Western civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Western civilization - Essay Example This period has been marked by the changing way of life of the people. It was marked by changes in different spheres of life of the people. In particular there was marked rise of industrial systems, education, urbanization and other aspect of life of the western world. Among the things that marked the rise of western civilization was the rise in sovereignty of the nations. In this regard there was increased fall of empires and the rise of nations. The Western Roman Empire which ruled the modern states of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and England for centuries had collapsed as a result of combination of a number of factors. One of such factors was economic decline which had an impact on the decline of the military spending leading to reduced military strength. The empires were based on the military strength and therefore the fall of military might led to invasion by other tribes. The fall of the Western Roman Empire in its military strength led to the invasion by the barbarian tribes which were coming from Scandinavia and other states like Germany. They invaded the Western Roman Empire and led to its eventual fall. This had an effect on other factors like racial, religious, and the political life of these empires. Increased warfare with the invading tribes and economic crisis could have contributed in a great way to the fall. (Hobsbawm, 1992) Therefore with the fall of the empires there was increased rise of the modern sovereign states. The fall of the empire led to the defragmentation to individual states which were sovereign with internal government. The fall of the Western Roman Empire led to the formation of the modern day states of France, Spain, Portugal, England and Italy. Owing to the factors that led to the fall of the empire such as racial, religious and political division, the emerging states were grouped in some aspects of community. It has been shown that racial and ethnic factors were the main leading

Cell phones. How have they changed us socially Research Paper - 1

Cell phones. How have they changed us socially - Research Paper Example Within less matter of time, people started buying cell phone widely as a communicating tool. No matter what people comment on cell phone usage, the place this has on our life is beyond expression. Initially only business persons and top most officials used to use a cell phone but now every person on the planet more or less owns it.In his journal (Banjo â€Å"Cell phone usage can be defined as any application of the cell phone as a tool, including talking, text messaging, game playing or the sheer accessibility of the instrument†. From a business tool, cell phone step into the hands of common people in a short time. Once people understood the advantages of cell phone, then it took a special place in the heart of people. From old to young understood the use of cell phone and invited it into their life and till now it holds a premium place in the hearts of men and women around the globe. Nowadays everybody owns a cell phone and it is the use of cell phone which has made it a universal electronic Gadget. All people use cell phone to get their things done in less time. When there is an emergency or casualty, cell phone, enables people to communicate with each other in one moment of time. According to (Roberts 127-35)â€Å"Fully 74% of Americans who own mobile phones say they have used their hand-held device in an emergency and gained valuable help†. In such cases, people use cell phone without a second thought. A couple of decades ago, the ordinary phone could only use from houses or phone booth but now anywhere and everywhere people can use the phone. Mostly the young generation is brainwashed by the use of cell phone as they can message their friends in less time span. Two decades ago, telephone was a communication tool at home and it was a medium to reach each other at times of emergency (PEW 2006).But now phone travels everywhere with the owner and give him an unlimited power and the ability to communicate with his kith and kin in no matter of time.

India a Global Economic Super Power Essay Example for Free

India a Global Economic Super Power Essay New parts of the world that were not long ago considered undeveloped, backwater countries, are now taking center stage in the global economy. Much has been publicized about the ascendance of Chinas economy, as it has become a major venue for the manufacturing of products sought after by worldwide consumers eager for cheaper goods. However, Chinas Asian neighbor, India, also has a vigorously growing economy. Indias economy is partly being fueled by companies around the world seeking to reduce their costs by outsourcing some of their operations there. A March 9, 2005 article in the International Herald Tribune reported that within 30 years, India is projected to have the worlds third largest economy and more people than China. Russell DSouza, International Credit Risk Manager for Hallmark International, pointed out that India implemented modern, capitalistic economic reforms in the early 1990s that are producing positive results. The Tribune article reported that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who as Finance Minister championed these reforms, proposed major investments in his first budget for education, modernizing Indias colonial-era infrastructure, and lowering tariffs. DSouza also noted India has modernized its banking regulations. India has liberalized its laws to allow foreign banks to take over branches. Local Indian private banks are allowed to set up foreign bank branches. The banking rules have been liberalized considerably. The CIA World Factbooks website estimates that by July 2005, Indias population will be slightly fewer than 1. 1 billion, of nearly 16 percent of the worlds population, not far behind Chinas, which is projected to be 1. 3 billion. Market Place PRI, a business radio program, reported on March 14, 2005 that a recent economic survey predicted India would grow at 7 percent this year. However, the report went on to assert that many economic analysts say that India needs to improve its infrastructure. DSouza, who grew up in India but now lives in the U. S, experienced the problems India has with the Lagging state of much of its infrastructure. Youve got an infrastructure that is woeful. Its one of Indias biggest Achilles heels. Its worse than Chinas. Just the sheer size of its growing middle class provides a huge potential market for India-based companies. DSouza said the size of Indias middle class is over 200 million people. Consumer goods are exploding in India. There are people with cash like Ive never seen before. Indias geopolitical importance and stature are growing too. U. S. foreign policy officials view India, with its strategic location, as an important counter-balance to the growing political and military power of China. U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a six-nation tour of