Do media images of family or marriage help us or hurt us Essay - 1

Do media images of family or marriage help us or hurt us - Essay Example The first point that supports my view is that what media most of the time provides is an altruistic picture that rarely comes true. For instance, it is rather impossible for most males to become the so-called Mills and Boon hero with a highly masculine body, high cheekbones that indicate intelligence, and a repertoire full of romance. In addition, he is supposed to possess unlimited wealth and influence, that is, the minimum standard set is a James Bond. In the case of female, the picture the media provides is that of an alluring goddess who always smells nothing less than rose, and who is always eager to have her ‘right man’ holding her hand and leading her gently to the most expensive restaurant. As people are fed this picture, they get unsatisfied in their marital life when they come to realize that their partners fall short of their expectations. Thus, for many ladies, a husband who does not look like Tom Cruise is a matter of inferiority complex that they have to su ffer due to bad luck. Thus, evidently, the beautiful picture provided by media on family and marriage is most of the time far from reality and hence highly destructive when taken to heart. Now, a look into the works of various scholars will confirm this opinion as truth. For example, studies have proved that heavy viewers of television tend to perceive being single as negative and believe that families in real life show support and concern for each other. However, the ones who are addicted to soap operas believe that the number of illegitimate children, divorces, extra marital affairs and happy marriages are all higher in number than they really are. Yet another point that goes strongly against media is that it promotes the stereotyping of male and female roles in families and marriages. For example, the general notion that media is interested in promoting is that females are the happiest at home raising

Pro Porn Feminist view of career in Pornography Essay

Pro Porn Feminist view of career in Pornography - Essay Example Pornography has provided female pornography actor with the financial augment they need, especially after becoming a widow or due to the lack of suitable jobs for qualified female pornography actor. Now pornography has turned into one of the biggest and most profitable industry and thus has invited a lot of interest and charm for female pornography actor to turn towards pornography in order to make some quick buck. Before we discuss the various views of female pornography actor working in the porn industry, we should define the definition of pornography. Although this has been a very debated topic too, as various authors find the definition in quite contrasting views. However, a generally accepted definition for "Pornography" is: "Pornography (from Greek pornographia - literally writing about or drawings of harlots) is the representation of the human body or human sexual behaviour with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica."(Wikipedia) It has been arugued that pornography is "degrading" for female pornography actor. However, I believe that degrading is a very vague term. It narrows down to the point where every individual is in the position to define what is "degrading" and what is not. Another thing linked to this debate is that female pornography actor are used as "sex objects" and thus their importance mitigated. If this objection is taken at face value, it is meaningless, as objects do not have sexuality, only beings do. But if we state that female pornography actor are depicted as "sexual beings" would make a poor idiom. Most female sex workers foster the view that pornography should not be restricted, not because they oppose restricting harmful speech, but because they regard pornography as relatively harmless. They identify the harm of pornography as the harm of offense and maintain that the fact that some find certain materials offensive is not a sufficient reason for restricting those materials.( Gittler,2000) However, despite the benefits of porn, there still remains strong advocates of anti-porn. MacKinnon has disagreed that pornography is an action, instead of a form of expression. In her work titled "Only Words" she strongly presents the view that pornography is an illocutionary act of subordination. Another way that MacKinnon tries to augment the view that pornography is an action involves a similarly glaring non sequitur: "Pornography is masturbation material. It is used as sex. It therefore is sex."(Mackinnon 2000) The fact that pornography is used in certain actions, though, does not make it the case that pornography is an action. Finally, MacKinnon asserts that pornography is an action because it causes harmful acts. MacKinnon defends that pornography is causally linked to acts of sexism and violence against female pornography actor. Another important argument raised against female pornographic actors is that pornography entices men to commit rape. Studies and experts have contracted this view and have refused to accept any links between the two things, which they consider as poles apart. To further proof this point, the highly "pro-censorship" Messe Commission Report also agreed to this fact.( Jones,2001) Take the case of Japan, where pornography and

