Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems

296 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Danish Irfan1, 2, Xu Xiaofei1, and Deng Sheng Chun1 1 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, China 2 Department of Computer Science, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan Abstract: This paper identifies the problems of pakistani enterprises concerning supply chain networks and orders solutions to improving its overall performance and competitiveness.Seldom, a non-trivial amount of research efforts has been made in emergent nations to improve and enhance supply chain management paradigm. Our survey comprised nine enterprises; among them four are successfully modelled and presented. The detailed supply chain structure and study is also made. The paper concludes by suggesting and adopting modelled approach to the corporations in their move towards implementing supply chain management strategies. Keywords: Supply chain, supply chain management, supply chain networks. Received October 14, 2006; accepted April 25, 2007 1. Introduction Supply Chain Management (SCM) has gained ignificance as one of the 21st century’s manufacturing technology and innovative paradigms for improving organizational competitiveness. SCM has been considered a competitive strategy for integrating suppliers and customers with the objective improving response time and flexibility [6]. Competitiveness in today’s marketplace depends closely on the ability of a firm to grip the challenges of reducing lead-time, cost estimation, increasing customer service levels and improving product quality. Conventionally, sourcing, production, distribution and marketing have been working independently. Unfortunately, although they seem to be working owards a common goal, the organizational units have different objectives. Nowadays, the focus is shifting toward digitally integra ted demand and Supply Chain (SC) configurations that are built around establishing networks of relationships between the firm, its suppliers, customers and partner entities. In our paper, we explain the work of different enterprises of pakistan considering their abilities and the SCM key challenges faced in developing their SCM approach. The data utilized for different SCM systems in this paper are derived from large, nationwide and cosmopolitan pakistani corporations, mong them four of which we refer to as enterprises A, B, C and D. Section 1 gives a brief introduction of the four enterprises from SCM perspective. Section 2 describes the related work in SCM. In section 3, we study existing systems and propose the SCM models for each enterprise. Section 4 concludes the study and presents future directions and strategies. 2. Related Work Unfortunately, there is no explicit narration of SCM or its activities in the literature [2]. The ultimate success of firms will depend on managemen t’s ability to integrate the company’s intricate network of business relationships, allowing improved decision making and onsequently, reducing cost and customer response time. SCM is not only this but much more and beyond. SCM concerns neither to minimize nor to maximize but rather to optimize (integration, coordination, variability, uncertainty management and control) processes for the enterprise. An efficient and responsive SCM aims to move from a simple SC Figure 1 (a) to a well structured and extended SC Figure 1 (b). (a) Simple supply chain. (b) Extended supply chain. Figure 1. Supply chain type. Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Literary summary shows the SCM concepts as ollows: centralized vs. decentralized control, business process re-engineering strategies, information distortion, detrimental effect of bullwhip factor, SCM for suppliers and firms performance, incorporating model between supplier and retailer; benefits, impact, influence, activities, challenges to integrated SCM, need for performance measures for support of global supply chain improvement; value of information in a two level SCM; modelling the complexity and dynamics; design and management for SC systems; information sharing; and applications of lean thinking to manufacturing operations [3].Supply chain strategy assessment including sourcing, development of inventory planning and management processes, benchmarking and SC Key Performance Indicators (KPI) collectively approach improvement of SC performance. It combines a strategic approach with practical tactical solutions that save time and money for the consumers. Nowadays, few enterprises are in commencement to adopt SCM to improve their performance and to address their unfavourable inter-organizational purchaser-supplier relationships and disjointed processes. Although SCM in erection is still in its infancy, there is a need for SCM adoption to date and o scrutinize whe ther its maturity matches the key features of such a class of improvement. SCM featuring market saturation driven, operationally agile, consumers customized, logistics optimized and trade focused prioritization are accenture’s successful supply chain strategies which are widely varied but are equally successful [1, 5]. In [4] the SCOR reference model captures the â€Å"as-is† state of the business process with the objective of achieving the desired â€Å"to-be† future state of PTC, pakistan. In the next section we proceed with the modelled SCN schema of the following enterprises. 3. Typical Enterprises Concerning SCM inPakistan In this section, we describe the enterprise structure one by one. Firstly, enterprise ‘A’ describes the SCM phase inspection of certain Vehicle (V). Secondly, enterprise ‘B’ gives proposal of Business to Consumer (B2C) model for development of electrical appliances. Then, enterprise ‘C’ discusses SCM for design and manufacture segments of communication equipment and lastly, enterprise ‘D’ shows the SC mechanism at a research oriented enterprise. We refer to appendix A for acronyms used in this paper. 3. 1. Enterprise ‘A’: SCM Phase Inspection† of Certain Vehicle (V) In this enterprise study, we only focused on the SCM hase inspection of certain Vehicle (V). Its key 297 segments are forecasting, planning, scheduling, demand of components and procurements. The purpose of this phase inspection is to access and evaluate: †¢ Usage of vehicle ‘V’. †¢ Calendar based inspection schedule staggered so as to assure the SC procurement. †¢ Induction of vehicle for inspection in the presently available time. The hierarchy of phase inspection in the enterprise ‘A’ concerning SCM is shown in Figure 2. In Charge Engineering Branch Control Branch Sub Engineering Branch Phase Inspection Branch Figure 2. Hierarchy of phase in spection in enterprise ‘A’.If vehicle usage is more than the specified time then inspection time held is decreased, i. e. , from 10 months to one year. The types of phase inspection as described by OEM along with its codes are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Types of phase inspection as described by OEM. Inspection Code M1 M2 M3 M4 Time (Days) 20 21 22 25 The ‘premeditated maintenance’ branch views the item’s checklist. It receives the current stock levels for a variety of stock types required for inspection and monitors the flow of materials in and out of inventory. All the items are prerequisite before phase inspection’s induction starts.The control branch takes responsibility and forecasts to keep living items recorded and tracks them for timely replacement. It forecasts the processes on three-monthly, six-monthly, yearly and bi-yearly