What Disciplinary Sanctions Should Teachers Be Allowed to Use?

In earlier centuries, physical punishment was a common thing. Teachers would use a cane to hurt their students when they misbehaved, even more extremely teachers would have their children kneel on the ground with their hands in the air for an hour to cause them considerable pain in places such as Africa. However, now these types of punishments are seen as immoral and unthinkable by parents and teachers. Students are now punished with detentions and notes to their parents which although less severe is arguably a better and more popular policy for schools.Firstly, hitting as a disciplinary sanction should not be allowed by teachers because it does not teach children anything. School is designed to teach children the skills they will need as a grown up which includes knowing right from wrong. Hitting as a punishment does not teach this lesson because the child will only fear pain the next time, instead of understanding that what they did was unacceptable, and this means that they can no t advance intellectually. Furthermore, hitting is wrong because it is hurting children. A lot of the time, naughty behaviour stems from problems at home which children usually cannot prevent from happening.So hitting leave children feeling more despondent and confused when they should be getting help from their school. Teachers can also so easily go to far when they are hitting children, and even if guidelines are put for how long or for what reason a child should be hit, there is no way we can monitor the teachers. Therefore hitting can not be a long term or safe way to bring up school children well. However, some argue that hitting as a disciplinary action should be brought back because detentions and other types of modern day punishments are just not good enough.Surely making them feel fear before doing a naughty thing, will eventually condition them to realise that doing certain things are bad because you will be severely punished? Moreover there are some students who are too na ughty for other less severe punishments and therefore hitting is the only way to get them to behave. The more modern disciplinary sanction of detentions are an arguably much better form of punishment for all students because it forces them to stay in school one hour longer than usual. Most children can not wait to get out of school so that they can go out with their friends.Therefore staying behind at school makes children feel left out and this will arguably stop them from doing a naughty thing because they would not want to stay in school when they could be with having fun with their friends. Furthermore, other methods such as being hit by your teacher can not be made aware to the parents as easily as getting detention after school can. In most cases a letter is sent home, but even if one isn’t, the parents would notice the lateness of the student and would eventually find out.Students would have to deal with their parent’s punishment for getting a detention coupled with the school punishment and this all means that a repeat offence should be much less likely. However this is not practically the case because detentions simply are not severe enough to stop exceptionally naught children from misbehaving. Children are easily able to fabricate lies for their parents and never have them no about the hour they had to spend at school doing homework or even being with their friends who got detention as well.Detention, nowadays, is more of an annoying chore than anything to really avoid by students. Recently there have been studies showing a huge increase in the amount of swearing and abusive behaviour in classrooms in poorer areas of Greater London. It is imperative that we have proper sanctions for these students because without it a naughty student will continue his or her bad behaviour onto the street and this could result in terrible consequences.So, arguably the method of detention is a weak way of punishment because it is not harsh enough to stop children being naughty but at the moment there seems to be no other relatively effective way to punish children. In conclusion, hitting is seen mainly by all as inhumane and unnecessary for the development of children and simply too severe. Detention similarly is seen as a waste of time, ineffective and just not severe enough. Therefore, it is crucial that schools come up with a new modern disciplinary sanction that has the right amount of severity to be able to combat the raising number of naughty children in certain schools.

21th Bled eConference eCollaboration Essay

1 Introduction This is not a research paper. Rather, it is a teaching report in which I describe the use of the so called beer distribution game (or beergame) – a logistics and supply chain simulation game – in teaching business-to-business eCommerce. The aim of the paper is twofold: First, I want to demonstrate how the beergame can be used to provide students with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in contemporary supply chains to exchange information and to facilitate collaboration. Second, I want to share both my experiences and my materials for using the beergame in eCommerce courses with the IS community, i.e. those scholars that teach (business-to-business) eCommerce or supply chain management courses. The beergame is a role-play simulation game in which students enact a four stage supply chain. The task of this supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the beer unit s until it reaches the customer at the downstream end of the chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each of the four groups has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer by placing orders with the next upstream party. Since communication and collaboration is not allowed between supply chain stages, the players invaria588 bly create the so called bullwhip effect. With ‘bullwhip’ we refer to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies upstream in the supply chain towards the production end, thus causing a range of operational problems. The bullwhip effect is a well-known phenomenon and a prominent symptom of coordination problems in supply chains. In using the beergame to create the bullwhip effect students experience first hand, not only the problems of lack of information sharing and collaboration in supply chains, but also the main causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Henceforth, in introducing eCommerce measures in the later sessions of the course, students can relate to these topics through their own experiences. The paper ties in with a recent discussion on the ISWorld eMail list on â€Å"how to make relevant IS teaching for students with little or no practical experience†. In teaching information systems (IS) and specifically B2B eCommerce we frequent ly experience problems of making relevant those topics for students. The challenge is to get them to appreciate the relevance of IS and also to provide them, not only with a superficial knowledge of the topics, but with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in practice. Against this backdrop I want to show how the beergame can help demonstrating the role and need of eCommerce technologies in a topic area in which the students not only lack practical knowledge (i.e. with regards to supply chains), but typically also do not have their own frame of reference to be able to relate to the topics we teach. To this end, I will introduce the beergame, demonstrate its use in a classroom setting, present typical results created by playing the game and show how I embed the game in a typical B2B eCommerce syllabus. I begin with introducing the game and the bullwhip effect (in section 2). In section 3, I then describe the application of the beergame in a classroom setting; I give an overview of a beergame session and present typical results. Section 4 demonstrates how typical supply chain problems (and the causes of the bullwhip effect) can be deduced from the beergame experience in order to motivate the introduction of eCommerce measures for improving supply chain coordination. The section is concluded by a synopsis of typical eCommerce topics that can follow the beergame in a typical B2B syllabus (section 4.3). 2 The Beergame In the following I will first give a brief introduction to the bullwhip effect before I introduce the beergame itself, i.e. its history, structural setup and the rules of the game. 2.1 Bullwhip effect as symptom of typical supply chain problems The bullwhip effect is a well-known symptom of typical coordination problems in (traditional) supply chains. It refers to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies as one moves upstream in the supply chain towards the production end (Lee, Padmanabhan & Whang 1997a). Even in the face of stable customer demand small variations in demand at the retail end tend to dramatically amplify upstream the supply chain with the effect that order amounts are very erratic, and can be very high in one week and almost zero in the next week. This phenomenon was discovered and first described by Forrester (1961) who did research into the relationship between ordering and stock keeping patterns using simulation models (Warburton 2004). The term itself was first coined around 1990 when Procter&Gamble perceived erratic and amplified order patters in its supply chain for 589 baby diapers. The effect is also known by the names whiplash or whipsaw effect (Lee, Padmanabhan & Whang 1997a), which refers metaphorically to the visualisation of order patterns moving upstream the supply chain (see figure 3). As a consequence of the bullwhip effect a range of inefficiencies occur throughout the supply chain, e.g. high (safety) stock levels, poor customer service levels, poor capacity utilisation, aggravated problems with demand forecasting, and ultimately high cost and low levels of inter-firm trust (Chopra & Meindl 2001; Lee, Padmanabhan & Whang 1997a). While the effect is not new and a lot of research has been conducted and supply chain projects have been initiated since its discovery, it is still a timely and pressing problem in contemporary supply chains. Various research studies have quantified the effect and estimate that profitability in most supply chains might improve by up to 30% by eliminating the bullwhip effect (Metters 1997; McCullen & Towill 2002). 