Ethnic Diversity in the Uk Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Diversity in the Uk Essay Immigration, annexation, and colonialism are processes that may create subordinate groups. Other processes such as extermination and expulsion may remove the presence of a subordinate group. Significant for racial and ethnic oppression in the United States today is the distinction between assimilation and pluralism. Assimilation demands subordinate-group conformity to the dominant group, and pluralism implies mutual respect among diverse groups. The definition of ethnicity people value differently for each of the primary and secondary factors Primary whether it be Race, Nationality, Language, Religion, Perceived Ethnic Identity. Secondary whether it be Social status, residential concentrations, age, gender and caste. The processes which create and maintain ethnic diversity are such as Colonisation, annexation and international migration showing the role of those processes that create ethnic diversity in one country. The problems that come with the processes is ethnic diversity whether it be Segregation, pluralism, multiculturalism and discrimination that also shows the economic, social and spatial outcomes of ethnic diversity’ showing the role of these processes and their outcomes for one ethnically diverse city. The problem with Britain is that has been colonised over the centuries by various groups from Romans (introducing the catholic religion as a new ethnicity) the introduction of one of the first colonial powers to rule the British empire. The British isles came together as a political unit through annexation over a number of centuries culminating in Ireland. First wave of Immigrants was in the mid nineteenth century when thousands of Irish fled the potato famine and came to cities with major ports e. g. Liverpool in aid of work and living this is classified as international migration. Most significant increase in ethnic diversity in Britain started in the 1950s. During two world wars hundreds of thousands of men from across the empire had fought for Britain. India alone provided 1. 3 million soldiers. During these years many remained in Britain, forming small ethnic communities in ports this was due to India being a colonial country under British rule. A Number of Jewish immigrants also fled to Britain from the nazi oppression in Europe. At the end of the WWII there work shortages throughout Europe and Britain. 157,000 polish immigrants arrived in Britain in search of work. Shortly after where joined by the Italians but there was still a labour shortage and eventually workers were recruited from the colonies this is all international migration due to it being an economical climate issue. 22nd June 1948, the empire wind rush brought the first of many West Indians to live and work in Britain during the 1950s. In 1956, London transport was struggling to find workers so advertised in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica for bus drivers and conductors. More and more immigrants flocked to Britain throughout the years from Barbadians, West Indians in 1958 and in the 1960s they were joined by immigrants from Indian sub continent which had become India, west and east Pakistan, following independence from Britain. The new immigrants were different to the rest as instead of flocking to the port areas they moved to the London area filling low paid, unskilled jobs in factories and the service sector. Car engineering in car manufacturers in the West Midlands were another focus. They frequently established clusters or neighbourhoods in the poorest areas in the inner cities Toxteth in Liverpool, Brixton and Bethnal Green in London. In most cases the new immigrants eventually established their own places of worship and other ethnic services. These new immigrants were not welcomed easily into British society and there were protests at their arrival. The government reacted by amending the British nationality Act to make it more difficult for non white immigrants to bring their family members with them. In spit of this, the numbers of non-white residents continued to grow and by 1970 they numbered 1. 5 million, one third of these were children born in Britain. Racial prejudice was quite widespread and there were racially motivated riots in the 1980s. Riots were started by claims that ethnic minorities, especially black male youths, were being targeted by the police. These minorities are being represented by racial unequal treatment. The amount of ethnics taking and filling British jobs is causing ethnic conflict between white Caucasian. conflict sociologists see the social world as being in continual struggle. The conflict perspective assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between the competing groups within Britain. The result of this conflict is significant economic disparity and structural inequality in education, the labor market, housing, and healthcare delivery. Specifically, society is a struggle between the privileged (the dominant group) and the exploited (the subordinate groups). Such conflicts need not be physically violent and may take the form of immigration restrictions, real estate practices, or disputes over cuts in the federal budget.

Procurement of Goods and Services Strategies

Procurement of Goods and Services Strategies Introduction Procurement is the acquisition of goods, works and services. The process covers a whole cycle from the identification of needs through the supply of the product and to the end of the service contact and even the end of the useful life of the asset procured. This chapter explains the background of this research work, the problem discussion and the overview of the structure adopted in this dissertation. Background The speed of technological advancement is so much now that no part of the global world can afford to be left behind especially now that the world has become a global village. Businesses all over the world are hence looking for strategies that will position them and make them have a competitive advantage whatever it takes. Such competitive advantage could be gotten from doing business at a low cost achieving lot of savings or having an effective work system. That is what a good procurement best practice strategy can deliver to any organisation. Many Organizations are now seen trying to focus on making their procurement strategies as efficient and cost effective as possible to ensure they have a competitive edge in their industries. According to source one management services, LLC, (2008) the advent of Best Practice Procurement Processes has suddenly seen a lot of companies realizing substantial cost reductions through: Having a proper understanding of the cost drivers used in determining total cost of ownership. Elimination of all non-value adding process thereby Increasing efficiency across the entire supply chain. Aggregation of demand, supplier rationalization, strategic sourcing, and enhanced supplier relationships resulting in improved cycle time. Electronically enabling the supply chain through the use of paperless e-Procurement tools and e-commerce portals. Reduction of carrying costs, warehousing, movement, obsolescence and shrinkage through the alternative inventory ownership agreements – retained consignment and vendor managed inventory. Problem discussion Different strategies are often used in achieving the best procurement processes in various industries. The need for developing countries especially Nigeria industries not to be left behind in utilizing these opportunity has necessitated this research work. For the purpose of this study, I will consider the extent to which procurement practices in Nigeria has adopted the three key strategies discussed in the work namely the lean supply, the e-procurement and the green supply strategies as it relates to environmental friendly policies adopted by various organisations in Nigeria. Kirk Zylstra (2007 p 10), argued that the main objective of all supply chain executives today is he to ensure that future business forecasts, ever changing customer demand, and other variations across the supply chain do not upset their carefully laid cost-reduction plans. Its however been discovered that the main obstacle to this vision is the ability to model budgets, accurately tie real costs to operations, and develop