Product Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Product Development - Essay Example Some of the well-informed customers often work out what improvements need to be made before other customers are aware. Some ideas are also arrived at by seeing what the products lack and rushing to bridge the gap. Sony is known for its innovative products. With Apple iPod being a big success with a market share of 80% in the digital portable media player market and sold over 30 million iPod devices by 2005. A market research of about 20,000 iPod consumers was undertaken in order to receive a feedback. The sample was random and consisted of subjects surveyed in diverse geographical areas of the UK and France. The target segment included current iPod users and future iPod purchasers as well as those who were planning to purchase a home sound system or a high-level stereo system within the next year. The fact that emerged most often was that multiple numbers of speakers were used to project sound in the room, and this was slightly frustrating and the positioning required some effort. The separate speakers like the Dolby Surround Sound 5.1 standard based speakers, required several wires to be installed and once the speakers were installed, their positions were fixed and the sound was confined to the one spot. Portability was an issue. The survey subjects welcomed the idea of a single integrated speaker doing the work of the multiple ones. Idea generation Brainstorming sessions were held to discuss the gap in the market for the Sony Speaker. With the spark for an idea generated, the cross-functional team consisting of manufacturers, market researchers, financial analysts and advertising agencies met to discuss and develop the concept. The benefits of having a cross-functional team were that it brought in expertise from all related departments. The diversity of the team members brought in different cultural viewpoints that added to decision making potential. It helped reduce inefficiencies because problems were addressed such as the dimensions of the speaker and the types of possible packaging in the initial process itself, rather than addressing them afterwards, which might have proved costly at the end of the product development process. The idea generation sessions that were on going, specific and involved, resulted in several viable alternatives. These were carefully screened to see if they aligned closely to the goals and strategy of Sony they were compatible to the existing production and packaging lines could be marketed through the current distribution channels and promotional expenditure that would be required Concept Development and Testing Careful analysis of the concept design, product/packaging prototype, justification, feasibility, delivery model was undertaken. The need for an integrated speaker replacing several speakers capable of throwing sound to various areas in the room was an interesting product idea to pursue for the Research and Development department. The product would be Sony's new spherical speaker that can be placed in the middle of a room to project sound in all directions. This would be instead of the consumer having to buy many speakers to project the sound inwards. It would include the following features: Delivers, stereo sound using reflector technology Automatic tuning receiver for reception up to 150' from the transmitter Built-in 4 watt

Self Esteem Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Esteem - Literature review Example Moreover, social acceptance besides interpersonal correlation has vita effects on self esteem (Nunley, 1996 p. 90). Friendship impacts on self esteem from puberty up to when a person develops into an adult (Cause, Mason, Gonzales, Hiraga, and Liu, 1998 p. 54). Evidently, singing together at the Bristol integrate will make these persons to develop some friendship and relationship thus boosting their personal self esteem. Furthermore, assistance and support given to people also helps in improving the self esteem of children and the adolescents in the society. Extra areas that also promote self esteem of any person are the school transition besides social success. Actually, when a person graduates from one level of education to another, they realize their position in the society thus improving their self esteem as described by Feldman and Elliot. Some of these social successes in the adolescents may comprise having self confidence in their physical appearance, their intelligence in clas s, besides social belonging (Fennel, 2011 p. 56). However, the children who don’t recognize such confidence in them will hate themselves, thus, low self esteem. Singing as a group in enhanced the interpersonal relationship among the individuals in Bristol Integrate. The possibility of the individuals to relate to one another very in the group leads to high social esteem. Conversely, the inability to interrelate will result in very low self esteem among the singers.

The City of London Essay Example for Free

The City of London Essay London is the capital city of United kingdom and it is considered as the chief city of British Commonwealth. It is considered one of the greatest and oldest centers of finance, industry and culture in the world. The city is also one of the largest in the world (How stuff works, par 1). It is preparing to host 2016 World Cup and for that matter, it is crucial to know what is behind the magnificent city of London. This essay seeks to explore on aspects that characterize the city right from its geography, history, culture and political jurisdiction. London is located at latitude 51.30’ north and longitude 0. 70 west. It is situated in Lambeth; south East of England in United Kingdom (Maplandia, par 1). The city is 2. 6 square kilometers (Easy expert, par 2). It also lies on the Thames river about 40 miles from the North Sea (How stuff works, par 2). Roughly, the river divides the city into two equal parts and it is on two hills on the bank north of Thames (How stuff works, par 2-3) . The river’s embankments are in central London. Along the great bend of the river, is the Victoria embankment. Other embankments include the Albert and Chelsea which are further upstream. This river is characterized by great bridges for example, Tower, London, Westminster and waterloo bridges (How stuff works 1, par 7). Geographical Features London has so many natural areas throughout the city. For example Meadows such as Kellaly; forests such as Meadow lily woods and Medway valley heritage forest; Wetlands like Westminster ponds among others. Moreover, it also harbors 22 kilometers paved paths for bikes along the Thames River (Tourism London All, par 1). Political jurisdiction The corporation of London is the one that administers the city headed by the Lord Mayor. The Greater London has 33 boroughs with the inner one having 14 and the outer