Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Analytical Frameworks to Global Essay

Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Analytical Frameworks to Global Supply Chains - Essay Example This paper illustrates that in today’s competitive scenario, competitive advantage can be developed and customers can be satisfied through managing transportation, production schedules and plans, information flow and inventory. There are organizations competing on the global platform by collaboratively working with various international suppliers, outsourcing as well as marketing to consumers located across the globe. The global reality puts more emphasis on supply chain management to be successful. Global supply chains mainly focus on global business and there are different analytic frameworks that support the process. There is the operational and strategic way of thinking about supply chains so as to identify the appropriate mechanism in a particular context. For an entrepreneur or an organization to be successful, it is essential that innovation is incorporated into supply chains in order to achieve desired outcomes. This study will focus on three major analytical framework s related to global supply chains such as supply chain management, global commodity chains, and global production networks. Their respective internal strengths and weakness justify their suitability in a significant global business framework. When organizations get involved in supply chain they need to make effective decisions regarding ways of handling primary supply chain activities. For instance, Toyota is an ideal example when it comes to describing the concept of supply chain management. This company outsourced certain factors of a supply chain in which they were not proficient. Toyota was able to design a JIT system since it had a strong relationship with its suppliers. Often for an effective supply chain management, it is essential to have all components aligned with common goals and objectives. There are certain major strengths associated with supply chain management such as it enhances the level of profit margins. Due to supply chain management, an organization can coordina te well with its suppliers and end customers to achieve high margins of revenue. A supply chain management even facilitates less of time delays that help in sustaining business operations in a competitive environment. On the other hand, flexibility can be regarded as other strength of supply chain management.

How Businessman Rides Out Despite the Extreme Challenges Essay

How Businessman Rides Out Despite the Extreme Challenges - Essay Example It is very interesting to know how these businessmen were able to make it through and ride out despite the extreme challenges that he had to contend with. In addition, these two executives belong to the same family such that they are siblings; hence, it would also be interesting to learn how family relations affect the business as a whole. Me: How did you get into this business? Sir Smith: My father was a farmer. I was the eldest child in the family so I was early exposed to life on the farm. In college, I went to the Colorado State University where I majored in Agricultural Engineering and graduated in 1977. So, I can fairly say that I have a very good background in agricultural stuff. The decision to engage in this kind of business was mostly rooted from self-realization that as a man who grew up in a farm, I am one of those few who really knows what it takes to be successful in agricultural business. Eventually, in 1980, together with my siblings, I put up my own agricultural busi ness that I called Smith AgriPro. AgriPro stands for â€Å"agricultural procurement.† Ms. Ada Smith-Rogers: He and I are poles apart. He is the eldest while I am the youngest child in the family. Aside from the fact that we grew up on the farm, I was never really interested in agricultural stuff. What I am interested in is doing business. Generally, I oversee the overall completion of the operation in all the divisions of the company. So, the biggest highlight of my position, perhaps, would be the opportunity to witness the growth of the company since its birth. I always make the final decision and so my decisions determine where the company would be in several years. As President and CEO, your every move should be a calculated risk. Fortunately, for me, with the help of my subordinates, I was able to clearly evaluate the company’s annual performance since 1980, and through this careful evaluation, I was able to venture in proliferating the company in various locations within the county. Ms. Smith-Rogers: I feel probably the same pressure as he [Sir Smith] feels in running and managing this company. As Executive Vice President, I also assume duties and responsibilities that the president and CEO have. I am responsible for the maximization of the overall operating performance of the company and in the attainment of our company’s financial objectives. I supervise the human resource department, finance department, business development, and of course, communicating with the board of directors. The highlight of my position was probably that time when the company is already making its spot in the agricultural industry, surpassing many giant companies. The company needed more workers so as the Executive Vice President, I had to carry out recruitment strategies that would attract highly talented and intelligent workers from all over the state. Gladly, I was successful at doing that. The company was able to acquire the ideal number of workers for i ts various operations.  