processes that execute these plans daily. This is where the application of lean principles to supply chain operations can help. According to Len Cooper, Senior Vice president of supply chain Halliburton, confirms that Halliburton is focusing mostly on Lean strategies with suppliers, and less so on Six Sigma because, as Cooper explains, Lean focuses on speed and throughput, which is easier for suppliers to apply and is in fact a goal for our suppliers. He went further to states that ‘’we would rather have our best suppliers grow with us, especially in these times, rather than go out and find more suppliers in order to gain access to additional capacity. We wanted to share our Creativity Over Capital ideas and experiences and benefits with them. In one of the report done by Andrea Ovans of Harvard Business report on E- procurement at Schlumberger Oilfield Services, (the worlds largest oil service company on is using the Web to revolutionize the way it buys equipment and supplies) on What they accomplished by moving to e-procurement?. The brain behind the strategy, Paris-based Alain-Michel Diamant Berger explains that ‘’We replaced a number of different systems some that were paper based, some that were automated with a single desktop system. Thats allowed us to streamline and speed up our entire purchasing operation. He further confirmed that buying supplies and equipment has often been very slow and complicated in the past, with lots and lots of papers and approval processes involved before executing a buy. However employees now act as their own purchasing agents, placing orders directly through their PCs and receiving the goods they need much more quickly. The advantage here is that the e procurement single system adopted by Schlumberger which help to consolidate purchases and gain greater volume discounts from our vendors. According to Derek Parker The ultimate aim is to achieve specific, measurable results that improve competitiveness across the supply chain by applying sustainable development practices.’’ Suppliers are often made to understand that sustainable practices improve the long term financial bottom line and in many cases the ‘greening’ of supply chain has a positive interaction with a move towards lean manufacturing, and sustainable processes which are ways of eliminating waste. From the aforementioned strategies adopted by Schlumberger, Halliburton and other organisations described as seen above, it is obvious that there is need to adopt a more aggressive strategy as that adopted by these organisations in order to remain competitive and relevant to their respective industry. The purpose of this research therefore is to evaluate the extent to which these all important strategies have been adopted by organisation in Nigeria, noting the implication and the key hindrance inhibiting these strategies. It is also critical to note that while Sustainable Procurement activities are common in many developed countries, the awareness and implementation is still relatively low in most developing countries. While I recognise the important role that procurement policies can play to support of sustainable development, this research is aims to contribute to the adoption of sustainable procurement strategy in developing countries especially Nigeria. Overview of the dissertation structure The whole dissertation is divided into six major chapters. This chapter which serves as the introduction gives the background and overview of the importance of the topic, the purpose of the research and finally the research questions then introduced. The second chapter provides the reader the opportunity to have an insight into the literature review on some the topics related to the research. This leads us to the third chapter giving the details of the methodology adopted in the carrying out the research. It explains the purpose, the approach and the strategy adopted for the research. It also shows the synopsis of how I arrived at the method I finally adopted for the research. Chapter four gives the highlight of the background of the companies used for this case study and all data gathered in the course of the research. These data were analysed in chapter five while a final conclusion and implications was drawn in chapter six based on the findings of the data analysis. 2.0 Literature Review With the global economic melt down across the nations, organisations are expected to seek a way out of this challenge, among others, looking for a way to reduce turn around time and cost through their procurement strategies. Competition therefore in today’s global market is not only between different companies but also between supply chains management systems. The evolvement in technological advancement and organizational improvements are important for effective supply chain management; however, the main cause of SCM improvements according to juril et al, (2006) is not the implementation of an information system itself, but rather a change and an integration of business processes. Over the years some changes have taken place in the development of innovative procurement strategies especially in sectors like manufacturing, retail, oil and Gas, construction and even service oriented industry. Jim Scotti, (2007) believes Procurement is now evolving into a far more strategic discipline, driven principally by a greater awareness of the financial implications of executing the function well. There are different procurement strategies adopted by organisations in the market place but using the best procurement practices would guaranty the desired success for any organisation. Based on different literatures written by authors the subject of procurement, some of the commonly adopted procurement best practices include: Creating an efficient system that would save time and money. Creating a pre-qualified and broad supplier base which enables all suppliers to be uniformly and objectively evaluated. Creating a comprehensive bid specification with full details before an invitation for bids is sent to the suppliers in the supplier pool.   Creating mutual acceptance of the process whereby every supplier in the pool knows that it can bid low on any supply.   Ensuring full transparency of bids through sending bid results to all suppliers that participated in the bid.   Monitoring every step of the workflow process to ensure clear communications, attention to every detail and a deliverable end product.   Ensuring that work is performed per specifications and on time.   Completing the project with accurate invoicing.   With the advent of Best Practice Procurement processes, a lot of companies have realized substantial cost reductions through understanding the cost drivers that determine the total cost of the supply chain and completely eliminating all non-value adding process in their supply chain line For the purpose of this report three strategies for achieving Procurement best practices will be considered and these include the adoption of the lean supply, e-procurement and adoption of the green supply strategies. While a lot of research has been done on the lean supply and e-procurement and their benefits if properly implemented, not much seems to be mentioned on the green supply principles and need to implement these strategies to achieve procurement best practices while considering the environmental friendly green supply chain management scheme in various organisations and how companies can benefit from this inevitable procurement procedure. Lean Supply Strategy Lean as described by Nigel (2006) is the process of achieving the flow of products and services to meet customers demand in the right quantity, right time, right place at the lowest price with no waste. The key principle focuses on maximizing customer value by producing goods and services with higher quality, fewer defects eliminating various forms of waste or any non-value adding activities through all possible continuous improvement processes. Womark (1996) described the five principles of lean, which includes: identify the value demanded by customer Identify the steps involved in the whole value stream Generate a flow in the value stream Produce only what is pulled by customer Strive for perfection through continuous improvement The adoption of these key principles in procurement activities in order to ensure that the organisation maximises