Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping

In Housekeeping (1980), Marilyn Robinson provides a sense of women and the space and the domestic constraints of society. The story crosses several generations of women and their lives in a single house in a town named Fingerbone. Ruthie is the main protagonist. She is a young woman who grew up in a household of women, beginning with her grandmother, then her great aunts, her aunt, and her only sister. But the house in which they were all trapped in one way or another was built by and for a man. He was a child of the plains who longed for the mountains, and the site of the house was his dream, not theirs. The isolation of the house physically paralleled the emotional isolation of all the characters. Indeed, the tone of the narration by Ruthie is emotionally flat. Despite the level of tragedy which is continually visited on the family, the language and the flavor of the conversation is highly unemotional and detached. From the perspective of showing an important characteristic of the narrator, her lack of emotion in general, it is rather a boring effect for the reader. It keeps the protagonist distanced from the very audience which should be sympathetic to her. The story is a simple downward progression. Ruthie and her sister Louise came to live in the house after first her grandfather died in a train wreck which pitched the train into a local lake, then her mother committed suicide after dropping the girls off with their grandmother. No reason for this action is given, nor do the characters seem to particularly care. Five years later, their grandmother, who had little emotional connection with the girls also died, leaving her two older sisters-in-law in charge. They equally had no idea what to do with young girls. The first intrusion on the blandness of life was the return of Sylvie, Ruthie's mother's sister who was itinerant and mysterious. Certainly the aunts did not approve of her. But she was a convenience, for when she came the aunts were free to go home and leave matters entirely in her hands. Sylvie is the first person in the novel to show any emotion, and she does show love toward the girls. Sylvie is the breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant world. But it quickly becomes apparent that she will probably not stay forever. Lucille is a child who is likely to stay put, but Ruthie responds to Sylvie's suppressed wanderlust. At last they have a source of information about their mother, about the larger world. Sylvie was the opposite of the oppressive atmosphere of the town and the house. Both closed in on a person, making them small. But Sylvie had broken away before, and neither the town nor the house had any real power over her. When spring came shortly after Sylvie's arrival, the town flooded, again cutting the three of them off from other human company and stranding them in the house. With this development, the girls find that they are becoming dependent on Sylvie and for the first time learn that they have something to fear in being separated from her by the state. As always, there is a sense of loss, of the fear of abandonment. The reaction by the local townspeople to the women revealed much of the character of the family and of themselves. Robinson describes them as standoffish, knowing hardly anyone in town. They were self sufficient to themselves, and the house was a symbol of this. It was built alone on a hill so that it did not suffer as the rest of the town did in times of flood. The townspeople came and made sure they were all right and then left to put the town back in order unaided by Ruthie, Sylvie and Lucille. The primary social contact for the girls was the school they attended. But even there, they were isolated. Because of some unpleasantness for Lucille in which she was accused of cheating, both girls played hookey for an extended period of time. It was while they were hiding out that they saw Sylvie try to walk across the narrow, dangerous railroad bridge that spanned the lake. This was the same bridge where the train derailment which killed their grandfather occurred. As a result, both girls were very fearful of the loss they faced if something happened to her. It is at this point that housekeeping comes into the plot. Sylvie talked a lot about it and even did some. But she was very eccentric about the meals she prepared and the cleaning that she did. Lucille was not content with Sylvie, but Ruthie was for Ruthie was a kindred spirit. Lucille began to turn her attention to the town and the more conventional life it held out. By summer, it was clear that Lucille's loyalties lay elsewhere. But for the summer they both stayed out of the house most of the time and hid in the woods. Lucille increasingly found things to dislike about Sylvie, especially her housekeeping which was erratic. She offended Lucille's sense of propriety. By implication, Ruthie lacked one for she and Sylvie seemed to be similar in tastes and goals, or rather lack of goals. Essentially, Sylvie was a transient in the settled world, and Lucille was one who would voluntarily stay put. With time, the girls began to separate, and there arose an us versus them mentality, with us being Ruthie and Sylvie. Lucille invented a mother who was a meticulous housekeeper and a traditional mother. Ruthie had no such illusions, nor did she care. With time, the house under Sylvie's management became increasingly more disheveled, and full of papers and other rubbish. Ruthie adapted and was comfortable with it, as was Sylvie, but Lucille moved out to pursue a more normal life. The climactic series of events which ended up tearing the family apart truly was Ruthie's joining Sylvie in an overnight jaunt which started with a stolen rowboat for a chance to look at the train submerged in the lake holding her grandfather's remains and the eventual ride back into town on a freight train. That set the ladies of the town to trying to see that Ruthie did not herself succumb to being a transient. Under the threat of having the state take Ruthie from Sylvie, both decided to flee together. They first tried to burn down the house, but it did not burn. They escaped by walking at night across the railroad bridge, and were subsequently presumed dead. For the rest of their lives they wandered from place to place, rootless. Ruthie took up the life that Sylvie led, and both drifted around, never seeing Lucille again. There is a great sense of loss and sadness in this book. There is little in the way of close human connection, sympathy, or love. Overall, it is both ghostly and depressing. However, its strength is in the perceptive description of people and places. Robinson is especially vivid with the sense of place, whether of the house or the place in Seattle where the girls lived with their mother before coming to Fingerbone. Her descriptions of people were clear portraits that told as much of their character as their appearance. What the book lacked emotionally was made up in the artistry of the language.

Regilion and Moral Flaws in Young Goodman Brown

Alexandria Harris Mrs. Thompson Eng. 101 TR. 10:15-12:15 Good vs. Evil the Moral Flaws in Young Goodman Brown In Salem, Massachusetts religion was very prominent in the 1700s, especially during the Salem Witch Trials. Salem, Massachusetts was known for the numerous witch trials, and the persecutions. Many people were accused for practicing witchcraft, being bewitched, and for making covenants with the devil. Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces Goodman Brown as a newlywed husband who is going to embark on a tedious journey into the forest. This journey into the forest was to meet the Devil, and to establish a covenant with him.As he travels, Brown is faced whether to go against his morals, beliefs, and religion. Goodman Brown realizes not everything is what it seems, and he learns about the true morality of the people around him. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals the common differences between good versus evil, and the weakness of public morality, As the sto ry begins we meet Goodman Brown, and his newly wed wife Faith. The couple is talking about the journey Brown is going to take, and Faith is trying to convince him to stay until the morning to travel into the forest.Faith then tells Goodman that â€Å"A lone woman is troubled with suck dreams and such thoughts that she’s afraid of herself sometimes. † When Faith says that it is to let Brown know that she is scared to be alone at night, nor does she want him to tarry off to the forest at the moment. She would rather him stay with her so that she can feel safe, secured, and unharmed. Brown assures her that everything is okay, and that it is going to be a one nigh endeavor. Goodman clings on to this idea of Faith as he starts his journey into the forest. He hopes that as long as Faith stays holy, he can somehow find himself to resist the devil.Goodman Brown feels that the good in Faith’s heart will keep him making irrational decisions. The good that is in faith is s hown so that Goodman can travel without worrying about her. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Goodman’s wife Faith to represent her purity as a woman. In the 1700s, a pure woman was the best thing in the world. If the woman was pure it made her worth more than anything that an impure woman could offer. Brown states that â€Å"she’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven. Hawthorne is trying to convey that even though Brown has done wrong in his life Faith’s purity could save him from a life of sin. It was known in these times that the men would leave the family for religious purposes. Faith’s purity brings the well-being out of Goodman Brown because he knows that he can’t go wrong with her. Brown realizes that her purity is what keeps him in line, and it is why he insists on remaining good. If he remains on this path, remembers the purity of Faith, and resist wrong doing then he can remai n faithful to his religion.The ribbons that Faith puts on her hat also represent her purity. The color pink is often used when newborn baby girls are born to symbolize that they are young, innocent, and pure. As little girls get older they tend to like this color more than the rest. Pink is used frequently to show the feminine side of girls, and how they are different from boys. The pink ribbons are associated with innocence and modesty. Faith is considered pure because at the beginning she shows to Goodman that she doesn’t want him to leave her alone. The newly wed wife would rather have her husband around her than him travel afar.Hawthorne mentions the ribbons several times in the beginning, and this states her youthfulness as well as her happiness. Traveling into the forest is when the tone shifts from innocent and kindhearted to gloomy and melancholy. Angie Sole states that, â€Å"Goodman Brown’s experience in the dark, evil forest correlated and would have been r ecognized by Puritans as a symbol of mistrust of their own corrupt hearts and faculties. † Soler says this because it represents the deceit, and the darkness of man’s heart. Brown walking into the forest that was gloomy, dark, and the shadows he saw were fighting him.Brown felt like he couldn’t trust the figures because they were deceiving him by their looks. The evil in the story the forest was just like the evil in all the movies, and in the plots of story books. Going into a dark forest doesn’t symbolize anything good. Being in the forest, Brown knew he couldn’t trust his own self, nor could he trusts his desires to keep from doing wrong. The forest with all its evil, deceit, and darkness shows Brown that he doesn’t need to follow in to the path of evil. As Brown travels deeper into the forest, a man who informs him that he is late approaches him.The second traveler with Brown is much older than he is, and Hawthorne describes him to be â⠂¬Å"Considerable resemblance to him, though perhaps more features still they have been taken for father and son. † This is because they looked alike in similar ways. Older man carried a rod hat resembled â€Å"A great black snake. † This snake is the significance in the story because it is known for being a deceiver. In the Old Testament, the snake deceived Eve into eating the fruit from the Forbidden tree. The snake lay to Eve and Adam because the snake was sneaky, mischievous, and deceitful.This is why Eve was easily persuaded to the fruit. Another â€Å"rod/snake† reference is when Moses was trying to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go. When meeting with Pharaoh, Moses casted out his rod, and it turned into a snake. Hawthorne describes the rod in the story as like it was somewhat alive. The snake represents the common evil Brown face throughout the story. Hawthorne uses the weakness of morality throughout the story. This shows how Brown was ashame d of what he was doing as well as what the people around him were doing.Going in the forest is when Brown recognizes the familiar faces. He notices the minister, deacon Gookin, and Good Cloyse traveling into the forest as well. As they are walking, Brown quickly throws his staff, and goes out of sight. It was as if he vanished into the deepening of darkness. Hiding behind the tree, Brown is staying out of sight of the three Salem church members. Making sure that the familiar people of town Brown uses the branches to hide do not see him. He didn’t want as much as a shadow of him to be seen, and while he was hiding Brown begins to pray.As he praying the atmosphere changes, and the clouds start to shift. The Brown hears the indistinct voices laughing, and conversing among each other. This is when he notices something floating in the sky, and this is when he realizes that is its Faith’s pink ribbon. Goodman Brown proclaims â€Å"My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth ; and sin is but a name. Come, devil1 for to thee is this world given. † He says this in spite of the possibility of Faith being in harm’s way. Faith being alive is how Brown was so comfortable with making this journey to speak with the Devil.Her being safe, secures, and out of harm’s way is what made the trip easier, and he used her faith to allow him to resist into temptation. Brown begins to continue walking at a faster pace because he wants the journey to be over with. Getting closer to his destination he comes across an open space that has poles lit up with fire, and this is followed by the thunderous cry of people chanting hymns. Brown comes to the space, and he notices some of the Salem towns people were there too/ He see the minister, Deacon Gookin, and Goody Cloyse, but Faith is nowhere to be found.Brown is confused with what he is seeing. There were two figures that were vaguely noticeable, but Brown thinks they are his parents. Nether the less, he was seized by the arms by the minister and the deacon. They start walking him to the blazing rock where he sees the unveiled. The morality of the people had been changed because Goodman Brown thought all the people were of one faith when they weren’t. The people all walk to the middle of the open space, and the woman who was wearing the veil followed them. A voice begins to speak and this is led to believe that it is the Devil.He calls everyone to attention letting the people know that things are about to come to order. The woman under the veil then reveals herself, and she is no other than Faith. Brown realized that she is a part of the demonic meeting he speaks to her and says â€Å"Look up to the heaven, and resist the Wicked one. † Brown feels that Faith shouldn’t go down the path that he was going down. Since Faith is believed to be the only pure soul in his life, and he wants her to stay in that shape, form, and fashion Regardless of the temptation that she is faced he wants her to resist it.Brown returns to the Salem village the next morning with a new perspective about everyone. The people surrounding him seemed to be coming off as unrealistic, and this is when he starts to think that everything is not supposed to happen. Goodman feels that not only were his morals changed, but the people around him did too. Their morals, beliefs, and religions have changed because before he went into the forest. Brown felt that he was the only one doing wrong, but until he goes into the forest is when he sees the true nature of the people.Hawthorne reveals man weakness to their moral, religion, and beliefs could easily be different†¦ Hawthorne shows that the holiest man could very well be a sinner. Not one man is subjected to being holier than the other. Brown saw the further he went into the forest the more vulnerable to following into evil. Once Faith sees Goodman Brown she runs up to him with joy of knowing that he returned without being harme d. After being in that forest for a night, Brown could not decipher what was right, and he could not tell if what he was seeing was wrong.Being release from Faith’s embracing hug he can not look at her the same. The look was so stern, and sadly given to her, that he passed her without even acknowledging her with a proper greeting. Her female purity was once sacred to Goodman Brown, and he felt that if she kept her faith he too could to right in his life. With the feeling of being deceived, lied to , and bamboozled her purity is no longer void, and it dissolves into nonexistence. Goodman’s innocence left him as he began the journey into the forest, but doing this made him feel corrupted beyond reasons explainable.This shows that everything Brown has seen could very much be a figment of his imagination. In conclusion, Goodman Brown sees that there is more than meet the eye, and that no man is far from sin. Nathaniel Hawthorn shows that your faith may betray you, but it i s also the truth of a waking experience. In this short story Hawthorne uses the differences of good versus evil, and the weakness of morality to convey how people were in the 1700s. By using Goodman Brown, he was able to show the understanding of sin, and to let go of world dependence, and to strive for the life without sin.

