Ethical issues in organization communication Assignment

Ethical issues in organization communication - Assignment Example All the ethical issues and social responsibilities that come with communication must thus be given the attention they deserve in the communication structures of the company. Clients, consumers, and even various stakeholders would to an extent prefer to carry out businesses with such organizations deemed ethical in their operations (Seeger, Sellnow & Ulmer 2003). Two aspects are considered in dealing with the ethical communication issues in an organization: one that involves internal communication structures and the other that deals with external communication. Internal communication addresses internal audiences majorly the employees while external communication addresses the general public. A case analysis can be done of the Apple’s Rotten Business, reported on the CNN website, updated on the 4th of April in 2014. The case reports various accounts of unethical practices involving among them business malpractices, tax dodging and surveillance for profit. With a large customer base and a dominant presence in the market, one would have expected the Apple firm to conduct its business in the most fair and open terms, as noted by the writer of the news story. This wasn’t the case as revealed by the assessment that was carried out by Nicki Lisa Cole. The malpractices within the company included: Apple, unlike other tech companies in the industry, refused to disclose the sources of their tin which is normally used in soldering electronic devices. They were also involved in unlawful labor practices that extended into China. They employed underage students and subjected them to deplorable working conditions with unlivable wages. The company, according to Cole, acted too as a ‘personal shopper’ for its wares and products, creating apps that pushed sales offers and notifications to its online clients. Since the publication of its tax

Traveling Through the Dark Essay Example for Free

Traveling Through the Dark Essay Summary: A man finds a gunned down deer at the side of the road while traveling through a jungle. He further becomes depressed to find the deer pregnant. As he has to move forward on his way, so he pushes the deer into the river. Paraphrase: I came across a deer on the side of Wilson River Road while I was passing through the shadowy jungle. Due to the shine of back light, I jumped out of car and found a mound of a deer that was killed recently. Â  She was almost dead as her body was hardened. While pulling her aside, I realized that she was pregnant. While touching her side with my fingers, I came to know the reason for her large abdomen. Her side was warm and her fetus was lying alive in her belly but never to take birth. I was reluctant to move on further on this rocky road. Car intended to move forward as it dimmed it parking lights and solid engine buzzed under the bonnet. I positioned myself by the beams of engine’s warm exhaust fan that was turning hot. I was able to take notice of the backwoods eavesdrop on my group. I tried to concentrate on this for all of my group members but only I was swinging over. Then I pressed on the deer on the brink and rammed it into the river.

Immortality Through Verse in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Spenser’s Sonn

Immortality Through Verse in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Spenser’s Sonnet 75  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Desiring fame, celebrity, and importance, people for centuries have yearned for the ultimately unattainable goal of immortality. Poets, too, have expressed desires in verse that their lovers remain as they are for eternity, in efforts of praise. Though Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Spenser’s Sonnet 75 from Amoretti both offer lovers this immortality through verse, only Spenser pairs this immortality with respect and partnership, while Shakespeare promises the subject of the sonnet immortality by unusual compliments and the assurance that she will live on as long as the sonnet continues to be read. Spenser debates with his lover, treating her as his equal, and leaves his opinion open for interpretation as an example of poetic indirection. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 begins with the "whim of an inventive mind," (Vendler, 120) a rhetorical question asking if he should compare the subject of the sonnet to a Summer’s day. After the readers see that Shakespeare does not ask to compare her to anything else, we realize that this one proposed comparison to a Summer’s day is, in his mind, perfection (Vendler, 120). However, in order to truly praise the woman, he must prove that she is "more lovely and more temperate" by deprecating the metaphor (Vendler, 121). Though the metaphor seems sweet at first, the implied answer is "no," and Shakespeare continues as to why she is not even worthy of the best possible metaphor (Colie, 36). His imagery of "rough winds" and the "too hot" sun together with the personification of Summer ("Summer’s lease hath all too short a date") support Shakespeare’s belief that Summer is too short and unpredictable to be compa... ...87. 36-37. Felperin, Howard. "Toward a Poststructuralist Practice: The Sonnets." Modern C Critical Interpretations: Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Ed. Harold Bloom. 1st ed. N New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 103-131. Oram, William Allan. Edmund Spenser. Ed. Arthur Kinney. New York: Twayne, 1 1997. Ray, Robert H. "Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18." The Explicator. Fall 1994: 10-11. Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. E Ed. M. H. Abrams. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1996. 471. "Sonnet 75: Criticism." EXPLORING Poetry. CD-ROM. Gale, 1997. "Sonnet 75: Overview." EXPLORING Poetry. CD-ROM. Gale, 1997. Spenser, Edmund. "Sonnet 75." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M M. H. Abrams. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1996. 415. Vendler, Helen. The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Cambridge: Harvard UP: 1998.      

