Thursday, August 27, 2020

Mittal Steel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mittal Steel - Essay Example Mittal steel declared a threatening takeover offer for its closest opponent Arcelor steel. Mittal has lead solidification on the planet steel industry and their technique accentuates size and scale and well as item decent variety and quality. This procurement fulfills each one of those components of their technique. Since Arcelor isn't just an extremely enormous maker, which would add to the size and size of Mittal's tasks yet additionally a maker of high worth steel which isn't a quality of Mittal Steel, this would fulfill the scope of item assorted variety and quality which they want. The steel business has in the past generally been commanded by local nations that provided steel to their market and afterward traded an abundance abroad. As of late anyway this has definitely changed. Going Global: The steel business has now become a to a great extent worldwide industry instead of a local one, particularly in with the development of Mittal steel which is based on acquisitions and organizations, for example, Arcelor and ThyssenKrupp now effectively seeking after acquisitions. Agreeing the Economist (2005, 72) Until these arrangements, steel had to a great extent been a national business, with America's customary coordinated makers serving predominantly the household showcase. The worldwide steel business comprised of fare exchange, as opposed to the responsibility for in a few nations. The rise of Arcelor and Mittal has changed all that, with steel bunches that have an undeniably worldwide measurement. Union: Recent acquisitions and the new worldwide nature of the steel business have assisted with solidifying the business. Rather than being divided, numerous organizations, Mittal included have looked to make progress through size and extension. The Economist (2005, 72) takes note of that, the worldwide business will come to be commanded by a bunch of enormous gatherings with creation of around 100m tons a year. Privatization: Many Eastern European governments specifically have privatized significant industry, taking into account simpler combination in the business. Mittal itself was going to exploit this by buying significant steel activities from Poland and the Ukraine. China: China's ability for steelmaking has expanded from 11% in 1994 to 25% of the world aggregate in 2005 (Economist 2005, 72). While request has gone up on the planet and China specifically for steel, the concern is that if request in China goes down they will send out their steel and flood the market. Bug Political Hostile to Competition Policies The EU has the privilege to make against trust charges with respect to the merger of Arcelor and Mittal. There is pressure from particularly the French government to forestall this merger. Financial Market Trends The solidification of the steel business has realized many cost efficiencies and has permitted Mittal specifically to turn out to be vertically incorporated. As per D'Costa (1999, 13), the rise of ease firms bodes well on the grounds that, Most preparing advancements associated with steelmaking were and keep on being described by solid economies of scale. Add to that the way that a lot of account are expected to execute best-practice strategies on scales that yield

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Essay Sample on E-Commerce Focus on the Core Elements

Article Sample on E-Commerce Focus on the Core Elements Numerous components add to a companys achievement or disappointment. Organization is characterized by something beyond its item or administration. A powerful association has a lot of solidarity in support of its to stay serious. Factors, for example, adaptability, inventiveness, receptiveness to utilization of innovation and developments, a harmony among center and setting, correspondence over the association and skilled representatives are an absolute necessity for upper hand (Wignaraja 2004). It is an associations capacity to acclimate to changing occasions that makes an establishment for the general population to respect. Trustworthiness is urgent. Maintaining the companys esteem framework and word to the open stays a key aspect for progress. Building any procedure or battle on this reason presents the most ideal and genuine corporate picture to general society and takes into account a lot of trust to shape. This paper will investigate the idea that an association has more notewor thy capacity to concentrate on the center when it uses accessible advances and assets to deal with its unique situation. This may mean redistributing a portion of their procedures so as to increase more noteworthy enhancement. To start with, the association must be able to esteem innovation and development. Todays media transmission is a triumph for human creativity and unconstrained request. In certain parts it exemplifies driving edge innovation like Asynchronous Transfer Mode however it is the utilization of new advancements joined with more established ones that makes the Internet so intriguing and fundamental to business. Explicitly the Internet closes separation restrictions and it enables people in significant better approaches to make new endeavor (Gasman 2005, p. 2). The Internet is moderately tremendous in its opportunity. In contrast to the customary phone, the Internet isn't charged by the mile or any separation. This unites individuals. With these advancements, makes re-appropriating and consistent work process conceivable (Grandt 2005). When an organization can concentrate on the center, more consideration can be paid to what it esteems most. Writing proposes that so as to have a harmony among setting and center, values must stick out (Porter 1985 Bennis 1989). This paper will look at how innovation permits an association to concentrate on esteemed center components like authority and correspondence the two of which assume a huge job in how well innovation functions for the association. Without powerful initiative and correspondence, the re-appropriating and coordinations that use innovation would be a skeleton in work. Fundamental beliefs include the tissue, the way of life that makes an association extraordinary. Lately, the Internet Boom has assumed control over the manner in which individuals see business being finished. Actually, we live in a trailblazing time when everything about existence is changing a direct result of innovation. Some portion of the activity of concentrating on center is to grasp innovation at the center. Geoffrey Moore explains that so as to concentrate on center an association must separate however much as could be expected and to appoint ones best assets to that challenge (2000, standard. 3). This activity, in any case, can be tedious to detract from the center. So as to finish the undertaking, one must comprehend the distinction among center and setting. Moore brings up that numerous organizations don't have a clue what is significant, just making investor stock go higher. What is one associations center might be anothers setting (Rowley 2002). He additionally composes, center and setting interoperate to make correspondence, and both are crucial to each association adequacy (2000, standard. 6). Hierarchical achievement is tied in with discovering balance and in todays time of internet business and venture, it appears that it is normal that innovation will help in making this parity. It is accepted once the parity is accomplished that one can concentrate on the center including proceeded with support of the harmony among setting and center. By provoking certain assignments to innovation and redistributing, an association can concentrate on components of upper hand like initiative and correspondence. Underneath will be instances of how Countrywide Financial Corporation and different substances like Global Home Loans accomplish this parity through innovation and information re-sourcing permitting the executives to concentrate on its way of life and representative development. As the demonstration of working together turns out to be increasingly creative because of new advancements and elevated levels of correspondence, it is astounding that working together become progressively entangled and costly. Is it the factor of raised desire and rivalry from worldwide markets, it is an absence of understanding your own association and its centers? Angelo Mozilo accepts that re-appropriating makes space for improved concentration upon basic beliefs and it is with the usage of rapid correspondence and information frameworks that empowers individuals to all the more likely associate with one another (2002, standard. 3). It takes into account setting to be handled outside the center, possibly to return when required. Re-appropriating is a lot of like a twofold edged blade, it very well may be viewed as a negative as much as a positive. Many accept that it is taking from American occupations to utilize less expensive work sources in nations like India. Timothy Smith co nstrues that redistributing has three capacities in making associations increasingly proficient, successful and lessens costs. Re-appropriating empowers associations to reallocate assets (Smith 2001, standard. 3). This thus permits the association to invest less energy in those errands, sets aside it cash in labor and area by changing concentration from endurance to improving upper hand. An association can possibly do this when it becomes individuals centered (Ahmed Sharma 2002). Trading associations are likewise looking for approaches to bring down expenses while expanding client care. A generally new methodology is flexibly chain the executives (SCM). Flexibly chain the board contrasts from conventional materials and assembling control in a few different ways (Burn Hackney 2003). To begin with, SCM sees the gracefully chain as a solitary procedure. Second, SCM requires key dynamic because of its effect on generally speaking expenses and piece of the overall industry. Third, flexibly chain the board views inventories as an instrument after all other options have run out. At long last, it requires an incorporated way to deal with frameworks. Incorporation brings about diminished stock and critical money saving advantages (Trunick 2005). The accomplishment of SCM for the most part includes execution of a data the board framework. Still the model is developing to incorporate new advancements being utilized as instruments. The Amorphous kind of chain changes as the organization presents new methodologies. This kind of model best mirrors the ceaseless progression of thoughts and conceivable outcomes inside the web based business develop or Internet medium explicitly. It envisions future events. This guides a company’s following of Internet use particularly when applied to publicizing and advancements, as it is known the quantity of organizations using the Internet for e-business designs was fundamentally low at 28% however a further 33% were effectively thinking about the execution (Ritchie Brindley 2002, p. 2). The capacity of obtainment inside the coordinations procedure is moving to another plane of modernity because of new advancements to make the activity less difficult. A lot of it is moving to the foundation of the Internet to augment proficiency and profitability. E-Procurement is presently moving from simple to-robotize assignments like invoicing ages to increasingly complex concerns such an E-commercial center execution, activity and electronic joint effort. Writing recommends that right now center in around advances that help E-acquisition of direct merchandise that are mission basic. Likewise on the grounds that crude materials that go into creation of the completed item many record for 80 percent of a companys costs, the sparing got from actualizing E-acquirement is convincing (Thierauf Hoctor 2003, p. 250). As it were, E-obtainment innovation offers lower buy costs to quicker satisfaction cycles just as lower managerial overhead to all the more likely control. Therefore, organizations acknowledge wide, quantifiable advantages from the execution of E-obtainment. Organizations remain to increase significantly increasingly great outcomes from coming ages of the innovation that incorporates interfacing with exchanging trade with their own businesses. This additionally empo wers a client better educated buys as an organization figures out how to oversee creation regularly. This implies the ability for the gracefully chain to reach out past clients and providers improves. This likewise improves the capacity for the organization to speak with the client and the provider. This prompts new thoughts and information about the procedure as organizations and providers work in a join domain. Some of the time associations hope to sourcing stock as an approach to reduce expenses and accelerate the procedure. GHL will find that by utilizing the Internet as e-procedure that they can accomplish performing multiple tasks on new levels, taking into account numerous lines of correspondence as once. The Internet will permit GHL to take advantage of a greater flexibly base to guarantee reliable gracefully and reinforcement sources. This thusly will decrease the sum it takes to make sure about shipment of new items. Undertaking Resource Planning (ERP) frameworks are especially important in new item presentation since it goes about as a methods for sharing data. Endeavor Resource Planning (ERP) frameworks are programming bundles that endeavor to incorporate the data stream inside an organization, taking care of the issue of incongruence among frameworks and working practices. The ERP framework will smooth out the GHL’s information streams and furnish the board with direct acc ess to an abundance of ongoing data. This is encouraged by the utilized of database advancements which will interface applications together and pass important information between them as fundamental. Any new data added to one of the framework refreshes different frameworks naturally, in this way making total combination between them (Soh 2002 and Grandt 2005). Catalog administrations and center product are utilized so as to interface the appl