London having 19 boroughs. The greater London has an elected mayor with an assembly and it is also the administrative entity in England (Britannica Encyclopedia, par 2). The city is governed following feudal system of government. The body that is involved with decision making is the court of common council which has 100 members who are elected directly from 25 wards in the city. This council meets every four weeks but committees meet more regularly. They have committees concerned with finance, education, policy and resources, planning and transportation. Some committees have members who have no voting rights in the corporation and are members because of their specialist expertise. The overall leader is the historic Lord mayor but the policy and resources committee’s chairman represents the body to the media (Stevens, par 6-7). The representatives of the boroughs form the assembly of the great London which boasts of its own constitution (Easy expert, par. 2). For one to be eligible for elections, he or she must be a free man in the city. Elections are not based on political parties. There is also the court of Aldermen where each ward elects one Alderman adding up to 25 Aldermen. The office of the Aldermen has diminished significance and today, they just discharge judicial function as magistrates and are also allowed to sit in the court of common council’s committees with no allowances (Stevens, par 10). Origins of This Great City The origin of London can be dated back to 43 AD. Before Romans invaded the land, no permanent settlement existed but only River Thames flowing surrounded by small islands of gravel and sand. When comparing the population of mosquitoes and people, the former were many (Britain express, par 1). London has been inhabited for more than 5000 years but it was only characterized by marshes and forests instead of a city. The city itself was started by Romans about 2000 yeas ago but originally, they called it Londinium. During the invasion, they landed in Kent and passed through River Thames sailing upwards. They knew the strategic importance of the river in controlling the crossing point at the river. So, they built on the north bank, a settlement. They carefully chose two spots in two hills, which were small and where the river was narrowing, and built a bridge. This is the London Bridge that is known today. They brought up buildings, a port and streets and they named the settlement Londinium which became the capital city of the Roman Britain (Barrow, par 2-3). The original London could only last for several years, little more than 10, and the ships could reach there making the city to become a trading center (museum of London, par 4-5). The bridge was very significant as it was the center for the road networks that sprung up from the crossing place, and thus it allowed the movement of the troops to be fast (Britain Express, par 4). The city later grew into a great trading center and by the second century AD, in the middle, the city had the largest town hall, a temple, and a governor’s palace among others. The Romans built a wall around 200 AD, surrounding the city and this defined the shape and size of London over a millennium. The area which was surrounded by the wall, is the one that is called ‘The city† (Britain Express, par 7-9). Urban And Street Patterns Prior to World War 2, London was characterized by very few buildings which were more that 6 stories high but today, the buildings with 20 stories and above can be found, for example, the towers of Barbican are 40 stories and above. The tower of Canary Wharf rising 80 stories and an office building, east of central London in the dockyards is the longest structure in Britain rising 800 feet high. The square of Trafalgar is in the west of the city, near the Thames River. Two large fountains can be found in the square and Admiral Lord Nelson’s statue; this square has been used mostly for celebrations in the city (How stuff works 1, par 7-9). The London streets follow bends and twists of the river and the Roman walls which have long disappeared. The current through ways came originally from the village lanes that existed there before. Strangers get confused most of the time because, these streets may have their names put in different places. One name may be found on one side of a street inter-section or a square and the other one will be found on other side. Contrary to streets in America, London roads have no numbering system which is logical and this makes it difficult to navigate through the streets. To learn the routes will take sometime (Geographers A-Z Map Company, par 1). When it comes to transportation system, it mainly consists of bus lines, surface and underground railways. The main railway stations include: Charing Cross, Waterloo, Paddington and Victoria lines. Two fifths of the city’s railway system covering 250 miles, is made up of London subways. The underground system is made of brick tunnels below the surface. The First line was made in the year 1863 but later, so many of them developed, built in deep tunnels lined with metals which are often called tubes. London boasts of three international airports and these include: Heathrow and Gatwick which is adjacent to the main railway line from London to Brighton. The third one is Stansted which is in the north east of the city (How stuff works, par 1-3). The London’s tower is a complex of buildings sitting on an 18-acre land. The walls and the grounds are on the Thames River, east side of the city. Mostly, the crown jewels are usually on display here. Yeomen warders in uniforms dating back to 16th century are usually used to guide visitors around the complex. Next to it is the mansion house which has been in existence since the 16th century and this is the place where the Lord Mayor of the city resides. North of this house stands Guildhall which was put up in the 15th century (How stuff works 5). South west London, rises a cathedral called St. Paul’s which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. This church is among the largest in the world. The duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson are buried there. On the west side of the cathedral, there is a street called Fleet Street which was once, the center of newspaper publishing in Britain (How stuff works 4, par 2-5). Just next to it is the knights’ templar medieval headquarters which also harbors the courts’ inns, law schools and legal associations. The Fleet Street merges forming a strand which leads to the west and Westminster. Buckingham palace is situated in this place and it hosts the London sovereigns. Westminster Abbey is also found there and this is where the monarchs are crowned. 