Influence of the Economy on UK Government

Influence of the Economy on UK Government The UK economy has undergone structural, financial, and political change over the last thirty years. Different ideologies and policies have served to shape the relationship between government and economy in varying directions. Some elements, such as state intervention, have remained as a point of debate. Other factors, like globalization, have just recently developed. The policy of UK governments as a whole has been shaped quite heavily by major economic events during this period, and the legacy left by the Conservative and Labor governments can still be seen today. The context of this relationship is concerned with the theory of political economy. This is the idea of rationality and growth of the ‘free market. First, it is key to outline the characteristics of the relationship the government and the economy share. Clearly, a government influences the way an economy works via it’s policies. The government uses two branches of policy, fiscal and monetary. Fiscal policy entails government spending whereas monetary policy involves manipulation interest rates. Both policy instruments are designed to achieve growth. The attempts of a government to influence economic activity in the national economy are defined as macro-economic measures. Even the government itself is run as a typical business in a free market economy. It has a limited budget, and it has to prioritize quality and cost. It sets itself certain monetary and economic targets which it aims to meet each financial year. The state also plays a crucial role in providing a welfare state, where transfer payments are an important part of a circular flow of an economy. Transfer payments are aid given to people who are unemployed, or for any other reason, are economically inactive. Aside from this, the government will play other roles of importance. The regulation of markets and the encouragement of competition and entrepreneurship are all different areas in which the government contributes to the economy. If you break the relationship down further to involve the firms, the government still maintains influential involvement. The tax system and enterprise schemes are just two of a long list of programs with which government and business stay inter-connected. The ass ociation between the government and its economy is a crucial and significant aspect of any dominant nation around the globe. One of the key changes in this relationship between governments and economies hasn’t risen from external events. One of the components of this relationship has undergone significant change since 1979. When looking at the time period just before this, there had been various approaches to political economy which had begun and then collapsed. The Keynesian orthodoxy collapsed in the face of a persistent and unpredicted rate of inflation. Each ideological change brought about it’s different effects on the relationship between government and economy. To generalize the change before and after 1979, it is appropriate to state that the size and style of government had changed, from big to small. Big government, where regulation of markets, state intervention and command economics were the central characteristics, had been abolished. In came small government, where practices such as deregulation, privatization and free market economics were encouraged and integrated. Under small government, the state would take a step back from economic affairs, and adapt, to a small extent; a ‘laissez-faire’ approach. This change in government would be preferred by business and other capitalists. Certainly, this change was a landmark event in the economic theory of the state, and would shape the economic policies of the following governments. The tenures of Thatcher and Blair may have been under different parties, but towed the line of small government, less government intervention. A new wave of neo-liberal or neo-classical practice had begun. The change in government style has been noted. Now, the effects of this change need to be assessed, and more importantly, the critical elements need to be analyzed. First, the notion of state intervention and market failure has to be critically put under the microscope. The argument over whether the state should intervene in the country’s economy has been a drawn out affair. Certainly, under the new Thatcher government in the early 80’s, state intervention in economic matters was the norm. Under Thatcher ‘there was a real attempt to deregulate markets and to transfer assets from public to the private sector’. This policy of privatization, ‘the sale of public sector firms to the private sector’, had become the hallmark of the 1980’s Con servative tenure. ‘Indeed, for many the overriding impression given by the Thatcher government was it’s interventionist †¦ stance in a wide variety of markets’. The idea behind this privatization program was that first, opening up large monopoly type companies allowed the implementation of private expertise and involvement, which wasn’t initially present. This would lead to a great level of efficiency and productivity. Second, privatization would show that ‘even natural monopolies were better handled by arms’ length regulation that committed the government to intervene perpetually’. Other Thatcher projects like the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public-Private partnerships invoked the idea of bringing a isolated private sector into the fray, and tapping it’s knowledge and expertise to bring a positive effect. The Public Finance Initiative used private finance to build projects and private management to run them, with the government paying a service charge for the use of the asset. Certainly, this program brought to the end the idea of heavy state control. The economic policies of Thatcher were a definite change from the period before. Labor would continue the main theme of free market policies. However, the period under Labor also the nationalization of some of Britain’s big companies. The Financial Crisis of 2007 saw Labor bring the Royal Bank of Scotland, Northern Bank and Lloyds TSB into government ownership. The government was forced to pump emergency funds into the banks to restore confidence