Literary Analysis Of Emily Griersons Death In Faulkner

This is a gothic tale following a tragic figure spanning nearly three decades. .Emily Grierson a penniless spinster not of her own choosing enumerating her life journey into isolation and psychosis. The last of the aristocratic Grierson family who called the town of Jefferson home nestled in Yoknapatawpha County Mississippi. She is unable to move forward with a changing time as she clings to her family’s former privileged social status, as a result she cannot let go of the past. The townsfolk collectively narrates the story first person through gossip and hearsay. Rich in imagery the story is told non-linear fashion, making great use of both flashback and fore-shadowing in five parts. In essence temporal jumps from the present to past and†¦show more content†¦Nevertheless, Emily proves to be a strong willed person treating the men sent to collect taxes from her away like children. The story draws from the past a similar situation â€Å"That was two years earlier after her fa-ther’s death and a short time after her sweetheart-the one we believed would marry her-had de-serted her† (Faulkner 310). When her sweet heart leaves, she begins periods of seclusion. Tobe, her manservant is described as coming to and fro from the house with the market basket. Her house and property begin to smell bad. For this reason, the townsfolk believe it is due to Tobe being a man does not belong in the kitchen essentially making it foul or he likely killed an animal in the yard. After more complaints and the younger alderman insisting on confronting Emily Judge Stevens responds â€Å"Dammit sir, will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?† (Faulkner 311) and he sends men to her property at night to spread lime as not to embarrass her by doing it during daylight. Here is another example of tradition dictating the action and trump-ing modernity. In this li ght, I get the clear sense the older generation of townsfolk are enablers of Emily. Although the townsfolk knew of Emily’s great aunt going mad years earlier they ignored Emily’s outward signs of a fragile metal state. Thus, they simply chalk it up as southern debu-tante eccentricities of privilege. To illustrate, her denial of her father’s death when â€Å"Miss Emily met them at theShow MoreRelated The Role of the Watch in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily1199 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of the Watch in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Even the casual reader of William Faulkner will recognize the element of time as a crucial one in much of the writers work, and the critical attention given to the subject of time in Faulkner most certainly fills many pages of criticism. A goodly number of those pages of criticism deal with the well-known short story, A Rose for Emily. 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In th e short story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† WilliamRead MoreEssay A Rose for Emily: Literary Analysis 2990 Words   |  4 PagesENG 102 Analysis Research Paper 09-25-10 Literary Analysis William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† carries a theme represented by a dying breed of that era, while using symbolism to represent tragedy, loneliness and some form of pride, the story also shows how far one will go to have the approval of others and the pursuit of happiness. In today’s times, a person’s image could mean everything in life and almost everyone tries to fit into the main stream in some form at some pointRead More Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay2369 Words   |  10 PagesFaulkners short story is the relationship between the past and present in Emily Grierson, the protagonist. She did not accept the passage of time throughout all her life, keeping everything she loved in the past with her. The story shows Emilys past and her family story. This information explains her behaviour towards time. Firstly, her fathers lack of desire to move on into the future and his old-fashioned ways kept Emily away from the changing society and away from any kind of social relationship: Read MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model†

What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago’s villainy Free Essays

The play Othello is a stereotypical Shakespearean tragedy and it uses characters that are stereotypical of the views people had during the Jacobean period. Othello is a tragedy because the main characters die at the end f the play, also throughout the play themes of prejudice; deceit and love/hate are introduced. Shakespeare has used other sources other that his imagination for his plays. We will write a custom essay sample on What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago’s villainy? or any similar topic only for you Order Now ‘Othello’ was thought to have been taken from Hecatommithi, a collection of Italian short stories written by Giraldi Cinthio, the story seven contains many of the same names and situations as in Othello. In this essay I will analyze and comment on how Shakespeare uses techniques to reveal Iago’s villainy. I will look at what effects the techniques Shakespeare uses have on the way Iago is presented to the audience. In act 2 scene 3 ‘Othello’ we can clearly see the way Iago uses his surreptitious mind to persuade Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Casio. Due to Iago’s manipulation of Othello, Othello starts to doubt Desdemona’s loyalty and becomes under Iago’s control. Iago uses a sly way to get Othello’s attention and get him to believe what he has to say is true, he uses phrases such as â€Å"my noble lord† using both a personal pronoun by saying â€Å"my† and flattery by calling Othello his â€Å"noble lord† which would be taken as a huge compliment. Othello interestedly says â€Å"what dost thou say, Iago?† Iago the produces a question â€Å"Did Michael Cassio, when you woo’d my lady know of your love?† which is, in this case, the first question to doubt Othello’s mind. Othello replies with â€Å"he did, from first to last, why dost thou ask?† meaning Cassio did know about their love, Othello is a it confused by the question so asks Iago why he asked, Iago then sneakily continues with â€Å"but for satisfaction of my thought, no further harm† and this is to keep Othello interested but still in doubt of what’s going on and what’s the point of it all. Iago used techniques of withholding information, this gets Othello curious as to why Iago is so inquisitive, this makes Othello frustrated by Iago’s confusing answers, he demands an answer, this makes the audience feel Othello is not as good character as he seemed and Iago is not as clever as he previously thought. Othello is very clever in the way that he tells Iago , â€Å"yes, and went between us very oft† here he tries to get information out of Iago about what’s going on because Othello had been incidentally reminded but Iago that Cassio has easy and frequent access to Desdemona so therefore senses that Iago is lying, which causes Iago to repeat his words out of coyness â€Å"honest my lord†, Iago is then worried that he had gone too far and saves himself with a brief answer to Othello my lord, for aught I know†. However Othello can’t be fooled that easily and still suspects something is going on and therefore assumed Iago is withholding information, so asks â€Å"what dost thou think?† Othello then falls deeper into his daze of doubt and tells Iago that he knows there is more to it that meets the eye, â€Å"nay there’s more in this.† Iago then tells Othello he is known of being false and nasty but it is what he has seen and heard â€Å"why say they are vilet false†, and Iago says to Othello that he doesn’t want to tell him, but needs to â€Å"it is my natures plague to spy into abuse† Iago tells Othello his story. Although Iago is careful not to say anything that could later be used against him, Othello becomes angry and annoyed, yet upset at what he thinks has happened, â€Å"†¦he echoes me, as if there were some monster in his thought too hideous to be shown† but then Iago cleverly ends the subject with â€Å"my lord, you know I love you† so that he can then bring it up later, and at the same time establishes Othello’s trust in him. After a long conversation with each other, Iago becomes more persuasive towards Othello, he tries to get Othello to agree with him but also leaving a bit of doubt in what he says â€Å"†¦I think that he is honest†, which Othello automatically believes he is honest if Iago says so, because he trusts him so much and at the time, is believing everything Iago is saying. Also that words Iago uses is important in the persuasion, such as â€Å"men should be what they seem† and â€Å"†¦ I think Cassio’s an honest man†, the significance of these words is important because Iago is leaving no evidence and is making sure he is not saying anything that other characters in the play, including Othello can use against him as evidence to prove he is a villain. This makes the readers feel slightly intimidated by the character Iago; he is cunning and devious and is very clever at carrying out his plans toward Othello. Shakespeare uses specific techniques to show that the manipulation of other characters by Iago. Iago makes the characters in the play believe he is honest when in fact he is deceiving them and is going behind their backs to turn others against them. For example, in act 3 scene 3 â€Å"my noble lord†. Iago is gaining Othello’s trust by using personal pronouns and addressing him as if they were the best of friends. By gaining Othello’s trust, Iago thinks Othello will listen to him more and is more likely to believe what he is saying. By having this advantage of being able to influence what Othello does and says, the other characters wouldn’t know what Iago is doing; but with Othello being in charge, Iago technically has control over the other characters by being able to influence Othello’s decisions. He later then says â€Å"o beware, my lord of jealousy† in this statement Iago is making Othello think about Cassio trying to get with Desdemona because he is jealous of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. One of Iago’s techniques is to find the characters’ weaknesses and use it against them. One example of this is when Iago discovers Cassio’s weakness was alcohol; Cassio leaves Iago on his own, this gives him time to explain to the audience what he is planning to do. â€Å"If I can fasten but one cup on him†¦ He’ll be full of quarrel and offence† Then convinced him to have a few more drinks, he got drunk and started fighting. Iago did this because he wanted to get moved up ranking and wanted Cassio’s position so was trying to get him fired. Typical views of Italian men in the renaissance period involve scheming, and devious behavior. Shakespeare created Iago based on the personality traits of a typical Italian stereotype, Machiavelli. Machiavelli did anything it took to get to the top, much like Iago, who was willing to kill people so he could get a higher position, he was also deceitful and devious like Machiavelli because of his two faced treachery. Iago manages to persuade characters in the play to do things that will benefit him, things that they would not normally do, one of the main victims of this particular type of manipulation is Othello, and Iago manages to [persuade Othello to kill Desdemona, the love of his life! He does this by using persuasive techniques such as reverse intention, this occurs throughout the play, when Othello and Iago are talking about Cassio’s dream Othello shouts â€Å"monstrous† but Iago then says â€Å"nay† trying to imply it was only a dream, therefore minimizing the significance, at least, this is what Iago would theoretically be trying to do, however in this case he is actually trying to make Othello suspect more than a dream. At this point the audience know Iago is the villain because of the recent goings on in the play relating to trying get Cassio drunk, and his monologues so realize what he is trying to do. Another instance of reverse intention is when Iago states â€Å"let her live† he puts the idea of killing Desdemona in Othello’s mind despite never mentioning it in the first place. Iago purposely uses long sentences so Othello only notices the points he wants him to notice, subtly disguising the hints he imploys to imply Desdemona’s guilt, â€Å"I do beseech though I perchance and vicious in my guess ( as I confess it is my natures plague they spy into my abuses and of my jealousy shape faults that are not)-that your wisdom from one that is so imperfectly conceits would not notice, nor build yourself a trouble out of his scattering and unsure observance†, Although the character Iago is saying he is vicious in his guess, and then tries to accuse Othello of mistakenly imagining things, he is basically trying to avoid having to say something unpleasant, trying to direct Othello away from the point that was made. The commentary then gets Othello confused, he asks, â€Å"What dost thou mean?† Iago then has tie plain it, quite distressing Othello, it makes Othello think Iago is accusing him of a life of jealousy which he gets quite offended by. In the play, Shakespeare purposely structures it Iago’s villainy it revealed at the end, if this were not the case, and the characters realized Iago’s villainy at the beginning or earlier on in the play, there would be no storyline, the play is only based around two days, here would be no themes of deceit, death, heartbreak and villainy, so structuring the play in this way was the best way of presenting the tragedy. Also, because the play was only based on two days, this would not gave given Desdemona any time to be unfaithful to Othello, therefore undermining the belief for Othello’s guilt. Iago is clever by covering his deception by never saying anything that he would think Othello would take offence to or not believe, he only says things he knows Othello is thinking anyway so he doesn’t get himself into trouble, he never even suggests anything he just presents them as mere ideas so people have nothing to blame on him later on it the play † to grosses issues, nor larger reach than to suspicion† Iago is urging Othello to take a different course of action in certainty he is only planting the idea in his mind. Racism and prejudice would be a difficult theme to portray if Iago’s villainy was revealed at the beginning, Othello would never befriend a known villain because he is hated enough for his race, he feels alien to Desdemona and his other characters n the play, â€Å"his own clime, complexion and degree†, this makes Othello feel alienated, â€Å"set on thy wife†, Othello has moved from feeling fine to feeling low, he sunk very quickly after Iago mentioned he is different to Desdemona, he took things to heart easily and took offence very easily. Until the end, Othello has no suspicion towards Iago’s villainy, this is strange as Iago is trying to turn Othello against his beloved wife, he tries to imply this has cheated on him, he is jealous and he is imagining things, all false accusations, yet Othello notices nothing, because of the repeated use of the word honest when talking about Iago. How to cite What techniques does Shakespeare use to reveal Iago’s villainy?, Papers

