The Ultimate Model City

We all want to live in the best city in the world. A high standard and quality of living is, after all, a very desirable thing. We have hopes and dreams and aspirations for what an ideal city should be. Magazines even routinely publish their own lists of the best cities in the world, so we can all have an idea of just what a great city should constitute. With that in mind, the following constitutes the ultimate model city. The model city is small, as larger cities have larger problems like pollution and crime. Yet it is not so small as to have nothing to offer its residents. The model city covers ten square miles or less and has a population of between 5,000 and 10,000. That makes it large enough to attract certain amenities and small enough that it maintains its â€Å"hometown† feel and charm; it is also small enough that most of the residents will have the opportunity to know each other. The model city is a direct democracy. Its citizens all have a direct say in what goes on in the town, thus giving them a true feeling of ownership of the town. The direct democracy is facilitated through regularly scheduled monthly town meetings (with an option to have extra meetings in cases or emergencies or extremely important and urgent topics). Town members can go to the meetings personally or appoint a proxy to vote in their place on issues. The town meetings are run by a town chairman, whose main function is organizing, holding, and acting as facilitator at town meetings. This chairman is elected by secret ballot by town citizens once a year to a year-long term with no term limits. Any issue that comes before the town is voted on in town meetings. For certain functions that would require too frequent voting to be practicable, the town elects every other year to terms of two years with no term limits, committee members to oversee functions such as roads and parks, etc. The town has its own Constitution. It is a document drawn up at the founding of the town and amended throughout the years by town citizens as times and needs change. It lays out the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen of the town. The town Constitution gives each citizen all of their basic freedoms found in the U. S. Constitution, plus describes the organization of their system of direct democratic government. The Constitution also guarantees non-discrimination in the town in all areas of town life. This non-discrimination policy extends to all races, genders, nationalities, and sexual orientations (and just to make sure the policy is followed, there is a committee of Equal Opportunity volunteers to look into allegations of discrimination and then report back to the town for votes on resolution). The town Constitution is displayed at the town hall for all to see. The town has all of the basic necessities one would need in a town. These necessities include a fire department, a hospital, an elementary/middle school (grades K through 8) and a high school, a water department, an ambulance, a train station and a bus station. The town also has electric and phone service, is within range for cell phone service, and has cable and high speed internet capabilities. The water and fire departments are run by volunteer committees whose terms are for two years, when they can re-volunteer or allow others to do so. There is no police department per se, but there is a volunteer citizens patrol, unarmed but with the power to make citizens' arrests, and these volunteers take shifts patrolling the streets either on foot or in their cars. These patrol volunteers have terms of one year, renewable at will. All volunteers on all committees and departments, as well as all people in elected positions, can be removed by for cause by vote of the town. The town has an extensive system of parks and open spaces where children, families, and pet-owners can go. These parks are landscaped, well-kept, and rely heavily on natural influences, meaning there are many trails, trees, and streams. Some parks have playground equipment, some have sports equipment, others do not. Each park has a theme, and attracts people who want to indulge in that theme (dog-walking, Frisbee, nature observation, etc. ). The town also has attracted several different ethnic restaurants, giving the town a variety of food from which to choose. The town has Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, French, Greek, Italian, and vegetarian restaurants available. There is also a thriving community theater, which actively encourages community participants in its productions, and which has its own playhouse. For those who prefer the silver screen to the stage, there is a 4-screen movie theater. There are also three dance clubs in town, a contemporary club for the young adults, a ballroom/swing club for seniors, a line-dancing/karaoke club for families, and a club just for teenagers. The town also has several thriving civic organizations, including the Lions, Kiwanis, Daughters of the American Revolution, and a Garden club, to name a few. In addition, there is always some sort of program or production going on at the elementary/middle school and high school, including sporting events with neighboring towns. There is always plenty to do and plenty to get involved with in the town. The residents do not lack for recreation. The town is very environmentally conscious. It has a curbside recycling program that picks up any sort of recyclable material and provides residents with color-coded bins for dividing recyclables. The town makes sure its water is not fluoridated and has a complex filtration system to make sure the water is pure. All wires and cables are buried rather than on poles. Steps are taken through an environmental protection committee run by a committee of volunteers of those with knowledge in the field to make sure that any unavoidable pollution, such as through sanitation systems, has the minimal possible impact on the environment. None of the businesses in town is allowed to have any toxic emissions. Firearms are not allowed to be discharged within town limits, thus eliminating the needless killing of animals and resultant disruption of the ecological balance within the town. The town, as a result, has some of the cleanest air and water in the nation and has attracted many natural and health foods stores. In the area of business and industry, most of the people who live in the town also work in it. The small area of the town has the added benefit of making it quick and easy to get to work, and carpooling and biking is encouraged through company car pool incentive programs and well-kept bike paths within the city. Most of the businesses in the town are locally owned and operated. The town places a high value on independently owned stores, and has more than once successfully voted down proposals from big chains like Wal-Mart and Target to build there. The schools in town employ many town residents, as do the restaurants and grocery stores, the movie theater, and a wide array of specialty retail shops. The town is also home to several banks, bookstores, attorneys' offices, salons/day spas, and even has a few family-run farms on the outskirts that employ some residents. The town itself is an employer of those who work on sanitation crews and recycling trucks and at the public library. There are not any big companies or corporations in the town, as that would detract from the local, small-town atmosphere and may lead to an increase in pollution and could attract undesirable companies to the town. However, the town has enough local businesses and town departments to employ nearly everyone who needs employment. The town does levy a property tax and a school tax in order to create revenue for things it needs. However, these taxes were voted on by the town members, and every five years, the taxes are re-evaluated at town meetings in order to determine if they should continue, and if so, if they should be increased, decreased, or remain the same. A town treasurer is elected every two years to handle the money from these revenues, to create a town budget that is then voted on by the townspeople for approval, and to make sure all the money goes to the appropriate places. The town treasurer is allotted two volunteers to assist him or her in his or her duties, and these volunteers are selected at the times the town treasurer elections are held. The town is also home to a chapter of the Red Cross, and many people in the town are volunteers, and have learned how to be prepared for and handle disasters. These townspeople regularly give lectures and hold classes for other townspeople pertaining to these things, including giving a regularly scheduled adult and child CPR class and organizing and holding blood drives. If a natural disaster were to occur in the town, the citizens would be prepared and know what to do. The town is not built in an area prone to earthquakes or floods, and there are no volcanoes nearby, so the chances of these disasters happening are remote. However, the chance of a violent storm, tornado, or blizzard is a possibility, and the residents are well-prepared for these events. The town also has 911 service for their local fire trucks and ambulances, and a connection at the town hall to the Federal Emergency Management System in case of larger emergencies. So far, this connection has not had to be used.

