Issues Concerning Islam Essay

Muslims have been accused of mutilating women. This practice, however, is denied by the followers of Islam. According to them, â€Å"Female Genital Mutilation† (FGM), which is actually a surgical procedure performed on girls before they reach the age of puberty for the purpose of terminating or reducing their sexual feelings, is not an Islamic practice. They explain that FGM is a tradition of â€Å"Animists, Christians, and [some] Muslims in those countries where FGM is common. † Women are given equal rights under Islam. In fact, the Qur’an decreed that when it comes to public life, men and women should have equal rights and participation. During the time of Muhammad, women were allowed to participate actively in their baya which is the equivalent of today’s practice of political endorsements. Evidence of this Muslim women’s status is the voting rights granted to women in the predominantly Muslim countries like Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. The women in Kuwait followed suit by earning their right to vote and get elected sometime in 2005. In fact, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Prime Minister, divulged a plan to appoint a woman minister in Kuwait soon (Robinson, 2007). Muslims as terrorists and pro-violence Yusuf (n. d. ) said that majority of the Muslims are convinced that while the U. S. government has been blaming terrorism on Islam for years, it was the 9/11 incident which dealt the most telling blow on the credibility and reputation of their religion. This was because the international media was able to depict that many Muslims around the world rejoiced after that incident. The truth is, however, that majority of the Muslim world was saddened by that incident and the repercussions it caused. They would like to tell the world that terrorism is not an official policy of Islam and that, in fact, Muslims also consider terrorists as enemies of their religion. He laments the fact that When a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity. When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam are all about. Yusuf blames this lack of Islamic knowledge among Christians to the fact that there is a dearth of credible spokespersons who could defend Islam from its attackers. As a matter of fact, Yusuf stressed that â€Å"Islam is the middle way between excess and neglect† and that terrorism is the preoccupation of zealots and extremists who are, in fact, a plaque of Islam. According to him, there are two types of Muslim extremists whose acts destroy Islam. The first he calls â€Å"reactionary extremists. † This group rejects any form of religious pluralism. According to these reactionary extremists, the world consists of good and evil with nothing in between. Good, according to them, means the reactionary extremists and all those who oppose their actions are evil. Yusuf further explains that these kind of extremists are in the habit of â€Å"excommunicating† other Muslims who reject the way they interpret the Qur’an. However, this kind does not usually resort to violent acts to achieve their goals. Instead, they employ character assassination or takfir to ward their critics (Yusuf, n. d. ). The second type is the â€Å"radical extremist. † These Muslims extremists, according to Yusuf, are the ones who resort to violent acts and tactics to further their objectives. Yusuf stressed that these Muslims act as if they belong to some secret, wicked society whose members believe in the dictum that â€Å"the end justifies the means. † In other words, any method, even the most violent method, is acceptable as long as their â€Å"cause† is advanced. According to Yusuf, this is destroying Islam because the methods employed by Islam should be reflecting the noble ends of the religion. Secondly, Islam is not a â€Å"secret society of conspirators† – rather, it is open with its objectives and traditions which have already been accepted and recognized by people from other religious denominations (Yusuf, n. d. ).

Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy

Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com E-tail Customer Fulfillment Networks Pioneer â€Å"The logistics of distribution Scorecard are the iceberg below the waterline of online bookselling.B-web type —Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO, Amazon. comAggregation (e-tail) /Agora (auctions, Zshops) hybrid model KEY PARTICIPANTS â€Å"Ten years from now, no one will remember whether Consumers and business buyers Context providersContent providersAmazon. com and small online merchants (Amazon. com associates, Zshops, auctions) Suppliers and b-web partners (publishers; producers [OEM]; distributors e. g. Ingram Micro, Baker & Taylor Books, and others) Customers Amazon. com spent an extra $100,000 upgrading shipping from the West Coast to the East Coast. All that will matter is whether electronic commerceGave people a good or bad experience.2 —David Risher, senior vice president for merchandising, Amazon. com Commerce services †¢ Infrastructure providers â€Å"This [the Amazon. com distribution warehouses and CFN] is the fastest expansion of distribution capacity in peacetime history. † 3 —Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO, Amazon. com Offering Amazon. com and online merchants (Amazon. com associates, Zshops, auctions) Amazon. om and merchants participating in auctions and Zshops Third party shippers (UPS & USPS) Amazon. com Drop shippers such as Ingram Technology providers such as Oracle, Net Perceptions, and i2 Technologies Third party shippers (UPS, USPS) The largest online e-tailer of books, music, videos, toys, and gifts Recently expanded service offering to include auctions (March 1999) and Zshops (September 1999)—an aggregation of merchants on its Web site Aspires to become a one-stop shop for merchandise on the Web CFN value proposition â€Å"Earth’s largest selection† of merchandise at competitive prices, a validated product assortment, nd consistent customer service from â€Å"home page to home delivery†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ24/7 URL http://www. amazon. com 360 Adelaide Street W, 4th Floor Toronto, Ontario. Canada M5V 1R7 Tel 416. 979. 7899. Fax 416. 979-7616 www. digital4sight. com  © 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. 1 Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com few barriers to entry—but one of those barriers is customer fulfillment. In 1996–97, Amazon. com was largely alone in the e-tailing business. Now the Web is eeming with e-tailers like buy. com (which aggressively undercuts everyone else, including Amazon. com), CDNow, and barnesandnoble. com. There are also Web portal-run malls, many of which are copying and offering features (like the renowned â€Å"one-click shopping†) that have thus far differentiated Amazon. com. Yahoo’s online mall offers 7,000 stores with over four million items and walmart. com’s planned debut in 2000 poses a significant threat. Amazon. com’s first mover advantage, e-brand equity, and initial cost advantages (stemming from lack of investments in prime real estate for storefronts) are gradually eroding.Its margins are falling, while operating expenses from mergers and acquisitions are increasing. As of the end of 1999, Amazon. com expected to post approximately $600 million in losses for the year, at a time when growth in book sales is falling (from about 800% in 1997 to a little over 100% in 1999). On the plus side, customer retention rates exceeded 72% in the third quarter of 1999. 8 But average revenue per customer in 1998 was $98. 4, while average selling, general and administrative (SG&A) and distribution costs per customer (excluding cost of goods sold) were about $71. 30, leading to an average net earnings loss of around 21%. Amazon. com Founder Jeff Bezos wants to transform Amazon. com into the largest and most customer-friendly one-stop shop on the Web. Already the largest online e-tailer of books, music, and videos, the company has expanded its product offering to include toys, gifts, and electronics, and in September 1999 launched â€Å"Zshops,† a new initiative (online flea market on Amazon. com’s Web site) which offers customers â€Å"universal selection. †4 Zshops empower small merchants and customers to set up online stores on the Amazon. com Web site for a monthly fee of $10, and a transaction fee of 1–5% of every sale.With a market capitalization of approximately $31. 4 billion (as of November 1999), 12 million loyal customers, 18 million items on sale, projected 1999 sales of $1. 4 billion, and the most recognized brand name on the Internet,5 Amazon. com aspires to become the supermall of choice for online shoppers. Its recipe includes innovation driven by â€Å"customer obsession† and the ability to provide a secure, enjoyable shopping experience online, but its dominance is due to a customer fulfillment process that delivers. A carefully orchestrated and adroitly executed â€Å"sell all, carry few† strategy explains Amazon. com’s success ith e-tail customer fulfillment. Its business web (b-web) (for books) includes Ingram Book Group and Baker & Taylor, the two largest book wholesalers in the US, as well as dozens of others. In 1998, Amazon. com obtained 60% of its books through Ingram, which operates seven strategically located US warehouses. Amazon. com pays Ingram a wholesale markup a few percentage points above the publisher’s price for its drop shipping services. 6 How has Amazon. com responded to these formidable challenges? First, to increase revenue per customer, Amazon. com added product lines or capabilities practically every six weeks in 1999.In February, the company bought 46% of drugstore. com. The following month, it launched online auctions. It bought a 35% stake in homegrocer. com in May, 54% of pets. com in June, an d 49% of gear. com in July. The Zshops and All Product Search (a â€Å"search the Web† service) initiatives have moved it even closer to its goal of providing â€Å"earth’s largest selection. † For Amazon. com, the Zshops initiative is 80–90% grossmargin rich, since its marginal costs for providing one-click shopping and credit card collection on Zshops is nearly zero. In 1999, Amazon. com opened five new automated distribution centers of its own in the US (this is in ddition to two centers already operational in Seattle and Delaware). The intent is to improve declining margins in a cutthroat business (e. g. by sourcing books directly from publishers), lessen dependence on Ingram and other distributors, and extend and control its online fulfillment process to enhance competitive advantage. Amazon. com now offers its customers same to next day shipping (in the US) on most items. In the 1999 holiday season, the company sent more packages—perhaps in e xcess of 15 million—to more people than any other e-tailer or mail-order retailer in the country. 7 Amazon. com’s leadership in customer fulfillment etworking (CFN) will be critical to its success as the landlord of the largest shopping mall on the Web. Second, its customer fulfillment networking (CFN) strategy is designed to increase gross margins by sourcing directly from publishers and other producers, rather than from wholesalers (e. g. distributors like Ingram) who provide drop shipping for a premium. Amazon. com will also reduce costs per sale by cross-docking orders (books, electronics, and toys all in one order) at the warehouse closest to the customer through state-of-the-art demand forecasting and optimization solutions from i2 Technologies. 10 Business contextE-tailing is fast becoming a crowded marketplace with  © 1. 2 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com So, what are the implications of Amazon. com’s push into more warehouses for better customer fulfillment? While the investment in five additional warehouses has been immense (in excess of $200 million), it enables same or next day fulfillment in most cases—driving greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, and higher evenues and profits per customer. It also lowers operating expenses and empowers Amazon. com to respond to pressures from Wall Street for profits. The strategy appears to be paying off—5. 69 million unique Web users (excluding its 12 million registered customers) shopped at Amazon. com in the 1999 holiday season (an 81% increase over 1998), with average spending per customer of $128 (a 30% increase over 1998). 14 However, maintaining stock in seven warehouses also increases inventory carrying costs, which the company will need to balance and contr ol through efficient customer fulfillment planning and execution. 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Less compelling High Complex*E-BRAND AS BARRIER TO ENTRY E-CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS AMAZON. COM (Circa 2001)†¢ Landlord of largest Web supermall†¢ Universal selection, one-stop shopping, and same day customer fulfillment = competitive advantage†¢ Revenues: $2. 7 Billion (est. )†¢ Registered Customers: 19. 5 MM†¢ Items Offered: >18 MM AMAZON. COM (1998)†¢ Book E-tailer†¢ Investment in brand building†¢ Customer fulfillment largely outsourced to Ingram and Baker & Taylor†¢ Revenues: $610 MM†¢ Registered Customers: 12 MM†¢ Books Offered2. 5 MM Low Low This strategic shift (figure 1) makes sense because Amazon. com’s e-brand will be a less compelling barrier to entry beyond 2000, co mpared to its customized, collaborative, and integrated online fulfillment capability for â€Å"orders of one. † According to Andrew N. Westland, Amazon. com’s vice president of warehousing, transportation and engineering, it would risk losing its competitive advantage from its pioneering and innovative one-to-one customer fulfillment excellence if it hired another company to handle distribution.As he points out, â€Å"we would be the teacher and then they would offer those services to our competitors. †13 Designed and built for online order fulfillment, Amazon. com’s CFN and warehouse distribution system is among the first of its kind (another is Webvan). As such, it confers competitive first mover and learning curve advantage. ONLINE PRODUCT ASSORTMENT Amazon. com’s business model consists of two different but complementary revenue, pricing, and profit models. In the case of auctions and Zshops, relatively small topline revenues (at least as of t he end of 1999) contribute high gross and operating margins.In contrast, for the traditional e-tailing model, lower gross and operating margins offset high topline revenues. 11 The company wants to utilize both models: cross-sell the high margin Zshops/auctions offering to its registered e-tailing customers (immediately enhancing both revenue and profits per customer), and cut the cost of sales and operating expenses through efficient customer fulfillment. High Simple Third, its strategy of providing hassle-free, same or next day fulfillment on most items will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, driving repeat business, referrals, and increased market share.CUSTOMER FULFILLMENT AS CORE-COMPETENCE High * Complexity of product assortment implies both high breadth and depth of product lines offered. Figure 1. Amazon. com’s strategic shift: from book e-tailer to landlord of Web super mall. 12 Value proposition Amazon. com’s value proposition is â€Å"earth’s largest selection—24/7, at a competitive price. † The world’s most â€Å"customer-centric company† gives its customers what they want (universal selection), how they want it (in one consolidated package), and when they want it (same or next-day by the year 2000), by orchestrating an enjoyable buying experience at the front end and einforcing it with seamless fulfillment at the back end. Bezos, who describes his team members as â€Å"customer obsessed†¦genetic pioneers,†15 can take credit for numerous innovations, including customer recognition and one-click shopping, free book reviews, recommendations (suggestive selling), Purchase Circles (best seller list by region, country, company, and industry), All Product Search (shop the Web), free e-greetings, Auctions, Zshops, and seamless customer fulfillment. Each of these has been a first on the Web, and competitors have copied most of them. Recent innovations include a system that lets shoppers u t together a big order and then send each item, tagged with an individual message, to a different individual and address (September 1999); a â€Å"wish list†Ã¢â‚¬â€much like a wedding registry—that lets people tell the world what gifts they want to receive; and an â€Å"Amazon. com anywhere† initiative with Sprint (announced December 8, 1999) that facilitates wireless shopping through Sprint PCS Internet-enabled smart cellular phones. 16 1. 3 Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com 1 Customer places order; credit card processed for payment 4 E-Customer All items picked, packed and assembled at nearest warehouse & shipped ia UPS or US Postal Service 5 Order delivered from the nearest warehouse via UPS/USPS AMAZON. COM WAREHOUSE WWW Electronics OEM Amazon. com’s servers in Seattle Demand forecasting visibility and optimization through i2’s Supply Chain OptimizationSoftware 2 Customer order parsed out to appropriate suppliers (if not stocked in Amazon. com warehouse). Books sourced from Ingram or other book publisher Music company LEGEND Inventory Information 3 Producers dispatch goods to Amazon. com warehouse. Figure 2. Amazon. com’s customer fulfillment network (CFN)—circa 2000. CFN strategy Amazon. com is a CFN pioneer. Its innovative CFN trategy enables true dynamic commerce that provides a customized experience to not only fulfill, but also create demand—profitably, and in real-time. This is a virtuous cycle realized through integration of the customer relationship management applications with the order fulfillment applications and its b-web, as well as intelligent and dynamic demand-supply synchronization. It is rendered possible by the following CFN value drivers: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Business processes and applications Sourcing multiple line items from disparate suppliers and assembling them to a customer’s order and specifications for same/next day fulfillment invo lves ramatically greater logistics and supply chain complexity than delivering huge pallets from warehouses to shelf spaces (brick-and-mortar retail). Dynamic and intelligent personalization that ensures dynamic content insertion and cross-selling (enhancing revenues and profits per customer) while matching the customer’s demands with Amazon. com’s fulfillment abilities Virtual integration across the b-web (from customer to supplier and warehouses) that ensures synchronicity across business processes, delivering intelligent and profitable order fulfillment Dynamic demand and supply planning and ptimization to minimize inventory carrying and transportation costs and reduce cycle times, Three factors—selling an expanded selection of products online (Amazon. com offers 18 million items), the need to move a large volume of small parcels, and rising customer expectations—combine to put new pressures on order fulfillment systems. According to Toby Link, CEO of e-Toys, â€Å"Inventory management is the great ecommerce business process that no one seems to know much about. It is the true barrier to entry. †17 Amazon. com, which has depended largely on a drop shipping and just-in-time arrangement for books with  © 1. 4 aximizing profit and service levels Maximum visibility and responsiveness to supply and demand variability and anomalies through dynamic exception notification (e. g. an electronic alert signal if something goes wrong) 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com Order Management System (OMS) Credit card data verification, e-ordering (if needed), reconcilliation of shipping and customer charges Inventory Management System (IMS)Which items and categories to stock, where and in what quantities? What is available and what needs to be ordered? I2’s Demand Optimizer Inventory turnover data by product, category, country, region, state, industry, etc. I2’s Available to Promise (ATP) Can we fulfill these orders profitably? Oracle database of products and consumer profiles All Product Search What are customers looking for? Customer Orders What are they buying? Warehouse & Transportation Management System (WMS & TMS) Pick, pack and ship orders most efficiently & profitably Purchase Circles (Best seller listing by country, region, industry or company)WWW E-Customer New Customer Profile Who are the e-customers (demographics, etc. )? What are their preferences? Suggested Selling (Cross-sell and Net Perceptions up-sell profitable, Collaborative Filtering: in-stock items that What items and categories of customers want) products are customers likely to buy based on affinity? a nagement (CRM) Decision Support, S upply Chain Planning & Execution Customer Relationship M Figure 3. Amazon. com’s suite of CFN applications. 20 Ingram and Baker & Taylor, has now primarily moved to a from-stock hybrid model (that also includes the other options) with its seven US warehouses. In ddition to enlarging its Seattle and Delaware warehouses in 1999, the company has invested over $200 million to lease five distribution and warehousing facilities in Fernley, Nevada; Coffeyville, Kansas; Campbellsville and Louisville, Kentucky; and McDonough, Georgia. of Digital Equipment Alpha Servers and Netscape Commerce Servers built around an Oracle database server and Oracle Financials Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. 21 According to Jeff Bezos, 80% of the company’s investment in software development since its founding in 1994 has not gone into its famously user-friendly screens, but to back-office logistics. 2 In 1998, two-thirds of Amazon. com’s 2,100 employees worked on customer fulfillment. 22 These seven warehouses, comprising 3. 5 million square feet of total space, will en sure fulfillment in 24–48 hours in most cases in the US. 18 The CFN comprising Amazon. com’s warehouses, b-web of suppliers and drop shippers, and end-to-end integration is specifically designed for online retailing from the ground up (i. e. , shipping merchandise item by item to individual customers). 19 It is one of only a handful of such networks. Amazon. com developed most of its own front end e-commerce applications, including page design and rder management systems (OMS). The acquisition and incorporation of Junglee, a highly sophisticated XML-based shopping bot, forms the basis of Amazon. com’s New Product Search application. It sourced its highly acclaimed suggested selling collaborative filtering software from Net Perceptions and recently acquired a Supply Chain Planning and Optimization package from i2 Technologies. 24 All other software—including middleware and the much-praised and patented one-click shopping application—is customized fo r Amazon. com or proprietary, and zealously guarded for competitive advantage. Amazon. com’s CFN, including its network of istribution centers, is illustrated in figure 2; figure 3 shows CFN applications deployed. Amazon. com’s initial hardware and software consisted  © 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. 5 Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com Amazon. com is in the process of integrating its b-web (suppliers, distributors, and customers) with its supply chain planning (SCP) and ERP, as well as management systems for orders (OMS), inventory (IMS), warehouse WMS), and transportation (TMS) (figures 2 and 3). This strategy will lead to intelligent demand forecasting, optimization, and profitable distribution execution. The customer relationship management (CRM) suite at the front end, which consists of one-to-one personalization and collaborative filtering from Net Perceptions and Amazon. com’s own order management system (OMS), works in sync with i2’s Supply Chain Planning, Optimization (SCPO) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) at the back end. These form a virtuous cycle that creates profitable demand while delivering a customized buying experience in real-time, as well as ntelligent, profitable fulfillment that ensures customer satisfaction and referrals. Figure 3 presents a hypothesis of how the applications work to deliver intelligent end-to-end order fulfillment: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ This is a true â€Å"sense and respond† CFN based on Amazon. com’s move towards a â€Å"real-time inventory solution† (if the customer can order it, it is available, and can be shipped) to drive customer loyalty, revenues, referrals, and profitability. Data is gathered initially from the customer to form a customer profile in the Oracle data base. Information on items customers are looking for, and ctually buy, is gathered through the All Product Search function and customer orders, respectively. Data from All Product Search drives the categories and product lines that Amazon. com keeps adding to its colossal assortment. The buying data is queried to yield inventory turnover (for every item) by zip code, state, country, business, company, and industry. The inventory turnover data is used to stratify Amazon. com’s inventory on an A, B, C basis (e. g. ‘A’ items could be best sellers, ‘B’ items have medium turnover, and ‘C’ items are one-off orders). The inventory turnover data (XML tagged by zip ode) is fed back to the customer by way of Purchase Circles (best-seller listing) to seduce the customer into buying the item. As well, data from the customer profile and previous buying patterns are mined (using collaborative filtering from Net Perceptions) to predict affinities betwe en customers and products. This enables real-time suggestive selling recommendations (the right suggestions to the right buyer at the right time—right now) relevant to each customer’s buying objectives. These recommendations convert browsers into buyers, increase revenue and profits per customer, and stimulate repeat buying. 25 2’s demand planner uses the inventory turnover and buying data to dynamically anticipate customer needs by accurately predicting customer demand on an ongoing basis. By integrating these with i2’s available-to-promise (ATP) inventory management and distribution systems, Amazon. com ensures that B-web organization Amazon. com’s b-web is an Aggregation (e-tail) and Agora (auctions and Zshops) hybrid model powered by its CFN. Win-win b-web relationships and electronic integration with suppliers, distributors, publishers, producers, and software and hardware providers account for Amazon. com’s winning experience and fulfi llment.These partners contribute significantly to, and derive benefits from, its success. In addition to large and assured revenue streams, learning from this e-tailing and CFN pioneer assures competitive advantage in the high velocity arena of e-commerce. In book e-tailing, for instance, Amazon. com ties Ingram’s inventory data to its customer interface. This gives Amazon. com available-to-promise (ATP) capabilities that lets customers know when they can expect to receive their merchandise. As soon as an order comes in, Amazon. com sends it to Ingram electronically (if it doesn’t carry the ordered item); Ingram then ships the rder, usually the same or next day, to Amazon. com’s customer fulfillment center for cross-docking and shipping via UPS/USPS. Key lessons Four factors explain Amazon. com’s in success e-tailing: †¢  © 1. 6 it maintains an optimum inventory of its most ordered books, CDs, videos, toys, and electronics in its warehouses for in- stock fulfillment. Continuous reconciliation of order and inventory data via the ATP function enables Amazon. com to commit to lead times on its Web site that it can profitably fulfill. Distributors like Ingram will drop ship one-off items (‘C’), or Amazon. com will order them (through theOMS) on a just-in-time basis from other suppliers for cross docking at its warehouse closest to the customer (figure 2). Intelligent distribution, warehousing (WMS), and transportation (TMS) optimization ensures that Amazon. com picks, packs, and transports orders for delivery, via US Postal Service (60% of orders) or UPS (40% of orders), â€Å"from buy button to customer doorstep† 24–48 hours for in-stock items, and within seven days for others, in the US. 26 First, it translated its customer-centric understanding of market need into an easy-to-use, intuitive buying experience that pleases customers and drives evenues and referrals 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com †¢ Second, Amazon. com invested tens of millions of dollars in building the most valuable brand on the Web Third, Amazon. com built loyalty and barriers to entry by investing in innovative technology solutions such as suggested selling from Net Perceptions, Supply Chain Optimization (i2), Purchase Circles, and All Product Search, and integrating them into a irtuous cycle for dynamic commerce Fourth, and arguably most important, Amazon. com’s commitment to fulfillment has translated into deep and effective b-web relationships with distributors and suppliers like Ingram and a core competence in one-to-one inventory management and distribution †¢ †¢ Thanks to these four factors, Amazon. com forecasts a customer base of 22. 3 million and revenues of $3. 15 billion b y 2002. The company’s strategic investments in its warehouses, technology, and b-web integration (CFN) to enable reliable and accurate same or next day customer fulfillment are a key part of its first mover dvantage and a significant barrier to entry. Amazon. com can strategically leverage this â€Å"killer app† CFN in a number of ways:26 †¢ †¢ †¢ First, Amazon. com can offer excess capacity in its warehouses to Zshops’ merchants on a â€Å"fee for fulfillment† basis. This would accrue considerable marginal revenues for a significantly lower marginal cost incurred. Second, by installing Web-enabled buying kiosks (as well as interactive television sets and wireless Webenabled devices like PDAs) at high traffic areas in malls, office buildings, and other locations, it can move its Web buying experience to the real world for ess Web-savvy customers. Third, and perhaps most radical and innovative, Amazon. com can build free customer buying port als for each of its registered, loyal customers. For an incremental cost, Amazon. com can create customized buying pages (similar to Dell’s Premier Pages for its business-to-business customers) that will allow customers to go online and enter their buying requirements as needed. Amazon. com can then deliver the items it carries, and turn over remaining orders to its Amazon. com associates, Zshops, or other b-web affiliates for fulfillment. —Arindam (Andy) De  © 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp.Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. 7 Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com Amazon. com: Key Performance Indicators (see Table 1 and figures 4a to 4f) Table 1. Comparison of 1998 performance: Amazon. com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. 28 †¢ †¢ †¢ 117. 8 million US adults, or 60% of the adult population, recognize the Amazon. com brand name, making it the most recognized brand name on the Web, followed by Priceline and e-Bay. 29 Amazon. com, with a low customer acquisition cost of around $2930 compared with $109 for a new e-tailer) and a customer retention rate of over 72%31 enjoys huge competitive advantage in terms of repeat revenue streams and significant growth in its customer base. Analysts estimate that Amazon. com’s customer base will be about 22. 3 million users by 2002 (figure 4a). 32 With an average revenue per user of $141. 25 (figure 4b), this would translate into $3. 15 billion in revenues. Gross margins over the same period would increase from 22% in 1999 to about 25% in 2002. †¢  © 1. 8 Amazon. com, with $610 million in sales in 1998 and revenue growth of 230% (June 1998–June 1999), had ero days of receivables, 23 days of inventory, 87 days of payables (figure 4c) and a positive â€Å"gap in finance cycle†(figure 4d) of 64 days. 33 This implies that Amazon. com, unl ike its competitors, is actually financing working capital with cash flow from suppliers. Amazon. com’s revenue per employee (1998) was $290,476 (figure 4e) and revenue per dollar of fixed assets (figure 4f) was $20. 47 (appreciably higher than the competition). Figures 4e and 4f show an interesting correlation between Amazon. com’s market capitalization of $31. 40 billion and its revenue per employee and revenue per dollar of fixed ssets, against the competition. This may help explain the significant upward disparity in market capitalization enjoyed by the company vis-a-vis its clicks-and-mortar competitors. 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com REVENUES ($ MILLIONS) 19,500 22,300 $3,150 20 $2,700 2500 16,500 2000 13,300 15 $2,100 1500 10 $1,403 1000 6,200 Total reven ue per user Annual net income per user $127. 27 Gross margins $138. 6 25% 25 $105. 49 90 $98. 39 22% 22% 21% 21% 20 60 15 30 10 0 ($8. 08) 5 500 30 $141. 25 120 $ PER USER 3000 $150 NUMBER OF REGISTERED USERS (MILLIONS) Revenues ($millions) Number of registered users (millions) GROSS MARGINS (%) 25 $3500 $610 -30 ($19. 57) ($20. 09) 5 ($36. 73) ($45. 37) 0 1998 1999 2000E 2001E -60 2002E Figure 4a. Amazon. com: Revenues & number of registered users (1998–2000). 34 0 1998 1999 2000E 2001E 2002E Figure 4b. Amazon. com: Revenues & net income per user, registered users and gross margins (1998–2002). 35 80 64 INVENTORY TURNOVER OR CASH-TO-CASH CYCLE 60 Inventory turnover (1998) Gap† in finance cycle (1998) Revenue growth (1998-99) 400% 40 20 16. 14 0 -20 300 2. 4 AMAZON. COM 1. 83 B&N BORDERS 230. 1% 200 -40 -60 -80 100 (80) 6. 3% -100 Figure 4c. Book retail: Age of receivables, payables, and inventory (1998). 36  © 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any mean s, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. REVENUE GROWTH (%) 0 (90) 14. 5% 0 Figure 4d. Book retail: Revenue growth (June 1998–1999) vs. inventory turnover & gap in finance cycle (1998). 37 1. 9 Customer Fulfillment in the Digital EconomyAmazon. com $350,000 300,000 $35 Revenue per employee (1998) Market capitalization ($ billions) $30 Revenue per $ of fixed assets (1998) $35 Market capitalization ($ billions) $31. 41 25 $30 $31. 41 $30 $20 200,000 $15 150,000 100,000 $103,641 $10 $95,404 50,000 0 $20 15 $15 10 $10 $5. 89 $1. 21 $0 $25 $20. 47 5 $5 $1. 64 20 $1. 64 0 $5. 26 MARKET CAPITALIZATION ($ BILLIONS) $25 REVENUE PER $ OF FIXED ASSETS ($) 250,000 MARKET CAPITALIZATION ($ BILLIONS) REVENUE PER EMPLOYEE $290,476 $5 $1. 21 $0 AMAZON. COM B&N BORDERS Figure 4e. Book retail: Revenue per employee (1998) and market cap (November 1999). 38Figure 4f. Book retail: Revenue per $ of fixed assets (1998) and market cap (November 1999). 39 1. Anthony Bianco, â€Å"Virtual Bookstores Start to Get Real,† Business Week, 27 October 1998. 2. Saul Hansell, â€Å"Amazon’s Risky Christmas,† The New York Times, 28 November 1999. 3. Ibid. 4. Jeff Bezos quoted by Stefani Eads, â€Å"Is Amazon Shopping for Profits in its Zshops? † Business Week, 12 October 1999. 5. According to Opinion Research Corp. , 117. 8 million Americans, or 60% of the US adult population, recognizes the Amazon brand name, making it the most valuable brand name on the Web. 6. Anthony Bianco, op. cit. 7.Saul Hansell, op. cit. 8. As quoted in SS Investor Equity Research Report on Amazon, December 1999. 9. Analysis and estimates by Lauren Cook Levitan, analyst, Banc Boston Robertson Stevens, August 1999. 10. Jeanne Lee. â€Å"i2 Learns What Not to Say When Talking to Analysts,† Fortune, 29 March 1999. 11. Jeff Bezos, quoted in an interview with Robert D. Hof, Business Week, 31 May 1999. 12. Strategy map based on Digital 4Sight analysis of Amazon’s etailing strategy. 13. Saul Hansell, op. cit. 14. Media Metrix numbers quoted in â€Å"Amazon, e-Bay Get Most Holiday Visitors,† Los Angeles Times (Home Edition), 4 January 2000. 5. Jeff Bezos quoted by Chip Bayersin â€Å"The Inner Bezos,† Wired, (March 1999). 16. Amazon press release from its Web site, URL http://www. hoovers. com/cgi-bin/offsite? url= http://www. amazon. com/exec/obidos/subst/misc/investorrelations/investor-faq. html/002-5319771-2477605. 17. John Evan Frook, â€Å"Missing Link Emerges: Inventory Management,† Internetweek, 9 March 1998. 18. Bob Tedeschi, â€Å"Many Internet Companies Have Focused on Attracting Customers. The Bigger challenge Is Fulfilling Orders,† The New York Times, 27 September 1999. 19. Katrina Booker, â€Å"Amazon vs. Everybody,† Fortune, 8 November 1999: 120. 20.Digital 4Sight hypothesis based on secondary research. 21. Customer case study on Oracle’s Web site, URL: http://www. oracle. com/customers/ss/amazon_ss. html. 22. Anthony Bianco. op. cit. 23. Mary Beth Grover, â€Å"Lost in Cyberspace,† Forbes, 8 March 1999. 24. Jeanne Lee, op. cit. 25. Product data from Net Perceptions Web site. URL:http://www. netperceptions. com/product/home/0,,1091, 00. html. 26. Michael Krantz, â€Å"Cruising Inside Amazon,† Time, (December 1999). 27. Digital 4Sight analysis of Amazon. com’s e-tailing strategy. 28. Digital 4Sight Financial Ratio Analysis based on P&L and balance sheet data sourced from www. oovers. com.  © 1. 10 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. Customer Fulfillment in the Digital Economy Amazon. com 29. Opinion Research Corp. survey quoted in â€Å"Equity Research Report on Amazon,† SS Investor, December 1999. 30. McKinsey & Company Data quoted in â€Å"Online Customer Acquisition Costs† Business 2. 0, (November 1999): 16-17. 31. As quoted in â€Å"Equity Research Report on Amazon. com,†SS Investor, December 1999. 32.Analysis and estimates by Lauren Cook Levitan, op. cit. 33. Gap in Finance Cycle = Days of Payables – (Days of Receivables + Days in Inventory). 34. Analysis and estimates by Lauren Cook Levitan, op. cit. 35. Digital 4Sight Financial Ratio Analysis, op. cit. 36. Ibid. 37. Ibid. 38. Ibid. 39. Ibid. 360 Adelaide Street W, 4th Floor Toronto, Ontario. Canada M5V 1R7 Tel 416. 979. 7899. Fax 416. 979-7616 www. digital4sight. com  © 2000 Digital 4Sight Corp. Reproduction by any means, or disclosure to parties who are not employees of Digital 4Sight member organizations is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation. 1. 11