ASEAN in the late 1960s

Question: Discuss about the Article for ASEAN in the late 1960s? Answer: According to me, the suitable theory that explains the creation of ASEAN in the late 1960s are the wants and longing of the state actors to organize an economic foundation common to all that has the capability to secure the growth. They desire to promote their own self-interests on the weaker economies when they had a confrontation with developing economies like Japan and China on the international platform. This desire has proved both beneficial and non-beneficial to ASEAN. It has gained an influential position with the engagement with Japan and China.[1] However, it has given the opportunity to the said countries to take active participation in the process of discussion. I believe that ASEAN will be in the forefront in the economic perspective. However, it will not play a major role in the diplomatic issues or problems of the region. ASEAN lacks the capability to administer decisions on the actors to pursue their policies freely. Therefore, it can be a major obstacle to them.[2] On the other hand, if they ignore the policies, it will be disadvantageous to them. ASEAN must have the power to enforce decisions to achieve an authoritative position. However, to achieve the power, ASEAN will lose the support of its member states, which places a premium on sovereignty at the individual level. References Chakraborty and A. Kumar, "ASEAN And China: New Dimensions In Economic Engagement",China Report48, no. 3 (2012): 327-349. Jorge L. Contreras, "Divergent Patterns Of Engagement In Internet Standardization: Japan, Korea And China",Telecommunications Policy38, no. 10 (2014): 914-932. [1] Chakraborty, D., and A. Kumar. "ASEAN And China: New Dimensions In Economic Engagement".China Report48, no. 3 (2012): 327-349. [2] Contreras, Jorge L. "Divergent Patterns Of Engagement In Internet Standardization: Japan, Korea And China".Telecommunications Policy38, no. 10 (2014): 914-932.

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE Essay Example For Students

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE Essay THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE Essay resulted from the fear that the United States would lose its free trade rights in the Louisiana territory. America had an agreement with Spain for free trade rights that resulted from Pickneys treaty of 1795 which granted American farmers the right to ship cargoes without paying tolls. Spain granted American merchants the right to transport goods from New Orleans to Atlantic ports without paying export duties. Since trading the Louisiana territory to France for land in Europe, Spain no longer controlled the area there for it voided all agreements for the free trade of America in the Louisiana area. With the fear of losing these rights weighing heavily on the shoulders of the Americans, president Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to Europe to try to persuade the British to accept a military alliance should the Americans need help in the event of war with France over their trade rights. We will write a custom essay on THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now He also sent American minister Robert Livingston to France, he gave Livingston permission to spend as much as two million dollars to obtain as much of the Louisiana territory as he could. Though Livingston was only granted two million for this project he spent fifteen million, but he acquired the entire Louisiana territory for that price. When he returned to report the deal to President Jefferson, he was overjoyed at the progress that Livingston had reported to him. The Louisiana Purchase did three things, first of all it eliminated an European power from the continent, and it also prevented Jefferson from having to form a military alliance with Britain. The purchase also secured the Mississippi River for free use to transport goods to markets. Finally the Louisiana Purchase literally doubled the size of the United States. There was opposition to the purchase from certain individuals that said that the purchase was unconstitutional, this debate kept party lines split. Ignoring the constitutionality debate Jefferson submitted the purchase to congress for ratification in November 1803, it passed with overwhelming support, Jefferson defended this action from the critics by claiming laws of necessity which can be defined as everything that is necessary to preserve a nation is only illegal if it is not done to preserve the nation. Bibliography: . The Louisiana Purchase Essay Example For Students The Louisiana Purchase Essay By: joe The Louisiana Purchase Essay was the purchase of the French province of Louisiana by the United States in 1803. The province stretched from the Mississippi River westward to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico northward to Canada, covering an area equal to that of the United States, prior to the purchase. Except for the Mississippi River on the east and Canada on the north, the boundaries were indefinite. The United States also claimed West Florida between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers as part of the purchase, but Spain denied the claim. As a result of the purchase, the port of New Orleans and the entire Mississippi system were secured for American shippers, and the country was free to expand toward the Pacific Ocean. We will write a custom essay on The Louisiana Purchase specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The price wa $15,000,000 for an area of 828,000 square miles (2,145,000 km) less than 3 cents an acre. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte got Spain to return it by a secret treaty. Napoleon planned a French empire in the New World, with its center at New Orleans. President Jefferson was alert to the dangers of a powerful nation controlling the mouth of the Mississippi. He instructed the American minister to France, Robert R. Livingston, to open negotiations to buy New Orleans and some territory east of the city. A treaty would have to satisfy the financial claims that some United States citizens had against the French government. Finally the French continued to claim that the province still belonged to Spain. Jefferson sent James Monroe to help with the negotiations, and authorized him to spend no more than $10,000,000. Napoleon offered Livingston and Monroe the entire province of Louisiana in a treaty dated April 30, 1803. The American negotiators agreed to pay $11,250,000 to France and $3,750,000 for the French debts to United States citizens. The purchase forced Jefferson to give a broad interpretation to the Constitution, which did not specifically grant authority for acquiring new territory. This interpretation set the precedent for later treaties that added to United States territory. The US Senator promptly ratified the purchase treaty, despite political opposition by the Federalists. The area officially became United States territory on December 20, 1803. However it was 16 years before the exact boundaries were established, by the Adams-Ons Treaty with Spain. Word Count: 378 . The Louisiana Purchase Essay Example For Students The Louisiana Purchase Essay The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the French province of Louisiana by theUnited States in 1803. The province stretched from the Mississippi River westward to theRocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico northward to Canada, covering an areaequal to that of the United States, prior to the purchase. Except for the Mississippi Riveron the east and Canada on the north, the boundaries were indefinite. The United Statesalso claimed West Florida between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers as part of thepurchase, but Spain denied the claim. As a result of the purchase, the port of NewOrleans and the entire Mississippi system were secured for American shippers, and thecountry was free to expand toward the Pacific Ocean. The price wa $15,000,000 for anarea of 828,000 square miles (2,145,000 km) less than 3 cents an acre. We will write a custom essay on The Louisiana Purchase specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte got Spain to return it by a secret treaty. Napoleon planneda French empire in the New World, with its center at New Orleans. President Jeffersonwas alert to the dangers of a powerful nation controlling the mouth of the Mississippi. Heinstructed the American minister to France, Robert R. Livingston, to open negotiations tobuy New Orleans and some territory east of the city. A treaty would have to satisfy thefinancial claims that some United States citizens had against the French government. Finally the French continued to claim that the province still belonged to Spain. Jeffersonsent James Monroe to help with the negotiations, and authorized him to spend no morethan $10,000,000. Napoleon offered Livingston and Monroe the entire province ofLouisiana in a treaty dated April 30, 1803. The American negotiators agreed to pay$11,250,000 to France and $3,750,000 for the French debts to United States citizens. The purchase forced Jefferson to give a broad interpretation to the Constitution, whichdid not specifically grant authority for acquiring new territory. This interpretation set theprecedent for later treaties that added to United States territory. The US Senatorpromptly ratified the purchase treaty, despite political opposition by the Federalists. Thearea officially became United States territory on December 20, 1803. However it was 16years before the exact boundaries were established, by the Adams-Ons Treaty withBibliography: The Louisiana Purchase Essay Example For Students The Louisiana Purchase Essay By: joe The Louisiana Purchase Essay was the purchase of the French province of Louisiana by the United States in 1803. The province stretched from the Mississippi River westward to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico northward to Canada, covering an area equal to that of the United States, prior to the purchase. Except for the Mississippi River on the east and Canada on the north, the boundaries were indefinite. The United States also claimed West Florida between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers as part of the purchase, but Spain denied the claim. As a result of the purchase, the port of New Orleans and the entire Mississippi system were secured for American shippers, and the country was free to expand toward the Pacific Ocean. We will write a custom essay on The Louisiana Purchase specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The price wa $15,000,000 for an area of 828,000 square miles (2,145,000 km) less than 3 cents an acre. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte got Spain to return it by a secret treaty. Napoleon planned a French empire in the New World, with its center at New Orleans. President Jefferson was alert to the dangers of a powerful nation controlling the mouth of the Mississippi. He instructed the American minister to France, Robert R. Livingston, to open negotiations to buy New Orleans and some territory east of the city. A treaty would have to satisfy the financial claims that some United States citizens had against the French government. Finally the French continued to claim that the province still belonged to Spain. Jefferson sent James Monroe to help with the negotiations, and authorized him to spend no more than $10,000,000. Napoleon offered Livingston and Monroe the entire province of Louisiana in a treaty dated April 30, 1803. The American negotiators agreed to pay $11,250,000 to France and $3,750,000 for the French debts to United States citizens. The purchase forced Jefferson to give a broad interpretation to the Constitution, which did not specifically grant authority for acquiring new territory. This interpretation set the precedent for later treaties that added to United States territory. The US Senator promptly ratified the purchase treaty, despite political opposition by the Federalists. The area officially became United States territory on December 20, 1803. However it was 16 years before the exact boundaries were established, by the Adams-Ons Treaty with Spain. Word Count: 378 .