8 acres of land around this place is covered with the parliament building and one thing that distinguishes it from other buildings it is its famous clock tower, the clock having a bell called â€Å"the Big Ben†. The Lambeth place is just across Thames from the parliament and this is where the Arch bishop of Canterbury resides (How stuff works 4, par 2-5). White Wall is found between the parliament and the square of Trafalgar . White Wall is a street which is bordered by government buildings. Another one is called Number 10 Downing Street found in the west of the White Wall and it is the prime minister’s home. The district of West end theatre is also found there between Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar square and it is London’s world renowned theatre district which harbors more than a 100 theatres. Soho is also found in the North and it is known for its famous foreign restaurants and entertainment sites. Mayfair is found in the west characterized by residential areas, hotels, department stores and embassies, which include the US embassy that is found on the Grosvenor square (How stuff works, 5). West end hosts London largest parks. Regents Park can be sighted there and it is on 472 acres of land. It has a lake, open air theatre, a rose garden and the London zoo. Another park, Hyde Park is also found there. It sits on a piece of land of 360 acres which includes a lake called Serpentine. Marble Arch and bridle path which is called Rotten Row . The speakers’ corner is also found there. Kensington gardens with 275 acres of land adjoin Hyde Park on the west and this is where Kensington palace can be sighted which also hosts the Albert memorial and Peter pan’s statue. Short distance towards west of central London, botanic gardens of the royalty can also be found especially in Kew (How stuff works 5). Major Buildings And Landmarks In London The first major building in city is the tower of London, a prominent building for over 900 years and attracting tourists from all over the globe. The tower serves the royalties as a palace and a fortress. Ironically, it is also a place where executions take place and jailing of law defaulters. Royal mint, arsenal, menagerie and jewel house are also found here (Barrow, par 1). One of the oldest buildings and the most important centers for religion is the Westminster Abbey. This palace has been used to burry so many queens and kings and there commemoration ceremonies are usually done there. It was founded by Edward the confessor who was later made a saint. Parliament houses are also found in the palace of Westminster. Buckingham palace has 600 rooms and it is surrounded by a 40-acre garden with 40,000 tulips (Barrow, par 6-10). The Canary Wharf is the tallest building and it is part of the dock lands in London. The Canary is estimated to be 244 meters high and stainless steel has been used o cover it. Another major building is St Paul Cathedral which was built 604 AD but it was later re-built twice after being burnt down twice. The current one was built in 1675 and 1711 . The other monument is the O2 millennium dome which is the largest one in the world covering 180 acres with 320m diameter and the height of 50 m. It also has support towers of about 100 m high. It was built to commemorate the new millennium and it sits on the Greenwich meridian, longitude 0 degrees. Another one is the London eye. It is one of the London’s modern landmarks, made up of the biggest ferries wheel in the world and it can carry passengers of about 800 in number at a time. Its highest point is about 450 feet and it provides a view that goes covers 25 miles (Barrow, par 10-18). In addition, 30 St Mary Axe was opened in 2004 and it was known as Gherkin because of its oval shape. It is very visible especially when traveling from different places into London. The outside of the building is made of 24,000 m square glass whish has been arranged in panes that are diamond shaped. Other monuments include the monument of Trafalgar square which was put up in commemoration of the great fire of London which happened in 1666; the tower is 62 meters high. It is just next to Pudding lane where the fire began in the bakers shop. It is also characterized by 311 stairs to the top and one can use it to view London (Barrow, par 18-24). Other buildings include: One Canada square, Tower 42, Millban tower, St. Paul’s cathedral, Tate modern, St. Pancras chambers, Royal courts of justice, St. Brides church, BT tower, Wembley stadium, Centre point, the Lloyd’s building, Westminster cathedral, the Ark and Christ Church Spitalfields (Emporis Corporation, par 1). London Industries London’s industries form the crucial part of the economy. The industries come in form of manufacturing, aircraft, ship building, and food processing including the chemical industries, offering employment to so many people. These industries comprise of both small and large scale industries and mostly, different business communities are involved in boosting the growth of these industries though the manufacturing one is the largest sector of London’s economy (Maps of world, par. 1-2). Of all the laborers in London, 16% are found in the manufacturing industry. The leading industries in London include: chemical, electronics, cable manufacture, food processing, vehicle manufacture, and ship and aircraft building. The names associated with aircraft industry include Sopwith Aviation Company, Fairey aviation, Handley Page, Green Engine Co. and Lucas Rotax among others (Maps of World, par 3-4). Vehicle industry is one of the most recognized industries in London and it is associated with companies such as Ford of Britain, Dagenham, Park ward, Power Drives among others. Those companies that deal with cable manufacturing include: British Insulated Callender’s cables, Siemens, North and Woolwich among others. Food processing is associated with companies such as Pura Foods, Park Royal, The Smith’s Snack Food company and the list is endless (Maps of World, par. 4-7). When it comes to ship building, the companies include; Woolwich Dock Yard, Samuda Brothers, Scott Russell and so on. Companies associated with chemical manufacturing are; Hackney Wick, Liford photo, Sir William Henry Parking etc. Lastly, is the electronics industry which is associated with companies such as Ferguson Electronics Racal, Plessey, Bush Radio and so on (Maps of World, par. 7-10). These companies vary in the number of the workers employed by each. This is given below in percentages: Manufacturing 16. 2%, trade 14. 7%, educational services 9. 7%, health care and social assistance 13. 5%. Accommodation and food services 5. 8%, finance and insurance, real estate and leasing 7. 3%, agriculture 1. 8%, transport and ware housing 3. 8%. Public administration 3. 0%, construction 4. 7%, business building 4. 8%, information, culture and recreation 4. 2 % and lastly, professional, scientific and technical services 5. 7%. Other industries which are not included amount to 4. 