Popular Entertainment, Performing Arts Essay

Popular entertainment is â€Å"ideas, perspectives, altitudes, memes, and other phenomena that are preferred by an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture. † Now like me most people would think, â€Å"I still don’t get it. † Popular entertainment is basically a genre of entertainment based on the popularity it has gained. Many people often confuse popular culture which is basically popular entertainment with pop culture. The most important difference between the two is that popular culture is gained popularity regardless of the style whereas pop culture is based on a specific society and historic period which contains qualities of mass appeal. Popular Entertainment is often stereotyped as trivial and one could almost say dumbed down to be accepted by the masses of society, which allows those who aren’t part of the main stream such as religious groups and countercultural groups to heavily criticize it. These groups deem it superficial, consumerist, sensational and even corrupted. The Distinction between Popular and Higher Culture Popular entertainment can be traced back to the 19th century where it was considered education and general culture of the lower class as opposed to the official or dominant class of society. By the end of World War 2 the following big cultural and social changes brought by most media innovations caused Popular Entertainments meaning to overlap with that of mass culture, media culture, image culture and culture for mass consumption. It is believed that there are as many as six different meanings of Popular Entertainment. The quantitive meaning often sets in the confusion of certain â€Å"higher culture† that is also popular. * It is also described as the left over culture after â€Å"higher culture† has been defined and taken from the equation. * It is also said that it is equivalent to mass culture and ideas. Then it is described as commercial culture which is mass produced for mass consumption by mass media from Western Europe which can be compared to American Culture. * It has been known as the authenticate culture of the people * That it has a political dimension to it Personally I think it can be most relevantly described as the struggle between the resistant of lower groups in society and forces of incorporation of the dominant groups of society with regards to the entertainment world. Popular Entertainment or culture can easily be recognized by the distinction between that which is considered popular and that which is considered as high class. It has emerged from urbanisation of industrial revolution. Confusion comes in when Bart Simpsons for example, which is a television animation which can be considered as higher class has elements of popular entertainment in it. Studies of Shakespeare notice that many characteristic vitality of his drama in its participation in Renaissance Popular Culture while contemporary practitioners such as Dario Fo and John McGarth use popular culture in its Gramscian sense that includes ancient folk tradition like comedia dell‘arte. This makes it difficult for the average person to then differentiate between Popular Entertainment and Higher forms of entertainment. Popular entertainment constantly changes and occurs specifically in place and time. It boils down to that which represents a complex of mutually interdependent perspectives and values that influences society and its influences in various ways. Popular Entertainment is therefore commonly more appealing to the broader spectrum of society. Popular Entertainment can therefore be related to that which people can easily relate to. Popular culture is also associated with self-referentiality. This basically means that Popular Entertainment is mainly based on exploring every realm of corrective experience instead of just relying on reality. Many media outputs devote it to other images whereas self-referentiality is all-embracing. It is said that the side effect of mass consumerism reflects a fundamental paradox which is basically the increase in technological and cultural sophistication combined with the increase in superficial and dehumanization. What makes Popular Entertainment Popular? Anyone who enjoys the streets who enjoys feasting his eyes on shop windows piled high with all kinds of everyday wares and artful trifles; anyone who enjoys the cafes is unlikely to be moved by the polished art of the serious theatre. Unless the theatre shouts as lustily as the streets it won’t attract an audience for love or money. The Parisian derives far more enjoyment from the fetes and traveling theatres than from anything the dramatic theatre has to offer- Vsevolod Meyerhold We must give credit to the basic principles of the circus and the music hall. In olden times there was the influence of French comedians and of Chaplin. The first news of fox trot and jazz, this early love thrived. The music hall element was obviously eeded at the time for the emergence of a montage form of thought- Sergei Einstein, tr. Daniel Gerould Playfulness is a volatile sometimes dangerously explosive essence which cultural institutions seek to bottle or contain in the vials of games, of competition, chance, and strength in modes of simulation such as theatre and in control disorientation from roller coasters to dervish dancing- Victor Turner What is Popular Entertainment? Popular Entertainment is basically any form of entertainment that is considered relevant to those who form part of the lower and middle class. It is the entertainment which as gained popularity not for the specific style that is used, but for its relevance. Popular entertainment therefore cannot simply be associated with its level of popularity since there can be other, much higher levels of entertainment that can also be popular. This does not mean that the element of popularity is completely cut from what popular entertainment is, it just means that it is not solely based on the level of popularity but more so on the level of popularity the style of entertainment has gained regardless of it style. Genres in popular entertainment Folklore Folklore is a form Popular Entertainment but is not mass produced. Folklore persists today by word of mouth instead of through mass media, e. g. jokes and urban legends. Folklores element of popular entertainment engages big time with the commercial element. The public has its own tastes and it may not embrace all sorts of entertainment. Popular entertainment has an interconnected nature. Things such as when you sulk and the clock strikes 12:00 that your face would stay like that can be considered as folklore. Many people embrace this form, but instead of being spread in masses it gets carried over from generation to generation by word of mouth. Burlesque Burlesque is often stereotyped with strippers walking on a run way. This is not a complete myth although, burlesque in its essence was a form of popular entertainment that over stepped the boundaries of what was considered â€Å"right† in the time frame. Burlesque generally consists of music and comedy. The main attraction towards burlesque was its sense of making fun of sex. This is one of the main reasons why the female cast members bodies were exposed in sexy tight fitting and short costumes. Burlesque in the period of its peak was very popular mainly because the form of exposure was considered immoral in that time. The woman of that time covered their bodies’ true form with frills and puffs of material while those on the burlesque stage had their garters sticking out with tights and body suits, leaving very little for the imagination. Its sense of humour was solely based on exposed humans’ sexual nature and they relied on comedy with double meanings. It was a very clever way of getting people to laugh as they would make comments like I’m sorry I was late, but my gadget broke. Allowing the audience to wonder what was she late for and what gadget broke. She could mean she was late or she didn’t â€Å"come† in time because her g-string broke. This form of comedy an exposure of the female body made burlesque a leading genre through the 1840s up until the 1960s. Burlesque then introduced other genres such as vaudeville to fill the show, but at the time many vaudeville performers considered burlesque as demoralising but when they times were tough they would perform in burlesque under aliases. The female cast members were soon playing men roles. Burlesque was never really about a strong script but more about the power of the star playing the role to keep audiences stimulated and coming back for more, â€Å"Underdressed woman playing sexual aggressors, combining good looks with impertinent comedy- in a production written and managed by woman? Unthinkable! † Burlesque was basically dominated by daring woman who with enough will power believed that they could accomplish anything. Burlesque evolved into making fun of relevant topics and popular shows along with a sexual connotation which kept audiences intrigued. Burlesque became a variety act that included song, dance, juggling, comics, etc. Burlesque soon took on the format of a minstrel show. It was when males took over the management of Burlesque that female wit was replaced with trying to reveal as much of the female body as possible. Millie Deleon, Burlesques biggest star in the 20th century, threw her garters in the audiences and at times did not wear tights. This got her arrested but also assisted in giving burlesque a bad reputation. A typical burlesque stage setting was based on common places that the middle and lower class audience could relate to as they were the target audience. Common settings were courtrooms, street corners, class rooms, as well as examining rooms. Burlesque comedy focussed a lot of misunderstandings which kept it interesting. Cabaret Cabaret is unique for its venue. Originally the word means a place where alcohol is served. Cabaret in the world of entertainment refers to a performance in an intimate restaurant or nightclub setting where adults can enjoy entertainment that stretches the boundaries of what was permitted in the time of origin. A cabaret can more so be described as intellectuals that gathered in an intimate environment to share ideas by means of comedy, song, dance and theatre. These ideas were mainly based on politics and themes that had social relevance. The first Cabaret â€Å"Cabaret Artistique† opened in 1881 in Paris, France. It was later renamed to â€Å"Le Chat Noir. Its main attraction was not the half dressed woman as in Burlesque but rather the sharing of ideas in the associated venue. Cabarets can be considered as the outcasts or those who went against the norms of society and performed their opinions through skits that they would often come up with in a span of an evening or during the day. Cabarets content is almost always relevant to society of its time frame. The comedy used in cabaret was not just any old jokes or random making fun of whatever was relevant but rather very clever. The comedy they used was satire which is often described as being tickled with a blade. Cabarets relied on using content that was sensitive in society and they would make fun of that only to later make the audience later realise that they were laughing about something that is actually very serious. For example the news may show how babies get raped on a regular basis then cabaret performers would satirically perform these rapes but with the idea that they want people to be aware of the seriousness of the problem. This may seem complicated as they make are making fun of very sensitive things but most cabarets was a very clever way of influencing an audience member’s frame of thought. Cabaret is also unique for its audience interaction. A typical cabaret often involved the audience completely in the performance. In cabaret it is specifically important to keep the audience intrigued by the performance, but also being able to allow them a chance to embrace the intimate space they are in with whoever they are with. Cabarets gave room for the audience to interact with one another. It is vital to know that a cabaret is specifically targeted at the adult audience and is not appropriate for all ages or families. Cabaret is about being able to explore the boundaries that have been set by society in this intimate environment. Cabaret also has variety acts like jugglers, singers, dances, clowns, etc. but it was mainly based on the message that they are trying to bring across. In a cabaret the audience did not have to abide by the laws of society, so the audience was automatically comfortable. The audience did not have to sit in a specific way or take off their hats when they came to the cabaret instead they were free to be, socialise as they pleased and also enjoy the entertainment of a cabaret. Later cabaret gained a jazz element to it but its main focus has barely changed besides the misconceptions modern society has. Vaudeville This is basically any form of inoffensive entertainment which solely relied on the audience response. Vaudeville could include anything from juggling, freak acts to dumb acts. It focuses on entertaining, fascinating and reaching the unthinkable. Anyone could enjoy a vaudeville act and while it often included song and dance the core of a vaudeville act was doing something extraordinarily. The audience is very interactive in this style of entertainment and an audience response could either make or break an act. For a vaudevillian it is vital to always be at their best as a slip up in one act could ruin their reputation for good. Vaudevilles format was never about the importance of the act but rather based on the order of appearance. Vaudeville affected the normal comedy world as vaudeville was fun, entertaining and often humorous. It was only later that comics were emerged into vaudeville by means of a master of ceremonies which also assisted in making certain bills hit shows instead of just normal. It is vital to realise that vaudeville bills weren’t always entertaining. Some were really boring and others just average, vaudeville relies on the fact that it consists of 8acts and if an audience does not like a particular act they had the next act to rely on, to fulfil the audience taste. Comparisons and contrasts The one thing almost all the genres within popular entertainment have in common is that their target audience are all the lower class or working class of its time. The difference is evident where it’s a given that Burlesque is more specifically targeted at male audience, while cabaret is targeted at adults who don’t always agree with government and vaudeville is targeted at everyone. Burlesque and cabaret can compare in the sense that they both are more appropriate at night but while burlesque relies on its sexual connotation and exposed females, cabaret relies on the relevance of the topics that they use and the ideas they share. Vaudeville is basically any type of entertainment within the parameters of society while burlesque and cabaret is more anti-society than anything else. It is evident that dominant classes of the time of each of these genres basically looked down on all the styles mentioned, but this is what kept the middle and lower classes entertained. In each style, song, dance and comedy is relevant but while vaudeville relied on slapstick and amusing comedy cabaret relies of clever, satirical and black humour and burlesque makes use of confusing or misinterpreting or even witty comedy. Wit and satire can be very closely associated but satires method to tickle with a blade makes it unique to cabaret. While vaudeville could be showed in a theatre or even a park and burlesque can be showed in any theatre or circuit it is vital that the cabaret has the intimate bar or restaurant vibe attached to it. While vaudeville can be identified for its entertainment and fascinations, burlesque can be identified for its guts while cabaret can be identified by the roughness and the â€Å"balls† in its skits. Cabaret and Burlesque is very closely associated while they both may contain vaudeville acts it is strictly prohibited to have any sort of burlesque or cabaret acts or skits in vaudeville as it is not sociably accepted. Many vaudevillians considered Burlesque as demoralising and if any vaudevillian act offends an audience member they could be dismissed. Cabaret almost everything is allowed the cast could cleverly insult an audience member often cabarets are successful for the odd uncomfortable feeling that the audience may feel during skits or a scene. The historical developments of Popular Entertainment Ancient Greek history Popular entertainment in its essence can be traced as far back as the 5th century BC. This is linked by the ancient Greeks who added song and dance in their comedies and tragedies. Athenian playwrights also had songs in their plays which were sometimes self-composed. These plays were staged in open air amphitheatres which included sexual humour, political and social satire, jugglers and everything else that might entertain the majority. The songs were often a way to allow the chorus to comment on the action on stage. It is evident that ancient musicals had no direct on modern musicals or popular culture. It does prove that the concept has been present for approximately 25 hundred years.