Research a Fortune 500 company Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Fortune 500 company - Research Paper Example Introduction Wal-Mart is regarded as an American based multinational retail business corporation. It is one of the top companies which regained its position in the Fortune 500 list as per the 2012 report. The company emphasized providing quality products to the customers at a reasonable price which supported it to regain its position in the market (Duke, 2012). The management and the marketing strategies that adopted and used by Wal-Mart have a great impact on its increasing sales and the revenue earned. The foremost reasons for the success of Wal-Mart include its effective management, making deliberate efforts to attain its vision and growth among others which are in turn providing the business of the company an edge over others. Management and Marketing Strategies Wal-Mart developed a business model which focused on providing greater satisfaction to the customer with the deliverance of low price products to them. The management of the company followed upon developing its marketing mix strategy. In terms of analyzing management strategies of Wal-Mart, it can be viewed that the management of the company took steps to offer reasonable prices to the different product ranges that they deliver to the customers. The management segments the product type based on the buying capacity of the individuals. In relation to marketing strategies, the company emphasized promoting its broad assortment of products through using hoardings, leaflets and offering special discounts. In this regard, it can be affirmed that the management of the company desires to attract the customers by creating a positive brand name and recognition in the business markets where it operates. Relating to marketing strategy, the management team of the company developed a slogan as a way of promoting its varied products i.e. "Everyday Low Prices."Â   Continuous innovation and the use of technology for making the customers more satisfied are the other managerial approaches that used by Wal-Mart. It can be apparently observed that technology innovation at Wal-Mart typically involves process and service invention that helps in reducing operational costs and time at large. In this context, the management followed three policy goals i.e. respect for individuals, facility to customers and determination for excellence (Hayden et. al., 2002). Different Business Life Cycles that Endured By Wal-Mart The Prosperity Phase- This phase is regarded as the growth phase of any company which is marked by strong economy and market presence. In this similar concern, Wal-Mart maintained this particular phase by offering "high-quality," along with branded products at low prices and also by forming several stores in small towns. Wal-Mart uses the discount merchandising strategy in order to increase the demand and the sales of its products and hence accomplished superior competitive position over others. In relation to this particular phase, the company is growing rapidly due to diversification strateg y that it follows and expanding its outlets in small towns. Another reason for the company to flourish in this modern business market is focusing on delivering high customer services. Due to excessive demand of the products, the management of the company absorbed more employees during this phase (Hayden et. al., 2002). The Recession and Recovery Phase- This is the business phase which exhibits expansion by a significant level. This particular pha

The Significance of Sarah Essay Example for Free

The Significance of Sarah Essay The Significance of Sarah, Jimmy and Doalty Doalty, Sarah and Jimmy Jack Cassie have three main roles in Translations. Firstly, they represent those Irish people who will be left behind during the development of the country by the English. Secondly, they all contribute to the concluding scene and its outcome. And thirdly, they all in some way represent Ireland as a whole. Unlike Maire and Owen, none of these three characters has any desire to leave Baile Beag. When Jimmy Jack sets out on a spring morning in 1798 with Hugh to join the rebellion he, like Hugh, soon feels homesick and returns eagerly to where he feels he belongs And it was there in Phelans pub reminisces Hugh that we got homesick for Athens, just like Ulysses. The desiderium nostrorum the need for our own. Jimmy Jack, the peasant scholar, is a personification of a past, idealised Ireland when Ireland kept alive the light of learning during Europes Dark Ages. His filthy clothes, and shabby exterior are compensated for by the inner richness of his cultivated mind. Again he is like Ireland, materially poor but possessed of cultural wealth. Yolland appreciates both Jimmy Jacks knowledge and the different order of experience presented by Irish culture. For Jimmy Jack, the classics and everyday life are interwoven. For the lonely, ageing man, the gods of Greece and Rome move as easily around Baile Beag as they do around Ancient Rome and Athens. He even turns to the classics for practical tips on farming, telling Doalty that he should follow the advice given in Book Two of Virgils Georgics and give his upper field over to corn rather than potatoes. Although Jimmy Jack is obviously quite capable of learning English, as he has managed to learn the more complicated languages of Latin and Greek, he does not seem to want to learn English. His knowledge of English and England itself is minimal to him they are unimportant and lack poetry. It is possible that when speaking English became essential, he would not be ble to conform. As Hugh observes, Jimmy Jack sees himself as shaped by a mythological history, based in the classics, rather than real history that is affected by the here and now. The idea of fluency in English