Russia Italy Germany Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Russia Italy Germany - Assignment Example Italy on the other hand, followed the secret promises by its allies in the London treaty in aim of annexing the Northern Dalmatia and Australian Littoral. This action led to the generation of the present day Trentino and the South Tyrol. All the three superpowers were aimed at recovering as much as they could from the tremendous loss they underwent in the war. Mussolini signed the 1929 Lateran Pacts in coalition with the Roman Catholic Church which led to the formation of the little but independent state of the Vatican City. The pacts empowered the Vatican City by installing more powers into it which allowed it to transact around it neighbors. It is one of the smallest internationally recognized state. The formation of these states was as a step of creating a defensive mechanism for their specific three nations. It was also a deliberate plan invented to prevent a reoccurrence of a similar war activity although it failed. The failure was caused by the humiliation of Germany and other countries which led to initiation of the World War

The Royal Prerogative is a feature of the UK Constitution in need of Essay

The Royal Prerogative is a feature of the UK Constitution in need of radical reform - Essay Example Analysis The exercise of the royal prerogative powers has been curtailed. These days, there has been clear demarcation of powers that has been have been delegated to both the prime minister and the crown, though much of these powers are exercisable by the prime minster. However, leaving bit of these powers in the hands of the crown has little or no effect, to such an extent that it does not make sense having these powers vested in the crown1. It is important for the people of the United Kingdom to realize that times have changed, and circumstances are different. The needs that led to bestowing such powers to the crown have now become non-existent. This leaves the royalty as a toothless bulldog that can no longer bite. In order for the United Kingdom to fully deliberate itself from the shackles of history, the royalty’s expansive powers should be fully relegated to parliament and only act as a ceremonial organ2. The monarch’s constitutional presence should no longer be a reason for debate among the intellectuals. The independence of the judiciary is achieved by ensuring that the judiciary does not act as a mouth piece of the executive. In the past, the exercise of such powers has failed to reflect the wishes of the larger interest of the people of United Kingdom, rather has been used as a tool for the monarchy to meet its personal ends3. The judiciary, on the other hand was ripped off its independences it could not question the exercise of such powers of the royalty. These tainted and undermined the performance of the judiciary. Thus, the judiciary should be guaranteed protection from the crown in order to be act without fear or favour4. The power to deal in matters of foreign affairs should be retrieved from the hands of the crown and be left with the legislature , who are in a better position to enact laws that protects the sovereignty of the united kingdom and its people and to also promote the good neighbourliness with other countries. It also advocates for better and efficient interdependence, in cases where the countries involved come in to form a major economic block5. Historically, the legislature was also at the hands of the crown and has not fully barred the monarch from exercising these powers as she still has the sole mandate to appoint the prime minster6. This greatly affects the powers and functions of the prime minster, as he or she has to act in bias, of the crown who appointed him. The prime minister then becomes a puppet for the monarch to act according to the whims of the monarch. The result is that the entire legislature is tailored to meet the desires of the crown at the expense of the interest of the citizens of the United Kingdom7. The legislature should therefore be freed from the chains of the crown, and equipping it through laws, to be able to run its affairs and make its appointment without any interference from the monarch. The bills that also come before parliament will be focusing on the larger i nterest of the people of the United Kingdom rather than a smaller minority which is the crown8. The ancient practice invoking the United Kingdom to be ruled according to divine rights of kings has caused the United Kingdom to lag behind from attaining democracy for its people. The prerogative power of the monarch has often been

The Concept of Segmentation & Marketing Environment in Porsche Term Paper

The Concept of Segmentation & Marketing Environment in Porsche Automobile - Term Paper Example Porsche is one of the companies that have increased its number of customers over the years (Kumar 2004). Competition from other companies with similar market base has made Porsche come up with new and innovative designs for their automobiles. In order to maximize their profit, Porsche has different kinds of models that include; consumer models market. Porsche meets the needs of the customers, from the average income one to the wealthy. If one of the models or series does not do well in the market, it will not have a large effect on the organization since the other series will not be affected (Ighoteguonor 2013). The price of the automobile has a range from $50,000 to $845,000 depending on the kind of model being purchased. The interesting fact is that 70% of the cars ever manufactured by Porsche are still on the road today. The organization has a plan of increasing the sale of the vehicles to 200,000 per annum by the year 2018. The attribution is from the excellent relationship betwe en employees and the partners as well as the customers (Wedel 2000). It results in increasing the customers’ enthusiasm towards Porsche products. Porsche used the four marketing mix to market and increase their sales all over the world; product, promotion, place and price (Kotler & Armstrong 2014). Their sports cars are high-end automobiles of high quality and high performance. Customers of Elite status purchase the products. High-quality products equal high prices from the company. The organization has resulted in consumer focused advertising in televisions, print media and direct for promotion of their products to the customers. The slogan is â€Å"Engineered for Magic Every day.† The products are different in each location sold to fit the customers’ needs (Zoeller 2014). For example, North America market embraces the American expectations and their values. The same

The Economy of Real Estate in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Economy of Real Estate in China - Essay Example The current situation of real estate market in China is strongly linked to changes implemented in government policies. Regulators have also suggested that the short history of the real estate market in the country and the absence of investment options have resulted in the irrational enthusiasm currently witnessed. Prior to 1998, the government controlled the distribution of property while the real estate market itself participated only in secondary roles in â€Å"dual tracks† systems involving both market mechanics and government control (Shen & Liu 121). However, the rapid growth in the 21st century was also accompanied by numerous underlying problems, prompting the central government to implement measures that imposed restrictions such as checking interest rates and increasing deposits, especially in the commercial and residential categories. The current situation is characterized by high prices of housing, which is made worse by the sustained growth of the fundamentals of e conomics. This paper will analyze the economic issues in China and specifically focus on the real estate market. China shifted from a state-controlled to a market-centered economy in the 1980s. That move placed the country on a highly unprecedented economic growth path. This further led to more momentum in the 1990s after the privatization of the housing industry and the coming into existence of the property market and elimination of the work unit system. The scale of this change and the ensuing repercussions are key factors in the analysis of the economic growth in China. Further, data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports that while real estate contributed only five percent of China’s GDP in 2000, it had grown to the current 15% by 2012 (Wang, Zan & Hongyu 44).