0%. All these companies are under the administration of London chamber of commerce and industries (Maps of World, par. 12). Tourism sector The Londoners benefit mostly from tourism especially in regards to economy and social aspects. It boosts employment rates generating huge income. The businesses have also benefited so much. 10% gross value in London is from the sector and it also employs 13 % of all the workers in London. The city has a record of getting tourists from other parts of the world more than New York, Las Vegas and Sydney. It also attracts these tourists more than any European state (Government Office for London, par 3, 4). Tourism sector generates 2 billion pounds yearly in West London; 14. 7 million tourists who make daily trips to the same region and 5. 4 million tourists visit attraction sites in East London yearly (London’s Councils, par 1). Cultural geographical aspects of London London is a diverse cultural centre and an international one for that matter. It harbors so many museums, theatres and art galleries, cinemas which offer entertainment of first class level to 300 nationalities and above. The architecture of this city offers the diversity and the historical buildings. Six of London cultural landmarks include: the tower of London, St . Margaret church, Palace of Westminster and the Westminster Abbey and last but not list, the Maritime Greenwich (Europe Cities, par 1-2). When it comes to language, London is considered a multi lingual city. It has 300 different languages within its boundaries which are often spoken. The city has proven that, compared to Europe and New York, it is the most cosmopolitan city with its internationalism (Buncombe and Mac Arthur, par 2). The most common languages spoken are:English,Bengali,Panjabi,Gujerati,Hindu,Turkish,Arabic,Yorubu,Somali,Cantonese,Greek,Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese and the list is endless (Woodlands Junior Academy, par 1). London is characterized by so many events and celebrations each year. Carnaval del pueblo is a Latin American festival which is usually the largest in UK. It is usually held in August. The other one is City of London festival usually held in June and July and it involves celebration of Music, film, architecture and art. Another one is the London Art fair which is usually held every year in the month of January (First for London, par. 1-3). London boat show is also a major event every January. Others include London Marathon, parade, Lords mayor’s show ,Notting hill Carnival , Rise festival, South West Fest, Spitafields Festival, St. Patrick’s Day, Streatham festival, The Great River Race, and the Mayor’s Thames festival (First for London, par. 4-16). In London, the largest religious group is Christianity according to the census that took place in the year 2001. This group consists of 58. 2% of all the religions in London. The city is characterized by three Anglican churches which are: St. Paul’s and Southward cathedrals and also Westminster Abbey which usually hosts the crowning of the king and queen of England (Barrow, par 1). The population of the Jews is concentrated in the city of about 56 % of all the Jews in Great Britain. 52% of all Hindus in Great Britain are found in London and they have built magnificent places of worship which include temples. 38% of all Great Britain’s Muslims also live in London from Bangladesh and Pakistan. 31 % of Sikhs and 36 % Buddhists that are found in country reside in London (Barrow, par 4-7). In conclusion, the factor that makes the city unique is its marvelous architecture which has a historical background. Not so many cites in the world are rich in history and culture as compared to London. Almost all the monuments and buildings have some history behind them and this makes them to be world treasures. More to that, these landmarks have a quality touch on them in that, they are unique in their own way. Right from the foundation of the city to its current state, the history is actually represented in the design and pattern of the city. Work Cited Amazon. Com . A-Z London, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. amazon. com/Z-London-Londons-Selling-Street/dp/0850397529. Barrow, Mandy. Buildings and Landmarks in London. Woodlands, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/customs/questions/london/buildings. htm. Barrow, Mandy. The History of London. Woodlands, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/customs/questions/london/history. htm. Barrow, Mandy. Religious Groups in London. Woodlands, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/customs/questions/london/religion. htm. Britain express. Roman London. Britain Express. Web. May 16, 2010, http://www. britainexpress. com/London/roman-london. htm. Britannica Encyclopedia. Learn More about London. 2010. Web. May 16, 2010, http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/346821/London. Buncombe, A. and MacArthur, Tessa. London: Multilingual Capital of the World. 29 March, 1999. Web. 16 May, 2010. http://www. phon. ucl. ac. uk/home/estuary/multiling. htm. Easy expert. Geography. Easy Expert, 10 April, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. easyexpat. com/en/london/overview/geography. htm. Emporis Corporation. Famous Buildings of London. 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. emporis. com/en/wm/ci/bu/mf/? id=100637. Europe Cities. Culture of London, 2009. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. europe-cities. com/en/600/uk_england/london/culture/. First 4 London. Events. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. first4london. com/directory/Events/. Government Office for London. Tourism. UK Government, 2009. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://www. gos. gov. uk/gol/Culture_leisure/Tourism/ tourism. How stuff works. General Plan and Description, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://geography. howstuffworks. com/europe/geography-of-london1. htm. How Stuff Works. Geography of London: Education and culture, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://geography. howstuffworks. com/europe/geography-of-london5. htm. How stuff Works. Introduction to Geography, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://geography. howstuffworks. com/europe/geography-of-london. htm. How stuff works. Landmarks and Place of Interest, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010, http://geography. howstuffworks. com/europe/geography-of-london4. htm. How stuff works. Transportation, 2010. Web. 16 May, 2010,

Example Answers for Questions on Dells Supply Chain

