ASDA’s Responses To Changes In Its Business Environment

ASDA Group (ASDA) owned by Wal-Mart group company, is a grocery and general merchandise retailer in the UK. In 2008, ASDA recorded a profit before tax of  £520.4m, down slightly from  £532.7m but exceeding arch rival Sainsbury's. ASDA's sales hit  £18.57bn, up from  £16.7bn, in ranking the chain third in the supermarket hierarchy after ASDA and Sainsbury's.There have been many changes in ASDA's business environment over the last 65 years. ASDA is usually conducting research to identify changes in the business environment and responding to the customer needs its research identifies. One of the research models is PESTE (STEEP). The PESTE model uses the five headings of sociological, technological, economic, environmental and political factors. Factors in the macro-environment such as tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes affect the management decisions at ASDA.Sociological (gender roles, age of consumers, the extent of local mig ration/mobility, patterns of consumption, culture of a population, out of town shopping/car usage, busy people/working more hours)One of the sociological factor is dietary habits. Nowadays, people want to try different and new foods. ASDA has responded by increasing its range of foreign foods such as Mexican, Indian and Chinese. Likewise, the large ethnic populations that have moved to the UK have made ASDA respond by increasing its range of foods. For example, there is a full aisle of Polish food in ASDA in Boston, Lincolnshire. This is not extraordinary, considering that in this little city (30,000 citizens) almost 50% is Polish. Another factor the ageing population also has impact on the demand for non-food products such glasses from optical stores. ASDA have its own ‘ASDA Opticians'. This is example how ASDA responds to changes in sociological environment and the age of customers factor.TechnologicalTechnology is an area where there have been a lot of advances. The example of this is the mass use of microwaves. The Company launched a range of microwaveable foods. Welcomed new technologies, ASDA has implemented online shopping and self service checkouts which make easier shopping for customers. Furthermore, new technologies enable improvements to the way that ASDA does its business. The company uses information technology to support its operations. For example, it can see how individual products are performing store-by-store at a glance through data collection. ASDA appears to have responded well in this area.Political – Legal changes (laws on foods, competition laws, rate of unemployment, tax policies, price regulations etc)Planning permission is heavily regulated in the UK. ASDA is aware of planning permission regulations. Store expansions goes ahead to comply with planning regulations. ASDA identifies relevant planning laws and comply with them to reduce any disruption to its store expansion programme by local people’s dissent or the local authority refusal. This supports the successful opening of a new store in an area. An example is the development of huge out of town ASDA Superstores which have huge car parks. This was made possible by the government allowing them planning permission to build.The UK is a member state of the EU so ASDA has to abide by EU laws e.g. competition laws. ASDA is restricted from growing too large. To overcome this they have started to offer more services such as financial services . There is ‘ASDA money' (ASDA FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED) which offers credit cards and insurance. In addition, it provides mobile phone network. The ‘ASDA mobile' is the cheapest supermarket mobile network with a cheaper overall tariff than rival Tesco.Environmental/Ecological (more focus on organic, recyclable, less waste, environmental regulations etc)A global warming is the one of the biggest threat to a natural environment. The cause of global warming is the emission of carbon dioxide. To m eet these challenges, ASDA supports carbon reductions in most of its stores. ASDA’s  stores are eco-friendly, 40% more energy efficient and emitting 50% less carbon dioxide than a standard new build store. Over the past couple of years ASDA has been working with its suppliers to reduce the amount of carbon emitted during manufacture, growing and processing of their products — something that’s known as embedded carbon.Many people now do not want to eat food that has been grown or reared using chemicals, they want natural food. ASDA has responded by introducing a wide range of organic food ranges. For example, ASDA have launched the Organix brand which helps people to find organic food on storefront shelves.Economic (recession, competition, inflation, taxes etc)ASDA like its main competitors Tesco and Sainsbury have been accused of tax avoidance, depriving farmers of a livelihood and functioning as modern-day monopolies that drive local businesses out of communi ties. ASDA has grown enormously and has forced many small retailers out of business; they have received a lot of criticism in this area and appear not to care. They have also been criticised for the low prices they pay UK farmers for their products , which in same cases has forced farms close.In addition, ASDA has been criticised for not responding to the needs of some shareholders, such as UK farmers. As we see this economic factors are where ASDA has problems responding positively to changes in business environment. It could have negative influence for its clients. Some people could change their preferences and to go shopping in a competitor supermarket due to a bad publicity.ConclusionIt is important to respond accurately to factors such as tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes. This evaluation has considered how ASDA has responded to external changes. In evaluating how well they have responded, they have responded well to externa l changes concerning their customers but not so well in areas of economics. Some of these wrong responses has influence for negative public relations, especially force many small retailers out of business and the low prices they pay UK farmers for their products. In other hand, to take  responsibility for natural environment by carbon reductions policy is really impressive.

Invite Friends

Leadership Assignment 5 Sarah Kamal 09-4714 ————————————————- 26th November 2012 Question 1: Was the research program a group or a team? If a team, what kind of a team was it? At first, before the assignment of a formal leader, it was a self-directed team on a whole of groups of people. It was a team because it was not inhibited by organizational boundaries. It was specifically formulated for a purpose and vision that was to develop a technique for large-scale interferon production to use as a treatment against cancer.The performance goals were also set by themselves instead of one strong centralized leadership. This team consisted of 3 groups who had 3 informal leaders namely –gene slicing, recombination and fermentation. At first the senior management believed that this biotech research program could be self-managed so the initial team of groups was a self-directed team as it worked on itself within its group boundaries autonomously and was member centered to the informal leaders.Later on after the formal leader was assigned to this team, it emerged as a stronger cross-functional team coordinating across its group boundaries for a shared purpose and problem solving. The formal leader directed work to the group leaders and assigned some authority to them as well. Question 2: Did the interdependence among the subgroups change with the interferon project? What were the group norms before and after the retreat? Interdependence is the extent to which the team members depend on each other for information, resources or ideas to accomplish their tasks.The research project should have been ideally a reciprocal interdependent one but initially the lack of communication and cohesiveness among the subgroups made it a pooled-interdependent team as the groups were fairly independent and did not share or coordinate work with each other participating as a te am. After the formal leader came, he changed this interdependence style to the required reciprocal interdependent team. The interdependence increased a lot, and the team members influenced each other in reciprocal fashion for he completion of work and problem solving. Yes, the group norms changed and one single approach was taken to lead the project with consensus. Each subgroup was assigned a set of instructions by the leader, strict deadlines were given as the work was highly interdependent now and weekly progress reports were submitted. The communication gap was removed, problem solving was improved and group coordination was increased. Question 3: What factors account for the change in cohesiveness after the chief biologist took over?Cohesiveness is the extent to which the members are united in pursuit of a common goal. The chief biologist increased the determining factors for increasing cohesiveness. He took the team to a two day retreat and made them interact with each other. He organized the work and gave the team a more direct shared mission. Even after the retreat the communication was increased as lunches and coffee gathering took place. Group members and team leaders started having daily discussions and cooperated on research requirements. Enthusiasm and group cohesion was increased.

Social Structures of Han China and Ancient Rome

During the classical era, Han China and Ancient Rome were the pioneers for the change and the plethora of improvements that took place in civilized societies. The Han Dynasty consisted of persistent regional riots and rebellions against harsh state demands, and Ancient Rome expanded through the Mediterranean and areas of Hellenistic civilization.Together, these two civilizations introduced many essential changes in human life and provided an arena for the spread of organized civilizations. Although both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired powerful religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more structured than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.Han China and Ancient Rome both demonstrated prosperous, influential religious systems that influenced other religious systems. In Han China, many followed Confucianism as a religion. Confucian teachings emphasized strong rulers and the consolidation of political power. Confucianism was not a religion, but a philosophy.It advocated rule by the highly educated, male elite, and it was primarily an ethical system. Respect for elders, art, music, and elegant calligraphy in the cultivation of scholar-bureaucrats were all important. Other Confucian teachings were Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism has exerted a pervasive influence on other societies throughout Asia.Confucianism has affected and been incorporated in nearly every aspect of life. Education, government, behavior, and how the people should live their lives are all connected and Confucianism provided a code and a guide to have effective government and education, and lead a happy, successful life.China’s Confucian ideals, technological advancements, and prosperous agrarian state captivated major thinkers in Europe and the United States. The Roman Empire provided an arena for the spread of Christianity and the interaction of numerous diverse cultures. Christianity emerged during the first years of the Roman Empire under Augustus. Originally an offshoot of Judaism, early Christianity had little to do with Roman culture.In the centuries after Jesus' execution, many outside of Judaism converted to the new religion. Perhaps as many as 10 percent of the Roman population were Christian by the fourth century C.E. Christianity spread most rapidly among the poor and disadvantaged classes of the empire. Christianity also won converts from among those seeking a more emotionally satisfying form of religion. Roman stability and communications aided in the spread of the religion.The early political form of Christianity was drawn from the imperial constitution. In Christianity, bishops were governors of local communities and supervised activities from cities in which they resided. Bishops in the most powerful cities gained greater authority.The apostle Paul, who brought Christian beliefs to a wider public, was a critical figure in the dissemination of the new religion. Gradually Christi an theologians began to define religious beliefs in terms of Greco-Roman philosophy. Christianity became the most creative intellectual area of later imperial culture.In this sense, Christianity was an important conservator of earlier intellectual traditions. Refusal of Christian communities to participate in state rituals caused some early emperors to persecute individuals and groups. Persecution was only episodic, and eventually the state was able to allot to the Church a legitimate, if subordinate, place in the world.Women enjoyed more freedom and status in Han China than in Ancient Rome, which was a much more structured society for women. Because marriages were arranged with family alliances in Han China, young men had as little say in the choice of their spouses as women. Young brides usually could rely on their powerful relatives to ensure that they were well treated in the new home.Widowed women were permitted to remarry, and all women participated in family ceremonies. Women of upper class families were often tutored in writing, the arts, and music. Although political positions were reserved for men, women could sometimes exert powerful influence from behind the throne.In Ancient Rome, on the other hand, the Roman law stipulated that the husband is the judge of his wife. If she commits a fault, he punishes her; if she has drunk wine, he condemns her; if she has been guilty of adultery, he kills her. If divorced because of adultery, a Roman woman would lose one-third of her property and had to wear a special garment that set her apart like a prostitute.As wives and mothers, many aristocratic Roman women wielded political power, but only through their husbands. Inequality between men and women increased in the empire’s final stages. Roman family structure was very patriarchal.There was much less lenience in the class structure of Han China than Ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome, there was class conflict between the growing  ranks of the poor and the Roman aristocracy. Some political leaders attempted to aggrandize their careers on the basis of this conflict.Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, two tribunes, attempted to introduce land reform and other social legislation in favor of the poor between 133 B.C.E. and 123 B.C.E. Both were killed by aristocratic mandate. After 107 B.C.E., the Roman consul Marius began to use paid volunteers to staff his armies in place of conscripted Roman citizens.The creation of a permanent military force dedicated to its commander threatened the position of the Senate. A second commander, Sulla, drove out Marius and his political allies. A succession of military commanders dominated Roman politics thereafter. A civil war between two of them, Pompey and Julius Caesar, brought the republic to an end. After Caesar took over the government in 49 B.C.E., he introduced various reforms. The result was to destroy the political monopoly of the Roman aristocracy.Traditionalist senators plotted against Caesar and h ad him assassinated in 44 B.C.E. Caesar's death precipitated a civil war from which Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, emerged the victor. While maintaining the external appearance of the republic, Octavian created an imperial state. For his success, he was granted the name Augustus.The Han class systems were much different. In Han China, rebellion was almost nonexistent. Ordinary farmers held varying amounts of land, and those who worked on the land of others as tenants or did landless labor were even more miserable. Many peasants joined secret societies with colorful names. Merchant classes became wealthier and more numerous, but they found it incredibly difficult to translate their profits into political power or social status.However, even when people were unhappy, they did not complain. Status was often unchangeable, so unlike Ancient Rome, people did not and could not revolt. These great classical civilizations lend themselves to a variety of comparisons to other civilizations du ring the time.In particular, Confucianism of the Han Dynasty and Christianity of Ancient Roman have spread throughout the world. Because of the Roman Empire, Christianity has spread throughout Europe from Jerusalem to Mesopotamia. Today, it is most influential in North and South America and Europe.Because of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism and Confucian ideas have had an impact on Eastern Asia, especially Japan, Egypt, and Vietnam, and it has even influenced Taoism. Even though both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired  incredible religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more controlling than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.