the value of every good or service purchased explains the reason for lean supply or procurement as it applies to this research. R. Stratton (2003) believes Lean supply enables flow and the elimination of wasteful processes within the supply chain. Its focuses on continuous improvement strategies, through the elimination all non-value creating activities, reducing waste and effectively the cost of procurement. According to Lubben, (1998), lean supply aims at improving efficiency, quality and delivery performance of suppliers. It also focuses on removing all non value adding activities so as to reduce the cost of supply of material. For any procurement strategy to succeed the purchasing manager must be able to connect the strategy with the financial implication or performance. W.D. Presutti Jr. (2003) Benefit of adopting lean procurement Organizations within a lean supply chain are able to leverage their own lean journey more easily, delivering better customer value by responding more efficiently, quickly, and predictably to customer needs. That, in turn, facilitates the operation of the lean supply chain, creating a virtuous cycle that ultimately translates to superior financial performance for these organizations. In the article ‘Halliburton pushes Lean Six Sigma to its supply base’ (2009), the use of lean six sigma between 2004 and 2008, tripled their output from its manufacturing plants without any meaningful increase in the total capital footprint for those plants. The companys manufacturing cycle times were reduced, increasing their asset utilization out of all their equipment. According to Len Cooper, who is the Senior Vice president of supply chain management in Halliburton states that the lean process alleviated the need for more capital investment to support the type of output growth they experienced with the adoption of lean six sigma. Generally, the adoption of lean supply gives a lot of other benefits which includes achieving a minimal level of defects in supply, frequent deliveries.( Handfield, 1993) He further argued that because there are smaller number of suppliers, this could lead to developing a long term relationship between the buy and supplier which eventually leads reduced products price that would benefit the purchasing organisation. Strategies to adopt a lean supply system Inadequate management of the procurement process adds cost and adversely impacts customer service. In the current competitive environment such inefficiencies can no longer be tolerate. It is therefore necessary for organisations to focus more on their supply chain management system and adapt the concept of strategic lean supply chain management to their internal systems so as to eliminate all non value adding process. Sidney Hill Jr (2008) argued that the lean supply chain system cannot just happen. They emerge from strong working relationships between supply chain partners i.e the purchasing organisations, who are thoroughly committed to continuous improvement processes. Organisations especially the multinational expected to help their train their suppliers to fit into the required standard for supply. This could be organising training for their staff and help setting up some infrastructure that would encourage the lean practice. E-procurement Strategy E-procurement can be seen as a very valuable tool for organisations experiencing difficulties in their supply chain. If properly implemented, e-procurement can be used to connect a link between companies and their business processes with suppliers while managing all interactions between them. It encourages management of correspondence, bids, questions and answers, previous pricing, and multiple emails sent to multiple participants. Defined in different ways by many scholars. Presutti, ( 2002) describes electronic-procurement as the productive use of the internet to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the supply end of the supply chain. Davila et al. (2002) describes it as any technology designed to facilitate the acquisition of goods over the internet. Most literatures written on e- procurement addressed various issues in their definition. While some such as Brunnelli, (1999), Carabello, 2001 and others limits the definition to acquisition of goods over the internet, Scott and Westbrook (1998); New and Payne, (1995) believes that it should have a broad definition which includes the entire value chain, including materials and supply chain management from the extraction of raw materials to its end of useful life. In most recent times, there has been a change of focus from the strategic view of market to an internal re engineering discovered in supply chain management. This is obvious because e-procurement provides a set of built-in monitoring tools to help control costs, maximum supplier performance and deliver value to the purchasing organisation if adequately maximized. Benefit of e- procurement strategy The use of e-Procurement system help managers make decisions through access to catalogues of many suppliers keeping track of all means of bids while leveraging on knowledge to obtain better pricing. It provides organised, standardized and track able information with the elimination of the use of paper work. Kalakota and Robinson, (2000) explains that the main objective of any company’s e-procurement strategy is to better manage the firm’s operational costs. Basically, the strategy of e-procurement could be seen under two broad umbrella: the effectiveness and the efficiency of use- Davila et al, (2002) and Presutti (2002). Dai and Kauffman, (2000) however argues the benefit in e-procurement in terms of the high returns on investment (ROI) achieved through reduced operating and search cost. A view of benefit of e-procurement adopted by Davila et al, (2002) and Presutti (2002) explains the efficiency and effectiveness of using e-procurement. This includes: a better managed inventory level, cost effectiveness and savings achieved, improved efficiency of the procurement process, reduced maverick spending and better flow of information between buyers and supplier. According to Davila et al (2002), the main reason for the investment on the technology platform used for e-procurement is to achieve cost saving. He confirms that the adoption of e-procurement technologies reported a savings of 42 per cent in purchasing transaction costs. A summary of the various benefits associated with e-procurement as seen in many of the literatures includes but not limited to; Better value for money. Its helps to reduce inventory level and therefore serves as a cost saving measure for the organisation. The managers often know the product, the bid prices and the supplier to contact whenever the product is needed. Completely reduces transaction cost such as requisition, ordering administration and storage cost. E-procurement solution helps firms to interact with a wider supplier base and gives firms the opportunity to reach the unknown but qualified source of suppliers. It also provides the spirit of fair play. There is reduced duplication leading to a more efficient purchasing. It increases the ability to track strategic information and data on procurement including purchasing patterns. E-Procurement systems also allow multiple access levels and permissions help managers organize administrative users by roles, groups, or tasks. Procurement managers do not need to be as highly trained or paid because such systems are standardized and easy to learn. The system also links together the company’s procurement unit/department around the world and allows them share information about their best suppliers According to (Presutti, 2002) , the e-procurement system enables firms to more efficiently and accurately capture and aggregate budget spending in various purchasing product area, allowing the firms to bring what may be significant buying power leverage to market. The online real time of e-procurement technology no doubt provides buyers and sellers with the opportunity to share information in building specification of products which add value to resulting product and build strong relation. The larger the base of participating suppliers, considering the benefits to both sides, the greater will be the business value of e-procurement solution. (Presutti, 2002) In conclusion, every organisation’s goal is to achieve a good