2.2 Beergame setup and rules Having introduced the bullwhip effect and its implications for the supply chain and its players I will now introduce the beergame, its setup and rules. I begin by providing a brief history of the game before I present the general structure and the rules of the game. 2.2.1 History of the beergame The beergame (or beer distribution game) was originally invented in the 1960s by Jay Forrester at MIT as a result of his work on system dynamics (see Forrester 1957). While the original goal of the simulation game was to research the effect of systems structures on the behaviour of people (â€Å"structure creates behaviour†), the game can also be used to demonstrate the benefits of information sharing, supply chain management, and eCollaboration in the supply chain (Li & Simchi-Levi 2002). A range of different versions of the beergame have emerged over the years. The original beergame was realised as a board game (Sterman 1989). Meanwhile a table version (Ossimitz, Kreisler & Zoltan 20 02) and also computerised simulations (Hieber & Hartel 2003) have been developed. In this paper I predominantly draw on a table version, which I adapted from the so called Klagenfurt design (cp. Ossimitz, Kreisler & Zoltan 2002); the structural setup of the table version is shown in figures 1 and 2. I will briefly discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different game versions in chapter 3.1 where I discuss the administration of the beergame in a classroom setting. 2.2.2 General structure of the game The beergame simulates a supply chain that consists of four stages (retailer, wholesaler, distributer and factory), each of which is played by one or better two or three players (Goodwin & Franklin Sr. 1994). Hence, a supply chain is typically played by 8 to 12 people, while more than one supply chain can be administered in one class at the same time. The task of each supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the be er units until it reaches the external customer at the downstream end of the supply chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each sub group has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer. The retailer receives an externally predetermined customer demand and places orders with the wholesaler; the wholesaler sends orders to the distributor, who orders from the factory; the factory finally 590 produces the beer. Hence, orders flow in the upstream direction, while deliveries flow in the downstream direction of the supply chain. An important structural aspect of the game is delay (i.e. time lag) in order to account for logistics and production time. Each delivery (and production order) requires two rounds until they are finally delivered to the next stage. In the structural setup of the game this is represented by two shipping delay fields located in between the supply chain stages as well as at the production end (figure 1). Order flow Delay Delay Delay Delay Factory Factory Distributor Distributor Wholesaler Wholesaler Retailer Retailer Product flow Figure 1: Supply chain setup in the beergame table version Student Outgoing order Play sheet Incoming order Wholesaler Delay Distributor Distributor Outgoing delivery Delay Factory Incoming delivery Student Student Figure 2: Detailed table layout 2.2.3 Rules of the game The game is played in rounds, which simulates weeks. In each round the following steps have to be carried out by the players: 1) receive incoming orders, 2) receive incoming deliveries, 3) update play sheets (outstanding deliveries and inventory), 4) send out deliveries, and finally 5) decide on the amount to be ordered. In doing so, deciding on each round’s order amount is effectively the only decision that players are able to make throughout the game; everything else follows a set of fixed rules. The first rule is that every order has to be fulfilled, either directly (should the players’ inventory be large enough) or later in subsequent rounds. In the latter case, players have to keep track of their backlog (backorder) (Coakley et al. 1998). Secondly, inventory and backlog incur cost – each item in stock costs EUR 0.50 per week, while each item on backlog costs EUR 1.00. Consequently, the primary aim of ea ch subgroup is to keep their costs low. Hence, the optimal strategy for the players is to run their business with as little stock as possible without being forced to â€Å"move into backorder†. Thirdly, players are not allowed to communicate. The only information they are allowed to exchange is the order amount; there is no transparency as to what stock levels or actual customer demand is; only the retailer knows the external demand (Rafaeli et al. 2003). Moreover, the game is based on the simplification of unlimited capacity (in stock keep591 ing, production and transportation) and unlimited access to raw materials at the production end (Hieber & Hartel 2003). 2.2.4 The external demand In playing the game the external demand is predetermined and usually does not vary greatly. In the beginning, the supply chain is pre-initialised with inventory levels (e.g. 15 units), orders (e.g. 5 units) and beer units in the shipping delay fields (e.g. 5 units). In order to induce the bullwhip effect to the supply chain the external demand remains stable for a few rounds (e.g. 5 units for 5 rounds) before it suddenly shows one steep increase (jumps to 9 units) before it remains stable again at this higher level for the remainder of the game (usually 40 to 50 rounds in total). However, the one increase in external demand is enough to induce variance into the supply chain, which will inevitably lead to the creation of the bullwhip effect and to a destabilisation of ordering patterns throughout the supply chain. 3 Using the beergame in class Having described the idea, the structural setup, and the rules of the beergame, I will now discuss the administration of the game in a classroom setting. This is followed by the presentation of typical results generated by beergame applications in eCommerces courses. These results are very useful for deriving the causes of the bullwhip effect in discussions with students in a so-called debriefing session (see section 4). For a session outline of a B2B course that uses the beergame please refer to appendix 2; the experiences shared in the following sections are more or less based on this session outline. 3.1 Administering the beergame 3.1.1 Choosing a beergame version As mentioned above, different versions of the beergame exist for use in classroom settings. The traditional version is a board game in which tokens are physically moved on the board to represent orders and stock. The upside of the board version is that people relate well to moving actual objects. However, there are two downsides: firstly, the board game is too slow, cumbersome and complex to administer; secondly and more importantly, because physical objects are used to represent inventory on the board, people enjoy an unwanted transparency of inventory levels of other supply chain stages and can thus strategically act upon their knowledge of incoming stock. The table version of the beergame was originally developed by a team at the University of Klagenfurt (Ossimitz, Kreisler & Zoltan 2002). It shows several improvements to the original design such as a leaner and more pragmatic approach to moving orders and stock in the supply chain. Essentially this is done by using paper slips on which numbers are written by the players. However, it still shows some administrative overhead such as a bookkeeping p erson that takes stock of all things happening within the supply chain using a computer. While this functions as a built-in safety net in case something goes wrong, it is still a hurdle to the application in a classroom setting and it also slows down the game, which results in long sessions and the students being bored throughout the game. Henceforth, I have adapted the table version and essentially eliminated the bookkeeper in order to achieve a more straightforward progression of the game. The 592 risk however is that students make mistakes in calculating order amounts or stock levels using the paper play sheet. While it helps to start slowly and to doublecheck the play sheet calculations during the first few rounds, in a few of my first beergame applications some people indeed miscalculated stock levels, which led to problems with interpreting the data later on. For this reason, today I use MS Excel and a laptop computer on each table for people to fill in their play sheets; this effectively eliminates the risk and ensures a quick progression of the game (see appendix 1 for a play sheet example). 3.1.2 Schedule of a beergame session The first step in administering the beergame is the preparations of the tables. As is illustrated in figure 2, four fields have to be marked on each table, which is done by fixing to the table 4 sheets of paper using sticky tape. The same is done with the delay fields. Furthermore, cardboard boxes (or plastic cups) and envelopes have to be filled with small paper slips to pre-initialise the supply chain with orders and deliveries. Then, every table has to be prepared with a stack of order and delivery slips that will be used by the players during the game. Finally, paper slips with the external demand progression (see above) have to be prepared that are handed to the retailer groups during the game. Also, for administering more than one supply chain, (student) assistants are needed to help with moving boxes and envelopes during the game. The second step is briefing the students; in doing so I provide a short introduction to the idea of the game, its history, structure, and rules (see above). When playing in more than one supply chain I stress the fact that groups of each stage are competing with one another (e.g. retailer vs. retailer), in order to get the students to take playing seriously. The third step is to start playing some initial trial rounds with the pre-initialised supply chain and to make sure that everyone gets used to filling in play sheets and order/delivery slips. Then, in the fourth step, the speed of playing the game is increased and the game is played for a number of 40 to 50 rounds. The game is then stopped abruptly so that the students do not have time to react strategically to the coming end of the game. The fifth and final part of the session is a short discussion directly after the game, where I ask students how they felt throughout the game and what they think the average customer demand was. The next session after the beergame session is the debriefing session, for which the data that the groups produced throughout the game has to be consolidated, plotted and analysed. Typical beergame results and their creation are presented in the next section; the debriefing session is described in section 4. 