Can film as a medium support the development of ideas and techniques Essay

Can film as a medium support the development of ideas and techniques of representation on architecture - Essay Example Freed from realitys financial, logistical and legal constraints, cinema is an ideal medium that has been created for utopian visions and different approaches to architectural design. The power of film has helped to bring architectural ideas closer to a broad public, in such films as The cabinet of Dr. Caligari or Metropolis. The 20th century has experienced a shift from an attitude towards consideration of time and space. Therefore space was characterised by physical boundaries while time was continuous, both of which were defined by the stability of the structure. They were also characterised by closed systems consisting of universals free of an individual’s familiarity. The newly-found experience of space and time stood for multiplicity, fragmentation, or rather an open system free from universal continuity recognising the independence of the individual’s perceptions. The important experience was first demonstrated by the works of art forms of the early twenties, which included the simultaneity that is present in Futurism, Cubism, as well as the thriving film industry, which is covered in this paper. The proposal that time and space are intimately and inherently enjoined means that the likelihood of enjoining those forms of art is conventionally understood as spatial of the temporal. Whi le the features of a sound are straightforwardly affected by the space in which it is contained, the recognition of an image can only be understood as time passes by (Awan, Schneider and Till, 2011). The image, which is mobile, is the means through which space and time are inherently combined by means of motion, image, and sound. The moving image is capable of stimulating expectations, memories and presenting simultaneous occurrences in the presence of nonlinear division of space and time. As the new knowledge of space and time becomes stronger, the past, present and future can all be featured in any

Principles of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Principles of Finance - Essay Example According to the paper the total cost of a project consists of cost of capital, assets, labor expenses, intermediate resources, staff salaries and production expenses among others. Costs can be in different forms, such as real, nominal, primary, secondary, associated expenses and project expenses among others. Hence, while appraising the equipment and facilities manufactured by Danforth Limited and Donnalley Limited, one would have to compute as well as compare the costs involved in both of them. The product of the company that involves relatively less expenses should be chosen over the other.  This discussion stresses that if the scenario is such that the rejection of Dynamo project by Radiant Laundry would lead to the introduction of an identical product by a direct rival, then Radiant Laundry should take a decision on it on the basis of a time period more than 10 years. This is because this project is not viable when considered for a period of around 10 years. Moreover, another imperative point to be considered by Radiant Laundry is the redundant effect the rival’s product would have on its sales figure. If the introduction of a similar product by a direct rival dose not hampers the sales of Radiant to a large extent, then the company should avoid taking up the Dynamo project.  The following segment of the paper focuses on the sensitivity analysis of the project’s NPV on to annual net cash flows and cost of capital individually.... Additionally it has been ascertained that the estimated salvage value of the facility after 10 years would be equivalent to $80,000, which is much higher than that of Dansforth Limited’s equipment. Furthermore, the economic life of Danforth Limited’s equipment facility is only 5 years while that of Donnalley Limited is 10 years. This implies that during the 10 years time frame, the total cost involved with the purchase of equipment from Danforth Limited would be doubled. Consequently, the total costs over the project life of 10 years for Danforth Limited would be more than that of Donnalley Limited by $2 million. Hence it would be advisable for Radiant Laundry Products Company to purchase the specialised equipment and packaging facilities from Donnalley Limited. Analysis of Cash Flow Capital budgeting choices are supposed to be based on cash flows, instead of accounting profits. Additionally it is the incremental cash flows that are applicable (Broyles, 2003; Polimeni & Et. Al., 1994). Thus, we would compute the additional cash flow that Radiant Limited expects to generate if it implements the Dynamo project. The components for the computation of cash flow for the Dynamo Project are as follows: Investment for test marketing = $1,500,000 Cost of Equipment= $2,000,000 Total Initial Investment = $3,500,000, Cost of funds: 15% Salvage value = $80,000 Economic life= 10 Depreciation per year (at the rate of 30% on the reducing balance basis) Year Rate Value of Equipment Depreciation 1 30% 2000000 600000 2 1400000 420000 3 980000 294000 4 686000 205800 5 480200 144060 6 336140 100842 7 235298 70589.4 8 164708.6 49412.6 9 115296.0 34588.8 10 80707.2 24212.2

Sensory Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sensory Evaluation - Essay Example (Gatchalian , 1975) Difference - The easiest to conduct and analyze. The method involves the presentation of a set of samples one at a time, in equally spaced intervals. Only one stimulus is being evaluated at any one time. A single sample is presented at a time but evaluation is passed on several samples which are successfully presented. Evaluation is based largely on pre-established "memory standards".(Pangborn, 1967) The first sample to be evaluated, coded "A" is the standard. The preceding samples will be identified whether it is same as sample coded "A" or "Not A" while memory is relied upon acquaintance with the "standard" would reduce the wide time elapsed needed for recall. This method can be used by expert tasters or consumers for product acceptance tests. This test is utilized in conditions where products of heterogeneous properties are to be compared for one homogeneous quality, e.g. products are different in all aspects except flaws. This test is used for product development, product compar ison and storage stability. Paired or Two-Sample Test Method - Two samples are presented at any one point for evaluation. Samples in pairs presented successively for evaluation. The panelists are asked if they find a "difference" or "no difference" between the pair of samples presented. Analysis of the results will establish if a difference exists between samples. If there is a difference, further tests could be done to establish the extent of the difference. This test can be used in the panel selection and in regular monitoring of the panel sensitivity. This test is used for product development and evaluation and product comparison. This test can also be used in the determination of the threshold difference. Duo-Trio Test - This method is a modification of the two sample and triangle tests, or a combination of single sample and paired comparison tests. Three samples are used, two of which are alike as in the triangle test. However, in this test, the control/reference sample is made known to the panelist and he is then asked to pick the sample similar to the control/reference. This test is used for difference tests needed in quality control to determine variations between batches of production; stored and fresh products and for product improvement and development studies. The Triangle Test - This method utilizes three samples at any one time with two of the samples being identical and the third different. The latter is the unknown. This test is used mainly for product development and improvement and quality control. This is used in storage studies and product improvement activities. This test can also be used for panel selection and training purposes and in instrument correlation. Category or Descriptive Sensory Test Hedonic Scale method is a measure of acceptability gauged from consumer reaction in terms of their degree of like or dislike for a given product under a given set of conditions. The evaluators' reactions are indicated by descriptive words on a scale. This test is used to detect small differences in the degree of liking for similar foods and to detect gross differences even when time, subject and test conditions are allowed to vary. (Amerine, et. al., 1965) Ranking for Preference or Consumer-Type Test - In this method, different samples are usually presented for preference judgment to untrained panels. This test is used

Practice reflections essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Practice reflections - Essay Example An acute ward is a relatively chaotic place with rapid turnover and different levels of psychotic intensity that needs every sane attempt to engage closely with madness. So we can see and hear different behaviors and different stories in a variety of communication patterns. The only thing that an acute nurse maintains is tact and respect to the patient's person to maintain order and avoid abuse in any form. I was struck by the variety of scenes and hope these people will get back to reality and live a normal healthy life. My third placement was at an elderly care where most of them are sick of Alzheimer or Korsakoff syndrome. It was a different scene then. Everything seems to be quite and we seem to get the cooperation of the patients. But we have to make sure we attend to their personal needs and really have to monitor their medications and activities. Alzheimer's disease affects their control for thought, memory, and language and so they have trouble remembering recent events or the names of familiar people or things in their lives. Even the simple tasks of combing their hair or brushing their teeth or even taking a bath are being forgotten by them. They have problems speaking and understanding that they just wander or sit still when their moods are not being aggressive or anxious. I can just smile recalling the repetitive inquiries for my name. I can just smile recalling giving multiple and same line of introductions to these patients. It is like taking care of big babies. The most unpleasant part is cleaning them after they defecate. For sure the smell is not the same as those of the babies. Taking every scene I encountered lightly and with openness of heart and mind will make me want to help them and express forms of sympathy to their medical conditions. I wouldn't want to be a member of these wards, by the grace of God, no. It is too much to bear being a patient and too much emotion of hurt and stress thinking about the provision of care for these patients in the part of the family or relative. Korsakoff's disease level with Alzheimer's in memory loss due to dietary deficiency of Thiamin or Vitamin B1. It creates damage to several brain areas that is critical to memory. All the same they tend to ask your name every encounter. There were numerous staff approaches in maintaining therapeutic treatment and in establishing therapeutic relationship. We have to get their trust and maintain a friendly atmosphere between us so they cannot be too aggressive or violent whenever they dislike something especially with patients placed in the acute wards. I have noted and cared for some patients from the time of their admission until their discharge. In my four weeks assignment placement, I can see that some have come back and was readmitted again. We are being listed for reflections sessions as part of the placement under practice facilitators. At the wards, we also have mentors and been given Practice Based Assignments (PBA) papers. Here we discuss and reflect what we have seen and learned from the ward, an open forum in cases of clarifications of some issues until they get to sign our individual PBA's. For their respective care delivery, we are just observers and taking notes of the medications and techniques on how to inject