return on investment. According to OSD (2001), e-procurement enables the reduction in cost of goods procured and procurement processing time and cost have direct impact on return on investment (ROI). E-procurement risk management As seen from the numerous literatures on e-procurement, the research on the adoption of e-procurement has been made tremendous impact in many organisation, unfortunately not much as done on the risk management of e- procurement, especially within the industries considered in Nigeria. Douglas Hubbard ( 2009) describes ‘Risk management as the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risk followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events’. Risk management is the finding out the possibility of ‘a wrong’ happening, how it can be avoided, fixed or reduced to the barest minimum whenever it occurs Davila et al (2002), agrees that new e-procurement technologies has become an vital part of supply chain management activities and that the rate of adoption will accelerate as aggressive users share their experiences and perceptions of low risk. He went further to argue that the actual benefits and risks of e-procurement technologies and manger’s evolving perceptions about the benefits and risks will determine the speed at which the technology moves from its developmental infancy to the adoption and the maturity stages. E-procurement is no doubt growing in most industry and this is due to the competitiveness in most industry and the ever changing nature of the demands of the customers. Some of the risk identified in different literature includes: External business risk: This happen when there’s no effective communication between the organisation’s e procurement system and the customers and suppliers. External parties such as suppliers need to be able to develop internal systems that facilitate the communication through electronic means (an issue that demands technology investments as well as incentives) connected to the e- procurement system. To achieve a successful e-procurement technology, suppliers must have an electronic access via the Internet and should provide sufficient catalogue choices to satisfy the requirements of their customers-purchasers. Although most suppliers, especially in low margin industries, may be undecided or even unable to meet such demands without guarantees of future revenue streams. And also since some of the business models associated with e-procurement technologies (e.g. auctions, consortia, and exchanges) may be thinking of using suppliers with whom the buyer has not previously transacted business, companies need to develop mechanisms that provide the buyer with assurances that the supplier meets or exceeds recognizable and industry enforced standards relating to supplier quality, service, and delivery capabilities. Reputation risk: This type of risk occurs when there’s a breach of data that can damage an organisation’s reputation. Reputation risk occurs for example, when there is duplication in the information on the system which jeopardizes the reliability of the information Implementing e-procurement strategy requires not only having a successful purchasing process in place but also the ability to integrate all existing infrastructures. Okah et al (2007) Technology risk: As the growth of e-procurement advances, most organisation fears the lack of a widely accepted standard and a clear understanding of which e-procurement technologies best suit the needs of each company. This lack of generally acceptable standard serves as a hindrance to the use of commonly integrated software across all e-procurement activities. This suggest that an acceptable and open standard would be required to fully integrate all facilitates among the various organization using the e-procurement technologies. Without widely accepted standards for coding, technical, and process specifications, the adoption of e-procurement technology will be slow and will fail to the desired benefits. Process risk: Frew (2005, p 397) explains that process risk are risk associated with the security and control of the e-procurement process itself. There is need to provide evidence to non users that this technology will not breach control or security or any privacy issue. Organizations must be confident, for example, that unauthorized actions will not disrupt production or other supply chain activities when committing to e-procurement technologies Internal Business risk: According to Davila, et al, (2002) certain risk that are linked with the adoption of e-procurement need to be addressed before these technologies are widely accepted. Although, e-procurement in itself reduces the risk of human factor, maybe due to loss of certain document or misappropriation of data, but there is still a human interface which can also result to a form of risk or error. Okah (2008) describes it as human error risks. In conclusions risk are sometimes unavoidable but adequate measure should be in place to mitigate any kind of such risk whenever it arises and that is the purpose of risk management as it applies to procurement. Davila et al, (2002) also described some risk associated with the integration of technologies with existing information systems, with the business models that these technologies impose on supplier-customer relations and with the security and control mechanisms required to insure their appropriate use. Avery, (2002) however believes that e-procurement are essentially global, many of its limitations come from the geographic, cultural and organizational limitation of the underlying businesses in which they are adopted. Green Sustainable Procurement Strategy There has been increased awareness in our environment as its affects global warming, production of non recyclable packages and some toxic substances. A lot of Organisations have been seen applying the green principle to their organisation activities including the supply chain activities. A Green Sustainable Supply Chain can be defined as the process of using environmentally friendly inputs and transforming these inputs through change agents whose by-products can improve or be recycled within the existing environment. This process develops outputs that can be reclaimed and re-used at the end of their life-cycle thus, creating a sustainable supply chain.- Patrick P (2007) According to Seuring, (2004), Green supply chain management, could be referred to as environmental supply chain management or sustainable supply chain management. This includes green purchasing, green manufacturing/materials management, green distribution/marketing and reverse logistics (Sarkis, 2005) The environmental sustainability according to Madu, et al., (2002) has gradually become part of the overall corporation culture and, in turn, has helped to restructure the strategies of corporations With this increasing awareness in environmental sustainability, companies are beginning to streamline their operations and look for means of reducing their excess inventory, determine the optimal right-shoring plan, and reduce fuel expenses and logistics costs while reducing overall carbon emissions. Purchasers are therefore faced with enormous task of focusing on the design and packages of the products supplied by their suppliers The act of purchasing activities that include the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials is therefore paramount to organisation competitive existence in the marketplace- Carter, et al. (1998) Procurement officers are now trained to go for product with less non recyclable bye products or packages. Study has shown that the cost of most goods are in the packaging, thus if the packaging can be reduced, perhaps made to be recycled, the cost of the product will eventually be low. According to Faith-Ell, et al., (2006) the environmental performance of products and services can improve if purchaser express environmental preferences through the so called green procurement Walton, et al., (1998); Zhu and Cote, (2004) confirms that organisations that adopt the green supply chain management system may generate environmental and business performances. Following various legislation by different Government, consumers are beginning to have preference for product or services produced by environmental friendly organisations. Purba, (2002) also confirm that the practise of a green supply