3.2 Typical progression and results of a beergame session Every beergame session follows roughly the same scheme, so that the progression of the game shows a recurring pattern. I usually start playing the game at a slow pace for people to get used to moving objects, taking stock and filling in the play sheets. What typically happens during these first few rounds is that people try to get rid of some of the inventory (e.g. 15 units) in order to manage their costs; hence they often only place small orders in the beginning (for an example see weeks 1-7 in figure 3). Consequently, when the customer demand jumps to the higher level in round 6 the supply chain has adjusted to a low demand scenario. After the steep increase many retailer groups tend to wait one or two rounds in order to see if the increase is permanent (as in figure 3). When they then place the first large order they invariably initiate a bullwhip effect that perpetuates through593 out the chain. Typically, the order amount increases with every stage in the supply chain (as in figure 3). What happens then is that the groups move deeply into backorder (see figure 4), because due to the delivery delays it takes quite some time for the beer to move through the supply chain to the retail end. Getting increasingly desperate players often try to send signals and place more large orders; in the end they typically lose track of what they have ordered and order way too much. The consequence is that the supply chain is flooded with beer and the inventories overflow (see weeks 2035 in figure 4). The effect is that people cease ordering entirely; e.g. a lot of very small orders are placed. This is especially true for the higher stages of the supply chain (see table 1). In the end, while the retailer groups often manage to stabilise their business, the higher stages have no idea of the actual customer demand and are left frustrated. Bullwhip Effect 70 60 50 Customer Orders 40 30 20 10 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 3: Plot of order distribution, visualising the bullwhip effect Figure 3 shows the order distribution over 40 weeks and a typical bullwhip effect. Figure 4 shows the inventory fluctuation, with negative inventory representing back order. Table 1 finally shows the decrease in customer demand information upstream visualised by the average order amount by the four stages of the supply chain in this example. More importantly, the increase in order fluctuation upstream the supply chain is illustrated by the largest amount having been ordered in each stage and the number of small orders that were placed. This translates into an increase in inventory fluctuation as well. All this information is being used in the following debriefing session to discuss the bullwhip effect, its implications and the reasons for its existence. 594 Out of stock = Serious lack of service level! 200 150 100 Inventory 50 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 -50 -100 -150 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 4: Example of inventory fluctuation (negative inventory = backorder) Key figures Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory ∅ order amount (units of beer) 8.33 8.68 8.75 9.95 Largest order amount 25 40 50 60 No of small orders (0-2 units) 4 11 14 18 Inventory fluctuation range 84 81 170 165 Table 1: Example of key figures derived from the beergame 4 Learning from the beergame results Having presented the way in which the beergame is administered and a typical progression of the game and its results, I will now first show how a debriefing session can be used to illustrate supply chain coordination problems and to derive typical causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Based on these causes one can then quite easily motivate eCommerce measures and ICT-based supply chain reform initiatives that aim at reducing the bullwhip effect and improving supply chain coordination. 4.1 The debriefing session The debriefing session follows the beergame session (see appendix 2). I usually begin the session with a brief discussion of students’ experiences throughout the game. Typically, the following questions are being discussed: Did you feel yourself controlled by forces in the system from time to time? Or did you feel in control? Did you find yourself â€Å"blaming† the groups next to you for your problems? Did you feel desperation at any time? This discussion typically shows that people indeed were blaming their neighbouring supply chain partners for not doing their jobs right (either not ordering in a 595 sensible way or not being able to deliver); desperation and frustration are common feelings during the last rounds of the game. A first learning from this discussion is that it is the structure of the game (i.e. the supply chain) that causes the behaviour. This is precisely what its inventor (Forrester) intended to achieve and what is referred to as the effects of systems dynamics. A second set of questions can then be discussed in order to reflect upon the beergame itself and its degree of simulating real world conditions: What, if anything, is unrealistic about this game? Why are there order delays? Why are there production delays? Shipping delays? Why have both distributor and wholesalers; why not ship beer directly from the factory to the retailer? Must the brewer be concerned with the management of the raw materials suppliers? Using these questions and by stressing the fact that real-life supply chains are much more complex (a huge variety of products and supply chain partners e xist, as well as complex criss-crossing networks of relationships) the students can quickly be convinced that real-life conditions favour the emergence of the bullwhip to a much greater extent and that the beergame is indeed a good vehicle to simulate the creation of the effect. Having established this necessary bit of legitimisation, the session can then proceed with presenting the beergame results and with identifying the underlying causes. Hence, the next step essentially is to present, for all supply chain groups, the data (table 1) and figures (3 and 4) presented above. In doing so, I typically have a very interactive and lively discussion. I ask what people thought while playing the game and what led them to, for example, place a huge order at a particular point in the game. In discussing the extreme examples, the class usually shares a laugh, which, as a nice by-product, leads to a more casual atmosphere and contributes to setting an open tone for the remainder of the course. I also honour the winning supply chain teams at this point in time. This is also the time where I introduce the concept of ‘cumulated supply chain cost’, e.g. by pointing ou t that the product at the customer end has to earn all (cumulated) costs of all supply chain parties; this insight serves as a first step in establishing the idea of global thinking and chainwide optimization, which essentially requires eCollaboration technologies. At this point in the session one can then either go straight to identifying the causes and effects of the bullwhip effect (see below), or take a little (useful) detour in discussing a teaching case to corroborate the results and to give the results of the beergame some more credibility. In doing so, I use the case of Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla, one of the first documented cases in which a company launched a project to identify the causes of the bullwhip effect and to introduce some countermeasures (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky & Simchi-Levi 2003, p. 91). 4.2 Identifying the causes of the bullwhip effect The bullwhip effect, as simulated in the beergame, is mainly caused by three underlying problems: 1) a lack of information, 2) the structure of the supply chain and 3) a lack of collaboration and global optimisation. These three causes can be identified in an interactive session with the students by discussing the beergame experiences and then be corroborated with insights from practice and the literature. 596 4.2.1 Lack of information In the beergame no information except for the order amount is perpetuated up the supply chain. Henceforth, most information about customer demand is quickly lost upstream in the supply chain. Moreover, no other information is being shared. With these characteristics the beergame simulates supply chains with low levels of trust, where only little information is being shared between the parties. Without actual customer demand data, all forecasting has to rely solely on the incoming orders at each supply chain stage. In reality, in such a situation traditional forecasting methods and stock keeping strategies contribute to creating the bullwhip effect (Lee, Padmanabhan & Whang 1997a; Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky & SimchiLevi 2003). Unexpected increases in orders from downstream partners translate into even higher order increases upstream, because when players regard the increase to be permanent and want to avoid running out of stock, they need to update their safety stock levels; hence they place an even larger order. Later, when it turns out that an increase was only temporary, safety stock levels are lowered and players might order nothing for a while, hence contributing to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.2 Supply chain structure The supply chain structure, with its design as separate stages and the long lead times, contributes to the bullwhip effect. The longer the lead time, i.e. the longer it takes for an order to travel upstream and the subsequent delivery to travel downstream, the more aggravated the bullwhip effect is likely to be. With traditional ordering, the point in time where an order is typically placed (the order point) is usually calculated by multiplying the forecasted demand with the lead time plus the safety stock amount, so that an order is placed so far in advance as to ensure service level during the time until the delivery is expected to arrive (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky & Simchi-Levi 2003). Hence, the longer the lead time is, the more pronounced an order will be as an reaction to an increase in forecast ed demand (especially in conjunction with updating the safety stock levels, see above), which again contributes to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.3 Local optimisation Local optimisation, in terms of local forecasting and individual cost optimisation, and a lack of cooperation are at the heart of the bullwhip problem. A good example for local optimisation is the batch order phenomenon. In practice, ordering entails fix cost, e.g. ordering in full truck loads is cheaper then ordering smaller amounts. Furthermore, many suppliers offer volume discounts when ordering larger amounts. Hence, there is a certain incentive for individual players to hold back orders and only place aggregate orders. This behaviour however aggravates the problem of demand forecasting, because very little information about actual demand is transported in such batch orders. And batch ordering, of course, contributes directly to the bullwhip effect by unnecessarily inflating the orders. This might lead to lower local cost in the short term, but translates into higher overall cost at the chain level. 