Strategic Military Intermodal Transportation Essay

Strategic Military Intermodal Transportation - Essay Example These are all geared towards providing the Command's clients with excellent and time-effective service. USTRANSCOM provides a daily service to American warfighters. As such, it strives towards providing an integrated and synchronized deployment and distribution system under unified command. As such, it is the Command's role to work closely with the Department of Defense (DOD) in order to provide warfighter support. The DOD transformations towards integration and unification are part of the USTRANSCOM Distribution Process Owner initiatives. Specifically, according to the Transcom.mil Web site, military assets are valued in excess of $52 billion; these include 87 ships, 1,269 aircraft, 2,150 railcars and other equipment. Infrastructure is in the range of $1.4 billion. Its wartime human resources comprise 51,853 soldiers on active duty, 88,089 of reserve force and Guard, and 16,606 of civilian personnel. Commercial partners provide equipment such as aircraft and vessels in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). The Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement also provides access to various resources controlled by civilian entities. These are used to provide 88 percent of U.S. land transport, 50 percent global air transport, and 64 percent of global sea transport. As mentioned, the Command conducts its operations on a worldwide scale, on a daily basis. According to Transcom.mil, an average week sees more than 1,900 air missions and 10,000 ground shipments across 75% of the world. B. USTRANSCOM Component Parts USTRANSCOM operates by means of various component commands, each focused on a specific aspect of the Command's operations. These include the Air Mobility Command, The Military Sealift Command, and the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. The first is located at the Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, the second in Washington, D.C., and the third in Alexandria, Virginia. Specifically, the function of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) is to provide services such as strategic and tactical airlift, refuelling, and aeromedical evacuation. In this way, the AMC enables the deployment, sustenance, and redeployment of U.S. forces. Because of its wide reach via commercial contracts through programs such as CRAF, the AMC is able to provide swift response. Special duty and operational support aircraft, such as Air Force One, also function under this component of the Command. The Military Sealift Command (MSC) provides sealift transportation for the same purpose as those of the AMC: to sustain and deploy U.S. forces where these are needed, and where they are most easily reachable by sea. The MSC comprises both government-owned and chartered ships under VISA contracts. The main function of these ships is to move unit equipment from the United States to operation posts throughout the world. In addition to these, the MSC also commands prepositioned ships throughout the world. These are placed in strategic locations in order to provide equipment and supplies to the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and the Defense Logistics Agency. In order to provide fast and efficient service, these ships remain at sea. This reduces response time, especially for urgent needs. The function of the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) is to provide ocean terminal, commercial ocean liner and traffic management services to U.S. forces on a global basis. As such, the SDDC is mainly

Management Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Management Communication - Essay Example c. Given your reputation for hiring the coolest cats in town, the big question is why the heck don’t I work there yet? I’m driven, way smarter than average, and would feel right at home in Vegas, baby! d. In addition to being an enthusiastic Zappos’ customer, I am also a customer service professional myself. A brilliant idea came to me last week while I was having yet another satisfying moment with your customer support crew: I want to be part of the team that can create such positive experience for customers. The fourth applicant has the most appealing application message that really attracts attention. The applicant has used words that touch on the current customer service at the company, being a loyal customer, and is already aware of the kind of service required f employees at the company. 2. You like to put applicants at ease right away, so you usually start interviews by asking an offbeat question to break the tension while also prompting the candidate to reveal something about his or her personality and knowledge. Which of these questions would you choose to start an interview? The most appropriate question to start an interview would be the one that aims at determining the level of commitment that an applicant is willing to demonstrate towards the job if selected. For instance, the question (b) suggests a tough task that can either attract negative response, a tactical answer, or completely positive one. 3. Zappos likes employees who can think on their feet, even when faced with outlandish questions and circumstances. Which of these questions would you use to judge a candidate’s ability to grasp a problem and begin developing a solution? a. You are a scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency, specializing in toxic wastes from electronic products. You’re testifying before a congressional committee, and a senator wants to

File Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

File - Assignment Example The standard of living is then advertised to the society. The society eventually takes up the new trends and starts to live them (Sandhusen, 12). This way, marketing delivers the standard of living to the society. The statement means that through marketing, other people are able to see value in a product that has been developed by another individual or firm. This is because; through marketing, the information related to the qualities, need and use of the product is passed on to others who may not have been aware of the existence of the product or its uses (Sandhusen, 47). This way, the value of the product is created in the minds of others. Exchange theory is a hypothesis postulating that social exchange builds human relationships through a tradeoff by the humans based on cost and benefit evaluations (Sandhusen, 17). Exchange theory is marketing’s most difficult task, since marketing must show the target audience how the product or service being marketed will benefit the audience in exchange of their monetary value. If marketing does not manage to show the target audience that the benefit conferred by the product or service is of equal value, then the target audience will not be persuaded to

