse and Giles Corey. The driving plot line of Act III is these three men’s attempt to redeem their wives a particular focus is on Proctor’s struggle. Part of Miller’s dramatic success is attributed to the way he is able to manipulate the historic and social context. The historical setting of the play is a theocratic Puritan settlement in 1692 in the Massachusetts. The theocracy is a significant part of the play as it leads to mounting frustration for the audience and it is the basis to the plot; Miller also uses the theocracy in Salem to convey an important message about Miller’s own social setting in 1950s America. When Miller was writing the play he was living in a society where McCarthyism was prevalent. The playwright in â€Å"The Crucible† particularly in Act III is conveying how McCarthyism is using communism as a false pretence to ‘hunt down’ McCarthy’s enemies in the same way that Salem is using the guise of witchcraft to rid themselves of threats or adversaries. Perhaps Miller is illustrating to the contemporary audience that the hysteria and difficulties of theocracy are strikingly similar to McCarthyism. An important part of the success towards the end of Act III are Miller’s stage directions they give a vivid instruction to the actors of how to portray to the audience the emotions felt by the characters. Miller begins the scene on a remarkably dramatic moment; Proctor becomes enraged when Abigail attempts to call Heaven. Proctor cries â€Å"How dare you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!† in this historical context the word â€Å"whore† has significantly powerful connotations with what the society would see as â€Å"evil† and â€Å"sin†. The characters on stage react to this in an expected way; Danforth appears to be confused and horrified and is shouting at Proctor â€Å"Man! Man, what do you-â€Å"we can see how severe the potential charge of â€Å"whore† could be. When Proctor attempts to justify this charge he is shown on stage as trembling and petrified he shouts â€Å"I have known her, sir, I have known her† this echo of biblical terminology shows the absolute control theocracy has upon Salem and how language from the Bible has managed to integrate into everyday language. The audience can see the impact and power of this scene by the emotion and bewildered reactions of others. Following this scene of commotion Miller creates a relatively calm scene, Proctor’s anxiety turns into confidence as he is sure his wife is able to verify his claims ,†my wife cannot lie†. Abigail, although not revealing much with speech, she is portrayed in contrast as enraged to the audience. Upon Elizabeth Proctor’s entry, there is a situation of suspense and importance, the audience can tell this because Elizabeth sees Proctor with his back turned which conveys to the audience it is a suspenseful moment and she is ordered by the Deputy-Governor to â€Å"Look at me only†. The audience can see the initial impact this has upon her as she appears weak and confused. The scene escalates in tension and a tremendous amount of pressure is being put upon her. Elizabeth is clearly fearful of the situation and the substantial implications of her testimony as she uses vague descriptions such as â€Å"dissatisfied† and she repeatedly states her husband is a â€Å"good and righteous man†. Elizabeth is intimidated by Danforth, at several times during her interrogation Goody Proctor attempts to look at her husband and he shouts at her â€Å"woman, look at me!† The use of this phrase shows a derogatory attitude towards women that was prevalent during this period of history. During Elizabeth’s questioning Danforth uses violence against her he holds her face and she is portrayed to the audience as full of agony and the clear impacts of the stress being put upon her. When Elizabeth is eventually shouted at â€Å"Is your husband a lecher?† she replies â€Å"no† and she is removed from the courtroom. This enrages the audience how Elizabeth’s answer which has essentially been forced out of her after being interrogated and not for a second been reconsidered. Empathy is also felt for Elizabeth because of the difficulty of the situation that has been forced upon her. The passion felt between the Proctors is evident here Elizabeth has lied putting her life at risk in order to save her husband’s name, Proctor then shouts, â€Å"she only thought to save my name† in desperation to save his wife. This devotion towards each other contrasts with the beginning of Act II where there was a sense of awkwardness between the couple. Following Good Wife Proctor’s ejection from the court-room, The Reverend Hale makes a passionate speech declaring his objection to the situation, â€Å"I may shut my conscience to this no more- private vengeance is working through this testimony†. Miller perhaps uses Hale in this situation to represent the audience’s opinion on stage, Hale is finally able to see clearly what is going on, and the audience is relieved that the lies of Abigail may be exposed. Furthermore there is a prospect of hope as Hale could possibly lead the demise of Abigail; he cries â€Å"This girl has always struck me as false†. Once Abigail is under pressure and she is at risk of being undermined she is able to control the situation by creating an ‘imaginary’ scene. Abigail lets out a loud chilling cry, which would have tremendous impact on the audience and stunned both the other characters and perhaps the audience also into silence. Abigail and the rest of the girls pretend that Mary Warren has shape shifted into a â€Å"yellow bird† which would have bewildered an audience. The girls are described as â€Å"transfixed† and â€Å"hypnotized† (upon the bird) showing how convincing their performance must have been. During Abigail’s â€Å"genuine conservation† with the bird she says â€Å"But God made my face Mary†¦envy is a deadly sin† Miller’s use of the word â€Å"sin† perhaps implies that Abigail is appealing to Danforth by making her language correspond to the Bible also by using the term â€Å"sin† Abigail makes Mary appear more sinister to the rest of the characters on stage and make her appear to be associated to the ‘devil’. The girls’ mimicking of Mary has a remarkable impact upon the atmosphere and pace of the scene, all the shouting between Mary and the girls adds to the drama and builds up excitement in the scene . The audience becomes horrified at the situation, with Abigail’s power and dominance she is able to shift the accusations from her to an innocent which must disgust the audience. Compassion is felt towards Mary because of the horrendous situation she is put in. It seems Miller’s original impression of the girls as ruthless appears to be fulfilled during these scenes.

