Would the World be a Better Place if Large-Scale Emigration to Other Planets were to be Possible?

Our world is in a predicament. The delicate balance that supports life that evolution (or God) has created is being tilted by deforestation, overfishing, increasing population, global warming and such, threatening the fundamentals for life. Planet Earth appears to be spiraling downwards towards an inescapable end. About half of the mature tropical forests, between 750 to 800 million hectares of the original 1. 5 to 1. 6 billion hectares that once covered the planet have been felled, and animals are becoming extinct more quickly than ever (experts have estimated that up to half of presently existing species may become extinct by 2100). Our main energy sources, oil and natural gas supplies, are rapidly running dry. The future of the earth, hilas, looks dark. Taking all of this into consideration, it appears that mass emigration to another planet might be the only solution. However, is it really too late to turn the clock? Or maybe more importantly, is it morally right to abandon ship when the storm is gathering? The damage we have caused to our world is both unbelievable and undeniable. Only 17% of planet Earth's landmass is still untouched by mankind (excluding Antarctica). Our world's natural oil and gas resources are soon fully consumed; renewable sources only stand for about 13% of the energy created. All the emissions from burning fossil fuels are carelessly released into the atmosphere, and as a result, the ozone layer is in an incredibly tattered shape. However, if we could move to another planet, thus leaving this one, the Earth would recuperate. The largest hole in the ozone, the one above the Antarctic, would, according to NASA scientists, recover by 2068. Similarly, if there were no humans to fish the oceans dry, and no humans to chop the forests down, slowly but steadily, the world's ecosystems would recover and the biodiversity would regain lost grounds. The human race has created this situation, and we owe it to the Earth and the other species that we reverse it. There are a number of valid arguments for saving our world by emigrating to another, and although leaving for another planet may save this one, abandoning Earth may not yet be necessary. All hope is not lost – it is still within our power to undo the damages ourselves. It will be a task of great difficulty, but one that we can pull off. Since when were problems solved by burying one's head in the sand? Besides, if you do bury your head in the sand, chances are, you won't like what you see when you stick it back up. Taking the emergency exit whenever there are bumps on the road will create a â€Å"laissez faire† mentality, which never has solved anything. If awareness of this crisis can be raised all around the world, and if people realize just how important the matter we are dealing with is, there is a significant chance that we can start acting in a sufficiently environmentally friendly manner for the previous natural balance to be restored, without us leaving Earth for a far-off planet. By abandoning the planet we do not solve the true problem, we simply run away from it. If we were all deported to another planet, but didn't change our behavior, all we would do is repeat the same mistakes we made on Earth. What does shifting planets mean if we still don't own up and take action to reverse the situation we have thrust ourselves into? If we recognize now that problems such as global warming, overfishing and deforestation are not resolved by turning our backs to them, it will also be understood that these will not vanish because we choose to flee from them. We must do something about the tribulations we have now, only then we can move on. Exporting our problems to another planet is not solving them. Furthermore, there is also is a moral aspect to this issue. It would be indecent and ethically incorrect to simply change planets and abandon earth when we are encountering real and serious problems which in addition are caused by ourselves This world is optimal for our form of life. If just the weight of the proton in the air molecule was the slightest bit different all life on earth would be impossible. Similarly, if aliens would visit Earth, they would die of inhaling oxygen. It is an incredible chain of circumstances that allow us to live by breathing oxygen. The human race has become adapted to live on planet Earth over millions and millions of years of evolution. Just like a hole is perfect for the water puddle it contains, Earth is perfect for man. This taken into consideration, we can't just destroy this Earth, and then leave it without the slightest effort to do something about it. We were made for this planet, and now that it is being destroyed, the very least we can do is to try to reverse what we've done. In any case, fleeing should be the very last option. All of us who inhabit Earth have inherited it from earlier generations. We are merely the present caretakers of this Earth, just like thousands of generations before us have been. Therefore, we have a moral responsibility, both towards our children as well as to our ancestors, to protect and preserve something extraordinary that no one ever can own, only borrow. On the one hand, it is a fact that we are well on the way of destroying Earth, and if all human beings were to leave the Earth, there is a chance that the Earth might recover. However, this is only true if all humans are transported to another planet. The question was â€Å"would the world be a better place if large-scale emigration to other planets were to be possible? † Upon a closer look, mass emigration does not necessarily mean that all humans are transported, rather just some. This is certainly of importance, as it is not necessarily the number of people on Earth that decides if the world is going to recuperate or not. What is more important is how the people who actually do live here treat the environment, i e how much carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere, how much fish we fish from our seas and how many trees we cut from our forests. If 50% of the world's population was evacuated to another planet, but the remaining 50% treated the environment worse than before, the problems would not be solved. Rather than focusing on efficient ways to deport masses of people to other planets, we should focus on efficient ways to save this planet, with us on it. On the other hand, it is probably true that the abandoning of the planet will have to occur sooner or later. 99. 9% of all species ever to reside on planet Earth are now extinct. Mankind will certainly not be an exception. Even if we don't drive ourselves into extinction, or a comet crashing into Earth doesn't do it for us, in about one billion years the sun will start dying. It will slowly begin to swell up, and produce more heat, making life on this entire solar system impossible. If the ultimate aim of mankind is survival, emigration to another planet might then be the only option. However, this is not the case today. We still have an option; so let us take advantage of it.

Plp- Bings Competitive Advantages

â€Å"Bing† it on Google Introduction Mark Penn is taking a big leap by leaving his firm to work for Microsoft on a mission to fix Bing. The company is faced with becoming a competitive leader in the search engine area. Penn believes he can enter Microsoft with a different strategy. To improve Bing, Penn believes he needs Stack Ranking, which focuses product developers away from getting industry-leading products to market faster than the competition. According to the article, not including the marketing or the billions of dollars put into Bing, Google accounted for 69% of the searches in June alone.They say the key strategy to turn this company around would be to come up with an approach that would make Bing a different kind of search engine compared to Google. Analysis As stated above, Microsoft is trying to take the number one spot for the most used search engine. A competitive advantage can be defined as a firm’s ability to create value in a way that its rivals canno t. Microsoft and Yahoo! introduced Bing in 2009, which allows users to search for information regarding almost anything. While being introduced to everyone in 2009 other search engines were available.Bing’s competitive advantage over the others was that Bing offered subcategories onto the organic search results, allowing the user to quickly see the search results in logical groups. This is an issue for Bing because they are not the only company that offers these types of search engine results and no longer have a competitive advantage in the market on this basis. Another advantage with Bing, you get â€Å"enhanced results† which can also be taken as intelligently organized results that you can receive quickly and efficiently.Because of these enhanced results, many people chose to use the Bing search engine over Google but in recent years, other search engines have put a greater emphasis on their speed and results and are bypassing Bing. If Bing still had any competitiv e advantage, it would be that it offers enhanced results in search engines, however it has been proven for most businesses that use other competitors' search engines their speed and results are sufficient and they prefer them to Bing.This is evident which stated before that 69% of the search engine users chose Google over the 25. 6% for Bing. What hurt the Microsoft Company is that Bing was doing so poorly to the point they offered Penn a position to help â€Å"fix† Bing. This could make or break Bing seeing whether Penn can differentiate this search engine compared to the others. This will be difficult for Penn seeing that he lacks search engine product development expertise.No matter how speedy this search engine is or how well the results are, if Penn does not find a way to improve Bings market share this will be just a fad that the Microsoft has gone through and Google will continue doing well. Conclusions To be successful in any market you need to be able to compete and this is where Bing falls short. In order to make this search engine more successful Microsoft needs to come up with a more sufficient business strategy. They need to figure out where they best fit in and differentiate themselves from other companies.They also need to figure out their goals, and objectives, which will make it easier for them to target their users. If they were to apply their business to the VRINE model, they would quickly notice that their search engine is replaceable and has no ways to set their company’s search engines apart from others. I believe they are taking the right steps by trying to offer different options on their website but I think they will need to do more since they do not offer the same kind of links that Google does such as Gmail or Google Maps.I think that while Mark Penn is focusing on making Bing better in the market share area and the rest of Microsoft management needs to place a strong focus on finding innovators that can help Bing becom e a major competitor once again. Title- Can Mark Penn Fix Microsoft's Bing? Date-7/23/2012 Website-http://www. forbes. com/sites/petercohan/2012/07/23/can-mark-penn-fix-microsofts-bing/2/ Citation-Cohan, Peter. â€Å"Can Mark Penn Fix Microsoft's Bing? † Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 23 July 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2012. .