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example for Free

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Although not originally well received, Edgar Allan Poe, became one of the most influential literary writers in American history. As a child, he wrote numerous poems, many which were later published. As a young adult he focused much of his attention on short fiction. He was credited with creating the detective story and known for his psychological and often violent thrillers. He is also known for his macabre themes and for having a fascination with death. Literary students should recognize these characteristics associated with Poes writings were shaped by many tragedies in his life, such as abandonment of his father, untimely deaths of his mother, brother, wife, and other loved ones, and the problems he faced with his adoptive father. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to New York where his father, David Poe, resumed his acting career. David soon quit acting and abandoned his family. He died a short time later (Harrison 22). Soon afterward, Edgars mother, Elizabeth, became ill and died (Nilsson). A young woman named Frances (also known as Fanny) and her husband, John Allan, took in Edgar. Soon thereafter, John, a tobacco trader, moved the family to England. There, Edgar began his first formal education. In 1820, when the tobacco market in London collapsed, the Allans returned to New York (Benfey; Nilsson). Edgar continued his education, excelling in Latin and French. During this time he was also in search of a maternal figure. Although fond of Fanny Allan, her poor health limited her ability to fulfill a motherly role. Edgar found a substitute in Mrs. Jane Stanard, a mother of one of his classmates. Unfortunately, she died a year later at age thirty-one (Nilsson). After her death, John Allan described Edgar as sulky and ill tempered to all the family (qtd. in Thompson). Mr. Allan felt insulted by Edgars behavior, especially when considering all he had done for Edgar. This was the beginning of the deterioration of the relationship between Edgar and John Allan that would provide conflict in Edgars life for many years to follow (Thompson). In 1826, Edgar attended the University of Virginia. He was an outstanding student and excelled in various languages, debating, writing, and athletics.  At age sixteen he fell in love with and became engaged to a girl named Elmira Royster. While away at college, he wrote her frequently but her father intercepted the letters (Thompson). Edgar was upset when he did not receive any replies. In addition to this disappointment, life at the school was chaotic and dangerous (Benfey). There were fights with students throwing bricks and bottles at professors and problems with students gambling. Edgar described one situation in a letter to John Allan in which he stated that one student was struck on the head with a large stone and in response he pulled a pistol. On another occasion he wrote about a student that bit another student, which Edgar described as, it is likely that pieces of flesh as large as my hand will be obliged to be cut out (Carlson). While away at school, Poe obtained large gambling debts and blamed John Allan for not providing proper financial support. When, Poe returned to Richmond during a school break, Allan reportedly broke off Poes engagement to Elmira (Carlson). He (Allan) then sent Edgar to work at his company instead of sending him back to school (Thompson). In 1827, Edgar and John Allans relationship completely fell apart. Poe wrote, Ive heard you say. . . that you have no affection for me (qtd. in Nilsson). Edgar moved out and while on the streets developed a problem with alcohol. Before long he obtained employment with a small newspaper and provided the printer with some of his early manuscripts. This resulted in a booklet entitled, Tamerlane and Other Poems. The main poem is a story about a warrior who returns home to find his childhood love has died and all his dreams gone. The writing was clearly influenced by Poes own plight in life and his failed relationship with Elmira Royster (Nilsson). Shortly thereafter, Poe lied about his age and used a fictitious name to enter the United States Army. In 1829, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a noncommissioned officer (Thompson). Meanwhile, Fanny Allan became seriously ill and died. Edgar arrived home after her burial. Feeling guilty for leaving Fanny, he wrote, I have had a fearful warning and have hardly ever known before what distress was (qtd. in Nilsson). After Fanny died, John Allan decided to forgive Edgar for their past problems and support his decision to leave the army to get into West  Point Military Academy (Nilsson). In April 1829, Edgar left the army, returned to Richmond, Virginia, and waited to be accepted as a cadet at West Point. During this time, John Allan became impatient and accused Edgar of being lazy. Their relationship became worse when Edgar requested financial assistance. As he waited for admittance, Edgar returned to Baltimore and continued writing poetry. There, a company named Hatch and Dunning printed his writing Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. This literature centers on the ideas associated with the concept of life after death and ideal love, an obvious reflection on Poes relationships with loved ones. In 1830, Edgar finally entered West Point. He climbed to the top rankings in his class. However, John Allan remarried a much younger woman and sent Edgar a letter stating he had no interest in further contact with him. This resulted in Edgars desire to leave West Point. When Allan did not assist Edgar with his plans to leave the academy, Edgar began to get into trouble. By January 1831, he had committed enough offenses that he was court-martialed and dismissed from the military. He left West Point in February and traveled to New York City before eventually returning to Baltimore (Thompson; Nilsson). While in Baltimore, he met many of his biological relatives for the first time. He also became very close with his brother, Henry. Unfortunately, Henry died six months later due to alcohol poisoning. After his brothers death, Edgar began to write seriously again. Hoping to earn more money, he changed from writing poetry to writing fiction. He wrote his first published story, The Dream, which encompassed much of Edgars past and was thought to have been inspired by his brothers death (Nilsson). In this writing, the narrator dreams that a person he killed has come back though an opening in the sky. As the terrifying character approaches, the narrator awakes. He also wrote a Gothic tale, Metzengerstein, about a feud between a count and a baron. The count eventually is burned in a fire and transforms into a horse. The baron captures the horse and when a fire breaks out in the barons castle the horse carries him into the fire. As the smoke rises upward, a figure of a horse becomes visible (Poes Tales 213-221). Next, Poe published four short stories all concerning the subject of surviving  death. In one story, A Decided Loss (later titled Loss of Breath), the narrator, lost his breath, got his skull crushed, was hanged, had his ears cut off by a coroner, gets cut up and is still alive although repeatedly killed (Nilsson). Edgar continued to have financial problems and in 1833 he moved in with his aunt, Maria Clemm, and his cousin Virginia (Thompson). In 1834, John Allan died. Although Allan was worth about three-quarters of a million dollars, Edgar received nothing (Nilsson). After Allans death, Edgar moved to Richmond and began work for Thomas Willis Whites new magazine, The Southern Literary Messenger. Edgar had fallen in love with Virginia and planned to have her and Maria reside with him in Richmond (Nilsson). Maria, however, intended for her and Virginia to move in with another relative, Neilson Poe (Thompson). Neilson had offered to remove them from the poverty they experienced with Edgar. Edgar was upset and threatened suicide if they left. He was devastated by the prospect of losing Virginia. After they left, Poe quit his job and returned to Baltimore. In September, he and Virginia obtained a marriage license and may have been privately married (Nilsson). Poe returned to work for White, and brought Virginia and Maria back to Richmond with him (Thompson). Poe advised White on articles, proofread for the magazine, and wrote some short stories. During this time his writings centered on gothic fiction. His writings were strongly influenced by, German romantic writers who gave the English Gothicism their own twists and, disregarding probability, greatly exaggerated elements of the horrible and the supernatural (Nilsson). Poe was especially fond of the kind of personal narration called tale of sensation where the persons are usually solitary victims of a life-threatening predicament, about to be executed, or about to have a fatal accident (Nilsson). One of his stories, Loss of Breath, clearly demonstrates these characteristics. Poe took over the official position as editor for the Messenger and turned the magazine into a popular and well-respected regional journal. In 1836, Poe was officially married to Virginia. Although steadily employed, after  the marriage Poe continued to incur debts. In the fall of 1836, his editorial qualities began to suffer. Alcohol abuse was suspected and White removed Poe as editor. Poe soon completely left the Messenger and moved briefly to New York before settling in Philadelphia. (Nilsson; Thompson). After almost three years of free-lance writing, Poe accepted a job as assistant editor for Burtons Gentlemans Magazine. There, he wrote ninety-eight book-reviews and produced large number of articles on other topics. He also wrote, The Fall of the House of Usher, one of his famous gothic horror stories. This is a complex story about a bother and sister (twins) from a cursed family who share a soul with the decaying mansion they reside in. Poe includes the idea of moral decay by hinting at incest, burial alive, and a return from the grave in this thriller about the forces of life and death (Poes Tales 128-144). He also wrote about William Wilson, a man that kills himself but does not die (Poes Tales 3-21). In June 1840, Poe left the magazine due to low pay and a desire to start his own magazine. Poe was unsuccessful with his own magazine and eventually accepted a position for $800 a year working for George Rex Graham who purchased Burtons Gentlemans Magazine and renamed it Grahams Ladys and Gentlemans Magazine. Poe conducted proofreading, wrote reviews, and sometimes engaged in editorial work. He also did some writing but was better known as a critic than as a poet during this period. In the April 1841 issue of Grahams, Poe published The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Nothing similar to this work had ever been published and it has been credited as the first modern detective story. In fact, this work influenced the evolution of stories and the future of movies ever since it was published. An example of how Poes stories influenced future writers include the use of private detectives in contrast to police detectives, the narrator whom is not the main detective in the story, and the analytic process of crime solving techniques. Poes work helped increase the circulation of Grahams from 5500 to 40,000. Though he was successful, he became bored with his position and resigned in July 1842 (Nilsson). Meanwhile, Virginia became very ill with tuberculosis. Her illness hit Poe  hard and he did everything possible to help ease her suffering. The influence of her illness can be seen in his writings of this time. Poe wrote Life in Death and The Masque of the Red Death while taking care of Virginia (Nilsson). Life in Death is about a painter and his sick wife. Ironically, as the painter completes his portrayal of his wife, she dies. The Masque of the Red Death is about a prince trying to save his diseased country from the figure called The Red Death (Poes Tales 201-207). This story was derived from Poes knowledge of both the bubonic plague and the Philadelphia cholera epidemic. As Virginias condition grew worse, Poe suffered and again turned to heavy alcohol consumption. During this time Poe published a few revisions of older poems as well as a few new ones. He also published The Pit and the Pendulum, a tale of a man tortured by the Spanish Inquisition (Poes Tales 221-234). He also worked on his crime and detection stories which include The Mystery of Marie Roget, The Black Cat, and The Tell-Tale Heart. The Mystery of Marie Roget is the first true detective story to try to solve a crime. The Tell-Tale Heart is a tale about the murder of an elderly man whose heart continues to beat as police question the narrator. The beating heart eventually drives the narrator to his confess his crime (Poes Tales 289-293). In The Black Cat, the narrator kills a cat but it keeps coming back to life. While again attempting to kill the cat, he slices his wifes head in two with a cleaver. He hides her corpse in a wall but the cats howls lead the police to the location of the body (Poes Tales 518-527). In November 1846, Poe published one of his best short stories, The Cask of Amontillado. This short story is similar to Poes other crime fiction however there is no confession by the perpetrator. The narrator completes his revenge by capitalizing on his opponents prideful nature and lures him into a catacomb where he is sealed inside. The narrator hints at a feeling of guilt but since the story is told as a reflection of the past, it is clear that no one else knows of the crime (Poes Tales 207-213). In January 1847, Virginia finally died from complications of tuberculosis. Although he was devastated, Poe continued to write and lecture. He also reportedly found romantic relationships with several women, including the  former Sarah Elmira Royster, his first love who since had been married. On October 7th, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found unconscious on a street in Baltimore. He died three days later in a local hospital (Nilsson; Thompson). His death has been attributed to alcoholism, however some researchers at the University Maryland Medical Center suspect he might have died from rabies (Shea). Edgar Allan Poe faced numerous obstacles during the course of his life. Although raised by a family with some wealth, Poe was always in a state of financial crisis. Among the relatives and friends of the Allans, Poe was an outsider and maintained a low socio-economic status. In addition, his losses include almost all the people who ever demonstrated any kind of love for him. An analysis of his writings reflects the psychological trauma that he obtained throughout his life. Although these problems kept Poe from immediate success, they had a profound effect on his style and the subject matter of his published works, which eventually made many of his writings popular in and out of the classroom today. Works Cited Benfey, Christopher. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. The New Republic 24 Feb. 1992. Carlson, Eric W. Edgar Allan Poe. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 74 American Short-Story Writers Before 1880. 1988 pp. 303-322. The Gale Group Harrison, James A. Life of Edgar Allan Poe New York: Haskell, 1970. Nilsson, Christoffer. Qrisses Edgar Allan Poe Pages 1996-1998. 29 Nov. 1999 Poes Tales of Mystery and Imagination. London: Dent, 1963 Shea, Christopher. Researcher Says Rabies, Not Alcoholism, May Have Killed Poe Chronicle of Higher Education Sept. 1996. 2 Dec. 1999 Thompson, G.R. Edgar Allan Poe. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 3. Antebellum Writers in New York and the South. 1979. pp. 249-297. The Gale Group Note: In addition, the following source was indirectly used: Edgar Allan Poe. Encarta 1999. CD-ROM. Redmond: Microsoft,1993-1998

Traffic congestion Essay Example for Free

Traffic congestion Essay Introduction Traffic congestion is one of the most compelling global problems especially in developed cities. London is among those cities which suffer from the traffic problems. According to the London city council, Londons population was 8. 17 million in 2011. By the year 2011, every 100 people in London owns 60-65 personal cars, which means cars have been the prior transportation tools for local people (Blythe, 2005). Frequently using cars as vehicle contributes to the traffic problems. As the rapid growth of population, the rate of car ownership would reach to a higher level hich is a severe test to the environment. According to Hickman et al (2010), Approximately 25% of carbon dioxide(C02) emissions is contributed by transport tools. Obviously, traffic problem is a magnificent cause of the environmental damage. Although some relevant policy has been implemented to reduce the congestion, traffic problems still exist across the capital with the growth of population and employment. (Transport Committee, 2008) According to Transport Committee (2008), Londons traffic speeds are below average speeds of global cities such as New York nd Singapore. Meanwhile, the population and the demands of Jobs in London are predicted to reach to a high level by 2025. The location of the additional Job will force a large number of people to go through the city at peak hours, which is a severe challenge to the local traffic situation. (Transport Committee, 2008) Thus, light rail transit systems (LRT) could be the ideal solution to traffic problem. However, the high cost might limit the scale of this method. Electronic toll collection system (ETC) is regarded as another option with relatively low cost.