being necessary to progress, either as an individual or a country, is totally lost on him. In the final act of the play he seems to lose touch with reality informing Hugh of his engagement to the Gre ek goddess, the flashing-eyed Athene. His confusion of reality with mythology has become complete. And yet in his conversation with Maire in the same scene, he provides an insightful commentary on the plays action on marrying inside and outside the tribe. Although he is in fact talking about his supposed engagement to Pallas Athene, it seems to Maire and the audience as if he is warning Maire about her relationship with Yolland. Either marry outside the tribe and cause possible conflict, or be safe and marry inside the tribe i. e. Manus. And the word exogamein means to marry outside the tribe. And you dont cross those borders casually both sides get very angry. These sentiments would have been recognised by the modern Irish 1980 audience, as mixed marriages between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland can be problematic even today. The idea of not marrying outside the tribe can apply to childhood friendships and schools also you stick to your own kind. By contrast with Jimmy Jack, the Infant Prodigy, Doalty is quite a slow learner he struggles with the Latin and Greek that Hugh throws at him and his arithmetic is similarly painful. More than any of the other characters, he speaks in Irish slang and with a more common type of vocabulary and phrasing. Aul fella, the wee get aul eejit too lazy be Jases. Again, unlike Jimmy Jack, he is a man of action whose knowledge is limited to farming. He alone seems to worry about the cows going mad in the heat. In a way he almost a stereotype of the slow, thick Irish peasant. His name is pronounced Dolt-y, as Maire points out. He is also a mischief maker (taking the Sappers poles) and pote ntially confrontational (in the face of Lanceys threats of eviction, he declares he would put up a fight for his property, for what little he has). Although Doalty is shown as basically good-natured throughout the play, despite his boisterous behaviour, he has links with the Donnelly twins who may be associated with more serious acts against the English soldiers (the horses found at the bottom of the cliff, the disappearance of Yolland and the fire at the camp). Under certain circumstances we could imagine Doalty becoming less pleasant. In Act 3, Doalty clearly has knowledge of Yollands disappearance. He confesses to Owen that the Donnelly twins are most likely responsible, but he still acts suspiciously himself, whistling through his teeth and ignoring further questions. He tells Owen that Manus should never have left, implying that Manus has implicated himself in the crime by doing so, but plainly Doalty knows the truth. By his persistent concealment of what he knows about Yollands disappearance, Doalty is siding with the possibly murderous Donnelly twins and exposing Baile Beag to the soldiers retaliation. All that follows beyond the span of the play in terms of the destruction of the animals and the village is a consequence in part of Doaltys silence. Sarah is the least able to learn English and by implication therefore the least capable of moving on and embracing new ways as she has an obvious speech defect that is so bad that all her life she has been considered dumb. Her communication has been confined to grunts and nasal sounds, according to Friels opening description of her. At the beginning of the play she is learning to speak with Manuss assistance and can say her own name, opening up a whole new world of possibilities: Now were really started! Manus says to her. Nothingll stop us now! Nothing in the wide world! . But by the end, under Lanceys intimidation, she loses her newfound ability and the wider horizons and again becomes mute, despite Owens encouragement to speak, and is forced once again to communicate in a sign language that is not always understood. Even though Owen tries to kindly reassure her He frightened you. Thats alls wrong. Sarah herself knows to the contrary. Without Manus to support and guide her, she cannot hold on to her new ability to communicate. However, while she could speak we must assume that she gave vital information to Manus: the embrace she witnessed between Yolland and Maire. This leads to the implication of Manus in Yollands disappearance I had a stone in my hand when I went out looking for him I was going to fell him. The lame scholar turned violent. Her presumed part in the plot is pivotal: if she had not told Manus of the kiss, Yolland might never have disappeared, Manus would not have had to leave Baile Beag, the village would not have been threatened with destruction and Sarah herself would not have been abandoned by her mentor. It has been suggested that in the scene with Lancey in which she loses her power of speech, Sarah represents Ireland. As she closes her mouth and lowers her head, according to the stage directions, the parallel is drawn with Ireland losing both her language and her power. Although Sarah, Jimmy and Doalty are all minor characters in terms of lines spoken and appearances in the play, they all make an essential contribution to the play, either in contributing to or commenting on the plot. By Act Three in contrast to the cheerful optimism of Act One, they and the play have become much darker. Sarah has lost the power of speech as well as the man who helped her discover it; Jimmy Jack has crossed the boundary between reality and fantasy, and Doalty through his concealment of the truth, has put the village and its people in danger.

Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems

Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems Porters Value chain is a concept that categories the generic value-adding activities of an organisation in to two divisions. One is primary activities that consist of inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing sales and services and secondary activities such as procurement, infrastructure, technological development and human resource. These activities are performed to add value to the product and to obtain a competitive advantage in the industry. Porter (1985 p.11) says that value chain is the internal linkage between primary and supporting activities and external linkage with customers and suppliers. Garment manufacturing is a process of converting the raw materials such as fabric trims into a finished readymade garments. In this fast growing competition and unpredictable economic situation, it is essential for a manufacture to continuously improve the quality, timely delivery and competitive price to sustain it market place. Mannan and Ferdousi (2007, p.2) believes that nowadays the key to competing in the international market place is to simultaneously improve both quality and productivity on continual basis. In todays competitive and concurrently changing business world, lean production has brought a lot of changes in the management practices to improve organisational effectiveness and customer satisfaction and ensures sustainability (Karim, 2008). Nowadays customers have more opportunities to choose so they expect more competitive price with better quality and less lead-time. A study by Sohal (1996, p.91) indicates that most western manufactures have been aware of the need to improve their performance and competitiveness for nearly two decades and they were using lean production system to take advantage. The main reason for adopting lean system is to reduce production resource requirement and cost, increasing customer responsiveness and to improve quality these all lead to gain a competitive advantage and long-term sustainability. Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak (2005) states that lean philosophy spread to Japanese factories after it was successfully implemented in the Toyoto motor company, then most of the developed and developing countries are reaping several benifits from the lean practice, but in Bangladesh the adoption of lean system is very slow. Nowadays many countries in the world have identified the essence of lean system and started implementing lean tools in their garment manufacturing process and observed incredible improvement (Mazany, 1995 and Bruce et. al, 2004). As Mamun and Afrin (2001) argues that the few firms that have adopted lean practice have experienced an overall improvement in the corporate performance. In this report we are going to implement lean system in a Bangladesh based garment export house to obtain competitive advantage in this highly influential global market and in a view to obtain long-term sustainability in concern with corporate social responsibility. Exim Exports and its Value Chain Exim Exports is an ISO 9001:2000 company that manufactures and exports knitted garments to overseas buyers. It is based on Dhaka, Bangladesh. The main process of Exim Exports is to purchase yarn and knit it into fabric through it suppliers and dye or print the fabrics and cut, sew and finish into readymade garments. It produces casual T-shirts for reputed brands such as Calvin Klein, SF, Nike, TopShop and River Island etc. These buyers are very concern about quality and timely delivery. Using Porters Value chain model an activity analysis is been conducted below. Activity analysis Activity analysis identifies the step by step process that a company perform to satisfy its customers. It also involves how the company recruit people with the skills to give the best service, how the company motivates the employees and it steam to perform at optimum level, how the company keeps up to date with the latest technology, how the company choose and develop technologies that give cutting edge, how the company gets feedback from its customers and how it is going to improve further. Porter (1985. p12) has split the organisational activities into primary and support activities. Fig .1. Exim Exports Value chain Primary Activities in Exim Exports value chain Inbound logistics Transportation for raw materials from supplier to factory i.e. Yarn purchasing. Store department handle these operations by purchasing the yarn from suppliers and transporting to knitters. Then the knitted fabric should be moved to knitting to dyeing or printing. These operations could be followed by several supervisors. Operations Knitting, Dyeing or Printing, Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing are the major operations. Knitting and Dyeing will be done outside the factory however the productions department, procurement and merchandising departments will be involved in this process. Outbound logistics Transportation for goods to deliver to customers agents, export documentation and accounts departments will be involved in this. Marketing and sales Merchandising team performs the marketing activities. Merchandising team is the communication platform between buyer and the factory in to get orders, sample approvals, fabric approvals and production approvals. Costing and order confirmations will be done my merchandising department. Service The goods are dually checked by the Exim Exports QA team and customer QAs to ensure the goods are as per customers requirement. However, in case of any customer compliance after selling the goods Exim Exports always work with the buyer to rectify the problems and will make sure to improve the discrepancies in future. Supporting activities in Exim Exports value chain Infrastructure Functional teams, organisational culture and resource are the main infrastructure that supports the core activities. Financial resource and other in-tangible assets of the company that add value to the product are into infrastructure. Human resource management Human resource handles all the general activities such as recruiting, hiring, training, compensating and dismissal of employees. Human resource department takes responsibility to maintain the whole production plant, machineries and adequate supply for required resource to the company. It also motivates the employees through incentives and other motivational aspects. Technological development The Company enjoys latest machineries and equipments that enable its production process. It invests more in the technological development according to latest advancement to obtain competitive edge. Procurement Purchasing or raw materials such as Yarn and Trims is been handled by an experienced team that could bargain with suppliers and profit the company. The team has good technical skills to save money through technical aspects. It ensures the quality of material is as per requirement. Fig . 