One of the Major Causes of Obesity Essay

Mark Bittman’s article â€Å"Coke Blinks† discusses how the famous soda company, Coca-Cola, recently released a video where it addresses the growing problem in our nation of obesity. In the video Coca-Cola attempts to claim that it is not their fault people are obese; it’s the consumers fault because the company offers low calorie beverages and now has smaller proportioned drinks. They are basically saying that every calorie counts and not just the ones in their products. Bittman describes this video as, â€Å"Sheer manipulation, calculated to confuse, obscure and deny.† Bittman beliefs sugar, â€Å"Especially in liquid form† is extremely harmful and not just because it leads to obesity. He thinks Coca-Cola is more focused on making money than it is trying to help the nation deal with obesity. He goes on to compare soda to nicotine saying, â€Å"Soda is a fructose delivery system as tobacco is a nicotine delivery system.† He is stating that Coca-Cola is doing the same thing tobacco companies once did, ignore the fact that their product was extremely harmful and they didn’t want the consumers to know because it would lead to a loss in product sales. This article focuses on the negative effects that sugar based beverages have on the body. Bittman states, â€Å"There is virtual consensus that drinking too much soda is bad for you, and it’s not hard to understand the evidence.† In the end Coca-Cola is simply trying to lessen its bad reputation for causing health problems such as diabetes and chubbiness by releasing a video which talks about obesity. Bittman is implicating the irony in Coca-Cola’s video and he simply trying to warm people not to drink soda because it’s not healthy.

A significant event that occured in my life Essay

A significant event that occured in my life - Essay Example However, the contentment on having an ‘A’ did not last for long. Dad: I expected something better than an ‘A’ this time; no wonder you always let me down! Me: I’ll try harder next time, I am sorry. Dad: You better do, it is for your own good. Surely my father wanted to see a more successful person than I was. I greatly appreciated my father’s encouragement yet expected a bit of appreciation. I understood his urge to see a prosperous and winning person as his son. Whatsoever happened, it encouraged me on exerting more energy, time and efforts to achieve a better result. The whole academic year went with only one aim in mind, i.e. to attain a smile on my father’s face. The only possibility I could see to accomplish this aim was through attaining a better result. The struggles whole year resulted in satisfactory exam attempts. I hoped for good results as I did quite well in the examinations. My class performance was a standing example of my hard work. My teachers, friends and relatives appreciated me on every little achievement during my academic career. My aim, though, was to satisfy a person who was the hardest to please. I knew he wanted a better end result and does not appreciate these little achievements that I had. Walking ahead towards the car garage, the voice echoed once again and I smiled with a deep satisfaction on my results and achievements this time. The feeling of finally satisfying my father with the achievement of a full scholarship grew stronger. My uncontrollable feeling of happiness and urge for sharing the news with my father could not wait for him to enter the house. With the throbbing heart and a continuously smiling face I met my father in the car garage. My existence in the car garage was surprising for my father, but I was certain that my achievement is a better surprise and would fade away the presence of any other factor. With an astonishing expression, my father greeted me yet remained per plexed. I knew I had never given him any better than what I achieved that day. I expected the appreciating words any father can have for his son on having a scholarship. Like any other person, I was sure of some soothing words, a wholehearted smile and a sense of pride he would have for his son’s achievement. Without any delays, I disclosed the news of my achievement. Me: Guess what, I have got a full scholarship. I am one of the toppers at school. (I finally spoke up with uncontrollable emotions and in a passionate voice) Dad: Good, so when are you leaving? (The ever cold voice and emotionless response I heard) Me: I will discuss it in the evening. (I hardly uttered while he was busy locking the car). Sitting in my room I reviewed my life. When was the last time I went for vacations without having the cold voice demanding better grades and higher marks in my educational career? When was the last time I partied with friends for longer hours like others did? There were numerou s questions in my mind regarding my struggles and a greater number of awards and achievements which went unnoticed. The feeling that I had a few minutes back vanished like it never existed. I was badly hurt. My emotional state that moment was no better than a hungry man getting a loaf after days which is later found to be made of plastic, which is neither edible nor of any use. All my struggles went unnoticed. My achievement meant nothing but another hopeless attempt to bring a smile on my father’s face. The morale remains high as long as a person’

Trends in Health Information Systems and Applications Essay

Trends in Health Information Systems and Applications - Essay Example Overview – today's medical professionals work in an increasingly hurried environment; it is important to them they can access the right information at the right time when it is needed. The main problems identified in a medical practice which bother a lot are delays in obtaining patient information, misplaced laboratory test results, delays in updating of medical records and a host of other valid concerns such as incorrect vital physical details of a patient. Problem - the problem is really a question of properly managing the flow of information from those who obtained those records to giving the same information to those who need it the most – the medical practitioners. Present information systems used by hospitals, clinics and other medical institutions are often overwhelmed by a deluge of data. If not properly managed through the right information technologies, there is always the danger of mistakes being committed with a possibility of being sued for medical malpract ice. The identified need is to use technology that can provide the information in a proximate manner in terms of both time and space.

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 6

Financial Management - Essay Example Aspects like the shareholder’s concern regarding the working capital management will also be discussed in the following sections. Working capital management refers to the money used for the making of goods and sales. It has been defined as, â€Å"A managerial accounting strategy focusing on maintaining  efficient  levels of both components of working capital, current assets and current liabilities, in respect to each other. Working capital management ensures a company has sufficient cash flow in order to meet its short-term debt obligations and operating expenses† (Investor Words, 2010). Working capital management involves a strong relationship between the short term assets of a company and the short term loans. The main aim of this concept is to ensure that there is enough cash in the firm to continue all the operations. It also aims at keeping enough liquidity for facing both the short term debts as well as the operational expenses. Inventories, accounts receivable and accounts payable and cash fall into the category of working capital management (Study Finance, 2010). As has been discussed earlier, working capital management is based on the needs of the company and the ability to keep liquidity level at all times. It is essential to be understood that the profit margins of a company and the working capital are inversely proportional to each other. A company with high levels of profit margins generally tend to have a low level of working capital. Similarly a company with low level of working capital will have much higher levels of liquidity (Bhattacharya, 2001). The working capital management mainly deals with the amount of liquidity of the firm and the profitability. The main aim is to ensure that both are in place while dealing with the day to day processes and operations. The short term and long terms financial planning play a major role in the overall liquidity of the company. The long term