Play Activity Assignment Essay

This assignment is called Play activity. It is worth 30% of the overall grade of the module Early Childhood Education. As part of the assessment criteria of this assignment I must complete a play activity to a group o children aged between 0-6 years. WORK PLACE I have been starting to work in Creche X in Donnybrook area since two weeks ago (as a full time). I have been in a free trial, then part time till they decided I can start full time. I work in Baby room. There are five children at the moment. I love children and I like being around them. I haven’t worked before with babies, so it was a challenge and a big responsibility for me and I was very happy for the chance given to me. Despite the fact I had no experience to work with babies, I learnt lots of things in a short period of time and I can say I still have to learn few more. It is a small but spacious, but friendly and brightly creche. It is a full day care service from 7:30 till 6:00. They have a Baby room, Wobblers room, Toddler room and Montessori room. The Baby room has also a cot room with 4 beds. It is a lovely room plenty of toys and books (for babies). The creche has also a changing room, an office, a kitchen and a large outdoor garden. They provide breakfast and hot nutritious meals. All of their staff (six persons) are full trained and experienced. They are Garda vetted and First aid trained. They use the Montessori and Highscope methods of play and education. They have a secure access, outdoor safety surface, wheel chair accessible, daily log kept for parents. When parents come to pick up their children they must say a password or if they send somebody else to pick up their child, they must call before and then to say a password as well. DUTIES * Sign the children in and out * Keep daily record of each child (record book) * Parents sign in and out * Changing nappies * Feeding children * Playing with them ( sponge painting, hand print, activity gym, ball play, pulling objects, mirror play, face expression, different kind of music, messy play, etc) * Bring them to sleep area * Verify then from tem to ten minutes * Write every day on a Care of Sheet the quantity and the hours they had their bottles of milk, solids, how many time nappies were changed, * Write down on the Cot Sheet that you verified the children and they were safe at that moment * Answer the phone. * Hovering and mop every day the room * Fill out an accident report * Chat with parents about day’s activity * Medical consent and administration form for medicines given to children must be completed by the manager, parent, staff and witness. * Take the temperature of children that seem to be sick checking from 15 to 15 minutes and right down on the medicine book; if the temperature is high we call the parents * Verify every morning and afternoon the temperature from refrigerator * Hover and mop all the creche one day a week (when my turn comes) PERSONAL PROFILE My name is Mihaela Serea. I’m from Romania and I came in Ireland in 2008. I have been starting to work as a child minder for two families. I took care of a child of four years old and one of three years old. The second family just moved in UK two months ago, so I decided to start Fetac Level 5 in Childcare. In Romania I went to College for a period of 4 years Faculty of Letters, profile Romanian-English. During the college I completed the courses for the Department of Teaching in primary/secondary school. After the college I have done a master degree in Business Management for one year and half. During my Master degree I had the opportunity to work in a kindergarten. I was afraid of taking care of small children, but it was a really pleasant experience and I enjoyed it a lot. Some other courses completed: when I was in secondary school, I decided to do some courses within the area of computers. What I want to achieve from this module Early Childhood Education? It is a crucial period of children at this age, so I want to explore all the aspects of a child development, from safety and psychology to physical, cognitive and emotional development. I want to help children to gain confidence in everyday tasks, to ensure that the play is conforming to official health and safety standards. It is a period when walking, talking, vision of the world and moral foundations are established. The early years of life are critical to the development of intelligence, personality and social behavior. I would like to learn about children needs and interests. My unique selling points I enjoy teaching, but in Romanian language because it will be easy to express myself. In English I loose myself, I forget the words, I don t know anymore what I want to say, it s difficult, because in school we don’t communicate enough, we just learn to read, to write, grammar, exercises. When I was a child I dreamed to be a teacher. All my story books have marks on. I like painting, singing, computers, I like to be informed. One day I believe I will have my own business a creche. But first of all I need to work in a creche for more years to get more experience and to find out everything I need to know about. I like children very much, I will be a good manager and I think it will be good money as well, if I provide a good service. Title of play activity: Autumn leaves Aim Autumn is a great time to teach children about leaves. I want to learn them through play and exploration of the nature and to get involved with it. Collecting different leaves they learn different colors, shapes and structures. Another aim is to develop children’s creativity by mixing colors, working in groups. Consultation with my supervisor When I take a group of children out I have to be aware of their safety: planning, permission, supervision, transport. In my case, I go into a park just near by our location with a group of pre school children. I spoke with my supervisor to give permission and a letter should be sent to all the parents/guardians of the children. Co-operation with families is essential to ensure the welfare of the children. The supervisor told me it s not necessary a transport, because it is just two minutes away. We do not need packed meals, only some bottles of water, tissues, spare clothing, small first aid kit, a charged mobile phone and emergency contact numbers, ensuring that the service’s insurance policy includes adequate cover for outings. I have to take care of health, safety and hygiene of children maintaining a high standard of care which promotes the development of the children. Children should be suitably dressed for the outing in cloths which protect against the weather. Children should not wear their best cloths. Children’s clothing needs to allow them freedom of movement so that they can take full advantage of all the opportunities offered on the outing. I remembered to children about road safety. Always we cross the road at safe points such as traffic lights. I checked the place in advance to be sure of the facilities that are available and the area that may be a danger to children. Benefits of my chosen theme: A study of leaves/ autumn opens up possibilities for learning in many content areas. Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Art all contribute to a unit on leaves. If there is access to a park or playground, the children can go on a leaf gathering walk. When this isn’t possible, children can be encouraged to gather leaves at home with their families and bring them in to the classroom, or teachers can provide the leaves. Leaves change colors, usually from green to red, orange, yellow and brown. Leaves can be found on trees, fall to the ground and we rake them. Children sort the leaves they collected by color, size or type of leaf. Fall is a beautiful time of year, when the leaves change color and fall from the trees. Besides sweeping them up and bagging them, consider putting the fallen leaves to good use. Children collect and turn them into leaf art. The multi-colored leaves make beautiful craft projects, and the best part is that they’re free. There are several types of crafts you can do from leaves. The only limit is your imagination. Going out in the park they learn different types of animals. Also children learn about the season ‘’autumn’’: season of the year between summer and winter, lasting from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice and from September to December; period of maturity verging on decline. Five related themes: 1. Leaf print 2. Hedge hogs 3. Colors 4. Collecting leaves 5. Autumn leaves Chosen activity: I have chosen an art activity to be completed with a group of 5 children within a pre-school setting. Preparation: * I will talk with my supervisor in order to inform her about the background of the play activity assignment * I will bring a photocopy of my plan about this play activity * During the meeting I ask her about some suggestions related to the play activity and its educational content * I ask my supervisor if parents will give the permission to take the children in the park * I will ask my supervisor about a suitable time and location to complete the play activity and what I may need to get. * I wil try to figure out how long it may take to complete this activity * I will create a checklist in order to ensure that all essential supplies are present during the play * Equipment needed to complete the skills demonstration will be: baskets to collect the leaves, glue, white papers, small and big paintbrushes, water based paints, paper plates, paper tissues, wet wipes, and aprons. The paint used will be non toxic. Implementation: First of all the activity will be safe for the children to undertake. The park was at 5 minutes walking away from our location and it was a safe area. I gave them baskets to collect the leaves from the park We spent 2 hours in the nature Wash hands Gather materials using the checklist as a guide Set out an area permitted by the supervisor Put on the aprons on each child I give to each child a paint brushes and paper plates I showed them how to make the operation They cleaned up the mess Evaluation: As part of my assessment for the FETAC module: Early Childhood Education, I must complete one play activity within a work place setting. I tried to follow step by step the plan in order to complete the Play Activity ‘’Autumn leaves’’. I spent almost two hours in the park with children, and then we came back. 1. How the skills demonstration went from my personal viewpoint 1. In my opinion everything went very well and I was really happy that I succeeded to complete it. The children helped me a lot because they followed my verbal instructions. Before we have gone to the park, I gave them wood baskets to collect the leaves. I provided all the materials they needed to deal with for printing leaves on the papers. First of all I showed them how to do it. I took one of my own leaves, I painted it and I put the painted side on the sheet of paper and gently press it with my hands. After few seconds, I lifted the leaf. They could choose small/big paint brushes and colors to use. I could see they tried to make the operation very well exactly as I showed it to them. TC1 and TC3 showed a big concentration. Despite of the fact that CT2 wanted to work on his own, he mixed the colors very nice. 2. How the skills went demonstration went from the child’s viewpoint The Play Activity ended very well, all children have been happy about their creations. I put on their creations their names and I hanged them on a wire. They applauded/clapped their hands and had big smiles on their faces. They showed a lot of concentration when they started to paint. 3. The last part of the evaluation is actually the development of children through this play activity as following: P. I. L. E. S Physical Development: This was developed when all the children collected leaves from the ground and when they printed the leaves on the papers. In the park they collected leaves using their fingers (fine motor skills). They moved from a place to another, jumping and running around developing their gross motor skills. (Large muscles: legs, body movements). They held the paintbrushes (fine motor skills) to print the leaves. Intellectual: They counted how many leaves they had at the end and they sorted the leaves based on colors and sizes (Logical/math). They compared their leaves to see who has the largest one (Concentration). Through art they developed their creativity and expression of their art when they put different colors of leaves on papers. Children love to find interesting shaped leaves. T. C 4 remembered some names of the trees they learned in the classroom (memory). T. C 1 pretended he is the child of the jungle, Mowgly (imagination). T. C3 stick two papers side by side to make a bigger collage of leaves printed and T. C4 mixed the colors of the leaves on the paper. (creativity). TC4 pretended he is a rabbit in the forest, so he started to jump like a rabbit. (imagination). Language: This was developed when children understood my verbal instructions related to leaves (collecting them, counting them, make comparisons, painting the leaves then stick them for few seconds on the papers, etc). They learned new words related to and animals trees like maple, oak, squirrels, etc Emotional: This was developed when T. C1 expressed his happiness about discovering he found the largest leaf. T. C2 started to sing a song we have learned in the class. T. C4 started to cry because he falls down on the ground. TC3 was angry because TC1 pushed him on a side just to take his leaf he found on the ground. They developed feelings associated with winning and losing. Social: This was developed when I brought them together in the park, in the nature. T. C1 was playing with the others. T. C3 collected leaves with T. C4. (team work, the ability to work in groups, interaction with the others). When we were in the classroom I put them to work in pairs of two. (they learnt to share the equipment, be patient, clean up the mess). Howard Gardner Kinesthetic: CT4 jumping like a rabbit, so he developed his gross muscles (legs). They played together, running. CT3 is very good at craft, he was doing a great job sticking two papers side by side, and making a bigger collage of different colors, shapes of leafs printed. Naturalist: CT2 was excellent at recognizing the squirrels. They enjoyed being in nature, exploring the nature, collecting leaves. CT1 recognized some flowers. Interpersonal: CT3 seem to be a a natural leader enjoy teaching the others how to paint the leaf and then to stick them on the paper. I noticed CT3 is a closed friend to CT4. Intrapersonal: When I put them to work in groups of two, CT2 replied to me that he prefers working alone. He showed a strong sense of independence in the park as well collecting the leaves on his own. (He does a great job on his own). Recommendations for change: I propose for the next time when we go into a trip, we should choose a larger place with more attractive/educational spots for children to see and we should take more children and more staff. It will be more fun. Impact on children: Children enjoyed going out exploring the natures, collecting the leaves. They deal with shapes, colors, how they look combined. They loved to use different colors to paint the leaves and they seemed very enthusiasts about their work. At the end at the project they were proud of their work. They learned to work in groups. Painting gives them the ability to share their equipment, to clean up their mess. They learned to be patient, they learned new words. Personal learning: * I learned to complete a play activity in a pre-school setting * I learnt to apply theory to practice * I improved to communicate with my supervisor and ask for advice regarding my plan activity.