The Demographic and Psycho-graphic Market Segmentation

The criteria used to develop the market segment for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.†s new brand of cigarette called â€Å"Dakota† is mainly that of demographics, and psyhcographics. The target market in this case appears to be poorly educated, virile white females age 18-20, who enjoy being around their boyfriends and doing whatever their boyfriends are doing, for example going to â€Å"Hot Rod shows, Tractor Pulls, cruising, and going to parties†. This target market was most likely selected for two main reasons. The first is because of the enormous profits to be gained from this particular group and the second is because of this group†s lack of education and low self-regard. The marketing strategies used in this article clearly define demographic and psychographic market segmentation. Demographic segmentation consists of gender, age, income, family size, family life cycle, occupation, and education. The target market in this article consists of females, age 18-20, single, with no more education than high school. This matches most of the criteria for demographic segmentation. Psychographic segmentation consists of identifying certain lifestyles based on the consumer†s values, activities, interests, opinions, and demographics. This article conveys that these women are Strivers, which means they are unsure of self and need approval from others. This group also seems to be search of some type of relief from their current lives (relief seekers). All of this data provides an idea of this groups values as well its activities and interests. Which makes this targeted group so vulnerable to tobacco companies marketing efforts. This market was selected because of its size and growth, and also probably because of this group†s lack of education. This group of females† aged 18-20 are the only group of Americans whose rate of smoking continues to increase. The reason why this group†s rate continues to grow is because they really don†t know better and if they do they really don†t care. This creats a wonderful opportunity for lucrative profits from the tobacco companies. This form of marketing is called concentrated marketing, which focuses on one segment of the market. Marketing companies perform market research by collecting and analyzing data and turning this data into usable information. This Information includes demographics as well as phycographics. These young women already have the desire to consume cigarettes and R.J. Reynolds is making sure they consume their particular brand of cigarettes instead of others.

Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Transportation - Essay Example This paper seeks to explore general aviation and its influence on flight training as its sub-topic (Williams, 2011). Flight training uses Fits Approach, which focuses to modify safety. The program emphasizes on pilot decision making, flight simulation, flying skills learned in a cockpit, and self evaluation. It uses bad pun to counter challenges presented by the current, diverse environment hindering learning to fly. Virtual aviator also uses Fits approach in virtual flying-acting as a scoring system used to gauge series of adventures that help hone basic flying skills. The core concepts of Fits program entail situational awareness, risk management, single management of resource pilot, and decisions of aeronautical nature. This approach works as an ultimate goal that decreases aviation accidents, and address perennial crashes caused by pilot errors. It helps in measuring certain goals, missions to fly, address challenging situations prompting routine flights like changes in weather, passenger pressures, and equipment malfunctions (Williams, 2011). Modern aircrafts are tested to limit the load, wings and airframes that an aircraft carries. The airframe structure is mounted on a test fixture where it flexes for hours. The FAA profile controls loads in an airplane, especially, during flight. The tests take years because they have divisions of safety factor. The FAA also has an intensive aging aircraft program for inspecting the airplane. The program is thorough than for younger airplanes. A pilot receives training to acquire a certain rating administered by an examiner with authority. A pilot goes through certain raining and checks to pass certain types ratings (Williams, 2011). Online delivery of training expands the aviation business prospects. It brings engineers and aviation maintenance experts from all over the world. There are online classes where students learn, track their performance and get certified. The students are diverse in their

The American City Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The American City Business - Assignment Example Among the states, each has a unique legal system implemented except Louisiana that is based on English Common Law. The American population is approximately 307 million people. The population comprises of major ethnic groups coming all over the world (Chicago Business Journal 98). The foreign policy implemented in the United States in ways the country interacts with other foreign nations. Standard of interaction is set in organizations, corporations, and citizens as an individual. The United States has set goals regarding foreign policy. Such is stated in the Agenda on the Foreign policy of the US Department of State. The goals ascertain building a sustainable democracy. The prosperous life to benefit the people of America, as well as the international community. From the Foreign affairs House committee, export controls are some of the jurisdictions. Such mention the proper use of nuclear technology and measures are taken to safeguard business associated with America abroad. Agreement s on international commodity, education, and protection offered to American citizens abroad are stated on the policy. Moreover, the foreign policy faced lots of criticism both domestically and abroad as well praise in other regions. The said policy gets consent and advice of US Senate. The president has a role to negotiate treaties regarding foreign nations. Treaties are implemented upon ratification from two-thirds of the Senate. The president is the commander in chief of the United States Armed forces. He/she have authority over armed forces. However, the Congress only has the power to declare war. The foreign affairs docket is headed by United States Secretary as foreign minister. He /She has a role in conducting diplomacy. The president appoints both Secretary of the state as well as Ambassadors upon advice and consent from the Senate. Moreover, the Congress has the authority of regulating commerce with foreign countries (Chicago Business Journal 98).

Motivating and Retaining Employees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivating and Retaining Employees - Essay Example One problem that may be identified with the Company is the need for the human resource department to design and implement measures to promote retention of these valuable employees. Since the Company attracts highly skilled and capable employees, the same employees will also be valued by the rival, competitor firms and McKinsey and Company must take steps to ensure that employees feel valued and appreciated, so that the Company is able to retain them rather than losing them to competitor firms. This Paper will identify measures that have been found to be successful in attracting and retaining good employees so that the Company can retain a good competitive advantage in the market. It will assess the relative benefits of monetary rewards as compared to intrinsic rewards such as recognition and which policy may better serve the company in promoting retention of the best employees. Several companies have successfully achieved a competitive advantage through the restructuring of their human resource management systems to provide financial benefits to employees, as pointed out by Schuler and Macmillan (1984). In the Bairnco Corporation, bonuses were linked to performance for top-level executives and the company was able to almost double its sales from $270 million to $442 million in the short span of two years. In the case of Lincoln Electric, workers receive a share in the profits, which imbues workers with a high motivation to produce. When employees are offered profit sharing and incentives, it may help to enhance their performance and increase retention. Oller (2002) discusses how employees at various design and printing firms are rewarded for jobs well done with monetary benefits, such as gift cash vouchers, free lunches or contributions for educational purposes. Such reward and recognition for work done well functions as a strong motivation for employees and helps them.

Golden Fleece Hotel , case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Golden Fleece Hotel , case study - Essay Example This report contains multitude of examples, through scholarly and pragmatic articles, researches and surveys that prove the point that information systems and internet applications in today’s world are all the tools you need to succeed in a business if you have proven yourself in the skill you excel at, or the business you work in. This business report can serve as a persuasive read for the owners of the Golden Fleece Hotel, who will benefit greatly with the installation of information systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness of their strategy. Having the state of the art information system can help them gain on the competitive front as well. Business operations in the hotel management business can make or break the business. Branding and maintaining quality is the way to move forward (Ralph, 2008). This consultancy is being provided by the IM consultants who are an Information Systems Consultancy firm. They provide information systems solutions to business all over the world. Methodology: This report incorporates a lot of secondary information. Secondary information is the data collection from the researches that have already been conducted and articles that have already been written. ... All references have been cited towards the end of the report. Academic sources and journals have been used where necessary to validate the theoretical framework of hotel management. Real life examples have also been employed that further validate the recommendations made towards the end of the report. Golden Fleece Hotel: The Golden Fleece boasts of a rich history; it is relatively new in the hospitality industry and has made its mark through the exceptional service they provide their customers. Since its inception in 1999, it has been moving upwards and seeing success; however, times changed as the hotel entered its 8th year of operation. A number of factors can be attributed to this change. According to research it has been proved that organizations can plan all they want; if they are unable to act according to the changes that take place in the external environment, their strategy will not work. The strategic plan should keep in mind the forecast of changes that may take place in consumer preferences, economical conditions, political environment etc. Therefore, environmental analysis serves as the key to making the right decisions. The management of Golden Fleece was not able to predict that changing nature of business and technology and has suffered duly because of it (Ralph, 2008). According to Silver, information systems are implemented to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the work processes in an organization. There are many types of systems that can be utilized, according to the decision making and information needs of the organization. When it comes to hospitality management the biggest need for the hour is to assimilate

Beyond the Apparent Meaning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Beyond the Apparent Meaning - Research Paper Example Close and keen analysis of his works reveals the how the author builds the theme in the story. This paper will highlight the how the author develops the theme of moral obligation in the story ‘Magic Barrel’ and others. The ‘magic barrel’ is a fascinating literary piece that has received a lot of attention from literature scholars. The story centers on the Leo’s search for a bride, an assignment that he considers himself unable to handle and designates it tom Salzman, who specializes in matchmaking. The story highlights why Leo must embark on searching for a potential bride. Apparently, he had spent most of his years in rabbinical studies and having a wife at that juncture had the potential of improving his chances as a rabbi. At the time, a rabbi without a wife hardly found a congregation to shepherd. At twenty-seven, he realized that he urgently needed a bride but lacked the capacity to court one for himself because he had spent the preceding years c oncentrating on his studies and never found time to develop any social skills. These are the reasons that made him seek for the assistance of the matchmaker. The story progresses to describe the process that followed in the search for a bride. It becomes evident that Leo Finkle embarked on the venture because, it was an obligation for him to have wife, as a Jewish scholar. Although his initial motivation was entirely being able to meet the moral obligation required by Judaism, it turned out to mean much more. A rabbi had to have a wife prior to ordination, a factor that placed him in an appropriate position for him to understand the marriage institution complexities because he would have to give others counsel on such matters. Consequently, being bachelor placed a barrier for some potential rabbis because it proved them incapable of managing a congregation. Malamud uses Leo as reflection of religious moral obligations in the Jewish community. The zealous search that Leo indulges in reveals the depth and criticality of moral obligation. As Salzman made suggestions of potential brides for Leo, it became evident that his moral obligations influenced his decisions and opinions of the potential brides. He had moral standings that served to determine the would-be bride. In this context, Leo was acting in accordance to the Jewish law (Avery190). Having studied law for a long time, Korah laws defined his moral standings. As Malamud developed the story, he introduces a new perspective of moral obligation. As Leo Finkle absorbed himself in the search of a potential bride, he realized that he lacked the central value that defined an individual’s moral values. Although he strived to fulfill the religious moral obligations, he recognized that love for God had not moved him to theological law. In essence, love for God appeared to him as higher authority. Although being a rabbi involved helping others out of love, he lacked love for God and fellow humans. He recognize d his need for love and resolved to build the important attribute that would help him serve effectively. He understood the emptiness that surrounded a rabbi who lacked understanding of love. Upon realization of the fact that he needed love, he woke up to the reality that love was a stronger moral obligation (Malamud 167). In addition, Malamud used the opinion of Salzman to emphasize the value of adhering to moral obligations. As a matchmaker, he handled Leo’s case with a different approach. He intended to find him a bride that