basis. The demand process is initiated by the user and a query is sent to the logistics department. Jet warehou se takes action on demand via Automatic Logistics Management System (ALMS). The demand is processed to the depot for accomplishment; otherwise the item is put on demand from source abroad in consultation with the head office of the department. The SC in phase inspection of the vehicle is shown in Figure 3.It includes procurement agencies, depot Ware Houses (WH), logistics, jet stores, material control and the users. Table 2 shows demand priorities over the lead times of the phase inspection. The ‘designator priority system’ of current enterprise is based on historical assumptions, experience, system log-in, log-out time, intercontinental and local logistics 298 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 in-between lead times and depot area. Here the consumption is based on usage value. Table 2. Demand priorities over the lead times. Demand Priority Code Lead Times (Days) 03 06 13 2 – 13 16 – 17 69 – 84 Alterin g the item criteria for phase inspection is defined as: †¢ Mandatory change items as specified by OEM are forecasted, procured and kept as a kit. †¢ Conditional change items are demanded if the bench checks fail. Firstly, items are sent for Local Repair (LR) and issues Dead-Line-Date (DLD). If it succeeds, items are sent back to procurement department; otherwise a query is placed to the Local Manufacture (LM) department. Automated Logistics Management System – ALMS Automatic inventory management system – AIMS Deport automated inv. management system – DAIMS DAIMS financial management systemAIMS financial management system Purchase order management system – POMS Local purchase management system – LPMS Clothing exchange management system – CEX Catalogue management system – CMS Stowage tracking system – STS Transportation management system -TMS Preservation data collection & analysis system – PDCAS Serialized parts management system – SPMS Calibration management system -CMS Worker training system – WTS Figure 4. Automatic logistics management system. Figure 3. SCM phase inspection of a certain vehicle (V). In the proceeding section we discuss ALMS, an automated system adopted by enterprise ‘A’. 3. 1. 1.Automatic Logistics Management System Automatic Logistics Management System (ALMS) is an interactive, fully automated, incorporating data processing, knowledge base and effective support to all operational units in the organization. It is a family of software implemented on an IBM 3090 machine. Its main functions are inventory and maintenance management. Mainly, it contains a maintenance and supply module as shown in Figure 4. The ALMS characterises the SCM phase which make the whole system. SC modules of ALMS are comprised of Automatic Inventory Management System (AIMS), Deport Automated Inventory Management System (DAIMS), Purchase OrderManagement System (POMS), Loc al Purchase Management System (LPMS), Clothing Exchange Management System (CEX), Catalogue Management System (CMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS). These components results in: †¢ Featuring the whole SC of phase inspection of the enterprise. †¢ Online requisitioning and feed back status. †¢ Auto requisitioning based on demand level. †¢ Assets visibility to all authorized users. †¢ Repairable asset control through Stowage Tracking System (STS). Essential supply reports are made daily on a document register and submitted to higher authorities for completion indication of this phase. Here it oncludes the SCM of phase inspection of Vehicle (V). 3. 2. Enterprise ‘B’: Proposal of Business to Consumer Model for Development of Electrical Appliances Enterprise ‘B’ gives a SCM model for proposal of B2C development of electrical appliances. The main objectives include: †¢ Multiple vendor development for large scale production. †¢ Efficient demand and supply management system. †¢ Self driving automated network. †¢ After sales support network for production support services like spare parts and repair. †¢ Awareness of SC actors. The first objective explains the contingency plan, i. e. , not depending on a single vendor and must have eliable supplier/s. The Main SCM activities of the B2C model for electrical appliance growth are shown in Figure 5. Depending upon product status and type, the customer interaction with the SC can be categorized into three parts. First, in case of complex products e. g. , ship. Customers have to directly contact the manufacturers or the OEM. Second, e. g. , in case of a car, the customer can contact a repair factory and the repair factory or agent can contact the manufacturer. Last, in the example of a desktop computer, the customer contacts with the sales distributors, who further link with the regional suppliers and so on.Developing Approaches of Supply Cha in Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Figure 5. SCM activities flow and coordination in B2C model for development of electrical appliances. Figure 6 describes the use case diagram of the characters of the â€Å"as is† schema of current enterprise. Our main characters include national and regional suppliers, manufacturer, local shop and the customer. 299 In the current system, SCM comprises three main departments: sales and marketing, production and planning control, and procurement and inventory management which serve as the backbone of the SC. The planning phase goes through MRP which checks hat, for whom and how much to order. Capacity planning overviews the additional investment (if any) to meet the targets. Then production planning looks for facilities, technical and transportation phases. Sourcing makes the order scarification. In Bill Of Materials (BOM) it shows the item source code from local and foreign production within the enterprise and then assembles. I t lacks in maintaining a standard of vendor evaluation. The enterprise ‘C’ schema is shown in Figure 7. Figure 6. Case diagram of â€Å"as is† process. The time frame of implementing SCM activities flow is shown in Table 3. The current enterprise chema lacks in customer relationship phase. Regional suppliers must be expanded to give a broader scope for its customers and local retailers. Table 3. Time frame of implementation for different phases. The goal to eliminate the vast majority (costs of receiving, shipping, expediting, data entry, data processing, accounting, and error follow-up) of regional suppliers need Just-In-Time (JIT) interaction with the manufacturer for enhancement of effective SC. 3. 