in the banking system and to avoid a complete collapse. The need for government intervention wasn’t favored by either the banking sector or the general public, but this intervention was one of the risks which came with a free market economy. As free market economies involve little regulation, the banks in this case, went past many of their remit when it came to what practices they could and should carry out. In such an economy, it is often assumed that the market should be left to regulate for itself, but such an assumption failed completely here. Alongside the banking crisis, the government was forced to introduce other macro-economic measures, such as quantitative easing designed to increase money supply and consumer spending, and other more micro-economic based measures such as the car scrappage scheme, which concentrated on boosting car sales. Government intervention was quite successful during this period, with Britain return to relative growth by 2009 and the banking sector beginning to recover. The period highlights the issue of whether state intervention is ever invisible to the economy. The idea behind dropping a command economic model is that you want an economy to work in a way for which it aims to maximize profit and creates growth and enterprise. Taking out the notion of state intervention means that individual companies and markets will have to work more efficiently and more professionally then they would if state assistance was on hand to help on any time. Regulation and risk-taking would have to be at an acceptable level, as the responsibility and successfulness of a business will depend solely on it’s management. Thus, should the business fall into trouble, and the government doesn’t intervene, it will be the company’s bosses that will feel the wrath of it’s shareholders. However, w hen the situation at stakes involves a sector which the whole country depends on and uses a lot of the time, e.g. banks, it becomes increasingly difficult for the government not to take action. The banks were a big concern for the public and small businesses, as there would be a high chance of savings being lost and businesses losing investment. It was important for all people involved to see the banks recover and be halted from the verge of collapse. The period has shown two things. Firstly, the UK economy has definitely assembled a free market and neo-liberal economic agenda, with markets allowed to act as they wish within an appropriate limit. Secondly, the government has the tools and the power to intervene in markets which grossly abuse the power allocated and allowed to them. Another aspect of political economy which has developed over the last thirty years is globalization. The term globalization ‘more accurately describes a number of processes by which products, people, companies, money and information are able to move freely and quickly around the world, unimpeded by national borders or other territorial limitations’. The effect of globalization is developing as each day goes by. The global economy has undergone significant change over the last few years, with workers and businesses all around the world being influenced by events happening in other parts of the globe. Trade and labour are some of the key parts of how globalization has developed. Trade between countries has grown quite extensively, with the European Union a good example of how trade relations have lengthened. Also, companies are now begin ning to locate businesses abroad because of cheap labour and favorable tax incentives. All these events have led to a rapid rise in global economic theory and policy. Globalization has helped create TNC’s (transnational companies) whose brand name is known all around the world. The effect of globalization is that the communication and influence of national government in it’s can break down easily. For example, if a company in the UK feels it is being taxed unfairly, or feels that it’s UK labour force isn’t as efficient as it could be in other countries, it may now have the ability to leave without causing itself much damage financially. If the government knows that it’s hand can be forced easily by the developing global market, it will be forced to succumb to the any demand of it’s domestic businesses. Ironically, globalization can also be classed as an argument for state intervention. Globalization will lead to some businesses failing due to increased competition – more reason to support other firms which could be successful in the future. Also, globalization may not be such a bad thing economicall y. Yes, a country is at risk with its businesses willing to relocate to the country that suits them best, but global competition means more emphasis on firm’s to become competitive. This can lead to more jobs and more growth in the domestic economy. The advancement of globalization has led to a decrease in the influence of government and moved up a notch, the power of business in national economies. In conclusion, over the last thirty years, the relationship between government and economy has fluctuated many times. The policy and style of government, and other external crises’ and events have led to different styles in handling public sector economics. External events such as the financial crisis and globalization have brought up the debate of the free market and whether attempts to keep the government in the background will ever be successful. Monopolies were the created of privatization, but deregulation was a creator of nationalization. This has seen a fine line having to be struck between the government’s roles in the economy. Globalization has seen individual firms within an economy boost their status and influence, in turn, shutting out government power in their respective economies. Different parties have brought their respective philosophies into power in the UK. Enterprise, freedom of choice and increased competition in individual markets has been the driv ing force in most action taken by government during this period. In my opinion, it is fair to say, that the UK economy and the UK government have undergone structural, political and geographical change, which has led to Britain maintaining a stranglehold in the battle of the developed and developing economies.