Definition Essay Sample on Logic

Definition Essay Sample on Logic The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines logic as â€Å"the science of reasoning, proof, thinking, or influence.† Critical thinking as described by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero, ‘is the process by which we test claims and arguments and determine which have merit and which do not.† (Beyond Feelings, 6) At one level, I think we all know what critical thinking  means - it means good thinking as opposed to illogical, irrational thinking. Since critical thinking is not necessarily being â€Å"critical† and negative I think it would be appropriate or more accurate to call it evaluative thinking. The results of the evaluation can range from acceptance to rejection, positive, negative, or anything in between. As I understand it the essence of critical thinking is logic and that we use very little explicit logic in ordinary life. I understand that the basic principles of logic use in evaluating arguments are as follows: (1) Premises are either true or false (incorre ct or correct); (2) Conclusions are either valid or invalid, (3) Correct premises plus valid reasoning equal a sound argument ,and lastly (3) An incorrect premise or invalid reasoning makes an argument unsound. Perceptual process I think most of my thinking at the ordinary level is based on perception, language , and information. At the most there is one logic step: If this than that. I think most thinking takes place in the perceptual stage. These are the questions that arise, How much do I take in? and How do I look at things? This perception is based on habits of perceptions and what I hear, what I read and how I express myself. I understand that we do not need to use much explicit logic because we have already built the logic into our language. For example, killing is ‘bad’ unless justified by war or self-dense. I know that with investment decisions I followed what was recommended and what my friends were doing and then rationalized it with the following rationalization: Everyone does this and the stock rises for a while and when the market eventually gets a severe correction I rationalize that as well. This rationalization is based on  information - not all-available information but a sel ection that fits what I was inclined to do anyway. I think that logic can be used to reinforce perceptions (and prejudices) but logic and argument will not change perceptions. Perception is more than sensing, it is processing, reacting, and interpreting. Faith Bryne describes perception as, â€Å"detecting the nature of both outer and inner worlds. In many cases, it also means responding in some way, either consciously or unconsciously.† (Perception, 57) Perception is the way we look at things and I think processing is what we do with that perception. In my view if we take processing for granted then perception becomes even more important, because the way we look at a situation will determine what we can do about it. Perceptual Blocks The influences (family, teachers, religion, race, environment, and economic level) that have shaped or conditioned my identity by instilling values, beliefs, viewpoints or attitudes that I have accepted without challenge serves as a perceptual block. The situations in which I am less of an individual because of these influences occur when I refuse to understand someone else’s opinion or look for other points of view because of something I have been conditioned to believe is true. I am not very consistent in ensuring that my opinions are informed. Often times I have not taken careful consideration of the evidence and have treated opinions as facts especially if I have expressed it to the point that I have begun to believe it as truth. At times, in what matters most I am inclined to assume too much and take too much for granted. I feel the strongest urge to conform when someone is a positive role model and conforming to this type of behavior I believe adds value. However, a situ ation in which this conformist tendency has interfered with my judgment is following others because it seemed the lesser of two evils. All to often at the workplace this is how some decisions are made just to close an issue that ultimately will recycle. I think I seek to confirm my biases rather than control them in seeking evidence that only confirms my bias and not questioning or seeking the opposing point of view. Additionally, I tend to jump or make hasty conclusions more often than I would like. This occurs more so in the area of personal relationships. Lessons Learned I have learned that there are some errors and bad habits that can lead to shallow or uncritical decisions instead of careful judgments. I have gained the most insight from the following errors and bad habits, which are: Ethnocentricity, Resistance to change (habits), Conformity, Face saving (ego), Rationalization, Stereotyping, Faulty common sense, Oversimplification, Hasty conclusions, and Unwarranted assumptions. I think the real key to each the of errors and habits mentioned above is my being conscious of the tendency to do them and to get into the habit of applying and practicing the different ways or approaches to avoiding the blockers to critical thinking. This will be an ongoing process if I am to be in control of my own beliefs, and to somehow gain an understanding of the truth, then I must know what good reasoning is, and be aware of the ways in which my reasoning (and that of others) can go astray. You can also order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on logic from our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

Arthur Miller’s Symbolism of the Illuminati Mark as Portrayed in His Play, The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s Symbolism of the Illuminati Mark as Portrayed in His Play, The Crucible Survival is key to living, so what will you do for it? I have come to realize that our world is very corruptive that even who we thought was the good can be the bad. Even the innocent will change to the impure just for survival. This symbol of the illuminati sign represents all the evil roaming through Salem Massachusetts and how the illuminati is a group that claims to be the higher and the key to survival. This connects with how everyone in Salem began to start believing that there are witches and siding with this girls will be there only way to survive. This symbol is mainly towards the people who believe there is witchcraft and is accusing others so they aren’t accused even when they know what is right from wrong. The elements in this symbol represent that people will join evil to survive. Arthur Miller shows evil within The Crucible, by showing it through the people of Salem. For example Abigail a girl from Salem knows she has done wrong, but she can’t seem to admit it so she blames it on Tituba a Barbados slave who she knows no one will believe. Abigail says â€Å"I never called him! (Speaking about the devil) Tituba, Tituba† (42). Abigail is blaming Tituba for her actions making it seem as if Tituba has forced her upon the devil and caused her to do her wrong, so she seems harmless and innocent in everyone eyes. Abigail is one of the main reasons of the cause of everything she is in control of everything and seems to be manipulating everyone and mostly the other girls and she tends to control their actions and what’s she says goes because they all are afraid of her. Abigail is what you call a sociopath because she feels without emotions and some say it’s because of her childhood. But Abigail shows that she is a sociopath because when she hurting others she feels without emotion and to her it normal. She is the ring leader and Abigail is in control and she will make everyone fear hear so they can join her This drawing also shows the evil I the eyes of unspoken ones and the ones who speak to be survive. In the town everyone believes there seems to be witches. When Hale begins to integrate Tituba about being a witch. Hale says to her â€Å"who came to you with devil, two, three? Four? How many?† (46). this all started with Abigail accuse he believes that Tituba is a witch and so are many others. Out of cruelty Hale gets some of the town leaders and they began to whip Tituba to have her speak of what she knows. Even though Tituba is truly not a witch out of scare she says what she can only say to save herself, and she says â€Å"There was four, there was four†. Even though Tituba knows that’s not true, but she also knows that was the only ways she could be free out of death. This is when everything begins and other names start to come up, but most of the people who are being accused are not liked nor have no power to stand up for themselves. The main point of this symbol is to represent the cruelty all around Salem, form he accuser to the unspoken. This symbol represents that a lot of people will side with what is wrong from to save themselves rather than do the right thing and stand up to what they believe and know is right. Also it shows that people tend to follow a ring leader and in this case the ring leader is Abigail. She in control of Salem right now and everyone is eating out of her palms so she doesn’t accuse them. In Salem there happens to be witches, these witches are people being accused of something they never done and they are being accused because they are mainly not like by the girls. So there comes where everyone has to justify and say what they believe and everyone begins to side with these girls because they believe the only way to survive this horrifying tragedy is to side with the. This all show that people will side with evil if their life is on the line.

Regulatory Interventions in the 2008 US Post-Economic Crisis Assignment

Regulatory Interventions in the 2008 US Post-Economic Crisis - Assignment Example However, there is a need to generate productivity following the series of Stimulus Funds in order to multiply the capital infused in trillions of dollars. Or the economic recovery will be transient and may return to perform another economic recession, right after funds are consumed. Regulations spearheaded by the Dodd-Frank Act are meant to make the financial institutions and big corporations more careful in their risk management. Such regulations were found to be critical after deregulation was given a chance to work for over 30 years and yet failed with its grandstanding recession. The question remaining is how funds can be effectively channelled to entrepreneurs given the past experiences wherein a greater part of the Stimulus Funds never reached the Small Business Entrepreneurs (SBEs) who can use capital to generate more productivity, hire people, and earn profits. Most of the Stimulus Funds went to social welfare and large corporation bail outs. Further study is required to eval uate the possibility of reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act for the purpose of further regulating the banks to focus on diligently supplying funds to SBEs and supporting those SBEs with sufficient guidance in order to earn successfully. This can logically stop the banks’ vested interests on Investment Portfolios since they will not be allowed to engage in other investment activities except to lend entrepreneurs what they will need in order to progress. I. Introduction Right after the economic recession declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) to have lasted December 2007 all the way to June 2009, the phenomenon was described as not only â€Å"the longest and deepest recession of the post-World War II era† but also the â€Å"largest decline in output, consumption, and investment, and the largest increase in unemployment, of any post-war recession† (Labonte, M. 2010, p.2). Stimulus funds from the Federal Reserve worth more than a Trillion Dollars along with the monetary policy of maintaining almost zero interest rate, facilitated the recovery. $700 billion, which was later reduced to $ 470 billion infused into the financial system was done via a program called Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The US Government purchased real estate properties that lost their values as a result of the recession, for the purpose of adding some liquidity to the banks. As of mid-2012, most programs under the TARP were reported closed. Major beneficiaries rescued were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, AIG, Citigroup, and Lehman Brothers of the financing sector, and later included General Motors and Chrysler of the automobile sector. Saving the giant enterprises reduced the need to retrench and lay-off employees. However, there were economic

Literature Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature Review - Assignment Example Although change is a never ending process, many organizations are faced with the challenge of developing a management style that will enable them to cope with the changes. This leads to us asking so many questions such as whether there is one best way of making changes in an organization to improve its production. And to answer such a question, we can say that there is no one best way of making changes in an organization that can lead to its sustainability. This is evident from the complexity of an organization. Many people of an organization are affected with this change and so we must consider them. Most scholars argue that there are various ways of making changes in any organization and also other area. There is one argument that change effort must focus on cultural change for sustainability. By first understanding, the nature of an organization and its cultures, change can be easily implemented. This is because nature of cultures tends to be rooted deeply in an organization and is not easy to discern them. Organizations here are considered as social system as the performance of the organization is considered to be made up by the way people, and structures interact. The article on this also says that by simply improving management systems or changing technologies are not the way to go about because culture of organization will not change. By transforming the norms and values related to the socioeconomic welfare and environment, successful change towards sustainability will be achieved. Managers and employees should change their perspective and begin to value new things an example is that of caring for the environment, the community and the employees. True change according to this argument is responsible for producing changed values and norms that result in choices about organizational aspects that are different from the previous status quo. It discourages the change of