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Report - Essay Example The resultant signal is channelled into the powered amplifier. The role of the power amplifier is to drive the loudspeaker. The circuit is designed such that the mixer contains a gain that can be varied, depending on the desirability of the required volumes. In addition, there should be the allowance for the volume of one channel to be controlled separately from another. This enhances the quality of sound as this enables one to have balance between the two channels. In this regard, the presented diagram consists of a set of two inputs; the speech and music. In this case, the speech voltage controls the music voltage. The operation of the circuit project only requires that the two signals are combined while the current should be adjusted to be adequate to make the speakers work effectively. It is expectable that in the cases where speech signal is lacking, the music voltage from the difference amplifier is about 1V. In the cases where the speech signal is peak, the voltage is expected to be at the minimum level, at around 0.17V. In this regard, mixing the speech and music amplifier creates the allowance to have the music volume by varying the voltage of the speech signal. Even so, the mixer’s output does not have the power capacity of driving the speakers. In this regard, it is expectable that when the amplitude of the mixer’s input is raised by a gain of well over 10 units, as well as utilizing the class B type of amplifier so that adequate current can be generated, the circuit would work successfully. The amplifier is connected to the speakers. About Power amplifiers Conventionally, most power amplifiers make use of the output stage, in the cases where a single transistor handles a half of the waveform signals and this is regardless of whether the half is negative or positive. This operation is often labelled as the push-pull. Its efficiency is unquestionable, considering that only minimal current flows when music signal is lacking. Furthermore, this comes with the implication that the compact power supply may be the only most essential component; hence it cost-effectiveness to the manufacturer. For the user, the resultant amplifier is relatively small in size, efficient and cheap. The power amplifier functions to deliver power, a product of load current and voltage. Power= IV I ~ Current V ~ Voltage In the basic sense, a power amplifier shares a lot of commonalities with the voltage amplifier. The only difference between the two is that in the power amplifier, the resistance of the load that is connected to the output is relatively low, for instance, a loudspeaker consisting of 7 ohms that triggers the flow of high current through the transistor’s collector. In consideration to the high currents that flow through the loads, it is imperative that the output transistors that are applied in the amplification of power should have high resistance. There are two categories of amplifiers that could be used; A-type and B-ty pe amplifiers. The A-type amplifiers are those in which the output current assumes the inputs’ full cycle, creating the allowance of the transistors to be forward-biased through the input cycles, without switching off. The following is an extract of the diagram for the A-type amplifier. Figure 1: A-type Amplifier On the other hand, the B-type amplifier is that which is designed to improve the energy of efficiency of the A-type amplifier, ensuring for the reduction of the amount of heat loss? Besides, its signal assumes a half

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Mid term constitutional law 3 - Essay Example There are two varied views on the right for a person to hold and carry weapons, those who agree with this right and those against it (Bogus, 2000). Those for this view argue that individuals need guns for their self protection within the confines of their residences and that so long as they keep these weapons dismantled and not functioning, there is no cause for alarm. Others who love hunting as a sport argue that they need their guns for this purpose reasoning that as long as they are doing it strictly on their property there is no danger posed by the usage of their weapons. Consequently, both these groups of people in favor of this right maintain that owning a weapon is their fundamental freedom right (Halbrook, 1989). On the other hand, those against this view argue that the Second Amendment has no control on criminals and the mentally challenged possessing weapons; neither does it help deter people carrying weapons while entering institutions and buildings or moving around freely with a firearm. They also maintain that Second Amendment fails to provide provisions that govern weapons being sold. For instance, person may acquire an unlicensed weapon illegally and use it to commit a crime then use the second amendment right as defense alleging that his rights were infringed upon by quoting the Bill of Rights (Halbrook, 1989). The stance I find convincing is the one that is against the possession of weapons despite the reasons for ownership. For one, this is extremely dangerous especially if the weapon is kept at home, and minors have access to it (Bogus, 2000). Then there is the probability of it going off unexpectedly and injuring an innocent person. There have been several cases in learning institutions where innocent students and teachers have been killed or injured by a student carrying a weapon to school (Halbrook, 1989). Further still, there are no clear provisions that govern the weapons being sold. I believe that rights should also have some

Hopitality Companies Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hopitality Companies Project - Research Paper Example It is not intended to be a vacation destination, but rather a clean and comfy place to rest before moving on with the journey. It is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Best Western International offers franchise rights to independent owners, therefore all Best Western hotels are independently owned. Other than any assets that are corporately-owned, this hotel administration acts as the team that handles marketing promotions and makes sure that the brand image is being sent consistently through the licensing efforts. Red Roof Inn has just over 325 locations across the country that are owned by the parent company. Best Western offers many different promotions aimed toward their target markets: the business traveler and the low-resource buyer. During a particular period, the buyer can stay twice and receive a $50 gift card (bestwestern.com, 2010). There is another promotion that involves completing a voting survey to win one million rewards points for Best Western. These promotions show how they have cost in mind and trying to build loyalty in mid-priced target segments. Red Roof Inn has the RediCard which is another type of promotion offering reward points for multiple stays at the chain (redroof.com, 2010). This promotion is aimed at the budget-minded traveler by offering more incentives to get them to remain loyal to Red Roof. There are many smaller, inexpensive hotels and motels that compete with Red Roof therefore they need to remain focused on cost and efficiency. Both Best Western and Red Roof have locations in Miami. Red Roof has a hotel at the Miami Airport with a nice exterior. Best Western has a facility known as the Floridian as well as another location at the Miami Airport. Best Western is located in over 30 different countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, New Zealand and India (bestwestern.com, 2010). This chain has a very large international presence which would

FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY AND DIVERSIFICATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY AND DIVERSIFICATION - Essay Example eting strategy that was ‘local skilled distributors’ oriented and focused advertisement to promote among specific segments of consumers such as attractive women consumers of beer yielded impressive results. In the present market condition when most of western economies are under recession the best business strategy is to expand to Asian markets such as India not ridden by recession and where there is large scope of beer business. Quick entry into North 45 percent of the global beer market is controlled by North America and Europe. Both the countries are facing acute recession that dragged the beer market share to a lower level. West European market has been declining since 2006 and has no hope to lift up in 2010 also. East European market which was growth oriented till last year is on the verge of declination. The emerging markets in Asia and Latin America are the only hope to enable the beer industry to provide scope of growth in future. Asia, which has the prospect to command one third of the global market sale is likely to have 5% growth rate on account of the aggressive use of beer by Chinese people. If Latin American consumption of beer is added to that of Asia’s the growth rate in sale of beer is likely to lift up to 8.3%. Sales volumes increased 3 per cent in 2008 and likely growth of 4 per cent increase in Brazil will support this rise. This is the strongest growing market today. For last five years the beer market has been growing differently in different regions World: 5.7%, Asia: 8.3%, East Europe: 7.8%, Central & South America: 6.3%, Africa 6%. Global beer market is gradually growing and alcohol market is falling The share of beer market which was about 44% in 2002 has increased to about 55% by 2009. Over the past five years, the beer industry has made a trend towards consuming expensive beers. In markets such as North America and Western Europe, premium beer’s share of total sales is already well above the global average In emerging markets,

Post Employment Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Post Employment Benefits - Essay Example 2. We have been provided with what would be "amortized" this year (2007) towards Unrecognized Prior Service Costs, but we have not been provided with what is the actual amount pending towards UPSC. 3. We have been told that the employer's contribution would be 3% of payroll. But we do not know as to what are the company's expenses on salaries and wages. 4. We have no information regarding the number of employees involved in the scheme, their retirement dates, etc. All this information can influence the answer. So, where ever required, we have made suitable assumptions relating the above missing information. Answer 1: From the given information, if the company decides to go on with its existing (DBP) post employment benefits plan, from the information available, we can draw up an approximate pension worksheet, as follows: Items General Journal Entries Memo Record Annual Pension Expense Cash (Prepaid) / Accrued Cost Projected Benefit Obligation Plan Assets Unrecognized Prior Service Cost Balance, Dec. 31, 2006 810,000 Cr 340,000Dr (a) Unrecognized Prior Service Cost Balance, Jan. 1, 2007 --- (810,000+) Cr 340,000 Dr (b) Service Cost 88,000 Dr 88,000Cr (c) Interest Cost 81,000 Dr 81,000 Cr (d) Actual Return 34,000 Cr 34,000 Dr (e) Amortization of UPSC 21,000 Dr 21,000 Cr (f) Contributions X Cr X Dr Journal Entry for 2007 156,000 Dr X Cr (156,000 - X) Cr Balance, Dec. 31, 2007 0 (374,000 + X) Dr Note: In the above table, 1. Interest / Discount / Settlement Rate = 10% 2. Opening and closing balance of Unrecognized Prior Service Cost is unknown. (Shown as '') 3. Since the amount contributed by the employer...They do so by letting the company switch over from its existing 'defined benefits plan' to a 'defined contribution plan' to save costs. 3. The employees give up their claim on every other liability, like whatever is pending towards Unrecognized Prior service costs, what ever would be this years service cost, interest burden on what ever is pending towards 'Projected Benefits Obligation', etc. 5. Employer will contribute 3% of the payroll towards the 'retirement fund' or the 'plan assets' hence forth regardless of whatever has been accumulated in the fund, whether it is sufficient, insufficient or in excess. 6. AND hence forth, since the company moves on with a 'defined contribution plan', employer doesn't have any more liability other than payment of his annual contribution towards the fund and what ever post employment benefits are to be derived would be out of the balance in the 'fund' kept aside for that purpose. From the given information, if the company decides to go on with its existing (DBP) post employment benefits plan, from the information available, we can draw up an approximate pension worksheet, as follows: While, if the employer decides to switch over to a 'defined contribution plan' where the employer pays 3% of payroll as his contribution, the agreement being that the employees get to keep what is already in the defined benefit