Investment Decisions and Financial statement Analysis on Facebook Inc Essay

Investment Decisions and Financial statement Analysis on Facebook Inc - Essay Example The ratios such as efficiency, liquidity, profitability and leverage are calculated so as to depict whether Amazon is the right company to invest the lump sum amount of money that is received by Hector. The findings revealed that the financial condition of Amazon is weak with respect to its competitors such as eBay Inc. Hence, the investment decision in the shares of Amazon is not wise for Hector and it is further assured by the share price analysis of the company. Amazon.com Inc. is regarded as the most popular American online retailer, which aims at selling various products and services over online platform through subsidiaries. The company has its operation in about 11 counties and also ships its products and services internationally (Amazon.com, Inc., 2014a). The company has grown steadily over the past few years and has been the one of the best online retailers in the world. The mission of Amazon is to become the most consumer-centric company in the world by providing right type of products and services to the customers online at lowest possible prices (Amazon.com, Inc., 2014a). The company employs the mission as the vision and thus makes it less valuable for a communication tool. They aim at providing the best quality products to its customers by employing the latest technology. This helps the company to acquire loyal customers and also maintain the interest of the shareholders even after maintaining its profit (Amazon.com, Inc., 2014a). Amazon has several team worldwide, who are working for the customers. These teams provide reliable and fast shipping directly from the retail website of the company that deliver 24X7 services. Moreover, the technology team of Amazon is located in Seattle and is designed in such a manner that it can be tapped as the best technical talent in the world (Amazon.com, Inc., 2014a). The company employs multi-level strategies for targeting its customers. It focuses on building business-to-consumer

Research Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Research Paper 1 - Essay Example the client acted on advice of counsel". Some of its derivatives include, but are not limited to, advisory counsel, appellate counsel, assigned counsel, corporate counsel, general counsel and King's Counsel. Under the Old Testament the word "counsel" and its derivatives, (which include "counselor") appear 118 times along the span of a number of constituent books that, on the whole form the first part of the Bible. Some of these Books (along with a selection of the references) are listed herein below.2 Please note that the relevant words are italicized and that, more importantly, these are not an exhaustive list.3 "An adviser (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22), a king's state counsellor (2 Samuel 15:12). Used once of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6). In Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50, the word probably means a member of the Jewish Sanhedrim." It is clear, whether used as a verb, or a noun, the term "counsel" remains remarkably similar in use and in definition, as exemplified in the references above, to the definition provided by Black's Law Dictionary. It is to this extent, that we may deduce the word to mean "advice" or "advice"/"advisor". Furthermore, please note the use of the term in the New Testament. As mentioned above, the references are only to provide a guideline of what is the prevalent position of the term and are not a conclusive list of its appearance in the New Testament.5 It is clear that the use of the term does not differ much from its use in the Old Testament. It is to this effect, that it can seen that the use of the word "counsel" to be synonymous with the word advice. On a clear and literal interpretation of the word, counsel and advice, or, in addition, counselor and advisor mean much the same thing. Healing through Jesus Christ has many biblical examples like the story of the healing at the pool of Bethesda in John 5:2-15. "In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water," (John 5:3 ). The word wisdom is generally associated with its root word "wise", which is defined Showing good judgement or the benefit of experience." although this takes the form of the adjective; the noun is defined by Wiktionary6 as either the element of personal character that causes one to distinguish the wise from the unwise, a piece of wise advice, the discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.7Furthermore the Dictionary also describes it as the ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained. According the Oxford English Dictionary wisdom is the capacity to judge rightly in matters relating to life and conduct and allowing soundness of judgement in our daily decisions in a more practical way. Wisdom is defined by Easton's Bible Dictionary as: "A moral rather than an intellectual quality. To be "foolish" is to be godless (Psalm 14:1; Comp. Judges 19:23; 2 Samuel 13:13). True wisdom is a gift from God to those who ask it (Job 28:12-28; Proverbs 3:13-18; Romans 1:22; 16:27; 1 Corinthians 1:17-21; 2:6-8; James 1:5). "Wisdom" in Proverbs 1:20; 8:1; 9:1-5 may be regarded not as a mere personification of the attribute of wisdom, but as a divine

Ancient Africa and the Present Slavery Essay Example for Free

Ancient Africa and the Present Slavery Essay The book â€Å"Segu† is a novel written by Maryse Conde. Set in 1797, the novel a story of the Africans during that era. Interestingly, Conde was able to create a novel that makes the lives of her characters as the most evident proof of the life experienced by people who lived in Mali during the ancient times. Clearly, the issue of religion, norms, and traditions are depicted as important aspects of society that affected the people of Old Mali. Due to the astounding narration of Conde, I was attracted to the characters as well as the history of Mali. I specifically became interested in the detailed narration of the African culture as well as the slavery experienced by the black Africans at the hands of the colonizers. It is interesting to note that, although the Africans were subjected to slavery over 300 years ago, the controversies and issues surrounding slavery still persist. It seems like the wounds caused by slavery are still engraved in the minds and personal history of every individual. Hence, I can only assume that there is still inequality happening not only in Africa but also in the world. Noting that the current African nations are one of the poorest in the world, I have come to conclude that Africans are still subjected to slavery today; only this time, they are now slaves of the current world, as most of the resources mined or produced within the African nations are not utilized and enjoyed by the Africans themselves but acquired by foreigners to serve their own self-interests. Hence, Africans are not given what they deserve to attain and enjoy. It is saddening that after more than 300 years, the African nations in general are still experiencing various conflicts in terms of religion, norms, and traditions. During an era of globalization and international cooperation, one must bear in mind that there is a need for change and development not just in the economic or political aspects but also in the social and cultural outlook. Work Cited Conde, Maryse. Segu. New York: Viking Penguin Inc. , 1987.

Huckelberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Huckelberry Finn Essay I have decided to analyze three different journal articles related to the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, written by Mark Twain in 1884. I chose this topic because the novel is widely considered a masterpiece. In fact, Ernest Hemingway described its importance with the following sentence: â€Å"All modern American literature comes from a book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’. In addition, the topic has a great interest because the novel has always been a subject of controversy due to racial issues and the alleged praise of juvenile delinquency that it portrays. The three articles that and I am going to comment on are the following: 1) Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002) 2) Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011) 3) Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). Look more:  satirical play essay In order to compare and analyse these three articles, I am going to focus on two main points: the overall opinion that the authors of the different articles have about the book (which is usually very good) and what they comment on the controversial matters that  novel deals with. First of all, I will concentrate on the overall opinion that the authors express regarding ‘Huckleberry Finn’. On article 1, the author (whose name is not revealed) defines the novel in the following terms: ‘Few books in the U. S history have been as influential—or as controversial—as â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Furthermore, he added: ‘ â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† not only has survived the efforts to bury it, it has thrived and it has grown as a teaching tool’. As we could see, the author praises the novel strongly. In addition, he rejects the most critical opinions and defends Twain’s intentions (†¦Twain was  skewering hatred and racism, intolerance and religious bigotry, royalty and imperialism’). In the case of article 2, the author, Delia Lloyd, does not express a clear opinion about the novel itself. However, she declares herself as â€Å"a devotee of Mark Twain’, so it is likely to think that he has quite a positive opinion about the novel. Regarding article 3, its author, Michiko Kakutani, quotes Hemingway’s famous sentence about Twain at the beginning of the article. Apart from that, there are not any more explicit opinions about the novel itself. However, a thorough reading of the article evidences a strong defence of it, and the author shows a very defiant attitude with those who criticize it. In terms of controversy, the articles express different opinions and ideas, and the authors make clear what they think about the nature and the novel and the convenience of altering it. For instance, it is important to point out the different dates in which the articles were written. Whereas article 1 was written in 2002, articles 2 3 were written the very same day (January 6, 2011) and were triggered by the same cause (a university  professor, Alan Gribben, had written a new version of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ replacing controversial words such as ‘nigger’ or ‘injun’ for more neutral, inoffensive terms). The author of article 1 is very critical with those who aim to disapprove the novel. In fact, he stated: ‘Twain wrote satire, and there are glorious lessons in his books even if they ruffle readers or appear, simply in the telling of the unvarnished truth, to somehow glorify injustice and racism’. In addition, he ends the article with a sentence that leaves no doubt about his opinion regarding racial and social controversy arisen by the novel. (‘Huckleberry Finn is a glorious celebration of friendship and tolerance triumphing over the racism and hypocrisy of the day. That is why it’s a hard book to read—and why it is one of the greatest works of American Literature’). Delia Lloyd express a somehow ambiguous opinion about whether is convenient or not to introduce changes in the novel. On the one hand, she says to be ‘sympathetic’ with several authors quoted in her article, who are in clear contrast with Gribben’s version of the novel (for instance, Matt Blum is quoted as saying ‘How can we expect children to learn real history if we sanitize it for them? ’, whereas Elon James White argues that ‘the only way to get Americans to deal openly and honestly with prejudice is to force students to be uncomfortable with terms that—unpleasant though they may be—are part and parcel of our country’s blatantly racist past’). On the other hand, Delia Lloyd also makes some positive remarks about Gribben’s ideas later on in the article, probably based upon her experience as a mother (‘As a parent, however, I’m less sympathetic to Gribben’s critics’, or ‘†¦there are more practical reasons to think that having a cleaned-up version of â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† isn’t, as Salon’s. Mary Elizabeth Williams’ puts it, â€Å"the worst thing in the world† ‘). Finally, article 3 is opposed to change the original version of the novel. This could already be implied from the title, which misspells the word ‘civilize’. This is a clear reference to the tendency of some characters of the book to pronounce words wrongly. Michiko Kakutani develops this idea throughout the article, refuting Grribben with subtleness and irony. As a result, he sometimes describes Grubbin labour with adjectives in inverted commas (‘improved’) or using aggressive ones to refer to him and his work. (‘Being an iconic classic, however, hasn’t protected the novel from being banned, bowdlerized and bleeped’). To conclude, I must say that, after reading the novel and several articles related to it, I think that the novel should be preserved in its original state. As far as I’m concerned, such a masterpiece deserves to be respected and remain unaltered. In addition, teachers should be very careful when explaining it to children, and try to transmit them the real (and benevolent) intentions of Mark Twain. Bibliography -Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002). An article  written in the scope of the PBS series directed by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, which appeared shortly after the article. -Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011). It is an ambiguous article about the necessity of changing ‘Huckleberry Finn’’s most controversial parts. -Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). A strong defence of the novel and fierce critic of those who intend to change it. -Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (Toni Morrison, 1992).

