What is the Supply Chain Management (SCM)?

What is the Supply Chain Management (SCM)? The best companies around the world are discovering a  powerful new source of competitive advantage. Its called supply-chain management and it encompasses all of those  integrated activities that bring product to market and create  satisfied customers. The Supply Chain Management Program integrates topics from  manufacturing operations, purchasing, transportation, and  physical distribution into a unified program. Successful supplychain  management, then, coordinates and integrates all of these  activities into a seamless process. It embraces and links all of  the partners in the chain. In addition to the departments within  the organization, these partners include vendors, carriers, thirdparty  companies, and information systems providers. Within the organisation, the supply chain refers to a wide range of functional areas. These  include Supply Chain Management-related activities such as inbound and outbound  transportation, warehousing, and inventory control. Sourcing, procurement, and supply  management fall under the supply-chain umbrella, too. Forecasting, production planning  and scheduling, order processing, and customer service all are part of the process as well.   Importantly, it also embodies the information systems so necessary to monitor all of these  activities. Simply stated, the supply chain encompasses all of those activities associated with  moving goods from the raw-materials stage through to the end user.   Advocates for this business process realised that significant productivity increases could  only come from managing relationships, information, and material flow across enterprise  borders. What is the importance of Supply Chain Management In the ancient Greek fable about the tortoise and the hare, the speedy and overconfident  rabbit fell asleep on the job, while the slow and steady turtle won the race. That may  have been true in Aesops time, but in todays demanding business environment, slow  and steady wont get you out of the starting gate, let alone win any races. Managers these  days recognise that getting products to customers faster than the competition will improve  a companys competitive position. To remain competitive, companies must seek new  solutions to important Supply Chain Management issues such as modal analysis, supply  chain management, load planning, route planning and distribution network design.   Companies must face corporate challenges that impact Supply Chain Management such  as reengineering globalisation and outsourcing.   Why is it so important for companies to get products to their customers quickly? Faster  product availability is key to increasing sales,   An example of a Supply Chain Management application:   To Reduce Cycle Time, Kick Those Bad Habits   ..One of the chief causes of excessive order-to-delivery cycle times is the existence of longstanding  bad habits that result when companies fail to revise internal processes to reflect market  changes. The existence of separate, independent departments tends to perpetuate these inefficient  practices. Taking the supply-chain management view, on the other hand, helps companies identify  the cumulative effects of those individual procedures. Eliminating such bottlenecks improves  product availability and speeds delivery to customersboth of which can increase sales and profits.   Supply Chain Management Today   If we take the view that Supply Chain Management is what Supply Chain Management  people do, then in 1997 Supply Chain Management has a firm hand on all aspects of  physical distribution and materials management. Seventy-five percent or more of  respondents included the following activities as part of their companys Supply Chain  Management department functions:   Inventory management Transportation service procurement Materials handling Inbound transportation Transportation operations management Warehousing management Moreover, the Supply Chain Management department is expected to increase its range of  responsibilities, most often in line with the thinking that sees the order fulfilment process  as one co-ordinated set of activities. Thus the functions most often cited as planning to  formally include in the Supply Chain Management department are:   Customer service performance monitoring   Order processing/customer service Supply Chain Management budget forecasting On the other hand, there are certain functions which some of us might feel logically  belong to Supply Chain Management which companies feel are the proper domain of other departments. Most difficult to bring under the umbrella of Supply Chain  Management are: Third party invoice payment/audit Sales forecasting Master production planning Write-in responses reveal the leading edge of what some Supply Chain Management  departments are doing. These include engineering change control for packaging; custom   Today Supply Chain Management includes services such as: Operational Analysis and Design Materials Handling Distribution Strategy Operational Improvements, Distribution Management Computer Systems Warehouse Design Project Management Operational Commissioning Computer Simulation Technical seminars