Job Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Job Application - Essay Example I am working on this dissertation under the supervision of Professor Michel Hockx. I, respectfully submit this application letter, as I have strong enthusiasm, commitment and experience in teaching and research which fully qualifies me to meet the needs of your program. My dissertation deals with the discursive formation of the utopian discourse in late imperial China. I aim at revealing the interrelationship between literature, translation, politics and print culture that help the utopian imagination in new fiction fit into the utopian discourse. Then, I argue that the utopian discourse is formed by a number of elements, namely the position of authors, the function of new fiction, and the politics of translation and the modes of production in newspapers and journals. At the end I conclude the utopian discourse is a significant example for revealing the diffusion of universalism in the course of searching Chinese modernity. The interdisciplinary method of research is related to my ac ademic background. My research interests cover twentieth century Chinese literature, Chinese print and media culture, sinophone literature, modernity, cultural production and theories of ideology with focus on fiction, print and media culture. I am interested in examining fiction as a product of literary production and pay special attention to how form, content and meaning are constituted in historical context. I have examined madness writing in post-Mao’s fiction, in order to demonstrate suppressed memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution rendered as symptoms of madness and disguised in pathological structures. My interest in print and media culture starts from my undergraduate study. I have discussed Taiwanese picture books textual characteristics towards poems, which integrates illustrated pictures to the aesthetic features of the texts. At present I am working on the links between the Chinese public sphere and the narrative of the concept of nation. I discuss the imagi nation of future China written in late-Qing utopian novels is a dynamic object hinging on the performativity of language in the concept of nation mentioned by different journals and newspapers. In the near future, I plan to discuss productive bodies in Chinese vernacular journals and to explore the position of Hong Kong literature in the sphere of sinophone writings. I have been fortunate to get the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Open University of Hong Kong. This two year teaching experience qualifies me to teach a wide range of courses, including Chinese History and Literature, Classical Chinese Poetry and Contemporary Chinese Literature. My philosophy is student-centered teaching. I received positive teaching evaluations highlighting my teaching methods and passion for helping students to learn. Moreover, I am qualified to develop courses on "Globalizing Chinese Literature: Sinophone Literature" and "Western and Chinese Dr eams: Utopian literature in comparative perspective". I have also presented papers at academic conferences and at the University of Heidelberg, the National Taiwan University and the University of Tokyo. These research experiences broadened my academic horizons and scholarly

Reverse Offshoring from India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reverse Offshoring from India - Essay Example Outsourcing was a trend which indicated transfer of work which was of low technology and small wages to a company or a nation which provided such benefits. (Frauenheim, (2005). Today increasingly with problems of gaining H1B visas for immigration and need for developing local competencies as well as the flattening of wages in some high end category of jobs Indian IT companies have graduated to the second level of outsourcing, reverse outsourcing. (Reverse outsourcing, 2004). Thus Infosys Technologies and TCS planned to hire over 55,000 workers in 2004-2005. (Reverse outsourcing, 2004). This trend is seen to be mutually beneficial as employees in the West are increasingly absorbed by Indian IT firms. Spokesman for Infosys a leading IT consultancy firm from India confirmed this trend, attributing it to leveraging India's productivity with affordable consulting services in the United States. (Millard, 2004). Outsourcing as per Harmonize, Hostetler, Middleton (2003) is not a new practice though its conceptual development has perhaps come about after emergence of IT. IT being a core technology area, companies had over the years found it easier to outsource rather than create in house capabilities. This trend was evident in small as well as big companies. (Antonucci, 1998). Leading Indian companies as TCS and Wipro have been major beneficiaries of outsourcing over the years. As Ryans (1996) indicates, the reasons for outsourcing are obvious for businesses reaping benefits of core competence of a company or its staff and avoiding in house accretion of skills as well as manpower. The trend of reverse outsourcing emerges from the need for cutting costs as well as developing a more balanced business model which can service the customer located at different locations across the globe. This was also one of the primary basis for developing outsourcing as a concept in the initial years. (Garaventa. Tellefsen, 2001). Kelley and Jude (2005) contend that as outsourcing is a part of business the need is to focus on the process of making appropriate decisions rather than the costs of doing so. This is apparently evident in the decision of Indian IT companies adopting reverse outsourcing. The balance of costs versus savings has perhaps led these companies to conduct this highly challenging model of business where they can leverage their core competence. The emergence of reverse outsourcing as a natural form of growth in business is also evident as per Baldo (2004). Discussing the upcoming competition between China and India, Baldo (2004) contends that as India becomes more proficient in absorption of business outsourcing; the business levels at which this occurs is much bigger, thereby leading to a shift of low end work to other countries as China thus establishing the cycle of reverse outsourcing. The trend of reverse outsourcing thus implies review and return of work by IT companies in India to US firms or employees with a view to leverage advantages gained from competencies as well as cultural affinities of local population in the home country. Thus having gained huge contracts from international business deals, these companies find it convenient to reverse outsource jobs provided by Western firms to locals thereby enabling greater penetration of the local market. (Reverse, Nd). Gupta (2005), CEO of Inkorus posting on

Your choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Your choice - Essay Example The possible fears are expressed based on the overall fragile political and geo strategic location of Iran and other adjoining countries in that region, as a result, a continuous effort has been put in by the Global community towards disarming Iran in the context of nuclear armament and becoming declared nuclear powers. According to the report published in Jpost, United States of America is pondering over allowing Iran to continue the nuclear technology provided it ensures the global community that the world would not be put at danger from its intentions and also it would not pursue this technology for military gains. This comes as a breakthrough. Although there has been no official word about this, but the Jpost newspaper online source has claimed it. To further support its claim the newspaper post claims that Turkey has been used as an influence and has been asked to convey the message to the Iranian regime(Jpost). Washington post in contrast has maintained the views that Iran is persistently following the path that would lead it to become the 8th declared state to be equipped with the nuclear arsenal. Washington post has supported its claims based on the statements of Michael Oren, who is the ambassador to the United States. He has termed overall intentions and ambitions of Iran as counterproductive towards the global peace and most importantly that of the Middle East. Iranian ambitions have been bridged to the Syrian Nexus and the potential usage of the chemical weapons that came about in mid 2013 in Syria. The article further claims, Iran has acquired over 180 kilograms (Oren) of the hazardous material which is subjected to sanction and disapproval of the global community and I.A.E.A in particular (Garrett & Hart, p 108). Large amount of intelligence reporting and investigation has been undertaken into the entire process and time and again it has been reported by the