Friday, August 21, 2020

Easy Argumentative For Sixth Grade Essay Topics

Easy Argumentative For Sixth Grade Essay TopicsWhen choosing essay topics for your child's 6th grade the writing process, it is important to know what easy argumentative for 6th grade essay topics are. If you do not know what easy argumentative for six grade essay topics are, then you have a lot of homework ahead of you!Easy argumentative for six grade essay topics are those that are more on the emotional side than the intellectual side. While an argument may be logically sound, if it seems illogical to the reader, then this type of essay is not going to work out well for your essay.This can be very frustrating, but it is necessary if you are going to be able to write your own essay. There are only so many different ways to present information. A different approach is needed in order to make a strong argument.Most of the time when parents do not choose easy argumentative for six grade essay topics, they end up taking a side and they say something that is not supported by the facts. T hey then have to take the consequences of their statement and use that to argue against the opposing view.Instead of taking sides, it is always best to let the facts speak for themselves. When using argumentative for six grade essay topics, it is best to put facts in front of the reader and let them decide for themselves how they want to view the facts.By using argumentative for six grade essay topics, the student will have a better chance of getting through the essay without becoming frustrated. An essay written in such a way is more likely to be more effective, and the less frustration that is felt from having to 'prove' anything, the better off you are in the long run.It is very difficult to be argumentative for six grade essay topics when the arguments seem to be based solely on emotion. While it is important to use emotion in arguments, it should never replace fact and logical thinking.So, when choosing easy argumentative for six grade essay topics, remember that the more evide nce supporting the facts and the arguments, the better. By using facts and supporting logic, you will be able to get your essay finished much quicker.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Ernest Hemingway s The Lost Generation - 885 Words

Ernest Hemingway was a famous modernist writer during the 20th century. Hemingway was part of what was known as â€Å"The Lost Generation† this name arose post-World War 1. The modernist movement was a drastic change in numerous things such as art and literature. Ernest contributed much to this movement with his literary works. World War 1 played a major role in not only modernism, but also Hemingway’s writing. Ernest Miller Hemingway was a modernist writer who took his experiences from World War 1 and turned it into famous works of literature. Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21,1899 in Cicero, Illinois, which is now known as Oak Park, Illinois. His parents were Clarence, who was a doctor, and Grace Hemingway, who was a teacher. During his childhood, Hemingway found entertainment in outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. In high school, Ernest wrote for his school’s newspaper, his love for writing eventually led him to work as a journalist after hi s graduation (Ernest Hemingway Bibliography 3). According to his bibliography, Ernest attempted to enlist in the American Army, but because of his poor eyesight, he was rejected (Modernist Portraits Authors: Ernest Hemingway 2). Ernest was eager to fight in the war so he became an ambulance driver for the Italian Army (Ernest Hemingway Bibliography 5). The time Hemingway spent in the war inspired quite a few of his famous novels like, A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway wrote several popular novels and in 1953 he won aShow MoreRelatedHemingway s The World War I, Lost Generation, By Ernest Hemingway1460 Words   |  6 Pagesthere has been no American writer like Ernest Hemingway. A member of the World War I â€Å"lost generation,† Hemingway was in many ways his own best character. Whether as his childhood nickname of â€Å"Champ† or as the older â€Å"Papa,† Ernest Hemingway became a legend of his own lifetime. Although the drama and romance of his life sometimes se em to overshadow the quality of his work, Hemingway was first and foremost a literary scholar, a writer and reader of books. Hemingway enjoyed being famous, and delightedRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Ernest Hemingway s Of The Lost Generation 1812 Words   |  8 PagesAfter World War I, Hemingway, one of the â€Å"Lost Generation† writers, lived in a disillusionment where he lost faith in traditional institutions and values. World War I shifted American culture toward industrialization and away from the arts; consequently, artists began to feel that their works were no longer favored in the society. Hemingway explores decadence, one of the major themes of Lost Generation literature, in Harry’s materialistic nature of lifestyle. In doing so, Hemingway captures his ownRead MoreThe Story Of The Lost Generation1661 Words   |  7 Pages Brodie Wiener PIB LA 10 Period 3 Hensley 3 April 2015 The Story of the Lost Generation Living an spontaneous, carefree life like the characters in The Sun Also Rises do sounds like fun but it isn t what it seems. Ernest Hemingway writes a piece of literature that when looked upon through a new historicist critical perspective exposes the underlying truth and an uglier reality that is normally suppressed presents itself. New historicist criticism in a nutshell is arguing that the literature isRead MoreHemingway vs. Fitzgerald1518 Words   |  7 Pagesthe 1920’s is often referred to as the â€Å"Lost Generation.† This was a time of hopelessness and heartache from the damages of the war which caused carelessness and lack of responsibility. Everyone was affected in some way and often could not handle the situation, usually turning to alcohol to relieve all problems. According to Gertrude Stein, the literary figures of the 1920’s â€Å"drank themselves to death†, especially two of the greatest writers of the 20th century, F. Scott Fitzgerald an d Ernest HemingwayRead More Paris in the 1920’s – â€Å"The Lost Generation† Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesParis in the 1920’s – â€Å"The Lost Generation† Between the end of the First World War and Hitlers seizure of power a cultural explosion occurred in Paris that altered our notions of art and reality and shaped our way of viewing the world ever since. In the 1920s, Paris became the undisputed international capital of pleasure and was regarded as the cultural and artistic center of Europe with a reputation for staging one of its most glamorous eras, as well as some of the most spectacularRead MoreTaking a Look at the Jazz Age1600 Words   |  6 Pages The U.S was still undergoing many reparations from World War 1, which led to many cultural changes during the 20s. Americans had money, freedom and peace. â€Å" People became less conservative and wanted more to just have a good time.†(The Roaring 20s: The Jazz Age - History For Dummies) After the end of the war, Americans were more relaxed and wanted to live freely. This is evident through many new ideas and feeling among the citizens of the U.S. One of these new ideas was bootlegging, which ledRead More Lost Generation in Hemingways The Sun Also Rises Essay example1515 Words   |  7 PagesLost Generation in Hemingways The Sun Also Rises      Ã‚   In the words of Herbert Hoover, Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. And it is youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow and the triumphs that are the aftermath. War disfigures and tears away precious lives. Its horrors embed themselves like an infectious disease in the minds of the survivors, who, when left to salvage the pieces of their former existences, are brushed into obscurity by the individualsRead MoreThe Dependence On Futility : An Analysis Of Brett Ashley1004 Words   |  5 PagesThe Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway employs metafiction to reveal the nature of World War One and its effect on individual ideals. Narrating the novel from the first person perspective of the protagonist, Jake Barnes, Hemingway clearly contrasts between fiction and reality. Although the reader has a limited perspective on the events in the novel, the lack of emotional connection between the characters becomes evident and expresses the underlying conce pt behind the â€Å"lost generation.† Brett, a femaleRead MoreA Farewell Of Arms By Ernest Hemingway1607 Words   |  7 Pages Ernest Hemingway s third novel a Farewell to arms was being created with his early experience with war. Just out of High school, E.Hemingway tried volunteering to fight in World War 1 but he was rejected by the U.S. military because of his poor eyesight. Instead he voluntarily enlisted in the Italian ambulance corps on the Italian front where he was injured by a mortar shell. While E.Hemingway was recovering he started to fall in love with a nurse named Agnes Von Kurowsky. She howeverRead MoreAnalysis Of The Lost Generation1411 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"You are all a lost generation†, said Gertrude Stein to Ernest Hemingway in a casual conversation in Paris. The phrase then came to characterize an entire post-war generation of the 1920’s which sets the premise of Hemingway’s iconic novel, The Sun Also Rises. After World War I, society quickly began questioning their traditional ideas of justice, faith and morality. The men and women affected by the aftermath of the war became physically, psychologically, and morally lost. This group of people was

Friday, May 15, 2020

Essay Critical Thinking Quiz1 - 626 Words

HUMN 150- ONLINE QUIZ 1 Rate each of the following statements as TRUE or FALSE. Justify your answer with an example or explanation to prove and illustrate your understanding. DO NOT OMIT THIS PART OF THE TEST. True/False answers can be guessed. But when you defend your answer by example or explanation, you demonstrate not only your memory and understanding but also that you can apply what you have learned. The first question is answered for you. FALSE1. Observation skills are learned mainly through book learning. Support for Answer: On the contrary, observation is learned from participation, which is more active and spontaneous than reading. Samuel Scudder learned observing through the active coaching of his teacher†¦show more content†¦This observation was his insight. FALSE 6. Agassiz was simply too busy to give his students all the assistance he needed. Support for Answer: He wanted his students to look deeper into the fish. He wanted them to find the most conspicuous features of the fish. Sure, he could of just told them, they were wrong, but that would not teach them the true meaning of observing. FALSE 7. Perception and sensation are synonyms. Support for Answer: Only perception is used as a synonym for sensing, although there are many distinct differences. Perception can be both passive and active. TRUE 8. It is difficult to feel sensation and to think at the same time. If we want to feel whether a pair of new shoes fits properly, we have to pay attention. Support for Answer: As the book state on page 30, â€Å"yet, when we begin to think, we risk cutting ourselves off from our sensations†, meaning, that we cannot think and hand feel the sensation at the same time. We would lose track of what we were thinking of to feel the object. TRUE 9. Assimilation, according to Piaget, is an experience of easily understanding something that readily fits into our preexisting schemes or worldview. Support for Answer: Piaget did think that assimilation was that of being able to insert new data easily into an existing mental folder. He also thought that assimilation and accommodation were part of a

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Drug Addiction A Serious Illness - 1276 Words