Domestic Terrorism In The United States Essay

To varying degrees, domestic terrorism has survived and affected the social and political structure of the United States. As defined by the country’s Department of Justice, these words connote â€Å"the unlawful use of force or violence, committed by a group(s) of two or more individuals, against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (U. S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. 26). Though such characterization is considerably clear in its meaning, oftentimes a case-by-case interpretation is necessary to ascertain where extremism ends and terrorism begins. Terrorism vs. Extremism A more concise demarcation between extremism and terrorism is evident in the recognition that extremism is not unusual in any political environment, and is more often than not directed by societal pressures, civil discourse, education and the law. On the other hand, in terrorism, the violence is far beyond control by civil, educational or societal elements and must be tracked down, penalized and castigated by law enforcement agencies. The Dictionary of Political Thought defines extremism as â€Å"a vague term, that can mean a) the taking of a political idea to its limits, regardless of unfortunate repercussions, impracticalities, arguments and feelings to the contrary and with the intention not only to confront but also to eliminate opposition; b) intolerance towards all views other than one’s own; and c) the adoption of means to political ends which show disregard for the life, liberty and human rights of others† (Scronton, 1982). The complexity of separating terrorism and extremism is that in various situations, domestic groups which are seemingly law-abiding at present, may be contemplating of violent actions in the future. As it is, many violent groups started as non-violent discussion or protest movements with very lofty ideals; however, as time elapsed they evolved into something else. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, provides a suitable and a more fitting characterization of terrorism when he described it as â€Å"the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends. † USA Patriot Act Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act stretched the definition of terrorism to include domestic in contrast to international terrorism. An individual is said to be involved in domestic terrorism if he/she does an act that is dangerous to human life, that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, and if the act appears to be intended to a) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; b) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or c) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping. Further, the acts have to take place chiefly within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States and if they do not, then these acts can already be regarded as international terrorism. Clearly, Section 802 does not create a new crime of domestic terrorism. Nonetheless, it does extend the kinds or the nature of actions that the government can examine and probe into when it is investigating terrorism. The USA Patriot Act stretched out the powers of the government when they do their investigations and some of these powers are applicable to domestic terrorism. Such definition of domestic terrorism is expansive enough to cover the actions and activities of many known activist campaigns and organizations. Greenpeace, Operation Rescue, Vieques Island and WTO protesters and the Environmental Liberation Front have all recently engaged in activities that could make them subject to investigations as engaging in domestic terrorism. Contemporary Domestic Terrorism Though governments, private and public institutions have been beleaguered and weighed down by terrorism for hundreds of years in one form or another, the strategies and the application associated with it have changed and progressed as surely as the societies upon which it is imposed. Technological advances in the transportation, communication and in the area of weaponry have permitted the capacities of current domestic terrorist groups to get their message out and have enhanced their ability to take aggressive and sadistic action to achieve their objectives. President Clinton launched a counter-terrorism bill to the Senate and House of Representatives in February of 1995. One exceedingly contentious proposal in the bill is the assigning of the Department of Defense a dominant role in assisting the investigation of domestic terrorism incidents in which chemical and biological agents are utilized. Currently, the military can be used in cases of terrorist activities where there is an alleged employment of nuclear weapons or devices and much more if such allegation has been established (Hall, 1995, Sec A). Though the amplified role of the military would be limited, necessitating a further amendment to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, civil liberties experts cautioned that it would infringe the tenets of civil supremacy over the military and would only rekindle the hostilities and anti-government sentiments of the citizen-militias and conspiracy theorists (Landay, 1995). Furthermore, several Congressmen, law-enforcement officials and some military advisers concur that such employment of the military would be an exceedingly precarious approach in combating domestic terrorism. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat from New York, responded to questions as to whether the use of the military, in an expanded role, should be a part of the counterterrorism package, said, â€Å". . . the military defends the nation and does not involve itself in internal affairs† (Minzesheimer, 1995, Sec A). Incidents and Implications There has been an evident and persistent decline in the number of terrorist incidents in the United States during the past twenty years. To further delineate the trend of decline over time, a comparison of the average number of incidents per year during each of three, six-year periods would be useful. During the six year period from 1977 through 1982, there was an average of 59. 0 incidents/year; from 1983 through 1988 an average of 15. 7 incidents/year were recorded; this compared to an average of 5. 3 incidents/year investigated during the period from 1989 through 1994 (FBI, 1994). *** ACTIVE GROUPS OPERATING WITHIN THE UNITED STATES CLASSIFIED AS TERRORISTS African National Prison Organization (ANPO). An arm of the African Peoples Socialist Party. Animal Rights. Principally against use of animals for any purpose beyond their natural existence. Armed Resistance Group (ARG) aka Revolutionary Fighting Group, Red Guerrilla Faction. This group has been characterized in 1988 as â€Å"tired and aging revolutionaries. † Greenpeace Principally environmental-use extremists. Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Reorganized and relocated several arms of its group in 1989. Macheteros. Puerto Rican nationalists. Ohio Seven. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Very public-relations oriented. Radical Feminist Organizing Committee (RFOC). Driven-out of the feminist movement in 1989, operating independently. RAMBOC (Restore a More Benevolent Order Coalition). Targets and actively pursues the US assets and people of foreign groups with terrorist links, such as the PLO, SWAPO, ANC, etc†¦ Rolling Thunder aka American Foundation for Accountability; primary focus is to draw attention to the POW/MIA issue from Vietnam War. Satanic Cult. Associated with attempted bombing of churches and kidnapping, and animal sacrifices, tombstone vandalism, and miscellaneous actions. Skinheads (SKA). Groups consist of both racist and anti-racist factions. SS Action Group. Principally anti-Semitic. Apparent Motivation There are principally four classifications into which groups that are regarded as domestic terrorists can be distinguished currently existing in the United States. These groups can be generically delineated as being either motivated by religious convictions, racial prejudice and supremacist goals, anarchistic/anti-government/politically motivated, or in pursuit of unique special interests. These classifications have been extracted from a collection of the categorization and delineation of extremist and terrorist groups by two respected subject-authorities, Stephen Segaller and FBI’s Department of Justice. Segaller, in his book Invisible Armies, classified domestic terrorism in the United States into four groups as well, but lists them as being: a) Cuban infighting (political), b) â€Å"backwoods terrorism† (a combination of religious, racist and anarchistic), c) violent Puerto Rican independence groups (political), and d) a handful of domestic revolutionary Marxist groups (anarchistic/anti-government and racist) (Segaller, 1987, pp. 221-225). Theoretically speaking, the stimulus for the creation and sustained existence of extremist and terrorist groups can unequivocally be associated in many circumstances to ethnic, cultural, religious, and racial feelings of superiority. An accurate depiction of the continuum formed by these supremacist attitudes, and how they promote further tension is succinctly articulated by Frank G. McGuire, when he said that as long as Christians feel superior to Jews (or vice-versa) and Catholics feel superior to Protestants and Ashkenazic Jews feel superior to Sephardic Jews, men feel superior to women and whites feel superior to blacks/browns/yellows/reds and so on, such phenomenon will be with us (McGuire, 1990, p. 10). These cultural, racial, gender, and a myriad of other differences that are present among people in society, particularly one as diverse as the United States of America, must be acknowledged and respected, but shouldn’t be seen or considered as a encumbrance to peace and harmony within society. Nor should these diversities be seen as wholly benign in their impact on the functioning of society as a whole. Tibor Machan, a social and political commentator, showed a well-timed dissertation on the myths and erroneous beliefs associated with viewing multiculturalism as simply a difference in dress, music, dance, and customs. Dr. Machan asserted that cultural differences, whether a result of race, gender, religion, or whatever, impacts both negatively and positively on other cultures within the society (Machan, 1996, pp. 134-135) and further opined that attitudes of cultural-superiority and intolerance are directly related and incorporated into many of the extremist views and motivations that are plaguing America today. The period from 1982 through 1994 showed that the targets of domestic terrorism were predominately commercial establishments. The majority of incidents directed against commercial establishments were conducted by animal-rights and/or anti-abortion extremists, either attacking stores that sold fur, or clinics that performed abortions or provided abortion advice, respectively (FBI, 1994; McGuire, 1990). Religious & Racial Supremacy/Intolerance Religious intolerance founded upon fundamentalist standpoints has been the stimulus for acts of terrorism all throughout history and such as involved Orthodox Jews, Moslems, Catholics, and Protestants. Perhaps, there is no issue or idea among human beings that is as provocative and as seditious as that of religious beliefs. Auspiciously, at least as far as the United States is concerned, terror stimulated by religious intolerance has not been as significant a threat as in other parts of the world like in Africa, the Middle East or Bosnia. â€Å"America is a unique nation in that it guarantees the freedom of religion with the First Amendment and the right to [keep and] bear arms with the Second Amendment. This means that people can believe whatever they want, and they can buy the guns to protect that belief† (LeBaron, n. d). The statement was made in direct reference to Mormon fundamentalism and summarizes the very ideology upon which this country was founded which also provides an insight into the potential dangers that exist with religious extremist groups. Recently however, there has been rhetoric and open threats of aggression from different extremist groups that describe themselves as being inspired by religion, nonetheless, have undisputedly displayed racial supremacist and hate-mongering views. The leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, advocates sundry rhetoric of black supremacist views and religious fervor. He professes to have the faith and devotion of some four million people (Fletcher, 1996). In addition, several white-supremacist clusters, including some of the many Christian militia splinter groups, advocate exceptionally caustic and hate-filled threats as well, apparently an endless, ages-old game of â€Å"I call you a name, you call me a name. † Oddly enough, two racial supremacist groups representing opposite extremes, the Nation of Islam and the Posse Comitatus, have concurred to an ultimate end-state segregation of the United States into regions of pure racial integrity. Another group operating within the United States that has historically merged a racist agenda with religious rhetoric, and was truly very sadistic in its actions and objectives, is the Ku Klux Klan. They have, however, considerably lessened in both their membership numbers and invisible power-base in recent years, and though there are still very strident individuals appearing from time to time, the danger posed by the Klan nowadays is essentially restricted to local regions, and their activities are in the form of parades and rallies. As the Klan has faded in its activities and numbers, it has been replaced by the tremendously vicious and rapidly growing racist movement known as the Aryan Nations, which is strongly associated with the Identity Church that proclaims Anglo-Saxons as God’s chosen people. The fundamentalist Mormons are another religiously-motivated cluster within the United States that are catching the attention and concern of law enforcement and other government officials. This group has been at odds, to a certain degree, with the government since its creation in the early 1800s. Many of these fundamentalist Mormons are well-armed conspiracy-minded survivalists, who have retreated to the mountains of central Utah to await Armageddon, which they believe will occur on April 6, 2000. Believing in their gifts of prophecy and revelation, and fired-up by heavenly visions and doctrines of blood atonement and oaths of vengeance, they have isolated themselves awaiting the end of the world and fearing that the government is about to take away their freedoms (LeBaron, n. d. ). A specifically insightful yet explosive issue to a huge section of the American people, despite individual beliefs, is the classification of particular abortion clinic-related hostility as domestic terrorism. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994 in concurrence with the Attorney General Guidelines (AGG) on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise and Domestic Security/Terrorism Investigations, instigated and directed the creation of the Department of Justice Task Force on Violence Against Abortion Providers to look into conspiratorial acts of violence against abortion clinics and personnel as domestic terrorism (FBI, 1994). Although personal opinions on the ethical aspects associated with abortion, whether for or against, are not wholly confined to religious beliefs, the most articulate, open and visible anti-abortion advocates are directly allied with religious organizations. As it is, abortion rights and issues persist to be one of the most contentious and conflict-ridden questions among Americans and motivate exceedingly passionate and rousing rhetoric and reactions from people from both sides of the matter. In the period between 1982 and the end of 1984, there were a total of 220 separate acts of violence, including 89 cases of bombing, arson and other serious incidents, conducted against clinics where abortions were performed or abortion-advice offered (Segaller, 1987, pp. 222-223). Ethnically and racially stimulated bias, extreme loathing and carnage are as much a part of human history as any other characteristics of mankind, and have at least to some extent have a bearing on the cultural and social identities of essentially all civilizations to date. From the subjugation of Hebrews by ancient Egyptians, to present-day current situation in the Balkans, racial and ethnic differences have triggered incalculable suffering and death. The history of racial and ethnic turmoil in the United States is no different, and is seemingly experiencing an increase in such activity recently. Racially-motivated extremist and terrorist groups in the United States, especially those of today, seem to employ religious rationalizations and teachings for their sadistic tendencies and aggressive actions, and all indications point to the fact that such trend will continue at an accelerating rate into the foreseeable future. Anarchistic/Anti-government /Political Terrorist clusters of today that are actually anarchist, anti-government or political in their motivations are mostly associated with the growing self-determination, radical citizen-militia movements, or have been around a relatively long time, such as the Puerto Rican freedom fighters. The former has drawn considerable attention, and extracted wary concern from law-enforcement and civil-rights groups due to the bombing in Oklahoma City, and their rapid and continuing growth in numbers and visibility. A few of the more extreme citizen-militia groups, often motivated by New World Order conspiracy theorists and anger over a belief that government has become too large and repressive in everyday life, are openly soliciting and calling for the overthrow of the United States government. These groups, when linked with the self-described â€Å"Constitutionalists,† are being considered as extremely dangerous by many law-enforcement and watchdog groups (Knickerbocker, 1995). The Puerto Rican terrorist groups have been almost exclusively limited in their actions to operating within Puerto Rico against local and federal targets of opportunity. Unique Special Interests Within this designation of domestic terrorist groups are those of relatively recent creation, or at least they have relatively recently gained high public visibility through their actions. Groups such as the extremist animal-rights groups, environmental extremist groups and homosexual-rights groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Earth Night Action Group, and Act Up, respectively, have emerged within the past two decades and have actively used violence, destruction and intimidation to gain recognition, and to further their respective political agendas. References *** McGuire, Frank. 1990. Security intelligence sourcebook: Who’s Who in terrorism. Silver Spring, MD. : Interests, Ltd. U. S. Department of Justice. 1994. Terrorism in the United States, 1994. Washington, DC. : National Security Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Terrorist Research and Analytical Center Scronton, R. 1982. Dictionary of Political Thought. New York: Hill and Wang Hall, M. 1995. â€Å"Clinton’s Military Police Plan Under Fire. † USA Today, 11 May Sec. 5A. Landay, J. S. 1995. â€Å"Tempering Terrorism. † The Christian Science Monitor, 8 May Sec. US. Minzesheimer, B. 1995. â€Å"Terrorism Bill Warning: Go Slow. † USA Today, 1 May Sec. 5A. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1994. Terrorism in the United States 1982 – 1992; Terrorism in the United States 1994. Segaller, S. 1987. Invisible armies, terrorism into the 1990s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Machan, T. 1996. â€Å"Fallacies of Uncritical Multiculturalism. † The Freeman, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 134-135. LeBaron, G. Jr. â€Å"Mormon Fundamentalism and Violence: A Historical Analysis available at http://www. tcd. net/~garn/ polygamy. html>. Fletcher, M. A. 1996. â€Å"Farrakhan Vows to Take Libya’s Aid. † Washington Post, 26 February, Sec. A1. Knickerbocker, B. 1995. â€Å"US Militias: The Dark Side of Frontier Independence. † The Christian Science Monitor, 24 April, Sec. NATIONAL.