Islamic Arabia Essay Example for Free

Islamic Arabia Essay Signs of Islam using the Koran as the foundations of its life and values being more accepting of women whether they are married or single are easier to see than in Christianity that made use of the Bible as the basis of its spiritual teachings. Accommodations in Islam which means accepting women as people of sacred, substantial, cultural, social and moral worth began its call even before pre-Islamic Arabia (Smith 52). Increasingly, however, Christians are turning women into little more than just sex objects. Many other societies have actually demoted women with two pieces of skimpy cloth walking down the ramp, viewed on tubes for global audience use, drowning the usual human values, robbed of natural human distinction. The core of a woman is being destroyed by the image of being just sex objects. Mankind should remember that the origin of all is just one pair. Eve’s progeny reminds mankind to be grateful for her willingness to be the mother of the first children earth ever had and the generations later should be proud of the founding of humankind. Femininity is a tribute to society. Childbearing honors women who bear a child in her womb for nine long months, who goes through the pains of giving birth, and the burden of breastfeeding. Being a woman and a capable mother have great societal significance to Muslims, recognizing and accepting women’s role. There are two top religions in the world today that is reaping much awareness and credit. The 1st is Islam, which is the cult of those who believe in Muhammad as a messenger of God, differing according to culture, and Christian religion, the cult of those who believe in Jesus Christ the son of Mary, modified according to culture,. Though Muhammad and Jesus Christ have both been influenced by some patriarchal views (Fiorenza 316), they have also in many ways differing concepts about women in their respective time and society. Like, in one occasion when it came to the knowledge of Muhammad that a couple committed adultery, he ordered them to be stoned to death right in front of his mosque (Mishkat 267), on the other hand when Jesus received the report from a witnessed a woman committing adultery, and so she must be penalized according to Jewish law, Jesus said sternly, â€Å"Let him who is without sin among you throw the first stone at her†, discarding double standard of morality (John 122). However, in his personal affairs Muhammad advised his men to treat their women with kindness (Al-Bukhari   80). Today, long time after Jesus and Muhammad, these values have so much evolved as intellectual education intensifies bringing about much understanding of human nature and modifications to a changing ecosystem. It can not be denied however that there still exist varying scales as to acceptability of women in Islam or in Christianity. Accepting of women in society is relative when looked upon the perspective of Islam after the time of Muhammad as against those of the Christians after the time of Jesus without neglecting cultural values. In Islam women were raised on a pedestal over 1, 400 years ago (Jumuah 62), when Muhammad directed his followers to regard women with compassion (Al-Bukhari 1, 55, 62, 80). They were acknowledge   to be the sisters of men, bestowing rights: to education up to the highest intensity, the right to decide on their marriage partner, the right to end an unhappy marriage, the right to inheritance, and the rights of a full citizen of a state (Jumuah 62), though, cultural differences still exist. While Christianity is more liberal, it leaves women to find its own level in the strata of society (Luke 81). Christian codes do not specify and provide rights for women. Christians adopts rights for women founded by men as cultural dictates (Fiorenza 1083) incorporated in individual state and governmental laws, which changes from time to time as revised to suit a presumed social need (Luke 89). Islam considers that men and women are at par when it comes to value as pieces and parts of humanity (Jumuah 63), but, these changes from customs to ethnicity. A man can not be victorious in his life without a woman. Their rights and tasks crossover and balance their totality because their roles are harmonizing and shared, although their duties might clash in certain areas of life in accordance with their basic physical and psychological disparity, where each is equally liable for their actual tasks (Jumuah 63), according to culture. Not one sex is either better or lesser than the other in any way, depending upon the Muslim culture where one belongs. There are however those who practice primarily according to their culture, which is not definitely a teaching of Islam according to its advocates, because culture does not crossover nor influence the Islamic code which is likewise the Qur’an, since the Qur’an is all embracing and above anyone’s culture. They oppress women which is simply a reflection of local customs that are definitely inconsistent and contrary to the teachings of Islam (Jumuah 62). Not only material and physical rights are given to women. They have also the right to be treated with kindness and consideration because it is provided for in the Qur’an. Under Islamic law the following provisions are given to women: when a Muslim woman marries she does not lose her maiden name in place of her husband (Jumuah 63). She has the right to keep her identity. She is given a gift by her husband to be, prior to their marriage which is also called a dowry (Ali 759). It is a personal gift that is at her disposal or which she can spend to buy properties, invest on whatever she feels she must without the influence of anyone from her family (Ali 759). The man must provide for the needs of his wife and the family even if she has the money of her own (Ali 759). She is not in any way obligated to spend anything for the family, which relieves the woman from the burden of earning a living. She however has the option to work if she finds it necessary. As the family is similar to any systematic organization, leadership is bestowed upon men. The Qur’an Clearly states that the husband is to some degree higher than the wife being the leader and guardian of the family. This does not in any way presume a right nor a license to be the tyrant of the household. It is rather the complete responsibility of the husband to care for the family (Jumuah 63). Karen Armstrong in a biography said, the emancipation of women was dear to the Prophets heart, describing: women were treated inferiorly with no rights like slaves in pre-Islamic time, but Muhammad allowed them to stand as witnesses and gave them the right to inheritance (Armstrong 191). The concept of women’s dress is of Islamic moral, social and legal values. By their observance of proper dress code, men and women alike protect their honor and reputation in a society contributing to it largely along peace and order. It is also A Qur’anic revelation While Jesus did not marry, Muhammad had several wives after Khadija his first wife, for different reasons such as: widows who needs provisions (Ali 53), widows with orphans who needs a fatherly attention (Ali 129), literacy of a woman, wealth of a woman, the widow being the wife of the enemy (Ali 129), political alliances and as a virgin wife like Aisha (Mishkat 3:13). A woman has four reasons to marry: wealth, family status, beauty and religion (Al-Bukhari 16, 32). Divorces were allowed even before pre-Isalmic times (Smith 52), while it was only a male prerogative in the Jewish law (Deuteronomy 176). But, Jesus made it irrevocable (Mark 56). Jesus helped women, honored them like the hunchback, one he called daughter of Abraham after she was healed from illness (Luke 93), and praised another for anointing him with oil (Mark 62). Jesus parables showed his compassion for women (Matthew 34).