3. Enterprise ‘C’: Design and Manufacture Segments of Long Message Equipment Enterprise ‘C’ discusses design and manufacture segments of long message equipment with the bjective to acquire and develop a sophisticated technological base for long message systems and to enlarge and expand production of components. Durable AS400 system support is available for its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Network (SCN). Figure 7. Design and manufacturing framework for enterprise ‘C’. For ordering, quotations are called and regarding the minimum amount quotation the order is placed. The steps include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Quotations call/ float. Cost comparison statements. Selection of potential customers. Order placement. The Receiving/ storing section receives the items in orm of Semi Knock Down (SKD) and Completely Knock Down (SKD). Right from the main entry of the goods in the enterprise, a receipt is generated against the goods received. The phases include Incoming Good Inspection (IGI), Incoming Goods Forwarding (IGF), Incoming Goods Receiving (IGR), allotting code No’s to items and updating inventory in the system. The Quality Control (QC) of the engineering department ensure s the quality of the received products. The receipts along with the inspected goods are frontward to the store department. Here an inventory code is generated for each item. The make/ deliver ensure alue addition and quality inspection. The question arises why to have an inventory? Our requirements fulfil the answer for the question. First, we want to meet anticipated demand and smooth production requirement. Second, we want to have a buffer of items and avoid stock out. It also takes advantage of the order cycle and hedges against price increase. The business nature of the under discussed 300 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 enterprise can be categorized as â€Å"make-to-order† and â€Å"engineer-to-order†. The customer tells specification and the RandD of the enterprise works on the required emand of its customer. The main work in current enterprise ‘C’ is made on â€Å"inventory turn over† or â₠¬Å"turnaround time calculation†. For this, let inventory turnover be Q, inventory I, sales S, cost C and time taken t for the system. Then Q is defined as number of times a company is able to convert its inventory I into sales during the course of a year. It is calculated by dividing cost of sales by average inventory. Q= C( t ) I( t ) (1) Turnaround time= Cost of goods sold from stock sales during one year (2) Average inventory investment during one year past Table 4. Annual inventory turnover. Year Annual Cost ofGoods Sold ($) Inventory ($) Investment Annual Inventory Turnover 2000 – 01 85692 12312 2001 – 02 2002 – 03 2003 – 04 2004 – 05 77600 99356 50000 65000 14923 21981 9766 15330 6. 96 5. 20 4. 52 5. 12 Average 4. 24 5. 21 Table 4 shows the annual inventory turnover which converts inventory into saleable goods for this product. Most of the inventory is pilled up which also checks sales vs. inventory. The disadvantage of annual inventory turnover shows the block up inventory of the enterprise which could be used for some other purposes in the enterprise. Some of the reasons for the pilling up of inventory show that: This analysis of inventory has revealed the cases for increase in inventory over the years. †¢ Some stock is held to cater for after sales support during the warranty period as well as for providing repair services against invoices. †¢ For items where backup support from the main supplier has been stopped, the enterprise has to keep some inventory to provide backup support to its customers. †¢ In order to meet the spare requirement for customers under the contractual obligations, a certain stock of modules is kept. †¢ Pre-ordered materials that are not converted into sales also add up to stock up inventory. Some items are pilled up due to Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) requirement. The imperfections found in the system are tribulations to manufacturing. First, there is demand of items but no traceability. Demand section is unable to predict the items to fulfill the demand. Second, there is no entry of lead times showing the absence of items from inventory physically. 3. 3. 1. Recommendations for Improvement in Turnover Time of Inventory †¢ All items (sales stores as well as main stores) required after-sales-support during the warranty period may be shifted for the repair (R code) warehouse. The items lying in repair may be xcluded from inventory evaluation. †¢ After the completion of delivery against a project or near the closing of the financial year, if the bulk of the project is delivered, which ever is earlier, the sales and marketing department will transfer an appropriate quantity of modules for backup support during the warranty period to the repair warehouse. †¢ The cost of such items, as worked out by the finance department should be charged to the after sales support account. †¢ When the product is phased out and its backup support i s stopped by the main supplier to other collaborators, the balance of materials for that roduct may be zero valued. †¢ The responsibility of the issuance of material from the repair warehouse should rest with the customer services department. In order to realize some of the struck up funds in the preordered existing inventory of the enterprise, the same may be offered as discounted prices to prospective customers. †¢ Greater emphasis may be given on accurate forecasting to avoid losses resulting from failure to sell pre-ordered material. †¢ The purchase committee should also take care in placing orders against anticipated customer orders. If possible, an agreement should be made with the upplier where it will be bound to take back the materials if the expected customer order is not received. The exercise for obsolescence should be carried out regularly especially after every six months and the materials identified as obsolete should be disposed of to rationalize inven tory value as well as to free storage space. The above SCM study gives opportunity to gain knowledge about: †¢ Envisioning the whole SC and understand its impact on inventory †¢ Cost reduction for a better inventory control †¢ Differentiation between visualizing different ordering types in an enterprise like make to order, ake to engineer and assemble to order etc. , and the same, can be compared with current systems. †¢ Understand how a surplus inventory plays a vital role in lashing up the capital investment of an enterprise (turnover value). Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan †¢ Understand and calculate turnaround value and its benefits by considering the saved investment to be utilized in an additional business opportunity for the same enterprise. †¢ Understand the impact of ABC analysis on Economics Order Quantity (EOC). †¢ Understand the importance and various aspects of oftware utilization for a good inventory management through visibility and traceability of information. †¢ To use jargons of SC and inventory management effectively and confidently while discussing relevant issues in the current enterprise. 301 receives items from the supplier, called the incoming inspection department. Then items go through various phases from a vendor. The targets for incoming inspection are based on acceptance or rejection of the receiving goods. Specifications of the items like standard, grade, dimension, drawing etc. , are given by that particular department‘s program management which require particular components.A conformance report of the product with specifications acts as a base for rejection or acceptance of incoming items. If a regular obsession is bought then it only needs an OEM certificate. 3. 