Small Business Development Can Beauty Parlour Marketing Essay

Small Business Development Can Beauty Parlour Marketing Essay This reflective report will describe my own role in helping the team to achieve its goal in relation to the Business plan. Also I will provide evidence of my involvement to the success of the team from the idea initiation and how I facilitated the completion of the Business plan. It started like this, I was arranged in a group of three members, a team with other group mates which were all new to me. Although we were in a same class since the beginning of the course but I was not close to them. Our group seems to understand each other quickly because of the good communication. We always solved easily problems encountered through out the exercise. As a group we were performed different tasks in making a business plan. The aim of this business is to acquire a loan from a bank, so as to help our salon CAN Beauty Parlor to start the business in relation to capital and assets. Afsa was responsible for the marketing , Christine had a task of future beauty fashions operations as well as identifying the competitors and I was responsible for preparing financial projections through the input from Afsa and Chrisstine The report also illustrates the Team work, our mutual interest as a group, idea initiation process and the experience achieved from presenting the business plan and as well as my personal views towards the whole business plan. The business plan has allowed us to work as a group and also learn of the industry as a whole and we were able to apply the academic theories we learned throughout our course . 1 TEAM WORK CAN beauty parlor came to be a perfect choice of our mutual interest of the whole group. Our group consistent of three people eager to carry out our tasks in relation to the writing the business plan. We started by splitting the tasks so that we could have competition to see who achieve the task goals as we planned. My team included Afsa Bhanji, Christine Mkwawa and myself We as a group were allocated different tasks in order to form the business plan. Afsa was responsible for the marketing, Christine had to analyse the industry and identify the competitors and I was responsible for preparing financial projections through the input from colleagues of our beauty parlor The three of us were not conversant with each other although we have been studying in the same college for some years. and we were not engaging in regular conversation during the classes so it was not easy for us to work as a team. But all three of us had an interest in setting up a beauty outlet where people will come and get quality service different from others. We came over Five stages of group development; i.e forming, norming, storming, performing and adjourning. Although the norming stage took a while but after knowing each other well the rest of the stages went much easier. As we have now completed our business plan we have finished up the adjourning stage. Christine , enjoys regular visiting most of the famous salons in town. She is a beauty lover and is always up to date with the upcoming fashions. She has contacts with several people that performs beauty at different venues in Dar es Salaam. Her strength is awareness of popular beauty trends. Afsa too is a beauty lover. Her beauty interest includes of nails, hair , and skin. She currently participated in a beauty contest in Tanzania her strength is being well conversant in the beauty industry. Myself, I dont have much interest in beauty but I love running a hotel my strength in this exercise was identifying the opportunity as I related the organic restaurant by seeing the opportunity of opening a salon using natural beauty products. We worked as a team with acknowledgement of everyones contribution related to the tasks, we coordinated and make sure we achieved our goals. 2 PROCESS OF IDEA INITIATION Our team wanted to initiate an idea which will be effective and being able to achieve the goals in the business we planned as a our group. As a team we all put forward suggestions to come over one effective Idea. Industry situation of the current market was our first priority before choosing the idea. Our discussion included:- 1. An Organic Restaurant The idea was good as the Industry is very profitable, as there is no many such restaurants which makes the business less competitive. But we hesitated getting into this business as all of us had any experience on the said business. Then we dropped the idea. 2. Dry cleaning Business . Several dry cleaners are operating in the markets. People today require this service to make their life easier. But due to investment costs to buy the modern machines and due the lack of experience in that field we deduct chose the idea. 3. Beauty Parlor. The final choice was to open a beauty salon. The whole idea was a bit difficult as how our project will succeed while they is a fleet of salon in Tanzania. We came out with the Idea of differencing ourselves from other by opening a Beauty Salon by using Natural Beauty Products. Our final choice which was a beauty Parlor was an interest of the whole group. process of idea initiation has been very difficult to us as we had to take risk by introducing natural beauty products which is the new product in the beauty industry. What we had to do was laying out strategies and make sure we implemented them accordingly. 3 PRESENTATION EXPERIENCE Presenting the CAN Beauty parlour to our tutor allowed us to see the other side of our business plan. After passing through the pages of the written business plan; obvious would come out with several questions to the parts that needs more elaboration. We were informed of executive summary was too brief as doesnt show everything in our business plan, we were needed to elaborate a bit more. We were also needed to draw a graph showing the break even point. Presentation always adds weight to the Business plan as the investors may have a clear picture as the presents will be able to deliver what is need from the investors, question will be answered and criticism can be responded during the exercise of presentation. Presentation is a good experience as the panel can ask questions and need elaborations as we can communicate orally which will hell the business man to defend the projections written in the business plan. 4 ALTERNATIVE SCENARIO The beauty Industry is tightly come but only self I can optimistic to the group of our Beauty Parlour as per business plan. As we differentiated ourselves by using the natural products our business will be able to increase its profit by 5% every year as we projected in our financial parts. The services we offer will attract many people as the product are new in this Industry. Our service will be delivered by professional staff which will make our parlour more popular once customers experience our services. Another factor that greatly effects our growth is our initial geographic location. CAN beauty parlour will be located in Masaki near the shopping mall and tourist hotel. Our target market is a small portion of the population compromising of the middle and high income earners who are either employed or operate their own business. Our initial location will tend to gain the business of these customers due to the traffic. Lastly, the demand for healthy beauty products we will be able to make a good business as the health concern is the major issue among the people living in urban areas 5 ACADEMIC THEORIES IN THE BUSINESS PLAN We were able to apply to our project a shared leadership once we divided our team in three different parts according to the tasks we were able to take responsibilities for different parts of the business plan. We learned that everyone can work towards a common goal and there is no need to be just one separate leader.   Every member has a share in helping to lead the group. With the experience of leadership we also showed the importance of being ethical leaders, Ethical leadership is very important in any organization. . We were also able to analyse the current situation of the beauty industry attractiveness and profitability by using Michael Porters five forces. The Business plan was a great example for us to apply our knowledge of our academic theories. Our small group was able to make our business plan very effective since we had meetings every week we were able to keep it going without much toil. Another topic which came to our help is the SWOT analysis this frame work helped us to identify our competitors and where our firm stand by identifying our strengths and weaknesses, and also the business model the use off differentiation strategies here we displayed our competitive advantage using the natural beauty products which is different from our competitors. The use of the those theories helped us to increase our knowledge as we applied the in the real situation and see it working. By using the roles in making the business plan will help us a lot in our effort to make our job easier in the future. . 6 ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATION OF BUSINESS PLAN The main importance of the business plan is the industry analysis as well as market plan. It is through the industry analysis that businessman will be able to fully known the current market situations and also thoroughly identify it competitors. The industry analysis allows an entrepreneur to initiate the first decision whether to enter the market as well as the final.. A well written Business Plan is the true picture of any business because it gives details on how you plan to serve your customers and retain them. The Business Plan is important to any business as it is based in operation and management plans. Referring to our business plan the Industry analysis is will give our business an advantage to fully view the current market situation and thoroughly Identifies our competitors, and also help in knowing our competitive advantage which in this case is the differentiation strategy on our services using the natural Beauty Products. A well written Business Plan make implementation of strategies easier and helps to increase business market share. But the disadvantage could be As we projected that our financial growth will be 5% every year, this will be actionable if the implementation of the strategies will be as planned. Comparing to the actual operation the projected growth in the business plan could be wrong. 7 OTHER AREAS AND CONCLUSION The overall process of developing the business plan was very challenging. As different individuals are involved, it is difficult to come up with one point of view and hence there can be a few of disagreements and then to see the situation again and come to the final decision. I enjoyed making the business plan of the CAN Beauty Parlor with my team members. In the process, I learnt a lot of things about the Salon industry in our country. We took up the chance of introducing the salon services by using the natural products and we are certain that the business will achieve growth or expansion in the future. Conclusions I have benefited from the Business Plan writing in a number of ways: 1. I enjoyed making the business plan of the CAN Beauty Parlor with my team members. In the process, I learnt a lot of things about the Salon industry in our country 3. The overall process of developing the business plan was very challenging . Areas of Improvement I think that the Business Plan writing can be of greater relevance if more time is allowed for sitting together as a team. I have I now realize that getting business done as projected requires much more knowledge and practice of a written Business Plan Lastly, I would like to thank Afsa for her cooperation throughout the exercise in the team and whenever I was stuck she gave me advice, she was always there to give me a hand.. 8

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Cornell Essay -- Richard Cornell Th