Cadbury Dairy Essay

Cadbury Dairy milk is in the mature stage of the product life cycle, the reason being is that it is a well-established product since 1905. The maturity point is generally reached when about half the potential users have adopted the product. Since Cadbury Dairy Milk is Australia’s favourite chocolate, it is safe to say that there is already consumer trust and loyalty to the brand. However customers still need continued satisfaction and loyalty, built on lower cost, differentiation or customer service. Seeing that Cadbury chocolate is considered a common brand name in households all over Australia, there is nothing within the external environment that should be modified and it will remain in a strong steady position in the confectionery industry. Product: In order to continue generating sales, Cadbury took into consideration one of the threats that the confectionery industry is facing today. Consumers are becoming more health conscious; therefore Cadbury will support and promote physical activity by giving away mountain bikes to 100 lucky winners around Australia! The promotion will only feature in the Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate block range: including the Fruit and Nut, Hazelnut etc†¦ Featured on the wrapping will be, â€Å"WIN A MOUNTAIN BIKE† with a picture of the bike that will be won. Price: The pricing of Dairy Milk Chocolate will also maintain the same pricing strategies to remain competitive with its competitors Nestle and Mars. Place: The distribution of Cadbury Dairy Milk should be at its maximum capacity, remaining readily available in supermarkets, convenience stores, seven elevens and kiosks. Promotion: Cadbury should continue to generate promotions to remind and encourage consumers to purchase Dairy milk chocolate. In order to maintain the sales of Dairy Milk, sales promotion should be implemented to generate growth. This is done by creating advertisements on Television and in-store promotional posters to display the promotion that is running. The television and in-store promotion is to inform consumers of the promotion that is currently running. The sales promotion will be â€Å"WIN A MOUNTAIN BIKE† This promotion is for the Cadbury Dairy Milk block chocolate range. Every consumer that purchases a block range from Cadbury’s will have the opportunity to enter the competition by text via SMS a code that is given inside the wrapper. f. ) Marketing Action Plans: A key objective is to hold current customers and to maintain and increase the retail and brand market share to make sure that the Cadbury brand and products remain one of the top selling confectionery brands in Australia. Since Cadbury Dairy Milk is in the top five selling chocolates list, there will be no need for any tremendous change. A good way to promote The other Cadbury block chocolate range such as Fruit and nut and Hazelnut†¦etc will also have his competition. Price: Cadbury’s human resources department will need to find a place that will provide us with the mountain bikes. The costing of the bikes and the overall promotions will need to be considered, as Cadbury does not want to spend so much on promotions, when Cadbury Dairy Milk is not declining any time soon. Promotion: Pictures of this new competition will need to be put in magazines such as: Women’s day, News Idea, newspapers†¦. etc†¦designers will be needed to create the advertisements for this promotion. However, to promote Cadbury Dairy Milk’s new competition, television is the key to ensure that viewers all around Australia will know about the â€Å"WIN A MOUNTAIN BIKE† promotion. As television is the main and preferred type of advertising, it is certain that consumers will know about the competition faster. And in addition to that, the Cadbury chocolate commercials will still be showing, to heighten promotions. It is best to air the promotion on television between 4:00 pm – 9:00pm, since that is the time when consumers are most likely to be at home. Place: The exposure of Cadbury Dairy Milk promotion will need to be more publicized in convenience stores and kiosks in the form of a poster. g. ) Management of the marketing effort and the marketing function: In order to make sure that they marketing effort and function works accordingly a few steps have to be taken in regards to the management of the planning. The three step process that will have to be put in place will be based around †¢Marketing Implementation –The process of putting marketing strategies into action †¢Intended Strategy The strategy that the company decides on during the planning phase †¢Realized Strategy – The strategy that actually takes place Cadbury must be able to respond and adapt to its internal marketing department. Coordinating internal exchanges between the firm and its employees to achieve successful external exchanges between the firm and its customers is very important as it allows for a gauge or a measure to be received as a result of acceptance and understanding. In regards to the marketing activities it all starts within the Cadbury management team. The ability to motivate marketing personnel plays a large part in the initial process to get the promotional idea off the ground, once the team is able to have a grip of the idea that tackles the current health issue and that a bike will be awarded as a prize and health product then extreme communication within the marketing unit will be essential. Openness and responsiveness from other marketing departments will be just as important to make sure that the management and strategy travels across all channels. This will be indispensable to the organizing and coordinating of marketing activities which then lead to a schedule for implementation. The marketing control process consists of three steps; Establishment of control standards, Evaluation of actual performance relative to established standards and corrective action if necessary. A few key guidelines that will help Cadbury in controlling marketing activities: Within the Marketing Control Process †¢Establishing performance standards and trying to match actual performance to those standards Establishing Performance Standards Expected levels of performance †¢Taking Corrective Action oImprove actual performance oReduce or change the performance standards oDo both †¢Problems in Controlling Marketing Activities oLack of the information required to control activities oUncontrollable influence of market environment changes on marketing activities oTime lag that occurs between marketing campaigns and their results delays corrective actions A few problems can also occur in the controlling of marketing activities, however the ability to act on these problems will only make the campaign more successful and responsive.

The Play Must Go West essays

The Play Must Go West essays Soon after the American Revolution, Americans began their expansion to the west. It was our Manifest Destiny to tame the wilds of the west and expand our nation from coast to coast. Families from all over would load up their belongings and travel to the newly purchased lands. People from New York, Philadelphia, Boston and all parts of the new nation brought with them their language, culture and belief systems. Along with this they also brought the theater. It was not long after people would begin to live in an area that the theater would take root. The progress of the theater in the United States can be traced along the same routes as the settlement of the west. Beginning on the east coast with early colonies the theater was carried with our ancestors to their new homes in the west. From St. Louise to Kansas City, from Kansas City to California and all parts in between. Horace Greeley said "Go west young man" and the theater followed. In 1492 Christopher Columbus left Azones on a trip to discover a western sea route to the Orient. Seventy days later Columbus made land fall on what he thought was an outlying portion of Asia. Columbus would go to his death believing he had landed in Asia, he was wrong. Although he did open up a new world for Europeans to expand their culture into.(Billington 15) Thought many early attempts where made to settle this new land. Most ended in disaster. In 1620 however, 128 years after Columbus made his brave but mistaken discovery of the new world, the pilgrims set out to make a permanent settlement in America. They put a shore in what is now called Massachusetts and formed a thriving, self governed colony.(Billington 57) 10 years later, John Wintrope brings 1000 colonist and founds the city of Boston. Wintropes British settlement had not been in the new world long, in fact less than a year, when they discovered that the Dutch had formed their own nearby settlement. The Dutch called...

Website Content Template How to Get Content Right the First Time

Website Content Template How to Get Content Right the First Time You’ve checked your backlog and suddenly you see it. You need to craft content for a new web page. For some marketers this marks the beginning of endless back and forths with developers, upper management or even clients over what content you need to create. Wouldn’t it be easier to simplify this process? That’s where a website content template comes into play. What are some benefits to using them? Lets count three: They make it easier to take a content-first approach with everything written and ready to hand off to a developer. Templates help provide the clarity your developers need to insert the content you’ve created to the webpage without them having to endlessly ask for it. T hey also help you and your marketing team remain consistent which leads to more pages being published on time. After all, who wouldn’t like being on time? Plus, they make it easy for writers to pass content back and forth for editing review. This post will walk you through how to use our template to create your initial content for any web page. Well also cover a four-step planning process to share with your marketing team. Keep reading to see how you can simplify your entire website content creation process.

How to Make Silver Polishing Dip

How to Make Silver Polishing Dip As silver oxidizes, it will tarnish. This layer of oxidation can be removed without polishing and scrubbing by simply dipping your silver in this non-toxic electrochemical dip. Another big advantage to using a dip is that the liquid can reach places a polishing cloth cannot. This is an easy experiment and takes mere minutes! Silver Polish Ingredients Sink or glass panHot waterBaking sodaSaltAluminum foilTarnished silver How to Remove Silver Tarnish Line the bottom of the sink or a glass baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil.Fill the foil-lined container with steaming hot water.Add salt (sodium chloride) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the water. Some recipes call for 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt, whereas others call for 2 tablespoons each of baking soda and salt. No need to measure the amounts - just add a bit of each substance.Drop the silver items into the container so they are touching each other and resting on the foil. You will be able to watch the tarnish disappear.Leave heavily tarnished items in the solution for as long as 5 minutes. Otherwise, remove the silver when it appears clean.Rinse the silver with water and gently buff it dry with a soft towel.Ideally, you should store your silver in a low-humidity environment. You can place a container of activated charcoal or a piece of chalk in the storage area to minimize future tarnish. Tips for Success Use care when polishing or dipping silver plated items. It is easy to wear away the thin layer of silver and cause more harm than good through over-cleaning.Minimize exposing your silver to substances that contain sulfur (e.g., mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, onions, latex, wool) because the sulfur will cause corrosion.Using your silver flatware/holloware or wearing silver jewelry helps to keep it free from tarnish.

Social studies lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social studies lesson - Essay Example To maintain the pluralistic nature of America’s society, each participant in this society should be appreciative of one’s ethnic and background while being tolerant to others. To promote appreciation of one’s ethnicity and appreciate other people’s origin, a month dedicated to commemorating a certain ethnicity shall be held which in this case is the Black History Month. Participating students in this activity will benefit in terms of knowing their own history in the case of Afro-Americans. Other students of different racial origin will also benefit from the commemoration of the Black History month as the event will also serve as a learning exercise for them about America’s past and the Black American’s struggle. In the process, it is expected that students of other racial origin will become more tolerant and accepting of each others’ racial background given the understanding of other student’s racial struggle. America is already an egalitarian society where discrimination no longer or barely exists. Racism is already not tolerated and everybody now can freely pursue whatever their aspirations are. But this freedom seems to be taken for granted. It is hoped that after this lesson plan has been delivered, the black community in the class will become more appreciative of what they have right now given the struggles their forebears had to undergo just to give them the opportunities that they now enjoy and make the most out of it. This lesson plan shall be done in succession where activities are planned in bits for the students to absorb the essence of Black History Month better. While there are lectures and video presentation, discussion and sharing of experiences and point of views are also integrated into the lesson plan to make the learning process more interactive. The games and contests designed for the Black History month are intended to be enjoyable to facilitate easier learning in an atmosphere of fun and socialization. In the

Optimal Educational Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Optimal Educational Environment - Research Paper Example A learning environment does not only entail the availing of classrooms and other learning materials and facilities; it also encompasses the processes and activities that ensure student an  entire institution’s safety. Student safety is a central ingredient not only in the provision of an optimal learning environment but also for the prevention of student exposure to health hazards. The main pillars or principles of which safety in a learning environment is anchored are common sense, knowledge, and preparation. It should be noted that both teachers and students must be knowledgeable and well prepared to apply common sense while reacting to safety situations. The first role of school administrators and teachers in ensuring student safety is to formulate, plan, implement, and evaluate safety strategies, policies, and disseminate instructions or information to students and staff. In addition, thorough investigations must be conducted on any safety issues/accidents that may occur in learning institutions. Among the strategies and policies implemented by a learning institution must be those that ensure that safety equipment is serviceable and accessible to students and the entire school community at all times. To ascertain this compliance with government safety rules and regulations, it would force school administrators and teachers to supervise the implementation of its safety policies by students, teachers, and the staff mandated to ensure student safety such as school security team and health care provider.... A learning environment does not only entail the availing of classrooms and other learning materials and facilities; it also encompasses the processes and activities that ensure student and entire institution’s safety. Nevertheless, student safety is a central ingredient not only in the provision of an optimal learning environment but also for the prevention of student exposure to health hazards. The main pillars or principles upon which safety in a learning environment is anchored are common sense, knowledge, and preparation. It should be noted that both teachers and students must be knowledgeable and well prepared to apply common sense while reacting to safety situations. The first role of school administrators and teachers in ensuring student safety is to formulate, plan, implement, and evaluate safety strategies, policies, and disseminate instructions or information to students and staff. In addition, thorough investigations must be conducted on any safety issues/accidents that may occur in learning institutions. Among the strategies and policies implemented by a learning institution must be those that ensure that safety equipment are serviceable and accessible to students and the entire school community at all times. The other important strategy towards ensuring student safety relates to safety rules and regulations. To this effect, it is imperative that school administrators and teachers ensure that the safety policies and strategies are compliant with the safety rules and regulations set by the relevant government authorities. To ascertain this compliance with government safety rules and regulations, it would force school administrators and teachers to supervise the implementation of its safety policies by students, teachers, and the staff mandated to ensure