A Report On Nuclear Weapons Engineering Essay

A Report On Nuclear Weapons Engineering Essay A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter; a modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than a thousand kilograms can produce an explosion comparable to the detonation of more than a billion kilograms of conventional high explosive. Thus, even single small nuclear devices no larger than traditional bombs can devastate an entire city by blast, fire and radiation. Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control has been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut. In the history of warfare, only two nuclear weapons have been detonated offensively, both near the end of World War II. The first was detonated on the morning of 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named Little Boy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second was detonated three days later when the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device code-named Fat Man on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. These bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of an estimated 80,000 people (mostly civilians) from injuries sustained from the explosion. When factoring in deaths from long-term effects of ionizing radiation and acute radiation sickness, the total death toll is estimated at 120,000. The use of these weapons remains controversial. Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing purposes and demonstration purposes. A few states have possessed such weapons or are suspected of seeking them. The only countries known to have detonated nuclear weapons—and that acknowledge possessing such weapons—are (chronologically) the United States, the Soviet Union (succeeded as a nuclear power by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, the Peoples Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Israel is also widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it does not acknowledge having them. There are two basic types of nuclear weapon. The first type produces its explosive energy through nuclear fission reactions alone. Such fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs or atom bombs (abbreviated as A-bombs), though their energy comes specifically from the nucleus of the atom. In fission weapons, a mass of fissile material (enriched uranium or plutonium) is assembled into a supercritical mass—the amount of material needed to start an exponentially growing nuclear chain reaction—either by shooting one piece of sub-critical material into another (the gun method) or by compressing a sub-critical sphere of material using chemical explosives to many times its original density (the implosion method). The latter approach is considered more sophisticated than the former and only the latter approach can be used if the fissile material is plutonium. A major challenge in all nuclear weapon designs is to ensure that a significant fraction of the fuel is consumed before the weapon destroys itself. The amount of energy released by fission bombs can range from the equivalent of less than a ton of TNT upwards of 500,000 tons (500 kilotons) of TNT. The second basic type of nuclear weapon produces a large amount of its energy through nuclear fusion reactions. Such fusion weapons are generally referred to as thermonuclear weapons or more colloquially as hydrogen bombs (abbreviated as H-bombs), as they rely on fusion reactions between isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium). However, all such weapons derive a significant portion, and sometimes a majority, of their energy from fission (including fission induced by neutrons from fusion reactions). Unlike fission weapons, there are no inherent limits on the energy released by thermonuclear weapons. Only six countries—United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Peoples Republic of China, France and India—have conducted thermonuclear weapon tests. (Whether India has detonated a true, multi-staged thermonuclear weapon is controversial.) The basics of the Teller–Ulam design for a hydrogen bomb: a fission bomb uses radiation to compress and heat a separate section of fusion fuel. Thermonuclear bombs work by using the energy of a fission bomb to compress and heat fusion fuel. In the Teller-Ulam design, which accounts for all multi-megaton yield hydrogen bombs, this is accomplished by placing a fission bomb and fusion fuel (tritium, deuterium, or lithium deuteride) in proximity within a special, radiation-reflecting container. When the fission bomb is detonated, gamma and X-rays emitted first compress the fusion fuel, then heat it to thermonuclear temperatures. The ensuing fusion reaction creates enormous numbers of high-speed neutrons, which can then induce fission in materials not normally prone to it, such as depleted uranium. Each of these components is known as a stage, with the fission bomb as the primary and the fusion capsule as the secondary. In large hydrogen bombs, about half of the yield, and much of the resulting nuclear fallout, comes from the final fissioning of depleted uranium. By chaining together numerous stages with increasing amounts of fusion fuel, thermonuclear weapons can be made to an almost arbitrary yield; the largest ever detonated (the Tsar Bomba of the USSR) released an energy equivalent of over 50 million tons (50 megatons) of TNT. Most thermonuclear weapons are considerably smaller than this, due to practical constraints arising from the space and weight requirements of missile warheads. There are other types of nuclear weapons as well. For example, a boosted fission weapon is a fission bomb which increases its explosive yield through a small amount of fusion reactions, but it is not a fusion bomb. In the boosted bomb, the neutrons produced by the fusion reactions serve primarily to increase the efficiency of the fission bomb. Some weapons are designed for special purposes; a neutron bomb is a thermonuclear weapon that yields a relatively small explosion but a relatively large amount of neutron radiation; such a device could theoretically be used to cause massive casualties while leaving infrastructure mostly intact and creating a minimal amount of fallout. The detonation of any nuclear weapon is accompanied by a blast of neutron radiation. Surrounding a nuclear weapon with suitable materials (such as cobalt or gold) creates a weapon known as a salted bomb. This device can produce exceptionally large quantities of radioactive contamination. Most variation in nuclear weapon design is for the purpose of achieving different yields for different situations, and in manipulating design elements to attempt to minimize weapon size. Nuclear weapons delivery—the technology and systems used to bring a nuclear weapon to its target—is an important aspect of nuclear weapons relating both to nuclear weapon design and nuclear strategy. Additionally, development and maintenance of delivery options is among the most resource-intensive aspects of a nuclear weapons program: according to one estimate, deployment costs accounted for 57% of the total financial resources spent by the United States in relation to nuclear weapons since 1940. Historically the first method of delivery, and the method used in the two nuclear weapons actually used in warfare, was as a gravity bomb, dropped from bomber aircraft. This method is usually the first developed by countries as it does not place many restrictions on the size of the weapon and weapon miniaturization is something which requires considerable weapons design knowledge. It does, however, limit the range of attack, the response time to an impending attack, and the number of weapons which can be fielded at any given time. With the advent of miniaturization, nuclear bombs can be delivered by both strategic bombers and tactical fighter-bombers, allowing an air force to use its current fleet with little or no modification. This method may still be considered the primary means of nuclear weapons delivery; the majority of U.S. nuclear warheads, for example, are free-fall gravity bombs, namely the B61. More preferable from a strategic point of view is a nuclear weapon mounted onto a missile, which can use a ballistic trajectory to deliver the warhead over the horizon. While even short range missiles allow for a faster and less vulnerable attack, the development of long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) has given some nations the ability to plausibly deliver missiles anywhere on the globe with a high likelihood of success. More advanced systems, such as multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) allow multiple warheads to be launched at different targets from one missile, reducing the chance of a successful missile defense. Today, missiles are most common among systems designed for delivery of nuclear weapons. Making a warhead small enough to fit onto a missile, though, can be a difficult task. Tactical weapons (see above) have involved the most variety of delivery types, including not only gravity bombs and missiles but also artillery shells, land mines, and nuclear depth charges and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare. An atomic mortar was also tested at one time by the United States. Small, two-man portable tactical weapons (somewhat misleadingly referred to as suitcase bombs), such as the Special Atomic Demolition Munition, have been developed, although the difficulty of combining sufficient yield with portability limits their military utility. Nuclear strategy The United States Peacekeeper missile was a MIRVed delivery system. Each missile could contain up to ten nuclear warheads (shown in red), each of which could be aimed at a different target. These were developed to make missile defense very difficult for an enemy country. Nuclear warfare Nuclear warfare strategy is a set of policies that deal with preventing or fighting a nuclear war. The policy of trying to prevent an attack by a nuclear weapon from another country by threatening nuclear retaliation is known as the strategy of nuclear deterrence. The goal in deterrence is to always maintain a second strike capability (the ability of a country to respond to a nuclear attack with one of its own) and potentially to strive for first strike status (the ability to completely destroy an enemys nuclear forces before they could retaliate). During the Cold War, policy and military theorists in nuclear-enabled countries worked out models of what sorts of policies could prevent one from ever being attacked by a nuclear weapon. Different forms of nuclear weapons delivery (see above) allow for different types of nuclear strategies. The goals of any strategy are generally to make it difficult for an enemy to launch a pre-emptive strike against the weapon system and difficult to defend against the delivery of the weapon during a potential conflict. Sometimes this has meant keeping the weapon locations hidden, such as deploying them on submarines or rail cars whose locations are very hard for an enemy to track and other times this means protecting them by burying them in hardened bunkers. Other components of nuclear strategies have included using missile defense (to destroy the missiles before they land) or implementation of civil defense measures (using early-warning systems to evacuate citizens to safe areas before an attack). Note that weapons which are designed to threaten large populations or to generally deter attacks are known as strategic weapons. Weapons which are designed to actually be used on a battlefield in military situations are known as tactical weapons. There are critics of the very idea of nuclear strategy for waging nuclear war who have suggested that a nuclear war between two nuclear powers would result in mutual annihilation. From this point of view, the significance of nuclear weapons is purely to deter war because any nuclear war would immediately escalate. out of mutual distrust and fear, resulting in mutually assured destruction. This threat of national, if not global, destruction has been a strong motivation for anti-nuclear weapons activism. Critics from the peace movement and within the military establishment have questioned the usefulness of such weapons in the current military climate. The use of (or threat of use of) such weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, according to an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in 1996. Perhaps the most controversial idea in nuclear strategy is that nuclear proliferation would be desirable. This view argues that, unlike conventional weapons, nuclear weapons successfully deter all-out war between states, and they are said to have done this during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Political scientist Kenneth Waltz is the most prominent advocate of this argument. The threat of potentially suicidal terrorists possessing nuclear weapons (a form of nuclear terrorism) complicates the decision process. Mutually assured destruction may not be effective against an enemy who expects to die in a confrontation and would not therefore be deterred by a sense of self-preservation. Further, if the initial act is from a rogue group instead of a sovereign nation, there is no fixed nation or fixed military targets to retaliate against. It has been argued, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks, that this complication is the sign of the next age of nuclear strategy, distinct from the relative stability of the Cold War. Disarmament Beginning with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty and continuing through the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, there have been many treaties to limit or reduce nuclear weapons testing and stockpiles. The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has as one of its explicit conditions that all signatories must pursue negotiations in good faith towards the long-term goal of complete disarmament. However, no nuclear state has treated that aspect of the agreement as having binding force Only one country—South Africa—has ever fully renounced nuclear weapons they had independently developed. A number of former Soviet republics—Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine—returned Soviet nuclear arms stationed in their countries to Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Uses The Sedan test from 1962 formed a crater 100 m (330 ft) deep with a diameter of about 390 m (1,300 ft), as a means of investigating the possibilities of using peaceful nuclear explosions for large-scale earth moving. Apart from their use as weapons, nuclear explosives have been tested and used for various non-military uses, and proposed, but not used for large-scale earth moving. When long term health and clean-up costs were included, there was no economic advantage over conventional explosives. Synthetic elements, such as einsteinium and fermium, created by neutron bombardment of uranium and plutonium during thermonuclear explosions, were discovered in the aftermath of the first thermonuclear bomb test. In 2008 the worldwide presence of new isotopes from atmospheric testing beginning in the 1950s was developed into a reliable way of detecting art forgeries, as all paintings created after that period may contain traces of cesium-137 and strontium-90, isotopes that did not exist in nature before 1945. Nuclear explosives have also been seriously studied as potential propulsion mechanisms for space travel (see Project Orion). Nuclear reactions Nuclear fission splits heavier atoms