Michael Clayton: Attorney Client Privilege Essay -- Film Analysis

It is a plot line that seemed to come straight out of a John Grisham novel. After all it had all the major elements: a conspiracy, a corrupt corporation, but most importantly a lawyer examining his inner conscience only to decide to break with the status quo and expose his corporate masters. In fact, one could say that the film Michael Clayton (2007), was a modern day John Grisham film that never was. In all certainty, Michael Clayton is a typical Hollywood movie with a typical Hollywood ending where good defeats evil and where truth prevails over obfuscation.That does not mean that it should be dismissed so readily however. The film Michael Clayton still raises many of the ethical questions within the legal profession. Namely, the film explores the concept of the Attorney Client Privilege, and through its plot and rich storyline, questions the very notion of it. However, it is easy to forget that the film is a pure work of fiction; and although it does a adequate job of pointing out the disadvantages of the Attorney Client Privilege, its assertion that the privilege should be eroded when the attorney knows that his or her client is lying, is just as phantasmal as the scenes are which are in the film. â€Å"I’m not a miracle worker; I’m a janitor,† remarks Michael Clayton in one of the opening scenes of the film. An apt phrase because Clayton has been dispatched to rein in a fellow associate named Arthur Edens who is suffering from a manic breakdown—stripping off his clothes during the middle of a deposition and running around naked in the parking lot. Visiting Edens in jail after the incident, the sighs of the breakdown showed no sighs of subsiding. In the middle of a conversation with Clayton, Edens goes on a tirade, eventually aski... ...t everyone has a job to do. Lawyers are—and should not be—an exception to that rule. Works Cited Freedman, Monroe H., and Abbe Smith. Understanding Lawyers' Ethics. New Providence, NJ: LexisNexis, 2010. Print. Kairys, David. "Legal Education As Training For Hierarchy." The Politics of Law: a Progressive Critique. By Duncan Kennedy. New York: Basic, 1998. 54-75. Print. Keefe, Patrick Radden. "Michael Clayton's Devastating Critique of the Legal Profession. - By Patrick Radden Keefe." Slate Magazine. Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC, 19 Feb. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. Shanahan, Sara Jane. "Another View: The Eroding Attorney-Client Privilege - NYTimes.com." NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company, 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. Simon, David. "The Attorney-Cleint Privilege As Applied to Corporations." Yale Law Journal 65.7 (1956): 953-90. Print.

Biography Of Miles Davis Essay -- Jazz, Biographical, Music

Biography of Miles Davis Born on May 26, 1926, Miles Davis is considered to be one of the most influential jazz musicians in history. Being a trumpeter, keyboardist, composer, and band-leader, Miles is responsible for the popularization of many styles of jazz throughout his long and prolific career. Miles Dewey Davis was born into a well-to-do family in the town of Alton, Illinois. The family owned a large portion of a farm where Miles learned to ride horses as a young boy. In 1927 the family moved to East St. Louis. Miles' mother, Cleota Henry, encouraged him to play the violin while his father bought him a trumpet when he turned thirteen and arranged his first lesson with trumpeter Elwood Buchanan. One of the main reasons Miles' father chose the trumpet is due to the fact Cleota was annoyed by its sound. His teacher stressed a style of play that did not involve vibrato. Miles carried this style throughout his entire career. Buchanan would rap Miles' knuckles with a ruler every time he used vibrato. Miles had numerous offers from bands when in high school but his mother insisted he finish school before he continued with his music career. In 1944, the Billy Eckstine band came to St. Louis. Prominent jazz figures during the time including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were part of the band. Due to one of the band members being ill, Miles took on the position of third trumpet for a couple weeks. After the band resumed its normal condition, Miles was left behind to finish his academic studies as requested by his parents. ... ...ived the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Due to constant health issues in his later years, Miles passed at the age of 65 due to stroke, pneumonia and respiratory failure. Though Miles Davis' life ended at a rather early age, he left behind work that no other could attempt to emulate. His music is still enjoyed by those of all ages and will be renowned for the future of jazz music. Works Cited 1. "Miles Davis." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 6 Aug. 2007 . 2. "Miles Davis." Wikipedia. 6 Aug. 2007 . 3. "The Biography of Miles Davis." 6 Aug. 2007 .

Martial Arts Swot Analysis

Mixed Martial Arts SWOT Analysis Mixed Martial Arts is a company provides a safe, realistic martial arts training environment that will allowed the students to grow in their confidences by developing the student’s physical attributes, mental strength, and indomitable spirit. STRENGTHS -A focus on community awareness’s by teaching self defense for all ages -A focus on child development and discipline in society -A focus on continued education for adults and groups of interest -The ability to teach all ages about different types of martial arts and explore the abilities of learning them. – Limited startup risk Family friendly environment; great for the whole family – Provides counseling to individual who have been previously attacked WEAKNESSES – Competitors offer similar options – We are offering to a specific target market which could hurt us if competition is offering to larger target market. – Limited flexibility in programs – Competitors have more experienced staff. – Availability of space. If the locations are limited, then the class sizes are limited and there for we would be limited on how many per class at a time. OPPOTRUNITIES – Urban, city location or locations with large populations. Women’s and children self defense classes. – Exploring ADHD and other disabilities or handicaps that can benefit from martial arts. – Tournaments or competitions hosted by our facility. – An in facility store that sells items like martial arts gear and clothing, training equipment, and self defense items like pepper spray or tasers. – Expansion for online sales THREATS – Dwindling local population – A shortage of equipment – Too many local competitors – A poor economy – Changes in regulations can impact the business – Continual insurance costs increasing – Increase in price inputs can cause upward pricing