4.3 eCommerce measures to tackle the bullwhip effect Having identified and discussed the three problem areas with regard to both the beergame and their real-world counterparts, I then present three areas of improvement that directly correspond to the three problem areas: 1) information sharing in terms of electronic data interchange, 2) ICT-enabled supply chain re597 design, and 3) supply chain collaboration for global optimisation (see figure 5). In terms of teaching, these three bundles of eCommerce measures and initiatives can then be briefly introduced in one session (see appendix 3) or in more (technical and organisational) detail in three separate sessions (see appendix 2). In the following sections I give a brief overview of what can be part of those sessions. 1 Information loss upstream the supply chain Without direct communication, forecasting is based on aggregated, inaccurate information. This causes large stock, high cost, poor service levels. Improvement Efficient communication and information sharing 2 Supply chain structure Long lead times lead to increasing variability upstream making planning nearly impossible: large safety stock is required, variability increased. Slow downstream product flow causes poor service levels. Improvement Supply chain redesign: processes, tasks & roles 3 Local optimization Independent planning and local optimization lead to inefficiencies, such as local forecasting, batch ordering, inflated orders, etc. Improvement Cooperation to achieve global optimization Figure 5: Summary of bullwhip causes and areas of improvement 4.3.1 Efficient communication One of the most basic learnings from the beergame is to improve information sharing along the supply chain (e.g. of point-of-sale customer demand data); information sharing is the first step towards more advanced supply chain coordination (Muckstadt et al. 2001). Henceforth, the first step in teaching eCommerce measures is to present the principles and technologies of electronic data interchange. In doing so, I first of all discuss with the students the â€Å"principles of digitally mediated replenishment of goods† by Johnston (1999), essentially a collection of principles for effective inter-organisational electronic data interchange, such as the â€Å"once-only data entry principle† or the â€Å"synchronicity principle†. Based on these fundamental principles I discuss the ways in which traditional document-based ordering can be reformed using electronic data interchange. While these topics might seem to be outdated from a modern information systems perspective, it lays the foundation for a step-by-step increase of complexity that aims at providing the students with a more substantial knowledge of the problems and ideas behind ICT-enabled supply chain reform than can be achieved by a simple presentation of the latest communication technologies. The next step in this endeavour is to introduce technologies that are needed to enable effective inter-firm data interchange and electronic ordering, such as product numbering schemes and automatic product identification technologies. In most supply chains physical products have to be handled; hence ways are needed to attach information to these objects. Consequently, I introduce the following technologies: †¢ Standardised product numbering schemes: Here, the history, proliferation, functioning and impact of numbering schemes such as the Universal Product Code (UPC), the European Article Numbering (EAN) code and more special598 ised codes like for example container codes (SSCC) are introduced. Most of these codes today are administered by the standardisation organisation GS1 (2005). †¢ Automated product identification technologies: The technology with the greatest diffusion in the market is the barcode; while specialised barcodes exist in some industries, the most common one is the UCC/EAN-128 (Coyle, Bardi & Langley 1996). The second, much newer technology to be discussed here is Radio Frequency based Identification (RFID). †¢ Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): EDI is the basis for electronic ordering. Here, traditional EDI standards, such as the UN/EDIFACT, which was jointly developed by ISO and the UN (Coyle, Bardi & Langley 1996), can be discussed, as well as newer techniques such as Internet-based WebEDI and XML-enabled order exchange. In discussions with the students these enabling communication and data exchange technologies can then be related back to the beergame experience in that they 1 ) speed up the order process, thus reducing lead time and 2) enable more sophisticated information sharing of POS data. Moreover, they are the basis for the next step, the ICT-enabled redesign of supply chain structures. 4.3.2 ICT-enabled supply chain reform initiatives The second building block in dealing with the bullwhip effect comprises a range of different supply chain reform initiatives that can be subsumed under the concept of efficient replenishment. As such, two distinct types of measures can be distinguished: 1) inventory management concepts that aim at changing the ways in which actors in the supply chain carry out their roles of stock keeping and ordering and 2) logistics concepts that aim at improving actual material and information flow. Efficient inventory management is based on the idea that suppliers have timely access to POS data and can thus eliminate traditional forecasting and change the way ordering and inventory management is carried out (Lee, Padmanabhan & Wh ang 1997b). Three concepts with increasing degrees of complexity can be distinguished: †¢ Quick Response: The idea behind this concept is for the supplier to become more responsive to changes in customer demand through the sharing of POS data. Retailers still prepare individual orders, but suppliers are better prepared. †¢ Continuous Replenishment: Suppliers continually receive POS data from retailers to prepare shipments at agreed-upon levels. †¢ Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI): Under this initiative the suppliers manage all inventory aspects for their own products at the retailer end. Suppliers decide on shipment levels without any orders from the retail end to be placed. In fact, the retailer has very little to do with the operational aspects in VMI (Waller, Johnson & Davis 1999). The second type of efficient replenishment measures is efficient logistics (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky & Simchi-Levi 2003). Here, two main building blocks can be discussed: †¢ Warehousing and delivery concepts: Depending on the kinds of goods that are moved along the supply chain, different kinds of warehousing and delivery can be applied in order to achieve an optimal flow of goods. Cross docking is a concept in which warehouses function as inventory coordination points rather than actual inventory storage points; hence, goods are only re-shuffled 599 between trucks coming in from suppliers and trucks leaving for stores. This instrument can be used for fast selling products. For bulk products central warehousing can be used; while fresh products benefit from direct delivery. †¢ Full-blown just-in-time delivery (JIT): Most commonly found in the automotive industry, ‘just-in-time’ describes a concept, whereby supplier and manufacturer align their logistics and production processes to a degree that no (or very little) inventory is needed. Goods can be directly delivered from the production at the supplier to arrive just in time to be used in production at the manufacturer end (e.g. Johnson & Wood 1996). Changing the way in which inventory is managed means to effectively change the supply chain structure. For example, by implementing VMI the supply chain partners eliminate one stage of ordering, thus eradicating one step in the typical bullwhip chain of events. Moreover, by speeding up product flows using the logisti cs concepts lead time is being reduced, which in turn softens the bullwhip effect. Consequently, all measures discussed in this section can be directly motivated by the beergame. In presenting this block to the students I also point out, for every singly concept, the role of information systems and eBusiness technologies. 4.3.3 eCollaboration: joint planning and global optimisation The third block of eBusiness measures for tackling the bullwhip effect is the most sophisticated one and builds on the first two blocks. Global optimisation of supply chain processes can only be achieved through the collaboration of supply chain partners under a joint initiative. I present the Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) initiative as an example from the Grocery industry (VICS 2001) and also discuss (sometimes only briefly) joint product development initiatives in the automotive industry. CPFR as a concept builds on and extends concepts such as VMI by aiming at establishing a long-term planning of joint promotion activities. CPFR is based on the observation that a combination of inventory management and logistics concepts (see section 4.3.2 above) can reduce the bullwhip effect for day-to-day deliveries, but that these concepts still can not cope with demand variations induced by promotion activities. Hence, CPFR aims a t jointly planning promotions and to create transparency as to the expected demand increases induced by these promotions. The concept is based on the use of shared eMarketplace infrastructures, which I also discuss in some detail in this section. Again, the application of eCommerce technologies can be nicely illustrated using the beergame. 4.3.4 Summary The discussion of the three building blocks of eCommerce measures culminates in the development and presentation of an integrated model of eCommerce-based supply chain management informed by the key learnings from the beergame. The model is presented in figure 6. Following the line of argument in the last sections, it becomes obvious that the beergame can be used to motivate and substantiate large parts of a typical eCommerce masters course (as in appendix 2). In the next section I draw some final conclusions and briefly reflect upon the use of the beergame in a classroom setting. 