Personal Transformation from Gilgamesh to Chihiro

Personal Transformation from Gilgamesh to Chihiro Regardless of the setting and the time, maturity and development are key processes that reshape individual’s character. Although on the surface, Hayao Miyazaki’s film, Spirited Away and The Epic of Gilgamesh have nothing in common based on their different historical and geographical settings, they are tied together by the genre called â€Å"Bildungsroman†. A genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood, also known as a coming of age novel.The film, Spirited Away, is about Chihiro, a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar town. Their curiosity leads them into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. As they explore, they come across an unattended food stand and the parents help themselves; later as the sun sets, they are transformed into pigs by some sort of sorcery. Chihiro is left alone t o figure out how to free her parents and escape this unknown world. Thankfully, she finds companionship in a boy named Haku who guides her through the obstacles she has to face along the way.The Epic of Gilgamesh begins in a similar manner as Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk appears to be an unfit leader for his city. As the city continues to resent their leader, the gods of Uruk decide to create Enkidu, a companion and diversion for Gilgamesh. Immediately after their friendship begins, Gilgamesh's selfish character is transformed into one of a more giving and gracious leader. These personal transformations interconnect the two stories that appear to be unrelated at first glance. The most essential similarity between The Epic of Gilgamesh and Spirited away is the companionship they find which begins their transformation.Without their companions, neither Chihiro nor Gilgamesh would be able to overcome their obstacles and develop into stronger characters. As the abandoned amusement park tu rns into a spirit world upon nightfall, Chihiro meets a young boy named Haku. Having been in her place previously, he instructs her on what to do in order to survive within this world and eventually save her parents. He guides her to the bathhouse for the millions of Shinto Gods that inhabit this spirit world. Following Haku's instructions enables her to find Yubaba who can give her the job she will need to stay live and function. Through her stay there, she discovers that Haku is actually a dragon under the employ of the evil witch Yubaba, who provided her with a job as well. She is able to free him along with herself as she realizes that Haku is actually a river spirit she fell into as a child. Haku responds with excitement after she tells him, â€Å"You did it, Chihiro! I remember! I was the spirit of the Kahaku River† (Miyazaki). She not only liberates him at this moment, but she completes her process of adulthood and finding a way home for herself.Chihiro began her journ ey through the spirit world simply looking for a way out, yet she was able to accomplish a lot more. None of it being possible without her guide, Haku. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh finds a similar friendship within his wild equal, Enkidu. Enkidu's companionship is essential in order for Gilgamesh's character to develop. Enkidu's greatest effect on Gilgamesh's nature occurs upon his death. Until the death of his only friend, Gilgamesh thought of himself as invincible and immortal. With Enkidu's demise, Gilgamesh falls into a state of misery and realizes what he must do.He states, â€Å"How can I keep silent, how can I stay quiet? My friend, whom I loved, has turned to clay. Shall I not be like him, and also lie down, never to rise again, through all eternity† (Epic of Gilgamesh 78)? Witnessing his friend die made Gilgamesh realize his fear of death and he therefore sets on a journey to find Uta-napishti, who has discovered the secret to immortality. Instead of returning to his old selfish ways, he takes on a quest to defeat fate. Once he reaches Uta-napishti, he is presented with a plant which grants youth upon the owner, even though he fails the test of staying awake for a week.On his journey home however, a snake retrieves the plant. Gilgamesh fails in his journey to defeat his fate, yet comes upon him a sense of humility and acceptance of his true destiny. He returns home to serve Uruk and its citizens. With the help of their companions, the main characters must overcome a series of obstacles before they can discover their full potential. In the beginning of the story, Chihiro is a spoiled child forced into the fantastic world. Chihiro becomes completely separated from everything she has known and must find her way back to reality.Her adult guidance is stripped away from her when her parents are turned into pigs after being greedy and eating plenty of food that did not belong to them. Chihiro is then forced to step up and save her own parents: â€Å"I'm sorry my sister turned your parents into pigs, but there's nothing I can do. It’s just the way things are. You'll have to help your parents and Haku by yourself† (Miyazaki). Never having been cast such responsibility, Chihiro does a pretty good job. In order to survive in the spirit world, Chihiro takes a job at the bath house run by Yubaba.There she performs hard tasks most kids her age would not be able to grasp. Chihiro taking a job is a first step into her reaching adulthood, as providing an income and hard work are grown up responsibilities. While she is working there, she faces some difficult challenges which the other workers could not handle. The first occurrence is when a creature in similar appearance to that of a stink god enters the bathhouse. The employees try to tell him to turn around, but when he ignores them and continues his way into the bathhouse, Chihiro is faced with the responsibility of cleaning him.The creature turns out to really be a River God polluted with garbage, and Chihiro is able to cure him by pulling out a bike and letting the other garbage spill out. Soon after, a spirit known as No-Face becomes a glutton, eating everything in the bathhouse. Chihiro saves the day again making him spit out all the creatures he ate and returning to his true form. Both times Chihiro was faced with challenges none of the other workers could handle. Both times, she was able to use her logic to fix the problems at hand. These obstacles forced Chihiro to grow up more quickly, as well as let her realize her true potential.Gilgamesh must make his way through hurdles as well in order to accomplish the effects of Chihiro. After meeting Enkidu, he begins this transformation by destroying two beasts. The first is Humbaba, whom Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to the forest of Cedar to destroy. After they succeeded, the goddesses Ishtar was impressed by Gilgamesh and offers him marriage. Knowing the history of her previous husbands, howe ver, Gilgamesh refused. Angered at his refusal, Ishtar summoned a Bull to destroy Gilgamesh. He is able to overcome the bull, only marking the beginning of his metamorphosis.Soon after these events, his companion Enkidu dies and Gilgamesh takes on another mission. He goes on a journey to find the secret to immortality as he begins to strongly fear death after seeing what happened with his friend, Enkidu. He believes Uta-napishti, who lives on the other side of the world, holds the answers: â€Å"I thought, ‘I will find Uta-napishti the Distant, of whom men tell’ and I wandered journeying through every land. Many times I passed through terrible mountains, many times I crossed and recrossed all the oceans. † (Epic of Gilgamesh 85)? Uta-napishti presents him with a plant that will bestow youth upon the owner.On his way home, however, a snake snatches the plant, leaving Gilgamesh disappointed as he realizes he will never seize what he has so long struggled for. It is this loss that helps him realize what he should do next, which is to reign as the best king he possibly can. While the obstacles Chihiro and Gilgamesh had to face in order to complete their transformation differed in nature, they helped them mature into adults and realize their potential. The last aspect of a transformation, and perhaps the most important is the realization gained through the difficult tasks one had to face.Characters in both Spirited Away and The Epic of Gilgamesh become more aware that the actions they take affect other people around them as well and therefore they should make decisions that benefit them and the surrounding communities. In the opening scene of Spirited Away, Chihiro’s main concern is losing the friends she is leaving behind by moving to a new home. When she enters the spirit world and her parents are turned into pigs, she has bigger problems to take care of first. Although she takes the job at the bathhouse to help herself and her parents, she ends up saving the bathhouse itself from destruction twice.Chihiro also helps her companion Haku as she remembers his name and is able to relieve him from the spirit world. Through her journey into adulthood, Chihiro learns to make decisions that benefit her, as well as others. Gilgamesh gains similar lessons in the Epic of Gilgamesh. After all the obstacles Gilgamesh overcame to gain the plant of youth, a snake simply snatched it away. Gilgamesh sat down and wept for the plant, but through his tears he finally grasped that his mistake was to fear death in the first place.Immortality is not meant for humans, and Gilgamesh then realized that instead of chasing it, he should return to his king duties just as Uta-napishti suggested: â€Å"Let him cast off his pelts, and the sea bear them off, let his body be soaked till fair! Let a new kerchief be made for his head, let him wear royal robes, the dress fitting his dignity† (The Epic of Gilgamesh 97). Gilgamesh returns to Uru k after accepting the fact he is mortal and he should be a great leader to his citizens. The text does not reveal what happens to Gilgamesh after he gets back to Uruk.However, based on his change of character throughout the epic, a judgment can be made on how he will rule as king. He has faced and accepted the harsh reality that humans cannot have power over everything and completed his transformation. Spirited Away and The Epic of Gilgamesh seem completely unrelated at first glance due to their difference in historical and geographical setting. However, when looked at more closely, the main characters experience similar psychological and moral growth into adulthood. The transformations of both Chihiro and Gilgamesh first begin when they find companionship.Chihiro finds hers within a young boy named Haku, who guides her to survive within the spirit world. He points her to Yubaba, an evil witch who gives her a job at the bathhouse. While Chihiro is working there, she has to face the monsters that invade and pose a threat the bathhouse, a task the adult workers could not handle themselves. After overcoming these obstacles, she is able to save herself and her fellow companion Haku from the spirit world. Gilgamesh began his journey similarly as he was a selfish tyrant highly disliked by the public.When he meets his natural equal, Enkidu, his life is forever changed. The two work together and become really close friends. At the peak of their friendship however, Enkidu dies and Gilgamesh embarks on a journey to find immortality. When his journey fails, he realizes that it is not in his power to have everlasting youth, but instead he has the capability to be a great king. He returns to his home city of Uruk transformed into a stronger leader. Both characters, Chihiro and Gilgamesh began their journeys as selfish and misguided individuals, but were able to reach their full potential in the end.