Drug addiction is a serious illness that can ultimately lead to the breakdown of families, long term psychological issues, and challenges that last a lifetime. People experiment with drugs for various reasons, whether it be for fun or to escape an unpleasant feeling. Some may try drugs the first time out of sheer curiosity, to fit in with friends who are using, or to enhance their performance at some activity. Others may try drugs to help them cope with difficulties in life. Drug addiction is not born with the first use of the drug, instead it stems from repeated use of the drug. Once the user has experienced the feeling of the first high, the onset of addiction begins. It happens in the blink of an eye and without the user noticing that they have become entangled in the cycle of addiction. Drug addiction becomes an awful cycle that entraps the user and those closely involved in his or her life. The cycle of addiction is characterized by frustration, anxiety or stress and compelling desire for relief of their symptoms. The individual engages in addictive behavior that leads to explosive behavior or spells of acting out. Before long, they completely lose control of their behavior and develop feelings of guilt or shame; which causes them to feel the need to use again. At this point the individual begins to rationalize and make promises to quit after just one more time. The addiction cycle can be arrested at any time, but only after the addict admitsShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Safe Injection Sites1129 Words   |  5 Pagesintravenous drugs are perceived by our society. People sometimes believe the addicted person is to blame for their circumstance and substance dependence and some feel serious drug addicts are a â€Å"lost cause† due to a lack of values or flawed character. â€Å"Persons who struggle with addictions often are depicted as criminals or prostitutes, weak, lazy and morally corrupt† (Bartlett, R., Brown, L., Shattell, M. , Wright, T., Lewallen, L. (2013). These stereotypes paint people with addiction negatively;Read MoreSubstance Abuse: Crisis Intervention1352 Words   |  5 Pagesconviction for abusing an illegal drug, drug-dealing, or DWI); or psychologically-related (the abuser seeks treatment for another psychological condition, such as depression, which is caused by the abuse or for which the abuser is using the substance as a form of self-medication) (Kanel 2011: 221). Regardless, a crisis can actually be a fruitful opportunity to precipitate change in an abusers life. Because drug abusers are often very ambivalent about giving up abusing drugs, it may take a crisis for theRead MoreEssay Drug Abuse and Mental Health 1194 Words   |  5 Pagesthe person with a mental disorder. When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs; these changes are what lead to compulsive drug use. Drug abuse plays a major role when concerning mental heal th. It is very difficult for these individuals to engage in treatment. Diagnosis for a treatment is difficult because it takes time to disengage the interacting effects of substance abuse and the mental illness. It may also be difficult for substanceRead MoreThe Effects Of Drug Addiction On Children1506 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction When an individual is struggling with drug addiction problems, the family is affected physically, mentally, and emotionally. The disease not only changes the addict’s whole life, but it changes the lives of their family members as parents get torn apart from themselves and each other. The role of each family member begins to shape around what is in the best interest of the addict. This research paper is an overview of the effects that raising a drug addicted child has on parent’s ability toRead MoreHomelessness : A Serious Social Problem1464 Words   |  6 PagesHomelessness is a serious social problem in most American cities. Homeless people are those who sleep in the open air or in provisional accommodation such as shelters or hotels, have no settlement after expulsion or release from jail or hospital, or dwell provisionally with relatives or friends on account of shortage of housing (Crane et al. 154-155). American economy has developed very fast since 1980s, but homeless population has been increasing. They seem to be seen here and there in public placeRead MoreThe Abuse Of Drugs And Alcohol1146 Words   |  5 Pagespaper examines how the abuse of drugs and alcohol can drastically alter the dynamics of the family as a whole. Addiction is a chronic disorder that tears families apart as it destroys the individuals themselves. There is a thin line that family members walk in order to function with an addict daily. The impact that family member have can either be a positive facilitator towards the addicts recovery or the family can become drawn into the addicts world of abuse and addiction. There are various assortedRead MoreAlcohol Advertising Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesAlcohol Advertising Millions of Americans suffers from the effects of alcohol and drug abuse. It can shatter lives, brake families, and to rob people of their dreams for the future. Once alcoholism or drug addiction begins, an individuals problems not only dont go away, but their mental well being as well as physical ability continues to diminish from the immediate and long-term adverse effects from the drugs and alcohol abuse. Is it really true that advertising increases alcohol consumptionRead MoreDrug Abuse1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of and abuse of illegal and prescription drugs are a health, social, and law enforcement problem that is affecting Americans across the country. Drug abuse is destroying the lives of many teens and adults and is also destroying families in the United States. The use of drugs is a major problem in the United States among all Americans, but drug addiction is the main cause for America s troubled teens today. Exactly what is a drug? A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeuticRead MoreDrug Abuse and Addiction Essay1324 Words   |  6 PagesDrugs affect people in many different ways. One person can take abuse drugs, yet never become addicted, while another person has one experience and is immediately hooked to that drug. Drug addiction is defined as a dependence on an illegal drug, or medication. When you are addicted, you cannot control your drug use despite the fact that you know the consequences. The scary thing is that drug addiction can cause a major intense craving of drugs. Even though you want to stop, most people can’t do itRead MoreDrug Abuse And Addiction : Drugs977 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse/addiction Jeremy Graham May 11, 2015 Period, 5 Drug abuse and addiction Drug abuse/addiction is a major problem in Indiana that affects many individual. Several solutions such as rehab and drug classes have been tried. Yet, the best solution is taking drug classes. Many people do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Comparing Othello by William Shakespeare and the Film Othello free essay sample

An update of Shakespeares Othello with a young cast, set in a high school and centered around basketball player Odin. Director: Tim Blake Nelson Writers: William Shakespeare (play), Brad Kaaya (screenplay) Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan The film starts during a basketball game. At the last minute Odin scores the basket that wins the game for his team. Later at an awards ceremony Duke presents the MVP award to Odin for his efforts, an award he shares with Michael. At a party celebrating the victory, Hugo plans with Roger to tell Desis father that Odin raped her in order to split them up so that Roger can woo her. Roger, however, is only a pawn in Hugos ultimate plan to destroy Odin. Later in another game Odins team wins once again. At the celebration party, Hugo engineers a fight between Roger and a very drunk Michael, who is temporarily suspended from the team. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Othello by William Shakespeare and the Film Othello or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hugo tells Michael to ingratiate himself with Desi so that she will talk to Odin on his behalf. Soon afterward, Hugo tells Odin that Desi and Michael have been spending a lot of time together, and that she may be cheating on him. Odin doesnt believe this at first, but gradually comes to suspect them. Odin questions Desi, but she calms him down and he believes her. In the meantime, Hugo manipulates Emily into stealing a scarf for him that Odin had given to Desi. Hugo, in turn, gives it to Michael in hopes that Odin will believe that Desi gave Michael the scarf, and so is cheating on him. Meanwhile, Desi and Odin are having passionate sex at a motel. During their lovemaking, Odin sees an image of Michael on top of Desi in the mirror; angered, he becomes very rough with Desi, to the point that she cries out for him to stop, a plea he ignores. Afterward, they lie together staring in opposite directions. After a dunk contest in which Odin himself performs a dunk that pulls the rim and breaks the glass backboard and assaults a ball boy, Hugo tells Odin about the scarf, convincing him that Desi is cheating on him. Enraged, Odin vows to kill her; Hugo then promises to kill Michael. Hugo, with Odin and Roger, plans to kill Michael and Desi. Hugo and Roger attempt to kill Michael in a carjacking, but it does not go as planned: Roger and Michael struggle, Hugo hits Michael with a crowbar, knocking him unconscious. Roger shoots Michael in the leg, and then Hugo turns the gun on Roger and makes him shoot himself after telling him that Desi is dead. Odin and Desi are in Desis room talking and Odin is pretending to make up with her. They are making out on the bed when suddenly Odin attacks her; she fights back, but he finally strangles her. Emily rushes into the room and sees Desis body; she soon finds out what Hugo has done. She begins telling Odin that Hugo told her to steal the scarf and exposes his plot. Hugo tells her to shut up, but she refuses, so he shoots and kills her. Odin finally realizes that Hugo has been manipulating him the entire time, and demands to know why; Hugo refuses to answer. When the police arrive, Odin tells them what happened, and commits suicide, shooting himself in the heart. The story ends with Hugo being taken into police custody, saying (in voice over) that he will have his day in the spotlight. Mekhi Phifer as Odin James The star basketball player, who gets more attention from Hugos dad than Hugo. He is also dating Desi. Josh Hartnett as Hugo Goulding The son of coach Duke Goulding, and jealous of Odins attention from his father. Julia Stiles as Desi Brable Odins girlfriend Andrew Keegan as Michael Cassio The overshadowed star on the basketball team because of Odin. Rain Phoenix as Emily Friend of Desi. Elden Henson as Roger Calhoun A kid bullied at school who is picked on by Michael. Martin Sheen as Coach Duke Goulding, the coach of the Hawks. Father of Hugo. John Heard as Dean Bob Brable Father of Desi. Rachel Shumate as Brandy Michaels love interest. Box office