European Union Law Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

European Union Law Coursework - Essay Example The latter had been storing several chemical substances, including some of the chemical substances that had been specified in the Directive. In March 2007 Simon was hospitalized for mercury poisoning after eating vegetables from his garden. Mercury had been specified in the Directive. Investigations revealed that this mercury had leaked into Simon's garden from the adjacent Otis Chemicals' warehouse. Directives are the devices through which the European Council implements laws in the Member States of the European Union. Directives harmonise national laws with the European Union laws. The legal systems of the Member States are influenced significantly by the European Community, which governs the interests and rights of the Member States through its own organisations. There exists a unique and sovereign legal system that binds each Member State. This system was developed by means of the several Treaties, which created the EC legislation. One of the main pillars of the EU is the European Court of Justice or the ECJ. The ECJ had interpreted the nature and effect of Treaties, which is known as the doctrine of direct effect. It is a concept which enables aggrieved individuals to seek redressal in national courts if a Member State fails to implement the provision of a directive. The ECJ developed the notion of direct effect. Under this concept, individuals and organisations can use the provisions of the EC Law in a domestic court without having to wait for the Member State to satisfy an obligation which the Member State failed to execute. According to the ECJ, certain requirements have to be fulfilled for the provision of EC Law to gain Direct Effect. According to the notion of direct effect individuals can invoke community law to fulfil the required ratification for enforcement in their national courts. In other words, it empowers individuals to have a control similar to Article 226 EC, which bestows authority on the Commission to initiate proceedings against Member States for breaches. Direct effect permits each and every citizen of the Union to participate in the activities of the Union and it has brought the community into their lives. The legal aspects of direct effect have been established in Van Gend En Loos. The ECJ had held in this case that any individual of the Union can invoke Article 25 EC in order to restrict Member States that imposed additional customs duty on imports and exports and other charges that have equal effects. The Court also held that Article 25 EC was directly effective and individuals could challenge it in their national courts. The Court further held in its decision that individuals may have these rights conferred upon them directly under the provision of the various EU Treaties (Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen). In Pubblico Ministerio v Tullio Ratti, criminal proceedings had been initiated, under the national law, against the applicant for the alleged infringement of Italian legislation, which was very stringent in the matter of packing solvents. Ratti resorted to the community directive's direct effect as his defence and the outcome was that a preliminary reference was made to the European Court of Justice. The ECJ placed an estoppel argument with the objective of directly enforcing the directive (Pubblico Ministero v. Tullio Ratti ). The ECJ held that if a directive had

Critical Evaluation of Ipad Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Evaluation of Ipad - Assignment Example This is evident as the design of the Ipad software is very elementary and user-friendly. With the touch screen technology, users can use their fingers to access programs and files that they wish to access, just like a child playing with toys. In terms of niche, Apple Computers, Inc (Apple) wishes to introduce a product which lies between iPhone and Macbook in terms of function. Therefore Ipad is expected to be substantially better than both in terms of the following: web browsing, E-Mail, viewing and watching of images and videos, listening to music, Reading electronic media (Apple Inc). In terms of convenience Ipad is indeed better than Macbook, but less convenient than the Iphone as the latter is much lighter. The aim of situating a product between the Iphone and Macbook is an excellent idea indeed as some corporate needs cannot be met by a simple Iphone, especially when we talk about large data, applications and software. On the other hand, Macbook is now relatively heavy especially with the introduction of netbooks by HP, Acer and Asus. Its appropriately occupies a product niche which does not compete with the existing Apple products, yet more innovative and improved than the competitors netbooks. It is an innovative product as it is the first that introduces sole touch screen technology but this may also be a disadvantage as the market that it tries to reach - the non-computer experts will probably take time to appreciate touch screen technology. The Ipad project has the following objectives: a. Sell 1 million of the new device internationally within 2010 and so making a profit b. Increase the product range by developing and producing a new tablet device by Q1 2010 c. Ensure a basic model is available for distribution to US customers on April 3rd and internationally by 23rd April 2010 d. Ensure premium model is available for distribution to US customers by the 26th April and internationally by 11th June 2010 e. Establish data plans with international mobile communications suppliers by June 2010 f. Gain a return on investment by 2011 g. Launch the new product on 27th January 2010 h. Sell the product for under $850 i. Maintain the Apple quality throughout the project Source: (Apple, Inc). There are a variety of reviews and expectation on the would-be performance of Ipad. "Apple change management has proved successful over the years as the company has adapted to the changing market by constantly redefining the design and purpose of digital technology" (Edward de Bono, 2006). Over-all, its corporate culture has showsn both "optimism and belief" which led to continuous "funding and investment in new products and innovation even against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate" (Edward de Bono, 2006). It is this optimism and belief that brought us the Ipad. Reviews however criticize the launching of Ipad especially on the aspect of functionality and getting things done (Enderle, 2010). This is the very question that comes to mind when I saw the project. Will Ipad achieve the 1 million sales in 2010 In the first place, will the tablet be patronized It gets popular in America, will it also be popular in other countries The objectives of Ipad management team is understandable as we examine the culture of the company.

Healthy Alternatives to Prescription Medications Term Paper

Healthy Alternatives to Prescription Medications - Term Paper Example    All these categories may be used complementarily with medical prescriptions or entirely on their own, as alternatives to western medicine. In general, the use of CAM does not imply the rejection of conventional medicine, but as a critical part of self-care management that shows ones responsibility for health and a pragmatic approach to managing the chronic condition in the best possible way (Moses 64). Notably, some cases require the use of the alternative medicine in place of prescription medication. For instance, a person may opt for physiotherapy instead of antidepressants to relieve stress. Of great importance is the need to ensure that the alternative medications are healthy since ensuring the safety of the patient is very important. The effectiveness of any alternative treatment should be accompanied by lack of adverse effects. The use of alternatives to prescription medication is healthy if undertaken under the principles of quality use of medicine, which calls for judiciousness, appropriateness, safety, and efficacy. Prescription medication is not always effective and in some instances, it does not work well enough as the alternative form of treatment. To begin with, the ineffectiveness of the conventional medication leads people to seek alternative medicine. For instance, biomedical treatment of chronic pain using long-term opioids, anticonvulsants, topical preparations, and tricyclic antidepressants is only marginally effective (Tan, Alvarez and Jensen 1420). For instance, Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FM), a chronically painful disorder of unknown origin that defies all clinical treatments is effectively managed by alternative treatments such as acupuncture, herbal and nutritional supplements, and massage  therapy (Sarac and Gur 48).  

Critical Evaluation of Ipad Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Evaluation of Ipad - Assignment Example This is evident as the design of the Ipad software is very elementary and user-friendly. With the touch screen technology, users can use their fingers to access programs and files that they wish to access, just like a child playing with toys. In terms of niche, Apple Computers, Inc (Apple) wishes to introduce a product which lies between iPhone and Macbook in terms of function. Therefore Ipad is expected to be substantially better than both in terms of the following: web browsing, E-Mail, viewing and watching of images and videos, listening to music, Reading electronic media (Apple Inc). In terms of convenience Ipad is indeed better than Macbook, but less convenient than the Iphone as the latter is much lighter. The aim of situating a product between the Iphone and Macbook is an excellent idea indeed as some corporate needs cannot be met by a simple Iphone, especially when we talk about large data, applications and software. On the other hand, Macbook is now relatively heavy especially with the introduction of netbooks by HP, Acer and Asus. Its appropriately occupies a product niche which does not compete with the existing Apple products, yet more innovative and improved than the competitors netbooks. It is an innovative product as it is the first that introduces sole touch screen technology but this may also be a disadvantage as the market that it tries to reach - the non-computer experts will probably take time to appreciate touch screen technology. The Ipad project has the following objectives: a. Sell 1 million of the new device internationally within 2010 and so making a profit b. Increase the product range by developing and producing a new tablet device by Q1 2010 c. Ensure a basic model is available for distribution to US customers on April 3rd and internationally by 23rd April 2010 d. Ensure premium model is available for distribution to US customers by the 26th April and internationally by 11th June 2010 e. Establish data plans with international mobile communications suppliers by June 2010 f. Gain a return on investment by 2011 g. Launch the new product on 27th January 2010 h. Sell the product for under $850 i. Maintain the Apple quality throughout the project Source: (Apple, Inc). There are a variety of reviews and expectation on the would-be performance of Ipad. "Apple change management has proved successful over the years as the company has adapted to the changing market by constantly redefining the design and purpose of digital technology" (Edward de Bono, 2006). Over-all, its corporate culture has showsn both "optimism and belief" which led to continuous "funding and investment in new products and innovation even against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate" (Edward de Bono, 2006). It is this optimism and belief that brought us the Ipad. Reviews however criticize the launching of Ipad especially on the aspect of functionality and getting things done (Enderle, 2010). This is the very question that comes to mind when I saw the project. Will Ipad achieve the 1 million sales in 2010 In the first place, will the tablet be patronized It gets popular in America, will it also be popular in other countries The objectives of Ipad management team is understandable as we examine the culture of the company.

Good business writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good business writing - Essay Example Good writing has been adopted not only as a requirement during interviews and hiring process but also in the promotion of the employees. This implies that potential employees should have adequate skills on how to communicate with the recruiters and managers through memo, proposals, letters and reports. This paper analyses key writing skills that an individual should posses in order to effectively communicate his or her ideas to the targeted audience. Begin with a major idea Without a proper planning, an individual may not achieve the objective of the writing. In this regard, it is imperative to identify the key idea before wring any business document. One of the primary steps is to jot the major idea on a piece of paper. In this way, a writer will be more focused on the topic that the he or she is aiming at. In most cases, the major idea becomes the headline of the writing. For example, sales executives who aim at explaining the benefits of new products to the consumers or its performance in the market may give their writing a headline of sales report. In the same way, managers who want to make an adjustment to the employees working hours may write a memo and place it on a notice board or give a copy to each of the employees. To avoid deviating from the main issues, it is fundamental for an individual to reread the headline as he or she continues with the writing.