Example Answers for Questions on Dells Supply Chain Supply chain is around the core business and controls information flow, logistics and capital flow (Tarantilis, 2008). It starts from the procurement of raw materials to intermediate products and final products, and the final product will be sales by the sales network to reach consumers. It is the whole functional network chain structure links suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers. It is not only a logistics chain, information chain and the capital chain connects provider and consumer, but also it is a value-added chain (Yao, 2008), and materials in the supply chain due to processing, packaging, transportation and other processes to increase their value, bringing income to the relevant enterprises. Identify and explain the components of the supply chain In general, the basic elements constitute the supply chain contains: suppliers: provide raw materials or parts and components to the manufacturer; manufacturers: that is the product manufacturing. It is the most important part of production, and it is responsible for production, development and after sales service; distribution company: agents that are set for products distribution to achieve the geographical scope; retailers: retailers sell product to consumers; logistics: specializes in providing logistics services to companies outside of the enterprise mentioned above. Wholesale, retail and logistics can also be referred to as circulation (Green Whitten, 2008). Why is managing the supply chain a very complex process? Explain the issues to be managed and the trade-offs to be made in its management. First, the supply chain is a complex, dynamic network. This network is composed by companies (or business) with different targets. This means that looking for specific supply chain management strategies for specific company will face enormous challenges (Riedel, 2009). Secondly, supply and demand often conflict in the marketing practice (Gundlach, et al. 2006). The difficulty lies in that before demand, manufacturers have to produce a certain level of production, which means that manufacturers must bear the enormous financial risk. Thirdly, supply chain systems change with time is also an important consideration. Even if the demand can be accurately forecasted (for example, long-term cooperation contract signed by both supply and demand), the planning process also need to consider the demand and cost parameters change in a period of time due to seasonal fluctuations, trends, advertising and promotions, pricing strategies of competitors and other factors. These needs and cost parameters which change over time make supply chain management strategies more difficult. In fact, the most effective supply chain management strategy is the one that can make the supply chain system to minimize operating costs and meet customer demand. Fourth, new problems in some new supply chain system are emerging and cannot be clearly explained in the life cycle of their products. For example, in high-tech industry, product life cycles are becoming shorter and shorter. On the other hand, in these industries, the rapid technological development and dazzling product innovation making the accurate prediction of demand for a particular product become more and more difficult. And ultimately lead to a number of the manufacturers price war, which not only reduces the value in their life cycle, but also shorts the product life cycle. In addition, in certain highly homogeneous product market, supply chain management may be the single most important factor to determine the success or failure. For example, in laptop computers and inkjet printers market, many manufacturers are taking the same OEM route or adopt the same suppliers of raw materials and the same technology, and in this case, the enterprises competition is the competition of brand marketing, cost and service, while cost and service levels are two key elements in a supply chain management. In short, supply chain management issues relates to many aspects of activities, from strategic level to the tactical level to operating level (Tsiakis, 2008). Strategic level relates decision-making which have long-term impact on the company, including the number of manufacturing plants and warehouses, layout and size of production capacity and material flow in the logistics network and decision-making of other aspects. Tactical decision-making generally include the procurement and production decisions, inventory policies and transportation strategies. The operating level contains the decision-making of daily activities, such as plans, estimates of stocking, arranging transportation routes, shipping and so on. There are some important issues in the management, such as: Reconfiguration of distribution network: this may be due to lease contract termination of the few existing warehouse or number change of the channel changes. Distribution strategy: in the supply chain management, distribution strategy is critical. Which strategy should be adopted? Direct transport strategy, distribution strategy classic or direct transport strategy? How many transfer points? Which strategy is more suitable for the majority of the enterprise in the supply chain? Supply chain integration and strategic partners: owning to the dynamics of the supply chain itself as well as conflicting objectives exist in enterprises with different nodes, supply chain integration is very difficult. Such questions as what information should be shared, how to share the information become the most critical issues. 4. Inventory control: Whether the terminal channel order quantity should be greater than, less than or equal to the demand forecast? In order to minimize inventory and storage costs, how many products should be set? 5. Product Design: When the product should be designed to reduce logistics costs or shorten the cycle of the supply chain; whether product design can compensate for the uncertainty of customer demand; in order to take advantage of new product design, what kind of changes should be done to supply chain? 6. Information technology and decision support systems: How to analyze and use data? What is the impact of Internet? What is the role of e-commerce? Whether information technology and decision support system can be the main tool of competitive advantage? 