HIST 3401 Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIST 3401 Final Exam - Essay Example If you do not think the lives of either of these groups changed dramatically, explain using relevant sources. The time period between the American Revolution and the Reconstruction were one of uncertainly and instability in American socio-politics. Having valiantly won its freedom from the British Crown, the fledgling nation was taking cautious first steps toward self-assertion. But even as America’s presence as a global power was taking root, its society was beset by longstanding issues. The social issues could be broadly divided across the twin axes of race and gender. Racial discrimination of colored people and gender oppression of women were two chronic malaises. At the time of the Declaration of Independence and the framing of the Constitution, blacks were considered as unequal to whites. This is reflected in the early laws of the country where segregation and slavery were legally sanctioned. The basis of these draconian laws was the prejudiced conception of blacks as onl y three-fifth human (whereby whites are the benchmark of full humanity). Such unscientific beliefs garbed in the language of logic and reason had stalled black emancipation during the century in question. It wasn’t until the Civil War, with the escalating conflict between the Confederates and the Unionists that blacks saw a glimpse of hope. In light of this fact it is fair to say that the century preceding the Reconstruction were one of bleak misery for blacks. Women fared none too better during this period. In 1865, â€Å"North Carolina law granted former masters preference in the apprenticeship of former slaves’ children. Although mothers and fathers both endured the hardships of these losses, women’s experiences diverged significantly from men’s.† (Zipf, p.9) Christian Evangelicalism offered hope of equality for blacks and women. Though it provided opportunities for liberation, it was ultimately limited by race and gender just as the democratic reform movement had hit a stumbling block. Sometimes holy scriptures were themselves invoked in justifying racial and gender oppression in Christian institutions. The biblical sanctioning of human bondage proved very convenient for perpetrators of slavery. But where Evangelicalism helped is in the Baptists’ and Methodists’ earnest resolution to convert slaves. They â€Å"welcomed slaves at their revivals, encouraged black preachers, and above all else, advocated secular and spiritual equality. Many of the early Baptist and Methodist preachers directly challenged slavery.† (Goldfield, Chapter 10, p.10-7) Looking at it as a promise of liberty and deliverance, the slaves received the evangelical gospel in loud, joyous, and highly emotional revivals. They made it integral to their own culture, â€Å"fusing Christianity with folk beliefs from their African heritage.† (Goldfield, Chapter 10, p.10-7) In this milieu, such religious communities offered the erstwhi le oppressed opportunities for voice, authority, and labor within a system that also had its share of flaws. The new freedoms that could be availed of therein outweighed the disadvantages. 4. Did women have an impact on American political culture throughout the span of the nineteenth century? Why or why not? In many ways, women are history’s largest minority. Their voice was for most part suppressed under male domination. It is only in recent decades that they have attained legal and nominal equality with men. America has been a theatre for women’s rights going back to the late 18th and 19th centuries. The Catholic Church provided a semblance of political emancipation for women. This it achieved through allowing Sisters to assume high offices within the rigid hierarchy of the institution. Though there was a degree of democracy

The effect of Salbutamol on the response of Ileum to Acetylcholine Essay

The effect of Salbutamol on the response of Ileum to Acetylcholine - Essay Example This clearly implies that there is no significant effect of sulbutamol on the way the ileum responds to acetylechline. However, there is a significant effect of the sulbutamol on the way ileum responds to nicotine. This desensitisation was purely characterised by increasing values of EC (50) of nicotine without a change in its maximal effect. This thus implies that treatment of ileum with salbutamol after exposure to the acetylcholine, had little desensitisation while treatment of ileum with salbuamol after exposure to nicotine caused some larger increase in the Nicotine-mediated phoshoinositide hydrolysis. Response to question 2. Salbutamol could be referred to as an adrenergic agonist receptor, which is used to reduce the effects of bronchospasm in diseases like asthma. It is also used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, pulmozyme, acetylcysteine, and iprptropium that is linked to DOK-7. As an example of a beta2-agonist, sulbutanol can also be used in obstetrics. The salbutamol th at is intravenous could be utilised as a tocolytic in relaxing the smooth muscles of the uterus, and hence delay premature labour. This has made sulbutamol be the most preferred agent. In the context of this experiment, salbutamol antagonist’ caused a parallel shift of the given dose response curve.