The blind side Essay Example for Free

The blind side Essay â€Å"The Blind Side† is based on the remarkable true story of Baltimore Ravens offensive left tackle Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron). Michael grew up in the inner city housing projects with his mother in Memphis, Tennessee aptly named â€Å"Hurt Village†. Michael’s story begins with him being homeless and coming from a broken home with a drug-addicted mother, and an absentee father. Because of his family circumstances, Family Services took control of his life as he was growing up. Unfortunately, he was being bounced around in and out of foster homes, and now as a teenager he has taken it upon himself that he would rather be homeless. By a stroke of luck, and the coach’s wish for a player the size of Michael, he ends up enrolling in a private Christian school where the Tuohy kids go. Michael is a quiet person. He is shown to have a kind of childish personality, because he tries to play with kindergarten children (Rachel St. Gelais) who reject or ignore him. Michael is befriended by S.J. Tuohy (Jae Head), the youngest Tuohy whose connection to Michael starts the ball rolling. One icy winter night, as Michael is walking down the road to the school gym, where he is sleeping, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) with her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) and children Jae and Collins (Lily Collins) pick Michael up and take him home for the night. However, he stays for the next night, which puzzles Sean, although the children accept Michael matter-of-factly. Soon, Leigh Anne offers him a room and bed. As she starts making him greater and greater favours, he comes to research through Michael’s exams, and the only positive feedback that teachers could ever say about him is that he had big protective instincts. Leigh Anne will use that to explain him how to play in the field. Up to that moment, he wasn’t able to get the hang of the game and its rules, and he wasn’t able to understand what his role in the field was. From that moment, Michael starts to play well and be useful to his team. At the traditional Christmas card photograph of that year, Leigh Anne invites him to appear on the photo. Leigh Anne’s friends Beth (Rhoda Griffs), Elaine (Eaddy Mays) and Sherry (Ashley LeConte Campbell) meet regularly at a local expensive restaurant. The friends laugh about Leigh Anne’s â€Å"project in the projects†, but she cuts it off, saying that if they don’t respect what she does, she will stop seeing them. An opportunity arises for Michael to play at  university level. However, he needs his grades to improve, so the Tuohys hire a private tuition teacher, outspoken and kind Miss Sue (Kathy Bates), who will immediately succeed. During their Geography lesson, she makes a stupid remark about some univerity burying the bodies of dead people in their game field, which Michael seems to believe blindly. There comes a momen when Leigh Anne wants to have a face-to-face conversation with Michael’s mother(Adriane Lenox). Although she seems unresponsive in the beginning, the mother finally wishes Michael the best. She says that social services had branded Michael â€Å"a runner†, and she forecasts that Leigh Anne will find one day that he has run away for good without giving any previous notice. Leigh Anne also faces some guys from the projects which had threatened Michael. They are left speechles when she threatens them and is not afraid of them at all. Three universities want Michael. S. J. talks to the coaches, and leads the negotiations on Michael’s behalf. When Michael gets his grades high enough, he must make a decision, and he does. He chooses the university where Sean had played for, and where Leigh Anne was a cheerleader. That causes Investigator Granger (Sharon Morris) to move onto the matter before Michael arrives there. She questions him as though they were holding interrogatory preceding at a police station. She thinks that the Tuohys and Miss Sue are using Michael to benefit that particular university. After thinking and questioning Leigh Ann on the matter, Michael realises that the Tuohys are now his family, and tells Granger that that’s the reason for him to choose that university. The film ends saying that he’ll succeed and become a professional player later on. S. J went out to the gamefield with Michael before all local games.