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics

Customer Requirements And Product Characteristics One of the main roles of any manufacturing plant is to produce product that caters to the demands of the market, and the best way to understand the market needs is to distinguish what is important to the customer/consumer. This understanding of the customer gives the manufacturer a competitive edge, as he knows more or less what the needs of the customer is, when he sells his product in the market. This competitive edge can be distinguished into various factors, for e.g. Quality, Speed, Dependability, Cost, and so on. A particular way of distinguishing which factor gives us more competitive edge is to distinguish between what Prof Terry Hill calls as â€Å"order winners† and â€Å"order qualifiers†. (Pycraft et al 1997) [Online] But before we dive into categorising the various competitive factors into order winners and order qualifiers, it will be helpful if we knew where the products lie in the Puttick Grid. The Puttick Grid, devised by the Warwick Manufacturing Group, defines product market position with respect to the complexity of the product and the level of uncertainty in the market. A point to note about the Puttick Grid is that over a period of time, product tends to move around in the grid and hence may change after a period of time. The Specialist DBPs have a very erratic demand profile, they are basically manufactured either one by one, or if they is more demand they probably in batches of 10. There is a peak in demand during the spring and summer seasons as a lot of people get back to riding their bikes after the winter, and hence become desirable during these seasons amongst the people who own vintage bikes. Also since these are vintage bikes, they dont mind spending a bit for getting replacement parts. The Aftermarket DBPs have a rather subdued demand as compared to the Specialist DBPs. Since these are DBP that are no longer in standard productions, there are a lot of organisations that have come out with their own version of the DBP and hence the customer has more choice. So, in such a case, the customer will go by brand image, price and the quality of the product. The Original Equipment DBPs on the other hand, will have a very stable demand that will be known to Friction Materials well in advance. Quality and price become very important for such a product and hence they become more of a commodity. Hence according to the above discussion, the products have been placed in the Puttick Grid as shown below in Figure 1.1.1 Super Value Product Responsive/Jobbing/Fashion Specialist DBP Consumer Durables Commodities Original Equipment DBP Now that we have an understanding of where the product lies with respect to the Puttick Grid, we can distinguish which competitive factor is an order winner and which is an order qualifier. Characteristic Aftermarket DBP Specialist DBP Design Brand Name 60 60 Price 40 40 Speed (Lead Time) Q Dependability (Availability) QQ Q Quality (Fit to purpose) Q QQ Table 1.1.1: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] Characteristics Original Equipment DBP Design 40 Brand Name 10 Price 40 Speed (Lead Time) 10 Dependability (Availability) QQ Quality (Fit to purpose) QQ Table 1.1.2: Order Winners and Qualifiers. (Adopted for Hill 2000) [Note: Order Winners are marked out of 100. Q: Order Qualifier; QQ: Order Looser.] 1.1.1 Design The links between design, operations and markets are the very essence of the business. The way that these integrate, therefore, is fundamental to sound strategy development and implementation. Both design and operations aim is to provide products according to the technical and business specifications. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs, the dimensions of the DBP are calculated from the equivalent OE component and then some changes are made so as to avoid patent infringement. So in this case, the design of the DBP is not very important as it is only reverse engineered from an existing product. In case of Specialist DBPs, the dimensions are taken from records if they exist or taken from existing component and then designed as a made-to-order item. So in this case too, not much work goes into the design of the DBP as they are already available to the manufacturer. Hence, design of the DBP does not give the product any competitive edge over other competitor products. In case of Original Equipment Manufacturer, initially specifications will be given by the motorcycle manufacturer. But if Friction is selected as the preferred OE for DBP, it will be expected to design the brakes to meet the requirements given by the manufacturer. Hence, if not initially, over a period of time the designing of brakes for the OE product range will become the one of biggest competitive edge that the company could get in winning the order. 1.1.2 Brand Name Through a variety of activities, companies try to establish a brand name for their products in the market. Where this has been achieved and maintained, companies will win orders partly due to the image that has been created in the market. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of Aftermarket DBPs and the Specialist DBPs, the brand name, â€Å"Stop-Rite†, play a major role in winning orders for the company. Since these parts are no longer in standard production by the OEM, there is a lot of competition in the market to win orders for these products. And hence the brand image, which Friction Materials Ltd has maintained for the last 20 years, becomes the biggest competitive edge in the market to win orders. In case of the OE DBPs, initially Friction Materials is trying to win orders and hence it does not have a brand name in the OE market as of now. But as they start to win orders and establish them in the market, their brand name will start to help them win orders and hence, as time will progress, brand name will become an order winner. 1.1.3 Price In many markets, particularly in the growth, maturity and saturation phases of the product life cycle, price becomes a very important order winner. When there is a range of products to choose from, price comparisons with alternatives becomes an integral part of the customers evaluation of the product and hence price plays a very important part in winning orders. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarket and the Specialist DBPs, since there are a lot of alternatives in the market, price eventually become one of the main reasons why the customer chooses to buy the product, as if there are two products meeting his criteria, they are bound to buy the cheaper product. Hence they become an order winner. In case of the OE DBPs, since the manufacturer is going to buy the product in bulk, he is going to want to buy them from a manufacturer who is able to produce them in the cheapest possible way and who also meets their requirements. Hence price in this case becomes one of the biggest factors for choice. 1.1.4 Speed (Lead Time) and Dependability (Availability) A company may be able to qualify for an order/win an order based on how quickly they are able to supply the product or if the product is already available for delivery/purchasing for the customer. Hence is it very important that the Operations Lead Time must be able to match the Customer Lead Time. (Hill Hill 2009) In case of the Aftermarkets DBPs, the ability to deliver the DBP faster than others may affect the spares stores to make an order to the manufacturer. This is possible if the lead time for the product is less and hence lead time becomes an order qualifier. With respect to the customers, the product being available on the store self become an order qualifier, i.e. they consider the product as a possible buy. But in case the product is not available on the shelf, means that even though their product is better than the competition, they will lose an order and hence this becomes an order looser. Similarly, in case of the Specialist DBPs, since these are mostly made-to-order items, the lead time does not give an influential competitive edge over the competition. But at the same time, availability/delivery of the product has to be on time and this becomes an important factor that the customer will take into consideration when he/she is looking to buy a DBP for his/her Vintage Motorbike. Hence availability of the product on time becomes an order qualifier in this case. In case of the OE products, the motorcycle manufacturer will be looking for a manufacturer who can produce the parts and deliver them in the shortest possible time. Hence speed or lead time becomes an order winner. Also, being a local supplier to the local motorcycle industry will give them a competitive edge over other outside competitors as they will be able to respond to the demand much quicker. But, in addition to this, being able to deliver the products on time is going to be a very important factor. So important that initially, some late deliveries may lead to the manufacturer going to an alternate supplier as you are not able to meet his demands on time. Hence dependability becomes an order looser. 1.1.5 Quality Quality or Quality Conformance can be defined as ability of a manufacturer to manufacture products according to the customers requirements. (Slack et al 2002) In case of the Aftermarkets and Specialist DBPs, no one is going to consider buying the product unless you are certain that the DBP is fit to use on their particular motorcycle model. Hence for both these product ranges, quality becomes an order qualifier. That is, only if the DBP is fit to use on a particular customers motorcycle, they will consider buying that DBP. In case of the OE products, since now they are trying to become suppliers of OE products for the first time, quality has to be bang on target. It has to meet all the customer requirements. Any lapse of quality may lead to a halt in the manufacturers assembly line and this is going to cost them a lot of money. Hence any lapse in quality of the OE suppliers part will give a bad impression and hence may lead to the supplier losing the order. Hence quality for the OE product range becomes an order looser. 1.2 Implications on Operations The Polar diagram (above) shows all the competitive factors for all the product range and their relevant importance for winning orders. Hence, in a way, the diagram also helps understand where Operations should concentrate more so that they will be able to produce more products that will be able to win the orders in the market. From the above diagram, we see that for all the three product ranges, Price, Quality and Dependability are the common performance objective that can help give them competitive edge in the market. Hence operations has to focus more on reducing the cost of the product and at the same time try to keep quality at a good level and always deliver the goods on time. Also, we see Brand Name is very important for the Aftermarket and Specialist market. But if operations is able to maintain price, quality and dependability; it will maintain and perhaps even built up the brand name of the product. Also, by concentrating on dependability, operations is going to keep the lead time (speed) of the product to as low as possible to meet the delivery times and hence speed is also taken care of. Hence by concentrating more on price, quality and dependability, operations will be able to cover all the order qualifier and winner factors of all the 3 product ranges. 2 Manufacturing Strategy for the OE product 2.1 Framework Hill, T. (2009) breaks down the process of developing an operation/manufacturing strategy into 5 simple objectives. 2.1.1 Defining the Corporate Objectives The recent future Corporate Objective of Friction Materials is to try and break into the OE product sector. This will help them isolate the financial burden that they have to carry due to the ever decreasing prices because of cheap Far Eastern Aftermarket DBP available in the market. Hence another Corporate Objective is to make them more stable financially by entering a highly profitable and long term contract product range. Other general corporate objective like Profit and Growth and ROI also apply to Friction Materials Ltd. 2.1.2 Defining the Market Strategies to meet these objectives As said in the Corporate Objectives, Friction Material Ltd. is now trying to enter the Original Equipment product market. Volumes initially (during sampling stage) will be low, to the order of 300. But once their samples get approved, they will start producing these products in very high volumes, to the order of about 3000 DBP/week. Keeping these facts in mind, the Marketing Strategy for the OE product range is to produce and deliver high quality low cost DBP on time, every time. 2.1.3 How do products win orders in the market place? As mentioned in Section 1, the major factors that win orders for the OE product is Price, Quality and Dependability (in terms of delivery). Once Friction Materials becomes the choice for OEM for DBPs, they will have to design the brakes themselves and hence Design also becomes an important order winner. 2.1.4 Establishing the most appropriate mode to manufacture these sets of products Process Choice We are in process of getting samples accepted for the new OE product range. Currently we are manufacturing only the Spares and Specialist product ranges and this is done in a batch process flow layout. This is ok for these ranges as they are in small quantities of about 300 DBP/week. But the new OE product range is going to require about 3000 DBP/week. Hence the Batch layout will not suffice to meet this quantity demand. The most appropriate process choice for such a huge demand is the Mass Layout or the Continuous Layout. But the continuous layout calls for a bigger investment in terms of the money involved. Since Friction Materials is only starting to try to establish itself in the OE market, it would not be wise to tie up a lot of the Companies money into something that might not work out to the magnitude expected. Hence the Mass Layout seems to be a more sensible choice. 2.1.5 Provide the manufacturing infrastructure required to support production Providing the infrastructure to support production of the new OE product is going to involve some amount of trade off in the sense of a balance between the various competitive factors that will affect the ability of the product to win orders. For instance, from the polar diagram (Sector 1.2) we see that dependability and cost of product play a very important role in helping the product win orders. In order to always deliver the product on time, we must always have enough stock with us to meet the demand. This can mean that we make-to-stock the product. But if we have a lot of inventory, it means that we have a lot of money held up as inventory and this may lead to increase in the price of the product to help insulate this cost. But this increase of cost may lead to loss of an order. Hence what amount of inventory would be sufficient to always meet customer demands and not hold a lot of money in inventory would be the trade off that we will be keen to look for. This process of trade o ff balance will help the manufacturing/operations to align itself with the corporate strategy. (Slack et al 2002) 2.2 Analysis of Current Operations System Before we can start formulating and making changes to the production system, we must first define what the current system is. We can do this with the help of various tools. We are going to use the SWOT analysis tool to do the same. Once we know where the current production capabilities are, we will be able to make decision taking into account the current scenario. 2.2.1 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness The brand name â€Å"Stop Rite† Established producer of aftermarket DBPs in the UK and Western Europe Competency in making the brake pad mixture * Good liquidity and turnover * Bad production planning system even though a MRP system is in place for the same Opportunities Threats OE market will lead to more opportunity in the EU market. OE market will help insulate the competition and market share because of the Far Eastern Competition * Growing to a medium scale company will help in being capable of handling more customers * Competition for cheaper Far Eastern Competition Table 2.2.1: SWOT Analysis Tool The brand name â€Å"Stop-Rite† is one of the main strengths of Friction Materials Ltd. This is what is helping them win orders in the Specialist market and the aftermarket market. This brand name that they have, they have been able to establish it because of being one of the main trusted DBP manufacturer in the UK and Western Europe market. This is also one of the strengths that they should exploit. They have a competency in creating their own mixture for the DBPs, which helps keep the cost of the product down. Also, as we can see from the financials, their Quick Ratio is about 1.03 and their Current Ratio is about 1.8, both of which are very near the acceptable values and hence the company is doing very well financially. And as they say â€Å"Cash is King†, this is their main strength. But even though they are strong in these areas, their production planning system is not very good, or up to industry standards. Even though they have a MRP II system in place, the Planning Controller has to fire fight situation that should not arise because of the system. This shows one of the two situations, either the Planning Controller is not familiar with the system or there is something wrong with their planning system. This can cause a lot of problems if they are to start production for about 3000DBP/week for the OE product. Opportunity wise, the OE product can help gain more market share in the Western European market and hence improve their brand name even further. Also, since this will be a more steady market, this will help insulate some of the market share loss due to the cheaper Far Eastern Competitor products in the Spares market. This will help the company grow financially which is always the main aim of any organisation. Once the organisation has more market share and money, they can easily transition to a medium scale company and hence cater to more customers. The only threat that the company faces is due to the Far Eastern products. They are almost as good as their DBPs, but they are far cheaper than Frictions DBPs and hence this sometimes leads to loss of market share. Entry to the OE product market will help them to insulate this loss. Now that we are clear on where the organisation current strengths and weakness lie, we can develop our manufacturing strategy to complement the strengths and negate the weakness of the organisation. 2.3 Elements of Manufacturing Strategy Miltenburg (2005) divides manufacturing strategy in six main sub-systems and terms them as Manufacturing Levers to reflect the concept that each sub-system can be adjusted to align according to market demands and corporate mission. 2.3.1 Sourcing Current list of all the suppliers to Friction Materials Ltd. are largely UK based. This is good as this help in decreasing the manufacturing lead time of the component. Since currently, their production demands are very low, to the order of 300DBPs/week; they were unable to convince their suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. But now since they are looking to produce to the order of about 3000DBPs/week; they should be able to convince the suppliers to deliver Just-in-Time. Along with this, they should bring the list down in number and probably sign long term contracts with their most reliable supplier as the demand for the OE market is very stable and this long term contracts will help with the demand and also improve relations with their suppliers. But care should be taken when such contracts are framed, so that if the supplier does not make the delivery, then Friction Materials is free to buy that demand from another supplier. (Quinn and Hilmer 1995) In terms of the product range, since making DBPs is their main expertise, I feel that they should continue to produce all their existing product range so that they do not lose their current market share and customer base. The level of vertical integration should be kept to a minimum and Friction Materials should concentrate on its main competency of making the DBPs. Smaller parts of the product like the packing materials should be bought from an external vendor. 2.3.2 Process Technology Hill (2009) uses a profiling method to help decide what kind of production process is good for a particular type of product depend on the profile of the product. We will use this profiling approach to decide the type of process that we will implement for the OE range of product. Relevant Aspects Characteristics of Process Choice Product Job Batch Line Type Special Standard Range Wide Narrow Order Size Small Large Level of Change High Low Rate of NPD High Low Order-Winner Del. Speed Price Process Technology G.P. Dedicated Flexibility High Low Volumes Low High Key Tasks Meet Spec. Cost Investment Low High Table 2.3.2.1: Hills Profiling Approach (Source: Hill and Hill 2009) For the OE product range, we know the following: The order volume is going to be very high; hence the product is going to be standardised. Since the product is standardised, it is logical to have machinery dedicated to the product so that it can churn out more product and help meet the high demand. This in turn will decrease the flexibility of the process, but that is a trade-off that has to be taken to meet the high demand. We are going to produce only a certain types of DBPs, hence range is very narrow. The variations in the design of the DBPs are going to be minimal. New designs will only be developed when there is a requirement for it, hence the rate for new product development is also low. Order-winner for the OE product as discussed above is a balance between delivery speed and cost. Hence the key task for the process is bringing the cost of the product down. Hence we see from the above table, most of the profile of the OE product fits the Line Process choice. Hence in our case, for the OE product range, it is advisable that we go for a Line process. Currently, the Spares and Vintage DBPs are being produced in a Batch Equipment Paced Line Flow. They are currently running operations with 3 machining centres, each consisting of a pair of inter linked CNC machines with magazine feed. But even with a demand of only 300 DBPs/week compared to a demand of 3000 DBPs/week, the 3 machining centres are running at full capacity and often require overtime to meet the demand. Hence it is only logical for Friction Materials to in some new machining centres for the new OE production line that will be mainly be used for OE production, as they will find it very difficult to cope up with the demand with the existing infrastructure available. In fact, Friction Materials should look to start to invest into some of the other machines that they require for the production of DBPs to help cope up with this new OE demand. It is also advisable to make this new investments into the shop floor as the OE market is a profitable market which has a very stable demand and this demand will be there for quite a few years and hence this investment can be easi ly recovered during the life cycles of not OE product, but probably two or three OE products. The current manufacturing process layout should be adopted for the OE production also. The process has been setup taking into consideration the capacity of the mixer, setup time on the presses and stock levels and hence they are designed to give the whole process a flow. But setting up a completely new production line demands a lot of capital being invested and it will take quite some time before you will be able to break even for this investment. Hence the logical thing to do for Friction would be to invest in some new machining centres, so that they would be able to able to cope with the demand. But these new machining centres should be dedicated to only for the OE products. And over time, with increasing profits from the OE business, they can keep adding more machining centres to create a separate line for the OE product. 2.3.3 Production Planning and Control The production of DBPs has been broken down majorly into two process; namely Pressing and Finishing. The Pressing team takes care of making the brake pads; the Finishing team takes care of machining the DBPs to ensure consistency of the physical dimensions of the pad. Since both these processes are independent of each other, they are connected to each other with some decoupling or WIP inventory (Miltenburg). In our case, the baking process is the decoupling process. The two bin system can be used for inventory control for raw materials. In this system, the buffer stock in kept in the second bin and the current stock in kept in the first bin. Once the first bin is emptied and the buffer stock is brought into use, the purchase team should place orders to the respective material supplier for replenishing the material. For quality control, the organisation is already running on Statistical Process Control charts for the Spares and Specialist market. But this is acceptable for these products as their production volumes are not very large. The OE volumes are going to be very huge and hence SPC may not be the right choice for quality control. SPC looks at maintaining the quality of the products that the processes inside the organisation. Since OE is such a big market and where it is always important to â€Å"get things right the first time, every time†; it is better that Friction Materials looks into implementing Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM not only looks into the quality of parts being produced inside the organisation, but it takes the whole supply chain into account and sees to it that not only are the part being produced are up to quality standards, but also parts entering into the system are of optimum quality as it is unlikely to product good quality parts out of sub-standard part s. (GE Systems). Also in TQM, each worker becomes responsible for keeping the quality of their output up to standard. Hence this virtually removes the requirement of a quality control team in the organisation. 2.3.4 Human Resources The major machines, that require training in the whole manufacturing process at Friction Materials, are the press machines and the machining centres. The current workforce employed at Friction Materials is very well trained and are flexible enough to work on any process within their block. But we see that there is considerable time that goes into the setup of the presses when there is a need to change the design of the pad. So the employees can be further trained in how they can reduce the set up time for the presses. Regular maintenance is being carried out at Friction Materials by the current