Procurement and supply chain management Essay Example for Free

Procurement and supply chain management Essay This Publication is concerned with the vital subject of business logistics and supply chain management, an area that can be essential to a firm’s competitive strategy and revenue generation. This management area has been described by many names, including physical distribution, materials management, transportation management, logistics, and supply chain management. Relevant business activities may include one or more of the following areas: transportation, inventory, order processing, purchasing, warehousing, materials handling, packaging, customer service standards, and production. The focus of this Publication is on the planning, organizing, and controlling of these activities key elements for successful management in any organization. Special emphasis is given to strategic planning and decision making as an important part of the management process. Managerial efforts are directed towards setting the level of the logistics activities so as to make products and services available to customers at the time and place required, and in the condition and form desired, in the most profitable and cost-effective way. Logistical activities have always been vital to organizations, and so business logistics and supply chain management represents a synthesis of many concepts, principles, and methods from the more traditional areas of marketing, production, accounting, purchasing, and transportation, as well as from the disciplines of applied mathematics, organizational behaviour, and economics. This Publication attempts to unify these elements to assist in the effective management of the supply chain. The Publication aims to present ideas, principles and techniques that are fundamental to good business logistics practice. It concentrates on important activities of management such as planning, organizing, and controlling, and also on a triangle of interrelated transportation, inventory, and location strategies, which are at the heart of good logistics planning and decision making. Contemporary trends that affect the scope and practice of business logistics and supply chain management have been integrated into the body of the text. Firstly, emphasis is placed on logistics and supply chain management in a worldwide setting to reflect the growing internationalization and globalization of business in general. Secondly, the shift towards service-oriented economies by industrialized nations is emphasized by showing how logistics concepts and principles are applicable to both service-producing tirms and product-producing ones. Thirdly, attention is given to the integrated management of supply chain activities. 1 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk The Publication contains many practical and contemporary examples that show the applicability of the textual material and assist in the understanding and learning of the key points and concepts. Each Chapter in this Cambridge International College Publication on Logistics, Chain Supply Transport Management includes: †¢ An introduction section †¢ Examples and/or figures and diagrams to explain the concepts being covered †¢ A summary of concluding comments †¢ Review Questions designed to reinforce learning and contemplation of what is covered in the Chapter Advice on How to Study this Program Every individual CIC Member approaches his/her study in a different manner, and different people may have a particular study method that they find most effective for them. However, the following is a tested and proven Study Method, suggested to you as a CIC Member in order to assist in making your study and learning easier and enjoyable and to assist you to quickly master the contents of this CIC Publication on Logistics, Chain Supply Transport Management: Step 1: Set yourself a flexible study schedule, depending on the time you have available and what is best for you. For example, the target set could be to study for 1 or 2 hours a night, or for 8 or 9 hours a week, or to complete one Chapter every 2 weeks. There is no set or compulsory schedule, but simply setting a schedule or goal is often an important action in ensuring that study is undertaken successfully and within the specified timeframe. Step 2: Read the whole of the first Chapter at your normal reading pace, without trying to memorise every topic covered or fact stated, but trying to get â€Å"the feel† of what is dealt with in the Chapter as a whole. Step 3: Start reading the Chapter again from the beginning, this time reading more slowly, paragraph by paragraph and section by section. Make brief notes of any points, sentences, paragraphs or sections which you feel need your further study, consideration or thought. You may wish to keep any notes in a separate file or notebook. Try to absorb and memorise all the important topics covered. Step 4: Start reading the Chapter again from its start, this time paying particular attention to and if necessary studying more thoroughly those parts on which you earlier wrote notes for further study. It is best that you do not pass on to other parts or topics until you are certain you fully understand and remember those parts you earlier noted as requiring your special attention. Try to fix everything taught firmly in your mind. 2 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk Step 5: There are self-assessment review questions at the end of the Chapter, and you are strongly advised to try to answer or think about them as best you can but do not send your answers to the College. If these questions/exercises highlight any areas that you feel you need to revise or re-read in the Chapter, then go ahead and do that before moving on to Step 6. Step 6: Once you have completed steps 1 to 5 above, move on to the next Chapter and repeat steps 1 to 5 for each subsequent Chapter. 3 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk LOGISTICS, SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM MODULE ONE BUSINESS LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN A VITAL SUBJECT (based on Chapter 1 of ‘Logistics, Supply Chain and Transport Management’ by Ronald H Ballou) Contents Introduction Business Logistics Defined The Supply Chain The Activity Mix Importance of Logistics/Supply Chain (SC) Costs Are Significant Logistics Customer Service Expectations Are Increasing Supply and Distribution Lines Are Lengthening with Greater Complexity Logistics/SC Is Important to Strategy Logistics/SC Adds Significant Customer Value Customers Increasingly Want Quick, Customized Response Logistics/SC in Non-Manufacturing Areas Service Industry Military Environment Business Logistics/SC in the Firm Objectives of Business Logistics/SC Questions and Problems Introduction As far back as history records, the goods that people wanted were not always produced where they wanted to consume them, or these goods were not accessible when people wanted to consume them. Food and other commodities were widely dispersed and were only available in abundance at certain times of the year. Early peoples had the choice of consuming goods at their immediate location or moving the goods to a preferred site and storing them for later use. However, because no well developed transportation and storage systems yet existed, the movement of goods was limited to what an individual could personally move, and storage of perishable commodities was possible for only a short time. This limited movement-storage system generally constrained people to live close to the sources of production and to consume a rather narrow range of goods. Even today, in some areas of the world consumption and production take place only within a very limited geographic region. Striking examples can still be observed in the developing nations of Asia, South America, Australia, and Africa, where some of the population live in small, self-sufficient villages, and most of the goods needed by the residents are produced or acquired in the immediate vicinity. Few goods are imported from other areas. Therefore, production efficiency and the economic standard of living are generally low. In this type of economy, a well-developed and inexpensive logistics system would encourage an exchange of goods with other producing areas of the country, or even the world. 4 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk As logistics systems improved, consumption and production began to separate geographically. Regions would specialize in those commodities that could be produced most efficiently. Excess production could be shipped economically to other producing (or consuming) areas, and needed goods not produced locally were imported. This exchange process follows the principle of comparative advantage. This same principle, when applied to world markets, helps to explain the high level of international trade that takes place today. Efficient logistics systems allow world businesses to take advantage of the fact that lands, and the people who occupy them, are not equally productive. Logistics is the very essence of trade. It contributes to a higher economic standard of living for us all. To the individual firm operating in a high-level economy, good management of logistics activities is vital. Markets are often national or international in scope, whereas production may be concentrated at relatively few points. Logistics activities provide the bridge between production and market locations that are separated by time and distance. Effective management of these activities is the major concern of this Program. Business Logistic Defined Business logistics is a relatively new field of integrated management study in comparison with the traditional fields of finance, marketing, and production. As previously noted, logistics activities have been carried out by individuals for many years. Businesses also have continually engaged in movestore (transportation-inventory) activities. The newness of the field results from the concept of coordinated management of the related activities, rather than the historical practice of managing them separately, and the concept that logistics adds value to products or services that are essential to customer satisfaction and sales. Although co-ordinated logistics management has not been generally practiced until recently, the idea of co-ordinated management can be traced back to at least 1844. In the writings of Jules Dupuit, a French engineer, the idea of trading one cost for another (transportation costs for inventory costs) was evident in the selection between road and water transport: â€Å"The fact is that carriage by road being quicker, more reliable and less subject to loss or damage, it possesses advantage to which businessmen often attach a considerable value. However, it may well be that a saving induces the merchant to use a canal; he can buy warehouses and increase his floating capital in order to have a sufficient supply of goods on hand to protect himself against slowness and irregularity of the canal, and if all told the saving in transport gives him a cost advantage, he will decide in favour of the new route. † The first textbook to suggest the benefits of co-ordinated logistics management appeared around 1961, in part explaining why a generally accepted definition of business logistics is still emerging. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore several definitions for the scope and content of the subject. A dictionary definition of the term logistics is: â€Å"The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining, and transporting material, personnel, and facilities. † This definition puts logistics into a military context. To the extent that business objectives and activities differ from those of the military, this definition does not capture the essence of business logistics management. A better representation of the field may be reflected in the definition promulgated by the Council of Logistics Management (CLM), a professional organization of logistics 5 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk managers, educators, and practitioners formed in 1962 for the purposes of continuing education and fostering the interchange of ideas. Its definition: â€Å"Logistics is that part of the supply chain process that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements. † This is an excellent definition, conveying the idea that product flows are to be managed from the point where they exist as raw materials to the point where they are finally discarded. Logistics is also concerned with the flow of services as well as physical goods, an area of growing opportunity for improvement. It also suggests that logistics is a process, meaning that it includes all the activities that have an impact on making goods and services available to customers when and where they wish to acquire them. However, the definition implies that logistics is part of the supply chain process, not the entire process. So, what is the supply chain process or, more popularly, supply chain management? Supply chain management (SCM) is a term that has emerged in recent years that captures the essence of integrated logistics and even goes beyond it. Supply chain management emphasizes the logistics interactions that take place among the functions of marketing, logistics, and production within a firm and those interactions that take place between the legally separate firms within the product-flow channel. Opportunities for cost or customer service improvement are achieved through co-ordination and collaboration among the channel members where some essential supply chain activities may not be under the direct control of the logistician. Although early definitions such as physical distribution, materials management, industrial logistics and channel management all terms used to describe logistics have promoted this broad scope for logistics, there was little attempt to implement logistics beyond a company’s own enterprise boundaries, or even beyond its own internal logistics function. Now, retail firms are showing success in sharing information with suppliers, who in turn agree to maintain and manage inventories on retailers’ shelves. Channel inventories and product stockouts are lower. Manufacturing firms operating under just-in-time production scheduling build relationships with suppliers for the benefit of both companies by reducing inventories. Definitions of the supply chain and supply chain management reflecting this broader scope are: â€Å"The supply chain (SC) encompasses all activities associated with the flow and transformation of goods from the raw materials stage (extraction), through to the end user, as well as the associated information flows. Materials and information flow both up and down the supply chain. † â€Å"Supply chain management (SCM) is the integration of these activities, through improved supply chain relationships, to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. † After careful study of the various definitions being offered, Mentzer and other writers propose the broad and rather general definition as follows: â€Å"Supply chain management is defined as the systematic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions and the tactics across these business functions within a particular company and across businesses within the supply chain, for the purposes of improving the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a whole. † 6 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] The supply chain management model in Figure 1-1 viewed as a pipeline shows the scope of this definition. It is important to note that supply chain management is about the co-ordination of product flows across functions and across companies to achieve competitive advantage and profitability for the individual companies in the supply chain and the supply chain members collectively. It is difficult, in a practical way, to separate business logistics management from supply chain management. In so many respects, they promote the same mission: â€Å"To get the right goods or services to the right place, at the right time, and in the desired condition, while making the greatest contribution to the firm. † Some claim that supply chain management is just another name for integrated business logistics management (IBLM) and that the broad scope of supply chain management has been promoted over the