Sunday, April 12, 2020

The Cocktail Waitress Analysis free essay sample

Spradley and Mann chose to do their research at Brady’s bar because it is an ordinary setting where they could study interactions between male and female. First, Brady’s Bar provided a setting to define the female role. Secondly, it is a place where both male and female interactions are important and reflect traditional aspects of larger society. Lastly, the traditional aspects of Brady’s signified the traditional view of how women should present themselves as passive sex objects whose status is of lower hierarchy than men. There are three ethnographical principles that guided the study at Brady’s Bar. The first principle states that â€Å"Every human group creates its own reality, a shared culture† (6). This concept was put in place throughout the research by gaining an understanding of the waitress’s backgrounds before working at Brady’s and studying how the employees work and view their status to the bar. We will write a custom essay sample on The Cocktail Waitress Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This principle was also applied when the researchers studied the setting of the bar and how the employees, customers, and waitress interacted with one another. The second principle states that â€Å"Everyone takes their own culture for granted† (7). This principle was applied when studying the male and female roles at Brady’s, the many verbal and non-verbal interactions that occurred between the waitresses, bartenders, and customers, and through the language that was used at Brady’s. The last principle that guided the research done at Brady’s bar states that â€Å"There is frequently more than one cultural perspective for any social situation. This principle was applied when researching the differences between male and female customers, male and female roles, male and female tasks, and when studying the differences between regular customers and customers off the street. Each of these people viewed the social situation differently and was shown through their actions. 2. During the investigation at Brady’s Bar there were five research objections. The first objective was to study the division of labor that took place at Brady’s by examining the major tasks of the cocktail waitresses and the other employees. At Brady’s the jobs done by male and female employees signified their position as either male or female. Although, sometimes the waitresses were granted the opportunity to do a male’s work, men never did the women’s work. Researching this particular objective showed that the role of the cocktail waitresses was to always ensure that they present themselves in a way that does not justify the men’s status of hierarchy. The next research objective was analyzing the formal structure of Brady’s bar, the social networks that that took place, and how the social structure reinforces the male and female values in American culture. Due to the fact that there are a variety of customers who all present themselves differently, the waitresses must be able to identify these differences and appropriately interact with each of them. With this, it is important that the waitress is aware of the social hierarchy that is presented at Brady’s and also where she stands in this hierarchy The third objective that was researched at Brady’s Bar was the joking relationship that took place in order to resolve the structural conflict. The structural conflict presented at Brady’s is due to the waitress’s low status in the bar. She is always to ensure that the bartender is satisfied even if it makes her job harder. Although, she may have hard feelings about this, the joking relationship between the waitresses and bartenders helps to create a positive bond between them. The bonds that form from this joking relationship, helps the waitress feel at ease, respect the bartenders, and creates a sense of dependency to the bartenders. The fourth objective researched at Brady’s was to examine the nature of territory at the bar and how it affects the waitress and other female customers. In Brady’s territory is split between the bartenders, the waitresses, and the customers. The bartender’s territory is behind the bar, the waitress’s territory is the waitress station, and the customer’s territory is the rest of the space. The space given to the bartenders is secluded to only them and is only, rarely, invaded with his approval. Whereas, the space provided for the waitress’s is often invaded by both the costumers and the bartenders. Even though the space given to the customers is also where the waitress must work it is often hard for the waitress to move through customers due to their carelessness of her presence. When the waitress’s space is invaded or when they are held back from doing their job they must always remain passive. The last objective researched at Brady’s was to determine the ways that people ask for drinks and how these ways reflect nteractions between male and female. Drinks are asked for in several ways that often make the waitress’s job much harder. In order to serve the customer to his/her satisfaction the waitress must have knowledge of all drinks served at Brady’s, be able to make corrections on any order that is stated incorrectly, give orders to the bartender in the correct way, and respond to interactions appropriately. Again, this objective shows that the role of the waitress is to ensure the satisfaction of the bartender as well the customer in any given situation. The authors used participant observation and interview to do this research. I think the method of field work that provided the most insightful information was the method of participant observation. By watching how each person communicated, in any given setting, the authors were able to clearly show how the male and female roles varying within the bar and the meaning behind these roles. With this, by studying the interactions of people within Brady’s the authors were also able to show how these stereotypes of male and female roles are presented in the aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication. . I would define bar culture as an experience for males and females to interact in a community of people who are all present for similar reasons. Bar culture is adaptive and is expressed by patterns of learned behaviors and shared behaviors. There are many types of customers that go to bars and each one has the ability to experience bar life. Weather the person is new to the bar; he/she can easily learn how to act appropriately in many different situations by simply observing the behaviors of others around them. Although, bar culture is a place to provide such experiences, it also establishes hierarchies and presents symbolism between male and female roles that are also present in everyday culture. Bar culture follows the philosophical views of idealism and materialism through its social structure. Lastly, bar culture provides a place where people can express their human agency. This is because at the bar, people are able to take control of their life in ways they may not be able to in their everyday lives. 4. I have chosen Sharon and Denise to compare and contrast. First, Sharon is the only waitress at Brady’s who has experience in working in a bar and has worked at Brady’s Bar much longer than any of the other girls. Sharon had two jobs, one at Brady’s Bar and the other as a secretary for Acme Insurance Company. Sharon did not attend college and did not enjoy her job at the insurance company nor interact with the employees there. Her job at the insurance company was much different than at Brady’s. She was not used to the language or interactions that she faced at Brady’s when she first started but she quickly got used to it. Brady’s offered a family and she enjoyed working there much more then at her other job. Other waitresses at Brady’s often looked to Sharon for advice or information due to the fact that she had been working there much longer. Sharon was liked by most of the girls but did not get too involved in personal interactions with them. Because Sharon had been working at Brady’s longer than the other girls, she felt she had more authority on calling the shots for which part of the bar she wanted to work in. This often annoyed the girls. Although, Sharon quickly learned how to interact with customers, by not going to college she may have struggled a little more than other girls because college can help people loosen up around others they don’t know or situations they are unsure of. Denise, on the other hand, attended college and applied for the job at Brady’s while she was working at a bank. Brady’s was her first experience as a cocktail waitress. On her first day, she felt scared and unsure of herself. Like Sharon, Denise did not know how to handle the language or the customers. She was unsure of how she was supposed to work in an environment that was as dark as Brady’s. As the night went on, she quickly become accustomed to the dark atmosphere. At first it was hard for her to acquire all the skills necessary to complete her tasks as a waitress. Soon enough, just as Sharon, she was able to perform as a â€Å"good† waitress would and learned how to deal with customers. Unlike Sharon, Denise may have had an easier time adjusting to customers and certain situations because she attended college and may have been exposed to similar situations. 5. The relationship between the waitress’s and their managers is important when working at Brady’s Bar. Since the managers are at the top of the hierarchy, the waitresses must serve to his satisfaction. All the girls at Brady’s respect the managers and pay close attention to their presence and instructions. The waitresses rarely come in contact with the managers, unless he is also a bartender, but when they do, they are all aware of his importance. If a manager is also a bartender the girls will submit to his authority but may also talk back or argue with him. The managers may watch the girls working and give them compliments or any other feedback necessary. If given a compliment by the manager, the waitress feels a strong sense of gratitude. If the manager does otherwise, the waitress still remains gracious and assertive to his requests. The relationship between the waitresses and the bartenders is similar to the relationships between the managers and waitresses. Since he is a bartender, the waitresses are able to talk back, argue, or joke with him but will still obey by his rules because he is of higher status then the waitresses. The relationship between them is often very strong because they each depend on each other in order to do their job and also for moral support. Although, the bartenders may joke or tease the waitresses, they provide her with a sense of acceptance and appreciation by giving her compliments or emphasizing his role as a care taker when needed. The relationships between the male customers and the waitresses vary depending on the type of customer. If the customer is considered to be a regular of the bar, she will accept any sexual remarks he may direct toward her rather than perceive the situation as inappropriate or annoying. Often times she will spend more time with a regular customer than a customer off the street. When a regular enters the bar she notices him and automatically brings him his usual drink or another drink if asked too. Regular customers also create a sense of dependency for the waitresses because they will also play the care taker role if needed. If the customer is a male off the street the relationship is not as significant. The waitresses will satisfy his needs but in a less direct way then regular customers. If a male customer off the street is inappropriate she will passively reject his attempt and may avoid the customer as much as possible. Whether the customer is a regular male customer or just a male customer off the street, the relationship between them and the waitresses is much stronger than any relationship between her and the women customers. This is because men make serving drinks much easier than women. The relationships between the waitresses and her female customers are much different than the other relationships. This is because females make the waitress’s job difficult due to their inability to order drinks simply, without a lot of questions. Also, female customers do not order in rounds, they pay separately, and are never satisfied. When waitresses receive a table of girls they are not pleased. The waitresses often refer to the female customers in negative connotations and do not spend as much time tending to them as they do with male customers. Relationships between the waitresses and her male employees, and the relationships between her and the female and male customers are significant to her work and status. The relationships may make her feel comfortable or uncomfortable and may make her job easier or harder. Unlike, the presence of women, the male presence is always dominant at Brady’s and is to be kept that way. This hidden rule defines the role of the waitresses and with the help of her many relationships she is able to appropriately present herself under any circumstance. 6. When asking for a drink at Brady’s Bar, there are several ways to go about this. First, men may ask for drinks while invading the waitress’s space by touching them or by using sexual remarks. If the waitress is not close enough to them the men may speak quietly so she has to bend over and they are then able to touch her. Even after the waitress rejects him he may continue this type of behavior throughout the night. Asking for drinks in this manner makes the male customer feel that he is achieving qualities of manliness. With this, the men are able to express their fantasies while gaining acceptance into the manhood that is present at Brady’s. Secondly, tone of voice is significant when asking for a drink. Asking for a drink in the right tone of voice may help the customer achieve his/her goals. For example, when a customer ask for a drink in a quiet unconfident way the waitress may sense that he/she is either not yet experienced in bar life or that he/she is underage. By asking for a drink with a confident tone of voice the customer might hide the fact that he/she is underage or not yet experienced. With this, the type of drink that is order also signifies the customer’s knowledge of bar life and again achieve his/her goals. As a man in the bar it is important to present himself in the right way to ensure his manliness and acceptance. By asking for the right drink with the correct tone he is able to achieve these important qualities. Next, ordering the â€Å"right† drink is important for men to ensure their manliness. If a man was to order a girl drink, such as a Pink Lady, he would be perceived as weird or girly furthermore masking his manly qualities. By ordering a girly drink for someone else the man ordering feels powerful for the fact that he is joking about homosexuality in front of the waitress and other members of the bar. Because this is done in a humorous content no one has doubt about the masculinity of the man ordering or receiving the drink. Reciprocal exchange is another that customers can ask for drinks. This type of order is when a customer will order a drink for another person in the bar for whatever reason. This implies that the customer knows other people in the bar; furthermore, expressing their ties amongst the social networks at Brady’s. By giving or receiving drinks, both customers have announced their membership and gain acceptance. When a customer is a regular he/she may order drinks nonverbally simply through his/her presence or through a gesture of the hand or by nodding the head. Asking for a drink in this fashion announces his/her status to the bar. On occasion male customers may chose to express their drinking habits through drinking contests. Participating in a drinking contest proves that the customer can handle his alcohol and has social ties with others in the bar. Drinking contests symbolize his masculine traits through his willingness to compete and ability to hold his alcohol. Drinking contests brings male customers together, while women customers never participate in such contests. Finally, location is important when trying to achieve a high status, masculine qualities, or when trying to express one’s experience to bar life. Sitting at the bar implies that he is a man and is not to be questioned. Sitting at a table implies that the drinker has less experience or in certain cases the drinker is not of age. Women rarely never sit at the bar because they do not perceive bar life in the same meaning as men. 7. Tasks performed by male and female employees at Brady’s Bar are significant to the gender stereotyping we often see in our everyday lives. Men are giving roles that are perceived as more important roles and women are giving roles that are less importance and support the men’s roles. At Brady’s the waitress’s tasks include taking orders, giving orders, collecting payments, clearing empty tables, and emptying ash trays. The men’s tasks include taking orders from customers located at the bar, serving those customers, washing empty glasses, handling the money or other business transactions, and tidying the bar counter. While women express gratitude when giving the opportunity to do a man’s work, the men never do the women’s work because it would degrade their manly status. Within these tasks, there are other smaller tasks that are also performed. For example, the waitress not only needs to remember the drinks that have been ordered but she needs to present the order in a way that makes it easier for the bartender. She also has to do any other tasks that are asked by the bartender. Although, the customer is of importance, the bartender is always first priority. When bringing drinks back to the table she must also try to squeeze her way through customers without spilling any drinks. Unlike, the tasks performed by the waitresses, the men’s job stay the same each day and he is never asked to do anything other than his normal duties. 8. Although, this research was done in 1970 I believe that the author’s findings about gender roles, stereotyping, social positions, and statuses of men and women remain true in today’s culture. For example, men today are still getting paid more than women even if the woman qualifies for the job in the exact same way as the man does. This is because the roles of men in the workforce are still considered more important than the women’s roles in the workforce. There is still a hidden rule that takes place today stating that women should present themselves as passive but efficient in any situation. While men are able to inappropriately touch women or make sexual remarks, women are not supposed to seem appalled by it though they have been clearly disrespected. Men usually dominate most social interactions weather at home, work, or in a bar. 9. I enjoyed reading this book because I feel the ethnography was done very well. The authors provided good information and explained the reasons for doing such studies thoroughly while also explaining the message of the research very well. The ethnography was very structured and captured many observations that can be transformed to American culture and our everyday lives.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Abenaki Life essays