Focus on the Murder of Simon in ‘Lord of the Flies’ Essay

Read from ‘Towards midnight†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ to the end of Chapter 9. Contrast this description of Simon’s beatification to the previous description of his murder. How is Simon’s role in the Novel captured by this extract? The description of Simon’s murder and the description of his final journey out to sea after his death are completely different to each other. In the first, the boys brutally murder Simon because they think he is the beast. In the second, Simon is beatified and martyred as his body is carried out to sea. When the boys murder Simon, Golding’s use of language helps to create the sense of crowd mentality that the boys are feeling as the storm around them grows. Language such as ‘unbearable noise,’ ‘explosion,’ and ‘abominable,’ give the impression that the storm is deafening the boys, and that the cacophony of sound is contributing to the sense of hysteria that is driving the boys to their actions. In comparison to this, the use of language in the description of Simon’s beatification is much softer, and gives the reader a sense of calm, in contrast to the feeling of agitation in the description of Simon’s murder. For example, there is a wide use of language suggesting light in the description, such as, ‘phosphorescence,’ moonbeams,’ and ‘brightness.’ This gives the reader the idea that Simon is being watched over by God, or a higher being, and therefore suggesting that God is accepting Simonâ₠¬â„¢s body as a martyr. Golding’s use of pathetic fallacy also contributes strongly to the contrast between the two descriptions. In the first description, ‘the clouds opened and let down he rain like a waterfall,’ and ‘the dark sky was shattered by a blue white scar.’ This description of the intensity of the storm emphasises the madness of the boys. In contrast, in the description of Simon’s beatification, ‘the rain ceased and the clouds drifted away,’ and ‘the air was cool, moist and clear.’ This calming of the storm allows Golding to prepare the reader for the sense of reverence they should feel at Simon’s death. The manner in which the boys are presented in the first description is also significant. Language such as ‘struck,’ ‘bit,’ ‘tore’ and ‘teeth and claws,’ portray the group of terrified boys as an animal; a beast. However, the group also believes that they are killing ‘the beast,’ who is in fact, Simon. This shows the boys’ complete descent into savagery, as they become the very thing that they are trying to destroy. In complete contrast to this, the dead body of Simon, the beast, is described using language such as ‘silver,’ ‘marble,’ and ‘pearls.’ This use of precious white minerals suggests Simon’s innocence and purity, the polar opposite of the group of boys who murdered him. This extract describing Simon’s beatification helps to capture Simon’s overall role in the novel. Throughout the novel, Simon is the only moral and spiritual boy on the island. He is first singled out by Ralph and described as ‘vivid.’ On the boys’ fist journey into the jungle, Simon is fascinated by the beauty of the candle bud plants. When the boys are supposed to be building huts on the beach, Simon is the only one who stays to help Ralph build. All this shows Simon’s sensitivity and moral integrity. After his death, Simon has a Christ-like quality that singles him out from the rest of the boys. This is because of the spiritual intelligence that he shows throughout the novel. This final description of Simon also captures his role as a kind of guardian angel to Ralph earlier in the novel. When Ralph is despairing that the boys were becoming savages and would never get rescued, Simon appears to comfort him. He says, ‘I think you’ll get back all right.’ This suggests that Simon has some kind of foresight, as he realises that Ralph will get home, but that he himself will not. This foresight also contributes to his other-worldly spirituality. Overall, Golding’s use of language in the description of Simon’s beatification helps to suggest Simon’s spiritual and moral role in ‘The Lord of the Flies.’