600 Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Tactics Operations Infrastructure Improvements Improvements Suppy Chain Suppy Chain problems & problems & trade-offs trade-offs Information loss Joint Planning CPFR (promotions, product introduction), Category Mgmt, Production scheduling Collaboration Strategic alliances for global optimization Efficient Replenishment Inventory Management: Quick Response, CRP, VMI, SBT Redesign ICT-enabled supply Chain re-structuring S.C. structure Materials & information flow: Direct delivery, Warehousing, X-docking Local optimization Communication Information sharing, Electronic ordering Efficient Communications Infrastructure, EDI, AutoID, Product numbering, Process simplifications Figure 6: A comprehensive eCommerce and supply chain model 5 Conclusion and outlook I have introduced the beergame and demonstrated its usefulness in teaching B2B eCommerce and supply chain management. To the present day, I have used the beergame mainly in eCommerce masters courses at different Universities in different national contexts. The experiences and also the teaching evaluations have always been positive and very encouraging. While I believe that the beergame, and the way it is embedded in my B2B eCommerce syllabus, works well in providing students with both a profound understanding of the underlying wisdoms of eCommerce, as well as with a good overview of eCommerce measures, there is more to it than that. Playing the beergame is great fun, for the teacher and for the students, and it is always a good experience in itself. As such, the beergame is also very helpful for the general course atmosphere and the creation of positive team dynamics in the group. For the future, we are working on a software version of the beergame, which can be used in a classroom setting in the same interactive role-play style, but avoid some of the still remaining problems of the table version. While software versions today only provide a simulation (instead of role-play) mode and are not built for classroom use, a client-server software version of the game might replace the cumbersome logistics aspects (the moving of boxes) and help in gathering data that can be used for debriefing straight away. Moreover, it would be great to be able to play the beergame with different setups, e.g. with implementing effective sharing of (customer demand and inventory) data in order to demonstrate, in a second round of play, the usefulness of information sharing in reducing the bullwhip effect. To this end, our software will be flexible enough to incorporate such exploration of different supply chain modalities.1 1 For further information please see: http://www.beergame.org. 601 Appendix 1: Beergame play sheet The following table shows the play sheet of a retailer group that was filled in during a beergame session. The ‘incoming order’ column shows the external customer demand with its increase in round 6. During the game the students only have to fill in the white columns – the ‘incoming delivery’ and the ‘incoming order’ are taken from the incoming paper slips, while in the ‘your order’ column the students have to fill in their order decision for the respective weeks. Having done that, the play sheet shows exactly what has to be written on the outgoing order and delivery slips (in the dark columns). All orange columns are calculated automatically, so that students can easily keep track of their inventory and cost progression. After the beergame this data is then put together and consolidated with the data that was collected in the play sheets of the other groups of the same supply chain. It is then plotted to create figures 3 and 4 and table 1 (see above). Week Incoming Delivery Available Incoming Order Your Delivery Backorder Inventory Cost 7,5 15 22,5 30 35 37 40 45 49 52 64 78 86 100 118 137 159 180 201 223 244 265 283 295 303 316 317,5 321 324,5 328 331,5 335 338,5 342 345,5 348,5 351 353 355 357 Your Order Please fill out play slips: Delivery Order 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 5 5 5 5 0 3 2 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 13 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 20 20 20 20 15 13 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 14 13 13 13 5 5 5 5 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 4 3 12 14 8 14 18 19 22 21 21 22 21 21 18 12 8 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15 15 15 15 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 4 4 4 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 602 Appendix 2: Syllabus for a beergame-based B2B course The following table gives an overview of how the beergame can be incorporated in a typical (B2B) eCommerce (masters) course (e.g. 12 weeks with 3 hour sessions). The beergame and the subsequent modules can cover up to 6 sessions. After presenting the three blocks with eCommerce improvements, an additional session can be used to discuss management challenges of inter-firm collaboration, covering issues such as trust, managing interfaces, ICT standards etc. Throughout the course, cases from the grocery and the automotive industries might be used for illustration purposes and to facilitate discussions. Depending on the setting, background readings might also be handed out to the students. Sessions (3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40-50 rounds) d. Brief discussion afterwards 2. Debriefing a. Discussion of experiences and game setup b. Presentation and discussion of beergame data (results) c. Teaching case Barilla: bullwhip causes [optional] d. Identification of the three main causes of the bullwhip effect e. Short presentation of three areas of improvement and the schedule for the next three sessions 3. Information sharing a. Short discussion: why is information sharing important? b. Principles of electronic data sharing c. Attaching information to physical goods: standardised product numbering, Automated product identification technologies: barcodes, RFID d. Electronic Data Interchange: EDI, WebEDI, XML-based ordering 4. Supply chain reform a. Overview: efficient replenishment initiatives b. Efficient inventory management: Quick Response, Continuous Replenishment, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) c. Efficient Logistics: Warehousing, Direct Delivery, CrossDocking d. Just-in-Time Delivery in the automotive industry [Kanban] 5. eCollaboration a. eCollaboration in the supply chain: idea and philosophy b. Collaborative Planning Forecasting & Replenishment (CPFR) c. Joint product development in the automotive industry 6. Management of inter-firm collaboration a. Complexities of supply chain reform initiatives b. The role of trust and social capital in inter-firm relationships c. Interoperability of ICT d. Managing inter-firm interfaces 603 Appendix 3: Session outline for a beergame-based workshop The following table shows a short workshop format based on the beergame. Such a workshop can be incorporated in other (general IS) courses or be a stand-alone event, for example as an executive teaching offering. The workshop is essentially made up of two sessions – the actual beergame session and a combined debriefing and learnings session. As an example industry the Grocery industry can be used to illustrate the application of the eCommerce initiatives and technologies. Sessions (~3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40 rounds) d. Discussion of experiences and game setup 2. Debriefing & eCommerce initiatives a. Presentation and discussion of beergame data (results) b. Identification of the three main causes of the bullwhip effect c. Discussion of three areas of improvement: a. Information sharing: Product numbering, AutoID, EDI b. Supply chain reform: Inventory management & logistics concepts c. eCollaboration: CPFR d. Complexities of supply chain reform initiatives 604 References Chopra, S., Meindl, P. (2001): â€Å"Supply-Chain Management†, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Coakley, J. R., Drexler Jr., J. A., Larson, E. W., Kircher, A. E. (1998): Using a computer-based version of the beer game: Lessons learned, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 416-424. Coyle, J. J., Bardi, E. J., Langley, C. J. (1996): â€Å"The Management of Business Logistics (6th Ed.)†, St. Paul. Forrester, J. W. (1957): Industrial Dynamics. A major breakthrough for decision makers, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 37-66. Forrester, J. W. (1961): â€Å"Industrial Dynamics†, Cambride, MA. Goodwin, J. S., Franklin Sr., S. E. (1994): The Beer Distribution Game: Using Simulation to Teach Systems Thinking, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 13, No. 8, pp. 7-15. GS1 (2005): â€Å"About the EAN/UCC System†, Available: [http://www.ean-ucc.org] (2007-12-13). Hieber, R., Hartel, I. (2003): Impacts of SCM order strategies evaluated by simulation-based ‘Beer-Game’ approach: the model, concept and initial experiences, Production, Planning & Control, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 122-134. Johnson, J. C., Wood, D. F. (1996): â€Å"Contemporary Logistics (6th Ed)†, Upper Saddle River. Johnston, R. B. (1999): Principles of Digitally Mediated Replenishment of Goods. Electronic Commerce and Supply-Chain Reform, in â€Å"Electronic Commerce: Opportunities and Challenges†, S. M. Rahman & M. Raisinghani, (eds.), Idea Group Publishing, Hershey, pp. 41-64. Lee, H., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. (1997a): The Bullwhip Effect in SupplyChains, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 93-102. Lee, H., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. (1997b): Information Distortion in a Supply-Chain: The Bullwhip Effect, Management Science, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 546-558. Li, M., Simchi-Levi, D. (2002): â€Å"The Web Based Beer Game – Demonstrating the Value of Integrated Supply-Chain Management†, Available: [http://beergam e.mit.edu/guide.htm] (2007-08-25). McCullen, P., Towill, D. (2002): Diagnosing and reduction of bullwhip in supply chains, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 164-179. Metters, R. (1997): Quantifying the bullwhip effect in supply chains, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 89-100. Muckstadt, J., Murray, D., Rappold, J., Collins, D. (2001): Guidelines for Collaborative Supply-Chain System Design and Operation, in â€Å"Technical Report of the Cornell University School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering†, Nr. 1286, Ithaca, NY. Ossimitz, G., Kreisler, B., Zoltan, M. (2002): â€Å"Simulation von Supply-ChainManagement Systemen†, Available: [http://www.uniklu.ac.at/~gossimit/pap/bg_endbericht.pdf] (2007-02-11). Rafaeli, S., Raban, D. R., Ravid, G., Noy, A. (2003): Online Simulations in Management Education about Information and Its Uses, in â€Å"Educating Manag- 605 ers with Tomorrow’s Technologies†, C. Wankel & R. DeFillippi, (eds.), Greenwich, pp. 53-80. Simchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P., Simchi-Levi, E. (2003): â€Å"Designing & Managing the Supply-Chain (2nd ed)†, Boston, MA. Sterman, J. D. (1989): Modeling Managerial Behaviour: Misperceptions of Feedback in a Dynamic Decision Making Experiment, Management Science, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 321-339. VICS (2001): â€Å"Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR), Version 2†, Available: [http://www.vics.org/committees/cpfr/voluntary_v2/CPFR_Tabs_061802. pdf] (2008-01-07). Waller, M., Johnson, M. E., Davis, T. (1999): Vendor Managed Inventory in the Retail Supply-Chain, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 183-203. Warburton, R. (2004): An Analytical Investigation of the Bullwhip Effect, Production and Operations Management, Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 150–160.