Case 3.2 Hanover-Bates Chemical Corporation Study

3.2 Hanover-Bates Chemical Corporation - Case Study Example In looking at a different angle of sales a profit performance, District 3 and District 7 were compared side by side, as District 7 was the most highly revered district in Hanover-Bates. District 7 outperformed district 3 in gross profits in their â€Å"B† category of accounts, which are their medium-sized accounts that generate only $11,000 to $19,999 each year in sales. Despite the fact that this is the only facet of the three account categories that District 7 outperformed District 3, District 7 still had higher gross profits than District 3 by $106,500. This is the reason that Sprague was hired on to Hanover-Bates, to utilize his skills in sales and profit analyses to improve the performance of District 3 through reallocation of sales. District 3’s performance was very poor in comparison to the others, and as such needed to be assessed. Either the basic reasons for this poor performance was due to misallocated efforts from that district from customers or the product lines itself that was being sold. Although Hanover-Bates does not produce chemicals, it is important for their customer base to see a variable in the quality of the products that they are buying from Hanover-Bates versus their competition. The lack of performance of District 3 versus other districts is the sales representative’s lack of knowledge, motivation, or both. Most of their sales representatives had previously worked for a customer of Hanover-Bates and did not have a college education. This could most assuredly be a major cause of the lack of sales in the company, as the representatives simply did not have the proper education to pursue sales with the right language, persuasion and vigor for success. This could seriously affect Hanover-Bates’ ability to prospect further into different sectors and affect the closing of new sales for the company. This leaves the sales staff with a lack of competence, confidence, communication skills and understanding of Hanover-Bates’ organizational strategies for sales and growth. Given that most of the sales representatives in the company are also older and fairly experienced, they may feel that they have the skills and repertoire that are required to succeed in sales for Hanover-Bates, and thus are unmotivated to learn new approaches to the sales media. The North East district’s sales and performance are due to the lack of college-educated individuals with the proper knowledge and skills of a new and ever changing market place. They also are in great need of implementation and training in the newly developed sales program created by the national sales manager. It the sales representatives were able to undergo further trainin g and implementation of his program, Hanover-Bates and its customers alike would be of benefit. In this new sales program, Hanover-Bates sales volumes for each account would be higher, thus selling costs would decrease. These higher sales volumes would be justification for a sales representat

About myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About myself - Essay Example How would life be like if my father was a Sheikh, prince or the owner of a large oil corporation in the Middle East region? Personally, being a speed enthusiast particularly with motor bikes, I would make a point of owning a few bikes and possibly owning a racetrack where I would invite fellow enthusiasts for races while entertaining parties. I would certainly invite all the famous, professional racers from AMA Pro racing especially. My mother would not be too keen on this so I would try to butter her up by getting her culinary lessons from celebrity chefs such as Guy Savoy. She would be the least interested with the wealth in my family as she is modest and appreciates simplicity a bit too much. Her indulgence would be hosting our extended family and close friends at home and preparing a variety of dishes and desserts. My father, on the other hand, would enjoy the races as much as I would although his main vice would be cars. My sisters- twins- would probably be living in Europe, Rome particularly as they are quite fond of the language and Italian cuisine. Their main vice is designer clothes and shoes so I am certain they would enjoy Italy and Paris. I would make a point of inviting them to my racetrack parties as well as visiting them frequently, possibly in a personal jet with all the luxurious amenities! Furthermore, I would make a point of having a house or two in every continent as I enjoy travelling and learning new cultures. It would be nice to own an island as well like Richard Bronson of Virgin Island. Here, I would insist on my family and I coming together every six months for a vacation. It would make sense to own a yacht seeing as seeing as my family would own an island. The yacht would be an ideal place to hold parties for my friends and I every so often. I am keen on photography so I would own cameras with the most recent technologies along with attending the best schools for the same. I would make a

Sexual Response and Arousal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sexual Response and Arousal - Research Paper Example As disclosed, the breakdown of the gender of these participants was 101 male students and 111 female students and should be at least 18 years old to qualify as valid participants due to the explicit sexual content of the research. The methodology required a specifically designed erotic story composed of 1,600 words that allegedly started from precoital to postcoital detailed narrative scenes. A questionnaire was designed to measure pre-test levels of â€Å"sexual self-esteem, sexual desire, and pre- and posttest measures of arousal† (Scott & Cortez, 2011, p. 165). The results of the study revealed that there were no apparent significant levels of disparities between both genders in evaluating the appeal of erotic stories (using both explicit and suggestive narrative discourses) (Scott & Cortez, 2011). The authors, however, found that there were some disparities in terms of manifesting arousal levels between male and female under suggestive conditions. As disclosed, males who read suggestive narrative discourse exhibited limited increases in arousal levels as compared to males who read explicit narrative discourse, especially describing the coital scenario. As such, the authors concluded that â€Å"although women have reported physiological arousal in response to male-dominant explicit materials, women were more psychologically aroused by erotica designed for women† (Scott & Cortez, 2011, p. 174). The online published article from PsychCentral written by Nauert (2010) entitled â€Å"Men and Women Differ on Sexual Arousal† indicated that there are disparities between the way males and females respond physiologically to mental sexual arousal. As contended, â€Å"men’s reports of feeling sexually aroused tend to match their physiological responses, while women’s mind and body responses are less aligned† (Nauert, 2010, par. 2). These findings were reported to be the result of a study