4. Enterprise ‘D’: SC Mechanism at a Research Enterprise Enterprise ‘D’ embraces the Planning and Production Control (PPC) department, logistics, supplier, log warehouse, QC and demand department for completion of its SCM. It adopts a Supplier Quality Management (SQM) system in the enterprise. Its significance concludes: †¢ The enterprise demands very high standards of its products and in-time delivery of the components. Failure of hardware or software in the business can be calamitous. †¢ Implementation of quality system model AS9100 Quality Management System (QMS) for quality assurance in design, development, production and installation. AS9100 QMS is being used for supplier support. For this, the enterprise provides modern equipment and training for its suppliers. AS9100 was formed to bring all of its vendors to one platform for production of a high standard product. SQM system starts with the implementation of the Master Production Schedule (MPS) of the enterprise. It maintains a database of all suppliers for supplier performance analysis.By communication, it makes a confirmation that synchronization exists betw een the production and supplier components, happening at component level by using cards. The components which are falling short or at production line are mentioned by the card. The components at assembly are measured by the operator who accordingly upgrades and passes it to the logistics department, manually or through the ERP system. The logistics department has visibility about components falling short or in excess. It sends orders to its suppliers whether they bring items internationally or locally. How does quality play an important role in SCM?The system not only ensures JIT delivery but also ensures the right quality of product has been delivered. The QMS works for Quality Control (QC), Quality Assurance (QA) and supplier evaluation system. The link to SC is built through the QC department which Figure 8. SCM pyramid for research enterprise. The focus on supplier control in AS9100 QMS machine gives globalization, diversity of regional requirements, challenges of assuring quali ty of products and suppliers throughout the world and intime delivery. Various vendors/ suppliers or tiers are distributed all over the world, so it is very difficult to align them at ne quality level. Figure 8 shows SCM pyramid tiers for this research enterprise. In the current enterprise, tier 1 produces the vehicle, tier 2 concerns in the software development and tier 3 deals with component assembly and so on. Now, how do we assure that all of these tiers are manufacturing products at a quality and attuned with the standards, or according to the pattern given by the organization? For assurance and conformation of the above scenario, we apply the demand-pull logic of JIT theory. For its deployment, multitasking is ensured, various components are being manufactured at various vendors nd they are required for final assembly. MPS is made commune to all vendors. Since the enterprise status is online, all the components are brought in time to final assembly and fabricated and then deli vered to customers. The current enterprise’s MPS is analyzed on the basis of orders, forecasting, and capacity. It depends upon the size of this period and ABC classification of the supplier. The demand planning shows the supplier visibility/ negotiation and the cumulative lead time of the system. The system SC cycle contains the works orders which are issued on the basis of MPS and orders. The job ards play an important role in this scenario. 302 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 for quality, supplier training, seminar/ exhibition, supplier quality audit and supplier improvement strategies. Hence, we conclude adaptation of the most promising innovations enabled by the modern ITenhanced SCM systems. The modelled approach of the SCM system provides a foundation for future experimentation with prospect scenarios and strategies. Acknowledgments Anonymous reviewers are acknowledged. This work was supported by the National Key Techn ology R andD Program of China (Grant No. 2006BAH02A09) and the High Technology R and D Program of China (Grant No. 2006AA04Z165). PhD Scholarship for Mr. Danish Irfan is awarded by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Pakistan. Figure 9. JIT pull logic for customer demand. References [1] 4. Conclusions Our current exertion demonstrates that SCM can make a huge impact on the enterprise’s bottom line and customer’s satisfaction level. In the enterprise ‘A’ study, the schema needs design enhancement. Alteration of â€Å"lead time† and â€Å"cycle time† is desired to be minimized and optimized further.Enterprise ‘B’ needs to improve the customer relationships. Regional suppliers must be expanded to give a broader scope for its customers and local retailers. Regional suppliers also need JIT interaction with the manufacturer for enhancement of effective SC. In Enterprise ‘C’, we conclude that the SCM structu re can be made easy by categorization of the items, focused lead times for delivery, cost and quality to acquire and develop a sophisticated technological base for enlarging and expansive production of components. Delivery target of the product to customer is scheduled keeping the view main items in our designed SCM.Thus, it also enables managers to reduce their cost through more effective contract negotiations. Concerned managers now can direct that class A items may be reviewed frequently to reduce the average-lot size and to keep their inventory records accurate. In Enterprise ‘D’, SC targets its goals by making demand visibility through an online ERP system. It has compressed time and breaks down barriers for the top management/ leadership of the enterprise. It has also learnt the organization as working together and teamwork brings up an active SC domino effect. The effective SC has also lead the enterprise to break down arriers by efficient communication, initial planning meetings, communication during contract, partnership [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tompkins J. , â€Å"Beyond Supply Chain Management,† Supply Chain Management Review, http://www. scmr. com/article/CA629657. html, 2000. Cooper M. , Lambert D. , and Pagh J. , â€Å"Supply Chain Management: More than a New Name for Logistics,† The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-13, 1997. Hurst B. and Jennifer J. , â€Å"A Network Based Methodology to Model Supply Chain Systems,† PhD Thesis, The University of Iowa, 2002. Irfan D. , Xiaofei X. , and Shengchun D. , â€Å"ASCOR Reference Model of the Supply Chain Management System in an Enterprise,† International Arab Journal of Information Technology, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 292-299, 2008. Saad M. , Jones M. , and James P. , â€Å"A Review of the Progress Towards the Adoption of Supply Chain Management (SCM) Relationships in Construction,† European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Manageme nt, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 173183, September 2002. Wu J. , Ulieru M. , Cobzaru M. , and Norrie D. , â€Å"Supply Chain Management Systems: State of the Art and Vision,† in Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Management of Innovation and Technlogy (ICMIT), pp. 59-764, 2000. Danish Irfan is a PhD scholar in School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include data clustering applications, business intelligence, and SCM. Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Xu Xiaofei is a professor and dean of School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include computer integrated manufacturing system, database systems, supply chain management, agile virtual enterprises, management nd decision information system, and knowledge engineering. He has published more than 200 academic papers. He is the stand ing member of the Council of China Computer Federation, member of the Expert Group for Discipline of Computer Science and Technology in the Academic Degree Committee of China State Council. 303 Deng Sheng Chun is an associate professor in School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include computer integrated manufacturing system, supply chain management, business intelligence, and data mining applications.