Types of Logistics Strategies

Types of Logistics Strategies Logistics Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. It is difficult to accomplish any marketing or manufacturing without logistical support. It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible. 1- Overwiew of Logistics The word of logistics originates from the ancient Greek logos (), which means ratio, word, calculation, reason, speech, oration. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Logistikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. The Oxford English dictionary defines logistics as: The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining and transporting material, personnel and facilities.Another dictionary definition is: The time related positioning of resources. As such, logistics is commonly seen as a branch of engineering which creates people systems rather than machine systems. Military logistics In military logistics, experts manage how and when to move resources to the places they are needed. In military science, maintaining ones supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial-some would say the most crucial-element of military strategy, since an armed force without food, fuel and ammunition is defenseless. The Iraq war was a dramatic example of the importance of logistics. It had become very necessary for the US and its allies to move huge amounts of men, materials and equipment over great distances. Led by Lieutenant General William Pagonis, Logistics was successfully used for this movement. The defeat of the British in the American War of Independence, and the defeat of Rommel in World War II, have been largely attributed to logistical failure. The historical leaders Hannibal Barca and Alexander the Great are considered to have been logistical geniuses. 1. Logistics Management Logistics Management is that part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements. Business logistics Logistics as a business concept evolved only in the 1950s. This was mainly due to the increasing complexity of supplying ones business with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized supply chain, calling for experts in the field who are called Supply Chain Logisticians. This can be defined as having the right item in the right quantity at the right time for the right price and is the science of process and incorporates all industry sectors. The goal of logistic work is to manage the fruition of project life cycles, supply chains and resultant efficiencies. In business, logistics may have either internal focus(inbound logistics), or external focus (outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of consumption (see supply chain management). The main functions of a logistics manager include Inventory Management, purchasing, transport, warehousing, and the organizing and planning of these activities. Logistics managers combine a general knowledge of each of these functions so that there is a coordination of resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally different forms of logistics. One optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links and storage nodes. The other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out some project. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Log istikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. Production logistics The term is used for describing logistic processes within an industry. The purpose of production logistics is to ensure that each machine and workstation is being fed with the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right point in time. The issue is not the transportation itself, but to streamline and control the flow through the value adding processes and eliminate non-value adding ones. Production logistics can be applied in existing as well as new plants. Manufacturing in an existing plant is a constantly changing process. Machines are exchanged and new ones added, which gives the opportunity to improve the production logistics system accordingly. Production logistics provides the means to achieve customer response and capital efficiency 2. Commercial vehicle operation Commercial Vehicle Operations is an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems for trucks. A typical system would be purchased by the managers of a trucking company. It would have a satellite navigation system, a small computer and a digital radio in each truck. Every fifteen minutes the computer transmits where the truck has been. The digital radio service forwards the data to the central office of the trucking company. A computer system in the central office manages the fleet in real time under control of a team of dispatchers. In this way, the central office knows where its trucks are. The company tracks individual loads by using barcoded containers and pallets to track loads combined into a larger container. To minimize handling-expense, damage and waste of vehicle capacity, optimal-sized pallets are often constructed at distribution points to go to particular destinations. A good load-tracking system will help deliver more than 95% of its loads via truck, on planned schedules. If a truck gets off its route, or is delayed, the truck can be diverted to a better route, or urgent loads that are likely to be late can be diverted to air freight. This allows a trucking company to deliver a true premium service at only slightly higher cost. The best proprietary systems, such as the one operated by FedEx, achieve better than 99.999% on-time delivery. Load-tracking systems use queuing theory, linear programming and minimum spanning tree logic to predict and improve arrival times. The exact means of combining these are usually secret recipes deeply hidden in the software. The basic scheme is that hypothetical routes are constructed by combining road segments, and then poor ones are eliminated using linear programming. The controlled routes allow a truck to avoid heavy traffic caused by rush-hour, accidents or road-work. Increasingly, governments are providing digital notification when roadways are known to have reduced capacity. A good system lets the computer, dispatcher and driver collaborate on finding a good route, or a method to move the load. One special value is that the computer can automatically eliminate routes over roads that cannot take the weight of the truck, or that have overhead obstructions. Usually, the drivers log into the system. The system helps remind a driver to rest. Rested drivers operate the truck more skillfully and safely. When these systems were first introduced, some drivers resisted them, viewing them as a way for management to spy on the driver. A well-managed intelligent transportation system provides drivers with huge amounts of help. It gives them a view of their own load and the network of roadways. Components of CVO include: Fleet Administration Freight Administration Electronic Clearance Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes International Border Crossing Clearance Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Roadside CVO Safety On-Board Safety Monitoring CVO Fleet Maintenance Hazardous Material Planning and Incident Response Freight In-Transit Monitoring Freight Terminal Management 3. CONTAINERIZATION Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as Shipping Containers or Isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes, and trucks. Containerization is also the term given to the process of determining the best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items. ISO Container dimensions and payloads There are five common standard lengths, 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 m). United States domestic standard containers are generally 48-ft and 53-ft (rail and truck). Container capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). A twenty-foot equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft (length) Ãâ€" 8 ft (width) Ãâ€" 8 ft 6 in (height) container. In metric units this is 6.10 m (length) Ãâ€" 2.44 m (width) Ãâ€" 2.59 m (height), or approximately 38.5 m ³. These sell at about US$2,500 in China, the biggest manufacturer. Most containers today are of the 40-ft (12.2 m) variety and are known as 40-foot containers. This is equivalent to 2 TEU. 45-foot (13.7 m) containers are also designated 2 TEU. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). High cube containers have a height of 9 ft 6 in (2.9m), while half-height containers, used for heavy loads, have a height of 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). When converting containers to TEUs, the height of the containers typically is not considered. The use of US measurements to describe container size (TEU, FEU) despite the fact the rest of the world uses the metric system reflects the fact that US shipping companies played a major part in the development of containers. The overwhelming need to have a standard size for containers, in order that they fit all ships, cranes, and trucks, and the length of time that the current container sizes have been in use, makes changing to an even metric size impractical. The maximum gross mass for a 20-ft dry cargo container is 24,000 kg, and for a 40-ft, (inc. the 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in) high cube container), it is 30,480 kg. Allowing for the tare mass of the container, the maximum payload mass is there reduced to approx. 21,600 kg for 20-ft, and 26,500 kg for 40-ft containers. Shipping Container History A container ship being loaded by a portainer crane in Copenhagen Harbour. Twistlocks which capture and constrain containers. Forklifts designed to handle containers have similar devices. A container freight train in the UK. Containers produced a huge reduction in port handling costs, contributing significantly to lower freight charges and, in turn, boosting trade flows. Almost every manufactured product humans consume spends some time in a container. Containerization is an important element of the innovations in logistics that revolutionized freight handling in the 20th century. Efforts to ship cargo in containers date to the 19th century. By the 1920s, railroads on several continents were carrying containers that could be transferred to trucks or ships, but these containers were invariably small by todays standards. From 1926 to 1947, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried motor carrier vehicles and shippers vehicles loaded on flatcars between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in 1929, Seatrain Lines carried railroad boxcars on its sea vessels to transport goods between New York and Cuba. In the mid-1930s, the Chicago Great Western Railway and then the New Haven Railroad began piggy-back service (transporting highway freight trailers on flatcars) limited to their own railroads. By 1953, the CBQ, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Southern Pacific railroads had joined the innovation. Most cars were surplus flatcars equipped with new decks. By 1955, an additional 25 railroads had begun some form of piggy-back trailer s ervice. The first vessels purpose-built to carry containers began operation in Denmark in 1951. Ships began carrying containers between Seattle and Alaska in 1951. The worlds first truly intermodal container system used purpose-built container ship the Clifford J. Rodgers built in Montreal in 1955 and owned by the White Pass and Yukon Route. Its first trip carried 600 containers between North Vancouver, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska on November 26, 1955; in Skagway, the containers were unloaded to purpose-built railroad cars for transport north to the Yukon, in the first intermodal service using trucks, ships and railroad cars. Southbound containers were loaded by shippers in the Yukon, moved by truck, rail, ship and truck to their consignees, without opening. This first intermodal system operated from November 1955 for many years. A converted container used as an office at a building site. The widespread use of ISO standard containers has driven modifications in other freight-moving standards, gradually forcing removable truck bodies or swap bodies into the standard sizes and shapes (though without the strength needed to be stacked), and changing completely the worldwide use of freight pallets that fit into ISO containers or into commercial vehicles. Improved cargo security is also an important benefit of containerization. The cargo is not visible to the casual viewer and thus is less likely to be stolen and the doors of the containers are generally sealed so that tampering is more evident. This has reduced the falling off the truck syndrome that long plagued the shipping industry. Use of the same basic sizes of containers across the globe has lessened the problems caused by incompatible rail gauge sizes in different countries. The majority of the rail networks in the world operate on a 1,435mm (4ft 8 ½in) gauge track known as standard gauge but many countries like Russia, Finland and Spain use broader gauges while other many countries in Africa and South America use narrower gauges on their networks. The use of container trains in all these countries makes trans-shipment between different gauge trains easier, with automatic or semi-automatic equipment. Some of the largest global companies containerizing containers today are Patrick Global Shipping, Bowen Exports and Theiler Sons Goods, LLC. Loss at sea of ISO Containers Containers occasionally fall from the ships that carry them, something that occurs an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 times each year. For instance, on November 30, 2006, a container washed ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, along with thousands of bags of its cargo of tortilla chips. Containers lost at sea do not necessarily sink, but seldom float very high out of the water, making them a shipping hazard that is difficult to detect. Freight from lost containers has provided oceanographers with unexpected opportunities to track global ocean currents. Double-stack containerization A Railroad car with a 20 tank container and a conventional 20 container. Most flatcars cannot carry more than one standard 40 foot container, but if the rail line has been built with sufficient vertical clearance, a well car can accept a container and still leave enough clearance for another container on top. This usually precludes operation of double-stacked wagons on lines with overhead electric wiring (exception: Betuweroute). Double stacking has been used in North America since American President Lines introduced this double stack principle under the name of Stacktrain rail service in 1984. It saved shippers money and now accounts for almost 70 percent of intermodal freight transport shipments in the United States, in part due to the generous vertical clearances used by US railroads ISO Container types Various container types are available for different needs General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height High cube palletwide containers for europallet compatibility Temperature controlled from -25 °c to +25 °c reefer Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery Open side for loading oversize pallet Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo Determining the best carton, box or pallet While the creation of the best container for shipping of newly created product is called Containerization, the term also applies to determining the right box and the best placement inside that box in order fulfillment. This may be planned by software modules in a warehouse management system. This optimization software calculates the best spatial position of each item withing such constraints as stackability and crush resistance 4. CROSS DOCKING Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or rail car and loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, or to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins. Cross docking is used to decrease inventory storage by streamlining the flow between the supplier and the manufacturer. Typical applications Hub and spoke arrangements, where materials are brought in to one central location and then sorted for delivery to a variety of destinations Consolidation arrangements, where a variety of smaller shipments are combined into one larger shipment for economy of transport Deconsolidation arrangements, where large shipments (e.g. railcar lots) are broken down into smaller lots for ease of delivery. Factors influencing the use of cross-docks Customer and supplier geography particularly when a single corporate customer has many multiple branches or using points Freight costs for the commodities being transported Cost of inventory in transit Complexity of loads Handling methods Logistics software integration between supplier(s), vendor, and shipper 5 .DISTRIBUTION Distribution is one of the four aspects of marketing. A distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. After a product is manufactured it is typically shipped (and usually sold) to a distributor. The distributor then sells the product to retailers or customers. The other three parts of the marketing mix are product management, pricing, and promotion. Traditionally, distribution has been seen as dealing with logistics: how to get the product or service to the customer. It must answer questions such as: Should the product be sold through a retailer? Should the product be distributed through wholesale? Should multi-level marketing channels be used? How long should the channel be (how many members)? Where should the product or service be available? When should the product or service be available? Should distribution be exclusive, selective or extensive? Who should control the channel (referred to as the channel captain)? Should channel relationships be informal or contractual? Should channel members share advertising (referred to as co-op ads)? Should electronic methods of distribution be used? Are there physical distribution and logistical issues to deal with? What will it cost to keep an inventory of products on store shelves and in channel warehouses (referred to as filling the pipeline)? The distribution channel Channels A number of alternate channels of distribution may be available: Selling direct, such as via mail order, Internet and telephone sales Agent, who typically sells direct on behalf of the producer Distributor (also called wholesaler), who sells to retailers Retailer (also called dealer), who sells to end customers Advertisement typically used for consumption goods Distribution channels may not be restricted to physical products alone. They may be just as important for moving a service from producer to consumer in certain sectors, since both direct and indirect channels may be used. Hotels, for example, may sell their services (typically rooms) directly or through travel agents, tour operators, airlines, tourist boards, centralized reservation systems, etc. There have also been some innovations in the distribution of services. For example, there has been an increase in franchising and in rental services the latter offering anything from televisions through tools. There has also been some evidence of service integration, with services linking together, particularly