2. Value chain analysis 1. Use of lean production in Exim Exports Exim Exports need changes in three major areas to improve its quality of product, timely delivery and to reduce wastages. First of all, at the area of Procurement Exim Exports enjoys an experienced team which is technically strong and has a good bargaining power with their suppliers and it can assure the quality of material that it purchase will be up to mark. However in this competitive economy it is necessary for the company to improve its communication with the production team to enable Pull Production to reduce wastage of time, money and resource. Poor communication between Fabric store and Production department leads to purchasing of fabric before requirement that to be stored as inventories or delay in fabric purchasing according to productions requirement that leads to waiting time delay in production cutting and stitching. According to the above needed changes to add value to the activities. It is necessary to implement lean system into this organisation to gain competitive advantage and sustainability. Mercado (2007) said that Under this highly competitive environment, garment industry has numerous opportunities for improvement through lean principles. To obtain a competitive advantage in this economy it is necessary to improve the quality, timely delivery and cost effective production. This could be achieved by using lean production tools. Empirical evidence shows that after implementing lean production in their organisation the companies identified variety of changes that took place within their organisation such as cultural change, education of workers and suppliers, empowerment of employees, relationship with suppliers, rearranging the manufacturing process and commitment to top level managers said Ferdousi and Ahmed (2009. p 110). 2.1 Value analysis and changes needed in Exim Exports value chain There are some main activities that should be concentrated to improve the performance of Exim Exports. They are, Procurement: Purchasing of yarn and trims, Procurement / Operations: Staking of fabrics and trims and movement of material between every process, Operations: Cutting, Finishing and Packing. Procurement The communication between the procurement team, production department and suppliers are not up to mark that leads to delay in materials or early purchasing of materials that should be stored as inventories. Inventory occupies the space and high inventory leads to wastage of money according to Time Value Money concept. So this is to be eliminated to improve the performance of Exim Export. Procurement / Operations Staking of fabric and trims are no up to mark. It leads to delay in organising materials while production starts. Poor staking also occupies more space and causes shortage of space for future materials. Movement of materials should be improved by reducing non-value adding movements and enhancing better material handling. Non-value adding motions are considered as waste which is to be eliminated. Operations Exim Exports enjoys skilled tailors and experienced supervisors and line managers. It dose have a good production planning team and effective execution. However the workers arent trained for multi tasking that leads to under utilization of employees which is again considered as waste. The supply chain between Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing should be improved to avoid inventories and delays that lead to wastage of time and manpower. Employees should be motivated to improve the efficiency. Better quality management approach is needed. 2.2 Recommendations to eliminate waste in the value chain of Exim Exports According to the above identifications and lecturer overview about the empirical evidence of benefits of lean system in garment manufacturing industry, it is recommended to introduce lean production system in this organisation. In the area of procurement it is essential to implement JIT system to eliminate wastage of time and inventories. 5S model can be implemented in staking materials and movement of materials in between departments. This could lead to reduction of non-value adding movements and increases the efficiency in pulling back materials from stored area. It is also recommended to implement Kanban in the production process (from cutting to packing) that could eliminate under utilization of employees and reduce wastage and delays. Exim Exports could develop Kaizen throughout the process for continuous improvement in all areas i.e. improvement in quality, improvement in efficiency and work flow, improvement in reducing wastage etc Introducing JIT in Procurement to enhance communication between Procurement team, Production and Suppliers Procurement team should not purchase the materials according to their own plan or feasibility. It is recommended to communicate with the production department i.e. cutting and plan to purchase materials according to their requirement. Early purchase lead to raising inventory level and late purchase lead to increase in waiting time. Cutting department will send signals to the procurement about the requirement of raw materials for the future production. So that stores could communicate with the suppliers and purchase the materials according to the current requirement. JIT enables good relationship with the suppliers that create flexibility. Introducing 5S Model in staking areas of Exim Exports to enhance efficiency in the work place 5S stands for Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. It is the principle of improving safety, efficiency and employee morale by deciding what should be kept, where should be kept and how it should be kept that enables easy flow of materials and reduces bottle necks (Ferdousi and Ahmed, 2009). 5S should be implemented in the stores, cutting, stitching, finishing and packing areas wherever the materials are to be staked. 5S enables smooth flow of materials and it keeps the place neat and tidy. Standardized staking method enables employees to identify the right product on time and it eliminates the delay in searching. Introducing Kanban system of supply chain in Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing departments Kanban system will enable an effective material supply between and within production units. Kanban enables multi tasking, so that a single operator can handle multiple operations. Human resource department will support in training and development of employees to ensure the workers are skilled enough to do multi tasking. Lakshmi (2009) says that Kanban uses a specific work space between operations to balance supply chain with demand. The space holds limited number of completed components in queue for next operation. If the space if full then there is no need to produce more, so that the operator can assist with other operations that may be slow. This resembles the pull production method with some buffers for next operation. It reduces over production wastage and increases employee motivation. Introducing Kaizen as a continuous improvement tool in Exim Exports value chain Kaizen is a continuous improvement tool. That can be used in all primary and supporting activities to maintain the standard and increase competitiveness sustainability. This can achieve by monitoring the progress of the current system and identifying the gap to improve the system. Kaizen deals with customer complaints and feedbacks that could enable continuous improvement in process. 