Asia in India on March 16. An article that same day in the Tribune noted that analysts in Delhi viewed her stop there as a positive sign the United States was eager to underline Indias increasing importance on the U. S. foreign policy agenda. Talks between Rice and Singh focused on defense and military cooperation, economy and trade and synergies in energy and environmental protection. India possesses some advantages that make it especially suited to provide less expensive business services for companies. China, on the other hand, has excelled in the manufacture of cheaper products. The two main advantages for India is that it has an estimated 200 million people who speak English and also a world-class education system. India is a bilingual country, DSouza said. He noted this is a byproduct of its former status as a British colony. It has an advantage over China, he said, in that respect. The educational system in India has produced a significant number of chartered accountants, doctors, MBAs, lawyers, research analysts and other professionals, many of whom will work in India for much less than their professional counterparts in the U. S. and Europe. Alok Aggarwal, Co-founder of Evalueserve, which offers business intelligence, market research and intellectual property services to clients in North America, Europe and Asia, noted there are two types of services offered on an outsourced basis. Business Process Outsourcing, or BPO, involves more routine processing of data. Ravi Aron, Professor of operations and information management at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, said examples of BPO involve more routine functions where there is a predefined way of doing tasks or even reaching conclusions, as in data entry, accounts maintenance and customer service activities such as those performed at call centers. BPOs typically provide such services as setting up bank accounts, selling an insurance policy and voice and e-mail-based computer support. Aggarwal said that a higher Level of service than BPO is called Knowledge Process Outsourcing or KPO. KPO involves high-end processes such as investment research and Legal and insurance claims processing. In a March 21, 2005 article in the Indiatimes News Network, Pavan Bagai, Vice President, strategic businesses, EXL said, Imagine unsorted data going through a black box and coming out as useful information. In KPOs the black box is your mind. There is no predefined process to reach a conclusion. In either BPO or KPO, India often offers a huge cost savings potential over those functions being performed by American workers in the U. S.  Aron said that in credit card-related functions, the cost of an American worker, including benefits and overhead, ranges from $48-55 per hourwhile in India, those costs are only $18-24. A report by Hay Associates estimated that the fully burdened costs of an accounting clerk in Stamford, CT, is $69 per hour, while in Bangalore, India it is $4 per hour. (Though Alok disputes that number saying that currently the loaded costs in Bangalore would be $7-$8 per hour the cost differential is still staggering. ) French Associates reported that a $50,000 U.  S. clerical worker would cost only $10,000 in India and would be a top graduate. This huge gap in employee direct and indirect costs is even more dramatic with KPO services. When you go with high-end work thats when the game gets interesting, Aron said. He said employee costs per hour for an equity research analyst in the U. S. would range from $230-$250 while in India it would only be about $30. Should you find it suitable to relocate, (to one of the countries that offers much cheaper employee costs) you will experience huge savings, Aron said. If you look al the labor cost difference there is a 5-1 to 8-1 cost factor, added Aggarwal, whose firm actually provides equity research and investment banking research services. American doctors are very hard workingbut they dont work five times harder than Indian doctors. The March 21 Indiatimes Network article reported that India, with its knowledge base and lower costs, will be leading the pack in the race for KPO business. The article referred to a report by Evalueserve that India will capture more than 70 percent of the KPO territory by 2010. Indias software trade body reported that export revenues from software outsourcing will reach $17. 3 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2005. In a presentation by Marc Vollenweider, President and CEO of Evalueserve, it was projected that by 2010 India will have about 1. 1 million people employed in BPO. According to Vollenweider, U. S. companies may be compelled to outsource due to his projection of a labor shortage. According to his figures, by fiscal year 2010, the U. S. is projected to experience a shortfall of 5. 4 million workers. In that same timespan, the U. Ks shortfall is projected to be . million workers. Vollenweiders presentation concluded that, Global Sourcing has become an economic imperative for the developed nations to maintain and sustain their historical and current growth. Offshoring IT and BPO services to low-wage destinations provides a viable solution to developed nations who are struggling against the significant shortage of skilled labor. Evalueserve projects that by 2010 India will have 820,000 employed in low-end BPO services generating total revenues of USD 18 billion and 250,000 workers employed in high-end KPO services generating USD 12 billion. A number of major U.  S. -based corporations have set up operations in India or have outsourced certain business services to Indian firms. A report by French Associates indicated India has become a venue for major development centers for IBM and Microsoft. Major corporations like Ford, JP Morgan Chase and HP are currently setting up operations there. General Electric, however, probably has utilized the manpower resources of India more extensively than any other major American Corporation. GEs involvement in India began in September 1989, according to a front-page, March 23, 2005, The Wall Street Journal article. Al that time, then-CEO Jack Welch flew to India for a sales meeting to sell products to India. During that stop in India, Welch met with Indian government officials who pitched him the idea of having some of his companys needs provided by its emerging high-tech sector. Today, The WSJ article pointed out, India earns more than $17 billion from corporations worldwide seeking low-cost overseas talent Although GE is hesitant about taking credit for a trend that has taken many American jobs overseas, most corporate observers agree GE played a major role in the outsourcing boom. The WSJ article further noted that in 1995, GE created GE Capital International Services, now known as Gecis, to handle backroom work and market analysis. In 1999 Gecis established the first international call center in India and in 2000 GE opened a research center in Bangalore to tap the skills of Indian engineers. The WSJ article reported that in November 2004, GE sold a controlling