Abenaki Life essays The Abenaki placed their villages near large water sources. The villages were made up of cornfields, cemeteries, family residencesand specialized buildings and spaces (the main area), and special huts andcamps. Groups of trails connected thedifferent parts of the village together. TheAbenaki spent some of the year in the main village. Here there were many bark houses with fires inside and holes inthe top for the smoke to come out. Their furniture consisted of woven mats, braches covered with hides, andmany furs for bedding. The longhouseswere large multiple family dwellings which housed 30-60 people. They used someof the special buildings for rituals, the shamans hut, and the sweat lodge.They would spend winter here, and would hunt and gather to survive. Summer would also be spent here, improvingthe village. There were not manyproblems in village life until European invasions. Therewere many seasonal camps for the Abenaki. In the early spring, they would go to camps to collect different kindsof bark and other building materials. They gathered different types of wood and bark for roofs, weapons,tools, and other necessary items. Inmid-spring the Abenaki would go to fishing camps. Since many of the villages were close to large water sources,people could often go home after a day of fishing. There was always plenty of fish and the leftover ones were storedin the main village. When the leavesbegin to turn (at the beginning of autumn) the Abenaki went to huntingcamps. They used bow and arrow, knife,lance hunting dogs, and later rifles. They hunted moose, deer, and bear. The women would skin and prepare the animals and the men would hunt. Thespecialized areas in the village were the council house, the dance ground, theshamans hut, the sweat lodge, the cemeteries, fields, and rock chambers. The council house usually faced the dancingground. Outside the house was the chief...

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Management - Assignment Example This has led to the growth of tremendous competition in the world wide markets among various fast foods brands in quick service or packaged formats. In this particular assignment, the focus is laid on Dominos Pizza, which is considered as the leader in the pizza delivery business in the US on the basis of consumer spending and occupies the second position in the globe, while comparing in terms of sales (Annual Report, Item 1). The company, founded in the year 1960, provides quality products that are made available to the consumers at affordable prices with excellence in product delivery (Dominos.com, 2008). I. Marketing Mix The marketing mix of a company increasingly talks about the process of value generation, value communication, value distribution and value capture through the 4 P’s of marketing which is commonly represented as product, place, promotion and price. Product The world’s second largest pizza company in the world in terms of volume has a highly diversifie d line of product portfolio. The company’s main product offerings are mostly the diversified kinds of pizzas that help the company to cater to the hunger needs of the consumers belonging to the mass markets by providing the required and desired nutritional food value through its food products to the customers. Apart from the basic product offering of pizzas, the globally present pizza manufacturer and delivery brand focuses on the process of value generation, value distribution and value capture through a widely diversified portfolio comprising of various categories of product like pasta, breads, chicken products, sandwiches, chips, drinks, deserts as well as some by product type auxiliary offerings. It also needs to be mentioned that in an attempt to service and cater to the needs of the customers in a better manner, the company also allows the consumers and customers to opt for customized product offering depending on their personal choice and preferences. Among each of the se diversified product lines, the company has various product variants which helps their product appeal to a broad range of customers in the American region as well as in various countries all over the globe. Place The largest pizza delivery company in the US follows a very generalized yet highly well developed and advanced model for the process of distributing value to the consumers. The company follows the strategy of expanding and entering in various markets through the process of offering franchisees. By the process of offering franchisees in various markets, the company gets the option for going for both intensive as well as exhaustive distribution of products. As of today’s date, the company has presence in various locations all over the globe with a store count of more than 9000 worldwide (Annual Report, p. 14). Promotion The company uses a mix of online and offline processes for promoting its products. For the purpose of increasing product and brand awareness in new m arkets, the brand goes for exploiting traditional promotional media like the television, hoardings, banners, newspaper ads, etc. The company also goes for in store promotions like offering discounts, coupons, value for money combo packs to promote its

Friday, February 7, 2020

The European Union Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The European Union - Case Study Example As a market on its own, the EU becomes significant because of the large population, the availability of resources and the production opportunities which are present in the region. Of course the EU may not have the lucrative advantages that could be offered by China or other Asian countries but it does have the infrastructure in many places to support business at a level which countries such as India or even China may not be able to provide. Additionally, as a democratic force and as an international body, the European Union is unique amongst its peers since it has a very complex and highly evolved system of creating and establishing its democracy. Since the treaties of Paris and Rome, the body has been creating, expanding and explaining the democratic principles that have led to its inception. Even though the system designed by the stalwarts of the EU is held in high regard by many critics, there are those who say that the system produced by the organisation is cumbersome, a hindrance to the economy, non-transparent and does not take into account the sprit of democracy. Therefore, on issues such as the Iraq war and other points which can lead nations to be divided, the EU loses some of its bite because different countries within the union may have different opinions on how the matter should be dealt with. Additionally, the larger powers within the EU often have more weight in international matters than smaller powers. For example, political support for a war which comes from France and Germany has a lot more value than opposition with comes from Romania or Italy. Even the EU itself realises that the balance of power between countries as it had been maintained by the treaties needs to reflect in the ways it deals with the world if it has to have a significant global impact. The current distribution gives too much power to smaller members and it has been pointed out that when the EU increases its number to 25 members, the group of seven smallest countries would represent only 1.25% of the total EU GDP while they will have more voting rights than the six largest member countries that contribute more than 80% of the total GDP (Hain, 2003). Such inequalities will certainly create and increase democratic issues and may be a threat to the stability of the union as a whole. On the other hand, the economic value of a country adds to the political clout that country has within the European Union even if the application of the one country, one vote rule remains firm. With that idea, the wishes of the majority of the countries are represented and turned into laws while the majority of individual Europeans living in those countries may be against the creation of that very same law (Beetham & Lord, 1998). In a way it represents the same issues which the American presidential election system faces where a majority of votes from the general public may be defeated by a majority of votes in the Electoral College. This democratic deficit weakens the position of the EU as a law making body and a force for the unification of the continent. For example, the European draft constitution, when it was presented, was given very diverse views from the member nations. The UK opinion was to look at

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Redemtive Vilonce in the Odyssey by Homer Essay Example for Free

Redemtive Vilonce in the Odyssey by Homer Essay The myth of redemptive violence is one that is told throughout history. It is one in which violence is the creator. Whether it be creation of the cosmos, peace, or some other result, in this myth violence results in redemption. This myth has been imbedded in our society to such a degree that it is naturalized and accepted as the way things are without much reflection. For example, many Christians probably dont contemplate the ways redemptive violence is at the heart of their religion. A classic example of the myth of redemptive violence is found in the elaborate poem The Odyssey. Many elements of violence and how we associate with violence are explored within the multitude of pages of this tale. In book nine Odysseus has to confront Polythemus, the Cyclops who is Poseidon’s son. Odysseus and his men where trapped within Polythemus’s cave, which had wine and other luxuries in it. But the Cyclops is intent on eating every last one of them and saving Odysseus, or â€Å"Nohbdy,† as Odysseus presented himself to the Cyclops, for last. Odysseus later blinds Polythemus with a burning stick, leaving him aggrieved and in pain. Writhing in pain, he opens the rock, letting Odysseus’s crew escape. This is just a primal form of the myth, but by injuring Polythemus Odysseys is released, illustrating the productive side of violence. In book ten Odysseus finds himself on the island of Aeolus, which is occupied by the witch Circe. She lures Odysseus’s men into her house and turns them into swine. Odysseus, who has an antidote to the witch’s drugs given to him by the god Hermes, is immune to the witchs drugs and threatens her with the violence of his sword and she takes him to her bed where he persuaded her to change back his men. This tale within The Odyssey is one of violence such those Walter Wink wrote about in The Myth of Redemptive Violence. He writes, â€Å"cosmic order requires the violent suppression of the feminine and is mirrored in the social order by the subjugation of women to men and people to ruler. † Wink goes on to explain that this pattern can be found in Greek myths and in a range of other cultural expressions through history, right up to cartoons in modern day media. Central to this version f the myth is the suppression of powerful females, and their bodies are laid out to create the cosmos in some cases. The Odyssey provides a classic example: Circe, a powerful temptress, is subdued by Odysseus’s threat of violence, therefore placing Odysseus socially above her. Throughout the book Odysseus is faced with endless hardships. He is thrown through massive and relentless life threatening ordeals. He then comes home and finds that he must compete for his wife. These travails poin t toward paradoxes in the human condition. At times, we crave pain and it allows us to associate our inner evils and our violence, and that is exactly what The Odyssey does. As Wink stated in his analysis of a cartoon, â€Å"the ‘Tammuz’ element where the hero suffers – actually consumes all but the closing minutes, allowing ample time for indulging the violent side of the self. When the good guy finally wins, viewers are then able to reassert control over their inner tendencies, repress them, and re-establish a sense of goodness †¦Ã¢â‚¬  We get a good look at this process in The Odyssey, especially when Penelope asks, how do you move the bed? Odysseus replies, you can’t because I fashioned it out of a live olive tree, proving that he was truly Odysseus. The Odyssey is filled with redemptive violence, whether it be against Troy, Scally and Charibdys, Circe, and, most notably, the slaughtering of the suitors. The violence is not all just straight forward, there are power hierarchies, complex relationships, and other factors to account for in viewing violence in this incredible story.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Essay --