Agile Electric

Automaker a large multinational auto component manufacturer headquartered in North America with plants worldwide. It supplied complete systems to many car manufacturers globally. This particular project was the first time that it had supplied components to MOM. Automaker was looking forward for more business form MOM if this was successful. Due to increasing cost In the United States, Automaker was on a lookout for global low-cost source. During Its search It came across Agile In India and sent Its technical team to assess this potential supplier.The team was satisfied with the facility and approved It as Its supplier of motors to Automaker. As Eagles quality and delivery performance was good. In 2002 Automaker awarded a business for a new product which was not In Eagle's existing product portfolio. A team was deputed to work with Agile to setup the manufacturing line to produce the product as per Automates requirement. The launch was successful and Agile continued to deliver Zero d efects or delivery defaults. Based on previous track record Agile was selected to supply new actuator assembly and they had no experience in this.As done earlier, Automaker is not deputing any engineers to work with Agile. They accept to process the in house parts. For critical components Agile approach Automaker for support as they no idea on the parts. Agile recommends ESP. who was also an existing supplier to them. The Automaker team audited ESP. and gave a go-ahead to ESP. with some gaps to be addressed. ESP. recommended BILL for supplying of PC. Automaker agreed as BILL was an ISO 9000 certified company. After auditing the recommended some gaps and gave a go-ahead for development. ProblemThere were a failure reported by the Ford which seemed to originate from the actuator assembly supplied by Agile. Automaker asked Agile to investigate the problem and report on root cause of the problem. In 2009 Automaker deputes its Process expert to work on the problem. After series of experi ments and trials which located the problem as originating from the board shearing operations at Agile. This problem was not being detected at the final testing as there was no test that checked for shearing force. List of Key protagonists and their role.Surest Kumar, vice -president of Operations Agile Raja Reedy, Chief Executive Officer, Tom Smith, Supplier Quality Manager John Arthur, Purchasing Manager James Roach, SMS process Expert Possible alternatives Automaker should have maintained supplier scorecard to monitor the quality, telling and delivery of Its suppliers. Proper training need to be Imparted before awarding any new project which has no expertise. Work need to be supervised on a regular basis. If any gaps is found in the process need to make sure that it is corrected before asking a go-ahead. This was successful.Due to increasing cost in the United States, Automaker was on a lookout for global low-cost source. During its search it came across Agile in India and sent it s technical team to assess this potential supplier. The team was satisfied with the facility and approved it as its supplier of motors to Automaker. As Eagle's quality product which was not in Eagle's existing product portfolio.