Segmentation and Market Target Essay Example for Free

Segmentation and Market Target Essay To obtain success, and then retain success, organizations need to determine which market segments to focus (Kotler Keller, 2012). Additional consideration is necessary to ensure that the organization can effectively serve this market segment. According to Kotler and Keller (2012), the finest marketing plans identify and embrace segment differentiation by determining the demographic, psychographic, geographic, and behavioral characteristics. For example purposes, this white paper discusses segmentation and target market for â€Å"Your Organization†. Consumer Segmentation Organizations will not benefit from mass marketing, however will gain success through the insight of consumer segmentation. As mentioned above, the four primary segmentation variables are demographic, psychographic, geographic, and behavioral characteristics. For clarification purposes, a brief description of each is shown. Demographic segmentation separates consumers by â€Å"variables such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality, and social class† (Kotler Keller, 2012, p. 216). Psychographic segmentation takes into consideration the consumer values, attitudes, and lifestyles. Geographic segmentation addresses the variables of region, climate, population growth rates and density. Lastly, behavioral segmentation considers price sensitivity, usage, brand loyalty, and attitudes. Examples of â€Å"Your Organization†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s segmentations is below, using data provided by the organization’s core operating system â€Å"Your Organization Server† (2014), effective for June 1, 2014. Demographic Segmentatio n â€Å"Your Organization† is a community chartered credit union in Richmond, Virginia. The demographic information includes age, income, and gender. When accessing the age brackets for members age 12 or older, management found the primary age bracket of 47 – 65 years old at 41.8%. The chart below provides details on each age bracket. Based on this information, the  credit union needs to determine how to shift the average age of our membership to 33 – 46 years of age to firmly establish a strong future membership base. Gender is the final demographic item the credit union reviews. Each gender is broken down within the age brackets. The credit union was originally formed to serve the Richmond employees of DuPont, leading management to the assumption of a significantly larger male percentage of members. As shown below this assumption was incorrect; thus, additional marketing focus to the female segment is ideal. Currently, the credit union focuses on large  truck, motorcycle, and SUV loan target mailings, leaving the mid-size and minivan opportunities unaddressed. Information was available regarding the occupations of the membership; however, the disorganization of the data lead to inconclusive results. Consequently, the senior management made the decision to disregard the results from this demographic group. Geographic Segmentation â€Å"Your Organization†, as a community charter credit union, faces the challenge of a small geographic area in which to serve consumers. Potential membership must live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and the city of Richmond. In order for management to gain insight into the location of members’ households, the credit union segments the membership by city or county. The geographic information is as follows: City of County Percentage of Membership Chesterfield 43.21% Hanover 14.38% Henrico 10.63% City of Richmond 28.97% Undetermined 2.8% Behavioral Segmentation â€Å"Your Organization† reviews the following behavioral groups, credit driven, fee driven, upscale, middle market, middle income depositor, and low income depositor. These groups are then cross compared with age and income brackets. The chart below provides a visual on â€Å"Your Organization†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s percentages, along with credit union national averages (Open Solutions Inc., 2011). Age Income 18 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55-64 65+ $125,000+ Credit Driven 10% 10% Upscale 6%, 9% $50,000 $125,000 Middle Market 26%, 24% Middle Income Depositor 17%, 17% Less than $50,000 Fee Driven 19%, 18% Low Income Depositor 22%, 22% â€Å"Your Organization† Credit Union National Averages Based this information the credit union should focus on further targeting the upscale segment and relying less on the fee driven. As regulations continue to change, fee income will potentially decrease. Psychographic Segmentation In regard to the psychographic segmentation, â€Å"Your Organization† has relied on member loyalty throughout the years. However, as economic turbulence continues to impact the organization, per the Vice-President of Marketing (2014), the credit union is seeking to further exploration into psychographic segmentation. According to Kotler Keller (2012), Strategic Business Insight’s (SBI) VALS framework signifies the values and lifestyles of classified Unites States adults using questionnaires to identify the consumer’s motivation and resources. Information from SBI states that with the ongoing evolution of the financial industry, â€Å"consumers are becoming increasing multidimensional† (SBI, 2004). The VALS assessment takes into consideration for channel or interface preferences, trust in institutions, control within the household, and much more to determine financial patterns. The credit union would benefit from conducting research on the psychographic se gmentation of the membership, as no longer demographic and behavioral segmentation is enough. Positioning Statement A positioning statement for â€Å"Your Organization† which supports the current brand and strategies is as follows. â€Å"Your Organization† will assist our community members in reaching their financial goals. We are committed to supporting and serving fellow community members through financial needs, charity events, and volunteering. Our credit union promises to serve our  members through each stage of life. This supports the current psychographic segmentation of brand loyalty, and a willingness to support the membership financially through each stage of life. Conclusion Regardless of the organization, the ability to obtain success, and then retain it is due in part to ability to focus on the correct market segments. However, the organization must ensure that it possesses the resources to this market segment. â€Å"Your Organization† is working to create the highest level of marketing plans by identifying and embracing segment differentiation through demographic, psychographic, geographic, and behavioral characteristics. However, further improvements are necessary to achieve the ultimate tier of success. References â€Å"Your Organization Server†. (2014). Segmentation data. Retrieved from â€Å"Your Organization† on June 1, 2014. Kotler, P., Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Open Solutions Incorporated. (2011). Overview analysis. Retrieved from â€Å"Your Organization† corporate library on June 1, 2014. Strategic Business Insights. (2004, June). Segmentation in the twenty-first century: Financial behavior of the VALS segments. Retrieved from http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/cfd/MRsummaries/MR.VI-09.shtml.

Secularism v. Spirituality in the Second Nuns Tale Essay -- Second Nu

Secularism v. Spirituality in the Second Nun's Tale      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes the men and women of the Church in extreme forms; most of these holy pilgrims, such as the Monk, the Friar, and Pardoner, are caricatures of objectionable parts of Catholic society.   At a time when the power-hungry Catholic Church used the misery of peasants in order to obtain wealth, it is no wonder that one of the greatest writers of the Middle Ages used his works to comment on the religious politics of the day.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yet not all of Chaucer's religious characters are failures in spirituality. His description of the Second Nun is of a truly pious woman who spends her life in the service of others; she claims this service as the very reason she tells her tale:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And for to putte us fro swich ydelnesse,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That cause is of so greet confusioun,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have heer doon my feithful bisynesse,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the legende, in translacioun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Right of thy glorious lyf and passioun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thou with thy gerland wrought with rose and lilie -   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thee meene I, mayde and martir, Seint Cecilie.   (22-28)    She is using her time wisely and in the service of her God, avoiding the easy-to-commit sin of sloth as she journeys on her horse, and aiding her comrades in the avoidance of this sin.   In addition to saving the pilgrimage from sloth, she enlightens and teaches those around her, much like her beloved Saint Cecilia.      However, while the character herself is fascinating and worthy of study alone, most intriguing is the choice of her tale.   What is Chaucer's purpose in having the character tell the tale ... ...owski, Eileen   S. "Chaucer's Second Nun's Tale and the Apocalyptic Imagination." The Chaucer Review. 36.2. 2001: 128-148. Project Muse. 2 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun. Martin, Fredrick. Increase and Multipy in the Speech Acts of Chaucer's Nun's Priest, Second Nun, and Canon's Yeoman. 30 Mar. 2002 <http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/9976/chaucer8.html>. Reames, Sherry L. "The Cecilia Legend as Chaucer Inherited It and Retold It: The Disappearance of an Augustinian Ideal." Speculum. 55.1. 1980: 38-57. JSTOR. 6 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun. Taise, Brother Anthony of. Chaucer and Religion. Ewha University, Seoul. 30 Mar. 2002 <http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/Religion.htm>. Weise, Judith A. "Chaucer's Tell-Tale Lexicon: Romancing Seinte Cecyle." Style. 31.3. 1997: 440-479. ProQuest. 02 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun.   

Various Forms of Love in the First Three Acts of ‘as You Like It’

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the various forms of love in the first three acts of ‘As You Like It’ Various forms of love are depicted in Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ which clearly show the relationships between the key characters in the play as well as illustrating the different aspects of their characteristics. The first three acts introduce the ideas of love and how they differ in the context of different subjects in the play; whether it is a romantic love or a friendship Shakespeare’s use of language expresses the emotions of each character in a way that makes the idea of love central to the play.Chronologically, the family love expressed by Celia and Rosalind is the first form of love that Shakespeare introduces to the play; the character of Charles explains how â€Å"never two ladies loved as they do† when illustrating their relationship and the use of the word â€Å"never† exaggerates the depth and int ensity of their love for one another. The girls are cousins in relation to each other and in Act 1 Scene 2; Celia’s sympathy for Rosalind concerning the banishment of her father portrays the care and concern that comes from the love shared between them.The scene opens with pleading for Rosalind to cheer up: â€Å"I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry† the familiar and affectionate language used to address Rosalind such as â€Å"sweet my coz† demonstrates how Celia desires for happiness to come to her cousin suggesting that Celia is a compassionate character. It seems that the value of the cousins’ relationship is of great importance to Celia, she is bound to Rosalind and tremendously loyal for she abandons her father’s Court to flee with Rosalind to the Forest of Arden.This would be an unforgivable act during the Elizabethan era and so the audience would notice this as a dangerous and dramatic situation thus adding excitement to the play. I n contrast to this presentation of love which is open and expressive, the relationship between Duke Frederick and his daughter is rather different; due to his high level of authority one can assume that his persona must be strong and intimidating with the intention to maintain order in the Court even with his own daughter.The formality between them as they converse shows the normal conventions during the Elizabethan era of how one should act with a man of great power; this is depicted in Act 1 Scene 3 when Celia addresses her father as â€Å"Dear sovereign† as oppose to something less proper. Even though it is human instinct to love family, due to the reputation of the Duke and the fact that he is a man of high status, the love between them is not portrayed visibly.The central romantic relationship between Orlando and Rosalind illustrates the conventional courtly love that was appreciated in the Elizabethan era; love at first sight bewitched the two characters creating drama for the audience as they reveal their true outlooks on love. It is made apparent that from the moment they met they fell deeply in love, with Orlando unable to speak and Rosalind falsely hearing him call her name. â€Å"What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue? I cannot speak to her, yet she urg’d conference. Orlando is speechless when gazing into the eyes of his subject of adoration and this portrays him as innocent and somewhat naive when it comes to love. He is completely infatuated and love struck, and Shakespeare portrays him as a man with the ‘idealist’ view of love, depicted through his poetry; â€Å"He that sweetest rose shall find, /must find loves prick – and Rosalind. † The imagery of the rose used to describe Rosalind is tender yet cliche; it again contributes to the innocence of Orlando’s character and the idealist fantasy he is living in, insinuating that women are delicate just as flowers are.It is obvious that Rosalind (as Ganymede) enjoys the romantic ideas about herself that Orlando expresses, however she feels that courtly love should be seen as realistic and thus she teaches Orlando about the reality of women; â€Å"would now like him, now loathe him†, it would seem quite comical to the audience that Rosalind is portraying women in such a bad light and Orlando still has his heart set on her. Through this, the character of Rosalind is seen as witty and intelligent, for she is influencing Orlando to the way she hopes he would act.The bond between Adam and Orlando expresses the loyalty between them and the love that has been present since Adam has served the family since the boy was young. Adam is somewhat distraught and offended that Oliver whom he has served referred to him as an â€Å"old dog† and this shows where his true loyalties lie; with Orlando. â€Å"I will follow thee/ To the last gasp with truth and loyalty† the fact and situation that Adam is willing to desert t he home and family he has served for so long illustrates his faithfulness to Orlando and the love shared by them both.Adam thus, is depicted as a devoted and courageous character, for the consequences of fleeing from the family could have been severe for it would have disgraced Oliver. Again, this would have been a thrilling point in the play for the Elizabethan audience. Unrequited love is not an uncommon presentation of love that Shakespeare puts across through an assortment of couples in the play; the most obvious example being Phoebe and Silvius.Silvius is lovelorn and completely obsessed with his object of affection yet this is not reciprocated by Phoebe; she even confesses to Rosalind (as Ganymede) in Act 3 Scene 6 that â€Å"I had rather hear you chide than this man woo. † Given that Phoebe would prefer to be scolded by Rosalind than to listen to Silvius speak so fondly of her highlights the indifference she feels for Silvius. Moreover this portrays her as a spiteful a nd vicious character for she openly expresses her dislike for Silvius in his presence.Shakespeare uses the image of cupid to emphasise the adoration that Silvius feels for Phoebe; â€Å"Then shall you know the wounds invisible/that love’s keen arrow make. † Shakespeare uses the word â€Å"wounds† to highlight the intensity of pain Silvius feels in love. In the Elizabethan era, cupid was not highly regarded for most women married for fortune or other economic reasons; therefore, the idealist view of love is illustrated again in this scene. Nonetheless, the audience would naturally feel sympathy for the hopeless and fruitless character of Silvius.Another take on unrequited love is that of Touchstone and Audrey; Touchstone wants to marry Audrey hastily to fulfil his sexual desires, he does not long for a lifelong marriage with her; â€Å"it will be a good excuse for me hereafter to leave my wife† before entering matrimony with Audrey, Touchstone already plan s to divorce her, this contrasts with the romantic love between Rosalind and Orlando and shows Touchstones immoral characteristics for he favours lust over love.Audrey’s lack of intelligence and the appeal of Touchstone’s courtly manners make her unaware of his intentions. The religious conventions of the Elizabethan era are however expressed through their relationship. â€Å"We must be married or we must live in bawdry†; Touchstone fears being condemned by God if he were to sin through having sexual relations out of wedlock and uses the word â€Å"must† to show his loyalty to faith yet not his loyalty to Audrey.