A person that avoids any animal products, as in any meats or animal-derived foods is considered a vegetarian. This is the general classification of a vegetarian. It is a challenge to classify a vegetarian; many variations were created to suit certain diets. Lactovegetarians are vegetarians that consume milk and dairy products. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy products, and some do consume honey. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians exclude meats and seafood’s but consume dairy products and eggs. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian eating pattern also consists of legumes, seeds and nuts. Vegans are the only pure vegetarians; they exclude all animal derived foods. There are also people that classify themselves as near vegetarians, for example macrobiotic diets. The macrobiotic diet consists mostly grains, legumes and vegetables and limited amounts of fish. There is also an instance where people will adopt being a vegetarian occasionally; this is called being a flexitarian. Appropriately planned vegetarian diets can be essential to any one, in any stage of their life. Vegetarian diets are associated with lower risks of cancer, death from ischemic heart disease or any cardiovascular disease. Also lower body mass index (BMI), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, low blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension than those of which are non-vegetarians. Kidney and liver conditions can tell a person whether or not adopting a vegetarian diet can be helpful for their conditions. Those that exhibit lower levels of protein, phosphorus, sodium, manganese, and have an abundant amount of zinc and potassium are better suited to diets that focuses on meats, those that show signs of the opposite levels, are better suited to adopt vegetarianism. However it ... ...results in longer lives. There are many factors to why some want be vegetarians. Many believe that it is more ethical to become vegetarian. That warm-blooded animals being slaughtered have emotions and connections and are sacrificed to satisfy the decedent meat eating lifestyle. Or let it be that we are supporting many genetically modified crops and feeding them to the animals we eat; only supporting an artificial lifecycle. Many vegetarians are born into the lifestyle; most people from India are vegetarians because of the animals they worship. It is called the Asian –Indian diets, which is predominantly lacto-vegetarian. Many choose the lifestyle because of health concerns and concerns of the environment; that we are a product of our environment. What ever we take from the world or put into it is the reason there are so many health problems, like a circle of life.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

I Miss your Beauty and Vibes Essay

â€Å"A Mixed Tex-Cal marriage,† an article written by the author Jose Burciaga, Texan, tells us about his new life after getting married to a Californian woman, Cecilia. At first, the author tells that he thought that he and his wife have common ideas and beliefs because they were both Chicanos. Then, he shows that he was surprised when he noticed the different customs and ideas he and his wife have because they were from different grounds. They lived for a couple of years in Washington, DC and Alexandra, Virginia, then, they settled in California near the beaches and the soft weather. The writer argues that Texas Chicanos are more attached with their traditions than Californian Chicanos who show more Americanization. After some years, he grew to like California food and drink, but still missed the weather and the smell of Texas. From Burciaga s’ article, I can understand what he went through to get used to Californian traditions. Like him, I also miss my native land. Despite the beauty and extra opportunities in Chicago, my heart still aches for Oran. Oran is a wonderful city located in the northwest of Algeria, known for its beautiful beaches and food. Chicago to me is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its beautiful tall buildings, green spices. However, Burciaga was satisfied with the weather of California, like he says,† I am totally spoiled and laid-back in Northern Califias†, In contrast it was hard for me in getting used to the cold weather of Chicago. In fact, the difference between Oran and Chicago is evident in weather, beauty, movement and food. First, the weather of Oran is often beautiful and mild. In autumn, when we are on our way to school, the wind blows softly and rapidly as if its spirit is pushing me to be on time. When going back home at 12 pm for lunch the weather is warm, the sun sparkles, the birds sing, we’d think spring has already come. However, most of the autumn nights were horrible because the wind blew strongly; it sounds like bad spirits are trying to unlock the windows. By the winter the rain fell mostly at night, the buildings seem freshly washed and the roads are already dried in the mornings but the weather is cold. Stepping to March, the gardens and forests become green and full of flowers. Once May is over, the summer is already there. The weather is warm but not stifling and the sea at the beaches is sparkling and full of life with many swimmers. This is in contrast to Chicago where the weather is often unacceptable. In the winter, when I am outside, I am afraid that I will lose feeling in my legs when the freezing sensation emerges from the soft snow. Autumn in Chicago is a lovely, pale, orange view with the golden leaves covering the streets. It is disappointing when most of springy days are cloudy and rainy. Fortunately, we can see the mild warm weather during summer in Chicago. Second, Oran is a small, pretty city full of life. From a distance you can see the long green balcony along the city center next to the short pretty buildings engraved from top to bottom. Going through the city center, cafes are already full and active at 9 am and the roads are busy with the noisy cars. I lived in Bir El Djir, a quiet neighborhood 28 Km far from the city center. Bir El Dgir is a luxury neighborhood full of villas. From the window of our kitchen, I could see our beautiful garden and our neighbors’ gardens too, I could also overhear their conversations and shouting. I felt always happy and full of life in this lively environment. It is quite different in Chicago, a big wonderful city with more stillness. Downtown Chicago is a wide stretch of tall buildings, we notice any clutter or cracks in the roads, every building and road is shiny and neat, the luxurious clothes and furniture are apparent from the stores’ wide show cases. Tourists hang their shopping bags; they seem fascinated by the beauty of Chicago. Third,Oran is a city of Haute Cuisine. Along all the big avenues of Oran, the savory sweet smell of pastry travels from the bakeries. Approaching a bakery, our eyes are stunned with the colorful cookies. In front of the showcase, we can’t choose between the attractive pieces of pastry. I remember one of the soft chocolate pastries I once picked, covered with frothy cream; as much as I describe it can tell how it really tastes. Unlike Chicago, the land of immigration, where restaurants offer many food traditions. For example, I have been once in Us’mania , an Indian restaurant, where I tasted Biryani, a tasty spicy rice with chicken. Also, we go often to Pita Inn, a Lebanese restaurant where we like to order Shawarma, a thin long piece of grilled chicken, salad and tomato twisted in a thin bred. I am glad to discover many foreign traditions; I feel that I have visited many countries. In conclusion, Chicago is very cold in the winter, but I appreciate the magical time of snow falling. When skating in the ice rink, I feel like flying in the air. Downtown Chicago, is a magnificent place that i dream to visit every day; however, I always think about the lively activity of Oran and miss the savory pizza and dishes.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