years. Conversely, others say that logistics is a subset of SCM, where SCM considers additional issues beyond those of product flow. For example, SCM may be concerned with product pricing and manufacturing quality. Although SCM promotes viewing the supply channel with the broadest scope, the reality is that firms do not practise this ideal. Fawcett and Magan found that companies that do practise supply chain integration limit their scope to one tier upstream and one tier downstream. The focus seems to be concerned with creating seamless processes within their own companies and applying new information technologies to improve the quality of information and speed of its exchange among channel members. The boundary between the logistics and supply chain management terms is fuzzy. Even then, logistics activities are repeated once again as used products are recycled upstream in the logistics channel. A single firm generally is not able to control its entire product flow channel from raw material source to points of the final consumption, although this is an emerging opportunity. For practical purposes, the business logistics for the individual firm has a narrower scope. Usually, the maximum managerial control that can be expected is over the immediate physical supply and physical distribution channels, as shown in Figure 1-2. The physical supply channel refers to the time and space gap between a firm’s immediate material sources and its processing points. Similarly, the physical distribution channel refers to the time and space gap between the firm’s processing points and its customers. Due to the similarities in the activities between the two channels, physical supply (more commonly referred to as materials management) 8 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk and physical distribution comprise those activities that are integrated into business logistics. Business logistics management is now popularly referred to as supply chain management. Others have used terms such as value nets, value stream, and lean logistics to describe a similar scope and purpose. The evolution of the management of product flows toward SCM is captured in Figure 1-3. Although it is easy to think of logistics as managing the flow of products from the points of raw material acquisition to end customers, for many firms there is a reverse logistics channel that must be managed as well. The life of a product, from a logistics viewpoint, does not end with delivery to the customer. Products become obsolete, damaged, or nonfunctioning and are returned to their source points for repair or disposition. Packaging materials may be returned to the shipper due to environmental regulations or because it makes good economic sense to reuse them. The reverse logistics channel may utilize all or a portion of the forward logistics channel or it may require a separate design. The supply chain terminates with the final disposition of a product. The reverse channel must be considered to be within the scope of logistics planning and control. The Activity Mix The activities to be managed that make up business logistics (supply chain process) vary from firm to firm, depending on a firm’s particular organizational structure, management’s honest differences of opinion about what constitutes the supply chain for its business, and the importance of individual activities to its operations. Follow along the supply chain as shown in Figure 1-2 and note the important activities that take place. Again, according to the CLM: 9 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk â€Å"The components of a typical logistics system are: customer service, demand forecasting, distribution communications, inventory control, material handling, order processing, parts and service support, plant and warehouse site selection (location analysis), purchasing, packaging, return goods handling, salvage and scrap disposal, traffic and transportation, and warehousing and storage. † Figure 1-4 organizes these components, or activities, according to where they are most likely to take place in the supply channel. The list is further divided into key and support activities, along with some of the decisions associated with each activity. Customer service standards co-operate with marketing to: a. Determine customer needs and wants for logistics customer service b. Determine customer response to service c. Set customer service levels 2. Transportation a. Mode and transport service selection b. Freight consolidation c. Carrier routing d. Vehicle scheduling e. Equipment selection f. Claims processing g. Rate auditing 3. Inventory management a. Raw materials and finished goods stocking policies b. Short-term sales forecasting c. Product mix at stocking points 10 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk d. Number, size, and location of stocking points e. Just-in-time, push, and pull strategies 4. Information flows and order processing a. Sales order-inventory interface procedures b. Order information transmittal methods c. Ordering rules Support Activities 1. Warehousing a. Space determination b. Stock layout and dock design c. Warehouse configuration d. Stock placement 2. Materials handling a. Equipment selection b. Equipment replacement policies c. Order-picking procedures d. Stock storage and retrieval 3. Purchasing a. Supply source selection b. Purchase timing c. Purchase quantities 4. Protective packaging designed for: a. Handling b. Storage c. Protection from loss and damage 5. Co-operate with production/operations to: a. Specify aggregate quantities b. Sequence and time production output c. Schedule supplies for production/operations 6. Information maintenance a. Information collection, storage, and manipulation b. Data analysis Control procedures Key and support activities are separated because certain activities will generally take place in every logistics channel, whereas others will take place, depending on the circumstances, within a particular firm. The key activities are on the â€Å"critical† loop within a firm’s immediate physical distribution channel, as shown in Figure 1 to 5. They contribute most to the total cost of logistics or they are essential to the effective co-ordination and completion of the logistics task. 11 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk Customer service standards set the level of output and degree of readiness to which the logistics system must respond. Logistics costs increase in proportion to the level of customer service provided, such that setting the standards for service also affects the logistics costs to support that level of service. Setting very high service requirements can force logistics costs to exceedingly high levels. Transportation and inventories maintenance are the primary cost-absorbing logistics activities. Experience has shown that each will represent one-half to two-thirds of total logistics costs. Transportation adds place value to products and services, whereas inventories maintenance adds time value. Transportation is essential because no modern firm can operate without providing for the movement of its raw materials or its finished products. This importance is underscored by the financial strains placed on many firms by such disasters as a national railroad strike or independent truckers’ refusal to move goods because of rate disputes. In these circumstances, markets cannot be served, and products back up in the logistics pipeline to deteriorate or become obsolete. Inventories are also essential to logistics management because it is usually not possible or practical to provide instant production or ensure delivery times to customers. They serve as buffers between supply and demand so that needed product availability may be maintained for customers while providing flexibility for production and logistics in seeking efficient methods for manufacture and distribution of the product. Order processing is the final key activity. Its costs usually are minor compared to transportation or inventory maintenance costs. Nevertheless, order processing is an important element in the total time that it takes for a customer to receive goods or services. It is the activity triggering product movement and service delivery. Although support activities may be as critical as the key activities in any particular circumstance, they are considered here as contributing to the logistics mission. In addition, one or more of the support activities may not be a part of the logistics activity mix for every firm. For example, products such as finished automobiles or commodities such as coal, iron ore, or gravel not needing the weather and security protection of warehousing will not require the warehousing activity, even though inventories are maintained. However, warehousing and materials handling are typically conducted wherever products are temporarily halted in their movement to the marketplace. 12 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk Protective packaging is a support activity of transportation and inventory maintenance as well as of warehousing and materials handling because it contributes to the efficiency with which these other activities are carried out. Purchasing and product scheduling often may be considered more a concern of production than of logistics. However, they also affect the overall logistics effort, and specifically they affect the efficiency of transportation and inventory management. Finally, information maintenance supports all other logistics activities in that it provides the needed information for planning and control. The extended supply chain refers to those members of the supply channel beyond the firm’s immediate suppliers or customers. They may be suppliers to the immediate suppliers or customers of the immediate customers and so on until raw material source points or end customers are reached. It is important to plan and control the previously noted activities and information flows if they affect the logistics customer service that can be provided and the costs of supplying this service. Management of the extended supply chain has the potential of improving logistics performance beyond that of just managing the activities within the immediate supply chain. Importance of Logistics/Supply Chain Logistics is about creating value value for customers and suppliers of the firm, and value for the firm’s stakeholders. Value in logistics is primarily expressed in terms of time and place. Products and services have no value unless they are in the possession of the customers when (time) and where (place) they wish to consume them. For example, concessions at a sports event have no value to consumers if they are not available at the time and place that the event is occurring, or if inadequate inventories don’t meet the demands of the sports fans. Good logistics management views each activity in the supply chain as contributing to the process of adding value. If little value can be added, it is questionable whether the activity should exist. However, value is added when customers are willing to pay more for a product or service than the cost to place it in their hands. To many firms throughout the world, logistics has become an increasingly important value-adding process for a number of reasons. Costs Are Significant Over the years, several studies have been conducted to determine the costs of logistics for the whole economy and for the individual firm. There are widely varying estimates of the cost levels. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), logistics costs average about 12 percent of the 13 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk world’s gross domestic product. Robert Delaney, who has tracked logistics costs for more than two decades, estimates that logistics costs for the U. S. economy are 9. 9 percent of the U. S. gross domestic product (GDP), or $921 billion. For the firm, logistics costs have ranged from 4 percent to over 30 percent of sales. The results from a cost survey of individual firms are shown in Table 1-3. Although the results show physical distribution costs at about 8 percent of sales, this survey does not include physical supply costs. Probably another one-third may be added to this total to represent average logistics costs for the firm at about 11 percent of sales. Over the last decade, physical distribution costs have ranged between 7 percent and 9 percent of sales. There may be a trend of increasing costs for individual firms, although Wilson and Delaney show over the same period that logistics costs as a percent of U. S. GDP have declined by about 10 percent. Logistics costs, substantial for most firms, rank second only to the cost of goods sold (purchase costs) that are about 50 percent to 60 percent of sales for the average manufacturing firm. Value is added by minimizing these costs and by passing the benefits on to customers and to the firm’s shareholders. Logistics Customer Service Expectations Are Increasing The Internet, just-in-time operating procedures, and continuous replenishment of inventories have all contributed to customers expecting rapid processing of their requests, quick delivery, and a high degree of product availability. According to the Davis Survey of hundreds of companies over the last decade, world-class competitors have average order cycle times (the time between when an order is placed and when it is received) of seven to eight days and line item fill rates of 90 percent to 94 percent. LogFac summarizes world-class logistics performance for domestic companies as: Error rates of less than one per 1,000 orders shipped Logistics costs of well under 5 percent of sales Finished goods inventory turnover of 20 or more times per year Total order cycle time of five working days Transportation cost of one percent of sales revenue or less, if products sold are over $5 per 500 gms As might be expected, the average company performs below these cost and customer service benchmarks, when compared with the statistics in Tables 1-3 and 1-4. Supply and Distribution Lines Are Lengthening with Greater Complexity The trend is toward an integrated world economy. Firms are seeking, or have developed, global strategies by designing their products for a world market and producing them wherever the low-cost 14 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk raw materials, components, and labor can be found (e. g. , Ford’s Focus automobile), or they simply produce locally and sell internationally. In either case, supply and distribution lines are stretched, as compared with the producer who wishes to manufacture and sell only locally. Not only has the trend occurred naturally by firms seeking to cut costs or expand markets, but it is also being encouraged by political arrangements that promote trade. Examples of the latter are the European Union, the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and the economic trade agreement among several countries of South America (MERCOSUR). Globalization and internationalization of industries everywhere will depend heavily on logistics performance and costs, as companies take more of a world view of their operations. As this happens, logistics takes on increased importance within the firm since its costs, especially transportation, become a larger part of the total cost structure. For example, if a firm seeks foreign suppliers for the raw materials that make up its final product or foreign locations to build its product, the motivation is to increase profit. Material and labor costs may be reduced, but logistics costs are likely to increase due to increased transportation and inventory costs. The â€Å"tradeoff†, as shown in Figure 1-6, may lead to higher profit by reducing materials, labour, and overhead costs at the expense of logistics costs and tariffs. â€Å"Outsourcing† adds value, but it requires careful management of logistics costs and product-flow times in the supply channel. Logistics/SC Is Important To Strategy Firms spend a great deal of time finding ways to differentiate their product offerings from those of their competitors. When management recognizes that logistics/SC affects a significant portion of a firm’s costs and that the result of decisions made about the supply chain processes yields different levels of customer service, it is in a position to use this effectively to penetrate new markets, to increase market share, and to increase