Managing Workplace Stress

While there are existing businesses and constantly changing competitive business environments, the skills required to not only run a business but to sustain its performance and, more importantly, to rise above the rest are deemed of utmost significance. Although the employees in a specific company’s workforce are separate individuals in one way or another, it cannot be doubted that the overall performance of the workforce poses a great amount of influence in the total functioning of every company. While achieving this particular objective, this also causes stress in the workforce which may led to a decrease in productivity levels of employees. This is one of the reasons why stress management procedures are crucial to every business venture. More importantly, a great deal of the creation and management of teams to make them more effective rests at the heart of business undertakings if they feel like they are not working at all.  Read also Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Similar to a well-oiled machine composed of individual but interrelated parts, it can be said that business management teams, in order to accomplish and even surpass their goals, are expected to work together fluently and effectively with the indispensable addition of satisfaction and low stress levels. The smooth interaction and constant dealings of these people in the business organization will most likely lead to favorable consequences in the operations of the business from a larger scheme. On the other hand, the weight of the team manager in assembling a team that is composed of individuals that are not stressed fit well the positions they are to handle is of paramount importance as well. This is because a team that is created with members occupying specific positions strictly in accordance to their capabilities and related experiences is a team whose identifiable roles are devoid of apparent complications and performance-related problems related to stress (Foxman, 2006). Individual and team conflicts may never be far behind inn such a scenario in a stressful working environment. One way in order to preempt such an unwanted instance is to practice techniques that will ensure a high team performance. The Relationship of Stress and Alterations in Health In man’s day to day activities, there are certain factors that hinder him from functioning normally in the office. It may be physical, mental, emotional, or a combination of any of these three. As long as it incapacitates him or debilitates him from doing things normally, then it is a problem that needs to be taken care of. These factors are what are commonly known as stress. According to Peurifov, stress is defined as the â€Å"forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. † Putting it on the medical language, stress is considered as disruption of the balance in our bodies or homeostasis by means stimulus which is physical or psychological in nature (Peurifoy, 2005). These stress stimuli can be of different natures like mental, physiological, anatomical or physical involuntary reactions of our body. There are several processes of our body which we don’t really has a direct control over it. It can be an involuntary habit or reaction that usually arises when something familiar or unfamiliar happens or shows up. If the occurrence of stress made a greater impact to the person, it could be the cause of several serious changes in the person. These changes are alterations in the human health, as it is caused by stress. Once a person is exposed to a certain traumatic stress, he could be facing various changes in the limbic system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and some important neurotransmitters. Some manifestations of these alterations can be classified into hyper arousal, dissociation, numbing, and the reoccurrence of certain trauma. Stress and traumatic experiences may trigger several parts of the human brain, most especially the limbic system, which is responsible for maintaining the chemical balance of the body or homeostasis depending on the outside factors. Several networks of the neural regions can be greatly affected in the occurrence of stress and traumatic experiences (Colbert, 2005). When this occurs, the brain could have involuntary abnormal reactions to similar, non-traumatic situations. The messages being sent by the brain to the different parts of the body is affected or hampered at times. There are also several researches that points out the effects of stress on the human’s immune system, as it was examined with different kinds of psychological stressors. Some highlights on the research showed that psychological stress can possibly be able to alter or change a person’s response to a vaccine, thus increasing the risk of infection (Glaser, 1996). It is relevant because we are able to see how the body actually reacts to the occurrence of these live viruses, and how our bodies respond to it. Stress alterations are also being tested on its effect on the body’s ability to repair the wound, since it was found that those undergoing psychological stress heals a lot slower than those who are in a normal living condition (Harding, 2006). The impending problem regarding this matter is about the lingering signs of stress after a stressful experience has occurred. An accident may have caused a post-traumatic stress disorder on a certain person, yet he is unable to notice this. Because of this, he suffers from continued impairment and incapacity as a normal human being. This could be caused by undetected injuries that could have resulted from an assault, several alterations in health behaviors, compromised immune system functioning and several stress-induced health issues (Brealey, 2006). If these concerns are not taken care of, this could lead to permanence in the alteration that he is suffering which would impair the patient for a very long period of time instead of recovering from the stress. The Case of Telstra. One case which can be used as an example is that of Telstra. Aimed at competing with major telecommunications players, the company resorted to create a business team that will seek the most desirable designs for telecommunications services as well as the innovations obtainable through benchmarking as well as an in-depth research of the industry (Siebel, 2001). In order to find the most suitable individuals that will fill-up the various positions in the team, it is an imperative for the prospective team members with varied expertise to be derived from various departments in Telstra. This way, the time to adapt to the company culture may be lessened and at the same time decrease stress in the workplace. Thus, this particular move could inhibit higher productivity. In general, the consequent results to the objective of managing stress in the team and will be reported to higher management for future stress management procedures. With several hefty expectations pending, the composition of the team should indeed be one which is devoid of or at least with very minimal complications so as to accomplish the objective of minimizing stress in the workplace completely. Primarily, the type of team being assembled is a cross-functional task force since the aim is to create a team for Telstra composed of employees coming from different departments that can be dissolved after the completion of the task with minimum stress. Conversely, the team is temporary by nature and, hence, there is a strong desire to compound the best employees of varying expertise. In the same way, this could provide an avenue for the discovery of new environments which lessens stress and competition within the company (Bruzzese, 2007). Further, there are several essential measures that must be taken in order to achieve the ends. One of these is to place the finest employee in a position in accordance to his or her expertise. Another essential measure is to highlight the common purpose of the team as well as to ensure trust among the team members and the team manager. Granting incentives and sharing motivations will aid the team surpass challenges along the way thereby also reducing stress and motivating workers at the same time. Although conflicts in the performance of each of the team members may tend to arise, the key is to be able to work with the stress in the office and still pursue the tasks at hand. Stress Management Skill of Managers Enhances Productivity Levels On the other hand, a figure of an effective manager does not only circle around the vicinity of technical and intellectual capabilities. It also requires a huge heart with sentiments not for personal advantage alone, but for the creation a harmonious relationship with the group and at the same time reducing work related stress. It does not mean that the leader, having been vested with the power to rule or govern over the organization, will be inconsiderate of his constituents’ feelings. Managers must bear in mind that the position under his control requires much in conceptual and emotional skills, rather than technicalities. Internal and External Demands According to Miller, Several organizational changes which are blatantly occurring in the 21st Century pressures conventional managers to be more agile and resilient so as to meet the standard constraints in the extremities on complex and interdependent organizations, which on a state of realization is quite hard to comply (Miller, 2008). As a result, some organizations find themselves hooked a maze of mistakenly trying to be all things to be all people in an attempt to meet proficient external and internal demands and creating stress among employees along the way. The form of leadership required for organizations must align with visualization, resources, and dedication to sustain a frontward impetus in the midst of modifications in twists of challenges faced by the organization (O'Connor, 2005). This helps a lot in reducing work-related stress in the office as employees are faced with an outlook driven goal like in the case of Telstra. Leadership, as defined, is an element of interaction armed with the power to supervise, command, lead and influence members under his leadership in achieving the specified organizational goals willingly, which then implies that effective stress management is collaborative (Miller, 2008). However, the precise definition of the term seemingly confuses many for the reason that application of the word along with its function varies on the nature of the organization, its type, the contingency of the environment, and the leadership style which is to be applied. The complexity of the word is vast and puzzling which then requires conceptualization and analysis, or else a slight mistake on its utilization may shatter the organization as a whole. Human Resource Issues and Challenges to Consider – Including Suggested Solutions. The challenge to have a trained and skilled workforce is the ultimate competitive advantage for any organization. This is also an implied reason why stress should effectively be managed in the workplace (Wheeler, 2007). The rapidly expanding base of new information and technologies affects every one of us, from factory floor to business office and this causes stress. No matter how capable or successful an organization is, like Telstra, if staff training and continuing education is overlooked, there will be problems in the organization. The challenge is to get the best value for the training dollars spent by choosing training that suits the needs of the company and least impacts the bottom line. In order to meet the challenge of reducing stress in the workplace, comprehensive approach to employee development can be adopted like what Telstra does. Set goals and reach them, identifying the needs, developing the right intervention, and delivering a practical, results-oriented solution. Interactive training is designed for the adult learner, requiring involvement in the learning process (Luskin and Pelletier, 2006). Handle specialized workplace challenges with customized group training. Handle challenges specific to the organization (Siebel, 2001). A good approach is to maximize training dollars spent by tailoring content to the organization’s explicit situation to produce the results needed. For instance, Telstra employs top-notch trainers who can combine their experiences with the latest in learning techniques in stress management for interactive sessions that emphasize skill development and application. Analysis on Stress Management. Stress Management in Telstra fragility caters two factors, the dependent and independent variables which simultaneously changes depending on the type of manager, the type of stress reducing procedure being imposed which adheres with the level of knowledge and skills required for the certain designation as well as the height of control which is to be employed (O'Connor, 2005). Stress management patterns of today’s generation are carefully crafted and studied for the benefit of the certain organizations seeking for clarity in the intricacy of some theories, otherwise, a clashing of actions will most likely float up.