3. Impact of above recommendations on the organisations resources and how above recommendations will ensure increased competitiveness, Long term sustainability and corporate social responsibility The above recommendations enable the company to eliminate wastages such as inventories, under utilization of employees, avoids wastage due to mistakes and uncertainties, delay in production, quality issues etc. These improvements have a direct impact of the companys resources. Inventories comprises of investment, storage cost and obsolescence. Carrying excess inventories may signal a lack of coordination and collaboration among supply chain partners as well as a lack of flexibility and agility to adjust to sudden demand shifts. This can result in increasing uncertainty about future earnings and their growth prospects, thereby negatively affecting the reputation of the firm and its market value (Singhal, 2005). Inman and Mehra (1993) identified that JIT adoption is correlated with the future financial success of the firm. Thus, if JIT adoption is viewed as beneficial capital expenditure, it will result in increased market prices. Kanban increases the flexibility of utilizing operators, reduce wastage due to over production, and reduce absenteeism and increases empowerment of employees thus leads to maximum utilization of companys resources. 5S model reduces the mistakes occur in production process such as wrong fabric cutting, reduces repetitive motion aliments that impacts the resource of the company (Lakshmi, 2009). Kaizen a continuous improvement tool increases the efficiency and reduces wastage that has a direct impact on companys resource. A case study by EPA (2003) indicates that the lean system enables reduction in resource requirement and cost of capital, increases customer responsiveness and improving product quality that boots the overall company profits and competitiveness. According to Yeung and Chan (1999, p.756) Manufactures are nowadays facing intensive global competition, they are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of modern management philosophy in providing with a competitive advantage in a free market system. Lean production and lean tools are the solution for achieving competitive advantage in this market place. The above recommended tools will enable the reduction in resource requirements and cost of capital by improving the utilization of employees, reduction of wastages, reduction of delays and avoiding mistakes that leads to loss of resource. It also ensures customer satisfaction by timely delivery and improved quality. Kaizen ensures the company is achieving competitive advantage against its competitors. Thus improved quality, reduced process cycle time, cut production cost and likely to improve delivery performance lead to customer satisfaction and sustainability. Lean systems have long realized the return from an engaged, well-trained, innovative workforce. By coordinating diverse production stages and management systems into a successful, enthusiastic, corporate culture, the vision and discipline of Lean-embracing executives transfer perfectly in Green transition. Lean provides a two-way channel, from the top down and then back up again, that fast tracks transition and reflects the foundational flow underlying Lean systems. Reduction of wastages enables a company to utilize the natural resources in the right way and making quality products increases the durability of the product which is one of the most important social responsibilities of the company. Corporations should take responsibility in reducing wastages of resources and should manufacture durable products that lead to less manufacturing and less pollution where lean system enables the same. 4. 1. Value stream mapping the framework to identify the types of wastages in both primary and support process Value stream mapping is a framework that could be used by the line-managers to identify the types of wastages in a value chain. The goal of value stream mapping is to identify, demonstrate and decrease the waste (Shingo, n.d). Value chain mapping identifies the non value adding activities in a process and eliminates wastage due to non-value adding activities. It focuses on visual maps the flow of materials and information from the time products come in the back door as a raw material through all manufacturing raw materials. In this frame work, the line-manager could be able to track the process flow and value addition to the product in every activity. Whenever a non value adding activity is identified then it is called as waste. Fig. 4. 1. Value stream mapping to identify the type of wastage Value-adding steps are drawn across the centre of the map and the non-value-adding steps be represented in vertical lines at right angles to the value stream. Thus the activities become easily separated into the value stream which is the focus of one type of attention and the waste steps another type. 4. 2. Identify the danger signals for each waste Upon the value stream mapping there are targets for a particular waste. If the actual figure exceeds the target a danger signal will be created. The danger signals of each waste can be identified by comparing the actual results with the targets. Using time study lead time of each and every process will be calculated and stored as a database. When the production starts the line manager could track the operations using the value stream mapping. Whenever the actual production status goes beyond the target a danger signal will be created. So that the manager could concentrate upon the particular operation where there is a need for improvement. There are lean tools such as Jidoka can be used to identify the danger signal. Whenever the quality turns out of control or wastage exceed the allowance a danger signal will be created that makes aware of the line manager. 4. 3. Framework that assists to respond to the danger signals Response to danger signals should be systematically handled. Once the manager noticed a danger signal, the manager should closely analysis and identifies the cause of wastage. Manager should ask themselves a few questions as a check list to ensure they are taking right decisions. First of all the manager should identify where the problem is? How the problem is been created? What is the impact of the problem in the value chain? Does it make economical sense to take a decision upon it? If the managers get answers for these questions then they could proceed with taking decisions. Then using Kaizen as a framework manager should take an appropriate solution to solve the current issue and ensures the system in running as per scheduled. Continuous improvement strategy should be taken in consideration before taking any decision. While taking decision the manager should consider about the current strategy that the company is pursuing. Conclusion While comparing and contradicting the Exim Exports value chain analysis and lecture review upon the current market situation and benefits of lean production in enhancing performance in the current market place it is recommended to implement Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain. JIT in Procurement enables a communication platform between stores, production and suppliers that lead to smooth flow of materials, without ant bottlenecks. Kanban in cutting, stitching, finishing and packing where an effective supply chain that enables pull production and reduces inventory. It is also recommended to implement 5S in the area of staking materials and kept ready to issue. So Based on the above analysis and discussion it is recommended that implementation of Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain will give overall profit to the organisation.