China’s Monetary Policy & IMF

China's contemporary monetary policy and regulation Monetary Policy Committee Policies (interest rate, ERR, foreign reserves†¦ Risks IMPs Involvement Recent monetary reform Ill. Conclusion A. Future of China's economy International Monetary Fund is an organization that consists of 188 countries, in which countries work together to promote global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, and sustainable economic growth around the globe. MIFF serves as an International bank, loaning money to member countries due to economic difficulties; and as an adjudicator, reconciling economic conflicts between countries.It's a pool of central bank reserves and national currencies that allows member countries to borrow. China Joined MIFF in 1945, and has twice used MIFF credits, in 1981 and in 1986. China holds annual consultations with MIFF on economic development and policy Issues. In recent number of years, China has been accused of currency manipulation and excessive foreign reserv es to underpin economic China to make policy reforms. In this paper, I will begin with China's monetary system, 1994 monetary crisis, and then discuss China's current monetary policies, reforms, and Miff's regulation on China.China regulates its monetary system through POOCH (People's Bank of China) by adjusting interest rate, performing open market operation, and manipulating Reserve Requirement Ratio. How Chinese government uses these policy tools is interdependent of how Chinese currency Yuan's is arranged in foreign exchange mechanism. Central banks depreciate currency by cutting interest rate and increasing in foreign reserve to stimulate economic growth. In other words, Chinese regulators used more non-market financial policy to administrate credit expansion.Through effective tight state control policies, China had passed a long way from where it was to the second largest economy in the world. It went wrought 1994 Monetary Crisis, 1997 East Asian Crisis, and Global Financial C risis in 2008. These crises not only gave lessons to the Chinese regulating body and MIFF, but also indicate a warning sign of the underlying risk of using too much state control on interest rate and exchange rate. 1994 was a significant year in China's economic history. China faced an unprecedented annual inflation rate of 24% in 1994.It was largely caused by the over investment in early 1990 as government loosen credit to enterprises. Especially after Denominations visit to Southern China in 1992, in which e strongly advocated for economic growth, investment increased â€Å"43% from previous year†(3). The overstatement not only doubled the price of construction materials such as steel and lumber, but also increased price of grains significantly. The sudden rapid rise in price had a devastated effect on resident's living conditions.To fight with the inflation, the Chinese government implemented a series of actions, which include â€Å"tightening credit/loans, strict regulat ion of local/regional capital fund raising, tightening fixed asset investment scale, re-examining various newly established financial institutions, and controlling capital and cash holding of all financial organizations†(3). The main goal of these policies is to lower the economic growth rate and decrease the overall fixed asset investment. After one year of adjusting and implementing policies, the inflation rate reduced to 9. % in December 1995. Just like the cause of China's Financial 1994 Crisis, the Asian Crisis of 1997 was the aftermath of a sudden surge in capital inflows to finance productive investments, which made a country's economy vulnerable. The Asian Crisis started with the lapse of Thai Baht in July 1997, when Thai government was forced to float the baht due to lack of foreign currency to support its fixed exchange rate. Then the Crisis began to spread across to many East Asian countries, including South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore.All of the co untries had acquired a burden of foreign debt. In Korea, the foreign debt-to-GAP ratio rose from 13% to as high as 40%. Furthermore, the crisis was â€Å"deepened by the Miff's initial misdiagnosis† when MIFF imposed â€Å"budgetary tightening† policy to stabilize currency in Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia (1). Although China was less affected by the crisis, it influenced its the monetary policies. Just as other Asian countries, China started built up official reserves so that it don't have to borrow from MIFF.Both crisis had a significant impact on China today's monetary policy, which is Ojibwa, advocates for â€Å"dovish bias, a tendency to prefer accommodative monetary policy, supporting the use of policy tools to stimulate growth while placing less emphasis on the risks of inflation†(4). This policy belief led to manipulation in exchange rate when China was experiencing a rapid economic growth and currency appreciation. ARM appreciated from about 8. 82 8 Yuan in 2005 per dollar to 6. 09 in 2013, approximately 34% appreciation on a nominal basis against dollar and by 42% on a real basis (5).It was because of China's rapid economic development in the past decades. China has become one of the world's largest exporters and created massive trade surplus and strong demand for ARM. The sudden appreciation led to inflation and consequently lower purchasing power of residents in China. The situation forced government to interfere with the exchange rate in order to maintain financial stability ND protect citizen's welfare. POOCH cut the interest rate to increase the demand for credit, reduced ERR, and increase foreign reserve to fight against appreciation.China's large purchases of foreign reserves reduced their yields and push capital to emerging market, which successfully decelerated the speed of appreciation of ARM. However, how would these policies affect China's economy in a long run? MIFF pointed out that China's tight State control o ver banking system is creating risk to its economic growth in the future. China' undervalued currency not only has negatively affected U. S and Global trade, but also has brought risk to its own economy.According to the New York Times, there's a growing list of countries, from the United States to the European Union to Brazil, have complained that China has been cheapening its currency. U. S criticized that China is trying to â€Å"gain unfair trade advantages over trading partners†(5). International Monetary Fund also claimed that ARM is significantly undervalued, and wrote a report to urge China to ease State controls on banking in 2011. The report examined on China's financial policy, in which encourages high savings, high levels of equity, and high risk of capital misapplication and asset bubbles, especially in real estate.In MIFF words, the consequence of these distortions is â€Å"rising over time, posing increasing macro-financial risks†. MIFF warned China: â₠¬Å"tight government management of the nation's banking and financial system was creating a steady build-up in vulnerabilities that could eventually damp economic growth â€Å"(2) Excessive bank lending and increasing local government debt as a long-term policy would put China's economy at risk. However, China did not implement immediate change in monetary policy after Miff's warning.Instead, Chinese official argues that their exchange rate is not meant to earn unfair trade advantage, but to foster economic stability and social welfare to citizens. The government continues to regulate extensively on interest rates, estate price and exchange rate. Not until recently, China finally implements major monetary reforms in reply to Miff's constant warnings. In order to maintain the economic growth, Chinese government must reform its banking system and adopt a flexible exchange rate. The POOCH has taken step to loosing the government's intervention on interest rate, letting racket to set th e price instead.Just as recorded in the article â€Å"The Interest Rate As A Monetary Policy Instrument in China†, mainland lenders are allowed to charge rates on loans below the official benchmark-lending rate, effective from 20 July 2013. The scrapped (6). Furthermore, the cap on credit union lending rates was also abolished. These reforms indicate that Bank is not favoring state-owned entities, and indeed stimulates real economy. China is putting effort to liberalize interest rates, open financial market, and promote greater foreign investment. I believe that a tightened state control monetary policy is not efficient and sufficient in a long run.Although it has brought finance stability, China has to let the capital flow freely in order to maintain economic growth in the future. China should move away from non-market financial policies and step toward a more market-based currency to rebalanced China's economy. After decades of exponential expansion, China's expansion is en tering a period of slower growth. In the first half of 2013, China's export growth rate was significant lower and GAP has also fallen. Zinnia claimed that the Yuan was nearing equilibrium against the dollar in June 2013.In conclusion, China should depend less on exports and fixed investment to stimulate real economic growth. Ultimately, China should exert less power and subsidies state enterprises, but open up the market and foster global competition. It benefits Chinese Economy in a long-term by â€Å"re-directing resources away from inefficient (and often subsidized) sectors of the economy to those that are more efficient and competitive† (5). The reform would not only increase the efficiency of Chinese mommies firms, but also bring lower prices for consumers in China and improving standards of living after all.