Porfessional future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Porfessional future - Essay Example Brand management has always been important but I sincerely believe that globalisation has both expanded and intensified its importance. While my professional ambitions are centered on brand management, the truth is that wanting a particular career does not mean that one will be successful at that career. Professional success is only partially dependant upon interest and ambitions in and within a particular field and more so on understanding one's abilities, potentials, strengths, weaknesses and limitation and, importantly, selecting a career/profession which is correlated to the aforementioned. In other words, my later professional success is somewhat dependant upon my selecting a career in which my weaknesses and limitations will not function as an obstacle to success and where my strengths will be highlighted and my potential realized. Doing so is ultimately dependant on engagement in deep self-reflection, aiming towards the generation of a greater and more expanded self-awareness. This is precisely what this exercise aims to achieve by responding to a series of five questions, all of which contribute to the realization of the aforementioned. The first question I need to respond to is "where have I been" This question requires that I look back on my past to understand who I am and where I came from, thereby arriving at an understanding of the source of my current abilities, values, interests and beliefs. Starting from the beginning, I was brought up in Paraguay and Korea and, accordingly, am multilingual. While I am now studying marketing communications, I had completed two years of university in Paraguay where I studied English literature. As I reflect upon the stated, I find that they contain part of the answers to the questions earlier posed. Starting with the notion of values and beliefs, I find that while I have very strong beliefs and firm values, I always limit judgments to myself. I do not believe that I, or anyone else for that matter, has the right to judge another person or censure him/her for their beliefs or values. My reasoning is quite straightforward and simple. In brief, each person is a product of his/h er environment and the decisions he/she makes or the actions he/she takes are ultimately dependant on their environment and the circumstances which determined the decision or action in question. Therefore, from my perspective, rather than pass judgment, it is imperative that we make the effort to understand the rationale behind the decision which was made or the action that was taken. Upon critical reflection, I find that the aforementioned attitude is an outcome of my multicultural upbringing and my study of literature. Through exposure to different cultures, I learnt that values and beliefs were ultimately a product of culture and to pass judgment on them is to judge a culture, something which very few people, if any, are equipped to do. Added to that, through exposure to the thought processes and experiences of numerous characters through my reading of English literature, I learnt that the reasons why people undertook certain actions or made decisions were complicated and complex . The implication here is that rather than pass judgment, we need to understand where the other person is coming from and try to meet him/her on their terms in order to