History of physical education :: essays research papers

The field of physical education has gone through many cycles over its long history. These cycles range from a strict authoritarianism to the liberal democracy of today. This transformation to the democracy has opened the field of physical education up to many new sciences, which are creating many new professional opportunities. If the cycles of physical education continue, these new professions will hopefully pave the way to future discoveries and studies of physical education. The Spartans and Athenians were the first to have a type of physical education. Though very different, both systems served the people and their needs. The Spartan system was similar to a dictatorship. Male children were taken at the age of seven to learn basic military skills while living in barracks. When the children reached the age of fourteen, they began learning group fighting tactics which would allow them to succeed while in the military from the ages of twenty to thirty. Once thirty, the men could then marry a women who had been doing some training of her own in order to make strong babies. The philosophy of the Spartans was basically to allow them to invade other countries if desired, and to prevent other countries from invading them. The philosophy of the Athenians was quite different compared to the Spartans. The Athenian culture was very democratic, and focused on training the mind and body. Reading and writing was a large part of society as well as physical activity which took place in the center of the city where the gymnasium was located. The physical education philosophy of the Athenians was the high point of physical education for many years. Some other cycles in physical education that we have evolved from are that of the Romans, the dark ages, and the crusades. The Roman era is a bit disturbing, but is nonetheless a cycle of physical education. Physical education for the Romans was about athletics, which was primarily about entertainment. People were forced to fight to the death, and oftentimes fed to lions. During the dark ages, religion viewed physical education as a waste of time and a work of the devil. The dark ages were a very sedentary time for human civilization. Following the dark ages in approximately 1096, were the crusades. The crusades were a time of muscular Christianity, because of the Muslims conquering Jerusalem. Muscular Christianity is basically Christians believing that the more one trained to become good soldiers, the more Christian a person was.

How Female Characters In ‘The Accrington Pals’ Are Affected By The War

Discuss how female characters in ‘The Accrington Pals’ are affected by the war. Also comment on what sort of message Peter Whelan is making through these characters. You should discuss at least 2 characters in your essay. ‘The Accrington Pals’ is a play that follows the lives of those effected by the war; both and home and overseas. The role that the women played at home has often been underplayed within World War Literature so the play gives an alternative view of the women’s role.The female characters in the play are stuck in limbo; not free from war but at the same time not directly involved. Looking at the effect on these characters can show the impact that the War had on the country as a whole and gets across the message that the playwright, Peter Whelan, is hoping to portray. The war has affected women in many different ways and forces them to take on roles that otherwise would never have been done by women. Whelan makes it obvious that most of the women are not used to living a life without the men present.The majority of the conversations between Eva and Sarah are associated with the men. ‘There’s a bit about the pals at camp. ’ They are unable to have a conversation without the men being involved; this exaggerates their dependence on them. Before the men went away to war they were the main source of income and power in the women’s lives With the men away at war they are lost and they seek authority from the next best thing; May. May, the owner of the stall has taken charge in general.The other women look up to her and respect her, as they would a man. She has almost taken over the men’s stance as the authoritative figure. ‘Oh May†¦ I was just going to make the tea’ as soon as May enters the scene the other women, Eva and Sarah, stop frolicking and get back to doing something productive, which is exactly what May expects them to do. Later, the women discuss the fact tha t Jack Proudlove dies his hair. This massively shows what effect the war has had on those at home.Eva has now become more useful than her foreman; Proudlove and in an attempt to stay relevant he has resorted to dying his hair ‘so the bosses won’t notice’. The men at home are starting to feel threatened by women as their input is a necessity on the home front; the gender hierarchy is starting to break down. The female characters in The Accrington Pals make conscious efforts to ignore the actual war. ‘There’s a bit about the Pals at camp’ ‘There always is. Read me the funny poem.’Sarah diverts the conversation; she appears to want to stay blind to the events of the actual war. This may be as a way to help her deal with the heartache she is feeling whilst her husband Arthur is away at war. They use the humour in the poem as a distraction. Whelan portrays the women as growing figures in The Accrington Pals’ it is obvious how th ey are affected by the war but they don’t let it hinder them. Whelan makes a point of the men at home, one example being Proudlove, feeling threatened by the women’s growing place in society.