profits. When a firm incurs the cost of moving the product toward the customer or making an inventory available in a timely manner, for the customer â€Å"value† has been created that was not there previously. It is value as surely as that created through the production of a quality product or through a low price. It is generally recognized that business creates four types of value in products or services. These are: form, time, place, and possession. Logistics creates two out of these four values. Manufacturing creates form value as inputs are converted to outputs, that is raw materials are transformed into finished goods. Logistics controls the time and place values in products, mainly through transportation, information flows, and inventories. Possession value is often considered the responsibility of marketing, engineering, and finance, where the value is created by helping customers acquire the product through such mechanisms as advertising (information), technical support, and terms of sale (pricing and credit availability). To the extent that SCM includes production, three out of the four values may be the responsibility of the logistics/supply chain manager. Customers Increasingly Want Quick, Customized Response Fast food retailers, automatic teller machines, overnight package delivery, and electronic mail on the Internet have led us as consumers to expect that products and services can be made available in increasingly shorter times. In addition, improved information systems and flexible manufacturing processes have led the marketplace toward mass customization. Rather than consumers having to accept the â€Å"one size fits all† philosophy in their purchases, suppliers are increasingly offering products that meet individual customer needs. Companies too have been applying the concept of quick response to their internal operations in order to meet the service requirements of their own marketing efforts. The quick response philosophy has been used to create a marketing advantage. Saks Fifth Avenue applied it, even though big profits are made through big margins and not on cost reductions that might be achieved from good logistics management. Supply chain costs may even rise, although the advantage is to more than cover these costs through increased profits. Logistics/SC in Non-manufacturing Areas It is perhaps easiest to think of logistics/SC in terms of moving and storing a physical product in a manufacturing setting. This is too narrow a view and can lead to many missed business opportunities. The logistics/SC principles and concepts learned over the years can be applied to such areas as service industries, the military, and even environment management. Service Industry The service sector of industrialized countries is large and growing. In the United States, over 70 percent of all jobs are in what the federal government classifies as the service sector. The size of this sector alone forces us to ask if logistics concepts are not equally applicable here as they are to the manufacturing sector. If they are, there is a tremendous untapped opportunity yet to be fulfilled. Many companies designated as service firms in fact produce a product. Examples include: McDonald’s Corporation (fast foods); Dow Jones Co. , Inc. (newspaper publishing); and Sears, Roebuck and Co. (merchandise retailing). These companies carry out all the typical supply chain activities of any manufacturing firm. However, for service companies such as Bank One (retail banking), Marriott Corporation (lodging) and Consolidated Edison (electric power), supply chain activities, 16 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: Britain. International Headquarters: College House, Leoville, Jersey JE3 2DB, Britain Telefax: +44 (0)1534 485485 Email: [emailprotected] com Website: www. cambridgecollege. co. uk especially those associated with physical distribution, are not as obvious. Even though many service-oriented companies may be distributing an intangible, nonphysical product, they do engage in many physical distribution activities and decisions. A hospital may want to extend emergency medical care throughout the community and must make decisions as to the locations of the centers. United Parcel Service and Federal Express must locate terminals and route pickup and delivery trucks. The East Ohio Gas Company inventories natural gas in underground wells during the off-season in the region where demand will occur. Bank One must locate and have cash inventory on hand for its ATMs. The Federal Reserve Bank must select the methods of transportation to move cancelled cheques among member banks. The Catholic Church must decide the number, location, and size of the churches needed to meet shifts in size and location of congregations, as well as to plan the inventory of its pastoral staff. Xerox’s repair service for copying equipment is also a good example of the logistics decisions encountered in a service operation. The techniques, concepts, and methods discussed throughout this Program should be as applicable to the service sector as they are to the manufacturing sector. The key, according to Theodore Levitt, may be in transforming an intangible service into a tangible product. Problems will remain in carefully identifying the costs associated with the distribution of an intangible product. Perhaps because of this, few service firms or organizations have a physical distribution manager on their staff, although they frequently do have a materials manager to handle supply matters. However, managing logistics in service industries does represent a new direction for the future development of logistics practice. Military Before businesses showed much interest in co-ordinating supply chain processes, the military was well organized to carry out logistics activities. More than a decade before business logistics’ developmental period, the military carried out what was called the most complex, best-planned logistics operation of that time-the invasion of Europe during World War II. Although the problems of the military, with its extremely high customer service requirements, were not identical with those of business, the similarities were great enough to provide a valuable experience base during the developmental years of logistics. For example, the military alone maintained inventories valued at about one-third of those held by all U. s. manufacturers. In addition to the management experience that such large-scale operations provide, the military sponsored, and continues to sponsor, research in the logistics area through such organizations as the RAND Corporation and the Office of Naval Research. With this background, the field of business logistics began to grow. Even the term logistics seems to have had its origins in the military. A recent example of military logistics on a large scale was the conflict between the United States and Iraq over Iraq’s invasion of the small country of Kuwait. This invasion has been described as the largest military logistics operation in history. The logistics support in that war is yet another illustration of what worldclass companies have always known: Good logistics can be a source of competitive advantage. Lt General William Pagonis, in charge of logistics support for Desert Storm, observed: â€Å"When the Middle East started heating up, it seemed like a good time to pull out some history books on desert warfare in this region . But there was nothing on logistics. Logistics is not a best seller. In a couple of his diaries, Rommel talked about logistics. He thought the Germans lost the battle not because they didn’t have great soldiers or equipment in fact, the German tanks outfought ours almost throughout World War II but because the British had better logistics. † 17 LSCTMMOD1 Send for a FREE copy of our Prospectus book by airmail, telephone, fax or email, or via our website: The first wave of 200,000 troops and their equipment was deployed in a month and a half, whereas troop deployment took nine months in the Vietnam conflict. In addition, the application of many good logistics concepts was evident. Take customer service, for example: â€Å"We believed that if we took care of our troops, the objectives would be accomplished no matter whatever else happened. The soldiers are our customers. It is no different than a determined, single focus on customers that many successful businesses have. Now, you take care of your soldiers not only by providing them cold sodas, and burgers, and good food: you make sure they have the ammunition on the front line, so that when they go fight the war they know they have what they need. † This meant that when 120 mm guns rather than 105 mm guns were desired on tanks, they were changed. When brown vehicles were preferred over the traditional camouflage green, they were repainted at the rate of 7,000 per month. Environment Population growth and resultant economic development have heightened our awareness of environmental issues. Whether it is recycling, packaging materials, transporting hazardous materials or refurbishing products for resale, logisticians are involved in a major way. After all, the United States alone produces more than 160 million tons of waste each year, enough for a convoy of 10-ton garbage trucks reaching halfway to the moon. In many cases, planning for logistics in an environmental setting is no different from that in manufacturing or service sectors. However, in a few cases additional complications arise, such as governmental regulations that make the logistics for a product more costly by extending the distribution channel. Business Logistics in the Firm It has been the tradition in many firms to organize around marketing and production functions. Typically, marketing means selling something and production means making something. Although few business people would agree that their organization is so simple, the fact remains that many businesses emphasize these functions while treating other activities, such as traffic, purchasing, accounting, and engineering, as support areas. Such an attitude is justified to a degree, because if a firm’s products cannot be produced and sold, little else matters. However, such a pattern is dangerously simple for many firms to follow in that it fails to recognize the importance of the activities that must take place between points and times of production or purchase and the points and times of demand. These are the logistics activities, and they affect the efficiency and effectiveness of both marketing and production. Scholars and practitioners of both marketing and production have not neglected the importance of logistics. In fact, each area considers logistics within its scope of action. For example, the following definition of marketing management includes physical distribution: â€Å"Marketing (management) is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges with target groups that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. † Marketing’s concern is to place its products or services in convenient distribution channels to facilitate the exchange process. The concept of production/ operations management often includes logistics activities. Now, viewing product flow activities as a process to be coordinated, product flow aspects within marketing, production, and logistics are collectively managed to achieve customer service objectives. The difference in operating objectives (maximize revenue versus minimize cost) for marketing and production/operations may lead to a fragmentation of interest in, and responsibility for, logistics activities, as well as a lack of co-ordination among logistics activities as a whole. This, in turn, may lead to lower customer service levels or higher total logistics costs than are necessary. Business logistics represents a regrouping, either by formal organizational structure or conceptually in the minds of management, of the move-store activities that historically may have been partially under the control of marketing and production/ operations. If logistics activities are looked upon as a separate area of managerial action, the relationship of logistics activities to those of marketing and production/ operations would be as is shown in Figure 1-7. Marketing would be primarily responsible for market research, promotion, sales-force management, and the product mix, which create possession value in the product. Production/ operations would be concerned with the creation of the product or service, which creates form value in the product. Key responsibilities would be quality control, production planning and scheduling, job design, capacity planning, maintenance, and work measurement and standards. Logistics would be concerned with those activities (previously defined) that give a product or service time and place value. This separation of the activities of the firm into three groupings rather than two is not always necessary or advisable to achieve the coordination of logistics activities that is sought. Marketing and production/operations, when broadly conceived and co-ordinated, can do an effective job of managing logistics activities without creating an additional organizational entity. Even if a separate functional area is created for logistics within the firm so as to achieve effective control of the firm’s immediate logistics activities, logisticians will need to view their responsibility as one of coordinating the entire supply chain process rather than being just a local logistics activity administrator. To do otherwise may miss substantial opportunities for cost reduction and logistics customer service improvement. The interface is created by the arbitrary separation of a firm’s activities into a limited number of functional areas. Managing the interface activities by one function alone can lead to sub-optimal performance for the firm by subordinating broader company goals to individual functional goals-a potential danger resulting from the departmental form of organizational structure so common in companies today. To achieve interfunctional coordination, some measurement system and incentives for cooperation among the functions involved need to be established. This is equally true of the inter-organizational co-ordination required to manage product flows across company boundaries. It is important to note, however, that establishing a third functional group is not without its disadvantages. Two functional interfaces now exist where only one between marketing and production/ operations previously existed. Some of the most difficult administrative problems arise from the interfunctional conflicts that occur when one is attempting to manage interface activities. Some of this potential conflict may be dissipated if a new organizational arrangement is created whereby production/ operations and logistics are merged into one group called supply chain. Just as managers are beginning to understand the benefits of interfunctional logistics management, inter-organizational management is being encouraged. Supply chain management proponents who view the area more broadly than some logisticians have been strongly promoting the need for collaboration among supply channel members that are outside the immediate control of a company’s  logistician, that is, members who are legally separate companies. Collaboration among the channel members that are linked through buyer-seller relationships is essential to achieving cost-service benefits unable to be realized by managers with strictly an internal view of their responsibilities. Supply chain managers consider themselves to have responsibility for the entire supply channel of the scope as illustrated in Figure 1-8. Managing in this broader environment is the new challenge for the contemporary logistician. Objectives of Business Logistics/SC Within the broader objectives of the firm, the business logistician seeks to achieve supply channel process goals that will move the firm toward its overall objectives. Specifically, the desire is to develop a logistics activity mix that will result in the highest possible return on investment over time. There are two dimensions to this goal: (1) the impact of the logistics system design on the revenue contribution, and (2) the operating cost and capital requirements of the design. Ideally, the logistician should know how much additional revenue would be generated through incremental improvements.