to form lighter atoms. Nuclear fusion bonds together lighter atoms to form heavier atoms. Both reactions generate roughly a million times more energy than comparable chemical reactions, making nuclear bombs a million times more powerful than non-nuclear bombs, which a French patent claimed in May 1939. In some ways, fission and fusion are opposite and complementary reactions, but the particulars are unique for each. To understand how nuclear weapons are designed, it is useful to know the important similarities and differences between fission and fusion. The following explanation uses rounded numbers and approximations. Fission When a free neutron hits the nucleus of a fissionable atom like uranium-235 ( 235U), the uranium splits into two smaller atoms called fission fragments, plus more neutrons. Fission can be self-sustaining because it produces more neutrons of the speed required to cause new fissions. The uranium atom can split any one of dozens of different ways, as long as the atomic weights add up to 236 (uranium plus the extra neutron). The following equation shows one possible split, namely into strontium-95 ( 95Sr), xenon-139 (139Xe), and two neutrons (n), plus energy: The immediate energy release per atom is 180 million electron volts (MeV), i.e. 74 TJ/kg, of which 90% is kinetic energy (or motion) of the fission fragments, flying away from each other mutually repelled by the positive charge of their protons (38 for strontium, 54 for xenon). Thus their initial kinetic energy is 67 TJ/kg, hence their initial speed is 12,000 kilometers per second, but their high electric charge causes many inelastic collisions with nearby nuclei. The fragments remain trapped inside the bombs uranium pit until their motion is converted into x-ray heat, a process which takes about a millionth of a second (a microsecond). This x-ray energy produces the blast and fire which are normally the purpose of a nuclear explosion. After the fission products slow down, they remain radioactive. Being new elements with too many neutrons, they eventually become stable by means of beta decay, converting neutrons into protons by throwing off electrons and gamma rays. Each fission product nucleus decays between one and six times, average three times, producing a variety of isotopes of different elements, some stable, some highly radioactive, and others radioactive with half-lives up to 200,000 years In reactors, the radioactive products are the nuclear waste in spent fuel. In bombs, they become radioactive fallout, both local and global. Meanwhile, inside the exploding bomb, the free neutrons released by fission strike nearby U-235 nuclei causing them to fission in an exponentially growing chain reaction (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.). Starting from one, the number of fissions can theoretically double a hundred times in a microsecond, which could consume all uranium up to hundreds of tons by the hundredth link in the chain. In practice, bombs do not contain that much uranium, and, anyway, just a few kilograms undergo fission before the uranium blows itself apart. Holding an exploding bomb together is the greatest challenge of fission weapon design. The heat of fission rapidly expands the uranium pit, spreading apart the target nuclei and making space for the neutrons to escape without being captured. The chain reaction stops. Materials which can sustain a chain reaction are called fissile. The two fissile materials used in nuclear weapons are: U-235, also known as highly enriched uranium (HEU), oralloy (Oy) meaning Oak Ridge Alloy, or 25 (the last digits of the atomic number, which is 92 for uranium, and the atomic weight, here 235, respectively); and Pu-239, also known as plutonium, or 49 (from 94 and 239). Uraniums most common isotope, U-238, is fissionable but not fissile (meaning that it cannot sustain a chain reaction by itself but can be made to fission, specifically by neutrons from a fusion reaction). Its aliases include natural or unenriched uranium, depleted uranium (DU), tubealloy (Tu), and 28. It cannot sustain a chain reaction, because its own fission neutrons are not powerful enough to cause more U-238 fission. However, the neutrons released by fusion will fission U-238. This U-238 fission reaction produces most of the destructive energy in a typical two-stage thermonuclear weapon. Fusion Fusion is unlikely to be self-sustaining because it does not produce the heat and pressure necessary for more fusion. It produces neutrons which run away with the energy In weapons, the most important fusion reaction is called the D-T reaction. Using the heat and pressure of fission, hydrogen-2, or deuterium ( 2D), fuses with hydrogen-3, or tritium ( 3T), to form helium-4 ( 4He) plus one neutron (n) and energy Notice that the total energy output, 17.6 MeV, is one tenth of that with fission, but the ingredients are only one-fiftieth as massive, so the energy output per unit mass is greater. However, in this fusion reaction 80% of the energy, or 14 MeV, is in the motion of the neutron which, having no electric charge and being almost as massive as the hydrogen nuclei that created it, can escape the scene without leaving its energy behind to help sustain the reaction – or to generate x-rays for blast and fire. The only practical way to capture most of the fusion energy is to trap the neutrons inside a massive bottle of heavy material such as lead, uranium, or plutonium. If the 14 MeV neutron is captured by uranium (either type: 235 or 238) or plutonium, the result is fission and the release of 180 MeV of fission energy, multiplying the energy output tenfold. Fission is thus necessary to start fusion, helps to sustain fusion, and captures and multiplies the energy released in fusion neutrons. In the case of a neutron bomb (see below) the last-mentioned does not apply since the escape of neutrons is the objective. Tritium production A third important nuclear reaction is the one that creates tritium, essential to the type of fusion used in weapons and, incidentally, the most expensive ingredient in any nuclear weapon. Tritium, or hydrogen-3, is made by bombarding lithium-6 ( 6Li) with a neutron (n) to produce helium-4 ( 4He) plus tritium ( 3T) and energy: A nuclear reactor is necessary to provide the neutrons. The industrial-scale conversion of lithium-6 to tritium is very similar to the conversion of uranium-238 into plutonium-239. In both cases the feed material is placed inside a nuclear reactor and removed for processing after a period of time. In the 1950s, when reactor capacity was limited, the production of tritium and plutonium were in direct competition. Every atom of tritium in a weapon replaced an atom of plutonium that could have been produced instead. The fission of one plutonium atom releases ten times more total energy than the fusion of one tritium atom, and it generates fifty times more blast and fire. For this reason, tritium is included in nuclear weapon components only when it causes more fission than its production sacrifices, namely in the case of fusion-boosted fission. However, an exploding nuclear bomb is a nuclear reactor. The above reaction can take place simultaneously throughout the secondary of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, producing tritium in place as the device explodes. Of the three basic types of nuclear weapon, the first, pure fission, uses the first of the three nuclear reactions above. The second, fusion-boosted fission, uses the first two. The third, two-stage thermonuclear, uses all three. Pure fission weapons The first task of a nuclear weapon design is to rapidly assemble a supercritical mass of fissile uranium or plutonium. A supercritical mass is one in which the percentage of fission-produced neutrons captured by another fissile nucleus is large enough that each fission event, on average, causes more than one additional fission event. Once the critical mass is assembled, at maximum density, a burst of neutrons is supplied to start as many chain reactions as possible. Early weapons used an urchin inside the pit containing polonium-210 and beryllium separated by a thin barrier. Implosion of the pit crushed the urchin, mixing the two metals, thereby allowing alpha particles from the polonium to interact with beryllium to produce free neutrons. In modern weapons, the neutron generator is a high-voltage vacuum tube containing a particle accelerator which bombards a deuterium/tritium-metal hydride target with deuterium and tritium ions. The resulting small-scale fusion produces neutrons at a protected location outside the physics package, from which they penetrate the pit. This method allows better control of the timing of chain reaction initiation. The critical mass of an uncompressed sphere of bare metal is 110lb (50kg) for uranium-235 and 35lb (16kg) for delta-phase plutonium-239. In practical applications, the amount of material required for criticallity is modified by shape, purity, density, and the proximity to neutron-reflecting material, all of which affect the escape or capture of neutrons. To avoid a chain reaction during handling, the fissile material in the weapon must be sub-critical before detonation. It may consist of one or more components containing less than one uncompressed critical mass each. A thin hollow shell can have more than the bare-sphere critical mass, as can a cylinder, which can be arbitrarily long without ever reaching criticallity. A tamper is an optional layer of dense material surrounding the fissile material. Due to its inertia it delays the expansion of the reacting material, increasing the efficiency of the weapon. Often the same layer serves both as tamper and as neutron reflector. Gun-type assembly weapon Diagram of a gun-type fission weapon Little Boy, the Hiroshima bomb, used 141lb (64kg) of uranium with an average enrichment of around 80%, or 112lb (51kg) of U-235, just about the bare-metal critical mass. (See Little Boy article for a detailed drawing.) When assembled inside its tamper/reflector of tungsten carbide, the 141lb (64kg) was more than twice critical mass. Before the detonation, the uranium-235 was formed into two sub-critical pieces, one of which was later fired down a gun barrel to join the other, starting the atomic explosion. About 1% of the uranium underwent fission; the remainder, representing most of the entire wartime output of the giant factories at Oak Ridge, scattered uselessly. The inefficiency was caused by the speed with which the uncompressed fissioning uranium expanded and became sub-critical by virtue of decreased density. Despite its inefficiency, this design, because of its shape, was adapted for use in small-diameter, cylindrical artillery shells (a gun-type warhead fired from the barrel of a much larger gun). Such warheads were deployed by the United States until 1992, accounting for a significant fraction of the U-235 in the arsenal, and were some of the first weapons dismantled to comply with treaties limiting warhead numbers. The rationale for this decision was undoubtedly a combination of the lower yield and grave safety issues associated with the gun-type design. Implosion type weapon Fat Man, the Nagasaki bomb, used 13.6lb (6.2kg, about 12 fluid ounces or 350 ml in volume) of Pu-239, which is only 39% of bare-sphere critical mass. (See Fat Man article for a detailed drawing.) Surrounded by a U-238 reflector/tamper, the pit was brought close to critical mass by the neutron-reflecting properties of the U-238. During detonation, criticality was achieved by implosion. The plutonium pit was squeezed to increase its density by simultaneous detonation of the conventional explosives placed uniformly around the pit. The explosives were detonated by multiple exploding-bridgewire detonators. It is estimated that only about 20% of the plutonium underwent fission, the rest, about 11lb (5.0kg), was scattered. An implosion shock wave might be of such short duration that only a fraction of the pit is compressed at any instant as the wave passes through it.A pusher shell made out of low density metal—such as aluminum, beryllium, or an alloy of the two metals (aluminum being easier and safer to shape and beryllium for its high-neutron-reflective capability) —may be needed. The pusher is located between the explosive lens and the tamper. It works by reflecting some of the shock wave backwards, thereby having the effect of lengthening its duration. Fat Man used an aluminum pusher.The key to Fat Mans greater efficiency was the inward momentum of the massive U-238 tamper (which did not undergo fission). Once the chain reaction started in the plutonium, the momentum of the implosion had to be reversed before expansion could stop the fission. By holding everything together for a few hundred nanoseconds more, the efficiency was increased. Two-point linear implosion A very inefficient implosion design is one that simply reshapes an ovoid into a sphere, with minimal compression. In linear implosion, an untamped, solid, elongated mass of Pu-239, larger than critical mass in a sphere, is embedded inside a cylinder of high explosive with a detonator at each end Detonation makes the pit critical by driving the ends inward, creating a spherical shape. The shock may also change plutonium from delta to alpha phase, increasing its density by 23%, but without the inward momentum of a true implosion. The lack of compression makes it inefficient, but the simplicity and small diameter make it suitable for use in artillery shells and atomic demolition munitions – ADMs – also known as backpack or suitcase nukes. All such low-yield battlefield weapons, whether gun-type U-235 designs or linear implosion Pu-239 designs, pay a high price in fissile material in order to achieve diameters between six and ten inches (254mm). Fusion-boosted fission weapons The next step in miniaturization was to speed up the fissioning of the pit to reduce the minimum inertial confinement time. The hollow pit provided an ideal location to introduce fusion for the boosting of fission. A 50-50 mixture of tritium and deuterium gas, pumped into the pit during arming, will fuse into helium and release free neutrons soon after fission begins. The neutrons will start a large number of new chain reactions while the pit is still critical or nearly critical.Once the hollow pit is perfected, there is little reason not to boost.The concept of fusion-boosted fission was first tested on May 25, 1951, in the Item shot of Operation Greenhouse, Eniwetok, yield 45.5 kilotons.Boosting reduces diameter in three ways, all the result of faster fission: Since the compressed pit does not need to be held together as long, the massive U-238 tamper can be replaced by a light-weight beryllium shell (to reflect escaping neutrons back into the pit). The diameter is reduced. The mass of the pit can be reduced by half, without reducing yield. Diameter is reduced again. Since the mass of the metal being imploded (tamper plus pit) is reduced, a smaller charge of high explosive is needed, reducing diameter even further. Since boosting is required to attain full design yield, any reduction in boosting reduces yield. Boosted weapons are thus variable-yield weapons. Yield can be reduced any time before detonation, simply by putting less than the full amount of tritium into the pit during the arming procedure. The first device whose dimensions suggest employment of all these features (two-point, hollow-pit, fusion-boosted implosion) was the Swan device, tested June 22, 1956, as the Inca shot of Operation Redwing, a