interest in Gecis and now the company will seek business from other companies. French Associates estimated that GE had 5,000 FTEs (full-time equivalents) in India in 2000. That number grew to 12,000 FTEs by the end of 2003. The WSJ article also reported that in 2000, GE opened the Jack F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore that employs thousands of researchers working on everything from new refrigerators to jet engines. A recent GE report indicated the company plans to spend about $600 million this year on computer-software development from Indian companies. Val Venable, CCE, Credit Manager for GE Advanced Materials, in reference to GEs outsourcing efforts in India, said, We certainly have been a major player. For our company and a lot of companies, youre always looking for quality suppliers at low cost. It makes business sense to do it. Venable, who spoke in India in late March during a five-week business trip there, said that her operations are split between the U. S. and India. Part of my collections team sits in the U. S. and some of it is in India. She said that employee allocation between that in the U. S. and India is proportional to the workload. If I have 70 percent of my people in India, I look to have 70 percent of my work there. My people in the U. S. have a lot more credit experience, so they do a lot of the credit decisions. In Venables case, even though GE does not wholly own Gecis anymore, it has not changed her operations. My relationship with my team has not changed. We work together and we have sub-teams. For our credit and collections teams we didnt see a difference. My people from the India and the U. S. have been trained the same. The cost savings of operations in India arent just confined to personnel expenses Venable said. Its not just the cost of the people. Over here I have different IT costs and I have different training costs. She acknowledged that many Indian employees are well educated and enthusiastic about their work. Theres a huge emphasis on education here. Its their first experience in business. On the issue that some Americans have complained about not being able to understand customer services representatives in India, Venable said, Some of my team have fairly strong accents, but have you ever called Texas of Mississippi? They have accents too. We usually work on that. Thats part of the service to the customers. An unavoidable drawback Venable mentioned of outsourced services emanating from India to American consumers is, If youre going to have a team in India, theres a time zone difference. She said the time zone difference between India and the U. S. is 9. 5 hours and 4. 5 hours between India and the U. K. She san the time zone difference actually has not been a major problem for her operations. The areas around the call centers are becoming a 24-hour culture. Probably in the next 20 years were going to have virtual offices and it wont matter where people sit. Does everybody need to sit in the same room? Probably not. †

The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay

The Global Presence Of Zara Commerce Essay PESTLE Analysis is a type of situation analysis where we need before starting market decisions or business plans. It is extremely important to identify the external environment. The only way to accomplish our goal is through a PESTLE analysis which contains six factors that influence on a business: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. Besides it is also very important for a company to be fully awake of the actions their competitors take. These kinds of factors change constantly. It is no surprise why every time we talk about fashion the same name always comes up: Zara. The largest and the most famous Spanish clothing company in the world. There stores covers almost every continent in the world. The Zara Company was established in 1975 by Amancio Orgega, Zara is the flagship of Inditex (Industria del Diseà ±o Textil, S.A.), the company is located in Galicia, the north-west part of Spain. In a relatively short time frame Inditex has become one of the biggest clothing retailer in the world with 2,692 stores spread across 62 countries worldwide by the end of January 2006. In addition to Zara which accounted for 66 percent of the groups turnover in 2005, Inditex owns seven smaller store brands: Bershka (avantgarde clothing), Pull and Bear (youth casual clothes), Massimo Dutti (quality and conventional fashion), Oysho (undergarment chain), Stradivarius (trendy garments for young women), Kiddys Class (childrens fashion), and Zara Home (household textiles). Political Factors The government and political parties are accountable for evolving the political environment in a country. The chief silent factor in a business is government; they can help an industry by using the form of policies. Zara has been present in Spain, and merely one more main distribution centre for Europe. In addition, the political help that is provided for expansion of the business in other countries must be assessed critically. Because European countries have predictable and safe economic environments, Zara has choices to expand its business around Europe. And these are some of the most important pull factors that give a clear definition of the internationalisation of Zara include: The 1986 admission of Spain in the EU; The globalisation of the economy potential economies of scale; The homogenisation of consumption patterns across nations Zaras believes that national frontiers are no impediment to sharing a single fashion culture The eradication of export obstructions and the growth of Information Technology. (Lopez Fan, 2009). As we know already Zara is a Spanish company so establishing a new branch in another country and all the terms which are related to taxation are political factors for Zara group. The political emphasize on the role of goverment and its effects on our company, and also extent of participation in a political situation. For example Indian government is willing to provide foreign investment in their nation; The Company Zara was provided an open market by India. However the government of India has its own policy which is to be followed by companies as Zara which formed a joint venture with TATA (Shah, 2011) Economic factors Production not transferred to low cost locations: Zara resisted the famous in industry trend to produce fashion cheaply in countries like China. Zara states that this offers more control as it controls most of its steps on the Supply Chain, the design, manufacture and the distribution of products (CNN, 2001). In the UK, half of what products Zara sells are made in Spain, a quarter in the rest of Europe and another quarter in countries in Africa and Asia. For example, longer shelf life clothing such as t-shirts is outsourced to cheap suppliers mostly in Asia and Turkey (Business Week, 2006). Zero Advertising Policy: The rarest company policy is the policy not to advertise. While Zaras competitors mostly rely on expensive advertising campaigns, Zara prefers to