in the travel and tourism sectors. For example, links now exist between airlines, hotels and car rental services. In addition, there has been a significant increase in retail outlets for the service sector. Outlets such as estate agencies and building society offices are crowding out traditional grocers from major shopping areas.. Channel members Distribution channels can thus have a number of levels. Kotler defined the simplest level, that of direct contact with no intermediaries involved, as the zero-level channel. The next level, the one-level channel, features just one intermediary; in consumer goods a retailer, for industrial goods a distributor, say. In small markets (such as small countries) it is practical to reach the whole market using just one- and zero-level channels. In large markets (such as larger countries) a second level, a wholesaler for example, is now mainly used to extend distribution to the large number of small, neighbourhood retailers In Japan the chain of distribution is often complex and further levels are used, even for the simplest . Channel structure To the various `levels of distribution, which they refer to as the `channel length, Lancaster and Massingham also added another structural element, the relationship between its members: Conventional or free-flow This is the usual, widely recognized, channel with a range of `middle-men passing the goods on to the end-user. Single transaction A temporary `channel may be set up for one transaction; for example, the sale of property or a specific civil engineering project. This does not share many characteristics with other channel transactions, each one being unique. Vertical marketing system (VMS) In this form, the elements of distribution are integrated. The internal market Many of the marketing principles and techniques which are applied to the external customers of an organization can be just as effectively applied to each subsidiarys, or each departments, internal customers. In some parts of certain organizations this may in fact be formalized, as goods are transferred between separate parts of the organization at a `transfer price. To all intents and purposes, with the possible exception of the pricing mechanism itself, this process can and should be viewed as a normal buyer-seller relationship. Less obvious, but just as practical, is the use of `marketing by service and administrative departments; to optimize their contribution to their `customers (the rest of the organization in general, and those parts of it which deal directly with them in particular). In all of this, the lessons of the non-profit organizations, in dealing with their clients, offer a very useful parallel. Channel Decisions Channel strategy Product (or service)CostConsumer location Channel management The channel decision is very important. In theory at least, there is a form of trade-off: the cost of using intermediaries to achieve wider distribution is supposedly lower. Indeed, most consumer goods manufacturers could never justify the cost of selling direct to their consumers, except by mail order. In practice, if the producer is large enough, the use of intermediaries (particularly at the agent and wholesaler level) can sometimes cost more than going direct. Many of the theoretical arguments about channels therefore revolve around cost. On the other hand, most of the practical decisions are concerned with control of the consumer. The small company has no alternative but to use intermediaries, often several layers of them, but large companies do have the choice. However, many suppliers seem to assume that once their product has been sold into the channel, into the beginning of the distribution chain, their job is finished. Yet that distribution chain is merely assuming a part of the suppliers responsibility; and, if he has any aspirations to be market-oriented, his job should really be extended to managing, albeit very indirectly, all the processes involved in that chain, until the product or service arrives with the end-user. This may involve a number of decisions on the part of the supplier: Channel membership Channel motivation Monitoring and managing channels Channel membership Intensive distribution Where the majority of resellers stock the `product (with convenience products, for example, and particularly the brand leaders in consumer goods markets) price competition may be evident. Selective distribution This is the normal pattern (in both consumer and industrial markets) where `suitable resellers stock the product. Exclusive distribution Only specially selected resellers (typically only one per geographical area) are allowed to sell the `product. Channel motivation It is difficult enough to motivate direct employees to provide the necessary sales and service support. Motivating the owners and employees of the independent organizations in a distribution chain requires even greater effort. There are many devices for achieving such motivation. Perhaps the most usual is `bribery: the supplier offers a better margin, to tempt the owners in the channel to push the product rather than its competitors; or a competition is offered to the distributors sales personnel, so that they are tempted to push the product. At the other end of the spectrum is the almost symbiotic relationship that the all too rare supplier in the computer field develops with its agents; where the agents personnel, support as well as sales, are trained to almost the same standard as the suppliers own staff. Monitoring and managing channels In much the same way that the organizations own sales and distribution activities need to be monitored and managed, so will those of the distribution chain. In practice, of course, many organizations use a mix of different channels; in particular, they may complement a direct salesforce, calling on the larger accounts, with agents, covering the smaller customers and prospects. Vertical marketing This relatively recent development integrates the channel with the original supplier producer, wholesalers and retailers working in one unified system. This may arise because one member of the chain owns the other elements (often called `corporate systems integration); a supplier owning its own retail outlets, this being forward integration. It is perhaps more likely that a retailer will own its own suppliers, this being backward integration. (For example, MFI, the furniture retailer, owns Hygena which makes its kitchen and bedroom units.) The integration can also be by franchise (such as that offered by McDonalds hamburgers and Benetton clothes) or simple co-operation (in the way that Marks Spencer co-operates with its suppliers). Alternative approaches are `contractual systems, often led by a wholesale or retail co-operative, and `administered marketing systems where one (dominant) member of the distribution chain uses its position to co-ordinate the other members activities. This has traditionally been the form led by manufacturers. The intention of vertical marketing is to give all those involved (and particularly the supplier at one end, and the retailer at the other) control over the distribution chain. This removes one set of variables from the marketing equations. Other research indicates that vertical integration is a strategy which is best pursued at the mature stage of the market (or product). At earlier stages it can actually reduce profits. It is arguable that it also diverts attention from the real business of the organization. Suppliers rarely excel in retail operations and, in theory, retailers should focus on their sales outlets rather than on manufacturing facilities ( Marks Spencer, for example, very deliberately provides considerable amounts of technical assistance to its suppliers, but does not own them). Horizontal marketing A rather less frequent example of new approaches to channels is where two or more non-competing organizations agree on a joint venture a joint marketing operation because it is beyond the capacity of each individual organization alone. In general, this is less likely to revolve around marketing synergy. LOGISTICS IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food distribution, a method of distributing (or transporting) food from one place to another, is a very important factor in public nutrition. Where it breaks down, famine, malnutrition or illness can occur. During some periods of Ancient Rome, food distribution occurred with the policy of giving free bread to its citizens under the provision of a common good. There are three main components of food distribution: Transport infrastructure, such as roads, vehicles, rail transport, airports, and ports. Food handling technology and regulation, such as refrigeration, and storage, warehousing. Adequate source and supply logistics, based on demand and need. Information logistics In general, it is exactly logistics of information. The field of information logistics aims at developing concepts, technologies and applications for need-oriented information supply. Information-on-demand services are a typical application area for information logistics, as they have to fulfil user needs with respect to content, location, time and quality Information Logistics consists of two words information and logistics. Information can mean a lot of things, but usually is text (syntax with a semantic meaning) and logistics which is the transportation of sth from point A to point B. In a simplified sense is a newsletter information logistics, also an e-mail or even the ordinary mail you receive. Information logistics is concerned with the supply of information to individuals and Types of Logistics Strategies Types of Logistics Strategies Logistics Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. It is difficult to accomplish any marketing or manufacturing without logistical support. It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible. 1- Overwiew of Logistics The word of logistics originates from the ancient Greek logos (), which means ratio, word, calculation, reason, speech, oration. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Logistikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. The Oxford English dictionary defines logistics as: The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining and transporting material, personnel and facilities.Another dictionary definition is: The time related positioning of resources. As such, logistics is commonly seen as a branch of engineering which creates people systems rather than machine systems. Military logistics In military logistics, experts manage how and when to move resources to the places they are needed. In military science, maintaining ones supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial-some would say the most crucial-element of military strategy, since an armed force without food, fuel and ammunition is defenseless. The Iraq war was a dramatic example of the importance of logistics. It had become very necessary for the US and its allies to move huge amounts of men, materials and equipment over great distances. Led by Lieutenant General William Pagonis, Logistics was successfully used for this movement. The defeat of the British in the American War of Independence, and the defeat of Rommel in World War II, have been largely attributed to logistical failure. The historical leaders Hannibal Barca and Alexander the Great are considered to have been logistical geniuses. 1. Logistics Management Logistics Management is that part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements. Business logistics Logistics as a business concept evolved only in the 1950s. This was mainly due to the increasing complexity of supplying ones business with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized supply chain, calling for experts in the field who are called Supply Chain Logisticians. This can be defined as having the right item in the right quantity at the right time for the right price and is the science of process and incorporates all industry sectors. The goal of logistic work is to manage the fruition of project life cycles, supply chains and resultant efficiencies. In business, logistics may have either internal focus(inbound logistics), or external focus (outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of consumption (see supply chain management). The main functions of a logistics manager include Inventory Management, purchasing, transport, warehousing, and the organizing and planning of these activities. Logistics managers combine a general knowledge of each of these functions so that there is a coordination of resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally different forms of logistics. One optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links and storage nodes. The other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out some project. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Log istikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. Production logistics The term is used for describing logistic processes within an industry. The purpose of production logistics is to ensure that each machine and workstation is being fed with the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right point in time. The issue is not the transportation itself, but to streamline and control the flow through the value adding processes and eliminate non-value adding ones. Production logistics can be applied in existing as well as new plants. Manufacturing in an existing plant is a constantly changing process. Machines are exchanged and new ones added, which gives the opportunity to improve the production logistics system accordingly. Production logistics provides the means to achieve customer response and capital efficiency 2. Commercial vehicle operation Commercial Vehicle Operations is an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems for trucks. A typical system would be purchased by the managers of a trucking company. It would have a satellite navigation system, a small computer and a digital radio in each truck. Every fifteen minutes the computer transmits where the truck has been. The digital radio service forwards the data to the central office of the trucking company. A computer system in the central office manages the fleet in real time under control of a team of dispatchers. In this way, the central office knows where its trucks are. The company tracks individual loads by using barcoded containers and pallets to track loads combined into a larger container. To minimize handling-expense, damage and waste of vehicle capacity, optimal-sized pallets are often constructed at distribution points to go to particular destinations. A good load-tracking system will help deliver more than 95% of its loads via truck, on planned schedules. If a truck gets off its route, or is delayed, the truck can be diverted to a better route, or urgent loads that are likely to be late can be diverted to air freight. This allows a trucking company to deliver a true premium service at only slightly higher cost. The best proprietary systems, such as the one operated by FedEx, achieve better than 99.999% on-time delivery. Load-tracking systems use queuing theory, linear programming and minimum spanning tree logic to predict and improve arrival times. The exact means of combining these are usually secret recipes deeply hidden in the software. The basic scheme is that hypothetical routes are constructed by combining road segments, and then poor ones are eliminated using linear programming. The controlled routes allow a truck to avoid heavy traffic caused by rush-hour, accidents or road-work. Increasingly, governments are providing digital notification when roadways are known to have reduced capacity. A good system lets the computer, dispatcher and driver collaborate on finding a good route, or a method to move the load. One special value is that the computer can automatically eliminate routes over roads that cannot take the weight of the truck, or that have overhead obstructions. Usually, the drivers log into the system. The system helps remind a driver to rest. Rested drivers operate the truck more skillfully and safely. When these systems were first introduced, some drivers resisted them, viewing them as a way for management to spy on the driver. A well-managed intelligent transportation system provides drivers with huge amounts of help. It gives them a view of their own load and the network of roadways. Components of CVO include: Fleet Administration Freight Administration Electronic Clearance Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes International Border Crossing Clearance Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Roadside CVO Safety On-Board Safety Monitoring CVO Fleet Maintenance Hazardous Material Planning and Incident Response Freight In-Transit Monitoring Freight Terminal Management 3. CONTAINERIZATION Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as Shipping Containers or Isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes, and trucks. Containerization is also the term given to the process of determining the best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items. ISO Container dimensions and payloads There are five common standard lengths, 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 m). United States domestic standard containers are generally 48-ft and 53-ft (rail and truck). Container capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). A twenty-foot equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft (length) Ãâ€" 8 ft (width) Ãâ€" 8 ft 6 in (height) container. In metric units this is 6.10 m (length) Ãâ€" 2.44 m (width) Ãâ€" 2.59 m (height), or approximately 38.5 m ³. These sell at about US$2,500 in China, the biggest manufacturer. Most containers today are of the 40-ft (12.2 m) variety and are known as 40-foot containers. This is equivalent to 2 TEU. 45-foot (13.7 m) containers are also designated 2 TEU. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). High cube containers have a height of 9 ft 6 in (2.9m), while half-height containers, used for heavy loads, have a height of 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). When converting containers to TEUs, the height of the containers typically is not considered. The use of US measurements to describe container size (TEU, FEU) despite the fact the rest of the world uses the metric system reflects the fact that US shipping companies played a major part in the development of containers. The overwhelming need to have a standard size for containers, in order that they fit all ships, cranes, and trucks, and the length of time that the current container sizes have been in use, makes changing to an even metric size impractical. The maximum gross mass for a 20-ft dry cargo container is 24,000 kg, and for a 40-ft, (inc. the 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in) high cube container), it is 30,480 kg. Allowing for the tare mass of the container, the maximum payload mass is there reduced to approx. 