Time and Order-processing Costs Essay Example for Free

Time and Order-processing Costs Essay After making some wise short-term investments at a race track, Chris Low had some additional cash to invest in a business. The most promising opportunity at the time was in building supplies, so Low bought a business that specialized in sales of one size of nail. The annual volume of nails was 2,000 kegs, and they were sold to retail customers in an even flow. Low was uncertain of how many nails to order at any time. Initially, only two costs concerned him: order-processing costs, which were $60 per order without regard to size, and warehousing costs, which were $1 per year per keg space. On average, the rented warehouse space is only half full. This meant that Low had to rent a constant amount of warehouse space for the year, and it had to be large enough to accommodate an entire order when it arrived. Low was not worried about maintaining safety stocks, mainly because the outward flow of goods was so even. Low bought his nails on a delivered basis. Question 1: Using the EOQ methods outlined in Chapter 9, determine how many kegs of nails Low should order at one time.  Question 2: Assume that all conditions in Question 1 hold, except that Low’s supplier now offers a quantity discount in the form of absorbing all or part of Low’s order-processing costs. For orders of 750 or more kegs of nails, the supplier will absorb all order-processing costs; for orders between 249 and 749 kegs, the supplier will absorb half. What is Low’s new EOQ? (It might be useful to lay out all costs in tabular form for this and later questions.) Question 3: Temporarily ignore your work on Question 2. Assume that Low’s warehouse offers to rent Low space on the basis of the average number of kegs that Low will have in stock, rather than on the maximum number of kegs that Low would need room for whenever a new shipment arrived. The storage charge per keg remains the same. Does this change the answer to Question 1? If so, what is the new answer? Question 4: Take into account the answer to Question 1 and the supplier’s new policy outlined in Question 2, and the warehouse’s new policy in Question 3. Then determine Low’s new EOQ. Question 5: Temporarily ignore your work on Questions 2, 3, and 4. Low’s luck at the race track is over; he now must borrow money to finance his inventory of nails. Looking at the situation outlined in Question 1, assume that the wholesale cost of nails is $40 per keg and that Low must pay interest at the rate of 1.5% per month on unsold inventory. What is his new EOQ? Question 6: Taking into account all of the factors listed in Questions 1, 2, 3, and 5, calculate Low’s EOQ for kegs of nails.