chain, can result in an improved environmental performance through the reduction in waste and emissions as well as better environmental commitment while improving competitiveness (better product quality, increase in efficiency, enhancing productivity and cutting cost), resulting to a better economic performance (new marketing opportunities and increasing product price, profit margin, market share and sale volume). This was supported by Derek Parker who confirms that the ultimate aim of green supply is to achieve specific,measurable results that improve competitiveness across the supply chain by applying sustainable development practices. It is therefore clear based on all the stipulations from the various authors like Walton, et al. (1998), Zhu and Cote (2004) and Purba (2002), as well as other procurement experts, that organizational performance is considered to include environmental and financial performance. The pressure is therefore on all organisations to improve their environmental performances which is a result of the world’s globalization rather than localization (Sarkis and Tamarkin, 2005). Benefits of green supply The benefits of Green supply goes beyond the reduction in waste and emission to the environment but it also benefits the organisation in terms of cost savings. Stevels, (2002) categorised the benefits of green supply into three folds: the financial implication, the company reputation and the societal perception. The financial implication: The green supply chain management practice helps in lowering cost prices for supplier and in turn results to a lower cost for their customers Lower cost of ownership for customer. Better competitive advantage Result to more customers In terms of reputation: Less rejects for supplier Better compliance for societal values. Confirms technological and environment awareness in terms of societal perception: Green supply chain management helps motivation of stakeholder for environment better image for supplier and producer feel good and quality of life for customer Make industry on the right track for society. Green supply chain management helps in lowering the environmental load for environment Duber-Smith, (2005), also highlighted ten reasons why organisations should adopt the green supply strategy: target marketing, sustainability of resources, lowered costs/increased efficiency, product differentiation and competitive advantage, competitive and supply chain pressures, adapting to regulation and reducing risk, brand reputation, return on investment, employee morale, and the ethical imperative. Supplier Evaluation/Selection The responsibilities of buyers or purchasing Managers has changes significantly especially in this competitive environment from purchasing products and service to meet customers needs. It has become necessary for purchasers to provide quality products, delivered just in time by working with adequate numbers of suppliers. Suppliers therefore play a key p

Human Equality as an Impossible Ideal in Animal Farm :: Animal Farm Essays

How do the events in Animal Farm show human equality to be an impossible ideal, not a practical reality? One of the main themes of the book is the effect of power on leaders and how it leads to corruption, propaganda and most of all inequality, and in this book, inequality is shown through out and there are many different examples of it. The main event in the beginning of the book is old major’s speech, where he starts it by mentioning how unequal human are to the animals and how they don’t do any work as they are the leaders of all creatures. He implied that the other animals should get rid of man so that his dream can be fulfilled and create a society where all animals are created equal. Just as Old major dies, the pigs create â€Å"Animalism† and the seven commandments under the intention of equality, even as they have just automatically chose themselves as leaders of the revolution and the other animals. The rebellion wasn’t really led by the pigs; it occurred when the animals got mad after a long day without food, the pigs unequally became leaders without actually taking a huge part in it. After Mr. Jones is kicked out and the animals’ hope of an equal society rose, they started working hard while the pigs didn’t do any work under the excuse of the need of supervision. Another example of the inequality of the pigs is after the apple harvest where they took it for themselves claiming that they need fuel while the other animals are the ones who need it as they work harder. During the successful defensive fight against Mr. Jones, all the animals fight equally, Snowball and boxer did an excellent job, except napoleon who didn’t turn up for the fight. Napoleon is becoming increasingly corrupt and unjust. After the effective speech by snowball which made snowball more popular and was going to divert the votes to him, Napoleon â€Å"uttered a high-pitched whimper† and the dogs chased snowball of the farm, which confirmed the untrustworthiness of napoleon. And subsequently the inequality began to increase at a more severe rate. The animals gradually become like slaves doing napoleon’s plans and doing whatever he likes, moreover they are forced to work on Sundays but Napoleon rests like he does all over the week. Yet he starts trading and starts progressively breaking the commandments. What is more, he horrifies the hens after their refusal of giving the pigs their eggs for money by cutting the food supply on them and starving them until 9 of them died, so that they agree on giving the

The Hartford Whalers Are Going Going ... :: essays research papers

The Hartford Whalers Are Going Going ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hartford Whalers are in a very tough situation at this time. When Peter Karmanos bought the team in May of 1994, he inherited the worst lease agreement at the smallest arena in the NHL.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hartford Civic Center lease agreement creates profit for private companies; however, the lease causes the Whalers to lose money. The mall is owned and operated by Aetna; therefore it has nothing to do with the Whalers. The city of Hartford owns the coliseum, parking garage, and exhibition hall. The state of Connecticut pays a 1.6 million dollar annual leasing fee to take control of the coliseum, parking garage, and exhibition hall. The state hired Ogden Entertainment Services to run the coliseum, and Ogden receives all of the revenue from luxury boxes, the coliseum club, advertisements, rental fees and the exhibition hall. The state also hired Kinney Systems to run the parking garage and Service America Corporation to run the concessions. Both companies receive all revenue from the service they run. After all of this, there is no money left for the Hartford Whalers (Swift & Arace, 1+).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason why these three companies keep all of the revenue from the Civic Center can be blamed on Richard Gordon, the former owner of the Whalers who did not want the city of Hartford to run the Civic Center. In 1993, the state decided to negotiate a new lease with the Whalers. The state of Connecticut did not want to run the coliseum so they hired three private companies to take this job. These companies would only run the Civic Center if they could keep all of the revenue from the service they controlled. Richard Gordon accepted this lease because this agreement would repay him for an additional ten million dollars in loses and he sold the team a year later (Lang 53-69).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hartford Whalers is the only major league team in Connecticut and at the Civic Center. They currently have a bad lease which causes them to lose money. The Hartford Whalers play all exhibition, regular season, playoff games, the training camp, and some practice time rent free at the Civic Center. However, the Whalers get no revenue from concessions, luxury boxes, parking, and the coliseum club. The Whalers get sixty percent of the revenue from advertisements along the boards but no revenue from all other ads around the coliseum (Swift, 1+). The Whalers can leave Hartford after the 1997-98 season if they lose a cumulative thirty million dollars from 1994-95 through 1997-98. They must also pay a five million dollar penalty to leave Hartford.