Humor in Huck Finn Essay

Mark Twain depicts various types of humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Satire is the first type of humor evident in the novel. Religion is the most common example of Twain’s satire, which he communicates through the character Huck Finn. Throughout the novel Twain satirizes prayer through Huck. In Chapter One, the Widow Douglas attempted to convey the importance of religion to Huck. She took out her bible and read stories of Moses to Huck. Huck was intrigued by the story of Moses and broke into a deep sweat as he waited to find out more about the biblical figure. However, once Huck learns that Moses is dead, he immediately loses interest in the stories. This example demonstrates Twain’s opposition to the blind faith found in church teachings. Parody is a second type of humor revealed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Parodies are most obvious in the exploits of the character Tom Sawyer. When Tom Sawyer’s gang of robbers was created Tom describes where he was able to think of such a â€Å"beautiful† oath. The book states, â€Å"Everybody said it was a real beautiful oath, and asked Tom if he got it out of his own head. He said some of it, but the rest was out of pirate books and robber books, and every gang that was high toned had it† (Twain 10). This is an example of parody because Tom Sawyer bases his life and actions on adventure novels and in this case created an oath out of them. A third type of humor that Twain employs is burlesque, specifically through caricature. This can be seen through the description of Huck’s father. In the following passage caricature is predominantly noted. He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long mixed up whiskers. There weren’t no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; no like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl – a tree toad white, a fish belly white. (Twain 24) Pap’s character generates an excellent example of burlesque through caricature. Huck describes his father as one would visualize him. From the description provided to the readers, Pap Finn is seen as an older man, very unkempt, pale as a ghost, and very hairy with a frightening appearance. Farce is yet another form of humor found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This type of humor is evident when Huck is kidnapped by his father in Chapter Six. Pap keeps Huck locked in their cabin, never letting Huck go anywhere unless Pap accompanies him. Pap hid the key under his pillow so that Huck would not escape. In a later scene, Pap chases Huck around the house with a gun. Although in modern society these scenes would be considered dark and dangerous, in Twain’s day it was thought to be a farce due to Pap’s physical use of humor.