Week #4 Learning Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week #4 Learning Activity - Essay Example The Lily Ledbetter Act will help abolish pay discrimination because it extends time period for filing claims and expands the application of pay discrimination claims; however, it also has its limitations. The Act reinstates the interpretation of the regulation that a pay discrimination claim accumulates whenever an employee experiences pay discrimination (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014, p.1). The Act overturns the Supreme Court’s decision that stated that people subject to pay discrimination merely have 180 days from the date the employer first chooses to pay them less to file a discrimination claim (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014, p.1). Moreover, the Act allows some courts to interpret "compensation decision or other practice† for broader applications (National Women’s Law Center, 2011). For instance, in Gentry v. Jackson State University, a Mississippi district court ruled that denial of tenure can meet the criteria as a compensation decision or â€Å"other pra ctice,† if it shapes the plaintiffs salary (National Women’s Law Center, 2011). A broad interpretation of the law ensures that pay discrimination does not happen in other indirect forms. On the contrary, narrower interpretations can still lead to pay discrimination, despite the existence of the Act. For instance, some courts do not find â€Å"failure to promote† as part of compensation claims. Promotion directly affects pay discrimination, and yet, some courts may choose to not treat it as important to pay equity. The Lily Ledbetter Act greatly helps in reducing pay discrimination because of broadened filing of claims and interpretations. Nevertheless, it may not be enough to stop employers from applying pay discrimination through other means that the Act does not specifically include. Hence, the Act is only one of the many steps that society must take to ensure the full eradication of pay

Protest Movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Protest Movements - Essay Example People usually relate protests with a lot of negativity, however, protest movement is a form of negotiation tactic that most people adapt to air out their views and makes their voices be heard. The most frequently used protest tactics during protest movements are strikes and mass demonstrations, and most states allow individuals to demonstrate more so they encourage peaceful demonstration as opposed to chaotic protests. The street protest participants should not involve themselves in activities like looting, steal, of commit other forms of crime. Peaceful demonstrations are in most cases successful. In most cases, inequality and discrimination in the society are some of the leading factors that trigger protest movements. Protest movements are very useful in the society and they enable people to talk about their feelings and address issues affecting them. However, protest movements can as well be very destructive especially chaotic demonstrations and interfere with the wellbeing of in dividuals in the society. Today, many states offer individuals with the freedom to protest or engage in protest movements as a way of sharing their views and feeling on certain issues affecting them and the society at large. Truly, freedom of expression is a constitutional right of every one in many nations today. This includes freedom of protest and demonstration among other social movements. For instance, In the United States, individuals’ right to free speech is outlined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution and so every American has the freedom to protest but without arms. Apart from being a constitutional right, protests are like democracy in action. In democratic nations, citizens have a right to share their opinions peacefully without any chaos involved. They are free to protest on different issues including unemployment and some government policies among others. Democracy does not only involving casting votes but also