The Ultimate Fulfillment in Mans Fate by Andre Malraux Essay -- Mans

The Ultimate Fulfillment in Man's Fate  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Man's Fate, Andre Malraux examines the compelling forces that lead individuals to join a greater cause. Forced into a life of contempt, Ch'en portrays the man of action in the early phases of the Chinese Revolution.   He dedicates himself to the communist cause.   It is something greater than himself, a phenomenal concept that he has fused into.   It is something for which he will give his life.   How did this devotion come about?   A combination of his personality, his interior life, as well as society's influence, molded him into a terrorist. Ch'en is self-destructive; he is controlled by his religion of terrorism and his fascination with death.   He is representative of the dedicated soldier who begins as a "sacrificial priest" (4) and ends as a martyr.   After all, the ideologies of communism and terrorism were practically a religion to those involved in the revolution.    An examination of Ch'en's past gives us an idea of how he formed his beliefs, and fell into a state of isolation.   At an early age, his parents were murdered in the pillage of Kalagan.   In addition, at age twenty-four, his uncle was taken hostage and killed because he couldn't afford the ransom, and with no wife or children he was severed from any attachment to a family. He was practically brought up by pastor Smithson, representative of the thousands of Christians that were present in Shanghai, who gave him his Christian education.   However, "[a]s he was devoid of charity, a religious calling could lead him only to contemplation or the inner life; but he hated contemplation and would only have dreamt of an apostleship, for which precisely his absence of charity disqualified him" (64).  Ã‚   Thus, he was u... ...reams which take possession of us because we give them force, but which we can just as easily deny" (180).   This is further reinforced by Ch'en's idea that   "In the last hour I have felt nothing of what used to weigh on me" (192).   Ch'en is the terrorist for the insurrection. His faith had isolated himself from the world instead of submitting to it.   We have a personal need for connection, Ch'en is isolated until the end, when all differences are subsumed. Communism gives a sense of escaping isolation.   For under this ideology there is a personal connection and a feeling of equality.   It is the ultimate fulfillment to live his idea, and more importantly to die for his cause - a cause that is much greater than the individual.   In the end Ch'en becomes the bomb. Bibliography   Malraux, Andre.   Man's Fate:   La Condition Humaine. New York: Vintage Books.   1990

Economic Causes of Poverty Essay

Poverty is the deprivation of necessities that that determine the quality of life. These necessities comprises of the basic human needs and better education which directly influences the type of employment and income earned and enable one to fight poverty. In October 2008 World Bank revised the poverty line to 1. 25 US dollar per day from 1 US dollar per day. After revision of the poverty line measure, an estimated 1. 4 billion people were found to live at this poverty line or below (Otlin, 2008). There is an upward poverty trend; for instance in 2004, 984 million people were living on or below the line of measure i. e. 1 US dollar whereas in 1981, 1. 9 million were living on or below the poverty line (Weaver & Park, 2007). Among other causes of poverty, economic causes which include capital flight, unemployment, low income, unfair property laws and unfair trade has really made poverty alleviation in developing countries a complicated issue despite the efforts of these countries to fight against poverty. Rapid flow of money outside a country or any other assets commonly known as capital flight is a major economic cause of poverty. In most cases the movement is due to instability and reduced returns. Investors move their money from one investment to another, either within the same country or to a different country to avoid high inflation and search for stability and increased returns. Capital flight is mostly witnessed in a country with currency instability and sometimes the outflows are intensive thus affecting the whole financial system of the country (Epstein, 2005). The loss of confidence and devaluation of the affected country burdens the citizens and their properties lose the nominal value. This resorts to reduced purchasing power of assets of a country making it very expensive to import goods. Due to devaluation of the economy’s currency, inflation comes in. Consequently, the currency unit can only purchase fewer goods thus accelerating poverty. Capital flight also hampers investment which may reduce economic growth of the developing economies. Unemployment is another economic cause of poverty. It usually occurs when one is ready and able to work but there is no work for him/her. The inadequacies of basic human needs and better education are normally as result of un-employment. A country where there is a higher rate of unemployment, the Growth Domestic Product (GDP) is low since most people are not working. According Epstein (2005), unemployment is a primary cause of temporal poverty. The moment people get job, they supplement their