Discuss How the Concepts of ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’ Essay Example for Free

Discuss How the Concepts of ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’ Essay Australia is known for its multicultural society, but race and ethnicity are a huge factor of persistent racism and inequality in this country. The driving force behind this is the strong belief that some of the population still hold against people who appear different to themselves. To gain a clear understanding of this sensitive topic one must look at the origins, forms and effects of racism. This essay will look at how the concepts of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ perpetuate inequality in our society, a brief history of Australia in relation to racism and how people experience these inequalities today in a society that we call multicultural. Modern Australia was established as a ‘region of recent settlement’ in 1788 which was a small part of a larger process of European colonisation (Bessant Watts, 2002, p. 219). They had a set of ideas, values and beliefs and assumed that aborigines had no system of land ownership, agriculture, animal husbandry. Indigenous people have been in Australia for more than 100,000 years (Bessant Watts, 2002, p. 222). The White Australia Policy in the 20th century encouraged immigration only from Britain, but didn’t allow ‘Asians’ and ‘Non-whites (Economou N, 1998, p.363). By 1950’s people from all countries were allowed to migrate into Australia to help post war reconstruction. The colonial immigration saw a mass migration of European people mostly from Britain to Australia. It is said that between 1788 and 1852 approximately 170,000 people moved to Australia, and the gold rush era after 1851 made it a highly desirable country for migrating (Bessant Watts, 2002, p. 231). By end of World War two, as war forced Australia to get closer to other countries, which resulted in the first significant weakening of the policy in 1951. Later in the 1950s and 1960s other parts of the White Australia Policy were gradually dismantled. By the 1970s the federal government had removed all racial restrictions from its immigration law (Bessant Watts, 2002). Various writers have contradictory approaches and ways of looking at racism, making it a complex topic. It takes many different forms, ranging from physical violence to derogatory language. A person or group’s belief that their race is superior or inferior, or their moral and social traits are predetermined, based on biological differences can be termed ’racism’. A group of people sharing the same skin colour, same values, coming from the similar backgrounds may constitute as ’race’. One of the most common forms of racism found today is Institutional Racism, which stems from established corporations, and other powerful forces in society, thus making it hard to question and faces less public condemnation. Examples include housing, employment, businesses, education, religion and media (Healey, 2002). Typically, the basis of this type of discrimination is from irrational fear of people at the receiving end who belong to a different culture or ‘race’. Although, there have been ongoing debates about racism all around us for centuries, it is an assault on human rights as it methodically refuses people of different caste, colour, race, sex or their country of origin basic values underlined by Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which states that human rights are everyone’s birthright and apply to all without difference (Healey, 2002). Common perception of shared origins, culture, lifestyle and traditions amongst a group of people or society is the universal definition of ethnicity (Bessant Watts, 2002). People can share the same nationality but have different ethnicities. A few writers have put forward fascinating explanations of ethnicity. Edward Shils in his ‘primordial approach’ argues that he believes everyone has a primordial attachment to their motherland, people and religion which brings out strong emotional ties by socialising, which further gives rise to the need to have a separate identity and belonging. Then the ‘Mobilisationist Approach’ suggests that nothing is predictable or normal about ethnicity. Rather, ethnic identities come into sight and are toughened in political contexts where groups struggle to get access to inadequate and valued resources (Van Krieken et al, 2000, p. 519). The basis of ethnocentrism is a conscious or unconscious belief that one’s ethnic group, culture, religion, custom or behaviour is superior to another ethnic group. Politicians boast that Australia is a multicultural, open and classless society. Despite the well known image of Australia’s everyone have â€Å"a fair go†, the country is still full of both institutional and popular racism. Education has always been very important when it comes to moving up in class and has been very liberating in Australian society. However, indigenous and ethnic groups have been somewhat disadvantaged in opportunities to acquire education. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics only five Indigenous Australians per 1,000 obtain tertiary qualification, compared to 70-80 per 1,000 for Anglo Australians. In the 1990s welfare, health care and education support for Aborigines accounted only to 2% of total budget outlay (ABS 2000:21). In order to receive an education a person requires an income, but to get an income one needs a job, and a job is challenging to find without an appropriate level of education. Therefore an individuals chance of education is influenced by the socio-economic status of one’s parents which is a cyclic social inequality hard to break. Migrants and their children often find it challenging to adjust to the Australian school system as they often come from countries that have a poor education system, and even if they have tertiary qualifications they mostly are not recognised, resulting in them taking lower paid and lower status jobs. Working class children often attend schools in working class suburbs where pupils are directed into working-class jobs. A high number of students leave school early and the expectation that they will attend university is low. In comparison, upper-class children attend private schools, and the expectation that they will attend university is high. Migrants and ethnic groups are often at a lower end of the socioeconomic scale (Aspin, 1996, p. 87) Migrants arrive with little money and few skills. Already at a disadvantage with language barriers, migrants and ethnic groups are also faced with racism and discrimination in their search for employment. In 1996, One Nation political party leader Pauline Hanson made a speech that claimed that Australia was being overwhelmed by ‘Asians and feared that Asians were taking over jobs. The fact is that Asians at the time only accounted for 5% of total population and ‘there is little evidence to support the claim that high rates of immigration ‘cause unemployment or ‘cause Australians to lose their jobs (Bessant, 2002, p. 219). Indigenous people had a 24. 3% unemployment rate according to 1996 census (ABS 2000:23). Indigenous people are usually poorer than most non-indigenous Australians and receive a lower income on average than the total population. The household income for Aborigines in 1994 was $158 compared to $310 for white Australians (ABS 2000C:23) This also reflects the fact the there is a higher reliance by the Aboriginal population on social security payments (ABS 1996b: 122-4) Socioeconomic status is a major determinant of inequality as it influences access an individual has to the economic resources of a society. L. J. Aspin (1996) explains that white Australian-born males have a better chance of obtaining access to the resources of society. Inequality is also reflected in the differential access to housing and health services. For people who are paying rent and on a low income, it is almost impossible to save for a deposit on a house at the same time. Aborigines and migrants suffer discrimination in rental accommodation, where landlords preferring a two-parent, white, Anglo-Saxon families. Only 10% of Aborigines own housing compared to 70% of white Australia population (Aspin, 1996, p. 87). Most Aborigines live in rural and provincial Australia (Bessant, 2002, p. 226) far from big cities where there are more jobs, higher paid jobs, better education, better housing, good water and sanitation services, hospital medical services and other community amenities. Some ethnic backgrounds are still not accepted in our society and are treated differently and unequally. We see and hear about them on a day to day basis. In recent months the Indian community in Australia, especially students have become a vulnerable target for attacks, whether racist or not. On 31 May 2009 in Melbourne, about 5000 students marched through the streets of Melbourne protesting against these attacks on Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi students. 25-year-old Sravan Kumar Theerthala was in a serious condition in intensive care after being stabbed in the head with a screwdriver one week earlier (Bolton Peterson, 2009). In an article in The Age newspaper on February 19 Victorian police claimed that these attacks are not racially motivated, but opportunistic where Indian students are â€Å"over representing themselves as victims† and can be looked upon as soft targets. The police also advised them â€Å"not to speak in their native language loudly† or display signs of wealth. Attacks on Indians aren’t the only allegation Australia has faced over the years. It seems that anyone in power, including police, politicians or the media has had the tendency to somehow flare these attacks. In the Herald Sun on 11 June 2009, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell said: â€Å"Australians are also bashed and die in India, which does not provoke parades of chanting ocker backpackers in the streets of Mumbai†. In 2007, the then immigration minister Kevin Andrews referred to the Sudanese community when he said â€Å"Some groups don’t seem to be settling and adjusting into the Australian way of life as quickly as we would hope. † A spate of violent attacks were then unleashed against Sudanese migrants, and one was bashed to death by a group of white men (Bolton Peterson, 2009). As Australia continues to argue that it is a just, tolerant, open and classless society, there is still evidence of race and inequality among us and affecting the many lives of migrants and Indigenous people. It is interesting to note that the very determinants of class power, money, education, family background, occupation, health and general way of life are also the same factors where others experience inequalities. Race and ethnicity perpetuate inequality, and in any country including Australia, one would find that there are always some people with very strong values of racism, and media outlets which help in manipulating the views of general public. There still needs to be a massive drive by communities and governments on racism and inequality and it will be long before we will be a â€Å"happy multicultural Australia†. Bibliography Aspin, L J 1996, ‘Social stratification and inequality’, Focus on Australian society, 2nd edn, Longman, Melbourne. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Australian Bureau of Statistics, viewed 28 November 2009, http://www. abs. gov. au/ . Bessant, J Watts, R 2002, ‘Neighbours and nations: ethnic identity and multiculturalism’, Sociology Australia, 2nd edn, Allen Unwin, St Leonards, NSW. Bolton, S Peterson, C 2009, Indian students speak: Stop the racist attacks! , viewed 28 November 2009, http://www.greenleft. org. au/2009/798/41083. Economou, N 1998, ‘The Politics of Citizenship: identity, ethnicity and race’, in Alan Fenna, Introduction to Australian Public Policy, Vol 1, Addison Wesley Longman, Melbourne. Healey, J 2002, ‘Racism: Beyond Tolerance, A Fair Go’, Racism in Australia, Vol 180, The Spinney Press, Rozelle, NSW. Van Krieken, R, Smith, P, Hobbis, D McDonald, K 2000, ‘Migration, ethnicity and Australian Aboriginality’, Sociology: themes and perspectives, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.