Limited Liabilty Partnership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Limited Liabilty Partnership - Essay Example These businesses are the most common and simplest ones since they just have one owner who runs the business by himself and is self employed. These types of businesses are east to start since they do not require much, if not any, legal obligations, and paperwork. It is important to note that the sole trader assumes the â€Å"all† the responsibility of the business. This includes looking after all the operations, issues, debts, loans and others. The problem with this business is that the sole trader has unlimited liability for the business and in case of bankruptcy, the sole trader would have to pay off the debts and claims from his pocket or by selling off the company’s assets and the sole trader’s assets as well (Hicks & Goo, pp. 13-18). Important here to note that the law does not provide the sole trader’s company, the status of a â€Å"separate legal entity† which other forms of business enjoy having. These businesses do not have the option of equity financing or in simple words issuing bonds and stocks for raising capital. Moreover, if the sole trader goes for debt financing, even then, the loan would be on his name and not on the company’s name and he, not the company, would be liable for paying off the loan (Mancuso, pp. 65-69). The second type of business would be of partnerships where two or more partners jointly start their business and share the responsibilities and ownership of the business. Unlike sole proprietor where only one person is responsible for everything, in partnerships, all the partners share the responsibility of running the business. However, their liability remains unlimited. This is because of the fact that partners are liable for any decision whether taken by him or any other partner. Moreover, if one partner runs away than the rest would have to pay his or her debts liabilities from their pockets (Martin, pp. 41-49). These types of businesses are easy to form and easy to dissolve as

Reflection on American studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection on American studies - Essay Example â€Å"Gendering† the conversation of globalization reveals the restrictions stuck between the actualities of women’s and men’s survive and normal academic work regarding worldwide procedures. Joint with essential concentration to race and racial procedures, â€Å"gendering† ought to construct a enhanced consideration of current worldwide issues. Before clarifying several of the wide-ranging feminist work that has gendered worldwide investigate and hypothesis, I momentarily scrutinize the thought of sexual category. Sexual category as used here is defined as discrimination, splitting up, and distinction communally rises around assumed difference between feminine and gentleman. Gender is a necessary classifying standard in communal life, a faith for allotment of responsibility, human rights, rewards, and authority, as well as the resources of fighting. Gender is a issue in arranging daily existence for persons, relatives, group of people, and civilization as large arrangements. Women are frequently underprivileged in stipulations of authority and substance and rank rewards. Gender is neither a necessary trait of persons nor a stable in communal existence, but consists of objects and figurative features of survivals, continuously shaped and reproduces in the track of continuing societal actions and performance. The trouble at this time is not one of a skilled sentiment â€Å"missing out.† Relatively, it is a pervasive issue in human studies and American studies of point- reluctance to find the paths where the American studies and human studies can easily improve their understanding with each other. Surrounded by average genealogy of US-based cultural lessons, national studies and new racially-based studies began from a comparable instant of empowerment in the efforts for ethnic and racial civil rights in the 1960s and 1970s, frequently in unity with Third World decolonization engagements. More and more, Native American lessons hi ghlights relations connecting Native America and native group of people in the area of the globe, reframing queries of power and native human rights in global conditions whereas continue to confront opinionated conversations of the realm. Such employment decanters paradigms of primary contact with European regal authority and consequent command by the United States armed and administration that have eclipsed debates of local contact with working class of other origins. Corresponding theories of history as the revision of the history and social evaluation of the life sciences, different ideas regarding the American studies in a disciplinary point of view enforce the results and findings of  American  culture’s understanding in its entirety and the general concepts of American culture at its surroundings. Some authors describes their suggestions at the University of California Faculty of American studies e.g. Jay Mechling, Robert Merideth, and David Wilson, How Jews Became White Folks and what it depicts in American culture, American Jewish narration go into the dialogues. The writer conveys the just around the corner as an anthropologist to this energetic combination of literatures transversely obedience. The effect is a fine investigation of the crossroads of

Cooperative Learning Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cooperative Learning - Research Proposal Example This may be due to the fact of clashing personalities and possession of strong ideas that may be hard to reconcile with others. In this regard, cooperation is hailed as a fundamental concern, not only of the educators but also in both local and global organization perspectives (Slavin, R. et al., 1985) The purpose of this paper is to present and exemplify some possible solutions that address to the emerging problem in the aspect of cooperation, as well as to cite possible ways in order to enhance the so-called cooperative learning among members of a team, group, an organization, or the stakeholders in general. "We are intelligent, but an intelligent human alone in the forest would not survive for long" (Slavin, 1985, p. 5). This quoted line from Robert E. Slavin (1985) exemplified the essence of cooperation with other individuals living in the society. In this manner, there must be a need to develop one's skills to cooperate and socialize with other human beings. Nevertheless, conflicts are also inevitable in due course of human group interaction. This may be due to the individual characteristics that could affect group interaction.

Management Concepts in Hospitals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Concepts in Hospitals - Essay Example Milton Siepman when appointed as the Chief Executive of General Health System, associating with Adventist Health Systems, is confronted with numerous challenges. The major ones that demand urgent attention from Mr Milton are as follows. Problem 1: The major problem that worries the CEO would the rising cost of health care operations that would cause severe constrains on the initiatives of General Health's various community based programmes. As the objective of the system is to ensure the health facilities to the needy and the poorest of the society it is necessary that new approaches need to be devised to ensure the successful implementation of sustainable health care schemes. Options available: The options are also available with Milton Siepman to prepare General health system to tide over such a difficult phase. One of the methods that are envisaged is to have corporate partnership with the various leading drug agencies to support the health cover programmes as part of their corporate responsibility. These medicines would be exclusive to General Health programme and would be explicitly mentioned on the package as an acknowledgement for this noble initiative. This would also be supported by incorporating a preferential sale policy for the products of the above said companies in the pharmacies attached to these hospitals. This would help the corporate houses to boost their medicinal sales volume by creating exclusive sales of their medicines but at the same time using these locations to support the needy and poor by providing the low priced medicines. Appropriate quality control systems would also be enforced to ensure that reduction in cost don't lead to the loss in standards and quality. In addition to this, the hospital services would be projected as a major place for other corporate houses that are not related to medical and health care but could be convinced to take up the role of a partner for their community support services. Problem 2: Employing specialist doctors in most of the needed domains of health care is another issue that demand immediate intervention. With the higher salary and other remuneration required for such type of specialists, to employ them regularly is not a feasible solution considering the General Health's financial performance. But most of the poor patients are undergoing very agonizing moments due to their inability to avail their services due to the very poor economic status. Even the existing government support may not be adequate to give them a reasonable level of comfort to approach a very specialized health care provider. Options available: A massive campaign has been planned among various specialists working across different regions to cooperate with General Health Systems in this connection. It is indented to associate them for the out door health support services of General Health units. These doctors would be contacted and the nearest outdoor unit to their location would be equipped to avail their facility. The patients would be contacted earlier and the profile and the status would be sent to the doctor for an assessment. Based on the reports attached doctors could make a judgment on the list of patients they would prefer to give their service at lesser cost. Problem 3: Improving pain and palliative

Air quality Essay Example for Free

Air quality Essay The quality f air that we breathe in today has significantly reduced over the years. Atmospheric air contains nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and rare inert gases. Of these, the two highly inevitable ones are oxygen and carbon dioxide. Theses are important for the survival of life n the planet: 02 is useful for animals and CO2 for photosynthesis in plants. The quality of these gases is determined by availability and its pollution-free state. Both factors have contributed to the present unfavorable status quo of these gases with respect to the sustenance of life on the planet. THE TREND Many conferences have held in nations of the world; quite a handful of International Summit have held to address the prevalent menace of environmental pollution that threatens all lives on the Earth. Daily, the number of endangered species increase, and many plants and animals have already gone into extinction as a result of the pollution affecting the quality of atmospheric gases available for daily cellular functions. Human activities such as deforestation and degradation, water pollution through oil spillage and poor river basin development programs have indeed played significantly roles. Besides, exhauist from mechanical equipment and vehicles, gaseous wastes from manufacturing industries, pollution with indiscriminate use of plants chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, etc have contributed to the reduction in the quality of air available to plants. This has affected the produce of plants, and the health of animals including humans. RECYCLING One must realize the fact that plants constitute a major recycling pathway for the purification of atmospheric air. Photosynthesis uses sunlight and such inorganic molecules like CO2 to produce organic compounds in the from of glucose. This is consumed by animals to produce CO2. O2 is used in oxidation of food in animals with carbon dioxide as byproduct. This pathway is important in determining the quality of atmospheric CO2 and O2, a byproduct of photosynthesis. This implies that any process, natural or man-made, that alters this pathway will affect the recycling process and the availability of good quality air for life. The threat of destruction of rainforest would have tremendous impact on future levels of these gases: It would cause an automatic alteration in the pathway describes above. Plants population would reduce and animals would suffer greatly for this. As a result of this imbalance, atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide would change accordingly. CONCLUSION The quality of atmospheric oxygen and CO2 has changes over the years. The threat of rainforest destruction would worsen the change in the future. REFERENCES www.climatechangeissues.com/files/science/Plimer.doc