â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†, by Richard Cornell was a story which Mr.Cornell used 8 aspects of fiction to show his point of view that one who has intellect can overcome one who has intelligence or instinct. The character’s used in the story gave the author a way to make his point of view come clear to his audience. The story uses sequence of events. The plot is how the story goes about. The setting is the surroundings of the story, or where it takes place. The suspense is the temporary holding of the information to keep the reading interested, and to keep the reader guessing and wanting to know what will happen so they will continue reading your story. Foreshadowing is the readers way of telling the ‘future’, in other words the writer is giving clues out to the reader so that the reader can produce a hypothesis of what will happen, usually the reader is right, it’s like suspense, when the reader wants to find out if he is right or wrong, it keeps the reader interested. Fantasy is when the reader suspends his disbelief in the story in order to enjoy the work of fiction, in other words the reader just stops disbelieving that some of the things in the story are impossible, and cannot happen. Images are symbols used by the author to reflect the point of view. These 8 aspects of fiction were used by Richard Cornell, in the, â€Å"Most Dangerous Game†, to reveal his point of view that one who has intellect can overcome one who has intelligence or instinct. The characters in the story were Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff. Now in the story Sanger Rainsford is the victim, and General Zaroff is the predator. Now Sanger Rainsford was a hunter, he was fearless, brave, strong, and smart. He claim’s that he is superior to the animals that he kills. But when he is being hunted himself, his point of view changes. General Zaroff is a hunter, now he hunt’s animals for sport. So he goes on a deserted island and hunts animals. A while has passed and it looks like all the animals on the island have been hunted and killed. General Zaroff then finds Sanger Rainsford washed up onto the island and he thinks, â€Å"why don’t I hunt him†, so that’s what he does. So General Zaroff becomes a people hunter, and Sanger Rainsford becomes his victim. Now the story as I have said before gave the author a way to express his moral or lesson. So he puts Sanger Rainsford on a ship, which sinks at sea... ... examples of images and all the other aspects of fiction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, The 8 aspects of fiction used by Richard Cornell in the, â€Å"Most Dangerous Game†, was mainly to reveal his point of view that one who has intellect can overcome one who has intelligence or instinct. The characters played a part of the story, in which you can find the good guy and the bad guy. The story at the end, the hunted, Sanger Rainsford makes it out alive using his knowledge and reason. The plot used by the author makes sure the story makes sense and goes in order. The setting gives scenes very important in making the story viewable in the mind of the reader. The suspense keeps readers attracted to the story until the end. The foreshadowing is the clues given out by the author to help the reader make inferences about the story. Fantasy makes the reader suspend his/her disbelief that all the things that are happening in the story are in fact real and have actually happened. And Finally Images were given to the reader to help him/her p icture the story in their mind. So I can say that the authors hypothesis was proven, that one who has intellect could overcome one who has intelligence or instinct.

Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events Essays -- science, Sony, Microso

Technology is not only a computer it’s making something better. Technology has been advancing everything and making it better. Technology doesn’t even have to be an object it can be something that has to do with science. That’s why I think that technology is good because it is making everything advanced and better than it was before. Technology is good. Technology is good because it makes our lives a whole lot easier. One reason why technology is good is because sony and Microsoft both have good systems but they are battling and seeing who’s system is better and that’s just making the systems better for us to use. In the article it says â€Å"Video games used to be seen as something for teenage boys who didn't have a lot of friends. But now a video game customer can be just about anyone. People spend nearly $63 billion worldwide on games. Almost half of those who play games are women and one-third are older than 36.† that is a good thing that more people are enjoying the video games since they came out with better technology. Now there are more people buying it because of the new technology. Another reason why technology is good is because now there is a way that doctors can find out if a baby has autism within 2 months of birth and that’s a good thing because now they can find out early and treat them wh en they are little. In the article it proves that, â€Å"Doctors usually cannot determine if a child has an autism spectrum disorder until age 2 at least. But, a new study finds that signs of it can be seen as early as two months after birth.† Since the doctors can find autism that early they can try to treat them as soon as possible. That way it won’t get too serious. The last reason why technology is good is for medical reasons is becau... ...hy people that say technology is bad are wrong. Technology is good for these reasons, sony and Microsoft both have good systems but they are battling and seeing who’s system is better and that’s just making the systems better for us to use, there is a way that doctors can find out if a baby has autism within 2 months of birth and that’s a good thing because now they can find out early and treat them when they are little, and for medical reasons is because scientists and doctors are trying to train the special need kids to make eye contact with the person that is talking to them early in their lives so they will have experience later in their lives while talking to people. That is why technology is good. Works Cited "Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events." Newsela | Nonfiction Literacy and Current Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.

PBGC Company Profile Essay

PBGC is an abbreviation of a Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The purpose of this federal corporation is to protect American’s pension. Its mission is related to protection: Forty four million American workers retirement income is currently being protected in more than 30000 benefit pension plans of private single-employer and multiemployer. Its formation is the result of an act of 1974 by the name Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It has the following objectives: First It helps private-sector define benefit pension plans to be continued and remain well maintained. Second is to provide pension benefits payment time to time, without any interruption. Its third objective is to keep minimum pension insurance premiums. The defined benefit pension plan gives pension on a monthly basis to the retirees but the pension amount is depended upon the salary and the year of services the retirees have rendered. The corporation does not only give monthly payments to retirees up to the guaranteed maximum but also the multiemployer plans participants and one who have not retired yet get financial assistance from it. General Tax Revenues don’t give any kind of fund to this corporation. Insurance premiums financed the operations of this federal corporation which was being set by Congress. Insurance premium is being paid by the sponsors defined for each benefit plan that are basically employers. The recoveries are being made from the companies which would be responsible for the plans in the past. Earnings come from investments for this corporation. According to the plan ended in 2008, workers will get $4,312. 50 monthly when they will get retire at the age of 65. It serves the range of customer’s e. g. general public, media and so on. Board of directors including the Secretaries of Labor (Chair), Commerce and the Treasury guided the operations of PBGC. The two highest priorities of this administration is to reform the defined benefit pension system and bring improvement in retirement security. It contributed in the development of Pension Protection Act of 2006. Since PBGC has worked over the last 33 years for the protection plan of participant’s interests and also to support private pension system’s growth; millions of American workers can now think about secured retirement along with their families. Both the benefit plan and the guarantee by PBGC have made a difference in the lives of the diligent Americans. Annually about $4 million is being given by this corporation to 44 million Americans. The development of the 2006 act not only improved the status of funding of many defined benefit plans but also pension system is being strengthened. Competitive advantage: The corporation has been very effective throughout in managing change over the past few years,’ pension insurance programs have faced many unexpected challenges. The corporation also won an award of managing its work force superbly in this changing business environment. The executive director said: â€Å"We are pleased to be recognized for having the right people, processes and systems in place to manage a doubling of our customer base with no diminution in the quality of our customer service. † (www. pbgc. gov,2008). It was being a first federal agency which got the full certification for its executive evaluation system. It got plenty of awards presented in magazines. These are as under: General Excellence, Service, Competitive Advantage, Global Outlook, Innovation, Managing Change, Financial Impact, Partnership, Ethical Practice and Vision. Weaknesses of PBGC: Weaknesses of PBGC’s certification and accreditation (C&A): This would impact the accuracy and completion of information which would affect the credibility of the corporation. It also affects the capability of the corporation to take and manage risks. It compromises agency’s personnel and assets too. There should be an effective C&A system to assure security of assets, personnel and operations and that could assure that the corporation is capable enough to meet its functional requirements. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-37, Accreditation of Federal Information Systems and Guide for the Security Certification provides the framework under 2002 act named as the Federal Information Security Management Act, Public Law 107-347, for how C&A program of this corporation should be implemented. Inadequate security policy and plan: The security policy and plan of the current information of PBGC are not according to the guidance provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology Special (NIST) under Federal Information Security Management Act. NIST has developed guidance and standards. It also includes minimum requirement to provide sufficient security of information for all agency assets and operations Change in organizational structure: In 2006 the reorganization of the OIT i. e. ffice of information technology had badly affected the Information System Security Officer’s ability to ensure appropriate operational security for PBGC’s information system. It affected the clarity for officer in terms of his responsibilities and accountability. It made it hard for the officer to establish security standards and procedures. Internal control weaknesses: High risk is being involved in the PBGC’s single-employer pension insurance program. The program had an accumulated deficit of $5. 4 billion in 2003 which was the largest one in history of the corporation. Under funding also increased dramatically in private pension system. The deficit was due to the following reasons: bankrupt firm’s under funded pension plans were ceased, there was a drawback in funding rules, stock market and interest rates decline, companies went global and economy is turned into knowledge based economy. The company had taken steps to improve the internal control for premiums. This is being done for two reasons. First Safeguard of assets: controls must be establish to ensure that cost and obligation are according to the law applicable and assets are safeguarded against any loss or related factors. Second reason is Financial Reporting: it is to ensure that proper reporting is being done of all the revenues and expenditures so that documentation and reports can be made and are accurate. Data Quality Weaknesses: Incorrect data entry, adjustments, and system-generated balances generate errors. Because of the data quality issue, the corporation is unable to ensure the accuracy and completeness of premium data by utilizing Past Due Filing Notices and Statements of Account. The 1st one used to notify plans which had not yet submitted premium filings and 2nd one is used to ensure that underpaid/overpaid premiums from a plan sponsor could be sort out effectively. During auditing it was being noticed that these two tools are not being used timely as it requires significant resources before mailing. Due to this, premiums could not be collected and errors could not be detected. Additionally policies and procedures have not been documented, communicated, or implemented throughout PBGC which is related to the premium accounting cycle. www. pbgc. gov,2008). Business Strategy: The new investment strategy is being formulated to balance risk and return and to improve chances of reaching full funding over the long run. According to this strategy diversified set of fixed-income investments and diversified equity investments both will be given 45% of its assets each and 10% will be given to alternative investment. Financial Information: A deficit of $18. 1 billion was being posted by insurance program for single-employer pension plans in fiscal year 2006. Due to the airline relief provisions in the Pension Protection Act, the corporation managed to reduce its probable liabilities. This led to a $4. 7 billion net improvement. It announces maximum insurance benefit for 2009. The amount would be higher for those who retire later and vise versa. The corporation had a peak year in 2000 when they had a surplus of $10 billion almost which was followed by surplus of $8 billion in 2001. The corporation got the calls in order to stop charging premiums. It got around $9 billion claims in 2002. The claims were because of airline and steel industry. (www. soa. org, n. d. ).