7. Customer value measurement: customer value is a measure of a companys contribution to its target customers. In different industries, what factors determine the customer value? How to measure customer value? In the supply chain, how information technology can be used to enhance the customer value? How supply chain management impact on customer value? Question 2 Map out Dell Supply Chain Suppliers Dell Manufacturing Customers The supply chain of Dell only includes customers, Dell and its suppliers. Supply chain map is shown above. This supply chain rules out the presence of middlemen (wholesalers, distributors and retailers) and it takes customer order directly from the hands of customers, and the omission of the link significantly reduces the cost of a variety of distribution channels (excluding the profits partition of middlemen), and the cost of products significantly decrease, which lays the foundation for Dells low-price competition (Dell returns such cost savings to the customer, so its products more competitive) Provide evidence of conflicting objectives in the supply chain The conflicting objectives in the supply chain in Dell are the manufacturing cost and its quality, cost and the speed reach customer. As the case study material says, Dellà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s manufacturing costs has continued surge. One of its divisionà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s directors, Tom Wilson, says that the increase recently in Level 5 manufacturing is marked in Dell. From the perspective of Dell, this cost will increase the cost to the overall manufacturing process. That way, Dell cannot be able to use advantages as Dell should for the lower cost structure of its contract manufactures. Instead, Dell has to rely more heavily on the 3rd-party integrators. That way, not only Dell get products with lower quality because they do not perform integration unit testing by using 3rd-party integrators, and the Dell also has some difficulties to foresee for the 3rd-party integrators about how much manufacturing capacity they should have to support the demand of De ll. There is also contradicting in the cost and the time. In Dell, customers can select the components when making an order, hence if Dell manufactures a fully completed product and transports it by shipping form the contract manufacturer in China to the customers living in the United States would be time-consuming, and if they manufacture a completed product and transport it by air, then it is cost-consuming. Therefore, for Dell, the contract manufacturers in China manufacture and transport half-assembled products by ship to its factories and once the order reaches and the components selected by the customer is ready, the factory assemble the components and manufacture a completed computer and deliver to consumers timely. What are the risks that rare or unexpected events pose in this supply chain? Although the supply chain of Dell only contains suppliers, Dell and customers, there are still some risks that exist in this supply chain and make the inability of Dell. For example, many issues will cause Dell cannot provides motherboards timely to contract manufacturers for L5 manufacturing. Chipset suppliers de-commit or supply issues. When chipset suppliers cannot provide qualified chipsets, it will disrupt the supply chain. And the data reveals that this reason takes up more than 60% in the manufacturing of L5. According to the data form Dellà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Worldwide Procurement organization, it accounts for 63.5% of expedites expenses. Quality/engineering issues. These issues will cause the motherboards with dysfunction and problems which need to be modified or substituted by a new supply. This will lead to an additional unexpected need for motherboards, and these parts of motherboards are not the part of the forecast. This reason accounts for 24.5% of expedites expense, following that of the chipset suppliersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ issues. Dell forecast accuracy. When the real need of customers is more than that of the forecast, Dell has to purchase extra chipsets, and if it does not to do so, it will take risk that it cannot meet the needs of customers. Generally, the time for manufacturing, assembling, testing and delivering a chipset is 13 weeks on average, and this time is long which makes it difficult for the chipset supplier to provide the additional chipsets to satisfy the need plan of Dell. This accounts for 8.3% of the expedite expenses. New product introduction. Since the need for newly developed PC products is changing fast and the development of the market is volatile, it is difficult to forecast, which may make an extra needs to air-transport more motherboards which are not required when the product is mature. At that time, the level of L6 manufacturing will not change and the need level keeps consistent. This changing demand can make the L5 manufacturing increase. That is, the motherboard-chassis assembly in the United States will increase to diminish the time to sale for a new developed product. This account for 3.8% of the expedite expenses.

Spiritual Emptiness in Hemingways A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay

Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," first published in 1933, is written in his characteristic terse, unembellished style. The definition of "Style" is "the characteristics of language in a particular story and . . . the same characteristics in a writer's complete works" (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). Short words and a curt tone are so characteristic of Hemingway's style that writers frequently parody them in "International Imitation Hemingway" contests (Gioa and Gwynn, "Style" 861). But Hemingway could only his express this story's theme -- that there is nothing beyond the here and now of daily existence, no God to embellish our lives -- in an unembellished style of writing. The somewhat empty style of this short story is not "Imitation Hemingway"; it's consistent with the story's theme of spiritual emptiness. Almost thirty lines of "A Clean Well-Lighted Place" are pure dialogue with few clues, other than what is said, about who is speaking. In the rest of the story, the percentage of words with more than two syllables is very low. Some biographers point out that Hemingway learned his rules of writing working for the Kansas City Star, whose style-book admonished reporters to "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English, not forgetting to strive for smoothness" (qtd. in Desnoyers 2). Was the curt style of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" caused only by Hemingway's having learned writing from a newspaper style-book? He later said about those newspaper rules, "Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I've never forgotten them. No man with any talent, who feels and writes truly about the thing he is trying to say, can fail to write wel... .... "One True Sentence." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 375-376. Desnoyers, Megan Floyd. "Ernest Hemingway: A Storyteller's Legacy." The Ernest Hemingway Collection. 12 December 2002. John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. 20 August 2003. . Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Ernest Hemingway." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 370-372. Gioia, Dana, and R.S. Gwynn. "Style." The Longman Masters of Short Fiction. Eds. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. New York: Longman, 2002. 861-862. The Hemingway Resource Center. "Ernest Hemmingway Biography>Key West." The Hemingway Resource Center. LostGeneration.com. 20 August 2003. .