Analysis fo the Dairy Industry in Pakistan

Analysis fo the Dairy Industry in Pakistan Introduction The prospering dairy industry of the country seems an embryonic market for branded dairy products, especially in the urban areas, where branded and packed milk, curd and butter are rapidly capturing the market. In fact, the consternation of adulteration, germs, decades-old style of improper handling of dairy products, particularly loose milk and curd by milkmen and shopkeepers, are impelling a large number of consumers in the country to bid adieu to the traditional milkman. Consumer preferences have changed in the favor of packaged dairy products, which ensure better hygiene and good value for money. In Pakistan when we talk about adulteration in loose milk. These kinds of fears and health hazards relating to loose dairy items are steadily changing the mindset of the consumers. Seeing this change and an enormous untapped potential of growth in packaged dairy products in the country in future, several local and multinational companies have introduced their branded dairy items in the r ecent past. In Pakistan, when someone talks about branded milk and curd, the name of Haleeb and Nestle comes to the mind of the people as they have emerged as two strong market leaders, who have swiftly captured the unexplored business of packed milk, curd, butter, margarine, etc. The emergence of these two brand leaders in the country has also encouraged several others to introduce branded dairy products. At present over a dozen companies are actively marketing branded dairy items in the country and among them the most famous are CDL Foods Limited, Bhaipheru; Idara-e-Kissan, Pattoki; Kabirwala Dairy; Lahore Milk Plant, Lahore; Millac Food (Pvt) Ltd., Lahore; Monnoo Dairies, Bhowana; Nestle Milkpak Ltd., Sheikhupura; Noon Pakistan Ltd., Bhalwal; Pakistan Milk Food Manufacturers, Jhang; Prime Dairies, Manga; Royal Dairy Products, Karachi; Ravi Dairies, Jaranwala and Unilever Pakistan Ltd., Sheikhupura, Bhaipheru, Karachi. Besides marketing milk and curd most of the companies are sell ing dairy products with innovation such as yogurt (natural and flavored), sweetened milk, UHT and pasteurised cream, butter, ghee, cheese and ice cream. In Pakistan Nestle is a great success story for establishing the largest milk collection network and setting new trends in dairy sector. On the one hand, it has proved a regular source of income for farmers through an assured and growing income resulting from the sale of their milk, and on the other, it has enabled Nestle to collect better quality milk in the quantities it needs. The basic unit of Nestle milkmans milk collection system is the Village Milk Collection Centre where farmers deliver milk, morning and evening. A trained milk collection agent who tests and records every supply for quality and fat content collects the milk. Over three thousand such centres operate throughout Punjab. This milk is then transported to the nearest sub-centres for mechanical chilling and then to the main centres where it is consolidated and chil led further, before being transported in specially designed insulated tankers to the factories in Sheikhupura and Kabirwala. According to background, dairy is one of the growing segment of livestock sub-sector and important component of Pakistans economy. Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of milk in the world. The per capita availability of milk at present is 185 litres, which is the highest among the South Asian countries. Milk production in Pakistan has seen a constant increase during the last two decades. The production has increased from 8.918 million metric tons in 1981 to 27.031 million metric tons in 2001-02. Milk production for the year 2002-03 is estimated at 27.811 million metric tons. Investment Prospects: There is a large and untapped potential in the dairy industry. With a population of 160 million, a significant demand for dairy products exists in Pakistan. There is a need for establishing modern milk processing and packaging facilities based on advanced technolog y to convert abundantly available raw milk into high value added dairy products. In addition, with improved conditions for milk pasteurisation, availability of chilled distribution facilities and consumer preference for the low cost pasteurised milk, the sector provides unique opportunity for investment in establishing pasteurised milk production plants. There is also great scope for establishing related industries in the form of an efficient milk collection system and refrigeration transportation facilities. The sector offers opportunity to foreign investor for establishing a joint venture for the production of dairy products, particularly dried milk and infant formula milk for which great demand exists in the neighboring countries like Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The dairy industrys main ingredient is milk, which is processed at the dairy plants to produce variety of dairy products. The average daily production of milk in Pakistan is estimated at approximately 95 million litres. Punjab is the leading province in milk production with a share of around 80%. Out of the total production of 95 million litres of milk per day, about 55% is consumed at source in the countryside while the remaining 45% is traded in urban centres. Most of the traded milk is marketed un-processed and currently only about 2.5 to 3 per cent of the traded milk is processed by the dairy industry in Pakistan. Processed liquid milk in the form of Pasteurized or Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) milk is the main dairy product in Pakistan while other products include Dry Powdered Milk, Cream, Butter, Butter Oil, Yogurt, Cheese and ice cream. Presently, about 13 units in the organised sector are engaged in the production of various dairy products. Majority of the dairy plants are located in the vicinity of Lahore, which serves as the hub of this industry Milk Processing Out of the 28 million tons of milk produced in Pakistan, only 2.5 to 3 per cent reaches the dairy plants for processing into variety of dairy products. Pakistans dairy industry produces Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) Milk, Pasteurized Milk, Dry Milk Powder, and Condensed milk. Other major milk products produced by the dairy industry include butter, yogurt, ice cream, cheese, cream and some butter oil. Approximately half of the 0.3 million tons of milk available to the industry is processed into UHT milk, 40 percent into powdered milk, and the remaining 10 percent into pasteurised milk, yogurt, cheese and butter etc. Dairy plants in Pakistan Of the 38 major dairy plants established in the country with a capital investment of Rs. 2.392 billion and having a daily rated capacity of 2,180,000 litres, only 13 plants are currently in operation. The rated milk processing capacity of the 13 plants in operation is estimated at a little over one million litres per day. In addition, two dairy farms of the Pakistan military operating on non-commercial basis have raised Pakistans daily production of processed milk, yogurt and butter. The reasons for failure of large number of dairy plants are several and may differ from plant to plant. The most common reasons include an over estimation of demand for processed milk, too rapid investment in UHT technology, lack of consumer education, high price of UHT processed milk, non development of sustainable milk collection system, lack of trained manpower and insufficient operational funds. For the same reasons, the capacity utilisation of dairy plants in operation is around 40 per cent. The low capacity utilisation prevents most UHT milk processing plants from recovering much more than their variable costs. Next to the raw material i.e. raw milk cost available to the plants for Rs. 14 per litre on average, packaging is the most important cost element. Expensive packaging forms part of UHT technology. Despite immense potentials the dairy sector in Pakistan has been victim of criminal neglect by the successive governments in the country. Even at its present lowest-in-the-world yield per milk cattle, Pakistan is surplus in milk production; but due to lack of proper planning, collection and distribution facilities, a major portion of the total production is consumed, per force, by the producers in the far-flung areas. As against this we are importing 25000 tonnes of powder milk annually to meet the demand of the urban areas at a cost of above 300 million dollar. Pakistan ranks 7th among milk producing countries, with an estimated 21 billion liters of milk produced annually. A lthough this level of milk production is more than adequate on a per capita basis for todays population, lack of processing and poor distribution system in a long hot weather (milk has a shelf life of only four hours under moderate temperatures) keeps it from reaching consumers in areas that are either deficient in milk production, particularly the urban centres, or those that are difficult to access. The milk yield per cow in the neighbouring country is about 3000 liters per lactation period as against 1000 liters in Pakistan. In Western Europe the average exceeds 5000 liters, in USA 9000 and Israel exceeds 7000 liters per lactation period. After extensive research Indian Livestock Ministry has introduced a programme to gradually replace buffaloes with cows, which give more milk, by educating their farmers through their well-established cooperatives and successfully carried out the replacement programme during the last decade or so. During this period India has almost doubled its m ilk production from 38 to 72 billion liters and now ranks at No. 2 after USA with 74-billion liters in milk production. Despite feeding its huge population, India is exporting huge quantity of powder and processed and packed milk. To increase its yield of milk, India has made full use of Israeli expertise who have been trained by the US. Through artificial insemination India had developed a new breed of cows which yield 3000 liter per lactation period instead of previous record of 1200 liters. Pakistans tremendous potential to increase its milk production has so far remained unexplored due to the inactivity of the government and the related bodies which were created with much of fanfare. This neglect appears criminal in view of the fact that milk production despite its lowest yield, is even today far ahead of the major cash crops such as wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane Conclusion There is huge demand of both powdered and packed milk in the neighbouring countries of Iran, UAE, Saudia Arabia beside Malaysia, and Philippine which Pakistan can successfully harness to its advantage if due attention is paid to this sector. By copying Indian plan, Pakistan can also develop a new breed of cows within a period of about 4/5 years and thereby increase its production by over 100 per cent. Pakistan can become a big exporter of dry and processed milk provided due attention is paid to this sector. Presently in Pakistan only about 22 per cent of