American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

American Society - Essay Example The study makes an effort to understand these areas that are highly relevant to not only the American society, but to all societies that are plagued by skin color and the racial problems. Approximately 33 million African Americans are living in USA today and most of them are descendents and results of Trans-Atlantic slavery trade. There were no Blacks in America before the obnoxious slave trade. The slaves, naturally a minute minority in those days of flourishing slave trade, were treated inhumanly in the predominantly European white society of the day. In the beginning, Blacks were not considered to be the part of American society. They were not even treated as human beings and were continuously degraded till the American Civil War and its aftermath terminated their slavery status. Still they had to wait for the Civil Rights Bill to gain equality. The white majority that heaped centuries of discrimination, at last accepted them as part of American society. Recently people have migrated from Caribbean, West Indies and various parts of Africa. They are definitely not the descendents of the shameful slave trade and have not been in US for generations; still, being black, they are part of nation's minority and hence, are slightly at a disadvantageous position. "An ethnic minority, on virtue of being a minority, is by definition in a disadvantaged position, which facilitates the characterisation of black people as problems, as being essential inferior and so on" Staples (1973). The equation between Black and White has changed considerably although it took a very long painful length of time. Majority group initially thought that the minority is stupid, illiterate, and superstitious, lacking motivation. They were thought to be fit only to remain slaves and retain their subservient status. They were from the Dark Continent and thus, were barely human. They also were thought to be devoid of any human qualities like cleverness, sadness, sensitivity, feelings, pain and suffering. White community lulled itself into self-forgiving with these convictions. They needed such assumptions to treat a lesser group and remain self-righteous about it. Now after centuries of living together and understanding each other's ways, things have changed and new perceptions have dawned. The minority is coming into higher prominence and this is the evidence that it is, at last, making inroads into the white dominated society. This does not mean that there is no discrimination and its evidence in the American society of today to negate and discourage this fact. Sometimes the minority group see itself in the same way as the majority does and vice versa and both the communities in America have shown this psychology of belief and reaction. Centuries of discriminating Blacks has hardened some of the Whites and in the same way, being discriminated for centuries and having accepted a miserable existence has left hopelessness and easy resignation amongst the Blacks. Minorities had very little cohesive identity in the past. During the days of slavery, they were neither visible, nor were heard. When they started regaining their voices slowly after decades and decades, they were already resigned to their fate. It took many leaders like Dr. King and White Leaders, activists

Managing Financial Resources for Human Services Organizations Essay

Managing Financial Resources for Human Services Organizations - Essay Example raise strong and healthy children by strengthening our investment in Head Start, teen pregnancy prevention and abstinence education; increasing opportunities for adoption; and bolstering our efforts to reduce tobacco and drug abuse among youth; It creates a strong public health agenda for the next century by sustaining biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, developing a new food safety initiative, combating infectious diseases and providing life-extending drug therapies to people with AIDS; Additionally, the budget provides funds to allow these organizations he option to extend one year of continuous Medicaid coverage to children, thus increasing continuity and security for children and families and reducing administrative burdens on States, families, and health care plans which now have to determine eligibility on a monthly basis. â€Å"The definition of a line-item is the classification of expenditures on the basis of categories called objects-of-expenditure (personnel services, contractual services, capital outlay, etc.) and within each category more detailed line-items (salaries, travel, telephones, etc.). This type of budget focuses attention on how much money is spent and for what purpose rather than the activity affected or its outcomes.† (Elsass. Financial Management in Local Government: Frequently used Terms, 2001). It is easiest to build performance-based budgets on the foundation of a program-based budget system. Under performance, or â€Å"outcome-based budgets†, each major program or function is measured using a set of benchmarks. Benchmarks are snap shots of particular activities or functions at a beginning date and time. These benchmarks are used for comparison purposes to measure progress in attaining specific program or functional goals over periods of time (i.e., six months, a year, or several years). Programs, activities, and functions may also be measured quantitatively and qualitatively against other internal and

Misconception about Theories and Laws (Nature of Science) Essay

Misconception about Theories and Laws (Nature of Science) - Essay Example The lack of absolute truth in science validates the existence of laws. Laws in science refer to systematically generalized observation. From such observations, scientists make particular patterns thus developing a law on the behavior and manifestation of the observations (Hanzel 121). Scientific laws have no exceptions; such is a vital feature that proves scientific laws. The law of gravity is one of the most phenomenal scientific laws. In making the law, Isaac Newton observed the behavior of falling objects. He observes that objects must always fall and that their speed intensifies as they near the ground. His theory can only predict that objects must always fall to the ground. However, the theory does not explain why they fall. Scientific theories on the other hand are summaries of existing and tested hypothesis. Scientific theories rely on the quality of the supporting tests that prove their factuality. This implies that a scientific theory survive only for as long as there is no any other evidence to disprove them. With effective supporting evidence, a theory explains a phenomenon. Such is a major difference between a theory and a law. Scientific laws predict phenomenon while theories explain the phenomenon. The two are therefore interrelated but each exists and functions independently with its own set of supporting evidence. Among the most common scientific theories is the big bang theory (Gregersen 66). The theory explains the origin of the earth by explaining that the universe formed 14million years ago following an event of gigantic expansion. Numerous scientists have researched the theory and found substantial evidence to prove its factuality. In 1965 for example, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson disc overed radiations arising from cosmic microwave they believe arose from the expansion process. In retrospect, theories and laws are distinct bodies of knowledge in science. The two have systematic evidence to prove their existence. As explained earlier,

Sale & Marketing assisgnment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sale & Marketing assisgnment - Essay Example Only quantifiable data are being grouped together and evaluated in this type of research. Qualitative research instead spawns non-numerical data. It emphasises on the collection of mainly verbal facts rather than quantities. Gathered material is then studied and produced in an explanatory and subjective manner (Patna, 2010). This gives us a slight idea of the area of concentration of both the research studies. Now let us do a comparison and evaluation of both the research methods. First of all we have to determine the goal of each research method. The key aim of a Quantitative Research emphasises more in counting and categorising features, and building geometric/statistical models, figures or simulations to explain the observations (Creswell, 2003). Qualitative Research in contrast delivers a complete descriptive explanation of the research topic. Like the name suggests, its results are not quantifiable but rather a detailed description of the analysis and observations made. Next we have to determine the usage of both the researches. Qualitative Research is best used for earlier stages of research projects, whereas Quantitative Research is recommended for the concluding part of the research (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). Quantitative Research offers the researcher a clearer depiction of what to anticipate in his research as opposed to Qualitative Research. Here we compare the tools of gathering data in both the researches. Quantitative Research uses questionnaires, forms, surveys and other tools to collect statistical or quantifiable data (Dawson, 2002). In Qualitative Research, the researcher aids as the key data gathering tool (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). The researcher can use various data-gathering approaches, depending upon the manner of the research. Examples of data-collecting strategies used in Qualitative Research can be focus groups, individual comprehensive interviews, descriptions, structured and