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Globalization and Volkswagen - Essay Example Volkswagen was incorporated in the year 1937. Volkswagen group is regarded as one the globe’s foremost automobile manufactures with its headquarters situated in Wolfsburg at Germany.Volkswagen was incorporated in the year 1937. Volkswagen group is regarded as one the globe’s foremost automobile manufactures with its headquarters situated in Wolfsburg at Germany. By globalising its business activities, Volkswagen has not only spread its activities in all the five continents of the globe but also able to transfer its technology to these markets, has created local employment and by adding local contents in its products it has opened the doors for local businessmen and has offered jobs to local people, it has helped to nourish local industries in foreign markets and has achieved cost savings about 15 to 25% due to local contents. This research essay is going to analyse how Volkswagen has benefitted from the process of globalisation. Volkswagen and Globalisation Globalizatio n can be referred as an active method of liberlisation, integration of market across the extensive array of markets internationally from goods to labor and from capital to services and technology. Globalisation is footed on the principle of freedom: the freedom to have commerce with the rest of the globe and capitalise on each nation’s relative gains; the freedom to invest where returns on capital are deemed to be highest within a tolerable magnitude of risk and the freedom to establish business of country’s of one’s choice... MNCs hold strong places in all three channels of globalisation and by clarity, they vouch for all foreign direct investment ( FDI), they are very active in trade , with thirty percent of global trade taking place within the MNCs and not between the MNCs and they transfer the knowledge and the bulk of technology across borders through intrafirm business transactions , create employment in host countries , responsible for rapid growth of GDP in the host countries and can be said to be responsible for increasing the standard of living in the countries, they conduct the business. (Ervin & Smith, 2008, p.24). Thus, due to the poignant position of MNCs, globalisation can be referred as the business decisions made by the MNCs as regards to their international business activities under transforming scenarios of international competition. (Kleinert, 2004, p.3). Globalisation also refers to the liberalisation of financial flow. Financial liberalisation eventually increases economic growth, eff iciency and development by infusing new technical know and foreign investment. Economic liberalisation connotes introduction of policies like removal of credit controls, deregulation of interest rates, privatisation of banks controlled by government, elimination of credit controls, permitting foreign financial institutions in the domestic financial markets and relaxation of the bar on the entry of private sectors. In short, it can be said that liberalisation means removal all barriers from the inflow of capital outside the frontiers of a nation. (Ariccia, 2008, p.3). It is to be noted that one cannot expect that mere economic liberalisation cannot achieve inflow of capital as only about 14 nations could attract in excess of eighty-five percent of

Family and Doctor Essay Example for Free

Family and Doctor Essay Before I go with the topic to express â€Å"Why I want to be a part of Yashoda’s Young Doctor’s Camp†. I like to tell a small incident that had changed my goal and the way I really got admired. The incident took place when I was studying in class 6. I was suffering with high fever, and then usually my parents took me to the nearby doctor. This was the time when my brain was concentrating seriously, I observed that all the patients were keen to meet the doctor and express their disarray. They relied on the doctor totally which was easily understood by their smiling faces after consulting the doctor. They also believed that he was the only one who can cure their disarray. This made me to think that the profession of a doctor has a high position in the society and he is the one who will be trusted forever. Then I have decided to have my goal to become a doctor. I started to work hard from that moment towards my goal. Even I used to have a feeling in my mind that I can really do my best to prove myself. From then I started to work hard in the field of science . This showed me immense results . I was able to maintain a huge patience in my all works. And even I started to analyze what should be maintained to have a good health. Being a doctor is really tough and it will need huge patience and hard work. I want to relate to another incident that took place in my life when I was 2 years old. Don’t be shocked that how I can remember what happened when I was two years old it is not magic, but my father revealed it to me. I used to live with my grandparents those days. I was suffering with heavy motions those days. My grandfather was cautious about the viral infections and took me to the hospital for treatment. The doctor gave me a medicine named with ‘G’. My grandpa gave the prescription to the pharmaceutical shop person. H e gave the medicine to my grandpa and it was given to me. But, the results after using the medicine were different; my disarray was not cured for even after some days. This made my grandpa to check the medicine he found that a single letter ‘I’ was misplaced with a letter ‘r’. This incident when my father was saying I was amazed to know that a single letter plays a vital role. I learnt that a doctor should be always aware about his actions and I started to think before once before I do anything. This will make me to take good decisions. But I think this will not be the trait of the real doctor’s as they are really very much experienced in their profession. This made me also realize that to become a good doctor we should be experienced in the profession. So I think by now you might have made a picture what kind of girl I am. I possess patience, I believe in truth; I will take the responsibility for my action’s and I will believe in the word â€Å"trust†. And I believe that being a doctor is like giving a commitment to serve for the society. So, before I go on with expressing my curriculum performance, I have to say a few lines on Yashoda Hospitals. They were really awesome and the doctor’s are really friendly and caring. You can ask me how I can say this feedback. I have an original experience with Yashoda hospitals. W hen my uncle had an accident in the industry almost his hand fingers were crashed. When we immediately rushed to the nearby hospitals they said that the whole hand should be removed. The pain felt by my aunt when she heard this was still in my heart. Then my father had a thought with him to take to the Yashoda hospital will be a good way. Only a single second after his words, we rushed to the Yashoda hospital. We observed that the crews of Yashoda Hospital were really caring towards the patients. Then we met the doctor and he said that no problem to the hand it will be cured with an operation. This stunned me that there are different kinds of treatments going on. And this even made me clear that Yashoda hospital doctors are the ones with immense character and also they believe in the proper treatment. And I forgot to mention that I take care of the animals suffering with hunger as instructed by my biology teacher to take care of the poor ones by giving them food. This was one of the reasons why I rushed to my teacher when she said I am eligible for a camp with Yashoda hospital doctors. And then coming to my curriculum I am good at Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I even do my bit good to get higher grade in maths. Coming to the languages I know I can speak in Telugu, English and a bit of Hindi. I am helpful and friendly with my friends. I will respect the elders. And I am always ready to learn anything. I have high confidence in myself. I will concentrate in my studies to show good performance through my higher grades. I even take almost everything serious except a fight with my sister. I will read books a lot. I will usually gather good science facts and the collection of things which I felt amazed will be with me always. I don’t get irritated fast. I will even take good exercise and balanced diet to keep my body fit. I will also gather the up to date information about the new techniques in the treatment of patients. I am lso a bit patriotic because I feel that doing something to the mother land is really a great job. This was one of the main reason why I chose to be a doctor because I can serve my country. I believe in the principles of Abdul kalam and Mother Teresa. I would also state one of the main aspects of mine which my mom says wrong, but I feel it is right; the query is that I usually work hard by sitting to study at least for 5 hours a day. But my mom says you should study even hard, but I believe in studying with concentration and practical experiences rather sitting like a book worm. I believe the fact that if you love your work you will excel in it. I think these are the qualities I posses and it is up to you whether you select me. I want to experience originally how a doctor behaves and correct myself if am doing a mistake now itself so that I can excel in my profession better in the next coming years. I believe that these are the traits that are of a doctor. If I missed anything, I will learn it through Yashoda hospital doctors in the camp. I hope that I will get selected for this camp, and I believe that one day I will surely be a good doctor.