How to Balance Penn Foster Studies with Work and Family Demands

Pre writing for the process Analysis Essay Topic: Balancing Penn Foster studies with work and family demands. ————————————————- My name is Karissa Gumbs. I am a beautiful and vibrant young adult. I born in the month of July in the beautiful island of Anguilla. ————————————————- An online course was the last thing on my mind. When I told my parents about it they thought it was a marvellous idea and they started to encourage me. My siblings thought it was also a great idea.They said that it was going to be a challenge but in the end you will succeed. When I finally made the decision to get my Associates Degree my family agreed. ————————————————- A year has passed and now I am realizing how difficult it is to balance my studies, work, and family demands. Whenever I return home from work it seems as though my day have barely started. I spend time helping with cleaning, gardening, and paying bills. ————————————————-Regardless of all this I need to complete an assignment that is due in three days. Around 9:00 pm is the only time I get to do this. ————————————————- Besides all of this, in my free time I like to browse the internet, sing, dance, watch television, travel, and spend time with family and friends. ————————————————- Some of the places I have travel to are: St lucia, St kitts, Costo rico, Panama, Mi ami, florida. One of the places I will like to visit is the Netherlands. ———————————————— Something I always wanted to do in life is to have my own business in electronics. ————————————————- In the near future I would like to get married and have a family. ————————————————- I love the idea of doing my Penn foster degree online it allows me to take my time and go at my own pace. Rather than having to attend the school in person. ————————————————-On a daily basis at work if it is really slow at times I would walk with my assignment and try my be st to keep myself occupied rather than just having to sit there surfing the internet. By doing this I try to complete my assignments ahead of time. To maintain my daily activities I created a schedule and worked out a plan which I can make best use. When things come up unexpectedly, having a schedule is a good way to manage time that is why I started a daily schedule and I took a hour out of each day to my studies.