Defining Interoperability in Healthcare Systems

Defining Interoperability in Healthcare Systems Interoperability According to Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a not for profit organization focused on improving Healthcare through the use of Information Technology, â€Å"interoperability is the ability of different information technology systems and software applications to communicate, exchange data, and use the information that has been exchanged. Data exchange schema and standards should permit data to be shared across clinicians, lab, hospital, pharmacy, and patient regardless of the application or application vendor. Interoperability means the ability of health information systems to work together within and across organizational boundaries in order to advance the health status of, and the effective delivery of healthcare for individuals and communities†.[1] Interoperability in Healthcare Information Systems is important for delivering quality healthcare and reducing healthcare costs. Although achieving interoperability is quite a challenge both because there are competing standards and clinical information itself is very complex, there have been a number of successful industry initiatives such as Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Profiles, and the epSOS initiative for sharing Electronic Health Records and ePrescriptions in Europe. There are three levels of health information technology interoperability: 1) Foundational; 2) Structural; and 3) Semantic. We shall try to define these terms in simple words in order for the reader to be able to understand not only the differences between them, but also to understand the complexity that lies in Healthcare Information Systems. Technical Interoperability is usually associated with hardware/software components, systems and platforms that enable machine-to-machine communication to take place. In this kind of interoperability we are mostly interested in communication protocols and the infrastructure needed for those protocols to operate and not about the interpretation of data moved from on system to another. Structural – or syntactical Interoperability is usually associated with data formats. Certainly, the messages transferred by communication protocols need to have a well-defined syntax and encoding. This way it is ensured that data exchanges between information technology systems can be interpreted at the data field level. Semantic Interoperability is usually associated with the meaning of content and concerns the human rather than machine interpretation of the content. We are talking about interoperability at the highest level, the ability of computer systems to transmit data with clear, shared meaning. Thus, interoperability on this level means that there is a common understanding between people of the meaning of the information being exchanged. Most widely used contemporary Interoperability standards in Healthcare In Europe, Technical committee 251 (TC 251) of the European Committee for Standardization, holds the responsibility for the standardization of Healthcare IT messages. The goal is to achieve compatibility and interoperability between independent systems and to enable modularity in Electronic Health Record systems. Various workgroups establish requirements for health information structure in order to support clinical and administrative procedures, technical methods to support interoperable systems. In addition they establish requirements regarding safety, security and quality. In the United States HL7 committee is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization dedicated to providing a comprehensive framework and related standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. HL7s 2,300+ members include approximately 500 corporate members who represent more than 90% of the information systems vendors serving healthcare. In parallel with HL7, the ACR-NEMA[2] committee established the DICOM standard (Digital Communications in Medicine) that is today the most widespread standard for the format of the pictures that medical equipments produce. DICOM enables the transfer of medical images in a multi-vendor environment and facilitates the development and expansion of picture archiving and communication systems. DICOM enables the integration of scanners, servers, workstations, printers, and network hardware from multiple manufacturers into a picture archiving system (PACS). The different devices come with DICOM conformance statements which clearly state which DICOM classes they support. During the last years an initiative is in progress from IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) in order to â€Å"improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE promotes the coordinated use of established standards such as DICOM and HL7 to address specific clinical needs in support of optimal patient care. Systems developed in accordance with IHE communicate with one another better, are easier to implement, and enable care providers to use information more effectively†.[3] Systems that adopt the IHE Integration profiles collaborate in a more standard way, are easier to be implemented and help Healthcare providers to use information more efficient with the aim of providing better care. IHE facilitates users and developers of healthcare information technology to come together through an annually recurring four-step process: Clinical and technical experts define critical needs for information sharing (use cases). Technical experts create detailed specifications for communication among systems to address these use cases, selecting and optimizing established standards. Industry implements these specifications called IHE Profiles in HIT systems. IHE tests vendors systems at carefully planned and supervised events called â€Å"Connectathons†. All IHE Profiles are publicly available and free of charge in IHE’s website. Until today more than a hundred companies are accredited by IHE having materialized at least one profile. The IHE Process The existence of so many standards creates challenges difficult to address. Their usage is not always well known, interoperability between applications using different standards is often not documented and some of them conflict. The market for interoperability standards is maturing, even though slowly. The third version of the HL7 standard is progressively being adopted by the health industry, and convergence with Europe’s CEN/TC 251 standardization work is under way. The IHE initiative is producing useful use cases that standardize communication between various health information system components. In the future, the World Health Organization’s eHealth Standardization Coordination Group can also be expected to play a more prominent role in developing ICT standards for the health sector.[4] EPSOS (European Patients Smart Open Services) A very interesting and ambitious EU initiative that falls under the Interoperability domain is epSOS. The project â€Å"aims to design, build and evaluate a service infrastructure that demonstrates cross-border interoperability between electronic health record systems in Europe†[5]. EpSOS attempts to offer seamless healthcare to European citizens. Key goals are to improve the quality and safety of healthcare for citizens when travelling to another European country. Moreover, one other goal is the development of a practical eHealth framework and ICT infrastructure that enables secure access to patient health information among different European healthcare systems. epSOS can make a significant contribution to patient safety by reducing the frequency of medical errors and by providing quick access to documentation as well as by increasing accessibility of one’s prescribed medicine also abroad. In emergency situations, this documentationprovides the medical personnel with information and reduces the repetition of diagnostic procedures. epSOS aims at building and evaluating a service infrastructure demonstrating cross-border interoperability between Electronic Health Record Systems in Europe. Sometimes called a large-scale European implementation, epSOS is dri ven forward by many European member states, the first European eHealth project gathering such a large number of countries in practical cooperation. Interoperability in Greece Healthcare Informatics In the next pages, we will try to investigate the introduction of Interoperability in ICT systems in the Greek Health sector. Until the dawn of the century in the Healthcare IT arena in Greece, emphasis was given in Enterprises Resources Planning (ERP) applications with the aim to better monitor financial data and streamline supply chain planning. The biggest from the Public Sector hospitals have incorporated some Information systems in this area, that were manufactured by â€Å"E government for Social Security† (IDIKA), a government organization with the mission to supply IT applications in Hospitals and Social Security organizations. Private hospitals were more advanced and the biggest of them have started implementing more integrated systems, some of them international, like YGEIA hospital or MITERA obstetric clinic that implemented SAP ERP. These applications were built in a monolithic way, and the various modules were tightly connected together. Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) were in their infancy and each Healthcare provider was acting as a silo. Hen ce the need for Interoperability was not considered crucial. The need for interoperability among the disparate systems within a hospital and among the hospitals of the same region was firstly introduced as a need in the Integrated Information Systems projects that were carried out in the Healthcare Regions and were funded by the Operational Programme Information Society of the 3rd CSF. The design of these projects started in 2001 and the first one was tendered in 2003. The purpose of those projects was the infusion of IT technology in the management of the Healthcare organizations, in order to support the changes in the organization of the Healthcare System in Greece – that was moving towards regionalization – and the upgrade of the services towards patients. In these projects the need for Interoperability was expressed in the following four aspects: Interoperability within a hospital with applications and systems already in place. Interoperability among the sub systems that would be provided in the scope of the tenders for each hospital, wherever necessary (ERP, HIS, LIS etc) Interoperability with future systems, which were not part of the projects, like RIS and PACS. Interoperability among the different regional Health Authorities and Ministry of Health systems (mostly future ones) like Blood Bank, the National Center for Emergency Help (ΕΚΑΒ) etc. The standard that was selected in order to ensure a common messaging standard was HL7 ver 2.x. All these projects finally materialized after several years of delays, with different level of success between Regions but also between hospitals inside the same region. The reasons for the rather poor results in interoperability are many and we will try to illustrate the main barriers. At this point we should note that there is official data in the form of a study of the current status of interoperability in Healthcare. Poor technical specifications for the interoperability aimed to be achieved. The standard (HL7) selected was adequate and mature, but detailed specifications were missing. There were no national codifications that could facilitate the set up of the systems The institutional framework was not clear and the obligations derived were not documented The maturity and openness of the solutions that were implemented varied a lot The applications in place could not interoperate through HL7, so this aspect could not be accomplished There was no strategy and specifications for the national EHR for the implementations to be benchmarked against. As a conclusion someone could say that despite that results were not as expected, it was the first time that interoperability in Healthcare was ever mentioned and required as a mandate. Several use cases were implemented and a step towards openness has been achieved. Many lessons were learned and the evolution of HC ICT will definitely incorporate Interoperability as an integral part. In recent years interoperable eHealth in Europe or even on an international scale is a fact. The European Commission is supporting collaboration initiatives through its policy initiatives and funding instruments and the World Health Organization (WHO) is promoting worldwide eHealth through its Global Observatory for eHealth. [1] HIMSS, Definition of Interoperability. Approved by the HIMSS Board of Directors, April 5, 2013 [2] American College of Radiology (ACR), National Electrical manufacturers Association (NEMA). [3] http://www.ihe.net/About_IHE/ [4] See http://www.who.int/ehscg/en/ [5] http://www.ihe-europe.net/eu-projects/epsos

The Handmaid’s Tale : A Product Of Debates :: Free Essay Writer

The Handmaid’s Tale : A Product Of Debates Often times a reader finds that a character in a novel resembles the author’s friend or a distant relative. There is almost always some connection to the author, his surroundings, or events in his life. The Handmaid’s Tale reflects the life of Margaret Atwood on a much stronger level. It is a product of debates within the feminist movement of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Atwood has been much a part of that movement. The defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, the rise of the religious right, the election of Ronald Regan and many other historical events led writers like Atwood to fear the antifeminist movements. With these fears came the ideas the antifeminist could not only provide more gains for women but turn back the clock on the rights that they had already fought to receive. Atwood uses her novel to examine some of the traditional attitudes in the religious right which she finds threatening. At the beginning of the novel we are given this bible ref erence: Genesis 30: 1-3 â€Å"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.† This is one of several passages that justifies a man to have sex and children by his servants. Atwood takes this idea and extrapolates from it outrageously. In her â€Å"Afterword† she tells the reader that the religious aspects, â€Å"go back to my study of the American Puritans.†(Atwood 316) The American Puritans founded a society different than democracy as we know it, a theocracy. Atwood said she found herself, â€Å"increasingly alarmed by statements made frequently by religious leaders in the United States; and then a variety of events from around the world could not be ignored, particularly the rising fanaticism of the Iranian monotheocracy.† (Atwood 316 ) During the 1980’s many people debated about the feminist attitudes toward sexuality and their attitudes toward pornography. Many different views were expressed. Some said that all erotica depicting women as sexual objects is demeaning. Others argued that pornography was bad but erotica could be g ood, that â€Å"although pornography is demeaning the protection of civil liberties is a greater good which requires the toleration of freedom for pornographers.