21,600 kg for 20-ft, and 26,500 kg for 40-ft containers. Shipping Container History A container ship being loaded by a portainer crane in Copenhagen Harbour. Twistlocks which capture and constrain containers. Forklifts designed to handle containers have similar devices. A container freight train in the UK. Containers produced a huge reduction in port handling costs, contributing significantly to lower freight charges and, in turn, boosting trade flows. Almost every manufactured product humans consume spends some time in a container. Containerization is an important element of the innovations in logistics that revolutionized freight handling in the 20th century. Efforts to ship cargo in containers date to the 19th century. By the 1920s, railroads on several continents were carrying containers that could be transferred to trucks or ships, but these containers were invariably small by todays standards. From 1926 to 1947, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried motor carrier vehicles and shippers vehicles loaded on flatcars between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in 1929, Seatrain Lines carried railroad boxcars on its sea vessels to transport goods between New York and Cuba. In the mid-1930s, the Chicago Great Western Railway and then the New Haven Railroad began piggy-back service (transporting highway freight trailers on flatcars) limited to their own railroads. By 1953, the CBQ, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Southern Pacific railroads had joined the innovation. Most cars were surplus flatcars equipped with new decks. By 1955, an additional 25 railroads had begun some form of piggy-back trailer s ervice. The first vessels purpose-built to carry containers began operation in Denmark in 1951. Ships began carrying containers between Seattle and Alaska in 1951. The worlds first truly intermodal container system used purpose-built container ship the Clifford J. Rodgers built in Montreal in 1955 and owned by the White Pass and Yukon Route. Its first trip carried 600 containers between North Vancouver, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska on November 26, 1955; in Skagway, the containers were unloaded to purpose-built railroad cars for transport north to the Yukon, in the first intermodal service using trucks, ships and railroad cars. Southbound containers were loaded by shippers in the Yukon, moved by truck, rail, ship and truck to their consignees, without opening. This first intermodal system operated from November 1955 for many years. A converted container used as an office at a building site. The widespread use of ISO standard containers has driven modifications in other freight-moving standards, gradually forcing removable truck bodies or swap bodies into the standard sizes and shapes (though without the strength needed to be stacked), and changing completely the worldwide use of freight pallets that fit into ISO containers or into commercial vehicles. Improved cargo security is also an important benefit of containerization. The cargo is not visible to the casual viewer and thus is less likely to be stolen and the doors of the containers are generally sealed so that tampering is more evident. This has reduced the falling off the truck syndrome that long plagued the shipping industry. Use of the same basic sizes of containers across the globe has lessened the problems caused by incompatible rail gauge sizes in different countries. The majority of the rail networks in the world operate on a 1,435mm (4ft 8 ½in) gauge track known as standard gauge but many countries like Russia, Finland and Spain use broader gauges while other many countries in Africa and South America use narrower gauges on their networks. The use of container trains in all these countries makes trans-shipment between different gauge trains easier, with automatic or semi-automatic equipment. Some of the largest global companies containerizing containers today are Patrick Global Shipping, Bowen Exports and Theiler Sons Goods, LLC. Loss at sea of ISO Containers Containers occasionally fall from the ships that carry them, something that occurs an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 times each year. For instance, on November 30, 2006, a container washed ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, along with thousands of bags of its cargo of tortilla chips. Containers lost at sea do not necessarily sink, but seldom float very high out of the water, making them a shipping hazard that is difficult to detect. Freight from lost containers has provided oceanographers with unexpected opportunities to track global ocean currents. Double-stack containerization A Railroad car with a 20 tank container and a conventional 20 container. Most flatcars cannot carry more than one standard 40 foot container, but if the rail line has been built with sufficient vertical clearance, a well car can accept a container and still leave enough clearance for another container on top. This usually precludes operation of double-stacked wagons on lines with overhead electric wiring (exception: Betuweroute). Double stacking has been used in North America since American President Lines introduced this double stack principle under the name of Stacktrain rail service in 1984. It saved shippers money and now accounts for almost 70 percent of intermodal freight transport shipments in the United States, in part due to the generous vertical clearances used by US railroads ISO Container types Various container types are available for different needs General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height High cube palletwide containers for europallet compatibility Temperature controlled from -25 °c to +25 °c reefer Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery Open side for loading oversize pallet Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo Determining the best carton, box or pallet While the creation of the best container for shipping of newly created product is called Containerization, the term also applies to determining the right box and the best placement inside that box in order fulfillment. This may be planned by software modules in a warehouse management system. This optimization software calculates the best spatial position of each item withing such constraints as stackability and crush resistance 4. CROSS DOCKING Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or rail car and loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, or to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins. Cross docking is used to decrease inventory storage by streamlining the flow between the supplier and the manufacturer. Typical applications Hub and spoke arrangements, where materials are brought in to one central location and then sorted for delivery to a variety of destinations Consolidation arrangements, where a variety of smaller shipments are combined into one larger shipment for economy of transport Deconsolidation arrangements, where large shipments (e.g. railcar lots) are broken down into smaller lots for ease of delivery. Factors influencing the use of cross-docks Customer and supplier geography particularly when a single corporate customer has many multiple branches or using points Freight costs for the commodities being transported Cost of inventory in transit Complexity of loads Handling methods Logistics software integration between supplier(s), vendor, and shipper 5 .DISTRIBUTION Distribution is one of the four aspects of marketing. A distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. After a product is manufactured it is typically shipped (and usually sold) to a distributor. The distributor then sells the product to retailers or customers. The other three parts of the marketing mix are product management, pricing, and promotion. Traditionally, distribution has been seen as dealing with logistics: how to get the product or service to the customer. It must answer questions such as: Should the product be sold through a retailer? Should the product be distributed through wholesale? Should multi-level marketing channels be used? How long should the channel be (how many members)? Where should the product or service be available? When should the product or service be available? Should distribution be exclusive, selective or extensive? Who should control the channel (referred to as the channel captain)? Should channel relationships be informal or contractual? Should channel members share advertising (referred to as co-op ads)? Should electronic methods of distribution be used? Are there physical distribution and logistical issues to deal with? What will it cost to keep an inventory of products on store shelves and in channel warehouses (referred to as filling the pipeline)? The distribution channel Channels A number of alternate channels of distribution may be available: Selling direct, such as via mail order, Internet and telephone sales Agent, who typically sells direct on behalf of the producer Distributor (also called wholesaler), who sells to retailers Retailer (also called dealer), who sells to end customers Advertisement typically used for consumption goods Distribution channels may not be restricted to physical products alone. They may be just as important for moving a service from producer to consumer in certain sectors, since both direct and indirect channels may be used. Hotels, for example, may sell their services (typically rooms) directly or through travel agents, tour operators, airlines, tourist boards, centralized reservation systems, etc. There have also been some innovations in the distribution of services. For example, there has been an increase in franchising and in rental services the latter offering anything from televisions through tools. There has also been some evidence of service integration, with services linking together, particularly in the travel and tourism sectors. For example, links now exist between airlines, hotels and car rental services. In addition, there has been a significant increase in retail outlets for the service sector. Outlets such as estate agencies and building society offices are crowding out traditional grocers from major shopping areas.. Channel members Distribution channels can thus have a number of levels. Kotler defined the simplest level, that of direct contact with no intermediaries involved, as the zero-level channel. The next level, the one-level channel, features just one intermediary; in consumer goods a retailer, for industrial goods a distributor, say. In small markets (such as small countries) it is practical to reach the whole market using just one- and zero-level channels. In large markets (such as larger countries) a second level, a wholesaler for example, is now mainly used to extend distribution to the large number of small, neighbourhood retailers In Japan the chain of distribution is often complex and further levels are used, even for the simplest . Channel structure To the various `levels of distribution, which they refer to as the `channel length, Lancaster and Massingham also added another structural element, the relationship between its members: Conventional or free-flow This is the usual, widely recognized, channel with a range of `middle-men passing the goods on to the end-user. Single transaction A temporary `channel may be set up for one transaction; for example, the sale of property or a specific civil engineering project. This does not share many characteristics with other channel transactions, each one being unique. Vertical marketing system (VMS) In this form, the elements of distribution are integrated. The internal market Many of the marketing principles and techniques which are applied to the external customers of an organization can be just as effectively applied to each subsidiarys, or each departments, internal customers. In some parts of certain organizations this may in fact be formalized, as goods are transferred between separate parts of the organization at a `transfer price. To all intents and purposes, with the possible exception of the pricing mechanism itself, this process can and should be viewed as a normal buyer-seller relationship. Less obvious, but just as practical, is the use of `marketing by service and administrative departments; to optimize their contribution to their `customers (the rest of the organization in general, and those parts of it which deal directly with them in particular). In all of this, the lessons of the non-profit organizations, in dealing with their clients, offer a very useful parallel. Channel Decisions Channel strategy Product (or service)CostConsumer location Channel management The channel decision is very important. In theory at least, there is a form of trade-off: the cost of using intermediaries to achieve wider distribution is supposedly lower. Indeed, most consumer goods manufacturers could never justify the cost of selling direct to their consumers, except by mail order. In practice, if the producer is large enough, the use of intermediaries (particularly at the agent and wholesaler level) can sometimes cost more than going direct. Many of the theoretical arguments about channels therefore revolve around cost. On the other hand, most of the practical decisions are concerned with control of the consumer. The small company has no alternative but to use intermediaries, often several layers of them, but large companies do have the choice. However, many suppliers seem to assume that once their product has been sold into the channel, into the beginning of the distribution chain, their job is finished. Yet that distribution chain is merely assuming a part of the suppliers responsibility; and, if he has any aspirations to be market-oriented, his job should really be extended to managing, albeit very indirectly, all the processes involved in that chain, until the product or service arrives with the end-user. This may involve a number of decisions on the part of the supplier: Channel membership Channel motivation Monitoring and managing channels Channel membership Intensive distribution Where the majority of resellers stock the `product (with convenience products, for example, and particularly the brand leaders in consumer goods markets) price competition may be evident. Selective distribution This is the normal pattern (in both consumer and industrial markets) where `suitable resellers stock the product. Exclusive distribution Only specially selected resellers (typically only one per geographical area) are allowed to sell the `product. Channel motivation It is difficult enough to motivate direct employees to provide the necessary sales and service support. Motivating the owners and employees of the independent organizations in a distribution chain requires even greater effort. There are many devices for achieving such motivation. Perhaps the most usual is `bribery: the supplier offers a better margin, to tempt the owners in the channel to push the product rather than its competitors; or a competition is offered to the distributors sales personnel, so that they are tempted to push the product. At the other end of the spectrum is the almost symbiotic relationship that the all too rare supplier in the computer field develops with its agents; where the agents personnel, support as well as sales, are trained to almost the same standard as the suppliers own staff. Monitoring and managing channels In much the same way that the organizations own sales and distribution activities need to be monitored and managed, so will those of the distribution chain. In practice, of course, many organizations use a mix of different channels; in particular, they may complement a direct salesforce, calling on the larger accounts, with agents, covering the smaller customers and prospects. Vertical marketing This relatively recent development integrates the channel with the original supplier producer, wholesalers and retailers working in one unified system. This may arise because one member of the chain owns the other elements (often called `corporate systems integration); a supplier owning its own retail outlets, this being forward integration. It is perhaps more likely that a retailer will own its own suppliers, this being backward integration. (For example, MFI, the furniture retailer, owns Hygena which makes its kitchen and bedroom units.) The integration can also be by franchise (such as that offered by McDonalds hamburgers and Benetton clothes) or simple co-operation (in the way that Marks Spencer co-operates with its suppliers). Alternative approaches are `contractual systems, often led by a wholesale or retail co-operative, and `administered marketing systems where one (dominant) member of the distribution chain uses its position to co-ordinate the other members activities. This has traditionally been the form led by manufacturers. The intention of vertical marketing is to give all those involved (and particularly the supplier at one end, and the retailer at the other) control over the distribution chain. This removes one set of variables from the marketing equations. Other research indicates that vertical integration is a strategy which is best pursued at the mature stage of the market (or product). At earlier stages it can actually reduce profits. It is arguable that it also diverts attention from the real business of the organization. Suppliers rarely excel in retail operations and, in theory, retailers should focus on their sales outlets rather than on manufacturing facilities ( Marks Spencer, for example, very deliberately provides considerable amounts of technical assistance to its suppliers, but does not own them). Horizontal marketing A rather less frequent example of new approaches to channels is where two or more non-competing organizations agree on a joint venture a joint marketing operation because it is beyond the capacity of each individual organization alone. In general, this is less likely to revolve around marketing synergy. LOGISTICS IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food distribution, a method of distributing (or transporting) food from one place to another, is a very important factor in public nutrition. Where it breaks down, famine, malnutrition or illness can occur. During some periods of Ancient Rome, food distribution occurred with the policy of giving free bread to its citizens under the provision of a common good. There are three main components of food distribution: Transport infrastructure, such as roads, vehicles, rail transport, airports, and ports. Food handling technology and regulation, such as refrigeration, and storage, warehousing. Adequate source and supply logistics, based on demand and need. Information logistics In general, it is exactly logistics of information. The field of information logistics aims at developing concepts, technologies and applications for need-oriented information supply. Information-on-demand services are a typical application area for information logistics, as they have to fulfil user needs with respect to content, location, time and quality Information Logistics consists of two words information and logistics. Information can mean a lot of things, but usually is text (syntax with a semantic meaning) and logistics which is the transportation of sth from point A to point B. In a simplified sense is a newsletter information logistics, also an e-mail or even the ordinary mail you receive. Information logistics is concerned with the supply of information to individuals and