invest into opening new stores instead (CNN, 2001). Producer of nearly 11,000 items annually: There is a large product range in the Zara Company. While the competitors of Zara produce about 2000-4000 items annually, Zara produces a whole 11 000 items. In addition brand loyalty is built and an increased number of customer visits as a result of Zara changing its designs every two weeks. A customer visit in Spain on a high street in Zara is 17 times a year compared to 3 times in the average street stores. (The Guardian, 2002). Shortening Product Life Cycle: While the designing of a new product and getting it to the stores by industry takes 6 months, Zara needs just 2 weeks to do the same (Business Week, 2006). To recap, Zara breaks all the guidelines, but it seems that using this strategy proves to be very successful, because Zara is considered to be one of the largest stores in industry. Social Factors Growing of income: People began to look for a high quality and comfortable life when their disposable personal income rose. A wide market share is provided to Zara from this kind of trend. Personalized consumption turns into the mainstream of society. A major guarantor of Zaras success is a small amount, variety, cheap. Fast Fashion: When talking about the strategy of design, an article in Business world Magazine defines it as follows: Zara was a fashion imitator. It focused its attention on understanding the fashion items that its customers wanted and then delivering them, rather than on promoting predicted seasons trends via fashion shows and similar channels of influence, which the fashion industry traditionally used. There will be a depreciation of 0.7% of fashion goods every single day. A new product, from its designing to manufacture, logistics operation and the final sale, needs only about 2 or 3 weeks in Zara. Affordable Fashion: Fashion has received attention by a growing number of people. However, only a small amount of people can afford it because fashion is a masterwork of top designers. By tracking these fashion elements, the designers of Zara design their own product in order to make it affordable to most consumers (Badu, 2010). Technological Factors RD and Production 1. Fast production: Zaras deliveries take up to 6 weeks instead of 6 months which is usual for their competitors.(Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). 2. It is easy for Zara to control their suppliers since they amount to 20. These 20 suppliers account for 70% of Zaras production. Other companies for example have 200 suppliers or even more. Logistic 1. Zara have their own distribution centre with an order to delivery time of 24 hours for Europe and 48 hours for USA and Asia (Tokatli, 2007). 2. The shops receive two deliveries from Zaras distribution centre. Which gives the shops the opportunity to have low inventory and a high turnaround within the shop (Lopez Fan, 2009) (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006). Flexible Supply Chain 1.Zara is vertically integrated and controls its entire production chain. An effect of great importance of the control is the re-reducing the bullwhip effect. (Ghemawat Nueno, 2006) 2. Zara has very short lead times. The Agility of their supply chain allows Zara to deliver from product design to the final customer within 2 weeks for repeat models or 5 weeks for new products (Mazaira, Gonzà ¡lez, Avendano, 2003). Environmental Factors Zara tries to help the sustainable growth of the society and the environments which it interplays with. This dedication to the environment is a fragment of the Inditex group corporate social responsibility policy. Objectives and Actions: At the sores: Zara puts a lot of effort on eco efficiency at their shops. Energy saving is one of the key approaches to ecological preservation the company embraces. Another approach is the development of efficient management models for their stores that proposes some restrictions or changes to be carried into effect for all of the companys processes, from the design of the store itself, the lighting and heating or cooling system equipment, to the possible recycling of furniture and decoration. Zara stores offer only paper or biodegradable plastic bags. About 90% of the bags Zara gives out to customers are papermade. 1. Waste reduction and urge to recycling Every year Zara processes millions of hangers and security tags. In addition both the cardboard and plastics used are recycled. 2. Increasing awareness among the team members Zara heightens all their employees awareness of the need for sustainable practices such as trimming energy consumption, using sustainable transport or modifying habits. With the product 1. The company uses mostly ecological fabrics, like organic cotton. Zara Supports ecological agriculture and uses organic cotton in the manufacturing of selected clothing items(100% cotton, completely free of pesticides, chemicals and bleaches). Due to their distinctive label such products can be recognized very easily at the stores. 2. Producing PVC -free footwear Zara does not use any petroleum derivatives or non-biodegradable fabrics for the production of their footwear. In the transportation Zaras fleet of Lorries ship over 200 million pieces of clothing per year and use 5% biodiesel fuel, which results in lowering the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere by over 500 tones Animal welfare policy All of the animal products, including fur and leather sold at Zara stores is supplied only from animals grown in livestock form and never from animas killed by poachers for skin sale. (Zara, 2010) Legal Factors Plagiarism Plagiarism has become a hug problem in the fashion industry. Trends are very often imitated and cheaply as well as illegally sold in the street. Global expansion Since the European has a smoothly operating trade and legal system which facilitates business operations in member countries, other countries around the world do not provide the same reliabilities . In communistic countries loss of a private run business to the local government is highly probable. Conclusion: Zara has had a very successful history from the moment they opened their small Spanish dress shop, and as we can see now the little-known brand has grown into a leader of the apparel market in less than 30 years. Now the footprints of Zara is nearly everywhere. The big design group, unique strategy, environmental management idea and other operational strategies make Zara success. This PESTLE analysis seeks to improve our understanding of the firm. The research has examined the internationalisation process of the firm with a special focus on motives, entry options and international marketing strategies. The main drawback that arises in a single case study is that of limited validity and representativeness which constrains the potential for making generalisations (Creswell, 1998). Another limitation is that the study was based solely on secondary data. However, this case is deemed adequate to provide good insight, and establish the avenue for future studies.