Foreign Borrowing in 16th Century Spain :: European History Essays

Foreign Borrowing in 16th Century Spain This paper examines the lending by Genoese-led cartel to Phillip II of Spain in the 16th century from the viewpoint of sovereign debt. The Genoese linked specie deliveries from Spain to the Low Countries to lending in order to cartel created a penalty to enforce their loans. If the king tried to renege, the Genoese applied the penalty and the king eventually repaid. I. Introduction Sovereign lending, throughout history, has been marked by occurrences of partial default and repudiation by governments of all kind; from medieval princes to dictators to democratic regimes. In the 1970s lending to lesser-developed countries led to the rescheduling and partial defaults in the 1980s. Even the sustainability of the debt of nations such as Belgium, Canada, Italy and even the United States is not free from suspect. The reign of Philip II of Spain provides a good example to extend our knowledge of sovereign lending. Philip II fought wars through out his reign. To finance fluctuations in military expenditures, he had to borrow extensively. Repeatedly, Philip II’s Genoese lenders had imposed debt ceilings on the Crown. Once after reaching the debt ceiling, the Genoese suspended lending. They further punished Spain by executing a penalty in order to force payment of loans; an embargo on specie delivered to Spain’s armies. The military consequence of the embargo was severe. â€Å"Spain was the predominant military power of the age, and Philip II was the last sovereign to credibly threaten to dominate Europe until Napoleon.(Kennedy p30)†. This played a significant role in testing Philip II’s aspirations in Europe and eventually caused Philip II to cede to the lenders. Sovereign debt theories first must assume the premise that there is no third party enforcers and that lenders must be able to enforce claims on their own. In addition these theories use reputation arising through repeated interaction to generate equilibria. It is only then that lending agreements are made and self-enforcing. Bulow and Rogoff (1989b) show that no lending will occur if the only threat is to cut off future lending. This is because merely the threat to withdraw credit is not a severe enough penalty to prevent the Crown from repudiating his debt. Lenders would then anticipate this, and consequently, they do not lend. There are two classes of models that elaborate on Bulow and Rogoff’s result and provide environments where repudiation does sustain positive debt.

Job Satisfaction Essay -- essays research papers

Job Satisfaction Do people really like their jobs? Definitely, everyone knows from the news about dissatisfied workers going on strike or even acting violently toward their supervisors, directors, but overall people are quite satisfied with their jobs. A Conference Board study found that 58.6 percent of Americans were satisfied with their jobs in 1995. By the year 2000, that percentage was down to 50.7. But in Uzbekistan (the country of Central Asia where I was born), people generally aren’t satisfied with their job. The reason lays in lack of job choices and payment. People do their job without any satisfaction because they have to earn some money to survive. I think that the main reasons why the people in Uzbekistan are not satisfied with the work they do are the absence of good knowledge of management in the organizations and corruption. As we got knowledge from the â€Å"Organizational behavior† course, we know that job satisfaction influences on employee performance within the organization and organization’s productivity in the whole. So let’s see what is job satisfaction and what factors can influence it. Job Satisfaction—is an individual’s general attitude toward his or her job, or the feelings, reflecting attitudes toward one’s job, are known as job satisfaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Settings, related to the personnel job satisfaction and devotion to the company, are presenting special interest for the theory of organizational behavior and practice of human resource management. A discussion of the job satisfaction problem concentrates attention on the employees’ attitude toward their job, and a discussion of organization devotion –on the attitude toward the organization in the whole. What is job satisfaction once more? Lock gives a following detail definition of job satisfaction: â€Å" pleasant, positive emotional condition coming from your job evaluation or job experience.†1 Job satisfaction is a result of the very employees perception of the fact for how much their job provides important, from their viewpoint, things. There are three most important parameters of job satisfaction. First, job satisfaction represents emotional reaction for the situation lay at the office. It’s impossible to see it, it can be only experienced. Second, job satisfaction is defined often by that extent how much results of work correspond to expectations. For... ...h their job. The results of researches show that employees experiencing job satisfaction feeling with their job possess better physical and moral health, master faster necessary skills, more rarely suffer from industrial traumatism and come with claims. Another positive factor disclosed in one recent research is that employees satisfied with their labor more often demonstrate examples of pro-social, â€Å"civilized† behavior and deeds, for instance more frequent assist their colleagues and clients and in common exert inclination to co-operation.13 In the very whole overview researches occupied in a sphere of organization behavior equally with managers-practicians consider that labor contentment is very important for organization. Some critics notice that this statement still a conjecture, insofar, positive affect of labor contentment still little researched. On other hand, negative impact of labor contentment on organization is unquestionably acknowledged fact. That is why even if consider job satisfaction as a minimal claim, it represents a certain value for the whole health and efficacy of organization and, therefore, deserves study and utilizing in sphere of organizational behavior.

Syllabus Notes on Rome: The Augustan Age

Syllabus Notes Rome: The Augustan Age 44BC – AD14 1Establishment of the Principate Impact of the Death of Caesar – Republic government = Senate. – Julius assassinated seen to be becoming dictator. – Wealth + position left to Octavian. – Political heirs thought to be Antony (other consul) and Lepidus (master of horses/ assistant to dictator) – Ant in charge (abolishes dictatorship) > Lep: pontifex maximus in Spain Early Career of Octavian -Speech @ nan’s funeral Education + military training from Caesar > hears of father’s death AVENGE -Pays 75 denarii w. own $ & hosts games (comet = soul of Caesar) -Puts army together & gets imperium to defeat Ant in Gaul > Decimus Brutus given triumph Second Triumvirate and Civil War -Joins Ant works & Lepidus where interests lie (triumvirate) power of dictator, against Republicans -Senate & Cicero reject demands for consulship, Oct seizes control; prepares for war (against assasins: Brutus & C assius) -Proscriptions – Cicero > escapees joined Pompieus Battle of Phillipi: Reps defeated- triumvirs divide empire -Treaty of Brudism: war risk> Ant marries Octavia> further division -Treaty of Misenum: Pirate Pompieus gets 3 area after stopping corn. Archaea proconsul. -Ant marries Cleo> end of Triumvirate Consequences and Significance of the Battle of Actium -Civil uproar @ Ant’s propaganda (Ant’s will) -Blockade (w. Agrippa) Cleo & Ant escape leave fleet behind- later commit suicide -Troops demobilized Egypt annexed to Rome> pays off campaigns, triumph + adorns Rome -Oct establishes authority in East & put in prayers and liberations -Temple of Janus closed after 200yrs: PEACE Development of the Principate: Settlements of 27 and 23 BC -Puts aside powers granted to him> looks like Senate is in control -Became Princeps (1st citizen) others held title before -1ST SETTLEMENT: Procunsular Imperium Consul â€Å"Augustus† -2ND SETTLEMENT: Procunsular maius Imperium Tribunica Potestas Titles, Honours and Images Propaganda> associates himself with victories, religion, heirs, peace -All over the empire- promote himself, looks like he does a lot for the people: prima porta -Didn’t use title a lot- makes him seem too powerful Syllabus Notes Rome: The Augustan Age 44BC – AD14 2The Augustan Principate Augustus and the Senate: Roles and Responsibilities -Augustus treated the Senate with respect (example of JC), he was fair -shared the work not power -Army, honours & ‘auctoritas’ helped Aug control Senate -Unsuitable members removed 3 times (1000 to 600) and fewer sessions -Members had to have: hereditary link or favour from Aug.Monetary qualification -Hereditary members: broad purple stripe â€Å"New Men†: narrow purple stripe -Senatorial provinces were peaceful> Imperial provinces (Aug) were ‘armed’ -Consilium principas council that advised Aug- 20 senators and family members Roles of Magistrate s and Officials -Positions held status & power- cursus honorum – leads to other opportunities -Aediles lost popularity and responsibilities: grain supply, aqueducts, fire brigade -Aug approve/reject candidates for positions due to autoritas -Consulship reduced to 6 months -New committees> used senior men more specific jobs, quality of work improved

How Archduke Franz Ferdinand was Assasinated

Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne, has been assassinated along with his wife, at the age of 65, while he was invited to travel to Bosnia in order to observe military manoeuvres and open the state museum in Sarajevo. Although he was aware of the many dangers of such an act, the Bosnians desperate fervour for independence and the many terrorist organizations intent upon destroying our government; his love of the low-class wife blinded him. He was permitted to be seen in public with his beloved wife only while acting as â€Å"Military inspector† which was what brought him to set out on these types of trips. The Serbian Military Intelligence was most intent upon this assassination, due to their highly arrogant and crafty ambitions: to take over Bosnia which we have rightfully acquired. It was, therefore, not a surprise when we received first-hand reports proving it was the Serbian Intelligence who were directly responsible for backing the particular group of terrorists who committed these acts. However this did not detract from Franz Ferdinand's foolish actions, which as you will see were in sharp contrast to our honourable and wise King's decisions, when he visited Bosnia: First of all King Franz Joseph had policemen around the streets to protect him, whereas Franz Ferdinand had less than 120 policemen to protect him. King Joseph kept his itinerary top secret, far from the view of suspicious organizations, whereas Franz Ferdinand had his whole itinerary published in the media. On top of that he chose to ride in the â€Å"Grif & Stift† roofless, with his feathery hat sticking out of the vehicle. After brief inspections of the military barracks, the archduke's first stop was the Town Hall via Sarajevo's main road, the Appel Quay. Unknown to the distracted police forces, six young men were lined up across the Appel Quay with Weapons supplied to them from the Serbian Intelligence. Although 5 out of 6 of the assassins did not respond when the procession passed them, Nedeljko Cabrinovic did. He hurled a hand grenade at the archduke†¦ ut he had hit it faster than was required. Moreover it bounced off the back of the vehicle the Archduke was riding in and it blew up on the car behind the archduke's. After realising the situation, the driver accelerated, thus causing Princip to miss his first chance of assassination, and the procession reached the town hall. Here the Archduke cancelled the remainder of his program and advised his officials to utilise a different route to the one already advertised. Unfortunately he forgot to inform the chauffeurs, which would cost him his life. Gavrillo Princip, already dying from Tuberculosis and determined to die as a martyr, was thrown into deep confusion after his group had failed their assassination. He was on his way home when he spotted the vehicle†¦ He stepped forwards, fired two shots at the Archduke and waited. The first shot struck the archduke in his neck, cutting off his jugular vein, rendering his bullet proof covering useless while the second shot hit the duchess in her abdomen. The archduke's last words were, â€Å"Sophie dear! Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay alive for our children! â€Å". It was thus that his love for his low-class wife bought his death†¦