The Operation Management Of Fedex Information Technology Essay

The Operation Management Of Fedex Information Technology Essay FedEx is the worlds largest express transportation company founded in 1971. Revenues in fiscal year 2008 were $38 billion and a net income of $1.13 billion. There are more than 280,000 employees worldwide, serving 210 countries and 366 airports worldwide, with 657 aircraft. The ground vehicle fleet numbers 43,500 worldwide. There are 44,000 drop boxes, 2400 FedEx shipping sites and 7600 authorized shipping centers. The average package volume amounts to approximately 3.1 million packages daily, weighing in at 25.6 million pounds annually. Average daily freight volume is about 7 million pounds per day. This level of business generates more than 500,000 daily calls and 63 million daily electronic transmissions. The domestic market is currently viewed as mature a The FedEx Family: FedEx Corporation, a $20-billion global enterprise FedEx Express, the worlds largest express transportation company, this is the overnight courier services, mainly using aircrafts for transportation. FedEx Ground, North Americas second-largest provider of ground small-package delivery within 24 hours. Mainly trucks are used for packages movement. FedEx Freight, a leading provider of regional less than truckload freight services, trucks are the main transportation system FedEx Custom Critical, the worlds largest surface expedited carrier for urgent, valuable or hazardous items, using charted aircraft and trucks. FedEx Trade Networks, a high-tech customs broker and trade facilitator FedEx Office, known as Kinkos, offer a full services of copying, editing, and printing. FedEx Supply Chain Services, a filial of FedEx that provides logistics services, as transportation management, critical inventory logisticsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it offers a portfolio of services that helps turn supply chain management into a competitive strategy. Supply chain services at FedEx have mainly focused on customer needs in term of cost reduction, time-definite, and global solutions to improve customers competitive position. In addition to this supply chain services aggressively pursue business opportunities to meet and exceed FedEx earnings and growth objectives. To fulfill those objectives FedEx uses a company culture defined by: The effectiveness of their communications. The empowerment of their people for peak performance. Employee pride in performance. A safe and rewarding work environment. Their mutually rewarding partnerships with customers and suppliers. Understanding and valuing diversity. Focus on our customers and a passion for service excellence. Conducting business to the highest ethical and professional standards. Supply chain FedEx Supply Chain Services designs, develops, and applies transportation management and e-Logistics solutions to improve inventory visibility, velocity, and speed to market. Their transportation management service improves transportation processes and can increase efficiencies. Their e-Logistics group helps customers compete in todays highly competitive e-Business channels. The FedEx network uses a HUB and SPOKE system allowing flexibility in primary warehousing, distribution, secondary warehousingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to ensure minimum inventory holding cost providing the customers with a cutting edge over its competitors. HUB city city city city Delivery Delivery Delivery Pickup Pickup Pickup The HUB and SPOKE system To ensure connection between the hub and the city charted aircraft and trucks are used, aircraft assure the hub connection. Transportation and logistics management Transportation is the linkage process in logistics and often consumes much of the resources provided to the logistics function especially with a package delivery process companies like FedEx. It once dominated the distribution activity but for most companies it is now integrated into an overall activity. There are three factors that need to be considered. Operational factors include customer, environmental, product and company characteristics. The choice of transport mode is influenced by load size, density, value, competitive necessity and cost structures. Channel strategy considerations include the identification of available channels and the interfaces within each channel. FedEx combines people and technology to optimize cost and service. Their transportation management service combines sophisticated information technology with human resources to improve the inbound and outbound transportation processes of their customers. Their service simplifies carrier selection, improves logistics management, and offers cost savings opportunities. They streamline transportation management by providing a single point of contact for all of customers shipment and delivery needs. A team of dedicated coordinators is assigned to each account. Clients order service via electronic data interchange, the Internet, phone, or fax. They identify the carrier that will provide the lowest cost and best service for a customers shipment via software bases developed by FedEx. Then, a coordinator alerts the selected carrier and dispatches a vehicle. The result is a simplified, cost-effective process for managing transportation and inventory carrying costs. Transportation accounts for the largest resource commitment in the logistics activity, therefore its relative cost/benefit profile must be established within the context of the level of customer satisfaction that is being set as an objective. There are a number of interface areas and therefore decisions shared by transportation. These should be explored by first identifying the areas of flexibility and inflexibility of the decisions and most importantly that of the customer service objectives. The decisions influenced by transportation considerations include: Customer communications Market coverage Sourcing decisions Processing/manufacturing Customer service decisions. FedEx combines people and technology to optimize cost and service. Their transportation management service combines sophisticated information technology with human resources to improve the inbound and outbound transportation processes of their customers. Their service simplifies carrier selection, improves logistics management, and offers cost savings opportunities. They streamline transportation management by providing a single point of contact for all of a customers shipment and delivery needs. A team of dedicated coordinators is assigned to each account. Clients order service via electronic data interchange, the Internet, phone, or fax. They identify the carrier that will provide the lowest cost and best service for a customers shipment. Then, a coordinator alerts the selected carrier and dispatches a vehicle. The result is a simplified, cost-effective process for managing transportation and inventory carrying costs. Heres what your company can expect from their transportation management service: Transportation Savings: As a result of their carrier network and superior technology, they offer transportation savings opportunities to their customers. Discipline Control: They identify delivery dates; then, they determine the right mode of transportation for each shipment. In addition, they audit carrier compliance to their customers specifications. Convenience: They audit your freight bills and allocate charges to the appropriate accounting code within your organization. In addition, they offer the opportunity to reduce administration costs through electronic, paperless invoices. Information: They capture complete data about your companys shipments and provide useful management reports to further improve your transportation process. Customer service in the supply chain Efficient Consumer Response refers to the situation that makes the consumer the hero by providing better service to customers at lower cost, fewer stock outs and new products they want. Consumers will get a better deal overall. All this is done through control of information and product form the point of manufacturing to the point of sale, with the intent of eliminating waste and reducing cost cross an entire distribution pipeline. With ECR the entire pipeline is driven by scanned data at the point of sale. Replenishment orders are communicated via EDI to direct store delivery to retail distribution centers to wholesaler / distributor and to the manufacturers. This ensures that the right amount of product is delivered in a timely fashion, eliminating unnecessary inventory in the pipeline, eliminating stock outs and also eliminating the need for each pipeline participant to conduct its own forecast. In essence, ECR makes it possible for participants in a distribution pipeline to substitute information for inventory. The benefits to them are increased product velocity and the competitive benefits of significantly lower costs. Example FedEx has a 24 hour call center; the customers can call and make an order for pickup and delivery. FedEx assures a maximum 1 hour response time for pick up. The customer is expected to package the goods to be sent. Also after the pick-up has taken place, a one-hour time for doing the necessary paperwork is required. Following this a maximum of 6 hours processing time is needed at the airport for bagging, tagging, foreign exchange remittance, security check, clearance, etc. Keeping in mind the time for departure of flight, FedEx works backward to ensure that the product is picked and delivered on time For achieving this FedEx has a call cutoff time after which they stop taking calls for that particular day They have an office cut off time after which paper work by the office is not done. And they have at ramp cutoff time after which a package is not taken to the airport (this is the time required to balance the aircraft and to secure the goods to it.) However the adjustments to these rules can be made depending on the proximity of the customers to the office or his volunteering to drop off the package at the airport, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ DHL Express DHL is a Deutsche Post World Net company of Germany that provides international Mail, Express, Logistics and Finance. The company was founded in 1969 by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn. The trio initially provided a courier service between the Continental United States and Hawaii then expanded the business from there. In 1998, Deutsche Post World Net began to acquire shares in DHL, finally reached majority ownership in 2001, and completed the purchase in 2002. DHL owns its own cargo airlines, European Air Transport, originally based in Brussels, and DHL Air, based at the East Midlands Airport in the United Kingdom. DHL is the global market leader in international express, overland transport and air freight. It is also the worlds number 1 in ocean freight and contract logistics. DHL offers a full range of customized solutions from express document shipping to supply chain management. As on 2009, DHL employees have 500 000 employees across the various locations, has 6500 offices, more than 450 Hubs, and Warehouses Terminals, 240 Gateways, and 420 Aircraft, 76200 vehicles, serves more than 220 countries, and make more than 1.5 shipments per Year! Supply Chain DHL is completely service oriented therefore it does not have its own material movement, that means it only involves physical distribution and procurement. Procurement also includes the material needed for packaging such as paper, molded trays and boxes, wooden crates, standard containers wraps, plastic inlays etc. The materials or the goods collected from the senders (including papers, documents, physical goods like clothing, household good, chemicals, exotic animals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) are weighed, checked for condition, and depending upon its various characteristics it is packed. The goods are then dispatched to their destinations. There is no value addition to the material itself but it is done to the service which is provided (ex. if there has to be a certain package delivered from A to B the normal services would take about 2 days whereas as a super-fast delivery would be done in about 9 hours) Information flow identifies specific locations within a logistical system that have requirements. Information also integrates the three operating areas. The primary objective of developing and specifying requirements is to plan and execute integrated logistical operations. These flows are divided into two major types: Coordination flow Operation flow Coordination flow Objectives: Coordination is the backbone of the overall information system, It implies estimating the time requires for collecting the goods from the door step of the sender and then estimating the time for the goods to reach the final customer. Forecasting: utilizes historical data, current activity levels, and planning assumptions to predict future activity levels, as for DHL the whole business depends on the vital point of timely delivery, Based on the distance to the final receiver, the accessibility, the documentations and procedures that need to be handled. They have fine-tuned process of delivery. They can accurately gauge how much time it will take for the goods to reach its end destination. Operation flow The second aspect of information requirements is concerned with directing operations to receive, process, and ship inventory as required supporting customer and purchasing orders. Operational requirements deal with: Order management Order processing Distribution operations Inventory management Transportation and shipping Procurement DHL owns its success for the efficiency with which the operations are carried out. Here not only the company but the sender and sometimes the receiver can track the goods through their information center. They are given a certain password which they can use to trace via online or their customer service helpline. Transportation DHL uses all the modes of transportations that is airways roadways waterways rail freight DHL has its own fleet of airplanes and motor vans. Depending upon the final destination where the goods have to finally reach and the type of package the customer has paid for, DHL uses the individual modes of transport or a combination of either of these or all. Once again the geographical location and how fast the goods have to be delivered are the factors for the final selection of modes of transportation. DHL provides an appropriate logistical solution which helps in reducing the overall cost for the customers. Warehousing Two type of warehousing: Bonded Warehousing, provides secure environments, in which customers products can be held, without paying the local taxes. Shared-user Warehousing is a shared-user facility that is designed to meet the needs of organizations of any size, mainly used, for leading manufacturers and retailers of medical supplies, consumer products, industrial equipment, chemicals and technology. Through sharing of DHLs resources, such as space, labor, equipment and transportation, customers benefit from synergies that considerably reduce supply chain costs. Consequently, the customer can increase efficiencies throughout their distribution network and maintain a higher level of service to their customers. Comparison Strategic objectives HUB and SPOKE Nature and location of customers, which are matched to the required products and services to be performed Operational flows process-oriented, integrated approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services to customers logical progression of developments in logistics management directing operations to receive, process, and ship inventory as required supporting customer and purchasing orders the efficiency with which the operations are carried out Supply chain optimization suppliers at one end and customers at the other electronic data, electronic funds transfer effective supply chain solution operational improvement and inventory analysis Customer service Efficient Consumer Response reducing cost Power Packaging Add flexibility Accelerate time to mark Transportation Mainly Aircraft and Roadways Adaptive to market and product Airways, roadways, waterways, rail freight Depends on the packages to transport Conclusion From the previous analysis both operations management seems to be efficient dependent on the companys philosophy and both are the leading companies in the package transportation and distribution. Bibliographies http://www.dhl.com/ http://www.fedex.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DHL_Express