Summary of “Saved by the Kindness of Virtual Stranger”

Summary of â€Å"Saved by the Kindness of Virtual Stranger† In this article entitled â€Å"Saved by the Kindness of a Virtual Stranger†, the writer describes his wife benefited from unexpected gift which change her life. He found out that her wife would need a kidney transplant within two years, so he tried to search of new medicine that helps her. The doctors explained that her best opportunity to regain her health was to receive a living kidney. The challenge was to find a healthy donor with same blood type .Otherwise; she must wait for 5 years for a cadaveric transplant. He couldn’t donate to her wife because the blood type was different also there were no candidates from her family and they need help but how to ask people to give up a kidney. They decided to ask their friend some agreed to be tested, but all of them eliminated in the first stage. Then one night when he was with Carolyn Hodges†friend from the work† on the train, he despairingly tol d her his wife situation.Next day she told him that she and her husband John were O blood type and they are ready to be tested as potential matches. Carolyn was eliminated shortly but John who they barely knew was the best available choice, despite that there was a resistance from his family members and friends . They ask â€Å"why should someone in good health donate for someone who hardly knows? †, but John believes that this is the way to make the world a better place and also he can save a human life .The procedure required two operating rooms with 20 person in surgical team and both was booked for two months. One week later there was a cancellation and they received word one afternoon to go to the hospital and the operation is next day morning. The operation was a success and the new kidney was working very well. John spent a few weeks to recover , and able to resume his normal life . They will never forget the selfless gift from john and they have learned that miracles come in myriad forms, including human, and john and his wife are living proof.

Role of e-commerce in todays business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Role of e-commerce in todays business - Essay Example The majority of business organizations perceive electronic commerce as application of the Internet or the electronic platforms as a platform to sell and promote products, services and goods to the customers. However, this constricted description of the e-commerce only describes the Internet based commerce. In actual point of fact, e-commerce contains a wide variety of other aspects as well. In this scenario, e-commerce can be defined as the electronic transactions for trading information, products, services, goods and payments along with additional processes such as the development and protection of Web-based associations. In this scenario, it can be said that electronic commerce encompasses a number of attributes and entities and it is not limited to only some entities such as the Internet, extranets, intranets, electronic data interchange (EDI), and various others. Some of the well-known instances of e-commerce comprise communications and collaboration with business associates and customers like that inventory management, transaction processing by means of electronic payment, customer self-service like that allowing them to track order status as well as researching problem resolution, and making use of a business intranet for omnipresent information sharing (Fruhling & Digman, 2000). Until recently e-commerce has transformed into a completely new form of business. Internet has changed the way people think and carry out their daily routines everyone simply wants to shop and order from their home using their personal computer, all with a single click. Moreover the latest tools and gadgets which are available online have...The emergence of the Internet has resulted in devising numerous ways through which business can be conducted online. An Internet business lets expert individuals to put forward their knowledge to others or to make money by advertising specific merchandise. An e-commerce business requires selling merchandise by means of the Internet. One common e-commerce enterprise involves recording merchandise for sale on auction websites, for instance eBay.com. Another process is drop shipping, where you work as a distributor for a company’s products by selling them at a raised price. E-commerce has been a foremost matter of internet for the last one decade. The concern in e-commerce has reached its zenith during the premature years of 2000. In this model there is a straight online transaction between the buyer and seller. The brokerage models fetch together the buyers and sellers but do not necessarily take part in any form of transaction. This model has seen the most advanced and is also anticipated to continue improvise in the coming years. This paper has discussed various examples of industries where the use of e-commerce has revolutionized the industry. This paper has also discussed a number of advantages offered by the e-commerce. This research concludes that the use of e-commerce is essential in order to endure and grow in this ever-increasing competitive business environment. Hence, in this cut-throat struggle, an interactive user friendly and determined website in the form of online shops can produce good business. E-commerce is an ideal platform for niche products.