Personal Interview of a Friend Essay -- Interviews essays research pap

I interview my friend, Tim F. Mr. F was born on January 08, 1976 Cleveland, Ohio to M. J. and J. F. Mr. F. prefers to be addressed as Tim. He is mixed, Tim’s mother is mixed with black and white and his father is black. His dad left them when he was twelve years old but still came around every now and again. She remarried when he was eighteen. He is an African American male at the age of twenty-eight. He came from a middle class family, but his had more money than she leaded him believe. He was an only child but he had plenty aunt and uncles to go around. His mother came from a big family. She had three older brothers, two younger sisters and a younger brother. She was the middle child. Having three older brothers they always were harder on her she said, because she was the oldest of the younger girls. That’s why he felt that his mother was so hard on him. Mr. F is a kind-hearted person. I thought I knew Mr. F very well until I did this interview. He showed a side that I never knew he had. Mr. F attends New Harvest Church. Mr. F currently stays here in Montgomery, Alabama with his daughter Nicole. Instead of going to college Mr. F joined the Marines at the age of twenty-three. He wanted to make a better life for his self because he said that he was going to end up dead or in jail and that is two places that he did not want to be. Mr. F felt like the Marines would be the best route to not only developing him into manhood but also providing him with the best thing to do. â€Å"I wanted to be a better person and open up doors of opportunity for myself. I wanted to provide for my family, buy a house and be able to live comfortably. During the four years he was in the Marines, Mr. F traveled thought the United States and around the world to Japan, Australia, Korea, Panama and the Philippines while traveling he was available to get numerous certification in computer programming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. F lives in Town Lakes in Montgomery, Alabama upper class area. He is one of a few black neighbors in the whole neighborhood. Sometimes he feels that he should have not moved out there, because he wants his daughter to feel what it is like to not be handed everything in life. Mr. F loves his daughter to no end, but Nicole’s mother on the other hand, he say he could just live without. Mr. F weakness is he gives into his daughter too easily. As a child Mr. F he often found himsel... ...the question. That is one thing that I feel that I did not do enough of, is to keep on and stay on track of the answering of certain questions. He had seemed to be in a fun mood the day we did the interview. Earlier that week he and his mother got into a disagreement about something. He did not say what it was at the time but now I know it was because Mrs. J-F was upset because she has not seen her grand-daughter in almost a year. I was pleased to that he agreed to do the interview, after having a bad week earlier. When I told him that I would be video taping him he was ecstatic. He was in a playful mood. I listened to everything my client had to say and wanted to say. I also took notes on some things that we should have talked about in our next meeting. I showed good body language to my client. He knew I was paying attention to him because I was nodding my head and restating some of his comments to him answer. Some of the things I need to work on would be is to just let him continue talking and not cut him off so much. I feel that because Mr. F and I are very good fri ends and that is why I feel that cut him off so much, but I think I can and will do much better next time.