Challenges for Supply Chain Management

Challenges for Supply Chain Management introduction The biggest challenge facing the Vancouver manufacturing plant was that for the rest of Hewlett Packard, there was no problem; When it comes to real dollars, inventory costs do not enter into the P L statements, but losses hurt our revenues. Dont talk to us about inventory-service trade-offs. Period. Vancouver was held up as a model of efficiency (Kanban) and the DeskJet printer range was a runaway success. A culture of territorialism and poor communication exacerbated the lack of urgency. Damaging internal rivalry was rife as a result of disjointed an myopic decision-making in the absence of any truly global approach to the supply chain key performance indicators (KPIs); the bullwhip effect was writ large all over the firms supply chain. The problems brewing were real and mounting and we argue that the best solution would require a fundamental overhaul of HPs production and supply chain resulting in the need to establish a new manufacturing plant in Europe. The consumer electronics industry is the very embodiment of [key] aspects of supply chain management and related risks, (Sohdi, 2004), due to the short product lifecycles, tough competition, and global nature of the business. The DeskJet printer business presented a new challenge for HP as the firms expertise was in highly customized, low volume, and long lead-time manufacturing and supply chain. In DeskJet, high volume, short product lifecycles, and high obsolescence risk were the name of the game. Printers were in transition from an innovative product to a functional product but the supply chain did not reflect this. HP used OEMs to source components and then did their own assembly. HP made high margins on the cartridges, and the printer was the conduit. HPs success in Europe was beginning to rival the home market in sales, adding further complications due to the need to modify power sources and languages for local markets. In Europe, product option AB had the highest monthly mean demand, and demand was more dispersed over the options than in North America, where virtually the entire sales were in option A. Monthly standard deviation in demand for the popular options was quite high at +- 30%. Even more importantly, the company was holding large and expensive safety stock due to the long shipping lead times and the prohibitive cost of air freight. The success of HPs DeskJet printer range in spite of an un-optimized supply chain suggests that there were significant potential gains in profitability if the right solution were found. In addition, despite high inventory levels, stock-outs were still occurring, threatening the most precious asset of all in the highly competitive printer market: customer loyalty and sentiment. Questions of internal efficiency and customer fulfilment had to be evaluated against the backdrop of a rapidly growing printer market, which was exploding along with the proliferation of desktop PCs. Despite organizational inertia and competing priorities, a number of avenues were open to HP at the time, including inventory management-the benefits of postponing final assembly-product design, and the introduction of JITD. We examine each and delve deeper into the business and customer benefits of launching a production site in Europe to fully capitalize on the surge of the printer market. The market is evolving rapidly and needs a strategic realignment of its supply chain. Creating a European manufacturing facility, plus integrated financial performance and risk management (Hahn Kuhn, 2009) will also improve shareholder returns (by improving inventory management and hence cash flows) and will mitigate risk. Postponement strategy To be successful the DeskJet supply chain must match customer demand. It must be in the zone of strategic fit, with a better match in Europe between responsiveness and uncertainty. It must integrate sales, manufacturing, distribution, and operations. Postponement is a solution to support future DeskJet expansion in Europe and to meet European demand. A successful postponement strategy requires significant degrees of cohesion; departmental barriers will need to be brought down, processes restructured and products redesigned. However, the rewards of implementing a successful postponement strategy are great. HP is not without challenges to implement a successful postponement strategy. Significant organisational change and coordination would be required. As Pagh and Cooper state (1998), The notion of postponement is to maintain the product in a neutral and noncommittal status as long as possible in the manufacturing process. In order to support this, characteristics of the DeskJet that have to be localised should be added at the last moment. Standardising the DeskJet would make inventory management and forecasting easier. It is also a way to allow cost-effective end user customisation. By creating customisation, additional lines can be introduced and consumer needs are met more easily. Customisation will assist HP in differentiating itself and in capturing the market. Based on Cooper (1993), we propose the use of the deferred packaging postponement strategy. The DeskJet peripherals are not common to all markets whilst the formulation is common. Postponement requires tight integration of processes and the formation of a holistic view. In the case of DeskJet printing, redesigning the product to make it more modular will increase manufacturing costs, but would lower the total supply chain costs. A modular design will standardise the design and thus standardise procurement processes. Making the DeskJet design more modular will also limit the inclusion of components that differentiate the product until the latest possible moment. Other benefits of modularity are identified by Feitzinger and Hau (1997), including the ability to manufacture modules separately or in parallel, thereby reducing production time and assisting with problem diagnostics in identifying quality problems. When considering a supply chain strategy, all elements from the design, procurement, manufacture, sales and distribution must be considered in unison. For example, making the DeskJet power supplies universal voltage may be more expensive, but it would provide HP with a more flexible use of inventory and would reduce forecasting errors. Marketing must be involved in the design process to validate that product variety and customisation meet market requirements. Finance must be engaged to provide activity-based costing, (ABC) statistics to support scenario analysis. All stakeholders and their differing viewpoints must be considered in order to build a holistic