incomes and thus reduce poverty levels. Sounder further says that poverty increases with increase in unemployment duration. People without jobs can be having skill which can improve production, but since they have not been employed, their skills may not be utilized. This can result is low productivity in the country. In other cases, un-employment can be a social cost to the society. Issues like crimes, terrorism and drug abuse which may be as a result of poverty, marginalization and unemployment are costly to eliminate. Money which can be used to alleviate the living standards is used for fighting crimes instead. Unemployment brings income inequality which widens the gap between the rich and the poor. Winefield (2002), points out that unemployment leads to delay in experience gain which reduces productivity. Moreover, in countries which provide job search allowance, the government expenditure goes high because more people are entitled to these allowances. This can force the government to reduce money given to other crucial sectors for example agricultural sector which can be a source of livelihood to the country’s population. Taxes may also increase due to high government expenditure resulting to increase in prices of commodities. Low income means that people will have a limited purchasing power. Winefield (2002) points out that, low income earnings place people near or on at the poverty line. He further argues that, raising the incomes by increasing the wages without dismissing their job opportunities has historically minimized poverty rates. According to his research findings, increasing minimum wage will help reduce poverty levels, however minimal. Small household budgets experience the greatest impacts since they have a limited purchasing power. This has facilitated poverty in developing countries. Increases in food prices and an instant steep rise in agricultural commodities is another economic cause of poverty. The rise in food prices can be attributed to increased demand of staple commodities, higher energy prices especially fuel and electricity which affects transportation and production costs of agricultural products and farm inputs e. g. fertilizer and pesticides. Food prices may also rise due to lack of alternative market outlets for agricultural product and low yields of cereals (Anker, 2006). Competition between industrial commercial organizations is healthy and encouraged by market economies. However, unfair property laws by competitors and use of malicious ways to gain business mileage e. g. making false and direct attack to a competitor may scare away potential investors. At times it happens despite the fact that a code of conduct has been set to guard against this behavior. Unfair competition which comprises of all acts and practices during industrial and commercial transactions which are contrary to honest practices may hamper selling and buying of good and services. Unfair competition may include confusion caused in relation to another enterprise’s products or its activities, acts that are misleading for instance, false implications of a competitor’s product, and damaging the goodwill of the competitors. All this may lead to unfair competition which causes decline in sale of goods or services. Eventually, this will translate increased levels of poverty in the affected economies due reduced sales, exports and other losses that may arise from unfair trade. In conclusion, poverty alleviation is a complex issue to deal with. It requires that all relevant stakeholders get rid of their selfish interest so that they can deal with the root causes of poverty. All causes of poverty ranging from economic, governance, demographic and social factors, environmental factors, if looked into by good governance, transparency in public expenditure, strengthening of management capacity and improvement of the public service delivery will help in promoting a competitive private sector environment for development and trade regime liberalization. This can contribute greatly to poverty alleviation in the world and especially in developing countries in Africa, Latin America and East Asia. A fair trade between developed and developing countries is fundamental if the question of poverty in developing countries is ever to be addressed. For instance, disruption of trade in Africa has greatly affected the process of integration in business. As a result poverty levels have increased undermining and lowering the livelihoods of small scale farmers and producers as well as depriving the young people their rights. References: Anker, R. , (2006); Poverty Lines around the World: A New Methodology and Internationally Comparable Estimates. International Labor Review Journal, Vol. 145 Epstein, G. A. , (2005); Capital Flight and Capital Controls in Developing Countries. ISBN 184376931X, 9781843769316, Edward Elgar Publishing. Otlin, J. , (2008); The Causes of Poverty: Thinking Critically about a Key Economic Issue. Journal of Social Education, Vol. 72 Weaver, C. & Park, S. , (2007); The Role of the World Bank in Poverty Alleviation and Human Development in the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction. Global Governance Journal, Vol. 13 Winefield, A. H, (2002); Unemployment, Underemployment, Occupational Stress and Psychological Well-Being. Australian Journal of Management, Vol. 27