Alzheimer’s Disease Research Paper Essay

â€Å"Five million people in America have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and one in three seniors will die because of this disease of another form of dementia† ( Lawrence Robinson). Alzheimer’s is a disease that gradually worsens with time, and is incurable. This horrible disease is also hereditary and can cause a family much pain. I’ve experienced Alzheimer’s first hand. My grandfather was diagnosed in April of 2007 and passed away April of 2012. It was a long a winding journey and I remember all the stages of his illness really well. The first sign of Alzheimer’s is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. I remember like it was yesterday. The first time my grandpa did something strange that raised a red flag. Me and my brother were staying with our grandparents one weekend I was 11 and my brother 15. One night me maw told us guys (me, my brother and granddad) to get some food she had ordered from a place called Abe’s that we were oh so familiar with. We got in the truck and headed down the road, carrying on conversation we didn’t even realize that we had passed our destination. The truck stopped at Poppies, puzzled I asked what we are doing here. My grandpa looked back at me and explained that we were picking up dinner. I laughed and said we are supposed to go to Abe’s. He gave me a real dumbfounded look and said lets go inside. He proceeded to go to the counter and asked for our order that me maw had placed we begged him to get in the car we looked so stupid. Finally my brother got my grandmother on the phone and handed it to him. She chewed him out, like a dog with his tail between his legs he walked out we followed suite. At that time in my life I had not the slightest clue of any mental illness such Alzheimer’s but I’m pretty sure my brother did. He stared out the window, not saying a word the whole way back as me and grandpa laughed and giggled about the incident. Throughout my research I have found that â€Å"Alzheimer’s is hereditary and in some studies say it skips a generation†( Mayo Clinic staff). In my case could be me that inherits this disease. Knowing what I know now I’ll have check-ups annually, not because I’m scared of dying but for the quality of life I may live. â€Å"Alzheimer’s attacks four of the 23 chromosomes in a human’s body. It is similar to Down syndrome just happening in a later age†( Jon Glass). In the play we are talking about, in my opinion Willy has this disease and can be important because one of his sons could inherit it. I find it strange that no one in Willy’s family is concerned or wants to take him to a doctor to find out what’s going on. Alzheimer’s disease is a very cruel illness and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. I’ve seen the things that monster of a thing can do to the sick, and the loved ones caring for the victim. I’ve learned the best thing to do is to get help, be patient and love the ill unconditionally.