Occupational Stress in Law Enforcement & Intervention Strategies

Occupational Stress in Law Enforcement & Intervention Strategies Stress in law enforcement is complex. Stressors vary by individual and because of that combatting stress is law enforcement is not an easy task. Broad strokes and blanket programs are used in an effort to reach the greatest number of employees with strategies designed to prevent and reduce stress in the field of law enforcement. I believe that a more individualized approach is required to have the greatest impact on officers working in this field.The occupation of a police officer is commonly referred to as one of the most stressful occupations. Causes of stress for police officers can be linked to the organizational structure and the demands of the profession to include shift work, overtime, and years of service. The rigid nature of the organization has been referred to as one of the primary sources of stress for law enforcement. In addition to the stress of the organizational structure, police encounter the threat of violent criminals and disturbing crime scenes as a part of routine daily possibilities.Potential causes of stress for correctional staff are similar to the stress that police officers endure. Stress is derived from internal and external sources to include, prison/jail organizational structure, nature of work-supervision of the inmate population, overtime, shift work, length of time on the job, privacy/safety concerns, threats of inmate violence/actual inmate violence, inmate demands/manipulations, co-workers, specific post or assignments, poor public image, and low pay.Correctional officers and police officers had the highest rates of non-fatal violent incidents at work between 1990-1995 (Finn, p. , 2001). Research regarding causes of stress for law enforcement was inconsistent when attempting to determine the highest rates of stress. Areas of concern for both correctional and police officers that experience work-related stress span from work-related effects to the effects on the em ployees personal life. Officers can suffer physical ailments as a result of work-related stress that include heart disease, high blood pressure, and eating disorders, etc.Studies have shown that disability of officers has been linked to stress related causes. Additional areas of concern are staff burnout, personal and family relationships that include the displacement of frustration onto family/friends and poor work performance which ultimately compromises institutional safety and creates stress for co-workers. One of the most significant causes of stress in law enforcement is critical incidents and the impact of critical incident stress in law enforcement.A critical incident can be defined as â€Å"any situation in which an officer’s expectations of personal infallibility suddenly become tempered by imperfection and crude reality† (Kureczka, 1996). Critical Incidents in law enforcement are loosely defined because the nature of the incidents can affect officers differe ntly. Examples of critical incidents in law enforcement include line of duty death, serious injury of a co-worker, officer involved shooting, traumatic death of a child, hostage and riot situations. Critical Incident Stress can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.Four to ten percent of individuals who experience a critical incident will develop PTSD. Research shows that 87% of all emergency workers experience the effects of critical incident stress (Kureczka,1996). Stressors can be multiplied by compounding events (i. e. death of a suspect and injury to the officer). The effects of a critical incident affect the officer physically, emotionally and cognitively. Physical affects (effects) can range from headaches, muscle aches, sleep disturbance, decreased sexual activity, decreased appetite, and impotence.Emotional affects include anxiety, fear, guilt, sadness, anger, irritability, withdrawal and a sense of feeling lost. Cognitive affects include flashbacks, repeated visions of th e incident, nightmares, slowed thinking, difficulty in decision making, disorientation, memory lapse, and the lack the ability to concentrate. Intervention strategies include a variety of options that have been implemented in law enforcement over the past twenty years. Some intervention programs are specific to the everyday stressors of the profession while others are more concentrated to areas involving critical incidents.The development and establishment of stress programs or Employee Assistance Programs are types of intervention programs available. Programs vary by department and in levels of perceived success. Possible program components include trained correctional staff assisting other correctional staff that have experienced a critical incident at work, implementation of a counseling team, implementation of a stress unit, critical incident debriefing, increased communication with employees, wellness programs, staff involvement in policy making and training & education program s.The benefits of the implementation of programs to help employees deal with stress include, reduction of overtime costs incurred due to sick time usage, reduction in staff turnover rates, enhanced staff morale coupled with improved job performance, increased institutional and officer safety, improved relations with the union, staff feeling that management/administrators value them as individuals. The role of the administration in providing support to officers’ both pre and post critical incidents has a tremendous The administration’s role in combatting critical incident stress is mutually beneficial to the employee and the agency.The agency impact is on the organizational structure (i. e. other officers, the department, the public, and families) as a whole as well as budgetary impact that affects all areas (retention, training, etc. ). When compared to the cost of intervention, it is financially more beneficial to the organization to spend money on intervention which in turn also benefits the entire organizational structure. . Intervention strategies specific to critical incidents include counseling for employees with counselors that have a thorough understanding f the type of work of law enforcement, as well as the availability of peer support officers that are specially trained to recognize problems and make referrals. The availability of pre-incident stress education and stress management training for new recruits and seasoned employees throughout employment allows employees who experience critical incident stress to recognize the signs and seek help. Additional orientations for families also provides for information on stress in law enforcement to be communicated to prepare families for what to expect in the event that an incident occurs.References Finn, P. (2001). Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Programs and Strategies. Criminal Justice Media, Inc. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/socialsciences/docview/ 214386062/fulltex t/ 136F9663B05382C356E/ 3? accountid=36616 on May 28, 2012 Kureczka, A. (1996). Critical Incident Stress in Law Enforcement, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/socialsciences/docview/204132441/ fulltextPDF/136F9D8BC523F17E9DF/2? accountid=36616 on May 28, 2012 Feemster, S. 2010). The Forensic Examiner. Addressing the Urgent Need for Multi- Dimensional Training in Law Enforcement Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/ SocialSciences/docview/859010103/fulltextPDF/136FB22E6C16A280637/4? accountid= 36616 on May 28, 2012 To Quit or not to Quit: Perceptions of Participation in Correctional Decision Making and the Impact of Organizational Stress Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/social sciences/docview/214563577/136FB3A66E950711643/2? accountid=36616 on May 28, 2012Jaramillo, F. , Nixon, R. & Sams, D. (2004). The Effect of Law Enforcement Stress on Organizational Commitment. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/socialsciences/ d ocview /211301458/ fulltextPDF/136FB495CC464AAE192/14? accountid=36616 on May 28, 2012 McCarty, W. , Zhao, J. & Garland, B. , (2007). Occupational Stress and Burnout between Male and Female Police Officers Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/socialsciences/ docview/211277163/fulltextPDF/136FBFDCC4976A43D80/1? accountid=36616 on May

Lazy youth

Teenagers can exhibit a variety of â€Å"lazy† behavior that makes parents scratch their heads in frustration. One common behavior that afflicts many adolescents is a lack of motivation. While some parents may brand this as laziness, there can be several reasons why a teenager Is not accomplishing goals and tackling life with gusto. Learned Helplessness Dirty dishes clutter a bedroom, dirty laundry piles up in the bathroom and school projects are left undone.While all this smacks of laziness, you may have conditioned your teenager to wait for you to step in to take over and fix situations. If so, you may be dealing with a case of â€Å"learned helplessness,† according to Debbie Plncus. a licensed mental health counselor with the Empowering Parents website. Every time you do something for your teen that she could do for herself, you create an unhealthy situation that enables laziness. Step back and Insist your child assume responsibility for the activities and situations she can handle.Procrastination If your standard operating procedure involves taking care of business weeks prior to due dates, your teens procrastination may drive you to distraction. Teenagers often ut off assignments and duties until the last minute, according to Fairmont State university's college readiness program. The inactivity associated with procrastination can exhibit Itself as laziness. A teenager may put off responsibilities because he feels overwhelmed or disorganized. Offer to help organize his schedule to make life more manageable.Provide encouragement and positive feedback when you notice timely efforts to complete assignments, too. Priorities It's not unusual for parents and teenagers to have vastly different priorities, says Kimberly Greder, associate professor and family life extension specialist with Iowa State University. Doing the dishes and taking out the trash are probably high on your list of priorities, while hanging out with friends and going to school spo rting events are high on your teenager's list.The difference in priorities may seem like laziness, but a little extra communication will probably resolve any issues. Make specific rules and chores for your teenager and attach specific consequences when your teen does not perform them or does a poor Job. Expect that your teenager will need a lot of reminders. stay Involved and monitor your teen's compliance closely. If she doesn't omplete chores, follow through with consequences to teach responsibility. If she does complete chores, provide lots of positive feedback to encourage similar behavior.Depression A teenager can appear lazy and sluggish on the outside when very dfferent things are happening on the inside. If you notice symptoms including poor school performance, withdrawal from social contact, sadness, lack of energy and motivation, excessive sleep or suicidal thoughts, your teenager may be experiencing depression, t Of2 accor01ng to Bran01e J . carwlle wlt Psychology. Get yo ur child professional help if you notice these symptoms for more than two weeks.