milk production is processed, about 57.5 per cent is supplied to urban areas in raw form in most unhygenic conditions causing real health hazards. Rest is consumed by the farmers, mostly per force, specially in the far-flung areas for lack of proper facilities to take it to deficient areas. About 75 per cent of the total production of raw milk is produced in Punjab, 14 per cent in Sindh 10 per cent in NWFP and only 1 per cent in Balo chistan. In Punjab we have more buffalos than cowl in about 60-40 ratio, in Sindh it is 50-50, in NWFP dead 20 per cent buffalos and 80 per cent cows. In Balochistan there are mostly cows. Unlike other progressive countries where sale of raw milk is disallowed by law and processing is mandatory due to milk being one of the two major carriers of diseases (water being the other), Pakistan continues to allow 97-5 per cent milk to be distributed through the traditional gawala system. To the bacteria of tuberculosis and hepatitis that naturally occurs in milk, the gawala adds many more varieties through the addition of contaminated water for its dilution. The contractors, who collect milk in bulk from villages in Punjab through the dodhis the middlemen, and sell it to the urban consumers, go a step further. They add unhygenically produced ice slabs, caustic soda and sometimes formaline to the milk they collect to prevent it from going bad due to intense heat in summers. The UHT process, although expensive, has proven to be a success in Pakistan as it increases milks shelf life to 12 weeks. On the other hand, the pasteurization process inspite of its low procession cost, had not made much of a headway due to the short shelf life of its product and its dependence on old chain from production to consumption. Taking advantage of this cost factor, some milk marketers have begun marketing loose milk in urban areas which they claim to be pasteurized. The UHT process add heavily to the cost of milk as it requires huge investment to set up the plant, production of packing material and above all the collection cost of the milk making it beyond the purchasing power of poor and even lower middle class. Pasteurization process is much cheaper comparatively as the process is much simple and packing material much cheaper. Small pasteurization plants can play an important role to meet the milk demand of cities and towns provided there is a strong and efficient organization to ensu re that all necessary precautions are taken and hygienic requirements for pasteurization process are met before supplying milk to the ultimate consumers. Village cooperatives in India have efficiently handled this problem and about 80 per cent of the milk requirement of urban areas are met through pasteurized milk at an average selling rate of Rs. 15 a liter as against Rs. 24 per liter in case UHT processed and packed milk. Nestle Milk Pak. Ltd., a joint venture with the reputed multinational Nestle of Switzerland operating in over 80 countries around the globe, has done the poineer work in the field of milk collection UHT processing on most modern and state of art machines and quality packing. Nestle has almost the monopoly of UHT processed milk in Pakistan. It is a household name in our affluent families. Poor and lower middle class cannot afford the price and for them it is still a luxury which they can enjoy only once a while. The price of Rs. 28 per cent for Nestle UHT processe d and packed milk appears high, but if you consider the cost of infrastructure manpower and middle men involved in the whole process the selling price is justified. Nestle is concentrating only in Punjab and has developed a remarkable set up to collect milk from areas stretching about 80,000 KMs, and keeping the collected milk chilled in the most hygenic conditions until it reaches the processing factory which may take 8 to 12 hours. They have set up over 2500 milk collection centers from where it is transported to the 520 chilling centres within less than 3/4 hours. Chilled milk is then transferred to the two factories at Sheikhupura near Lahore and Kabirwala near Multan in special trucks with freezing arrangements. It sounds unbelievable but it is a fact that all this organizational structure for collection of milk has been set up by a Swiss expert who arrived in Pakistan only seven years back. To meet J. Moser Head of Milk collection department of Nestle at one of Milk chilling c entre at Mandi Bhauddin was one of most exciting experience of my life. By any standard. J. Moser is an authority on milk production and milk cattle. He can talk for hours on various breed of cattle around the world, their milk yield, how they increased the yield and their future plants, domestic consumption of milk, pattern of consumption and capacity to export milk and milk products to deficient countries. In order to keep his knowledge up-to-date he frequently goes on tour of different countries. He has worked in Sri Lanka, frequently instead India since posted in Pakistan in 1993. In this region he is most impressed by the work done by India to increase their milk production, manage its collection and distribution to its ultimate consumers at an affordable cost. The cooperative societies in Indian rural areas have played a very significant role in developing the dairy sector in India. Hundreds of thousand milk collection centers have been set up to supply milk in bulk to thousan d of pasteurization plants under required unhygienic conditions in the outskirts of almost every city to ensure supply of good milk in abundance. Through artificial insemination programme going on for over a decade with the help of Israel and United States they have developed a special breed of cows with yield of over 3000 liter of Milk per lactation period as against 1000 about 12/13 years back. Mr. Moser told this correspondent that he developed his milk collection and chilling centres on the pattern of Indian cooperatives. A business organization, whatsoever bigger size it may have cannot meet the national requirements. We are concentrating only on the central parts of Punjab which is densely populated and where more milk is available. For other areas in Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P. and Balochistan no such arrangement exists. This huge task cannot be done without the financial assistance, help and cooperation of the government. With proper planning and financial support of the governm ent Pakistan Milk production can be doubled in 10 years time and country can become a big exporter of milk and milk products, Mr. Moser said disclosing that by giving shorts of seaman imported from Europe we have successfully carried out artificial insemination programme in Pakistan on experimental basis. Our experiment proved successful as some of the cows conceived and nurtured through this system are giving 18 liter milk a day instead of normal 10 liters. The work has to be done at a large scale for which Nestle is not equipped, he added. It is imperatives, therefore, that the issues of increase in its production, and distribution are tackled on progressive line. The federal government may appoint a task force to study the various aspect of the disarray sector, identify the factors which has hampered growth sofar and recommend measures to develop this sector properly to harness its tremendous potential for the betterment of national economy. Inclusion of a person like, J. Moser i n the proposed task force can be a real help. With the every passing day, dairy products are becoming costlier because live stock farming has not scientifically grown with the increase in population and also it did not match with the pace of urbanization. Recently, milk prices in Karachi increased without any reason. In a short time of two years, milk prices have gone up from Rs 20 per liter to Rs 25, showing a 25 percent increase. Moreover, meat prices have also risen to about 25 percent in the last six months. In such a situation, the only way to control prices is to develop the dairy industry on scientific lines, which will not only provide meat and milk in abundant quantities to the domestic consumers but extra quantities can also be exported. In spite of having a large population of LIVESTOCK, the country is spending some $40 million annually on the import of formula milk only, which is the highest amount spent by any country in the world on this particular commodity. Pollution affecting the Pakistani Dairy industry Seventeen units, including three run by multinational companies, are engaged in the manufacture of dairy products in Pakistan, but environmental pollution, as well as an inadequate supply chain, is hampering the growth of the dairy industry. Noise pollution is one of the factors. Pakistan exports meat to Saudi Arabia but is yet to export dairy products to it, although that is a possibility, said Ibad-ur-Rehman, an executive of Cleaner Production Programme, a private-sector company based in Karachi that offers environmental solution packages to the industry in the backdrop of rising local and international competition. The growth necessitates consistent and adequate supply of raw material, and this is possible in contract production. This is being done by at least one multinational company. Balochistan and Tharparkar district in Sindh, which have a sizeable livestock population, are some of the ideal locations for dairy farming, besides Punjab, he said. Milk, by and large, is the main ingredient of almost all dairy products. Average daily production of milk in Pakistan is about 130 million litres. Most of the traded milk is marketed unprocessed, and hardly two percent of the traded milk is processed by the dairy industry in Pakistan. Processed liquid milk in the form of pasteurised milk or ultra-heat-treated (UHT) milk is the main dairy product in Pakistan. Other products include dry powdered milk, cream, butter, butter oil, yoghurt, cheese and ice cream. The milk-manufacturing process includes pasteurization, homogenization, UHT treatment and packing. Through little additional work, cream is also produced during the pasteurization cycle. Pasteurized cream is churned to make butter. In order to obtain butter oil, butter is heated to 90C degrees in ghee-melters and then liquefied. The milk powder-making process primarily involves evaporation and drying. The main steps around which whole ice cream manufacturing process revo lves are pasteurization, homogenization, freezing and packing. But CPP findings show that the major environmental problem of the dairy industry is wastewater, while solid waste, soil pollution and noise pollution are potential aspects of environmental pollution. Wastewater generation at a dairy industry is characterized by very large volumes of discharge besides the pollution loading from various dairy processes. Estimates show that the proportion of the waste discharge at a typical dairy industry per unit of processed milk ranges from 12:1 to 24:1. This is a very high figure considering the typical ratio of 3:1 in cleaner factories in the developed countries. In modern plants this ratio gets as low as 1:1