Fourier Series :: physics fourier

Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (March 21, 1768 - May 16, 1830) was a French mathematician and physicist who is best known for initiating the investigation of Fourier series. He was born at Auxerre in the Yonne dà ©partement of France, the son of a tailor, and was educated by the Benedictines. The commissions in the scientific corps of the army were reserved for those of good birth, and being thus ineligible he accepted a military lectureship on mathematics. He took a prominent part in his own district in promoting the revolution, and was rewarded by an appointment in 1795 in the Normal school, and subsequently by a chair in the Polytechnic school. Fourier went with Napoleon on his Eastern expedition in 1798, and was made governor of Lower Egypt. Cut off from France by the English fleet, he organized the workshops on which the French army had to rely for their munitions of war. He also contributed several mathematical papers to the Egyptian Institute which Napoleon founded at Cairo, with a view of weakening English influence in the East. After the British victories and the capitulation of the French under General Menou in 1801, Fourier returned to France, and was made prefect of Isà ¨re, and it was while there that he made his experiments on the propagation of heat. He moved to Paris in 1816. In 1822 he published his Thà ©orie analytique de la chaleur, in which he bases his reasoning on Newton's law of cooling, namely, that the flow of heat between two adjacent molecules is proportional to the extremely small difference of their temperatures. In this work he claims that any functions of a variable, whether continuou s or discontinuous, can be expanded in a series of sines of multiples of the variable - this result isn't correct at all. But the fact that some discontinuous functions are the sum of infinite series was a breakthrough. The question of determine when a function is the sum of its Fourier series has been fundamental for centuries. Lagrange had given particular cases of this (false) theorem, and had implied that the method was general, but he had not pursued the subject. Dirichlet was the first to give a satisfactory demonstration of it, with some restrictive conditions.

Turnover Rate in Corrections

The Nation Wide Dilemma in Corrections CJ 2500: CORRECTIONS Professor November 04, 2012 Running Head: Turnover Rate in Corrections Abstract Throughout the years, there has been one major dilemma that continues to hassle the administration whose sole purpose is to provide institutional sanctions, treatment programs, and services for managing criminal offenders. This dilemma is the high turnover rate of the Corrections Officers, whom agencies nation wide are losing at an extremely high rate.Recent statistics indicate that nearly half of all Corrections Academy graduates will have left their agency within a two-year period (â€Å"State questions high, â€Å"2004). This high turnover rate is causing a staff shortage, which is forcing agencies to put new officers on the job immediately while being untrained. Though the amount of Corrections Officers departing from their agencies continues to rise, the amount of inmates entering prisons remains the same.This of course can become a seriou s safety issue for the departments employing these new hires that are inadequately trained. Throughout this paper I will explore the numerous possibilities of what’s causing Corrections Officers to depart from their agencies at such a high rate. Whether it’s the demanding hours associated with shift work, the high stress and burnout, or the inadequate pay and benefits, all possibilities will be discussed in an attempt to understand why the retention rate of Corrections Officers is lower compared to various other careers across the nation.The Department of Corrections (DOC), privately owned jails, parish jails, and local city jails not only face the hardship of maintaining inmate property, specific calorie counts from meals provided, medicine dispensing, doctor visits, and numerous other tasks required that Corrections Officers tend to on a typical day of work, but these facilities also face the hardship of retaining these Officers for extended lengths of employment. As stated in the Abstract of this paper, â€Å"Recent statistics indicate that nearly half of all Corrections Academy graduates will have left their agency within a two-year period† (â€Å"State questions high, â€Å"2004).This has become a major problem for agencies that have a continuous increase in the number of inmates entering these facilities each year, while becoming almost impossible to keep enough manpower to operate shifts in a safe and secure manner. It is stated that in 1999, the turnover rate of Officers and Corporals within an agency was 29. 6 percent, while the average tenure of Officers was 3 years (â€Å"Department of corrections,†). The turnover rates in 2000 ranged from a low of 3. percent in New York, to a high of 41 percent in Louisiana (Lommel, 2004). Typically, once an Officer has been hired and accepted the job, they are to be trained in some type of Corrections Academy. The department hiring the Officer may host this Academy, or the Officer may have to travel to receive their training. Either way, prior to an Officer actually beginning their job monitoring the walkways of a prison or jail, the Officer should first be well trained to ensure theirs, the inmates, and other Officers safety.However, due to the high number of vacancies within Corrections, Officers are being hired without any experience, while hoping to receive this training academy shortly after becoming employed. Some agencies have established a policy that once the Officer has completed their training at an Academy, they are to sign a contract stating that they will remain with the department for a set amount of years. This is due to the high costs that an agency incurs by having these Officers sent to an accredited Academy to receive their training.The dollar amount that an agency may spend on an Officers training may range anywhere between a few hundred dollars, to a few thousand dollars. To elaborate on the amount of vacancies within Corrections, this coul d very well be a contributing factor to the increased amount of Officers who resign due to stress and burnout. Officers are being ordered in on their off days or holidays, forced to work mandatory overtime, a higher inmate to Correctional Officer ratio, as well as experienced Officers having to work with an extensive amount of â€Å"rookie† or inexperienced Correctional Officers.This combining of experienced officers with new hires, who have not received any type of prior training, raises the stress level during dangerous interactions with inmates, as well lowering the morale of the Officers who remain and attempt to complete their careers with a specific agency. This may be due to long term employees realizing that many of the new hires are using their time as a Correctional Officer to gain experience, or as a stepping-stone to eventually become a road or patrol Officer, which may involve more experienced Officers not spending the time necessary to assist, or provide â€Å" On the job training† to the new hires.Additional causes of stress may include the threat of inmate violence, actual inmate violence, inmate demands and manipulations, problems with co-workers, as well as having a poor public image. For example, â€Å"Between 1990 and 1995, the number of attacks on correctional officers in State and Federal prisons jumped by nearly one third, from 10,731 to 14,165 (Lommel, 2004). An additional stress added to a Correctional Officers life is being able to balance and separate work from their personal relationships.Workdays at a correctional facility often involve long hours of uneventful and routine procedures. This â€Å"routine† may quickly be disrupted by a brief period of crisis. Some Officers have issues with being able to return to a calm state once a crisis occurs, often times bringing their problems home to their families. This may lead Officers to substance abuse, or alcoholism. Law Enforcement careers can be