self-hypnosis :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a person begins talking about hypnosis, what is your first thought? If the first thing you think of is a person on their knees barking like a dog, or flapping their arms while clucking like a chicken, then you are among many others who believe that hypnosis is purely entertainment. It is actually very common and used across the world as a helpful form of deep relaxation. Many, many people have used hypnosis to achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and enhance the quality of their personal and professional life. It is also believed by many that it takes a professional hypnotist swinging a shiny metal object to become hypnotized, when in fact, hypnosis is not something one person â€Å"does† to another. Its use varies from person to person, although development of this skill can be enhanced with the guidance of an experienced hypnotist. (Baker-Jambretz). Professional hypnotists share the belief that hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. However most people don’t feel any different under hypnosis than the way they feel in their everyday state. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool that can be used for a large variety of topics. These topics range from increasing confidence and managing stress to quitting smoking and actually easing childbirth! The topic that caught my attention involved using self-hypnosis to improve an individual’s ability at sport. The key to this, and most other topics, is to trust yourself and learn to find a deep state of relaxation that you can return to with a simple â€Å"trigger† word. Once you find the trigger word that is best for you, use it to take yourself into a completely different mind-set. Then you need to go through a sequence of affirmations to remind yourself that you are successful and to help you see the skills that you already possess. With this positive mind set, you will realize that the key to performing well in sports is the ability to relax and let things flow naturally. Obviously you won’t just be able go out and excel at a sport without practice and determination, but with hypnosis you will be able to relax and let all aspects of your skills flow with nothing being held back. Not only will your game improve, but your pleasure for the game will increase as well. Whenever you bring yourself into this state with your trigger word, you will be able to see yourself playing just as you like.

Influence of Russian Revolution on Western Civilization Essay -- essay

On the edge of XIX-XX centuries the capitalism of the free competition had turned into imperialism – monopolitical capitalism (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The growing social production and private capitalist appropriation of it, labour of ones and profit of others were the main processes owing to the aggravation of working class and bourgeoisie. The political parties of social army had started to form. In many countries of Western Europe, the socialist movements had appeared, where wide strata of working class participated in left-wing parties and trends (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The system of imperialism as a whole, had ripen for social revolutions of the new type – proletariat. As a result of unequal distribution of wealth and social cataclysms of post-war periods paved the way for breaking the chain of imperialism. Russia appeared to be that weak link in the chain of imperialism. The Russian Revolution influenced Western World to change, infecting working class to revolt global ly against imperialism, the crisis of colonialism had started. Russian Revolution of October 1917 was the child of the antagonism of classes in contradictory imperialism. It started in poorly ruled environment of Tsarism, prepared by previous revolutions of 1905-6 (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.30). â€Å"So ready was Russia for social revolution that masses treated the fall of Tsar as a proclamation of universal freedom, equality and direct democracy. The uncontrolled masses transformed into Bolshevik power† (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.36). Many political parties had arose, however, not many of them knew how to rule the huge country. As country mainly was agrarian with more than eighty per-cent of peasants, who were hungry, landless and tired of the endless wars, Bolsheviks who represente... ...cial governmental expenses increase, pension provision and illness insurance are present in today’s life and seem so obvious and obligatory mostly were influenced by the tensions of the working class in Europe and especially Russia in the XX century. In Russian revolution, communism appeared as â€Å"the constructed of a better alternative to capitalist society†, ironically in gave the roots to the socio-capitalistic structure of XXI century, which combines both ideologies of capitalism and socialism under one wing. History of the XX century cannot be understood without looking at Russian Revolution, whose influence brought important effects on present rights and freedoms of every individual in the social structure of today’s society (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.84). Reference Hobsbawm, E. (1995). Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991. Abacus, 1995. Influence of Russian Revolution on Western Civilization Essay -- essay On the edge of XIX-XX centuries the capitalism of the free competition had turned into imperialism – monopolitical capitalism (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The growing social production and private capitalist appropriation of it, labour of ones and profit of others were the main processes owing to the aggravation of working class and bourgeoisie. The political parties of social army had started to form. In many countries of Western Europe, the socialist movements had appeared, where wide strata of working class participated in left-wing parties and trends (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The system of imperialism as a whole, had ripen for social revolutions of the new type – proletariat. As a result of unequal distribution of wealth and social cataclysms of post-war periods paved the way for breaking the chain of imperialism. Russia appeared to be that weak link in the chain of imperialism. The Russian Revolution influenced Western World to change, infecting working class to revolt global ly against imperialism, the crisis of colonialism had started. Russian Revolution of October 1917 was the child of the antagonism of classes in contradictory imperialism. It started in poorly ruled environment of Tsarism, prepared by previous revolutions of 1905-6 (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.30). â€Å"So ready was Russia for social revolution that masses treated the fall of Tsar as a proclamation of universal freedom, equality and direct democracy. The uncontrolled masses transformed into Bolshevik power† (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.36). Many political parties had arose, however, not many of them knew how to rule the huge country. As country mainly was agrarian with more than eighty per-cent of peasants, who were hungry, landless and tired of the endless wars, Bolsheviks who represente... ...cial governmental expenses increase, pension provision and illness insurance are present in today’s life and seem so obvious and obligatory mostly were influenced by the tensions of the working class in Europe and especially Russia in the XX century. In Russian revolution, communism appeared as â€Å"the constructed of a better alternative to capitalist society†, ironically in gave the roots to the socio-capitalistic structure of XXI century, which combines both ideologies of capitalism and socialism under one wing. History of the XX century cannot be understood without looking at Russian Revolution, whose influence brought important effects on present rights and freedoms of every individual in the social structure of today’s society (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.84). Reference Hobsbawm, E. (1995). Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991. Abacus, 1995.