International Strategic Marketing Report based on case study Research Proposal

International Strategic Marketing Report based on case study - Research Proposal Example Other parks include the Disney Cruise line running business in Florida out of Port Canaveral as well as two hotels in addition to the Disneyland Park in California. The constituent generates management fees and royalties on revenues from Tokyo in Tokyo Disneyland as well as in France from Disneyland Paris. The former receives more than sixteen and a half million people every year. The Walt Disney Company also runs media networks with two subcategories namely; Cable Networks and Broadcasting. Among the broadcasting units the company owns and runs the ABC Television Network that ranks that behind CBS and NBC networks. Listed under the cable networks are Disney Channel., ESPN-branded cable networks, and Disney Channel International in addition to shaving major shares in Lifetime and E-Entertainment as well as start-up cable operations among them SoapNet and Too Disney. The mother company also has various consumer products on the market. In this case, Walt Disney Company provides licences for it characters to consumer manufacturers, publishers, and retailers across the globe. Through Disney Stores, the company takes in direct retail business where it produces magazines and books in Europe and in the entire United States. The company also produces other products associated with entertainment including film, computer software, audio software, and video besides those applied in the educational market. Owning the studio entertainment category enables the company to generate a broad range of television animation programs, movies, live stage plays some used in schools, as well as musical recordings. All these products come on the foothill of television distribution, home video, and theoretical Disney film. It creates a television library. The library entails much more apart from Touchstone, Walt Disney pictures, Miramax, and Buena. Scholars posit that strategic management is a function of management

The Starbucks Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Starbucks Experience - Essay Example It provides a background of Starbucks’ growth from humble origins to a household name globally as a result of their amazingly successful management philosophy. The book states five guiding principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary whether one is a small business owner or a multi-million dollar company. Based on facts in the book, during the company’s peak, Starbucks’ success equated to five new stores every day – 365 days each year worldwide (Michelli 7). In spite Starbuck’s amazing growth, the company keeps on maintaining their reputation for quality and a special customer experience. This is an indication of how well the company understands globalization and international business. With coffee shops in over 35 countries, Starbucks has proven that its principles transcend cultural barriers. There are many tips from the book that will benefit Human Resource professionals as well as supervisors and managers of companies and organizations. The book sites, for example, the problem of employees’ lifeless customer service. The book does not offer the usual one-sided approach to good customer service, but rather gives the inside secrets based on a model of success. From each of the five principles, Michelli provides practical methods for the reader to absorb and apply as appropriate in his or her specific work situation. For example, little acts as simple as reminding employees to be â€Å"litter picker-uppers† (34) would be an innovative idea for some businesses. Companies never know what catches the eye of their clients or customers, so they must pay attention to little details inside the store. These small things may leave customers walking away with poor lasting impressions. Michelli further points out, â€Å"Consistency, ritual, routine, community and service recovery are key. If you and your business succeed at delighting every person you work with, you will be a beloved company.† (108) Additionally, the book explains problems

Consequences of Unethical Behavior Essay Example for Free

Consequences of Unethical Behavior Essay I had not heard of this until now, actually. Google paid their way out of CEO prosecution last year. Not only was their behavior unethical, and illegal, it was very socially irresponsible to the American people. Google was taking part in advertising narcotics and other prescription drugs for an illegal Canadian pharmacy on the American internet; making all of these drugs readily available to the American people. David Whitaker, a federal inmate and convicted con-artist became posed as an American government agent who went undercover to prove Google knew exactly what was going on. Google advertisement executives accepted the $200,000 worth of the government’s â€Å"set-up† money to begin advertising. Whitaker collected emails and recorded calls to prove that Google knew what they were doing were illegal. Even though it was obvious through the evidence to see that Google representatives knew that the advertisements were illegal, they extended Whitaker a â€Å"very generous credit line and allowed me to set my target advertising directly to American consumers. On August 24th, 2011, Google paid $500M dollars to pay their fines and avoid prosecution of their C. E. O. Larry Page. Through the emails and recordings, it is made obvious that Page knew exactly what was going on. Google was allowing illegal Canadian pharmacies to platform their ads on Google and target the American population. Google allowing American consumers to be targeted is absolutely outrageous. Google’s $500M fine covers the advertising costs and profits of the companies. The Department of Justice also has a â€Å"non-prosecution† agreement with Google. Now, what exactly is a â€Å"non-prosecution† agreement? To me, this all sounds like something illegal all the way around. How can a company, any company, buy their way out of prosecution? How can a C. E. O. not be classified as a drug peddler who well knows of what is going on within his company? How does this make him any different that Bernie Madoff or the Goldman Sachs C. E. O.? Google was allowing drugs to be sold through their network, period point blank; with the citizens of America being the target. How can a company buy their way out of prosecution? I just do not understand. If I was caught selling drugs, or giving people a platform to sell, I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Would I be able to buy my way out of prosecution? I absolutely would not! The American government would lock me away and take their sweet time about taking me to trial and finishing my case. Why was this not made more public? Now, it seems, Google is being looked into from every aspect, in which they should.