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Title: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone This essay explores the concepts of fantasy in Lewis Carrolls ‘Alice in Wonderland and J. K Rowlings ‘Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Both authors include an emphasis on the genre of contemporary and juvenile fantasy, containing a main character travelling through a magical world different from their original settings. Their adventures do not begin until either character has entered into the fantasy world. Rowlings world is set adjacent to our own, creating a world within a world; the mysterious world of magic inside the mundane world of ‘muggles. In comparison Carroll takes his heroine Alice into Wonderland, a world where logic is turned upside down. The ‘Alice in Wonderland extract is placed near the end of the novel, as Alice discovers the power and madness of the Queen, taking place after Alice has attended the Mad Hatters tea party. Characters, for example, The Mad Hatter show different attitudes throughout so the reader isnt aware of their development. This is due to the (literal and figurative) change in maturity Alice undergoes. Alice experiences an inverted hierarchy, in which animals have a measure of authority, treating Alice as an inferior. Alice discovers that animals are the subjects of an inanimate object. Inanimate objects register below animals in a social hierarchy. The Queen acts as a ruthless ruler ordering her subjects beheadings. She utilises living creatures as objects, (playing croquet using hedgehogs, and flamingos). Wonderland reverses the conventions as inanimate objects rule the land while living creatures are tools. The ‘Harry Potter extract is placed towards the climax of the novel. Within this chapter Harry is serving detention, proving him to be a human hero through his faults and more relatable to a child audience. This significant extract comes after revealing the Forbidden forests mystery as students are prohibited, but are ordered to enter it now. The fantasy elements in ‘Alice are adapted from Carrolls humour and fantasy appealing to both children and adults. It appeals to children due to the fantasy creatures, (i.e. an anthropomorphic rabbit dressed in a waist coat, and playing cards given the ability to speak). Carroll uses mockery and fantasy to appeal to children; Generally Carrolls style does not seem to follow the fantasy genre conventions consist mostly of surreal features, strangely developed fantasy aspects and childhood games. In ‘Harry Potter, Rowling uses elements from the fantasy genre, in its purest form. Rowling incorporates a balance of mythical and traditional creatures strengthening the idea of the magical and mundane worlds co-existing. Incorporating mythical creatures (i.e. three headed dog, Centaurs and Unicorns); the forest becomes more secret, continuing the mood established. References in the extract carry a sense of mystery and mythological creatures are used to complement the European and Greek mythology. The extract also contains medieval references to weaponry following the medieval reference (‘He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into the crossbow). In medieval Europe, the unicorn was often a symbol of pure and selfless womanhood. Themes are presented to the reader, allowing them to understand what is happening. ‘Alice contains themes of manners and the ability of possessing common courtesy, dating back to the nineteenth century. Children in this era were expected to act as miniature adults; this reflects Alices tone of voice. Alice is an independent girl, making her own decisions, using polite expressions (‘its no business of mine.), also maintaining good manners. This indicates her social status, and ability to identify people within her social class and lower. Alice demonstrates a previously unseen courage. She talks to the Queen with great insolence, attacking the illusion of Wonderlands power. Themes within ‘Harry Potter tie in with the novel. Rowling presents a Hogwarts system of detention, (a form of punishment). Loyalty and friendship, (in spite of their circumstances) are shown. Firenze allows Harry to ride upon his back, showing disloyalty to fellow centaurs, however presenting himself as loyal to Harry. Rowling uses a theme of impassivity, when Harry is presented with a ‘hooded figure, through his belief that he is a mere observer. The use of death connects with the issue of ‘good verses evil during Hagrids search for the unicorns killer (Theres summat in here that shouldnt be), and the anonymity of the ‘hooded figure. The spectacle of the dying unicorn is shocking because it is the first death the reader actually witness, but also because the unicorn is a symbol of innocence and purity (‘Always the innocent are the first victims). Death is shown to be something wrongful and horrid whileevil is presented as ruthless and unfair. Voldemor t drinks the unicorns blood to sustain his own life. Characters in ‘Harry Potter address each other through typical twentieth century styles. (‘He walked forward and shook the centaurs hand). However the centaurs speech is formal, using old-fashioned language (‘Good evening to you, Hagrid), giving the impression of wisdom, linked with the mythical theme. The formality of Banes greeting is reinforced by the conventional interrogative, (‘I hope you are well?). Rowlings use of inverted syntax reinforce the archaic formality (‘Students, are you, Always the innocent are the first victims). Rowling uses idioms in narration (Hermiones jaw dropped) and in dialogue by Hagrid (‘Harry potter an Hermione Ganger, by the way. Students up at the school), the syntax in the extract strengthens the old-fashioned language used by Ronan (‘the forest hides secrets), giving the impression of knowledge reinforced by the balancing phrases by repetition and lack of contradictions. In the extract, the narration is omnis cient, with conventions of writing in third person. Neither author makes a personal comment, remaining neutral. However Rowlings use of a second person narrative, suggests internal thoughts of Harry. However in ‘Alice, narration dominates the extract. There is little dialogue compared to ‘Harry Potter. In these description there are few adjectives used. Whereas In ‘Harry Potter dialogue is frequently used, containing less narration compared to ‘Alice. More description can be found in the narration than the dialogue. Rowlings syntax use a balance of interrogative and directive, while simple sentences (due to the direct speech), are used more often continued by complex, minor and compound structures. This follows the conventions of the genre, and the set style. The majority of syntax used by Carroll consists of complex sentences. This is a style feature continued throughout the novel. Carroll rarely uses simple sentences, contrasting to Rowling. In ‘Alice Carroll uses a clear exploration of language when influencing the mood of the extract. Carrolls use of language shows Alice to be intelligent, while the simplicity in diction show her to be a little girl. Carroll explores the issue of identity through Alices ability to reason, even though she doubts herself. Carroll does this by placing Alice in different situations, demonstrating how she learns a new manner of conversation. In ‘Harry Potter Rowling‘s uses of syntax consists of simple sentence structures due to direct speech, continued then by complex, minor and compound. Throughout extracts there is a frequent use of complex while a rare use of simple structures. In ‘Alice it is Carrolls fascination with language and logic that influence the mood of the novel. In the extract Carroll presents suspense and tension, with the Queens arrival. While in ‘Harry Potter the language creates a sinister mood, carrying suspense, which is focused on, yet left unexplained in the extract. The lexis in ‘Alice is limited, compared to ‘Harry Potter. This is because there is a lack of actions through Carrolls vocabulary limited to descriptions (i.e. ‘suddenly). Conjunctions except for ‘and are used rarely, while adverbs are used, but varied. Adjectives appear not to use vivid descriptions, only limited to ‘small or ‘large. Verbs lack variety some used to reflect Alices childish nature. In language, ‘Harry Potter there is a variety of adjectives, verbs and adverbs to reinforce the vocabulary associated closely with the characters and their traits (‘said Hermione faintly, ‘Hagrid said irritably). The way the author sets apart characters dialogue, allow the readers to recognise the characters by their speech. When making Hagrids speech characteristics, Rowling uses omissions (‘cant be too careful, Ronan), use of contradictions (‘anythin) and phonetically speech through lexis (‘yerself, ‘bin hurt bad). Adjectives are grouped together in pairs (‘long reddish tail), while the comparative adjectives are grouped together in threes (black-haired and (black) bodied and wilder-looking). The uses of verbs are associated with characters or creatures. Personification is used to discuss the Forest, (‘Forest hides many secrets) and comparisons (‘sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground). The Graphology in ‘Alice follows the established convention in earlier chapters. Semi Colons are used in complex sentences, instead of full stop, separating clauses in a list. Colons are used to introduce further clarification (‘he was in livery: otherwise). Italics are used to emphasise a specific point, (‘For instance, if you were inside.), dashes are used to indicate pauses and clarification, and to introduce