What is life cycle management and how it impacts us - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 18 Words: 5319 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Why life-cycle management? A convenient way of understanding the issues that underlie life-cycle thinking is through the notion of our footprint on the planet. Some footprints such as carbon, water, and energy can be quantified. Other more ecological footprints resist calculation although they remain a useful general concept in discussion. A footprint is taken to be the total effect of all the steps in the life-chain of products and materials we consume (Wikipedia, 2009). A more holistic management of these accumulated impacts is a prerequisite for achieving a sustainable lifestyle that is within the resource capacity of our planet. For a better understanding of issues that underlie life-cycle is through the notion of footprint on the planet. Some of them include carbon, water, and energy which can be quantified. A footprint is taken to be total effect of all the steps in the life- chain of products and materials we consume. A more holistic management of these impacts is a prerequisite for achieving a sus tainable lifestyle which is within the resource capacity of our planet. Most of the environmental impact we see today is due to the surprisingly low resource efficiency of our modern society. Overall, only about 6 per cent of total resource consumption goes into the final manufactured product. The other 94 per cent is discarded as (unwanted) by-product at various places along the production-consumption cycle (Senge et al. 2002). Wasteful technologies and throwaway products are often highlighted as the principal problems. However, the root cause of inefficiencies is also the uncoordinated nature of the value chains. Optimization of individual steps does not necessarily lead to a reduction of the biggest impact, nor does it result in an optimization of the system as a whole. In many cases, impacts are simply pushed along the life-chain, rather than being mitigated in any real way. A simple example below illustrates this problem in a practical way: Leather tanners who purchased r aw hides from foreign sources for processing regularly found themselves out of regulatory compliance with respect to pesticide levels in their wastewater. Pesticides are added by cattle farmers and slaughterhouses to protect the freshly skinned hides from bacterial and insect attack. The embedded chemicals pass along the entire value-chain in the leather industry and some end up in wastewater wherever a washing stage occurs. There was no intra-sector communication and negotiation framework to solve this problem, as each link in the value-chain acted independently. Ultimately the added cost of sophisticated wastewater treatment at the tanning stage exceeded the value of the product, and contributed to the decline of the industry in the UK. The problem could have been solved if life-cycle management systems had been in place. An industry-wide initiative relating to chemical use throughout the product cycle could have been negotiated. Individual tanners could have spent more time manag ing their supply-chain. Government regulation could have addressed the root causes, i.e. slaughterhouse practice, rather than applying wastewater standards at the tanning end-point. Lack of appreciation of the life-cycle management concept and the absence of a life-chain partnership meant that none of the above were applied at the time. This type of burden shifting situation is common in many industries. To better understand the structure of the possible solutions, we need to briefly look at the foundations of LCM and the principles on which they are based. Most of the environmental impact seen is because of low resource efficiency of the society. Wasteful technologies and throwaway products are often the problems. However the main problem is also due to lack of coordination in the value chains. Optimization of individuala steps always do not lead to reduction of the impacts, as it just pushes it along the life chain rather than mitigating it. Life-cycle management framewor k and concepts The various definitions of life-cycle management often reflect the particular viewpoints of different stakeholders. According to UNEP life-cycle management (LCM) is a product management system aiming to minimize environmental and socioeconomic burdens . . . during the entire life-cycle . . . [relying on] . . . collaboration and communication with all stakeholders in the value chain. This simple notion belies the difficulties in its implementation. Figure 1 from the food sector gives an indication of the challenge involved. It clearly shows the complex materials that flow in our food supply and where various types of environmental impact occur. LCM works with partners at all these points to effectuate both local and system-level improvements. LCM is not yet a standardized discipline, but rather it is an umbrella framework for combining and applying other management instruments in a more holistic life-chain perspective. The advantage of LCM is its ability to more explicitly take into account upstream and downstream impacts, including situations in which they are widely distributed geographically and socially. It can more easily address global issues and system dynamics than instruments designed for individual company use. A particular feature of LCM is the democratization of the management exercise through the involvement of different value-chain partners. For the present discussion, we group LCM approaches into three broad categories based on their owners. We will elaborate further on these in section 4: Organization of a holistic form of sustainability management within individual companies using, for example, supply-chain management and product design (Five Winds International, 2009). Government life-cycle policies and regulations to address system dysfunctions or to deal with certain product issues such as chemical contamination. Multi-stakeholder voluntary codes to manage sustainability issues for selected commodity ma terials and products, e.g. the Cyanide Code described in the following. In practice, there is a good deal of synergy in these approaches, and they are best used in combination, as, for example, when government regulation enables or supports industry codes or multi-stakeholder mechanisms. As few tools have been developed specifically for implementing LCM, the partners are currently obliged to draw on the existing set of corporate management instruments and government regulations to see what combination of these can be effectively applied along the entire life-chain. The more common ones (see Table I) include supply-chain management (SCM), corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental design (DFE), and product-service systems (PSS). Some organizations have packaged the most useful instruments into a toolbox (Maplecroft, 2009). As a general comment, many of the current instruments also need to evolve further if they are to play a full part in LCM. The expanded range of objectives in a full sustainable development agenda, and the need to consider the entire value-chain stretches many of them to their limit. For example, while the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GESI) has developed an electronic tool for sustainability evaluation of electronics suppliers (E-TASC, 2009). This tool considers only a part of the life-chain, often ignoring the impacts of mining the metals that the industry uses. Another example is LCA itself, which is mainly used to assess numerical parameters such as materials and energy flows, whereas the full sustainability agenda includes many non-quantifiable issues such as biodiversity and social aspects. Partnerships are at the core of LCM. There is no single procedure for identifying partners, and indeed some such as the end-consumer are frequently left out. There is still a reluctance to expand the LCM partnerships too far up and down the life-chain, partly out of fear of losing control and partly to keep the management exer cise simple. As a counter example, Figure 2 shows ALCANs vision on products in a company context. Not all corporations are yet interested in including end-consumers in their work on LCM. We can usefully illustrate the above analysis through a case study from the mining industry. This is an example of multi-stakeholder LCM, i.e. item (iii) in the preceding grouping, but the conclusions also have a more general validity: The gold mining industry uses sodium cyanide to leach gold out of crushed mineral ore. Its toxicity means that careful handling is required at all stages of its life chain. Government safety regulations spell out the standards to be followed. After the widely reported spill of 70 tons of cyanide from a mining operation into the Danube River system in 2000, the industry funded an international multi-stakeholder steering group to develop a new (life-cycle) instrument the International Code for Cyanide Management and a membership-based mechanism for its implementati on (ICMI, 2008). The code defines a formal relationship for the key LCM partners: the chemical supplier, the transporter, and the mining company. It thus constitutes a cradle to grave management process. The code incorporates safety objectives, technical standards, and operational procedures to be applied by the LCM partners. Supply-chain management ensures these standards are applied right up to the original chemical manufacturer. Independent audits and a requirement for public consultation ensure that the entire life cycle remains visible to the community. Many private mining investment decisions and government approvals now require companies to be members of this code. Companies on their side have found that the procedures of the code also make their operations more cost-effective. More than 50 per cent of world gold production now takes place by companies that are members of the code. Safety incidents have markedly decreased. But the code also has limitations. In particula r its character as a voluntary agreement means it suffers from the free-rider problem (remedied in part by the tendency of some governments to require adherence to the code as a condition of approval). There is also a problem in application to small operators who have less influence over their supply-chains. Similar experiences have been observed in natural resources, chemicals and minerals, and other sectors. LCM, when systematically applied, can be a major factor in achieving the goals of sustainable development while keeping the company competitive. Its effectiveness increases when there is a synergy between business procedures, e.g. financing, and government approvals, and is at its best when public interest groups also contribute to the arrangements. However, close management control is needed to ensure meaningful objectives to the exercise and to provide effective operational supervision. How is LCM applied now? LCM in business Firstly to make extensive use of LCM was the business sector. They used it as a way to shape its response to market competition, consumer pressure, product quality assurance, workplace and consumer safety, meeting sustainability targets etc. fig.3 shows how companies have seen the usefulness of LCM in a corporate framework. LCM is being promoted as a way of improving companies CSR programs; ex improving their products sustainability performance by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Below are given two examples of LCM companies, which emphases on product design and supply chain management respectively: As per Nokia, life cycle covers al major impacts in the life cycle of a product and thus includes the basis for all environmental activities at Nokia along with a framework for actions. Based on this. Targets are set for further improvement of environmental performance. For Nokias two primary product types i.e. the mobile phones and network equipment the life cycle profiles are different. For ne twork equipment the energy consumed during use phase and for mobiles the extraction of raw materials and productions of components have huge environmental impacts (fig.4). This perspective has led to a reduction in the material consumption for phones and today many weighing below 100gm. IKEA tries to produce home furnishing products which are low cost, little influence on environment and produced in a socially responsible way. They have developed a code of conduct that represents minimum demand to its 1600 suppliers in terms of social, environmental and work related conditions. Life cycle thinning has ensured that company is abreast of development trends and also contributes to ensure a sustainable development for IKEA itself and its suppliers. SCM factors include resource use. Sustainable forestry practices and training for employees. It is thus seen from examples that there are different options for LCM depending on the objectives of the companies. Nokia markets its products with lower embedded pollution impacts. But failed to mention social impacts ex: the mining of metals on which electronic circuitry depends, and which has actually led the industry participating in the Gesi initiative. Nokia thus is addressing selectively value chain of its products. IKEA as a distributor exercises better control over its numerous suppliers, including social impact and bio diversity criteria and waste but however it would become difficult for them in influencing suppliers of suppliers. Both examples thus illustrates major challenges facing LCM; i.e. identifying a way the length of chain necessary to resolve sustainability issues in life cycle of products and materials. Other companies which have a life chain approach towards environmental management programs include Alcan, Siemens, Ford, Magna International and Veolia. LC assessment underpins many of these management exercises. Improvements of sustainability performance are led by information of materials and energy flows also by reducing waste, pollution and redesigning products. Now also major distribution chains are focusing on CSR, usage of LCA is also increasing. For ex: In the future shopper at Wal-Mart can also expect to know about the carbon and water footprints and pollution generated during that products manufacture. Its their aim to create a comprehensive indexing system which will provide to its customers the world behind their product. Among its huge suppliers Unilever and PG are supporting this. Its rivals are also being asked to join so as to avoid proliferation of separate indexing systems. This initiative will also have a great impact on supply chain. Manufacturers and suppliers will have to make sustainability major criteria in their operations. Though LCM users were individual companies, now business associations are catching up. The International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM) statement on materials stewardship is an example of life chain management advocac y for an entire industry sector. It promotes an integrated life cycle approach for production and use of minerals in ensuring alignment with sustainable development fundamentals. Value chain partners are encouraged to take up responsible design, use, re-use, recycling and disposal of materials. Other sector includes the chemicals industry with its Global Products Strategy that is dedicated to improving the responsible handling of chemicals throughout the value-chain. Still there are many challenges for business. Its seen that value chains are being managed are still quite short, and the sustainability objectives are reduced. Stakeholders, mainly end-customers are locked out of the LCM exercise. Smaller companies have insufficient leverage in to manage their supply chain or to redesign its products. And coordination, monitoring, checking actions of the upstream and downstream partners is a major exercise. There is lack of standardization of LCM which leads to diversity of inconsis tent approaches. LCM initiatives of companies also depend upon the government regulatory where sustainability targets are set, information is demanded and procedures are mandated. Even in the political level there are challenges. Instead of achieving real sustainability improvements companies manage LCM process in their own way. This leads to the need of international standardization and or governmental regulation. Many a times governments in the emerging companies become suspicious of western corporate attempts in controlling their supply chains and try using international forums like WTO for blocking such practices. LCM in government Regulators realized that approach to managing environmental quality needs to be in a more comprehensive life-cycle approach. It indeed is difficult due to complex, interconnected web of government regulation in most countries, which mostly is based on single media legislation. Still many of the environmental ministries are trying out a proact ive strategic instrument and policy based life cycle approaches; and some regional and national authorities are putting in holistic legislation which fits into broad area of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) policies. Leadership has come especially from intergovernmental bodies like the European Union (EU), which has taken a visible stance on upstream approaches through, for example, its Integrated Product Policy. Integrated action can be general or applied to a specific class of materials or products. The REACH process in the European Union for potentially hazardous chemicals is a relevant recent example. Another good example of life-cycle legislation is the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC, commonly referred to as the (RoHS). This limited the usage of 6 hazardous materials like lead, mercury or cadmium in the manufacturing of electrical equipment. It is closely linked to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96 /EC, which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of toxic electronic waste. RoHS has both upstream and downstream components to help reduce health and environmental impacts in developing countries where much of todays high-tech trash ends up for recycling. Even though individually governments have tried in incorporating LCM elements into sustainable development policies, they have experienced many difficulties in giving them effect through regulations. Thus the French parliament in 2008 refused the ministers proposal in introducing differential pricing based on accumulated environmental impact. There is also inherent difficulty in creating legislative lings along extended supply chains as many are international trade process which goes beyond national jurisdiction and only amendable to regional or global initiatives. Sometimes governments do practice a form of LCM directly in a piecemen t fashion. Specific high profile substances like radio active materials, pharmaceuticals, and genetic material can be controlled through a set of independent but interlocking regulations along the life chain, often being under coordination bodies on which interested govt. departments may be represented. Road safety is another issue often subject to a systems approach where vehicles, road infrastructure, user permits, driver behavior, alcohol sales, medical services, etc. are all incorporated into a type of life-chain process where each component is optimized in relation to the others. This has worked in some countries in reducing the road toll, demonstrating that effectively managed holistic approaches can deliver good results in addressing complex problems. Due to the political and logistic challenges, national governments have chosen coordination over integrated regulation. Because of the constraints of LCM emphasis is given on assessment stage (i.e. LCA), promoting research an d data collection and then aligning it with product legislation. Thus it focuses on the consumption end of the value chain rather than production cycle. Other options which are also available with governments are softer form of actions which include product labeling, product awards, and consumer information have increased consciousness of the world behind the product, and thereby provoked more fundamental product rethinking by manufacturers. For example, the EU Energy Label for most white goods, light bulbs, packaging, and cars have been particularly effective in improving the energy efficiency of key products. Major opportunities are being missed which includes government being societys biggest consumer of goods and service. Incorporation of life chain performance criteria in public purchasing and tendering would make suppliers use LCM and realize its commercial advantages. Still, political and cost factors dominate most government supply contracts. Apart from the political c onstraints, constraint at governments part is that role in LCM is constrained because of lack of positioning at a definable point along the value chain. The chief role being to provide and enabling framework that obliges various life-chain partners in adopting LCM. Cooperative life-chain management In some situations, as with many products no company singly dominates the value chain, nor is possible for governments to legislate due to the nature of global market place. In such case, a different model of LCM can be introduced, one of a formal management structure and agreed performance codes. Rather than LCM implementation on a single company initiative (as that of Wal-Mart example) this approach relies on a multi stake holder coalition for taking the process forward. Along with direct supply-chain partners, others who could also be included in these coalitions are civil society groups, intergovernmental organizations and consumer groups. Prominent examples include from the natural resources area, mining, forestry and fisheries where consumer and NGO activity have focused their attention to upstream and downstream issues along with impact of direct operations. Unlike corporate LCM, there is a formal life-cycle management framework which brings all stakeholders in formulating sustainability objectives. Elaboration on performance standards, introduction of monitoring and verification processes and engaging in open communication with end users for quality assurance purposes are carried out by them as a group. Among the best-known examples of LCM partnerships for sustainable resource exploitation are the Forest Stewardship Council and the Marine Stewardship Council: The production and supply of sustainably harvested timber embraces life-cycle management through the certification process put in place by an international instance, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The multi-stakeholder FSC was created after UNCED in 1992, when it became clear that only a collective management agreement would reduce the confliction situation concerning timber harvesting. Under the instrument, both forest operations and the timber product are subject to strict conditions with regards to independent auditing and certification, including public reporting. The sustainably produced timber is marketed as such by retailers who have targeted a major consumer segment interested in such products. Some forest product companies claim similar sustainable practices outside such formal agreements, however, little independent auditing usually takes place. As evidence of the effectiveness of the FSC instrument, the WWF reports that 1.2 million hectares of forests in the Congo Basin achieved certification in 2008. The aspect of the consumption side is taken more clearly into account in the fishing sector, under the Marine Stewardship Council. This is also based on a certification procedure but has a mission to inform and educate (but not exert obligations on) consumers of the product. The life-chain issues for marine fisheries are well summarized by Ecotrust (Scholtz, 2007). The FSC and MSC are practical management initiatives that bind various partners under common objectives and procedures along the value chain. The partners have an opportunity in participating in the governance instrument. This is in contrast with the international Tropical Timber Agreement, an intergovernmental treaty established under UN for encouraging governments in implementing sustainable harvesting practices, but which does not have binding procedures, targets, obligations or monitoring. Individual companies used instruments like audits, product specifications, certification etc and also relied on the governmental regulations like approvals, product standards etc. in a sense the, cooperative LCM which focuses on building strong, formal partnerships is a step to further develop the individual LCM initiatives which is already in place. Its the nature, strength and influence of the partnership coalition which sets it apart from LCM models. These have advantages of not a single government or company being able to exercise leadership. Financial institutions have become a more powerful influence by showing interest in the certification aspects of such LCM exercises as a way of orienting their project funding. The difficulties faced by cooperative process include cost and time consumption in managing. In case of diverse partnership there are often stakeholders who wish to control process in order to reduce the commitment of other partners. The Green Lead Project (2005) suffers from this problem. Reducing the exercise to only a few steps in the life-chain is the most common weakness of life-cycle coalitions (as it is in most LCM exercises), since the joint interests of a diverse group of partners is likely to be concordant only for a limited number of issues. Finally, binding standards never popular with business and compliance me chanisms are essential for a broad coalition to act in a coherent fashion. Here, the weakness of the Tropical Timber Agreement, which has no standards at all, is noteworthy in comparison to the clear procedures of the FSC. Implementation of LCM The diversity of LCM methods above gives a reflection of growing complexity of life chain issues as international trade is expanding. Implementation approach varies with the purpose of the exercise. For product optimization within a single company the parameters of the LCM exercise will be dominated by internal corporate factors like CSR. And conversely, in the case of cooperative LCM, LCM is used for bringing global improvement in chemical safety throughout the entire industry. Also here CSR becomes a subordinate tool in its implementation. LCM will become most effective when business; industry and community work together, each bringing additional value to its implementation. In implementing company initiatives government provides a clear regulatory framework and standards on which business depends upon. Public bodies contribute to the articulation of agreed sustainability targets and to exchange information. This partnership basis to LCM has its strongest expression in the cooperative model. For working towards broader community outcomes on sustainability also the partnership model helps. Business LCM still focuses on achieving narrow corporate outcomes of improved image, marketing, and cost without explicitly and visibly factoring broader global and societal goals into the exercise. Also due to the complexity of the political factors the governments gave reduced ability on their own to make LCM work. The aspirations and objectives of all the social partners can be more easily is taken into account through a multi stake holder LCM. LCM did bring out its effectiveness in many of the circumstances, still many of it depends on the situation; following are the number of factors that stand out: LCM is lik ely to work well where these conditions are met. But there are also problems which can delay LCM implementation. Firstly its the lack of awareness in many sectors that LCM is an appropriate response to their situation. For ex: the UK tanners didnt have the vision to engage with upstream suppliers. Their traditional independence and ingrained perception that downstream government regulations were solely responsible for environmental management led to inaction till it was late. Next being the complexity in dealing with all actors across all sectors of value chain and thereby addressing all issues (as Wal-Mart trying to do). Though influence over immediate suppliers could be done through direct supply chain inclusion of suppliers of the suppliers becomes a big problem needing coordination or surveillance. Its already seen that Gesi initiative excluded metals mining form this program in spite of it being the controversial areas of sustainability agenda. Similarly, Nokia and IKEA e xamples which illustrated current tendency for companies of considering only short sections of the supply chain. Even on the government side it was noted that life-cycle legislation is both complex and politically sensitive due to number of vested interests. But there is no way around this. If a life-cycle approach is required for optimizing sustainability issues for the community rather than a company, it got to be done by learning to deal with extended life-chains and multiple partners. Also finally acknowledgment has to be given for the fact that radical changes in procedure, management resistance are key factors in slow implementation of LCM. As seen before traditional approaches are dying. Corporate managers do not welcome always the higher degree of transparency and sharing of responsibility required. LCM is inevitably an exercise in partnership building. Corporate SCM identifies partners after the issues have already been defined, in case of collaborative approach, the partnership is formed first around a generalized problem. They then develop objectives and goals as a subsequent step. Even integrated government policy and regulation depends on consultation. However, partnership building is more of an inexact science which depends on human insight as much on from formal procedures and the subsequent achievement of unity of purpose along supply chain not being very easy. Thus it can be seen that negotiations on common objectives and procedures take many years. The above factors along with a lack of standardization of LCM technique have led to diverse views of LCM and its functionality and its benefits. Thus along the way the notion of LC assessment gets lost. Also there is confusion about its relationship with environmental management tools. Thus the end result is that LCM is presently standing as an umbrella concept in applying established environmental management tools instead of a rigorous standardized procedure in its own right. Still the res lot to do for promoting and improving of LCM at the level of individual value chains. Eventually the most fundamental issue to be addressed is the optimization of the entire production-consumption system, being the most complex life-cycle management challenge of all. This becomes beyond the capability of the current LCM players in achieving individually given that it requires redesigning simultaneously a wide array of products, services, infrastructure and marketing procedures and the resource base upon which it relies. Thus it will require a much stronger consensus about common sustainability goals. Global production-consumption system building will require sophisticated LCA processes for identifying key factors at play. While PSS will continue to play an important role, such system optimization will become impossible without new tools and instruments making it more important to develop better LC management models that could function at this scale. Synthesis and conclusions Our environment is under higher stress as global economy is continually touching more number of countries. Prevailing environmental approaches are focusing on individual points of production consumption chain, and many pollution abatement actions merely displace problem to another section of value chain. More widespread application of prevention-oriented-life-cycle thinking and emphases on optimizing the system as a whole is required for sustainable development. In order to pinpoint the key areas needing attention is carried out by life-cycle assessment. Efforts by companies, governments and consumer groups have gone into standardizing and promoting its application. LCM is still not a standardized discipline, rather an umbrella framework for applying existing instruments and procedures in a more holistic way and creating management partnerships between upstream and downstream actors. There are different LCM models identified each for a particular situation. The most successful outcome occurs when a broad, multi stakeholder partnership with a formal management framework gets established. Government and business need to make mutually complementary contributions for such coalition and ideally to all LCM initiatives. Until specific tools are developed for LCM, implementation will still depend on current set of environmental management tools which were originally developed for corporate use as for ex: SCM, environmental systems, and green purchasing. Major challenges for the current generation of managers who have grown familiar with a more limited range of applications are application, re orientation, and sometimes redevelopment of these tools in a new LCM framework. As company action on LCM currently been most widespread application, it also depends on government life-cycle policies and the setting of sustainable product standards. Currently most companies are aiming at improving individual products and company image. It doesnt have the mandate to add ress the global situation of unsustainable production and consumption, nor value chains of common commodity products in a global market. Governments are slow in incorporating LCM aspects into their policies and regulations. Their geographical jurisdiction makes it difficult for them to address global value chains. They also face problems in reconciling different political interests along the life-chain of products while attempting to adopt a life-cycle approach to regulation. Thus they are focusing more on information and coordination approaches. That said there remain large, unrealized opportunities as for example, in official procurement and purchasing policies. Even without practice of LCM, consumers are increasingly aware of life-cycle impacts, the so-called world behind the product. They act mainly on a limited product-by-product basis, disseminating information and promoting consumer boycotts. This mechanism has stimulated corporations in reviewing closely the life-chain impacts of their entire range of products as a way of avoiding future adverse publicity or legal liability. A major role is also played by consumer and environmental NGOs in cooperating LCM initiatives by helping in influencing the sustainability objectives. Taken everything together its seen that approaches have given encouraging results in improving management in a number of clearly identified value chains, as much still remains to be done. Overall a growing acceptance by society for a holistic life-cycle approach is necessary in managing global production-consumption system. Other approaches are also being tried put by various stakeholder groups both independently and as CLM partnerships and coalitions. In spite of LCM not being a standardized discipline, it has undisputed value in guiding application of current environmental management tools in arriving at results which cant be achieved through fragmented application like in the past. Further work needs to be done for enh ancing effectiveness of LCM, including its eventual standardization which will add momentum to this encouraging trend. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What is life cycle management and how it impacts us" essay for you Create order