A Dissertation About Issues In logistics management

A Dissertation About Issues In logistics management 1. Introduction: This dissertation is about logistics management. It is a part of the supply chain management which involves with the inflow, outflow, procurement, maintenance and storage of goods and services. The supply chain exists between starting point to delivery point. As mentioned by Ackerman (2000), Logistic management basically means having a right thing, in the right place at the right time. This project is focus on the activities of manager of famous company to perform in order to make the organisation a success. In todays environment there is a need to stay updated in order to know the flaws in business, to think at the right time and act accordingly. There is always a complexity in dealing with the ever-changing customer requirements, their expectations relating to price, competitions in the economy and so on. All these have to be met efficiently in order to cope up with the situation. The success of a goods or service depends on how well strengthens of the distribution strategy is studied and how the suppliers, markets, storage and transportation are dealt with right strategy. The upcoming areas deal with the entire process involved in the transformation of a raw material into the ultimate finished product. Logistics management presents a v ariety of tools to understand the logistics in effective decision making and how it goes in relating the broader issues in the entire supply chain thereby finding out ways and means in achieving the strategic goals (Ackerman, 2000). The company that is selected here is Tolam Logistics which is located in Hong Kong. It was established in 1996 by Mr. Eric Lam who had about 20 years experience in freight and transportation. The TLs provide One Stop shop logistics services by all type of facility of logistics like storage, delivery, custom clearance etc. The TLs main customers included Toshiba, Sanyo, Kleon, Fujis air conditioner and Plasma Televisions. It had a warehouse of 100,000 sq. ft. and owns around 32 trucks. The staff strength resulted to around 100 including permanent staffs (Magee, 1985). Tolam Logistics is a logistics company engaged in the distribution of goods that are received at its warehouse. The main points that we focussed here is warehousing and distribution. The objective of this case study is to discuss its objectives, strategies and methods employed in: Transportation planning: TL uses its own trucks to transport the goods without depending on outsourcing of transport. Only when the demand exceeds its transport facilities it does not hesitate to make use of outsourcing and in situations where the demand is low it has no problem to put its trucks idle. They use their trucks in such situations to generate income by outsourcing their trucks to other uses. E.g. In monsoon season due to low business activity at that time not using outsourcing trucks and deploy only own trucks which runs on fixed route and fixed contract which surety of fixed expense and income. Inventory management: TL provides a sound inventory system. They receive orders in the night and make despatches in the daytime. They forecast the warehouse space and transportation on a quarterly basis in order to know its requirements. Companies usually reserve their space in the warehouse depending upon the volume to be held in the warehouse. They have latest technology for loading and unloading 14 vehicles at a time. Information technology: TL has an extended use of computer systems to record various transactions happening inside. It maintains a separate database for each customer. TL is now in the process of developing a new IT integrated system that will open up new exits to the company. TL does have difficulties in providing different legacy systems, so they are planning to install a common platform on the web so that all its customers can be satisfied at a time. They are implementing barcode system to tracking goods(Frederick Ross, 1996) 2. Aims and Objective: We are learning about the issues of logistics management and for this purpose I am planning to take up the company Tolam Logistics as the main subject. Tentative research questions can be considered for this purpose is What are the main factors that affect the logistics management at TL, Do theories of logistics apply at the ground level?, How important is logistics in managing customer satisfaction?, What are the performance measures, costing methods and metrics used for logistics management?, Can modern communication technologies impact logistics management. 3. Theoretical Background: 3.1 Logistic Strategy and Planning: The supply chain strategy is main link to growth of business strategy and it should taking care of balance maintained between the cost and service offered by firm. As mentioned by Tompkins (1998), following factors have to be considered here, The customers and suppliers should be aligned in regard to the internal company operations. Companys inflow (Raw Material) and outflow (sales) should be maintained as per market demands and trends with the help of internal company operations likes collect, pickup, packaging, deliver etc. The marketing and sales plan should be aligned to meet the supply chain strategy means like E.g. For launching a new product in the market sales plan like marketing should be start after enough production flow carry on to fulfill the demand of market, If market trends change the immediately we have other strategy for product modification. The capital expenditure has to be aligned to the supply chain operations. E.g. Firm have enough capital for monthly fixed expense like production cost, sales, salary, rent, marketing and promotion cost etc. The HR structure has to be aligned to the supply chain E.g. HR structure have enough manpower to operate the production, sales and marketing etc dept. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to meet the investment policies. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to meet the growth targets. The supply chain has to be aligned in order to make room for expansion of the business. Logistic planning involves the use and management of all logistic resources in order to maintain the desired cost and service performance. The considerations include the inventory positioning, inventory levels, number of warehouses, types of warehouses, mode of carrier selection and so same will be forwarded. The company can decide on whether to deploy a high service method or a low cost service method. A high cost method deploys more warehouses, use fast delivery transportation and maintain high stock levels. This method of course is mostly trying to avoid the high cost. Whereas, a low cost service method gives value for cost by reducing the number of warehouses to one, use cheap transportation and maintain longer lead time in ordering stocks. Through improved warehouse design the cost of handling materials can be reduced to a great extent prior delivery goods arrange as to easily loading and unloading from trucks, by arranging direct vehicle loading of materials from the warehouse and implementing automated installations are two methods that can reduce handling material costs. By conducting an assessment of the transport costs and implementing the right choice by comparing current transport costs with that of the occurring standard rates can bring down transport costs to the minimize with routes selection, speed of vehicle, Regular maintained vehicle, road maps, uses the GPRS system to reach at delivery point. This type of logistic planning goes a long way in attaining the right logistic system. Company has to consider four main points while planning a logistic system; they are as stated above, customer service levels, facility location, inventory decisions and transportation decisions. These four levels are related to ea ch other and therefore integrated planning has to be considered. Planning here means designing the logistics network as a configuration of warehouses, production plants, selling areas, stocking-areas, transportation and information systems that aim at balancing an equilibrium between the overall costs and the revenue. Briefly idea for the logistic planning means the total cost concept should be studied to consider the supply chain.   3.2 Customer Service Strategy:   Supply chain is basically considered as a strategic concept that involves understanding and managing the sequence of activities -from supplier to customer-that add value to the product supply pipeline (Tompkins, 1998). The role of customers in the supply chain market is not incidental. Every company in this chain, irrespective of market size mainly they thankful to its customers as the fact is that in all profit of firm there are customers are in center whom to buy the goods and services produced by each one of them. This century marks the end of monopolies and therefore customers can make an array of choices. When customers decide not to buy products in a particular supply chain, then no doubt the company would collapse without earning any revenue for the expenses incurred in launching the product on the stage of saturation and decline stage. So, the supply chain should be structured in such a manner that there is a common link between the products as such and the end customer. It is because that the tastes of customers keep changing and their expectations goes on rising, when product cycle at saturation and decline stage at they began decreasing brand loyalty and put in for anything that attracts them. Thus the importation must be put on conducting effective market analysis to know the needs of different groups of customers to whom the offer is to be made. Its main aim is to polish its contact with the customers. The rationale behind this strategy is to improve services provided directly or indirectly to its customers and to use the information in the system for targeted marketing and sales purposes. A kind of metrics should be used to assess the customer service, like the companys ability to fill the orders in limited time or the delivery of the products on the due date. Other researches can be conducted to find out the reason for not delivering the products on the due date. There is no compromise for an act of negligence in meeting customer satisfaction as it is the customers who ultimately judge the life span of the company.  