model of the revised supply chain. Successful postponement requires that organisational boundaries are traversed. HP should work with resellers and distributors to provide some product localisation and customisation tasks. In many cases resellers will require significant support, training, and systems to carry out these tasks. The long term value outweighs the short term investment. In all cases, postponement partnerships must be made on the basis of empirical evidence and having considered the interdependencies of the model. The decision to build European manufacturing capability and interfacing this capability with European distribution is crucial to support DeskJet sales in Europe. We support establishing a European plant as a strategy given European demand. However, in addition to the plant, distribution centres across Europe should be capable of managing product localisation and replenishment of all localisation materials. Opening a new facility in Europe Companies becoming global and enjoying growing revenue and expanding market shares across geographies face an important challenge: inertia. Being agile and being able to react quickly to changing conditions sometimes requires risky decision in volatile, uncertain environments, and sometimes mandates direct investment in foreign locales. The company must admit that what sustained past success will no longer work and must be adapted. This is the challenge Hewlett Packard faced when the Vancouver facility, which served the U.S. market, at the time HPs largest, could no longer meet the needs of growing overseas markets which were becoming progressively more important in terms of units sold. (Monthly mean of 23,108 units in Europe vs. 26, 611 units in North America). Hewlett realized that in terms of lead time, inventory optimization, transportation costs, and localization/customization, trying to serve European clients with its U.S. manufacturing facility was no longer viable despite var ious attempts at technology innovation and optimization, changes in product design, and shifts in its logistic processes; the problem could not be solved. (Transit time by sea takes up to five weeks.) As the European market matured, it needed one or more manufacturing locations geographically close to local suppliers and to end customers. However, selecting the correct locations in which to put one or many distribution centers and manufacturing facilities required performing scenario analysis (Sodhi, 2003) and considering several important criteria in a holistic framework for value-based performance and risk management in [robust] supply chains (Hahn Kuhn, 2009): Customer and supplier location, concentration and importance: the ideal location is a center of gravity based on weight clustering, transportation cost, the geographical location and relative importance of difference suppliers and customers. Order delivery time is a critical unifying dimension (Tempelmeier, 2001) when selecting a location that serves downstream needs. However, the center of gravity has to be modified by introducing additional constraints as listed below. In other words, optimization under many constraints must be performed. And this has to be done dynamically, including current data and future projections. Labor: The skills, training, and demographics of the workforce, unemployment trends, productivity, cost of labor, unionization, work regulation, work culture all vary widely across Europe and have to be considered. Cost and availability of land: The real estate environment of the area under consideration has to be analyzed: sites, building availability, construction cost, regulation, including environmental regulations, the availability and reliability of utilities, local construction companies, and maintenance providers. Corporate taxes and incentives: taxes are another layer of costs that have to be taken into account. Local authorities and governments may be competing to attract foreign direct investment and job-creating investments, offering tax and other financial incentives which can contribute to returns and lower risks. Logistical infrastructure: HP needs to evaluate connections to highways, rail transport, and the proximity to airports and seaports, all of which have to be reliable and cost effective. They also have to find credible logistic/transportation partners. Other criteria include the local climate and exposure to natural disasters. Finally, the company must provide expatriate personnel to manage the operation and its labor so quality of life issues must factor into the selection of the location. The process of selecting the optimal location is a multi-stage, top-down one, where initial screening produces a short list of countries or regions and then additional and more demanding criteria are added to narrow down the initial list through several iterations until one or two final locations are selected. The benefits of a manufacturing facility in Europe are significant and affect every step in the supply chain which now has a better strategic fit. Physical, financial, and information flows are better aligned. The market is as large as the U.S. but more diverse and will be better served. Raw materials procurement becomes more streamlined. Inventory days fall because one benefit of standardization (with local customization) is that inventory can be moved from one region to another so as to avoid piling up inventory in one region and stock-outs in another. The chain has moved to more of a push-pull system. Lead times are shorter. Finished product also does not pile up. The cost of manufacturing goes down and since printers were rapidly becoming a commodity product, economies of scale and cost savings are vital since customers choosing between two inkjet printers of equal speed and quality will make their decision based on cost and reliability. From a management perspective, handling th e supply chain becomes easier since it is optimized to regional needs but still integrated in a global framework that captures the benefits of HPs scale in buying power. The supply chain better serves customer needs and enables the company to grow more effectively in Europe and also is a model for other regions as they develop. The company can better manage its risks; it has reduced its exposure to inventory and transportation risk and improved its ability to manage supply chain supply and demand uncertainties in Europe. (Uncertainty metrics like margins, forecast error, stockout rates are all lower.) Finally, the improved supply chain should improve shareholder returns since operating margins, asset turns, and cash flow are positively affected. Other Improvement Opportunities As HPs management moves