The Man With the Scar Analysis

The story â€Å"The Man with the Scar† I would like to speak about is written by W. Somerset Maugham who is one of the most popular and widely read English writers. He wrote novels, short stories, plays and most of them had a great commercial success. W. Somerset Maugham traveled a lot during his life, he met different people, saw their lives so he gained a lot from his trips. Sometimes Maugham’s stories were thinly disguised episodes involving his host or others he had met on his travels-circumstances that occasionally resulted in threats and lawsuits.The text for analysis is a short story. The main character is the storyteller who speaks about events from the first person. The secondary character is a friend of the storyteller, we know nothing about him: his name, age, his prof, etc. He’s just a companion which answers the author’s questions but he also plays a particular role in the story, because the author reproduces the life of the man with the scar with the help of his companion.The story takes place in The Palace Hotel at Guatemala city in Central America. Author uses the Spanish language â€Å"Que tal, general†, â€Å"Gracias†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ for underlining the local coloring of the place and the nationality of the men which speak this language. The narration begins with the description of the scar on the man’s face. Author uses epithets like â€Å"broad and red, a great crescent† that’s why storyteller notices this man, because of his scar, and immediately he tries to understand why this scar appeared on his face.Author gives us a man’s appearance and characteristic features using epithets â€Å"undistinguished features, artless expression† what about man’s appearance â€Å"He wears a very shabby grey suit, a khaki shirt and a battered sombrero†. From this description given by storyteller we can suppose that the man with the scar could be a military man, maybe Spaniard but a poor man. His work consists of selling lottery tickets. Than the author introduces a little dialogue between author’s companion and the man with the scar.The tone of their conversation shows us affably mood. Companion is interested in the life of the man with the scar, his business, calls him general and treats him, offers a brandy. The next passage tells us a sad story about the Man with the Scar. We get to know he was a general, he was able to upset the government but he was tried by court-martial and was sentenced to be shot ay dawn. Author gives us two descriptions. The first shows us the night before the execution. The men were playing poker and the author underlines that† he general, he’d never had such a run of bad luck in his life† speaking about poker. This phrase tells us about true character of the man, because he was condemned to death at the dawn, what could be worst? But no for him not be winner in poker is important. I think he accepted his destiny and he lived one day one night. Then storyteller describes the day after the night. The day of the execution. The men were led into the patio of the goal and placed against the wall, the five of them aide by side.The men were waiting for the general’s arrival, and â€Å"the man with the scar † as an optimist said that than he had the time to smoke another cigarette and added that the general was always unpunctual. This phrase tells us that our character knows the general very well. The general arrived and asked men their last wish. Four of the five shook their heads but our friend accepted. The author introduces the little dialogue between the general and the man.From this dialogue we get to know about the last wish of the man with the scar, he desired to see his wife, which was waiting for him at the prison door, for saying to her good bye. The general accepted. While our friend was smoking his last cigarette the four men were executed. The storyteller gi ve us the description of the wife â€Å"she was in black, with a veil over her hair, and her face was dead white†. It was clear she was shaking with a fear. The author shows us her beauty, loveliness which was very attractive but which had short life.The man killed his wife, but so quickly that nobody could understand how this had occurred. The author shows us the reaction of the other men and the A. D. C means general. Everybody was shaken but nothing could be done. â€Å"She‘s dead† the general concluded. â€Å"Why did you do it? † asked the general. â€Å"I loved her† answered man. The general said at last â€Å"It was a noble gesture† and refused to execute him. So the death of the woman was the culmination point of the story. The wife dead for the sake of her husband.In conclusion I have to say this story begins with author’s worrying about the scar on the face of the man and ends with the same question â€Å"But how then did he get the scar?† the narrator asked his companion â€Å"Oh that was the due to a bottle that I burst when I was opening it .. a bottle of ginger ale† And the author’s answer â€Å"I never liked it† this shows us the frustration, the author’s frustration of the cause of that scar why the scar appeared on his face†¦So the scar had not been caused by a sabre or by a fragment of shell, no it had been caused by a bottle of ginger ale.