In todays fast growing economy, it is not the matter of fact that the big beat the small but it is the fast beats the slow and the accurate beats the inaccurate. Below are mentioned seven steps to reduce the fulfilment costs by improving customer service at the same time (Tompkins, 1998). According to him, the following points are important with regard to supply chains, Integrate with order entry system: In todays hyper competitive economy it is very difficult to maintain order fulfilment through the internet. Most of them placed through internets are managed poorly and which end in resulting distorting customer satisfaction due to delay in product delivery. Integrating a systematic order fulfilment process tends to reduce manual labour that saves time, increases profitability and customer satisfaction E.g. Order received in night and make delivery in the day time. Build in adaptability: Providing exceptional customer service has proved to be challenging in todays competitive environment. Companies can meet this challenge by proving to be adaptable with the customer wants makes changes in their orders right from the purchase and even upto and after shipment. This can prove to be successful as the customers can get what they want even if their product changes from the market. E.g. Tailor made transportation system like packaging facility as per weather. Confirm with bar codes: By changing the bar coding into an automated one ,the company can save a large amount of its time and energy and even implement perfection in planning as it presents real time data instead of mere projections. E.g. In the ware house material arranged with barcode easy to locate particular product with the barcode system we can easily shift goods as per priority of delivery and delivery places. Conducting automated pickings: Automated technologies are easily fulfills the needs of customer thereby increasing customer satisfaction and bringing in repeated business in a shorter time span. E.g. Goods collection from customer destination is one of good example of automated pickings its save time and money of customers which bringing repeated business. Automated shipping plans: Using automated shipping plan the workers can pick to a predesigned way of stacking the containers without going for trial and error methods. This saves a lot of time and energy of the workers engaged in stacking the containers and speeding the delivery with less expense than without ASP. E.g. Barcode system on containers and on the area of ware house which easily track the goods and easily stacking and speeding the delivery. Automate shipment verification: By applying automated verification together with automated picking and using bar codes, more time can be saved on packing, verifying and shipping process. Sourcing orders based on facility workload: Logistic managers should use the method of best utilize of space when multiple warehousing and distribution facilities are available in order to improve responsiveness and maximize flexibility. The above factors tend to make the shipment reach the customers more quickly and which therefore has a direct impact on their satisfaction levels. The standards of service provided to end customers should be determined and mentioned on top of the list. The remaining strategic decisions should also be taken considering the customers interests. Frohne, (2008), Organization has to adjusting the supply chain as such to meet the market demand and product features, Determining the relation model among the supply chain participants, Selecting the suppliers, Determining on the distribution channels, Adopting a specific method of stock holding, Determining the location and nature of the warehouse, Formulating guidelines in selecting the transportation. Taking a decision on any of the above mentioned factors without giving due consideration to the customer needs may seriously affect the implementation of the general strategies of the supply chain, as the strategies of the supply chain are competitive in nature that aimed at end customer satisfaction.    The focus of supply chain on the customers can be studied more explicitly using the Quick Response concept, which means identifying the demands and reacting to its changes as quickly as possible. This concept was developed in relation to textile industry in order to avoid losses due to change in demand. The QR nature is such that it assume in close cooperation with the supply chains by providing maximum satisfaction to its customers by reducing the costs to its minimum. This becomes material if the customers provide timely information to the suppliers regarding their demands and they make timely supply of the demand. This method would no doubt increase sales by reducing the costs by bringing in profit to all the supply chains involved. 3.3 Procurement management: Procurement is appropriate goods at best cost which fulfill the requirement of purchase with good quality, quantity, time and location. It is regarding the profit orientation fastest growing business firm rather than simple cost cutting measures. There is an old saying Goods well bought are half sold, this means that the success of an organisation depends on the efficiency of its purchasing department. If organization purchase good quality raw material then its increase the productivity of internal operation, quality of final goods, reduce the wastage. Buying dept and selling departments are interlinked, in other words if buying dept purchased goods without proper consultation with the sales department which knows the nature and trend of the market, then the sales department cannot succeed to sell the goods at a profit. E.g. if purchase department without consult with sales dept purchase water resists packaging material in monsoon season to purchase waterproof material for packaging its indirectly effect on business cost, time etc wastage. In monsoon season low business activity need low quantity of packaging material need to know quantity of material as well. Scientific purchasing methods should be adopted in order to purchase the right product at the right price and place, in right quantity and quality and from the right supplier. All these factors are interconnected. There is always confusion for all the concerns regarding what to buy, where and how to buy. All these problems can be solved by performing the following purchasing functions. Jones, James V., p82(2006) Planning the purchase of goods: The producer should decide on the required amount of stock of raw materials and parts that is to be purchased on the basis of expected volume of sales and the estimated rate of production. It has some sub functions that has to be followed to make the purchase effectively. They are preparation of the budget, determination of quantities to be ordered, stock turnover, consideration of effects of changes in fashion and price changes. Assembling: It means gathering goods from various sources and bringing them to the business place. E.g. Head office ordered for packaging material and store in warehouse then need to supply at all branches on right time. If goods received from japan to deliver at north London then japan branch send goods to main office at uk branch then they supplies to London branch and London branch supply to north london branch whom deliver it to customer. Locating the sources of supply: The buyers have to search for various sources of supply and maintain contact with them. In the selection of the suppliers, the buyers should consider the efficiency, rate and location, capacity of supply goods, goodwill and financial stability of the suppliers. It is always desirable to maintain liaison with two or more suppliers to ensure uninterrupted supply in case of non availability of raw material from one supplier buyer sure for available from another supplier and supply of raw material not interrupted. Market news: The buyers should be always aware of the market, the prices, the change in fashion, tastes and attitude of the customers should be updated. The launching of the product and their impact on the customers should also be monitored by survey of customers like-dislikes, market share, market trends etc. Negotiation of terms: After the above activities have been completed the buyer has to finalise on buying. For this he has to negotiate with the suppliers terms and conditions. Usual negotiations will be on the quality, quantity, price, discounts and terms of delivery. Transfer of title: Finally, immediately after the payment the buyer should get the title transferred in his name. He should get the relevant documents like final agreement copy, terms and condition letter, quotation etc in his custody. To take a quick look at how CEVA logistics a leading supply chain management company has tied up its hands with Ford, a global leader in the automotive world, proved to be a success. The operation is located closely to the plants proximity and provides small lot market consuming areas, container management and efficient transportation system. CEVA was awarded three awards for its efficient supply chain in providing customer satisfaction through maintaining quality, fast delivery and excellence in management from Ford. 3.4 Financial aspects of logistics: Financial managers have a responsibility to raise capital for maintaining inventory and also for the firms overall profitability. There is a global solution for low risk work. Once a company enters to do business globally its financial risks also arises. It needs to ask questions as to how it will get its money in business or whether the goods will be accepted only after the shipment. Companies can use various financial instruments that banks offer nowadays in the form of letter of credit and the like. The payment condition regulates the flow of goods or services in the logistic system and the mode of payment. Some of the common means of payment are way bills, letter of credit, commercial invoice etc. on the basis of payment conditions; banks have adopted a new means of payment under the term called financial engineering. These have proved to be very much useful in enabling the free of capital that is blocked in ventures and also reducing the time of funds being locked up in business . They also have to verify the terms and contract of payment with customer and what is fixed expense are occurred against payment method with customers. The currencies of various countries can also affect international logistics in many ways. These are foreign exchange control and risks of exchange associated with warehousing. This can be reduced by selecting specific company locations, countries that have a stable market for their currencies. By reducing the order processing time can also minimise the risks involved in exchange rate.    3.5 Packaging and Inventory Management   Packaging is technology of preparing goods for transportation, sales, warehousing, logistics, evaluate the design of product. Packaging is concerned with the planning, distribution, sals and storage etc. Packaging makes attractive to the end consumers the old product. It is a group effort of the designer, the researcher, the engineer, the marketing expert, the sales department and the top management. It should be designed in a systematic manner in order to achieve its very purpose (Voortman, 2004).  