forward, it should take into account the following additional recommendations: A clear, overarching strategy for Europe needs to be defined and implemented across HPs corporate headquarters. Conflicting and competing corporate interests need to be reconciled with a clearly delineated command and communication structure. A clear company-wide and bottoms-up consensus should be reached about the framework necessary to achieve lasting success in Europe. HP needs to adopt improved corporate communication and defined spheres of responsibility and accountability across the organization. The case reveals that some of the companys most important technological advancements have been discovered by happenstance. Enhancing its technological advancement process with a more rigorous collaboration and innovation model would render technological and supply chain process improvements less susceptible to chance. For example, common global KPIs on inventory would be a good starting point. HP should remove organizational barriers to reduce lead time. (Billington Lee, 1992). The company should establish a dedicated European Localization Management Team to assess current local market trends as well as the viability of the suggestions above. The company should explore further trade opportunities within the European Union and in Eastern Europe, beyond just the tax and other cost-savings options. HP should exploit e-commerce, using the internet to take orders and organize distribution. The company should develop a supply chain risk-management framework to anticipate and mitigate any disruptions. A new or enhanced supply chain is an opportunity to integrate currency risks, cyber attacks, failed communication with suppliersterrorismnon-compliance. (Bosman, 2006). HP should modify its local marketing strategies based on national and cultural consumer demographics. The marketing and PR teams should also utilize available resources to identify such opportunities and participate within the European supply chain community. There are green opportunities within the supply chain that could be exploited. Technology Information processing: JITD New systems and better forecasting will make the problem visible but not solve it. The greatest gains are fundamental: Streamline design of the product to facilitate manufacture at the DCs and build capability at the DCs. However, there are still technical gains that can be made. Conclusion The HP case is an example of how effective supply chain management requires both a revised management paradigm (strategic change) and more sophisticated tools and techniques (optimization). The postponement strategy is a better strategic fit between the supply chain and HPs product life cycle across the key strategic and competitive variables: innovation, customer service, and cost leadership since printers are rapidly transitioning to maturity. Establishing a manufacturing plant in Europe, a major change in HPs printer supply chain, will improve the companys performance in four critical areas: costs, customer satisfaction, shareholder returns, and risk management. The companys physical flows, financial flows, and information flows will all be more aligned and efficient. After the initial capital cost of establishing the plant, the company should experience substantial cost savings from lower material costs, better predictability, improved supply assurances (no shortages), and lower inventory carrying costs. There is a tight linkage between sales, inventory, and product availability, (Raman et al, 2009), and so customer satisfaction, as measured by lower lead times, reduced variability in demand, fewer stock-outs, and enhanced ability to customize by region, should improve. The company will also position itself for future growth. HP should see the benefit of improved customer satisfaction in rising sales and market share in Europe. Shareholder value will be enhanced by the positive impact the supply chain changes will have on inventory and working capital and hence on operational value drivers like operating margins, asset utilization, and cash flow. Finally, the company will enjoy significant improvements in risk management. (Hahn Kuhn, 2009, referring to others). Certain risks, like being out of stock of a key component or product, will be entirely eliminated. Others can be mitigated through improved ability to contingency-plan and catch problems earlier. Th e company will be able to offload other risks or share them with suppliers and customers. And it will be able to consciously select risks, rather than passively absorbing them. Overall, the revised supply chain and the new manufacturing plant in Europe will be a catalyst for dramatic improvements in HPs operating and financial performance, not just on the Continent, but around the world. Bibliography Billington, Corey, Lee, Hau L. (1992, Spring). Managing Supply Chain Inventory: Pitfalls and Opportunities. Sloan Management Review, Volume 33, Number 3. Bosman, Ruud. (2006, April). The New Supply Chain Challenge: Risk Management in a Global Economy. FM Global. Cooper, James C. (1993). Logistics Strategies for Global Businesses. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 12-23. Feitzinger, Edward, Lee, Hau L. (1997, January-February). Mass Customization at Hewlett Packard: The Power of Postponement. Harvard Business Review, pp. 116-121. Hahn, Gerd Jurgen, Kuhn, Henirich. (2009, October 30). Value-Based Performance and Risk Management in Supply Chains: A Robust Optimization Approach. Working Paper. Department of Production and Operations Management-Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany. Intermarine USA. (2009, December). Heavy-lift Air Transport Faces Capacity Loss, Competition. Intermarine Industry News. Lee, Hau L. (1995, Sept.-Oct.). The Evolution of Supply-Chain-Management Models and Practice at Hewlett Packard. Interfaces, Vol. 25, pp. 42-63. Raman, Ananth, DeHoratius, Nicole, Kanji, Zahra, (2009, June 12). Supply Chain Management at Hugo Boss (B)-the M Ratio. HBS Case No. 609-055, Harvard Business School Technology Operations Mgt. Unit, University of Portland and HBS. Sodhi, ManMohan S., (2003, Fall). How to Do Strategic Supply Chain Planning. Cass Business School Research Paper. Sloan Management Review. Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 69-75. Sodhi, ManMohan S., Lee, Seongha. (2004, October 1). Global Supply-Chain Risks in the Consumer Electronics Industry. City University London, Sir John Cass Business School, Cass Business School Research Paper. Tempelmeier, Horst. (2001, December 31). Inventory Service-Levels in the Customer Supply Chain. OR Spektrum, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 361-380.