Erp E-Commerce Essay Example

Erp E Erp E-Commerce Essay Erp E-Commerce Essay E-commdrce and ERP 1 Introduction: Traditional companies must embrace the Internet to survive, but, at the same time, pure Internet companies benefit from the assets and infrastructure of their â€Å"bricksand-mortar† counterparts. The blending of Internet technologies and traditional business concerns is impacting all industries and is really the latest phase in the ongoing evolution of business. Today, the Internet is driving the current industry goals of a five-day OTD cycle, global reach and personalization. However, without connecting order delivery, manufacturing, financial, human resources, and other back office systems to the Internet, even companies with long track records of innovation are not likely to succeed. The most successful companies will be those that leverage their investment in Web based technologies by implementing e-business solutions supported by sound existing infrastructures based on well-functioning ERP systems. Today companies need to forge tighter links up and down the supply chain, from raw materials to customers. Of late, companies have increasingly turned to the Internet and Web-based technologies to accomplish this. But what they have found is that without Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, sharing accurate information with their trading partners is impossible. Web-based technology puts life and breadth into ERP technology that is large, technologically cumbersome, and does not easily reveal its value. At the same time, ERP allows e-business to come into full flower, putting real substance behind that flashy web page. While ERP organizes information within the enterprise, e-business disseminates information far and wide. In short, ERP and e-business technologies supercharge each other. In light of the above, the objective of this paper is to: Present a framework for understanding e-business opportunities within the context of a traditional enterprise and its infrastructure. Examine the evolving relationship between E-Business and ERP, and to understand how companies are moving ahead to gain competitive advantage by using ERP to leverage and take advantage of the business opportunities opened up by the Internet and e-business. To examine and discuss the role of ERP today and in the context of new business models that are enabled by e-business and associated technologies 2 nd that represent the next step in organizational evolution – a step with potentially revolutionary impact. To understand the latest developments in this area – especially analyzing the new developments and product offerings of the major ERP software vendors and understand what the present ERP vendors should do to provide true value to users from their software offerings. To disc uss recent developments in the area of e-Supply Chain and Supply Chain integration and other technological developments. Understand the issues and challenges faced by organizations in moving to an ebusiness environment. This paper is broadly divided into the following sections: The evolving relationship between E-Business and ERP: Key developments Complementary Technologies of ERP and E-Business Software Provider Challenges Dominant Architecture in the ERP/E-Business Marriage Web Enabling ERP ERP and E-Commerce Portals Internet Procurement Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) E-Supply Chain and Supply Chain Integration Integrating the Supply Chain to reap the rewards: SCOR Model Moving to an e-business environment: Technology, Processes and People Other Technological Developments It is important to clearly define what we mean by ERP and what we mean by ebusiness. A formal definition for the same is provided here: ERP: ERP is a structured approach to optimizing a company’s internal value chain. The software, if fully installed across an entire enterprise, connects the components of the 3 enterprise through a logical transmission and sharing of common data with an integrated ERP1. ERP software, suites, or packages – provide companies with a set of integrated applications that manage the main business functions of an enterprise. The applications are linked via a common database that allows the various divisions of the company to share data. For example, customer information entered into an ERP system’s order entry application becomes instantly available to all business departments and applications connected to the system. Dozens of ERP software vendors compete for market share, the main among them being J. D. Edwards, Baan, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP – a group of companies known as JBOPS. E-Business: Electronic business encompasses three stages: e-commerce, e-business, and e-partnering. The early stages of a company’s e-business activity are almost always focused on reaching the customer, the later stages on streamlining value-chain activities to deliver more value to the customer. E-commerce either leverages an Internet-based sales channel to enhance marketing and sell products or services, or leverages the Internet to make purchasing more efficient. E-commerce allows these purchases and sales transactions to occur with minimal disruption to organizational culture and business processes. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is one technology that has enabled B2B e-commerce for many years; however due to the technological developments and improvements like XML, today’s Web-based technologies can do away with the necessity for EDI. E-business improves business performance by using electronic information technologies and open standards to connect suppliers and customers at all steps along the value chain. E-partnering is an intense relationship between businesses that utilize ebusiness capabilities to create an environment for shared business improvements, mutual benefits, and joint rewards. E-partnering is a strategic, customer focused relationship in which companies work together to optimize an overall value chain. The evolving relationship between E-Business and ERP: Key developments: ERP is the latest in a number of manufacturing and financial information systems that have been devised since the late 1940s to streamline the information flow that Grant Norris, James R. Hurley, Kenneth M. Hartely, John R. Dunleavy and John D. Balls, â€Å"E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise†, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2000 1 4 parallels the physical flow of goods, from raw materials to finished products. The first steps in systematizing information flow around the manufacturing process were taken as early as the 1960s when material requirement planning software (MRP) became available. Later efforts were made to make these applications more robust and better able to generate information based on a more realistic set of assumptions. These efforts resulted in manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) software. Finally, in the 1990s, software developers created ERP software, a fuller â€Å"suite† of applications capable of linking all internal transactions. In the past couple of years, e-business has exploded on the scene, and today the Internet is positioned as the engine that will drive the future of business. While traditional production-management information systems (MRP, MRPII and ERP) have focused on the movement of information within an enterprise, Webbased technology facilitates the movement of information from business to business and from business to consumer, as well as from consumer to business and also from business to employees and from business to shareholders/partners. Figure 1 gives the principle connections required to conduct e-business. Business to consumer/ business Business to business Customers E-company Employees Suppliers Stakeholders Business to employee Business to shareholder/partner Figure 1: Principle Connections Required to Conduct E-business2 However, it is necessary to have an internal enterprise transaction engine, independent of the supplier-and customer-facing front ends, for any company large enough to be considered an enterprise. To date, the best of these internal transaction engines are driven by ERP software. The issue, then, is far more complex than the e2 Source: Ernst Young 5 business evangelists make it out to be. E-Business simply does not work without clean internal processes and data. Hence it is necessary for organizations to devote resources to both technologies that facilitate transaction processing and the communication capabilities of e-nabling technologies. Interactive relationships with Value-Chain Partners: Companies derive much competitive advantage today from their ability to relay information quickly through the value chain. The ability of each participant to retrieve information from a tightly integrated value chain and then to act on it results in greater value for customers. A company that combines ERP technology with Web-based technology looks something like Figure 2. E-Buy ERP E-Sell Figure 2: ERP and Web-based Technology Together Extend the Enterprise3 With the e-buy/ERP/e-sell enterprises extended across the value chain, companies can create tightly linked extended enterprises. Because information is more easily available using Web-based technology to connect both suppliers and customers, the opportunity exists for an enterprise to create new business strategies based on transforming a value chain into an integrated value network. ERP boosts E-Business Potential: Communicating with partners in the supply chain and with customers in the demand chain is not enough. In today’s business world, coordination is key. Business is working toward frictionless information flows, with information flowing to more places more easily. Web-based technology affords the enterprise the ability to get more information to more places more easily. ERP technology affords an enterprise, its business partners in the supply chain, and its Grant Norris, James R. Hurley, Kenneth M. Hartely, John R. Dunleavy and John D. Balls, â€Å"E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise†, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2000 3 6 customers in the demand chain the ability to coordinate the information they have and to determine how they present it to others. Complementary Technologies of ERP and E-Business: ERP and Internet technologies are rapidly coming together. ERP is the internal technological hub of a single enterprise. Web-based technology extends each enterprise’s internal information infrastructure into the external environment. While ERP technology supports current business strategy, e-business opens the door to new strategic opportunities. Today’s ERP systems, when fully installed as integrated suites, can be thought of as central repositories of internal corporate information. ERP software helps organizations to effectively and efficiently manage all their internal information resources to meet overall goals. On the other hand, Web-based technology provides connections via the Internet to a host of external parties. Figure 3 depicts how ERP and Internet/ Web-based technologies can come together and complement each other. Shareholders Customers Researchers Developers Financials Logistics ERP Suppliers Sales Mktg. Knowledge Management Manufacturing Outsourcing Service Providers Human Resources Advisors Internet Business Partners Distributors Figure 3: Complementary Technologies of ERP and E-Business 7 It should be noted that knowledge management is not associated with any one technology. Rather, it is depicted as a process that requires an organization to tap the data in all information channels and consolidate that information so that it is meaningful to the business. Software Provider Challenges4: ERP software providers face a number of challenges when reinventing themselves for e-business. Because ERP applications manage internal business transactions, they generate these assumptions about how business processes are managed: They are controlled by one organization Transactional information should be combined into large totals. Only certain people participate in specific processes. The fundamental design of traditional ERP systems thus inherently conflicts with the outwardly focused, interactive, event-driven model of e-business. E-business operates under these assumptions: Control of business processes can be shared or dispersed among many organizations People need access to small quantities of some transactional data in real time. Many people participate in a variety of processes. ERP software providers must overcome this core conflict in one of three ways: 1) They must redesign the interfaces, processes, and underlying architecture of their systems to operate in a three-tier, thin-client environment tailored for a variety of users who require flexibility. 2) ERP software suppliers must learn to use a new set of Web-based technologies and incorporate Web-based features into their software offerings. 3) They must make their transactional systems more compatible with front-office applications – a difficult task because core ERP software operates differently from ERP extensions. ERP systems providers must reconcile and integrate their 4 Erin Callaway, â€Å"ERP – The Next Generation†, Computer Technology Research Corp. 8 isparate data models and execution engines, which may require separating the ERP extensions from the central ERP database. Appendix 1 provides a summary and evaluation of the various offerings of the major ERP vendors. Domina nt Architecture in the ERP/E-Business Marriage: As ERP and e-business technologies compete for dominance in the future, companies constructing their systems architectures can choose between two main options: a more fully integrated ERP system that adds robust customer relationship management (CRM) and supply-chain management (SCM) modules, as well as Web-based interfaces with outside entities; or a best-in-breed portfolio-assembly model. A multi-vendor system gives a company the opportunity to purchase the best in class of each functional module. However, implementing this solution may mean increased costs and a need for greater resources. A single-vendor, packaged solution may ease the implementation but may also sacrifice functionally and features available in any particular area. Many vendors of ERP and e-business solutions are using Internet portals to combine both options. Through a single portal, a user can enter a universe of integrated solutions to myriad problems. The concept of portals is discussed in detail, in the section on portals – appearing later in this report. Web Enabling ERP: ERP software providers often begin Web enabling their products by making them accessible via a Web browser. Web enabling an application is significantly different from reengineering it to leverage Internet technology. However. ERP software vendors must go beyond Web enabling their products. This is discussed in detail further. Modern ERP systems were constructed to operate in a Client-Server computing environment, where the application is distributed between a server that 9 manages the application, business, and database and a fat client, which is the client PC that performs the application processing to interact with data in the database. The advent of Web browser enabled users to access the ERP system remotely without requiring the fat client-side application. ERP software providers supply this remote access through their own technologies or through multi-user application server software such as Citrix WinFrame, which allows users to run Windows applications from any client with any type of connectivity – a modem, Internet, intranet, or wide area network (WAN) connection, for example – on any hardware platform. Such an arrangement of the Client-Sever Architecture of Web-enabled ERP software is shown in Figure 4. Data Flow Database Business logic Application logic Web client Extraction tool removes interface from ERP system Server Figure 4: Client-Sever Architecture of Web-enabled ERP software To compete with next-generation, Web-based software, ERP providers must add more than a Web browser interface to their packages. They must rebuild the extended products that the Internet makes possible. They need to provide: Quick, simple reconfiguration of business processes Intuitive interfaces that require no training 10 Real-time or near real-time data access Interactive and collaborative features such as real-time chat and white boarding, which is the ability to electronically sketch out ideas or pictures for real-time interaction Real-time analysis Open access to any internal or external user N-tier Architecture: Adding a browser interface to an ERP system does not enable any extended functions because the Client-Sever architecture of the product is not changed. Vendors must rebuild their software to provide next-generation e-business capabilities. Using a multi-tiered architecture – often referred to as an n-tier architecture – distributes the applications across a thin front end, a Web server, an application server, and a database. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 5. Client accesses middle layer Database Thin client Web server Figure 5: N-tier Architecture Application Server SAP’s Business Framework Architecture exemplifies such an n-tier extended ERP system. 