Magua, the Byronic Hero of The Last of the Mohicans Essay -- Last of t

Magua, the Byronic Hero of The Last of the Mohicans      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionally, heroes represented the ideal member of society, reflecting the moral compass of a culture. The "last great heroic tradition in our literature," the Byronic hero, rebels against society, questioning morality (Thorslev 185). The modern hero, or anti-hero, internalizes the struggle for reconciliation. Traditional heroes represent social order, Byronic heroes represent social rebellion, and modern heroes represent social upheaval. The melancholic, brooding, isolated Byronic hero thrives on rebellion, the traditional hero flourishes on optimistic goodness, and the modern hero grasps for purpose. Samuel Taylor Coleridge criticizes the "savage grandeur" of the rebellious Byronic hero (400). Magua, of James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans, presents fierce rebellion and indeed rises to "savage grandeur." The feared and scorned Magua represents an American version of the Byronic hero, seemingly presenting antithetical qualities of a traditional hero, exemplified in the Anglo-Saxon epic hero, Beowulf.    Representing the best their societies have to offer, traditional heroes possess characteristics of honor, bravery, loyalty, and steadfastness. They personify communal values and offer a reason to believe in the possibility of a meaningful life in an ordered, harmonious society. The epic hero journeys on a quest, experiencing difficulties along the way, and triumphantly returns to society. An example of a traditional hero, Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic hero, relies on his courage, intelligence, and superhuman strength as he slays the destructive forces that threatens the community. He accepts and embraces the social values, never questioning or ... ...York: Doubleday, 1977. Coleridge. Samuel Taylor. "The Statesmanà ¢s Manual." 1816. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 6th ed. Vol.2. New York: Norton, 1993. 398-400. Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans. New York: Penguin, 1986. Gross, Theodore L. The Heroic Ideal in American Literature. New York: Free Press, 1971. Lieber, Todd. Endless Experiments: Essays on the Heroic Experience in American Romanticism. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 1973. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 6th ed. Vol.2. New York: Norton, 1993. 480. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1985. Thorslev, Peter L. Jr. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1962. Wilson, James D. The Romantic Heroic Ideal. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1982   

Education System of Britain

According to the research of Oversea Education Center (2000), is that â€Å"Education in the United Kingdom (UK) is compulsory for everyone between the ages of five to sixteen. † This mean that no one left behind in their system that everybody must be in school to learned and participate. I believed that the learning and participation of students would require equality in the school system. Does the school system can provide this equality to all students? I know that this problem has been existed on other countries.Is the system in Britain practices equality or inequality still persisting? This essay will explore on the educational system in contemporary Britain acting to decrease or increase social inequality highlighting current issues. Equality Impost Britain’s Government partnered with Sutton Trust funded by Peter Lampl tried to make the education system as equal as possible by making â€Å"new scheme aimed at giving talented children of all backgrounds access to q uality education†.They are pronouncing that all can access this mean more to the poor that will be given the chance to develop their talents and able to have an education they wanted. There are striking findings from domestic and international survey that the English education is improving. But while average standards in education in the UK are high, the traditional problem of inequality, and especially with the educational outcome and social class, remain very strong pointed out by David Miliband (2003). Inequality IncreasedThe problem starts young: as early as 22 months according to pioneering research of cognitive ability of very young children. At the age of two poor show advance but was overtaken at the age of 6 by the rich family and will maintain its advancement at the age 7-11. But more social differences can be seen in secondary level as Leon Feinstein (2003) demonstrated. On the other hand, University system practice inequality that affected most of the poor from rem ote areas that wanted to avail the opportunity that offered by millioner philanthropist and the Britain’s government program.John O'Leary, Education Editor (2000), reported that â€Å"Almost half the entrants are from independent schools and only one in 25 comes from the poor neighborhoods identified as sending fewest students to university. Barely one in ten is from a working class home. † The universities still practice elitism in their university depriving most of the poor students. Thinking that students coming from the independent school have more advantage since they have all the good facilities they need to learned to their full potential compared to the students coming from the public schools.The increased in Social inequality is more observed reported by John Clare, Education Editor (2000), he stated in his report that Eleven top universities accused of state bias, this was supported by the research gather â€Å"It estimated that every year 3,200 pupils from independent schools gained a place at a top university to which, statistically, they were not entitled. † There bases in accepting entry is on predicted grades rather than A-level grades. This apprehended the schools of sending pupils to avail the opportunity.The statistics that John Clare emphasized is a clear indication that social inequality is increasing in Britain’s educational system. Remarkable evidence which was also sparked by Gordon Brown condemning Oxford College in rejecting a teenager Laura Spence that elitism in Britain’s top universities are still practiced despite the campaign by Mr. Lampl giving opportunity for all and providing all the necessary materials needed by the students just to discover and develop their talent to the full potential.A writer Ben Russell (2000) wrote the description of Mr. Lampl as a â€Å"scandal† the current situation where children from poorer backgrounds accounted for 50 per cent of the school population but on ly 13 per cent of the entry to top universities. He further added that University inclined more on constructing building and research instead of finding youngster from inner cities and other deprived areas.In respond to the allegation that universities practice social inequality lots of school, the university answered as presented by Ben Russell â€Å"they say the students are not applying and they are not coming through. I suggest there's some truth to that but our universities has to become much more pro-active by going out and selling themselves to the schools. † This response of universities to the founder is not acceptable by some public schools who tried hard to let there students enters to the top 13 universities and avail the opportunities offered.Another finding that inequality is increasing in Contemporary Britain researched by Jeremy Lovell (2005) â€Å"The results show that social mobility in Britain is much lower than in other advanced countries and is declining ,† and it was suppported with Co-author Stephen