an extremely diffic ult, stressful, yet rewarding career, even when referring to Corrections Officers.However, due to the long work hours associated with shift work, combined with the stressful and strenuous workdays officers are exposed to, it seems as if all Law Enforcement, to include Corrections officers do not receive the pay and benefits that they are entitled to. A large number of Corrections Officers are leaving this career field due to struggling with raising families while trying to balance and survive on the annual salary of a Corrections Officer. It seems as if economically speaking, the value of everyday necessities ontinues to rise in value, except for the officers’ paychecks. This dilemma, combined with the additional stress an Officer encounters on the job, could possibly explain why many Officers leave their jobs due to stress and burnout. The benefits that an Officer, or Corrections Officer receives is usually the highlight of their employment contract. Officers usually do rece ive good insurance and retirement plans. Not just for them, but for their families as well. However, the type of insurance that an Officer receives depends on the plan that the agency has purchased.Some agencies will have top of the line benefits, while others may have insurance carriers with extremely high deductibles and rates, due to tight budget restraints and cutbacks within the department. In addition to the stress, burnout, long hours, and low pay, many officers are never set on retiring within corrections. As previously stated, numerous officers, such as myself, use corrections as a stepping-stone, or training prior to being hired for a patrol position.Numerous agencies such as Sheriff’s Offices of various Parishes within the state, require that an individual hired first serve one to two years within the parish jail prior to being sent to a Police Academy and ultimately landing a position on patrol. Many agencies have come to realize this, which is why they may not sp end the time, effort, and funds to train the individual to become a more efficient Corrections Officer. By reflecting on the issues presented in this paper, it is determined that turnover rate in Corrections Officers will likely continue to be a rising problem for agencies.Administrators seeking seminars on retention strategies, which may depend on additional funding, can combat some of these issues. Agencies can improve their policies, improve management, increase criteria of the screening process, as well as address the wage and benefit issue. However, no matter what an agency decides in attempting to retain there officers, there will always be the Officers that slip through the cracks and ultimately cost the department more funding in training the individual, only to have them leave the agency before reaching their desired and previously stated commitment.WORKS CITED Department of corrections background and statistics. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://legisweb. state. wy. us/proge val/reports/2000/turnovr/Chapter4. htm High turnover of corrections staff, excessive priosoner head counts attract media attention. (2006, Sep 06). Retrieved from http://www. bcgeu. ca/node/1314 Lommel, J. (2004, August). Turning around turnover. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. liberty. edu:2048/docview/215699356 State questions high turnover among prison officers. (2004, 04 05). Retrieved from http://www. corrections. com/articles/1862

India: the Unfortunate Correlation Between Poverty and Environmental Issues

India: The Unfortunate Correlation Between Poverty and Environmental Issues India makes up 2. 4 percent of the world’s land, while supporting an increasing 18 percent of the world population (D. Nagdeve, 2006). India is considered to be one of the major developing countries, continuously growing its reputation in the global economy. However, since the Independence of India, the issue of poverty has remained a vital concern. As of last year, more than 37% of India’s population, of a totaled 1. 35 billion people, are still living below the poverty line (Economy Watch, 2010). Although there are individuals and corporations in upper-class India that are growing prosperous, there is an unfairness to those living in severe poverty suffering the environmental damage that country leaders are dismissing. As those living in poverty put pressure against the environment and vice versa; there is an evident strong correlation between poverty and environmental issues. The astounding increase in population is one of the main reasons for poverty and environmental struggles in India, along with the neglect for efficient pollution controls, and unequal distribution of farmland (B. Ruck, 2006). The high death rates in India due to unfortunate diseases, lack of health care and security in old age, leads to Indians having more children (B. Ruck, 2006). More than half of the world’s malnourished and under-weight children are located in South Asia. In these South Asian countries there is a double burden of disease and poverty, creating an endless vicious circle of high disease levels, low productivity and high poverty and death rates. An example, of a terrible disease very present in India is malaria as it is one of the most prevalent public health problems that the country is facing perennially (V. Sharma, 2003). Poverty and malaria responsively are two interwoven elements as this disease is predominantly the disease of the poor. The real poor cannot afford private treatment and therefore must resort to self-medication, usually by the usage of traditional medications, at their own peril (V. Sharma, 2003). For a country boasting about its growth rate, the fact that 53% of children in India under the age of five years live without basic healthcare facilities is shameful. This adds up to 67 million Indian children living in a risk of survival for their first few years. Poor children are three times more likely to die before their fifth irthday, while over 1 million children in India die in their first month of life annually (K. Sinha, 2008). These saddening statistics just verify that India’s health care system is doing little to nothing to care for India’s poor population. India’s high death rates, specifically for those living in poverty without health care access, leads t o families trying to conceive as many children possible in hopes of more survival. For these health reasons and cultural reasons there are many large families across India. The growth in population is resulting in an increased pressure on natural resources, from water to forests (WWF, 2003). Environmentalists worldwide, especially from richer nations, have raised concerns about the increasing populations placing excessive strains on the world’s scarce resources (A. Shah, 2005). A recent article from The Economist explains that India’s rapid industrialization, is a troublesome thought for residents, specifically those living in poverty. By the year 2020, according to the World Bank, India’s water, air, soil and forest resources will be under more human pressure than those of any other country (The Economist, 2008). Rapid population growth and poverty in a country, in this case India, is adversely affecting the environment in a devastating manner. Recently, the global population reached 7 billion human beings, all with rising levels of consumption per capita, quickly depleting natural resources and degrading the environment (A. Shah, 2005). In India, the increase of population combines with the distressed poverty to create an immense pressure on all of the country’s natural resources (D. Nagdeve, 2006). India’s economy is in high gear, leaving an immense and unfortunate trail of pollution, severely impacting not only India, but also the rest of the world (WWF, 2003). There are various types of pollution that affect India’s environment including sound pollution, waste and water pollution, and air pollution. Unwanted sounds from the natural environment; wind, volcanoes, oceans, and animal sounds, are more tolerable than man-made noises from machines, automobiles, trains, planes, explosives and firecrackers. Mumbai