11 Following are some of the main benefits of an n-tiered architecture: The application can be designed to access only certain pieces of data from the ERP system, enabling safe operation by a range of external users. The application’s performance, availability, and response time improve because users do not directly access the ERP system. Developers can redesign the application interface to present data and functions in a simple, more logical manner. The application is more scalable and reliable because of techniques that can be used in the Web application server, such as process clustering, load balancing, and high-availability failover. Some of the user benefits include: faster implementation, faster response to process and organizational change, flexible software use, improved system maintenance, simpler integration with other software, tighter integration with supply chain partners, faster introduction of new applications, improved scalability and less exposure to technol ogical change. N-tiered based ERP systems are suited for best e-business, allowing companies that have already purchased ERP systems to leverage their investment. In the following sections of this report, we now go on to look at the recent developments in this field of ERP systems, as they apply to e-business. ERP and E-commerce: Software vendors including ERP vendors are trying to position themselves as ebusiness companies by providing e-commerce software. These software providers and 12 ERP vendors are moving to capitalize on the growing e-commerce frenzy by facilitating their customers’ needs to buy and sell online. E-commerce software and back-end systems, including ERP software, must be integrated for companies to manage the fulfillment process seamlessly. Back-end integration helps companies track the transactions they conduct on the Web. Companies can then coordinate the data they collect from online transactions with information they gather from other channels, such as telephone, traditional retail stores, and in-person interactions. Integrating e-commerce sites with back-office systems allows companies to present an organized, professional image to their trading partners and customers. Tight integration enables the company to recognize online customers because their histories, including data gathered from other channels, reside in one location – thus enabling the company to provide superior and improved customer service. Providing this continuity is critical for e-business success. Without it, customers loose their sense of security and trust when conducting business on a Web site; they cannot be sure the company is effectively managing its information. ERP Software Vendor offerings: As of today, there are a number of ERP systems vendors who are providing e-commerce applications too. The e-commerce application demand is too high and the core ERP application market is too slow for ERP suppliers not to integrate e-commerce applications into their packages. E-commerce products vary between ERP vendors. Some vendors are developing their own applications, while others are partnering with third party ecommerce software providers. Most ERP software providers currently focus on six types of e-commerce applications: B2B selling, B2C storefronts, Commerce engines, Selfservice applications, Internet based procurement and Portals. ERP applications for B2B selling allow business partners to check order status, pay bills, and initiate orders to replenish inventory. B2C storefront applications enable 13 companies to create retail-like Web sites with features such as catalogs and shopping carts. Commerce engines (also known as e-commerce servers) separate ctivity that occurs on a Web site from the back-end systems. This critical process protects internal systems from security breaches and usage spikes that can interrupt important transactions. Self-service applications allow users to access information or transactions that would typically require additional assistance – like obtaining pu rchase orders, checking inventory levels, checking order status, etc. Out of these, Internet based procurement and Portals are by far the most important and promising and hence are discussed in detail in the later sections of this report. Appendix 2 provides a detailed list about the e-commerce product offerings from leading ERP software vendors. ERP software vendors need to overcome a number of obstacles, before they can prove to be experts in this field. Some of these obstacles include: ERP systems take a specific approach to business planning that does not necessarily apply to e-commerce. ERP systems are fundamentally transaction-oriented systems designed to process numbers and automate internal business processes. E-commerce is an externally driven model. Implemented ERP systems are typically rigid and difficult to change. Ecommerce requires total flexibility. ERP software was designed in the Client-Server era. E-commerce must be Internet based. ERP software providers are burdened with market perceptions that they are and will remain back-office vendors. 14 ERP system providers are latecomers to the e-commerce arena. Many new, next-generation competitors already have far more e-commerce expertise. The functionality and sophistication of e-commerce products currently being released by ERP software providers are often two or more versions behind existing products. Some ERP software providers will succeed with their e-commerce initiatives. Some ERP players will fail at the challenging transition from back to front-office software supplier. The strategies and products itself being offered by these ERP vendors will change rapidly during the coming few years. Hence buyers need to carefully examine their options before selecting an e-commerce software provider. Portals: A portal is a Web site that houses a collection of information related to a specific theme or topic and provides visitors with access to related services and information sources. Portals also typically include the ability to conduct transactions5. Figure 6 describes how Portals provide web access to collections of information. Vertical hub Web portal Internet Legacy applications Marketplaces Business partner applications ERP Figure 6: Portals Provide Web access to collections of information 5 Erin Callaway, â€Å"ERP – The Next Generation†, Computer Technology Research Corp. 15 Portals and Business: Today many business portals are being designed and launched for business applications. Today, ERP software providers are designing their portals primarily for business users. Many companies are becoming interested in businessoriented portals because of their potential benefits, which range from simplifying information access to streamlining business processes to sharing information across otherwise functionally and geographically disparate parts of the company. 6 Marketplace Portals: Many ERP providers have created portals where their customers can access extensive lists of goods and service suppliers. The ERP software supplier aggregates – either directly or through partners – a large collection of companies that sell products and services and enables their customers to buy from them. Large ERP vendors, including SAP and Oracle, are strong proponents of this approach. They believe that their extensive customer bases will attract a significant number of sellers to the market. mySAP. com is the SAP marketplace portal. The mySAP. om marketplace which supports online catalogs, auctions, and spot-buying, is divided into 22 interest communities à ¢â‚¬â€œ including Automotive, Banking, Business Technology, Chemicals, Complex Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction, Forest Products, Health Care, High Technology, Human Resources, Insurance, Metals, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Public Sector, Retail, Service Providers, Telecommunications, Training and Utilities. mySAP. com also enables companies to participate in collaborative transactions with their trading partners. The corresponding Oracle Marketplace Portal is Oracle Exchange. The Corporate/ Desktop Portal: Portals can also be used to give employees easy access to the typically disparate and disconnected business systems they need to complete their jobs. Via desktop or enterprise portals, which are also referred to as David Essex, â€Å"Get into Web Portals†, Computerworld (15th March 1999) [Online]. Available: informationweek. com 6 16 corporate portals, employees can access both internal and external software and systems. Desktop portals are Web-based interfaces that give users access to all the disparate applications through one screen on their PC. Many ERP providers are designing enterprise portals. For example, mySAP. com includes a desktop portal component called mySAP. com Workplaces. This desktop portal provides SAP R/3 users with a single Web-based point of entry to job-related software and information, including mySAP. om Marketplace, applications in SAP R/3, and applications on other systems. The Vertical Hub: Vertical hub portals target specific groups of companies in the same industry. Unlike marketplace portals, which offer more generic commerce services, vertical hubs such as PlasticsNet. com, ChemNet, and Vert icalNet. com provide services, transactions, and other content tailored to the needs of a specific industry. Few ERP providers currently provide industry-specific portals, but some like SAP have announced intentions to do so. Portals and ERP: Why are ERP software providers developing portals? It is mainly because â€Å"They want to control the desktop. If customers can be convinced to use ERP systems as the main entry point into all other applications and information sources, ERP vendors will achieve that goal. The Business Case for Portals: Enterprise portals facilitate accessing a variety of internal and external applications and information sources. In a traditional client-server environment, users must sign onto the system many times to access different applications. An entire application may need to be loaded onto their computers, even though they may use only a small portion of that software. Employees are limited to applications that run in a client-server or windows computi ng environment and in addition to that, they can use only applications and databases that exist within he physical location of their company. Maintaining desktop environments is also expensive and cumbersome because individual applications must be installed on each machine. 17 Enterprise portals, on the other hand, allow users to access both internal and external applications and information sources simultaneously via a single, customized, browser-based interface to meet their specific needs. Enterprise portals are easier to maintain because they deliver applications to multiple users via a centrally located server, accessing only those specific components of particular applications related to their jobs. Linking Portals to ERP Systems: Companies require an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) tool or framework to connect the disparate systems they want to access via their portals. EAI tools are necessary as long as companies create portals that access both ERP software and external systems, even if they use portals offered by their ERP software provider. Figure 7 illustrates this. Also data integration capabilities will be required to gather data from structured and unstructured data sources. Legacy Systems ERP External Systems Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) layer Web portal Figure 7: Using Integration Software (EAI) to link Portals to ERP. 18 Internet Procurement: In addition to e-commerce and portals, ERP software providers are expanding into the areas of Internet-based procurement. Traditional ERP software includes purchasing functions that allow users to create P. O. s and requisitions, receive invoices, and log spending, for example. Because of their design, however, traditional ERP systems made a single administrator or set of administrators responsible for the entire purchasing function, requiring every employee with purchasing requests to funnel through that channel. Next-generation ERP systems manage purchasing differently. By using Internet technology and leveraging the component-based architectures of newer software, many ERP package vendors are opening the purchasing function, making it easier for employees to participate in the purchasing process. This is illustrated in figure 8. Employee searches online catalog Employee submits online requisition The Web Employee Requisition is automatically routed and approved Goods are sent directly to buyer Purchase order is sent automatically Figure 8: Internet and Component Technology Opens the Purchasing process 19 Internet-based procurement enables companies to reduce spending by efficiently managing their purchasing habits, leveraging their total spending power, and lowering the number of suppliers in the chain. Potential savings are tremendous – often in tens of thousands of dollars. Internet-based procurement systems give the purchaser control over the shopping by providing access to online catalogs, which may be buyer managed, seller managed or third party managed. ERP software providers may use one or a combination of these catalog management tools. In an Internet-based procurement system, once a requisition is approved, Internet procurement systems automatically generates the P. O. and the P. O. is sent to the supplier, whose address and account information reside in the ERP system. Sophisticated systems also enable the buyer to receive goods at his/her desk rather than at a general receiving bay, allowing the buyer to record the delivery in the procurement system. The entire process occurs without involving an administrator. Some Internet procurement systems, such as Oracle Strategic Procurement, combine data and analysis about supplier performance, including their history of quality and ontime delivery, in the routing and approval process to facilitate informed decisions. ERP software suppliers that offer or plan to offer Internet procurement applications include American Software, Baan, Epicor Software, Great Plains Software, IFS Industrial and Financial Systems, JBA International, J. D. Edwards, Lawson Software, Made2Manage systems, Navison Software, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS): APS applications are decision-support systems designed to develop an optimization plan for a production line, plant, or overall supply chain. They receive 20 process data from other databases and transaction-based applications such as ERP systems. APS system functionality ranges from strategic (network optimization) and tactical (supply planning) to operational (line scheduling). Most APS systems use mathematical algorithms (such as linear programming) to identify optimal solutions to complex planning problems that are bound by such constraints as materials, labor or capacity resources. APS systems are particularly well suited to solving the challenges associated with supply-chain management for three reasons: 1. They focus on critical constraints such as machine capacity 2. They provide modeling to run different scenarios and â€Å"what-if† analyses. 3. They highlight exceptions and recommend a course of action. Why are APS Systems needed? : The combination of globalization, shorter product life cycles, and greater product variation makes it more important than ever that companies maximize the effectiveness of their supply chains. While ERP systems have within them the ability to integrate the information flows within supply-chain activities, ERP planning logic is based on the logic of manufacturing resource planning (MRP II). APS software provides a better way of managing supply-chain activity information flows. ERP software developed based on MRP and MRP II systems have a number of drawbacks – some of them being that they are based on a set of faulty assumptions: that all customers, products, and materials are equally important; that lead times are fixed; that all resources are infinite; and that all elements of the supply chain will deliver the required quantity on the required date. Simply put, these systems did not deal with the reality of the production environment. Also these systems are conducted as a batch process, typically taking hours to run. What does APS provide? : APS tools help to do away with most of these drawbacks. 21 While the purpose of APS systems is similar to that of any other planning software – to deliver 100 percent service to customers while minimizing costs to the company – they distinguish themselves from ERP planning software in that they allow managers to manipulate the supply chain in real time. The software provides value in three main areas: 1. Constraint-based planning 2. Real-time processing 3. Integration APS tools are provided by specialty software companies like Manugustics, i2 Technologies, Chesapeake, and Red Pepper (purchased in 1999 by PeopleSoft). Companies using APS software have reduced inventory between 20 and 70 percent, lowered cost by up to 12 percent, and trimmed capital by up to 15 percent and have also increased sales substantially due to increased customer service. ERP and APS: Now that companies’ information technology organizations are finished with the Y2K and European monetary union work, optimizing the supply chain will become the next area to explore to gain competitive advantage. The ERP companies are aware of this, and they are aware that to date APS providers have far better solutions than theirs. It is believed that some of these ERP vendors will from alliances with APS software providers, such as the alliance between Oracle and Manugustics. Others may go ahead and purchase APS providers and integrate the APS software into their portfolio of ERP modules. Earlier in the section on â€Å"Interactive relationships with Value-Chain Partners† we saw how information is more easily available using Web-based technology to connect both suppliers and customers, and how this creates the opportunity for an enterprise to create new business strategies based on transforming a value chain into an integrated value network. This concept is discussed in detail in the following sections. 