Machin said â€Å"low income groups were trying to manage to keep pace with middle income, but the gap between middle and high was widening rapidly and those in the very top bracket were accelerating out of sight. † This issues is the result of inadsequate education policiy and globalization which was entrenching wealth inequalities acrross the world.The effect of this are fewer graduates from the poorer community landed on a good job in the market. (Lovell 2005). More evidence reveal by Julie Hyland(2004) â€Å"Britain: social inequalities widen under Blair government†. This is because of the government policy that imply from welfare reform through to privatizing key services. That was before abandoned by Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (1994) which established a â€Å"Commission on Social justice† that sought to redefine measures of social inequality, that used to give justice to labor and leave d the traditional social reformist programmed.The factor to this issue is the polarization of â€Å"class and wealth† this giving more chance for the riches to make more shares and in facts doubled in 1999. (Hyland 2004). The IPPR demonstrate that social inequality means that â€Å"the UK education system continues to experience high levels of geographical segregation,† the reports states. â€Å"At any time since 1989 around a third of children living in poverty would have to move to schools in wealthier areas for there to be an even spread of poor children between schools.† The poor students tried hard to make them avail what the rich students have but the system has failing on looking this issues. The results can also be seen in the record obtain by deprived schools that lower records attaining in education compared to better-off areas. The writers further added (Hyland 2004), â€Å"Examining the period since the early 1980s as a whole confirms that a class b ias in entry and success within higher education remains and has even grown. † If more students from higher class can enter into universities and few from lower class there is no improvement in the educational system.The data prove that in â€Å"1981, 23 percent from high-income backgrounds obtained a university degree, and only six percent from lowest income and it increase by 37 percent in 1999. † If this will not give importance to changes in the educational system inequality would be double in the coming years. The worst evidence that the educational system in Britain’s social inequality is the case of Pamela Relf reported by Tania Kent (2000) that inequalities not only happening in the poor students striving to be successful but to a teacher itself.Pamela Relf was the longest serving teacher in the Middlefield primary in St. Neots, Cambridge shire. Only she failed to report on the first day of service in the new term felt very bad that she instead drove a ri ver near her house and end her life. She left a note telling that â€Å"I am finding the stress of my job too much. The pace of work and he long days are more than I can do. † Not only Pamela Relf but had another teacher hanged himself Daniel Overfield and a boy who is 12 years old. All the issues concerning the schools work performance and these terrible incidents have common social roots.Tania Kent described as the outcomes of two decades of attacks on public education by the former Conservative government, which have been continued and deepened under Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair. Since Labor took office in 1997, schools have had to confront the highest levels of state intervention ever experienced within the public education sector. The aims of prime Minister Tony Blair is to lift the standards by publishing the results in â€Å"league tables† that the pay also of a teacher was based on their performance that ties teachers’ salaries to pupils’ test exam results.The system was able to create stress both to students’ and teachers’ that resulted on tremendous death of the three victims that hardly cope up the challenge. The system is failing that castigation is focused on the part of the teachers. The stress given to teachers made the other teacher to leave their job. The researcher Tania Kent further exposed that Association of teachers and Lecturers (ATL) in the conference discussed a report warning of an increase in pupil suicides due to the pressures resulting from what the union termed â€Å"factory farming† teaching.It is very alarming that 35 children aged 14 and below committed suicide in Britain in1997. These are due to stress and pressure to pass the compulsory test. The issues making pressure both the teachers’ and students’ damage the emotional and mental capacity of each individual and these will result to a more poverty and of course increase inequality in educational system in Bri tain. Moreover we cannot blame that Black graduates do not want to become teachers within a racist education system.Deborah Gabriel (2006) an author on Black Britain acknowledge one of the lecturer Sonia Davis, said that a senior lecturer in education at De Montfort University and spokesperson for the African Forum for Education believes that recruiting more black teachers without making radical changes to the education system is pointless. † She further stress out to Black Britain that out of around 1000 trainee teachers in the first year of a teaching programmed, not one is black.The reason for the lack of interest, she asserts is: â€Å"A damaged system. Black teachers can see the trauma experienced by black pupils and many do not want to be in that situation. † All the weighted issues above would still be increasing and never stop if these were not given immediate actions. The damaged that have been done will increase; the action should be now we will not wait for a nother victim for this social inequality in Britain educational system. ConclusionThe above issues would if not be given consideration the educational system increases the social inequality and part of it is the difference between the ethnic groups in their social profiles and by their geographical concentration in inner-city areas with poor education provision. This subject of inequality was very much to the forefront of the debate on education. But there were high hopes that education would make for greater economic and social mobility and thus lead to reduction in inequalities.The continues support of the different agency especially the Sutton Trust that give opportunities to poor families and continues expansion of public-sector with the little cost to families has been entailed would greatly helps decrease the social inequalities in Britain’s educational system. References Clare, John 2000, â€Å"Eleven top Universities Accused of Sate Bias†, Viewed 8 January 2007 , . Gabriel, Deborah 2006, â€Å"Black graduates do not want to become teachers within a racist education system† Black Britain Online, viewed 8 January 2007, from . Hyland, Julie 2004, â€Å"Britain: Social Inequalities widen under Blair Government† viewed 8 January 2007, . Kent, Tania 2000, â€Å"Suicides reveal impact of government attacks on Britain's education system† viewed 8 January 2007, from . Leon Feinstein2003, ‘Inequality in the Early Cognitive Development of British Children in the 1970 Cohort’, Economica (Vol. 70, No. 1)Lovell, Jeremy 2005, â€Å"Social Inequality entrenched in Britain† Viewed 8 January 2007; . O'Leary, John 2000, â€Å"Elitism in Universities†, Viewed 8 January 2007, < http://www. psychology. nottingham. ac. uk/sutton/Reports. htm>. Oversea Education Center 2000, â€Å"British Education System†, Viewed 7 January 2007, . Russel, Ben 2000, â€Å"Universities Need more Cash to Widen Access†, V iewed 8 January 2007, from .