Changes in Supply Chain Management

Innovations And Development In Supply Chain Management (SCM) SUBMITEED BY: vaibhav kumar srivastav TABLE OF CONTENTS SI NO. TOPIC PAGE NO (1) Meaning and Introduction 1 (2) Tour of Developments in supply 2 Chain (3) Innovations and Recent trends in 2 SCM (4) Visited Companies: DTDC 6 †¢ DHL 9 †¢SAMTAL COLOR LTD 13 †¢BHEL 16 †¢BLUE DART 18 (5) Case Study on Innovations and 21 Development in SCM (Nikon Inc. ) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are very grateful to Prof. R. K. SINGAL, our Supply Chain Management Professor for giving us the guidance and help in grasping the theoretical oncepts of the subject and helping us in applying them practically in the Real Life Project at Many companies of Delhi Ncr. We are also indebted to manger who has guided us during company visit, for taking time out of his busy schedule, patiently answering our queries and helping us in understanding the supply chain management innovations and development followed at that particular company. (1) What is supply chain? Supply chain is a bridge between demand and supply. What is supply chain management? According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) â€Å"Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management†. INTRODUCTION : Having achieved significant improvements in manufacturing, many firms are now focusing their attention on their supply chains. With increased globalization, supply chains for most products have become longer both on the input as well as the output sides. This, combined with the trend towards proliferation of products makes management of the supply chain a very challenging task. SO in order to produce quality products with less cost & supplying it at less time many innovations & development has been made in the management of manufacturing supply chains. In the management of product flows, the innovations include concepts such as modularisation, postponement, mass customisation and flexible automation, time-based logistics, and cross docking. In the management of information flows, the innovations include the use of information technologies and strategic partnerships to improve the transparency of information. INNOVATION – is it relevant to SCM? : There are some W&H questions that will prove that innovations are relevant to SCM: WHY CHANGE IS REQUIRED? : Today Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone . . . Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES REQUIRED? Changes in thinking, products, processes, or services are required in SCM. The goal is positive change, to make something better or improve efficiency, productivity, quality, competitive positioning, market share, etc. (2) HOW THE CHANGE CAN BE ACHIEVED? : The most successful innovation occurs at the boundaries of organizations and industries where the problems and needs of users, and the potential of technologies can be linked together in a crea tive process. Now take a tour of developments in supply chain: . Creation Era – This era of supply chain management include the need for large scale changes, reengineering, and downsizing driven by cost reduction programs. 2. Integration Era – The development of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems in the 1960s & introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. 3. Globalization Era – Characterized by the attention towards global systems of supplier relations and the expansion of supply chain over national boundaries and into other continents 4. Specialization Era — Phase One — In the 1990s industries began to sold off non-core operations & Outsourced Manufacturing and Distribution . 5. Specialization Era — Phase Two — Supply Chain Management as a Service & Outsourced technology hosting for supply chain solutions. 6. Supply Chain Management 2. 0 – SCM 2. 0 results the combination of the processes, methodologies, tools and delivery options to guide companies to their results quickly. Innovation, Recent trends and changes in supply chain management: In the last one decade supply chain management has changed rapidly. There has been lot of involvement of new ideas. Few of them are described below:- (3) 1. Shifting focus from manufacturing to outsourcing: 25 years ago, most manufacturers owned their own factories and controlled their own production. They had complete, detailed knowledge of the capacity, schedules, and costs of manufacturing. Companies could adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace and restore the supply/demand balance more easily. Figure 1 shows the once-linear relationship companies had with their captive factories and sales offices. In the days before e-commerce, consumer demand fluctuated relatively slowly. With complete visibility into their own factories and sales offices, companies could easily find the status of inventory, work in progress, and customer orders currently in the supply chain. In the years since, a fundamental shift has taken place. More and more design, marketing, and sales take place on home shores, while parts manufacturing and final assembly are outsourced to offshore suppliers. In fact, a 2006 AMR Research study of contract manufacturing trends found that 92% of companies outsourced some of their production with 40% projecting they will outsource more in the next two years. . Emergence and proliferation of Information Technology: Information technology, even taken as an independent environmental factor and its adoption in professionally run businesses and firms has led to fundamental changes in supply chain behavior and further to the changes in governance structures. Virtually all sectors of industry in the developed and in the developing regions have witnessed t he following major trends over the past two decades: †¢Data storage costs have gone down in the past few years, while the volume of data gathered for business analysis purposes has increased dramatically. The cost per business transaction as well as the networking and communication costs within supply chains has been greatly reduced. Simultaneously, the capabilities and the content involved in the communications and the number and relevance of IT enabled business transactions have also increased. †¢With greater analytical capabilities and design technologies, new product introductions have increased, in part as a response to the need for greater product variety. As a consequence, product life-cycles have been shrinking, as documented for many industry sectors. The role of IT in the handling and communication of product design information is also well chronicled. These changes in IT (in particular business communication technologies) have played a critical role in enabling firms and supply chains to operate on a global scale [27]. Without IT being the enabler, the disintegrated supply network cannot be managed effectively. (4) 3. In the 1990s industries began to focus on â€Å"core competencies† and adopted a specialization model. Companies sold off non-core operations, and outsourced those functions to other companies. The specialization model creates manufacturing and distribution networks composed of multiple, individual supply chains specific to products, suppliers, and customers, who work together to design, manufacture, distribute, market, sell, and service a product. 4. Emergence of Retail Powerhouses: The consolidation or convergence of retail channels, as in the case of the retail chains such as Wal-Mart and the accompanying phenomena of smaller stores and chains being replaced by larger discount stores, not only have ad a profound impact on the supply channels, it has also changed the traditional roles defined for the manufactures, the retailers, the wholesalers and distributors. With the emergence of retail powerhouses, the large manufacturers of consumer items have seen incentives to outsource the cost and asset intensive operations to contract manufacturers, while focusing on creating and sustaining brand values through design and marketing activities. For retailers, the competition is now based on cost, logistics, and speed of innovation. These basic tenets of retail competition coupled with the change in the retail landscape have an enormous impact on the supply channels that feed the growing retail channels. These supply channels, both large and small, have to respond quicker and more efficiently to customer demand patterns. As a result, retail companies have attempted to change their business models and to dictate broad strategic and operating requirements to their vast supply base – thus there is pressure even on large and established suppliers to conform to the specific practices and the needs of the retail channels. In order to compete in the new landscape, retailers are taking on influential role in the design of products, they are also ready to reach in the second tier to develop market and distribute products that in some cases compete directly with their own suppliers. In short we can define latest trends in SCM as:- Trend 1. Demand plan sets the tone: Critical to the success of any Demand Plan is having all stakeholders, including sales, marketing, finance, product development and supply chain agrees upon a consensus Demand Plan. It is important for all participants to discuss factors affecting customer demand patterns, such as new or deleted products, competitors or market conditions, the aggregate demand plans and associated revenue plans. Once all demand for products and services is recognized, the information is consolidated into one Demand Plan. We have found that companies with dedicated resources focused around demand planning and forecasting yield stronger results and (5) drive more value to their company. Organizations that focus part time on demand planning and forecasting efforts yield substandard results. Trend 2. Globalization: The right Supply Chain Design is critical to managing the changes brought about by rapid globalization. A well thought-out Supply Chain Network Design can optimize the network and the flow of materials through the network. In doing so, network design captures the costs of the supply chain with a â€Å"total landed cost† perspective, and applies advanced mathematical technology to determine optimal answers to both strategic and tactical questions. TREND 3 can be found with: †¢Sales and operations planning †¢Transportation/distribution management †¢Improved product lifecycle management †¢Improved strategic sourcing and procurement Suppliers can differentiate themselves in a number of ways as well as provide value, additional services and capabilities to their customers. The differentiating factors include: †¢Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) †¢RFID †¢Labeling and packaging †¢Drop shipping †¢Collaboration TREND-4 Establishment of control mechanisms to proactively monitor the various components of the supply chain and, Information systems to connect and coordinate the supply chain as seamlessly as possible. A failure to excel at any one of these components can result in breakdowns affecting the entire supply chain. TREND-5: As the economy becomes more global, labeling and compliance to packaging requirements and regulations have become critical to success. Without adherence to local packaging and labeling regulations a product may violate local requirements, preventing it from being distributed and sold in that market. Product lifecycle management technology and processes can help ensure that products being produced and targeted for specific markets are well-managed and are compliant. TREND-6: Recent examples of collaboration have emerged in the expansion of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes that include upstream and downstream value chain partners as regular participants. S&OP processes help maintain a well-coordinated and valid, current operating plan in support of customer demand, a business plan and a strategy. The improved resulting (6) operating plan provides the management of each partner with a complete picture of forecasted demand, supply capacity, corresponding financial information with financial implications and allows them to make informed, critical decisions. We have visited some companies to show the Innovations and Development they have applied in their SCM for last 10 years: Company Profile: DTDC Courier & Cargo Ltd. (DTDC) was incorporated in the year 1990. Within a span of 20 years, through its business associates DTDC expanded its delivery network across the length & breadth of the country, thereby creating the nation’s Largest Domestic Delivery Network. Today DTDC is the second largest Indian company in the Express industry. DTDC can also be credited with pioneering the franchisee concept for the courier industry in India, and today has the largest franchisee network. Headquartered at Bangalore, with 4 of its Zonal Offices at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai & Mumbai, DTDC currently serves around 10, 000 pincode areas and has over 3700 franchised outlets supported by 176 offices which includes its Regional Offices, Area Offices, Branch Offices, Operational Hubs and Sub-Branches. DTDC has extended its service network to the overseas market and provides services to worldwide destinations using its own branches and international associates at prime gateways like USA, UK, Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, SriLanka & Hong Kong. Thanks to its strong IT infrastructure, the company is able to deliver 10. 