The Hierarchical Structure of The Court System in England and Wales Essay

The Hierarchical Structure of The Court System in England and Wales - Essay Example The Civil Division of the Court of Appeal handles any appeals about decisions taken by the High Court. The subcategory of Chancery Division, Companies Court handles cases about business swindles, company disagreements, bankruptcy, organizational administration and disentitlement of directors. Patents Courts, second subcategory of Chancery Division handles cases about scholarly possessions, copyrights, government grants and trademarks. The Divisional Court, the third subpart of Chancery Division handles cases about ‘equity and trusts’, ‘controversial probates’, ‘tax partnerships’ and liquidation (Jones, 2011). The Family Division handles cases about marital issues like guardianship of children, family, espousal, parental accommodation, domestic sadism, breakage of relationships, and termination of marital agreements, divorces, and medical handling situations (Elliot & Thomas 2011). The Queen’s Bench Division is divided into Administrative Court, Admiralty Court, Commercial Court, Mercantile Court, and Technology and Construction Court. The Administrative Court is responsible for hearing the legal reassessments, legislative cases and claims, and claims that come under the category of cases according to ‘Drug Trafficking Act 1984’ and the ‘Criminal Justice Act 1988’. The Administrative Court also supervises the courts and tribunals inferior to it about legitimized decisions. It also supports localized establishments, ‘Ministries of the Crown’ and public authorities in legal decision-making (Elliot & Thomas 2011). The Admiralty Court is responsible for handling disagreements related to nautical and shipment issues such as accidents, rescue, transportation of... This essay mostly focuses on the analysis of the hierarchal structure of court system of England and Wales, that can be noticed today as divided into five levels. Supreme Court also called previously as House of Lords and Judicial Committee of the Privy Council are at first level, Court of Appeal is on the second level, High Court on third, Crown Court and County Courts on four and Magistrates’ Courts and Tribunals Services are at fifth level. The researcher then concludes that the court system in England and Wales is divided into certain levels starting from Supreme Court to the Tribunals and Magistrates’ Courts. The researcher then discusses each level and provides recommendations as to how to understand and differentiate each one. Supreme Court is the highest most court of the court system. Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is also of top level. The second in hierarchy is the Court of Appeal followed by Criminal and Civil Divisions. Magistrates’ Courts a nd Tribunals that are at the last level of hierarchy of court system follow Crown Court and County Courts at forth level. The decisions from lower courts can be appealed in the higher courts. However, the binding precedent cannot be appealed as it is a decision that is taken by a higher court and can be reused if the judges find a similar case with similar issues and facts. If a judge at a lower level of court system does not follow the binding precedent in giving a decision, the case can be appealed at a higher level.

The First Time I Felt in Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The First Time I Felt in Love - Essay Example Joe was talking to me but I could not hear a word he was saying. I just looked at the girl he was with, and could not believe my eyes. Eventually he introduced her to me. Her name was Alexandra and she had long, light brown hair that she kept tucking behind her ear in a childish way, as if she wanted to concentrate more on our conversation. She had kind eyes, with an unusual golden brown color that matched her hair, and a dreamy look. Alexandra seemed like an exotic name to me. I wondered where her family came from, to give her such a beautiful name to match her stunning appearance. She was almost exactly the same age as Joe and me, but somehow she seemed older. I don’t remember how Joe introduced her, but I do remember how she looked at me kindly and pulled me into the entrance hall, out of the pouring rain. Her touch was like fire on my elbow, and I was mesmerized by her beautiful smile. If there is such a thing as love at first sight, then surely this was it. Joe seemed not to notice how amazing this girl was, and certainly she was not at all proud or arrogant, as so many attractive girls tend to be. Her skin was extremely pale, and she had long, slender fingers that moved gracefully when she talked. She was about a head shorter than me, and very slim. Something about her reminded me of a deer, or a gazelle, because she moved very lightly on her feet. She wore quite ordinary clothes, and I noticed that her sneakers were well worn, and decidedly casual in style. Normally I prefer girls who wear smart clothes and makeup, but Alexandra was different. Her face looked perfectly natural, and every expression that passed over her features seemed to fit perfectly with her whole being. When she smiled, her eyes smiled too, and she had a slight twist to the mouth that suggested she knew more than she was saying, but there was nothing bad in that. This incredible truthfulness is perhaps her most startling quality. After a while Joe had to leave for a sports sess ion, and I could not believe my luck that I was now alone with Alexandra. The overwhelming feeling that swept over me was anxiety. I desperately wanted to make a good impression, but somehow it was difficult to speak. My mouth was dry and I could hardly think of anything to say. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, and so I said very little at first. Fortunately she was more confident and she started asking questions about me. We discovered that our birthdays were in the same month, and she told me that she was moving into my school because her father had just been posted to a new job here. Her voice was gentle, with a light, and happy tone, but still quite serious at the same time. We went to the local cafe, at my suggestion, and I chose a spot in the corner where I could sit opposite her and look into her eyes. The fear began to disappear and instead I could feel a warmth inside my body, as if a big heater had been turned on in the room, to remove all traces of the dampn ess outside. She made me feel calm and strong, and I think this is because we talked so naturally together, like best friends from the very first moment. I watched her drink a large cup of milky coffee. The cup seemed huge and heavy in her hand, and I immediately felt protective towards her. On that day of our first meeting I hardly dared hope that she would agree to be my girlfriend, and so I just sat there drinking in the loveliness of her smile, and