is rated the third noisiest city in the world, with New Delhi following closely behind. It is now increasingly understood that pollution from noise is an important component of air pollution. Noise not only causes irritation and annoyance but also constricts the arteries, and increases the flow of adrenaline forcing the heart to work faster. Continuous noise causes an increase in the cholesterol level resulting in permanent constriction of blood vessels, making humans more prone to heart attacks and strokes (P. Mitra, 2007). Perceptibly, the effects of water pollution are not only devastating to people but also to animals, fish and birds as the water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, and the agricultural industry. Waste and water pollution diminishes the aesthetic quality of lakes and rivers while contaminating aquatic life, reducing reproductive ability (P. Mitra, 2007). Moving up the food chain, the hazard continues to negatively affect human health, supporting the notion that it is greatly challenging to escape the effects of water pollution. It is evident that there is an issue of air and water pollution in many Indian states, including Delhi. With the disturbing gray skies, Delhi’s air has been considered deadly to breathe. A third of Delhi residents are affected with chronic breathing ailments while one out of six children suffer lead induced mental retardation (South Asian Voice, 2000). The poor are first to suffer the effects of air and water pollution. The rich can minimize their exposure to the air-borne toxics by driving air-conditioned cars while those with lower incomes must travel by feet, bicycles or public transit, unfortunately finding themselves in a situation where they cannot escape the detrimental effects. In previous instances the Supreme Court ruled that certain polluting industries should be relocated out of Delhi into less well-known places like Ghaziabad, Meerut or Rohtak (South Asian Voice, 2000). This proposes that the healths of those who reside in more poverty are less important than those in the nation’s capital. The 2011 survey taken by the Pew Research Centre, presented results that 79% of Indians distinctly considered pollution a â€Å"very big problem† (The Economist, 2008). Of the Indian rural population, more than 22% live in settings with existing physical and financial predicaments in addition to the 15% living in poverty within urban India (Economy Watch, 2010). Throughout the world, including India, the poorest people are increasingly clustered in remote and ecologically fragile areas (B. Ruck, 2006). Agriculture contributes to 21% of India’s Gross Domestic Product; its importance within the country’s economic, social, and political standards are highly significant (World Bank Group, 2011). The rural population in India depends on agriculture where the weather phenomenon plays a major role on the rural economy. In the past years there have been severe droughts, affecting the economy as crops were destroyed being an identifiable catastrophe for may cultivators. In many states of India including Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa there are annual floods, which also hamper the growth of crops and farmlands (D. Talukdar, 2010). In rural districts, the best land tends to be taken over by the wealthiest of farmers, who can afford modern technology to maintain and grow crops on the larger areas of land. This inopportunely leaves poor people pressured to occupy and exploit more fragile lands including hillsides, forests and arid areas (D. Pimentel et al, 2004). It is an identifiable struggle to grow decent crops on these marginal areas of land, resulting in increased poverty for those already suffering financially while creating an augmented pressure on over-exploited lands (B. Ruck, 2006). About half of India’s land is affected by soil erosion meaning that India’s soil is naturally removed by the action of water or wind roughly at the same rate as soil is formed. The country proceeds with irrigation, bringing water to the land in a variety of artificial means, which is leading to desertification of once fertile land. A result of desertification is deforestation; taking a toll of 400 million people who depend on non-timber produce (V. Sharma, 2003). Further actions which should be implemented powerfully into India’s lifestyles is improving supplies of clean water; to reduce time spent gathering unclean water while also reducing the illnesses caused by these foul water supplies (World Poverty, 2011). By improving the supply of accessible, affordable health care information and services, the country can reduce the vulnerability of diseases within poverty stricken areas while also improving the state of India’s natural environment. Furthermore, improving the training and equipment of farmers would be beneficial to those living in India, as this would help increase crop yields and conserve the environment (World Poverty, 2011). Poverty can be recognized as both the cause and effect of environment degradation. As India’s population and economy continues to substantially grow, the country’s need to find effective solutions becomes significantly more urgent each day. The strong correlation between poverty and environmental issues is expanding as both continue to put pressure against each other. The aspirations of more than one billion people; suffering through poverty and environmental struggles, must be recognized and relieved. References â€Å"Agriculture – India: Priorities for Agriculture and Rural Development. † World Bank Group. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Bass, Stephen. Reducing poverty and sustaining the environment the politics of local engagement. London, Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2005. Print. Bhattacharya, Haimanti, and Robert Innes. â€Å"Is There a Nexus between Poverty and Environment in Rural India?. † AgEcon Search: Item 21201. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Economy Watch Content. â€Å"Poverty in India . † Economy Watch. N. p . , 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. . Foundation for Sustainable Development. Environmental Issues in India | Foundation for Sustainable Development. † Welcome to FSD | Foundation for Sustainable Development. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Gadgil, Madhav, and Ramachandra Guha. â€Å"Development and Change. † Ecological Conflicts and the Environmental Movement in India. Online: The Hague, 1994. 101 – 136. Print. Nagdeve, D. A.. â€Å"IIPS-Envis Center on Environment and Population. † IIPS-Envis Center on Population and Environment. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Pimentel, David, Bonnie Berger, and David Filiberto. Water Resources: Agricultural and Environmental Issues. California: BioScience, 2004. Print. Ruck, Barbara . â€Å"Poverty and the Environment. † World Vision. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. . Shah, Anup. â€Å"Poverty and the Environment aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Global Issues. † Global Issues : social, political, economic and environ mental issues that affect us all aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Global Issues. N. p. , n. . Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Sharma, V. â€Å"Malaria and poverty in India. † Current Science 84. 4 (2003): 513 – 515. Print. Sinha, Kounteya. â€Å"53% Indian kids under 5 lack healthcare – Times Of India. † The Times Of India. N. p. , 8 May 2008. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. . â€Å"Solutions to World Poverty. † World Poverty. N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. . â€Å"Solutions to World Poverty. † World Poverty. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. . South Asian Voice . â€Å"Problems of Indian Development: Environmental Issues, Preserving the Environment, Ending Poverty. † South Asian Voice . N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. . Talukdar, Diganta. â€Å"Poverty and Health: Major challenges for India. † Citizen Journalism News Platform – merinews. N. p. , 22 July 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.