5 million parcels a month to customers (7) across the world. To support its ambitious growth plans; DTDC has entered into an association with Reliance ADAG Group, and has on its Board, a Director from Reliance. Innovations and development they have taken in SCM for last 10 years: †¢V Express for Business Delivery: DTDC has lunched of V express, its new product which assures delivery of documents on the next business day. The product carries a unique feature of 100% money back if at all there is any service failure. The service shall be available in the 6 metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad in select princode areas. There will also be SMS Alert on delivery as avalue added service. †¢SMS Courier Limited for Speedy Delivery of Intra-City Consignments: DTDC has launched SMS Courier Ltd. , its subsidiary for the purpose of speedy intra-city deliveries and mass mailing activities. SMS Courier will be useful to organizations dealing in large volumes of intra-city consignments like the banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and cellular operators. The newly-formed subsidiary will ensure timely deliveries even to the remotest areas of the city. This service is available in the six metros and has made its entry into Pune as well. †¢Tie-Up with Reliance Money For Distribution Of Financial Services: To support their ambitious growth plans DTDC India’s leading Air Express & Cargo Company and Reliance Money Limited entered into a strategic alliance wherein DTDC will be acting as a distributor for Reliance Money’s financial products and services. DTDC already has a tie up with Reliance Capital and they would be happy to be associated with Reliance Money also. With DTDC’s distribution network, Reliance Money will be able to reach out to the smallest of investors in the remotest parts of India thereby achieving its objective of providing safe and secure financial services at a retail investor’s doorstep. †¢DTDC uses IT as its virtual vehicle: But what made the courier delivery system so efficient? IT (information technology) of course. The operations, efficiency and customer satisfaction were all enhanced with the application of IT and this is the secret behind the success of DTDC. The company uses IT as its virtual vehicle to provide timely and accurate information on the movement and delivery status of consignments. This is accessible through various digital modes like the DTDC website, mobile telephony (SMS) or its in-house developed track and trace facility. IT is the backbone of the entire operational and customer service process and e-mail is the lifeline of the company’s communications system. Launch of Time Definite Services Under DTDC Prime Time Plus†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9) â€Å"Prime Time Plus†, launched under the DTDC plus banner, is a guaranteed service for time definite deliveries of consignments within the next possible business day targeted at Time Critical Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Customer (B2C) Segments. PRIME TIME PLUS: PRODUCT/ SERVICE FEATURES  » Assured Time Definite Delivery with Money Back Guarantee*(MBG).  » Tamper Proof Security Pouch for Safe delivery.  » Real time Tracking and Status update.  » Dedicated High Performing Team to manage the service End to End.  » Distinct High Priority Operation Process.  » Dedicated Customer Support. Company Profile: DHL are the first letters of the last names of the three company founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn. 1111111111111 In 1969, just months after the world had marveled at Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, the three partners took another small step that would have a profound impact on the way the world does business. 111111111111111 The founders began to personally ship papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu, beginning customs clearance of the ship's cargo before the actual arrival of the ship and dramatically reducing waiting time in the harbour. Customers stood to save a fortune. 1111111111111111111111111111111111 ( (10) With this concept, a new industry was born: international air express, the rapid delivery of documents and shipments by airplane. 11111111111111111111 The DHL Network continued to grow at an incredible pace. The company expanded westward from Hawaii into the Far East and Pacific Rim, then the Middle East, Africa and Europe. By 1988, DHL was already present in 170 countries and had 16,000 employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ At the beginning of 2002, Deutsche Post World Net became the major shareholder in DHL. By the end of 2002, DHL was 100% owned by Deutsche Post World Net. In 2003, Deutsche Post World Net consolidated all of its express and logistics activities into one single brand, DHL. The world's largest express and logistics Network DHL is the global market leader in international express, overland transport and air freight. It is also the world's number 1 in ocean freight and contract logistics. DHL offers a full range of customized solutions – from express document shipping to supply chain management. 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Below are the global facts and figures that show you the scale of the world's largest express and logistics network. Global Facts and Figures Number of Employees: around 285,000 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Offices: around 6,500 111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Hubs, Warehouses & Terminals: more than 450 1111111111111111111111 Number of Gateways: 240 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Aircraft*: 420 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Vehicles: 76,200 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Number of Countries & Territories: more than 220 111111111111111111111111111 Shipments per Year: more than 1. 5 billion 11111111111111111111111111111111 Destinations Covered: 120,000111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 (11) Supply Chain Management For DHL Information Flow 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Innovative Supply Chain Development Supply Chain Management services are delivered across industry sectors and provide expertise, knowledge and resources in terms of personnel and supply chain tools. All services are targeted at optimizing logistical operations in both process and strategy, and are aligned to the client's commercial expectations The services are as follows: ?Strategic Logistics Consulting ?Lead Logistics Provider ?Consulting and providing Transport optimization: Route-Pro and Trans-Pro ? Consulting and providing Supply Chain Design ?Consulting and providing Transportation ?Engineering, optimization and re-engineering Implementation and Project Management ?Process Management ?Outsourcing DHL’s consulting services also offer re-organization of customer facilities, project management for customers, implementation of new IT Systems, creation of tender documents and tender processing. (12) †¢Supply Chain Re-engineering DHL works with customers to review supply chain efficiencies. One of the main tasks is to evaluate cost efficiency to ensure that costs are being driven down throughout the contract duration. Data analysis allows DHL to provide customers with ‘what if modeling' or the impact of changing the business rules. Distribution to Stores Management DHL’s distributions to store solutions are focused on helping retailers create efficient and flexible supply chains to deliver product to retail outlets at high levels of service. 111111111111111111111111111111 These solutions are built from several core services including reverse logistics: ? logistics network strategy ?warehouse design and simulation ?Transport modeling. †¢After Sales Optimisation Optimising return logistics and spare parts logistics as well as maintenance and repair services. †¢Vehicle Management Services Our vehicle management services focus on the management of sales and marketing support programmes for automotive manufacturers. Combining a range of services and systems to deliver a global response, we help you overcome challenges at the end of the automotive supply chain. (13) Samtel Color Group Company Profile: Samtel Group's journey began in 1973, with a vision to create a world-class organization. Today, Samtel Group is India’s largest integrated manufacturer of a wide range of displays for television, avionics, industrial, medical and professional applications, TV glass, components for displays, machinery and engineering services. The group employs 6000 people in nine world-class factories and has an annual turnover of Rs 12 billion (USD 300M) Samtel Group has strong design and development skills and is a dependable player with excellent technological capabilities and a long-term commitment to the display industry. Its products are known for ruggedness and reliability and conform to the latest relevant quality standards. The group has excellent relationships with suppliers of key components and the ability to design new products as well as set up hi-tech manufacturing facilities. Samtel has registered many patents for developments in display technology. Chairman & managing director : Mr. Satish K. Kaura No. of employees – 6000 Corporate headquarters: TDI Centre, District Centre — Jasola, New Delhi We have visited one of its industries in GHAZIABAD i. e. (14) SAMTEL COLOR LTD Samtel Color is the flagship company of the Samtel group, and manufactures the widest range of Colour TV tubes in India and has a capacity of over 10 million picture tubes per annum. The company was incorporated in 1986 with a technical collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric, Japan to manufacture 14† and 21† Color Picture Tubes (CPTs). With a market share of over 60%, it is the largest tube manufacturer in the country. Its clients include leading domestic and international TV manufacturers. Integrated backwards with its component divisions at Ghaziabad and Parwanoo, Samtel Color also manufactures electron guns and deflection yokes for colour picture tubes. Samtel color ltd. Ghaziabad Was Established in the year 1988. Inaugurated by then FINANCE MINISTER N. D TIWARI. PRODUCT MANUFACTURED & EXPORTED: PICTURE TUBES MAJOR CUSTOMERS: LG, VIDEOCON, SAMSUNG, THOMSON etc. TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES: BTC, DELHI ASHARAM TRANSPORT ORDER PLACED -12 LACS (approx. ) It started with manufacturing picture tubes of 21’’ . They were out sourcing their raw materials from Samsung but later they started producing their own material at their own units . They mak e their products according to the anticipation of demand i. . PULL STRATEGY. They are having a continuous process. (15) Innovations and development they have taken for last 10 years: †¢Joint Venture With THALES Group: France’s THELES group, which has been operating in India since 1953, and has stepped up its presence in the country over the past two decades, has also teamed up with electronics manufacturer SAMTAL to create a joint venture, named SAMTEL THALES Avionics, which have an equity participation of 74:26 by SAMTEL and THALES. This joint venture design and anufacture global products to make the joint venture a part of THALES global supply chain. †¢Earlier they used to transport their products of small tones. Now they are transporting the goods in large tones. †¢As the needs of consumers were changing & because of stiff competition they were facing they started manufacturing & supplying TRUE FLAT PICTURE TUBES i. e. 29’’, 20’’, 21’’, 14’’ 6-7 years before. †¢Started manufacturing the raw- materials required in making picture tubes –panel, funnel, electron gun, DYs(Deflection Yoke ),band etc in its different units. t helped to increase the quality & reduced the time & increased profits †¢They are having robots in their units which help in producing quality products, reduces the time for manufacturing products. †¢Now they are manufacturing ULTRA SLIM PICTURE TUBES as it is the need of the hour& it provides them competitive advantage over other competitors. †¢Research is going on making LCD in airplanes. †¢They are using new technology for producing better quality products & reducing the cost. (16) Company Profile: BHEL was founded in 1950s. Its operations are organised around three business sectors: Power, Industry – including Transmission, Transportation, and Telecommunication & Renewable Energy – and Overseas Business. Today, BHEL has a wide-spread network comprising 14 manufacturing divisions, 8 service centers, 4 power sector regional centers, 18 regional offices, and a large number of project sites spread all over India and abroad. BHEL is one of the largest exporters of engineering products & services from India. BHEL has established its references in around 60 countries of the world, ranging from the United States in the West to New Zealand in the Far East. Its export range include: individual products to complete power stations, turnkey contracts for power plants, EPC contracts, HV/EHV Sub-stations, O services for familiar technologies, specialized after-market services like Residual Life Assessment (RLA) studies and retrofitting, refurbishing & overhauling, and supplies to manufacturers & EPC contractors. BHEL's product range include: Steam turbines and generators of up to 500MW capacity for utility and combined-cycle applications; Steam turbines for CPP applications; Gas turbines of up to 260MW (ISO) rating; Custom-built conventional hydro turbines of Kaplan, Francis and Pelton types with matching generators, pump turbines with matching motor-generators; Spherical, butterfly and rotary valves and auxiliaries for hydro station; HSD, LDO, FO, LSHS, natural-gas/biogas based diesel power plant; Industrial turbo-sets of ratings from 1. to 120MW; Steam generators for utilities, ranging from 30 to 500MW capacity, using coal, lignite, oil, natural gas or a combination of these fuels; Pulverized fuel fired boilers; Stoker boilers; Atmospheric fluidized bed combustion boilers; Circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers; Waste heat recovery boiler; Boiler Auxiliaries; Heat Exchangers & Pressure Vessels; Pumps; Power Station Control Equipment; Switchgears; Bus Ducts; Transformers; Insulators; Capacitors; Energy Meters etc. (17) Classification of Materials: The materials for procurement can be classified in two categories: Direct Materials: Materials, which go directly into the Project/ Product/ Site/ Systems. Indirect Materials: Materials other than above, such as consumables/ packing etc which are used in manufacture of despatchable products and materials such as coal, cement, kerosene, oil etc which are used to run the essential services/ machine tools/ office establishment. Supplier registration is one of the primary and important activities of MM functions. This is the entry point of supplier in BHEL. A carefully chosen supplier will be an asset to the organization. DEMAND FORECASTING METHOD? ABC analysis and EOQ methods. JIT does not work for BHEL as most of the procured items are long cycle items and Inventories have to be maintained to avoid any production hold ups. Normally inventories sufficient for 3 month requirements are maintained. HOW ORDERS ARE PLACED ? BHEL quotes against the tender requirements (normally global) published in all the national newspapers and also made available on the web sites of respective customers. After evaluation of all the received bids by the customer, if the BHEL’s bid is found to be technically acceptable and financially the lowest then the customer places a Work order on BHEL. CUSTOMER FOR BHEL? NTPC, NHPC, STATE ELECTRICITY BOARDS AND PRIVATE COMPANIES FOREIGN COUNTRIES LIKE RUSSIA, GERMANY, FRANCE, MIDDLE EAST etc. (18) Supply Chain Management For BHEL, Company Profile: Blue Dart Express Ltd. , India's premier integrated air express carrier and logistics-services provider, has been one of the largest Global Service Participants of Federal Express Corporation, the world's eading air express transportation company, since 1984. From 1984, Blue Dart represented all FedEx interests, under a principal to principal arrangement, in India. Blue Dart-Federal Express Relationship: Blue Dart and FedEx have determined a new agreement in October 1997 to coincide with the introduction by FedEx of its first round-the-world flight touching Mumbai, as well as its direct entry int o the country. Under this agreement, Blue Dart is the exclusive provider of transportation, (19) ickup and delivery, customs and related services for FedEx's International Priority shipments, as well as the sole preferred consolidator of FedEx services. The Alliance seeks to leverage the strengths of both organisations for mutual benefit. While FedEx focuses solely on the development of its international business, with its link to the vibrant economy of the Sub-Continent, Blue Dart continues to consolidate its dominant domestic position, and service and enhance its international customer base as a licensee of FedEx, to support FedEx's international growth. The new agreement is designed to stimulate the development of India's international express market by combining the competitive advantages of FedEx's global reach with Blue Dart's domestic coverage to increase the market share of both companies. Innovations and development they have taken in SCM for last 10 years: TrackDartTM: You can track the status of shipment by using the TrackDartTM box, which is available on the upper left panel of every page on our website. You may track shipments sent on Blue Dart services within India or to Nepal, Bangladesh or Bhutan. You may also track international shipments sent on Federal Express to/from India. Shipments under single or multiple waybills may be tracked using either the waybill number or the reference number given at the time of shipping. MailDartTM: You may either use the Waybill Number or the Reference Number to track the status of your shipments. This feature helps you to track Single or Multiple shipments. To track the status of your shipments by Waybill Number enter the waybill numbers either in `Subject' or in the text of the mail, each Waybill number seperated by a comma. To track the status of your shipments by (20) Reference/Order Number. Enter the reference/order numbers in `Subject' of the mail, each reference or order number seperated by a comma. Location Finder: 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Find the service locations of Blue Dart and the Blue Dart counter or franchisee located closest to you. You may search by city, street name or pin code to find one of over 11,558 locations serviced in India, or in 211 countries worldwide. Transit Time Finder: 111111111111111111111111111111 You can check the transit times for your domestic and international shipments, and for the various services offered by Blue Dart to help you identify the service that meets your requirements. Price Finder: 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 You can calculate your shipping costs for your domestic and international shipments by using their Price Finder. Waybill Generation: 111111111111111111111111111111 The Online Waybill generation tool helps the credit customer to generate a waybill for a consignment. The user has to enter the details of the consignment and the waybill will be generated in a PDF format. Address Book: This feature comes with the online waybill generation module. The Address Book can be accessed by all credit customers of Blue Dart. You can create a new address list and modify or delete the addresses at any point of time. 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 (21) Case Study Case Study Nikon Focuses on Supply Chain Innovation— And Makes New Product Distribution a Snap Top consumer goods manufacturers now recognize that success requires more than just making market-leading products. Having the right distribution network is just as critical. Nikon Inc. is the world’s leader in precision optics, 35mm and digital imaging technology. So it’s no surprise that when the company saw the next big trend in photographic technology—digital cameras—they were ready to deliver with some of the most advanced product designs in the marketplace. But to ensure that retailers could meet the demand of tech-hungry consumers and professional photographers, Nikon, with the help of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, reengineered its distribution network to keep them well supplied. Client Challenge: To support the launch of its new digital cameras, Nikon knew that customer service capabilities needed to be completely up to speed from the start and that distributors and retailers would require up-to-the-minute information about product availability. While the company had previously handled new product distribution in-house, this time Nikon realized that burdening its existing infrastructure with a new, demanding, high-profile product line could impact customer service performance adversely. In our business, it’s not enough just to produce leading-edge products,† said Arnold Kamen, Nikon’s Vice President of Operations and Customer Service. â€Å"Having the ability—and visibility—to predict how much merchandise is (22) available and when it can be distributed makes the difference in staying ahead of customers’ needs. † For Nikon, that meant applying its well-known talent for innovation to creating an entirely new dis tribution strategy and taking the rare step of outsourcing distribution of an entire consumer electronics product line. With UPS Supply Chain Solutions on board, Nikon was able to quickly execute a synchronized supply chain strategy that moves product to retail stores throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and allows Nikon to stay focused on the business of developing and marketing precision optics. Our Solution: Starting at Nikon’s manufacturing centers in Korea, Japan and Indonesia, UPS Supply Chain Solutions manages air and ocean freight and related customs brokerage. Nikon’s freight is directed to Louisville, Kentucky, which not only serves as the all-points connection for UPS’s global operations, but also is home to the UPS Supply Chain Solutions Logistics Center main campus. Here, merchandise can either be â€Å"kitted† with accessories such as batteries and chargers, or repackaged to in-store display specifications. Finally, the packages are distributed to literally thousands of retailers across the U. S. , or shipped for export to Latin American or Caribbean retail outlets and distributors, using any of UPS’s worldwide transportation services to provide the final delivery. 23) With the UPS Supply Chain Solutions system in place, the process calibrates the movement of goods and information by providing SKU-level visibility within complex distribution and IT systems. UPS also provides Nikon advance shipment notifications throughout the U. S. , Caribbean and Latin American markets. The result: a â€Å"snap shot† of the supply chain that rivals the performance of a Nikon camera. Nikon has already seen the results of its innovation in both digital technology and product distribution. The consumer digital camera sector is one of Nikon’s fastest growing product lines. In addition, supply chain performance and customer service are measurably improved. Products leaving Nikon manufacturing facilities in Asia can now be on a retailer’s shelf in as few as two days. While products are en route, Nikon also has the ability to keep retailers informed of delivery times and to adjust them as needed, so that no retailer needs to miss sales opportunities due to lack of product availability. UPS Supply Chain Solutions is forging a broad spectrum of creative solutions to support the Nikon supply chain, including logistics, transportation, freight and customs brokerage services. Synchronizing those pieces to work together gives Nikon a significant advantage in leveraging the competitive strengths of UPS Supply Chain Solutions. â€Å"Through a combination of UPS services, we have been able to greatly shorten our supply chain,† Kamen said. â€Å"Although we are achieving greater speeds, we have better visibility of our products, which enables us to provide a higher level of service to retailers and ultimately, the final customer. † Once (24) again, Nikon leads the market in leveraging the latest developments in technology. â€Å"Thank You†