Domino Theory :: essays papers

Domino Theory The Domino Theory Here is my report on the Domino Theory The ?Domino Theory? is a complex and interesting theory. It is based on a simple rule of physics. That rule is inertia. Inertia is defined in the dictionary as, ?the tendency of matter to remain at rest or to continue in a fixed direction unless affected by some outside force.?1 This can be seen by making a line of dominoes, one right after the other and pushing the first domino over. The rest of the dominoes will fall over until the last one is down. They gain speed and power as the process is carried out. This analogy can be used to show what could happen to the political make-up of a specific geographical area in the world. The analogy, though, uses domino?s instead of countries. That is to say that if one country in a region practiced one particular type of government this might influence neighboring or bordering to adopt this type of government, for example the underlying principle behind the domino theory. Although the domino theory has physically been occurring since the beginning of time, it was only given a specific name and meaning 44 years ago by president Dwight D. Eisenhower. He used this theory to refer to the potential spread of communism in Southeast-Asia. He specifically said that,?You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profoun d influences.?2 The influences that he was talking about were the influences of communism. He believed as many others did that if one country in Southeast-Asia fell to communism then all of the surrounding countries would also. President Eisenhower had led the allied coalition against Hitler in Europe during WWII. He was deeply disturbed by the way that Communism had taken hold of Eastern Europe after the war. He was also concerned by the way that Asia had been taken over by Japan so easily in WWII. This build-up can be shown in the maps below. As you can see the size of Japan?s power at the end of its rule is about twice as large as its power at the beginning. The countries which bordered Japan fell over to Japan very quickly as the war went on and giving Japan more power while doing so.

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating School Education Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet Premarital sexual activity and drug and alcohol use are high in the list of problems in schools and universities today. Equally as severe is plagiarism, the act of taking credit for another person words or ideas. Plagiarism is a major problem in educational institutions. There are reasons for this action, the  ¡Ãƒ easy ¡ÃƒÅ" way out of writing assignments and projects. However, there are also ways to remedy the situation. Thus, plagiarism is a problem, but it is possible through education to substantially lower its use. Students rationalize entirely too much when it comes to essays and other assignments. Whether it is poor time management or lack of incentive, plagiarism is always wrong. Not only is taking another person ¦Ãƒ s thoughts not moral, but it is punishable by law. It is a serious offense. Pupils plagiarize because it is virtually effortless. With the Internet both available everywhere and used as a daily necessity, there is a plethora of information at one ¦Ãƒ s fingertips. Also, students find that plagiarism is not addressed as a serious problem because it is often undetected, much less punished. These reasons encompass the motives behind plagiarism. The situation isn ¦Ãƒ t entirely hopeless, however. Education is the key to decreasing the thirty-six percent of college students who confess to plagiarizing papers and other such materials (Paradigms 1). One way to educate is to inform students of the Copyright Act and of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The former states that fair uses are not an infringement of copyright (Loren 4). A fair use refers to uses such as reports, essays, and research in which a source is properly cited. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act provides for copyright owners who believe that their material on the Internet is breaching their rights (Loren 4). Both of these laws have severe consequences. If educators familiarized their students with these, then plagiarism would decrease inversely with the understanding of the severity of the act. Teachers must make this effort, just as students must make their own effort to do their own work. Also, teachers ought to enforce discipline when it co mes to a violation like plagiarism and create an association between plagiarism and punishment, not plagiarism and indifference. This is how plagiarism should be dealt with in the classroom. An omnipresent situation in schools today is plagiarism.