Economic Globalization And Offshore Sourcing Management Essay

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

Emperor Penguin :: essays research papers

http://www.gdargaud.net//Antartica/Penguins.html#Emperor How did you find/choose this site? -I simply did some browsing, which led me to this exceptional site. 1. Summarize what you found at this site and how the info relates? -This site included two types of penguins. The Adelie and the Emperor Penguins. The Emperor which, is mentioned in our book, can weigh as much as 20 to 45 kg. These animals are graceful swimmers and show great agility under the water. They are found in the Southern Hemisphere. Their diets consist of squid and fish. (below is a picture of an Emperor adult, and its young).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2. List 3 specific things. -Biology- Arrival: April Egg Laying: May Hatching: July 62-66 days of incubation Departure of chicks: December and January Food: squid and fish http://www.gdargaud.net//Antartica/Penguins.html#Emperor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -Below is a picture of 2 Emperor Penguins submerged under water. -As I mentioned before, penguins are very graceful swimmers. Another added advantage to this is that they can submerge below water for certain amounts of time. Penguins can swim at an average speed of 60km/h and their average duration under water can be anywhere from 5 to 6 minutes.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. Based on what you have learned in this course, how accurate is this information? -I believe it is very reliable. I compared it to what was said in our text and it stood up very well, granted this site goes more in depth upon this subject than our text. But it still manages to speak about the Emperor Penguin which are book informs us on. 4. Consider the authors of this website their qualifications to write about this subject. How reliable is this source? -Very reliable. These men and women spend their whole life studying and analyzing different marine animals, etc. One also must realize, that they are only human. So something overlooked by one team of explorers, could easily be spotted by another person or team. But overall, it is exceptional, especially for those who have no-type of knowledge about the Emperor Penguin. http://www.gdargaud.net//Antartica/Penguins.html 5(part1) Overall, how useful was this site in helping you learn about Oceanography? What was most useful? -Overall, not too much at all.

Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry :: War Poems Jesse Pope Wilfred Owen Essays

Comparing and Contrasting the Portrayal and Warfare in Poetry War poetry A Comparattive Essay Choose two poets that we have studied so far. Compare and contrast the portrayal of warfare in four of the poems studied. This essay will compare and contrast the portrayal and warfare in four of the poems studied. The first world war was portrayed as a glorious and credible cause, fighting war for your country was deemed as the duty of any credible man. Being able to represent your country on the battlefield was the greatest honour a man could have. Men were engulfed with the idea of being able to fight for their countries futures. Women would have to do everything they could to stop their husbands and sons from risking their lives by signing up for the war. At this time poetry was written to encourage men to go and fight, poets like jessie pope who wrote war poetry enforced this view. JESSIE POPE WILFRED OWEN WHO’S FOR THE DULCE ET DECORUM EST. GAME? THE CALL DISABLED These poems were written about (and at the same time as), World War I, between 1914 to 1918. In these barbaric four years->killing spree 7 million men and leaving 17 million men injured, (physically-the war tactics resorted to the tortures of gas attacks, gun-shot wound, shell shock, starvation and exposure, to name a few...), the rest were scarred by memories never fading. World war one devastated lives and souls, time and space. But citizens back home had no way of knowing what war was capable of, without television or radio to communicate to them, they were only left to imagine the true horrors men were enduring. If people had reailsed the true extent and the horrors of what was actually happening, morale would have been severely detrimentally affected. These poems were created by the thoughts and feelings expressed by soldiers at battle. Propaganda was partially to blame for the young lives that were stolen by the war, because it encouraged men to actively volunteer for the dream of taking the empire to victory and in return recieve the pride of serving their country. Propaganda was engineered to give citizens a false impression/ illusion of positivity about the events that were truely making history horrifically, and consistently sent a message of fortitude and unity to the enemy. Men were driven by promised finicial gain, status and the chance to travel, but under such pointless pain, suffering and horror that awaited them, ready to engulf them all in battle, in such conditions as; 48 hours bomboardment, being surrounded by dead bodies, acheing (mentally, physically and emotionally), foul infestation, and living in fear and horror was not worth the cost of a