free indirect speech, sometimes an authorial voice. (‘extraordinary noise going on within- a constant howling and sneezing). Exclamation marks appear in Alices speech; elsewhere in direct speech, by the playing cards (‘your business!) as an emotive function of the language spoken in direct speech, but not in narration. Graphology in ‘Harry Potter follows the conventions of the genre. Question and exclamation are used due to the tense mood Rowling places her characters in, (‘Show yerself Im armed!). Dashes indicate further explanation in the extract, introduce free direct speech and to show hesitation (‘unicorn bin injured would yeh, ‘Erm). Commas, a conventional parenthesis, are used to separate adjective pairings, clauses, and add emphasis within a sentence. Apostrophes are used to explain Hagrids speech, (containing colloquialism) and the contradictions he uses. In ‘Alice apostrophes are used in narration and speech. However Italics are used by both authors to emphasise a specific point. (‘Are there many of them in here?). Finally both authors combine traditional and cultural themes. Stylistically ‘Alice appeals more to adults, due to its density in dialogue and morals; it highlights morals and childish logic which adults find amusing. ‘Harry Potter is widely accessible to many audiences, using fantasy to capture all readers attentions. Contextual Spelling Check 5 alerts Commonly confused words OK Spelling 5 alerts Grammar 56 alerts Use of articles 2 alerts Use of conjunctions OK Use of nouns OK Incorrect use of numbers OK Incorrect use of prepositions OK Pronoun agreement 1 alert Use of adjectives and adverbs 1 alert Comparing two or more things 2 alerts Faulty parallelism 2 alerts Confusing modifiers OK Incorrect use of negatives OK Use of qualifiers and quantifiers OK Subject and verb agreement 4 alerts Verb agreement OK Verb form use OK Modal verbs OK Conditional sentences OK Other 1 alert Sentence structure 4 alerts Wordiness 6 alerts Passive voice use 33 alerts Punctuation 14 alerts Punctuation within a sentence 12 alerts Closing punctuation 1 alert Formal punctuation OK Capitalization 1 alert Style and Word Choice 16 alerts Writing style 2 alerts Vocabulary use 14 alerts WordBooster Suggestions 202 WordBooster 202

management paper -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"Raising the Bar† Cingular, one of the nation’s largest wireless phone providers recently announced its forty-one billion dollar purchase of AT&T wireless. The deal took place on October 26, 2004. The merge of these two major corporations opened the doors for change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AT&T encountered some difficulties within the past year that brought up the question to sell the company. AT&T struggled to add new subscribers because of a glitch in their new software system. The system was designed to improve customer service but instead it caused more problems for the company as well as its customers. The company also faced problems losing more customers than they were gaining due to new federal rules and regulations that took place in November of 2003. These rules allowed phone users to change service providers without losing their current phone numbers. Cingular, at the same time was looking to cut costs, fill cellular service gaps and expand their coverage area. Since AT&T faced numerous problems and Cingular was on the lookout to expand, the merge was seen as beneficial to both companies. The merge brought about many advantages. One of the major advantages for the merge was not only was Cingular now the largest wireless company in the industry having the most coverage area, but it removed one of the major competitors in the wireless industry. This removal would stabilize the industry so that carriers could more easily invest in new services. Another advantage for purchasing a company like AT&T was that both companies ran off of the same network technology making the integration of both companies easy. The merge more than doubled the customer base for Cingular. Going from a mere 23.4 million customers to 46.7 million customers. The management at Cingular would have a lot of work on their hands. To deal with these changes Cingular management will have to lay off employees from both companies. Many positions are a duplicate of what Cingular all ready has. The top management teams from both companies will have to come together and make some huge decisions about who is goi ng to hold what positions and what goals will need to be set for the success of the company. Teamwork and communication are going to be the keywords during this time of change. If each member of the company goes in their own direction the company will conti... ...highlighted upon through this essay I thoroughly agree with the merge of Cingular and AT&T. The merge has allowed Cingular to increase its customer base and grow to become the largest wireless company in the industry. The combining of these two forces has given Cingular the opportunity to compete against their biggest competitor Verizon, whereas before it was struggling to remain one of the top wireless service providers. The merge also gave AT&T a chance to remain in the wireless industry. They were falling further and further as a company before Cingular bought them out. The merge has had more advantages than disadvantages for the two companies including better coverage, increase in customer base, improved reliability within the company as well as the wireless service, and enhanced call quality. With good leadership, teamwork, and communication throughout the company Cingular can prove to other companies who doubted the merge that it really was a success. Works Cited  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Daft, Richard. Management. 6th ed. Ohio: South-Western, 2003.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kharif, Olga. â€Å"For Cingular, Now Comes the Hard Part.† Business Week 1 Oct. 2004. management paper -- essays research papers fc â€Å"Raising the Bar† Cingular, one of the nation’s largest wireless phone providers recently announced its forty-one billion dollar purchase of AT&T wireless. The deal took place on October 26, 2004. The merge of these two major corporations opened the doors for change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AT&T encountered some difficulties within the past year that brought up the question to sell the company. AT&T struggled to add new subscribers because of a glitch in their new software system. The system was designed to improve customer service but instead it caused more problems for the company as well as its customers. The company also faced problems losing more customers than they were gaining due to new federal rules and regulations that took place in November of 2003. These rules allowed phone users to change service providers without losing their current phone numbers. Cingular, at the same time was looking to cut costs, fill cellular service gaps and expand their coverage area. Since AT&T faced numerous problems and Cingular was on the lookout to expand, the merge was seen as beneficial to both companies. The merge brought about many advantages. One of the major advantages for the merge was not only was Cingular now the largest wireless company in the industry having the most coverage area, but it removed one of the major competitors in the wireless industry. This removal would stabilize the industry so that carriers could more easily invest in new services. Another advantage for purchasing a company like AT&T was that both companies ran off of the same network technology making the integration of both companies easy. The merge more than doubled the customer base for Cingular. Going from a mere 23.4 million customers to 46.7 million customers. The management at Cingular would have a lot of work on their hands. To deal with these changes Cingular management will have to lay off employees from both companies. Many positions are a duplicate of what Cingular all ready has. The top management teams from both companies will have to come together and make some huge decisions about who is goi ng to hold what positions and what goals will need to be set for the success of the company. Teamwork and communication are going to be the keywords during this time of change. If each member of the company goes in their own direction the company will conti... ...highlighted upon through this essay I thoroughly agree with the merge of Cingular and AT&T. The merge has allowed Cingular to increase its customer base and grow to become the largest wireless company in the industry. The combining of these two forces has given Cingular the opportunity to compete against their biggest competitor Verizon, whereas before it was struggling to remain one of the top wireless service providers. The merge also gave AT&T a chance to remain in the wireless industry. They were falling further and further as a company before Cingular bought them out. The merge has had more advantages than disadvantages for the two companies including better coverage, increase in customer base, improved reliability within the company as well as the wireless service, and enhanced call quality. With good leadership, teamwork, and communication throughout the company Cingular can prove to other companies who doubted the merge that it really was a success. Works Cited  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Daft, Richard. Management. 6th ed. Ohio: South-Western, 2003.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kharif, Olga. â€Å"For Cingular, Now Comes the Hard Part.† Business Week 1 Oct. 2004.