All humans should be treated with respect Essay

In examining the religious teachings about the values of human life using religious teachings it is easy to see that God thinks all human life equal regardless of race, gender or disability and encourages all his ‘sheep’ (followers of his, who he regards not as servants but as friends) to do so as well. This is proven in 1st Corinthians 7 18- 20 where it is said, ‘Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.’, the passage suggests that God cares not about the outward appearance or position of his followers but their obedience to his command, regardless of what life they have lived or what they were before, it also supports the fact that God was willing to take converts and so did not make distinctions between the human race or bear prejudice to those who were previously not his followers and had converted. The belief of equality for all of mankind is further supported by the bible which (Genesis 1:27) proclaims that all were made ‘in the image of God’ and therefore bear a likeliness to him regardless of any differences we might show. This theory is known as imago dei and is one shared by the three Abrahamic religions – it is thought that our likeliness to God means all human life should be treated with respect and dignity. (Matthew 5:43-38) ‘Ye have heard it that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’. This passage states that Christians should bear hate to no one even those who wish ‘harm’ unto them and instead pray for them and still show love to them regardless suggesting that Christians should have compassionate and fair attitudes towards all in dividuals. This belief of equality, understanding and acceptance no matter the past or social standing of the person is present in most other religions such as Islam, Judaism and Buddhism and now-days most religions are known to visit jails (where sinners lay) trying to convert the ‘evil’ and ‘lost’ (sinners)  so that they may repent and instead become children of God an example of important converts is Charles Colson who was part of the Watergate Seven, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to Watergate related charges and the obstruction of justice before being sentenced for 1-2 years in prison. While in prison Colson converted to Christianity and when released started Prison Fellowship – a national ministry that helps prisoners to convert to Christianity, it is said that this program ‘ has helped prisoners live a better life and strengthen their spirit’. Quakers a faction derived from Christianity believe ‘there is that of God in everybody’, meaning that no one is more important than anyone else as they are all made in God’s image by God, however even within this organisation – people still have to take charge and allocate certain responsibilities to others meaning they become leaders and therefore more important that everyone else, suggestion that they are not equal to everyone else as they are worth more. There are two main Christian views on the truth of other religions; The exclusive view (mainly fundamentalists) who like Christians in the past believe all ‘non-Christians’ are not doing what is ‘right’ and therefore will be condemned to Hell unless converted. Fundamentalist try to convert others to Christianity through the means of ‘evangelism’ etc. becoming ‘missionaries’. This is because of their literal interpretations of the bible, believing in John 3:18 which states, ‘whoever does not believe in him (Jesus) stands condemned already’, fundamentalists do not only just extend this view towards non-believers but also to Jews who do not believe in Jesus as the son of God citing John 14:6 in which Jesus said, ‘I am the way the truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except though me’. This view contrasts with the Inclusive view where Christianity is believed to be superior to other religions (or bearing more truth) but doesn’t require conversion only adhering to the ‘right’ attitude to be saved from hell. While inclusive Christians might try forms of evangelism such as becoming missionaries, they are generally more understanding of others, this means many of them become involved with charities such as Tearfund or Christian Aid as a way to help others and also convince them (without words) that Christianity holds the ‘truth’ and the ‘right’ way. They use quotes like: ‘There are many rooms in my Father’s house’ as a way of suggesting that  there are different ways to get to heaven and different paths one can take, as long as one follows the ‘right’ way. It can be argued that inclusive Christians more than exclusive/fundamentalist really follow the teachings of the bible, they more than exclusive Christians can be argued to â€Å"love thy neighbour† and therefore treat others the way they’d like to be treated. The bible teaches that Jesus treated ‘foreigners’ very well, he healed a roman centurion’s son and later had dinner with Zaccheus, a hated tax collector for the Romans, suggesting that he did exactly what he preached, loved the ‘enemy’ and treated everyone well, this behaviour is also reflected in the parable of the good Samaritan where a man(a Jew) is robbed and lies naked, hurt and poor on the road – a priest and leaders of other religions pass him by and ignore him, the only person who stops and helps him, even paying for his treatment is a Samaritan, people who were hated by Jews and who in turn hated them. This parable, not only shows ‘foreigners’ in a good light but also promotes the teaching of ‘loving thy enemy’. In Galatians 3, the bible once again reinforces that God loves all of humanity unconditionally regardless of Gender or race, proclaiming ‘There is no difference between Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ supporting Acts 10 in declaring that God does not favour a specific group of humanity or ‘show favouritism’ but rather ‘accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right’. Some critics however argue that these teachings are presented as only favouring those who believe in Christ and therefore making an outsider of those who do not ‘fear him’ and do what God proclaims to be ‘right’ and almost exempting them from the ‘rules’ and teachings he lays down to his followers, presenting the argument of: does religion treat non-believers equally? The fact that there are many different sects of Christianity had led to many different views about the treat ment of others, with the term others representing black, non-‘whole bodied'(disabled), homosexuals etc. as well as extending to different cultures and religions not just non-believers. Walter Laqueur a man of Jewish faith, believes that sex is historically and culturally variable, with the modern idea of two separate sexes representing a shift away from the longer-established view that there is a ‘single male  sex, of which the female is an inferior manifestation’, he believes these developments have led to a society which believes that both men and women should occupy and negotiate a range of different positions within the world instead of living in a ‘patriarchy’ where women do not have a main role in religion.This view is opposed by many other religions, Catholics for example believe that women can have a role in church, but cannot be priests because of the ‘fact’ that Jesus was a man, and he chose all 12 of his disciples to be men. Catholics also interpret St Paul’s teachings in Timothy 2 which suggest that women should have no authority over men as being correct, â€Å"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.† Taking the view that ‘Adam was formed first, then Eve’ and ‘Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.’. Some fundamentalist believe that men and women are equal before God but still have different roles in life meaning women shouldn’t be offered equal opportunities in everything including religion claiming that the women’s main job should be as a home-maker – looking after the children not being in positions of leadership in the church. The Church of England however is against this interpretation and believes that women can be priests. They believe that we are all equal in God’s eyes, and also that Jesus had many women followers. Mary and others have been named in the Bible at significant points in Jesus’ life, and there are books in the Bible named after women. They use quotes such as: â €Å"There is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.† (Galatians 3) to support their reasoning. Some black theologians claim that religion has always been ‘bias’ to the white man and therefore racist and oppressing to black people. They argue that this has created a divide between ‘white God’ and ‘black God’. Only in 1985 did the Church of England announce the Church should ‘make space for and include black Christians fully’, this was almost a centuries after the freedom of Black people as slaves and many years after black liberation had occurred ( officially). However while many Christians like Pope John Paul, who condemned the fact that Christians had contributed to the slave trade, finally got Black people some equality some sects of Christianity such as the Southern Baptists in USA up until 1900, the Dutch Reformed Church in  South Africa until 1980 and many Christians in the 16th, 17th and 18th century believed that certain races were inferior and could be treated as either 2nd class citizens or slaves because of two Bible verses: Genesis 9:18-27 – which states that the descendants of Noah’s third son (Ham – who is thought to be black by many Christians) will be cursed and be the slaves of his second son Japheth(thought to be white by many) and Ephesians 6:5 – which states ‘Slaves obey your masters’ -a verse that some Christians thought meant that it was fine to have inferior races and slaves. There is also the question of disability in religion with old-age Christians and Buddhism believing it was a punishment for evil deeds/sin (or bad karma in past lives). This viewpoint however has changed in recent times whereas being disabled was once viewed as being an imperfect version of an able bodied person, a description that suggests that disabled people are of less value than an able bodied person, recent views believe in Aristotle interpretation, ‘that physical defects do not prevent a person from actualising their potential as a human being because the essence of being human does not rest on purely physical abilities’ a viewpoint which a charity called L’arche founded by a Christian recognises. Aristotle point further illustrates a verse of the bible which proclaims that we are ‘all born of sin’, which supports that no one is perfect- we’re all flawed one way or another and therefore are in one way or another – disabled. Islam is considered an egalitarian religion meaning one that is pro-equality. There is an argument made by several Muslim Women scholars such as Al-Hibri who argues that ‘the situation of women globally is too complex and contradictory for one comprehensive critique, saying that in some nations: Muslim women experience horrendous forms of violence and oppression, often under the label of Islam whereas in another nation Muslim women may occupy positions of power in significant social and political institution also due to Islam. Many argue that whilst there are many practices contrary to women’s rights which are done in the name of Islam, the reality is that there is no basis in Islam for them. Others make the important point that there are many factors at work which have allowed such oppressive practices to continue, such as the existence of patriarchal cultures that are often  confused with religious belief or the existence of authoritarian regimes that deny more than just women’s claiming ‘undemocratic regimes have denied human rights to their citizens, and attempted to lay the blame on the doorstep of religion’ suggesting that it is not religion that is unequal, but those who practise it. It can be argued that the term equality has different meanings in different situations – you can’t be equal to all people through one measure because everyone has different conditions that must be met etc. you can’t feed a Muslim the same way you’d choose a Hindu, you couldn’t offer a Muslim a pig as it would cause trouble due to the offer being interpreted as an insult, this however doesn’t mean you can’t treat persons of both religion the same; with kindness and compassion regardless of their religion. This has led to many arguing that the solution is not just treating everyone equally (as equality suggests same treatment) but rather introducing tolerance and acceptance. They believe that conversion in religions isn’t something that should occur forcefully but instead something that should be gently approached – through the means of missionaries (in religions such as Jehovah witnesses and Mormons) for example. However some religions have a zero tolerance on those they consider ‘outsiders’, this include Zionism and it’s treatment of the Palestinians and some Jewish sects which refused to assimilate into the societies they lived in (Ashkenazic Jews), preferring to stay ‘outsiders’ because they believe the Torah forbids mixing with ‘gentiles’ due to their interpretation of Avoda Zara 36b which states â€Å"You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son and you shall not take his daughter for your son; for he will cause your child to turn away from Me and they will worship the gods of others.† Many Christians (and some Jews) thoroughly disagree with this verse with Christians believing it is directed ad them and painting them as immoral idolaters and some Jews believing the passage to contradicting (with the rest of the Torah) and too brief to be fully understood. This raises the argument among theologians th at the bible and other ‘holy books’ are too contradicting, confusing and sometimes too lacking of Context to be fully interpreted and rather, the teachings should not be taken at face value but rather, used to regulate but not to set iron cast laws .   However there are many contradicting verses in the bible which suggest otherwise.   Islam states: ‘O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with God is the most pious.Verily, God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.’ (49:13) about the difference within human beings, suggesting that they are deliberate and diversity is God’s gift to humankind.   Judaism, Christianity and Islam   The founder of Quakers, George Fox but instead of seeking primarily to convert, the upmost goal is to establish the principles of Christianity in others’ lives etc. love, humility and compassion.   And the Qur’an which states: ‘I shall not lose sight of the labour of any of you who labours in My way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other (3:195)’   The Qur’an states ‘For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise,- for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35)’ suggesting that everyone, not just Muslim men and women will get the reward as long as they are ‘humble’ and adhere to Muslim practises even if they do not adopt the religion†¦   The most beloved and respected historical Christian thinkers and theologicans are amongst those who believe the role of women in religion should be subdued with John Crysostom considering the female sex as â€Å"weak  and fickle† ,Augustine claims Satan’s reasoning for deceiving Eve was because he was â€Å"making his assault upon the weaker part of that human alliance eand Epiphanius declaring that the â€Å"female sex is easily mistaken, fallible, and poor in intelligence† even Martin Luther King supports this argument stating â€Å"it was not Adam who went astray† 265).  an idea that men systematically dominate, oppress and exploit women I many believe that a patriachical state doesn’t and didn’t ever exist and instead we have just been living in a world dominated by a complex set of differences; ethnic, racial, gendered, class hierarchy and not just gender.   In this generation, although there are many verses in the bible to suggest that women should have and did have a very important and immensely valuable role in founding and shaping Christianity.   For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man†¦In the Lord,  however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God† (New International Version, 1 Corinthians 11:1-3;8-9;11-12).   1 Corinthians 14 says, ‘Women should remain silent in churches’ which many interpret as saying- women shouldn’t be in positions of leadership in the church.   Proverbs 31 implies the place of a woman is at home – ‘She watches over the affairs of her household’   But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety†(New International Version, 1 Timothy 2:11-15).   This is known as Christian egalitarian. The opposing view is Complementarianism.   Although, when the decision was made to allow Women into the church in 1992, many people left the Church of England as a result and converted to Catholics. This shows that there still isn’t equality in Religions such as Christianity as while some may be ‘for’ the inclusion of women, the one who aren’t may simply join a different fraction and practise their ‘anti-feminist in religion’ perspectives there. This supports the view that freedom in religion is in conflict with notions of gender equality.   A prominent Muslim mother to an autistic child once wrote to a follower who also had an autistic child – ‘As with typically-developing children, every special-needs child has his or her own personality, temperament, strengths, and abilities. Every child has his or her God-given potential. This is from the mercy of Allah and one of the signs of His strength that He created such diversity among human beings. We should rejoice in the creative power of Allah and accept His qadr, or decree, for us. I believe that Allah created disabilities so those of us who are able-bodied would not become complacent and ungrateful. Taking care of a child with a disability brings out the best and most compassionate in all of us. So many of the things that parents of typically-developing children take for granted, we have to fight and struggle for. I think this helps us draw closer to the All-Merciful, the Forbearant, and the Loving.’ This supports the view that all human life is sacred and must be treated with the rights given to it in the Shari’a and that no one has the right to take the life of another except according to God’s command. It also gives way to an argument that could claim moral worth of a person does not depend on birth, gender, race or wealth or whether or not a person is disabled. â€Å"Class background, as well as the degree and severity of impairment, ethnicity, sex, sexuality and age can exacerbate or modify the experience of disability† (Vernon, 1999:394) Many may argue that this isn’t a religion; however most agree that it is a branch of Judaism – if a very distant branch. Different from Sephardim (who chose to assimilate into the nations they moved to and Mizrahi Jews who also assimilated into the nations they found themselves in.