Epidemics in Colonial America

John Duffy, a true historian, contributed immensely to the history of medicine by publishing his research in the form of his first book ‘Epidemics in Colonial America. ’ Duffy continued to write other books as well but this particular one stood as a landmark in his career, facilitating all those interested in the field of medicine. In writing this book, Duffy’s primary goal was to clarify epidemic diseases in order of importance and show their direct and indirect effects on colonial development.He showed how the health environment is important for economic outcomes and that there is a direct effect of health conditions on income and an indirect effect on institutions. There is clearly no ‘hidden’ goal or aim of the author and whatever he has intended to show is pretty apparent and understandable. His book is more on the lines of medical history/ economic impact and is more descriptive and explanatory than theoretical.‘Epidemics in Colonial Ameri ca’ provides, in detail, the history of disease epidemics in America and guides the reader through the years of epidemics to show how the outbreak of various diseases effected the development of colonial America. The book explains how epidemic diseases have been affected, and vice verse, have affected the isolation of rural societies, changing economic conditions, varied work conditions and the factors determining poverty and wealth. BodyThe seventeenth century is identified as the period when epidemics were fairly limited in their impact as the interaction between the people of different colonies was minimum and communities were more isolated than they would be in the future. As a result any disease would remain localized to the people of a particular community and not become an epidemic. However, the situation progressively changed by the end of the eighteenth century when there was more commercialized activity/economy. The increased mobility and urbanization led to a great er threat of epidemics spreading from the rural areas.The situation obviously worsened by the end of the nineteenth century as mobility was further improved and there was increased urbanization. The poor urban centers began experiencing high death rates from diseases like cholera, tuberculosis etc that were endemic in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Yellow Fever, Smallpox, malaria, hookworm infection, beri-beri, Typhoid and Dysentry, and Idiocy are amongst the epidemic diseases in colonial America. The detail of each, along with its effects has been given in the book.The impact of the mosquito borne diseases, Yellow fever and malaria, was greater on the colonists of Jamestown as compared to that in New England. Yellow Fever came from Barbados and spread in Philadelphia and New York, and later on in Boston. Thousands of people fell victim to the disease and several left afflicted areas. As is the case with other epidemics, business activity came to a stand still, unemployment rose along with the death rate. People who chose to stay in the afflicted areas had to take severe precautionary measures, but to little effect.They would shut themselves in their homes and keep the sick isolated from the rest in mosquito nets. The period of the disease is almost one week, by the end of which the person either dies or recovers and becomes immune to it. However, the instances of recovery were little and as history tells us, several hours of work had to be put in just to bury the dead. The Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793 killed around 5,000 people in Philadelphia, which is approximately 10% of its population.Moving on, Small Pox was introduced in America by the European colonists and effected the native Americans the most as they had little immunity to the disease because of having very little or no exposure to it. The entire native American population was swept off by the disease and as Duffy quotes a letter by a South Carolina resident in his book which says that Small Pox swept away a whole neighboring [Indian] nation, all to 5 or 6 which ran away and left their dead unburied. In the book, Duffy also describes it by saying that the epidemic in 1738 killed one half of the Cherokee Indians near Charleston.The effect of such an epidemic was reduced resistance to western expansion in the U. S. In another reported incident, some U. S Army men distributed blankets that had been used by smallpox and measles victims, to Indian tribes that also immediately fell prey to the diseases. The small pox epidemic was this disastrous because of its highly contagious nature and the fact that it spreads through even minimum human contact. It can choke the nostrils and also cause blindness. Prevention efforts were made by colonists who tried using isolation and inoculation, a controversial procedure introduced in Boston in 1721.The patient was injected with a mild form of the disease for a short while to create immunity and antibodies to counter the virus. As a result, a person would get the disease for a shorter while as compared to if they had gotten the disease naturally. A more crude form of this procedure was practiced by the African Americans and was called ‘variolation. ’ The practice consisted of transferring the pus or the scabs from the wounds of the already-affected people and injecting them in the open wounds of unaffected people in order to create immunity.Malaria was also one of the epidemics in the U. S. It became one of the significant diseases of the colonial times as it spread from Maryland to Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Mexico. The mosquito parasite began spreading faster a s virgin soil was introduced in Carolina and the Blacks were available as victims for the mosquitoes. The parasite then gradually spread to the whites and eventually became an epidemic. The Hookworm infection was another one of the diseases, starting from Florida and Louisiana.The Hookworm parasite spread through the m oist soils from Virginia and just like Malaria, the Native American slaves were its carriers. The Beri-Beri disease, a simple deficiency of vitamin B, on the other hand was curable to a great extent. One of the most widely spread diseases, Tuberculosis, remained a highlight of the nineteenth century as it became very common amongst the people of rural areas and also the poor people of urban areas. Its airborne nature accounted for the high number of people who were affected by the disease and it took several decades for doctors to come up with a counter to this disease.Duffy’s book mentions other diseases and their effects on America as well but the ones mentioned above were the most significant ones. They hold great importance in maki9ng the present what it is today as they left a lot for the human race to learn from in terms of medical advances. Conclusion The outbreaks of epidemics not only affected the western expansion but also halted the functioning of many cities in Am erica. People were unwilling to work at the risk of their health and lives and therefore businesses and industries collapsed as unemployment rose.The economy fell and people preferred staying indoors to protect themselves. Education, industry, economy, agriculture and every other structure fell prey to the epidemics that hit the U. S. Local outbreaks became epidemics of a national nature as the transport systems developed and coastal trade began. The nineteenth century saw water and airborne diseases spreading throughout the U. S as poor sewage systems, dirty drinking water and poor food quality etc added to the spread. Eventually, the life expectancy of an average American greatly fell.On a more positive note, these epidemics had a great lesson to teach as far as the knowledge of medicine is concerned. It helped modern medicine develop into what it is today and facilitated doctors dealing with patients suffering from similar diseases to a great extent. Even though these disease wer e thought as a punishment for the sins that had been committed by the people, its positive aspect should not be ignored. ‘Epidemics in Colonial America’ is a significant addition to the literature of medicine and the efforts of John Duffy should be recognized for the immense help that they are.Duffy has remained successful in his attempts of creating awareness regarding the diseases that have struck colonial America in the past and has effectively shown their effects on the people, their incomes, the environment and the development of the United States. The details in the book help paint a fairly adequate picture of the colonial years and make it easy for one to imagine the magnitude of the diseases that occurred. Therefore, it is safe to say that Duffy succeeded in his efforts and should be remembered for them. Reference Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1953.

The Movie “Cast Away.”

The movie â€Å"Cast Away† was one of 2000's best movies. IT was about a â€Å"FedEx† worker, whose plane he was on board to deliver international packages had crashed over the ocean. All passengers on that plane had died in the crash, leaving him alone on an island to survive. He was forced to live on that island for four years with only a flashlight, a picture of his fiancee and some random packages that should been delivered and could have not been any more unusable.The movie showed how he was so professional at his job that even though he was left all alone on that island, it took him quiet some time to open the packages he was not supposed to open. He had to check what the content of those packages were and whether there was anything he could make use of. Between all the packages he had to violate by opening, was a volley ball which a grandmother had wanted it to be delivered to her grandson.I was so touched when I saw how he had cut the ball from the top and stuck in some dead leaves, just to make it look like human-like so he would keep his mental status balanced. Of course, he had never stopped thinking about his fiancee while he was on that island. He had drawn a portrait of her with a chock to keep him accompanied in the cave he had resided in. 4 years after he went back home, when he was found by a near by people on a boat, he had found his fiancee married to his doctor friend.Soon after, his ex-fiancee couldn't help it but have mixed feelings as to whether keep things the way they are with her husband, or to get into an affair with him since they had been in love for so long before his disappearance. The movie was so thought of, and triggered many emotions for the viewers. The fact that the main character had to do many long scenes just by himself required a high level of talent. The story of the movie as well as the plot were new and conveyed many emotions, that for me, would put the movie on my top 10 best movies of all time.