Strategic Management of International Enterprises ( Adidas ) Essay

Strategic Management of International Enterprises ( Adidas ) - Essay Example Moreover, establishing strong brand image and a sustainable business position in the global business environment is also a common and widely practiced motivational factor for the multinationals, which can frequently be observed in the recent pace of globalisation2. In keeping with the unconventional trend of internationalisation of the multinationals, the primary aim of this report is to critically analyse the strategic directions and practices of Adidas Group, a German based footwear manufacturing giant in the present global business environment. In order to critically assess the strategic direction of the company, the report would focus on examining the international operations of Adidas that led the company to sustain its dominant position in the global footwear manufacturing and marketing industry. Moreover, the report also critically evaluates issues surrounding its future strategic endeavours. In this context, the report focuses on identifying potential issues driven by the current business trends and develops effective measures that can enable Adidas to uphold its competitive position in the global footwear business industry. Founded in the year 1920, the Adidas Group (Adidas) is a highly valued and a renowned brand operating in the industrial periphery of manufacturing footwear and sports apparels for both men and women. The company is highly envisioned with the aim of being as the dominant marketer in providing best portfolio of sports brands to the customers across the different global markets3. The corporate strategy of Adidas significantly incorporates a wide range of strategic measures that ensures to build its strong and sustainable position in the competitive sports goods business industry. In relation to the current business performance of the company, the corporate strategies can be observed to play a crucial role for Adidas to build its strong brand position in the present

Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Agriculture - Essay Example I also ate kales, carrots and potatoes for lunch. Supper comprised of rice and beef. On the second day, I ate oat porridge and eggs for breakfast, chicken and soybeans for lunch. Supper included potatoes, pumpkin and beef. For both days, I ate bananas, grapes and apples and drank orange juice in between meals. The source of the foods included groceries and stores. Kales, carrots, potatoes, apples and oranges were purchased from groceries while bread, chicken, rice, soybeans, oats and, beef, milk, pumpkin and eggs were purchased from stores. My experience with the assignment is that I got the opportunity to know the various kinds of foods that are grown and processed in the United States. The assignment also gave me a deeper understanding of natural foods and processed food. I further got to discover that there are many foods on the market that have additives and which pose a threat to people’s health. In general, my experience was explorative. In terms of shopping, I managed to shop differently. I was keen on checking the state of the food and the ingredients that had been used in processing. I read more labels with the aim of comparing the ingredients in similar foods from different processing companies. I was also keen on establishing the kind of additives that had been used for instance for preservation and flavoring purposes. At the sores, I asked more questions. For example, I asked about how the foods were transported from their source to the groceries and stores. I also asked what the storekeepers and gro cery owners did to ensure food remained fresh and in good shape. I further inquired whether other consumers were concerned about where the food they purchased came from. During the process, I managed to change my definition of ‘local’ to include additives. The new definition, therefore, became foods that are grown within the Unites States of America and which contain additives that are locally manufactured.

What is an organization and why are managers important to an Essay

What is an organization and why are managers important to an organization's success - Essay Example A setting is recognized as an organization if it is created with a certain purpose that is unique to the organization. No organization can ever exist until and unless there are people within the organization because these people are responsible for attaining the purpose for which it was created. Lastly these organizations follow a particular structure to help members of the organization in recognizing their roles and tasks. For example: a school comprises of strict structure in which the school is head by the principal and the principals have certain number of supervisors that are answerable to the principle and who ensure that the aims set by the principle are followed by the teachers. The teachers are answerable to the supervisors and the teachers are responsible for ensuring that the students follow the instructions of the teachers in order to attain the aims that were initially constructed by the principle. All these individuals that work for the attainment of the purpose of orga nization are recognized as managers and these managers are responsible for the performance and the growth of the organization. All the duties that were highlighted for different individuals of an organization fall in the category of management and management is simply defined as the task of a manager. Management constitutes of supervising different tasks carries out by different members of an organization with the objective of ensuring that these tasks are being carried in an effective and efficient manner and this task of supervising the work of others differentiates an individual holding a managerial position from those who work on non-managerial positions (Fleming 9). When managers are involved in the act of ensuring that others in the organization operate in an efficient manner, they make sure that the best possible outcomes are achieved with the investment of least possible resources. This is mainly because managers have to

Discovery Of The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 109

Discovery Of The World - Essay Example Initial education on world tours captures the role of Columbus as a first explorer, which is not accurate because of the existence of data suggesting there were other voyagers before him who explored the world and discovered most of the places he is credited for. The involvement of Columbus in Hispaniola indicates the cruel nature of his approach. The killing of the inhabitants of the area was a genocide event because it led to suffering to the people of Hispaniola. The direct involvement of his men in the death of the locals indicates criminal liability of Columbus. In addition, the action taken by Columbus and his voyages in the area can be charged in the modern world as the violation of human rights. Columbus is a villain and not a hero because he is credited for what he did not achieve. Likewise, he is involved in actions and events that are not related to heroism. The involvement in battles in order to claim the lands and wealth of others is an indication of the challenge of res pect for humans.