The various factors to be considered while taking packaging decisions are the size, colour, material, text, brand name, caption etc. In packaging designs the AIDAS formula (see Figure 1) has to be successfully implied. AIDAS represents five basic points. They are attention, interest, desire, action and satisfaction. These are very much important in the supply chain strategy which goes ultimately in meeting the customer needs. The need of packaging is to ensures the supply of right quant ity and quality of the product, to protects the product from any damage caused due to dust, mishandling, pilferage etc, to makes the handling of products conveniently, to facilitates the storage of products, to makes it convenient to distinguish our products from that of the others, to makes the product more attractive, to helps the customers to reuse the product for some other purposes Packaging holds a very important place in the supply chain logistic management. Only when the products are presented well the customers has an urge to buy it more frequently.   Fig. 1 AIDAS Source:- self 4. Inventory Management:    Inventory management aims to handle all function correctly with tracking and management of material. Inventory management is very wide definition like to replenishment lead time , carrying costs of inventory, asset management, forecasting, valuation, visibility, future inventory cost, space, quality etc. The ultimate aim of supply chain management is how well you manage your inventory. Manufacturers face a number of challenges which require not just exceptional planning but also an effective communication setup that keeps you updated at the spur of a moment. From rapid changes of customer demands, globalisation or even natural calamities can cause your inventory to be stuck up paving way for no wages to the employees. Therefore there should be a quick information system to discuss the inbound and outbound issues affecting the demand and supply. For this there should be a well managed supply chain inventory management in order to keep the business running without any interruptions (Bo wersox, 2000) There are benefits and risks of holding inventory as mentioned below, Avoiding risks of sale: If a desired amount of inventory are stored that are ready to be sold, can bring in return to the company. It can avoid losing its customers for non supply of products. Shelf-stocks are those products which are sold to its customers with little or no modifications; an example of such a product is automobiles. Quantity discount: When goods are purchased in bulk quantity the suppliers offer a discount. This is in fact helps the buyer to make a more margin in profit. Even sometimes suppliers are ready to supply goods on credit for time period like one week /month thats all capital invest in other source for time being help to cash cycle. Reducing ordering costs: Each time an order has to be placed it incurs certain expenses like mailing costs, typing, approving and the like, so if inventory is stored in bulk it can reduce the ordering costs to a great extend. Reducing the set up costs: Start up costs is incurred each time a product is produced. Maintaining large stocks of inventory helps in reducing the set up costs. Reducing risks of production shortage: If any part of a product is unavailable it may result in the production to stay at a halt. Therefore it is good to hold inventories to maintain sufficient flow of supply to the customers. Avoiding risks of holding inventories: Reduction or decline in the market price: It faces the risks of price cutting by competitors or the arrival of a new product. In such situations holding inventories in large    amount would only prove to be a loss for the holding firm. Also inventories more money on new product like advertisement, launching, promotion offers, discount schemes etc. Deterioration of the product: Product may get worse when it is held for longer periods. Obsolescence of the product: The product may become obsolete and outdated when the customers tastes and preferences change. While dealing with inventory management in the supply chain it is also advised to go through the costs of holding inventory. The costs associated with inventory are of two types; direct costs and indirect costs. The direct costs of holding inventory are the materials cost, ordering costs and carrying costs. The indirect costs of holding inventory are costs of funds tied up in inventory (opportunity cost) and the costs of running out of stock (stock-out cost) (Waters, 2003).   When critically evaluating the inventory management we can sum up the objectives like to ensure that the materials are available for production without interruption, To maintain sufficient stock of raw material in times of shortage, To ensure that inventory of finished goods are readily made available to meet the customer demands., To maintain a balance between the inventories., To prevent the inventory from deterioration by providing proper warehousing and insurance.   From the above mentioned points it is evaluated that inventory if not controlled properly may either way prove to be wastage to the concern. This has induced the need to find out techniques to control the inventory.   4.1 Economic Order Quantity: EOQ (see Figure 2) is the level where total demands of product is constant over and each new order is delivered in regularly when in the inventory is reach at zero level. It is important to note that only the right amount of the inventory has to be stored. EOQ means the determination of the right quantity to be purchased. A balance has to be maintained between the carrying costs and the ordering cost. EOQ is the point where the total cost of ordering and the cost of carrying the inventory would be the minimum. For EOQ we assume that the ordering cost, rate of demand, purchase price and delivery quantity are constant with fixed lead time. The main point here to be noted is whether you increase or decrease the purchase the total of all the costs should be maintained at a minimum (Stock, 1993). Fig. -2 Formulas for Economic Order Quantity. Source:- Google Image. 4.2 ABC analysis:   ABC analysis (See Figure 3) is a technique of exercising selective control over inventory items. It is a method of controlling material according to its value. Its a mechanism for impact on inventory cost by identifying items. A concern need not exercise the same degree of control over all materials. Materials of high value should be closely controlled than materials of low value. Accordingly, the materials will be grouped as A, B and C. A category material constitutes only a small percentage of the total items but they have the highest value. By category items constitutes a higher percentage of the total items but have only a medium value and the C category items constitutes the highest percentage in the total inventory but it has the lowest value. ABC analysis is based on the principles of Selective Inventory Management.   Fig-3 ABC Analysis. Source Google Image 4.3 Determination of Re-order level: Re-order level (See Figure 4) is that level of inventory at which the firm should place orders in order to maintain stock of the inventory. It is with regard to the timing of purchase. When orders are placed new products will reach the before it runs out of stock. Last minute order placing is not found here as the orders are placed slightly above the minimum stock level. The above techniques can go on a long way to control the sufficient inventory. As inventory forms the life blood of a concern not a minute carelessness can be made in maintaining adequate stock of inventory. As there is a supply chain all over the globe it is high time to forgo with traditional inventory management process and continuously manage inventory through the global supply chains to optimise the inventory. The excellence in supply chain is required to strike a balance between the lead times, budgets, inventory costs and the risks. In order to maintain optimum utilization of inventory it is necessary to balance the supply chain management against the business policies, changing market demands, risks and other constraints. It makes it important to know what inventories to carry, how, when and in what form.   Fig. -4 Diagram of Reorder Level. Source:- Google Image. 5. Physical Distribution and Monitoring Performance: 5.1 Warehousing   Another important area which forms an important part of the supply chains strategy is the provision of proper storage and warehousing facilities until the goods are ready to be consumed by the end customers. Its primary aim is controlling the movement and storage of goods until they are demanded in the market. Warehouse management system aids in supporting the associated areas like transportation, put away and picking (Frazelle, 2002). Here the warehousing systems can be managed in both ways either manually or automatically. In order to explain this much better an illustration is explained below. A UK based company is a manufacturer of books, cards, antiques and other souvenirs. The company has to ship its products to more than 500 destinations around the world. Now to know the challenge it has faced, it managed to build up its own warehouse of a 10,000 foot and used paper based system. All the products have to be located based on the colour or relying completely on the staffs employ ed there. But this system proved to be inefficient as there always raised confusion between the products as different products sometimes were of the same colour. This took up a lot of time and energy of the concern and they were piling up with shipments that were yet to be dispatched. This started to affect the concern both on its revenue as well as its customer satisfaction. It also led to the duplication of work as the same lists were printed twice. They recognised that th