22 E-Supply Chain and Supply Chain Integration: Today, many companies are missing out on significant cost savings and revenue opportunities by focusing only on the customer-facing applications of e-business rather than the improvements that an integrated electronic supply chain (e-supply chain) can bring to day-to-day enterprise wide operations. The backend integration of customer applications, so critical to the overall success of the application, is too often overlooked. Regardless of whether a company produces and delivers a physical product or service, it has a value chain. Broadly, a company’s value chain consists of product planning, procurement, manufacturing, order fulfillment, and service and support. What is common to all industries is the power of Web-based technologies to significantly change the status quo by providing a mechanism that further integrates the value chain. A highly integrated value chain creates greater value for the end customer by delivering products and services more efficiently and effectively. Within the industry value chain, the group of companies that carry out each step in creating and delivering the product is called the supply chain. E-Supply Chain: Electronic supply chain management (e-SCM) is the collaborative use of technology to enhance business-to-business processes and improve speed, agility, real-time control and customer satisfaction. Not about technology alone, e-SCM is about cultural change and changes in management policies, performance metrics, business processes, and organizational structures across the supply chain. Information visibility across the supply chain can become a substitute for inventory; therefore, information must be managed as inventory is managed today – with strict policies, discipline, and daily monitoring. Integrating the supply chain more tightly, both within a company and across an extended enterprise made up of suppliers, trading partners, logistics providers, and the distribution channel, is the vision implied in the snapshot of the e-business panorama, value chain integration. Figure 9 illustrates the flow of information to and from customers and suppliers, with the enterprise as the hub. 23 Suppliers Production Materials Manufacturing Process Enterprise OrderFulfillment Process Delivered Orders Customers Forecast Requirements Planning Processes Customer Forecast Returns Repairs Purchase Requirements Procurement Process Order Capture Process Customer Orders Design Requirements Support Process Design Requirements Settlements Settlements Figure 9: Enterprise Process Flow At the core of value-chain integration is visibility, access, and timeliness. Essentially, value-chain integration allows real-time synchronization of supply and demand. The enabler to support an organization in its efforts to become part of an extended enterprise, e-SCM requires companies to develop collaborative business systems and processes that can span across multiple enterprise boundaries. The e-supply chain consists of six components: Supply-chain replenishmentwhich encompasses the integrated production and distribution processes that utilize real-time demand and strategic partner alignment to improve customer responsiveness. Collaborative Planning – which requires buyers and sellers to develop a single shared forecast of demand and plan of supply to support this demand, and to update it regularly; Collaborative Product Development- which involves the use of product-design and product-development techniques across multiple companies, u sing e-business; E-Logistics – which is the use of Web-based technologies to support the warehouse and transportation management processes; 24 Internet Procurement and Web Portals – which have been discussed in detail in earlier sections of this report. So the next question is: How exactly would an e-Supply Chain work? A model of such a concept of E-Supply Chain is given in Figure 10. Company â€Å"A† Intranet/ ERP System Secured Link Shared Data Extranet Company â€Å"B† Intranet/ ERP System INTERNET PUBLIC ACCESS INTERNET Figure 10 – Model of an E-Supply Chain Here is how the E-Supply Chain would ideally operate. Consider that company B is a major retailer having a retail chain network across the country and company A is one of its major suppliers. When a consumer purchase occurs at company B, the data is fed to the retail chain’s ERP system. The retail chain (company B) then moves the updated demand data to the Extranet. At this time the critical data is automatically fed into the company A’s ERP system. This system runs and makes the appropriate quantity and schedule adjustments. The key output is copied to the extranet set up between company A and its suppliers. This data might include updated Inventory snapshots as well as updated forecasted demand and orders for materials. Based on the data company A’s suppliers see on the extranet, they automatically replenish company A’s Inventory and adjust their own ERP gross requirements to meet demands. The end result is the realtime update of demands from the consumer to the raw material supplier. Thus the E- 25 Supply Chain creates a seamless environment that stretches from customers right through to suppliers. Hence with the E-Supply Chain, organizations will be able to manage the supply chain to achieve the right balance of customer responsiveness and low inventory levels with an aggressive cycle time. As can be seen, there is tremendous scope and a great opportunity for ERP in the operation of an e-Supply Chain. In fact this is where companies and major ERP vendors are moving and this is where the true value of ERP lies. Trading partners who have invested in ERP are particularly well suited to leverage e-business investments to achieve true value-chain integration. Integrating the Supply Chain to reap the rewards: SCOR Model: No discussion on e-Supply Chain will be complete without the discussion of the SCOR Model. The Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model was developed and endorsed by the Supply Chain Council (SCC). The SCOR Model includes7: All customer interactions, from order entry through the paid invoice. All physical material transactions, from the supplier’s supplier to the customer’s customer, including equipment, supplies, spare parts, bulk product, software, etc. All market interactions, from the understanding of aggregate demand to the fulfillment of each order. The four distinct processes for the SCOR model are source, make, deliver, and plan. The supply chain configuration is driven by: â€Å"Deliver† channels, inventory deployment, and products. â€Å"Make† production sites and methods â€Å"Source† locations and products â€Å"Plan† levels of aggregation and information sources. Carol A. Ptak and Eli Schragenheim, â€Å"ERP – Tools, Techniques and Applications for Integrating the Supply Chain. †, St. Lucie Press/ APICS. 7 26 The real results from supply chain management come from the integration of processes throughout the entire supply chain from the supplier’s supplier to the customer’s customer – as has been illustrated by Figure 11. Figure 11: Integration of processes throughout the entire supply chain8 The big return on ERP investment and the future revenue and profit growth come from integrating the enterprise to its entire supply chain. Technology will continue to develop that will enhance and speed the information linkages. Some companies have decided that they wish to implement only a supply chain software system and not implement the supporting ERP management processes. This is like building a house on quick sand. Without adequate control of the internal processes, an integrated supply chain is truly only as strong as its weakest link. The integration of the supply chain is an area where the speed and accessibility of technology will make a large impact. This technology can include EDI, E-commerce, Internet, or a variety of other possibilities. However, without the accurate data feeding this technology and robust business processes supporting the strategy, the risk is that the same bad information will be the result. A complete system includes both planning and execution management. This is the point where ERP can be so effective as a tool. The fact remains, plans will change but to fail to plan is planning to fail. The planning side of the integrated system uses soft data. Changes and variability are expected events. The more quickly an enterprise can 8 Supply Chain Council Inc. [Online]. Available: supply-chain. org/ 27 react; the less cost is incurred by the operation. This is where a robust and reliable ERP system could be of immense value. Moving to an e-business environment: Technology, Processes and People: Moving to an e-business environment involves a major organizational change. Like those major business initiatives, e-business forces change to occur to three corporate domains – technology, processes, and people – at both a strategic and an operational level. Figure 12 illustrates where within these domains and levels all of the various issues fall when a company engages in a comprehensive e-business effort. Impact on Business Technology Enterprise Architecture Supplier Partnership Role of the Integrator Process Ownership Design Enterprise-wide (End to End) People Change Management Strategic Loose/ Tight Controls Outsourcing Executive Sponsorship and Support Aligning on Conditions of satisfaction Overarching Objectives Recruitment Retention Alignment Operational Knowledge Transfer Budgets Product Selection Product Support Implementation/ Installations Budgets Security and Data Integrity Change Control Implementation/ Support Fluidity Budgets Level of Difficulty/ Time to Resolve Figure 12: ERP/ E-Business Organizational Issues – Domain and Level Matrix9 Strategic Issues: Technology: Strategic technological issues are, for the most part, similar to the issues that face any company implementing ERP. An optimal system architecture for a Grant Norris, James R. Hurley, Kenneth M. Hartely, John R. Dunleavy and John D. Balls, â€Å"E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise†, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2000 9 28 particular enterprise is the first order of the day. Technology should not be allowed to drive the enterprise: rather, technology should fit the enterprise by meeting certain â€Å"conditions of satisfaction† with regard to scalability, flexibility and cost. A winning technology strategy requires a strong and enduring partnership with key hardware and software suppliers. The integrator’s role extends beyond managing technology to managing process and people issues as well. Process: Engaging effectively in e-business may require engineering new processes or reengineering old ones. Each process must have an enterprise-wide owner, accountable for the process’s performance, the budget to execute the process, and the quality of all process deliverables. A well-established and understood process to quickly resolve conflicts is also necessary. People: People can and often do effectively block the success of major technology integration efforts. People barriers remain unchanged – and in some instances are heightened – by the Internet. The ability to manage change is a litmus test for any form of business success. And as in any change and implementation process, executive sponsorship is the key. Operational Issues: Operational Issues revolve around getting e-business initiatives up and running in a timely fashion, adhering to budgets, and maintaining downfield vision. Technology: In this area, one needs to manage a number of operational concerns including: Product selection, defining product support requirements, defining performance expectations, coordinating the implementation schedule, ensuring good budget planning and ensuring security and data integrity. Process: At the operational level, process concerns include meeting the objectives and timeliness determined at the strategic level for engineering or reengineering the feeder processes that build up to create the end-to-end processes. People: At the operational level, the typical problems faced by managers include: organizational scope, change complexity, political resistance, cultural change and change capability. Other Technological Developments: One Key area of improvement in the existing technologies is the use of XML. XML is a subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that has been optimized for web delivery. A vendor-neutral, industry standard, XML was defined by the 29 World Wide Web consortium to ensure that structured data will be uniform and independent of applications. With the explosive growth of internet protocol (IP) networks and other types of connectivity for virtually every kind of business communications, extensible markup language (XML) is gaining an increasing share of the technological spotlight as a powerful tool that is facilitating this profound paradigm shift. XML is the universal language for web data, enabling developers the power to deliver to the desktop, structured data from a wide and ever-increasing range of applications for local computation and presentation. It also serves as an ideal format for server-to-server transfer of structured data. Because XML provides a uniform method for describing and exchanging structured data, it promises to fully leverage the wealth of information resident on networks around the world. XML’s ability – the description of structured data in an open text based format delivered using the standard HTTP protocol or various other transports simplifies the exchange and application of data across the web, in particular and between loosely coupled applications in general. Conclusion: To date, e-business is still an integrated modular architecture. ERP vendors are all banking on portals to one extent or another. They see this strategy, as well as that of offering alternative models of providing ERP – through outsourcing or ASP relationships – as an opportunity to continue gaining either installed base or renters, and to continue their growth. If companies want to connect with each other, to pass robust information back and forth and make their extra-enterprise relationships more efficient and effective, they will need to settle on a language, grammar and syntax for data. Those ERP software providers that develop the most open systems, which make it easier for companies to work together, will be the winners. E-business requires tight collaboration among trading partners, but most ERP systems are not yet technically prepared to facilitate this. Today, ERP vendors are at different stages in transforming themselves for the Web-enabled world. No single application will provide or create competitive advantage. Currently, an integration of vendor-supplied ERP, decision support tools, middleware, customer development, and Web sites among trading partner communities are all required to achieve the promised benefits of e-business. 30 On the technology front, there is increasing use of XML technology to build true business networks and to bridge the gaps that users encounter when using the technology to link business partners over the Internet. However, the bottom line is that, companies best positioned to succeed at ebusiness are those that have solid business infrastructures utilizing ERP-based software and capabilities. 31 References 1. Grant Norris, James R. Hurley, Kenneth M. Hartely, John R. Dunleavy and John D. Balls, â€Å"E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise†, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2000 2. 3. Ernst Young [Online]. Available: ey. com Erin Callaway, â€Å"ERP – The Next Generation†, Computer Technology Research Corp. 4. David Essex, â€Å"Get into Web Portals†, Computerworld (15th March 1999) [Online]. Available: informationweek. com 5. Carol A. Ptak and Eli Schragenheim, â€Å"ERP – Tools, Techniques and Applications for Integrating the Supply Chain. †, St. Lucie Press/ APICS. 6. Supply Chain Council Inc. [Online]. Available: supply-chain. org 32 Appendix 1 Key product offerings of the major ERP vendors: Vendor Baan Core ERP Product BaanERP Platforms Unix Key Vertical Markets Manufacturer of aerospace and defense equipment, automotive supplies, consumer packaged goods, electronics, engineering and construction goods, forestry products, heavy equipment, primary metals, semiconductor s, and specialty chemicals Wholesalers Architectural and engineering firms Construction companies Distributors Education General business Government Manufacturers Extended Applications Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Sales Force Automation (SFA) Customer Relationshi p Manageme nt (CRM) Ecommerce Procureme nt Selfservice10 Portal is planned APS Ecommerce Portal Procureme nt Selfservice J. D. Edwards One Worl d Worl d AS/400 Window s NT Unix 10 Self-service applications allow users to access information or transactions that would typically require additional assistance – like obtaining purchase orders, checking inventory levels, checking order status, etc. 33 Oracle Oracle Applications Window s NT Unix PeopleSo ft PeopleSoft AS/400 Window s NT Unix f automotive supplies, chemicals, consumer packaged goods, electronics, industrial and fabricated equipment, and pharmaceutica ls Mining operations Not-for-profit organizations Real estate agencies Utilities and energy providers After-market service providers Communicatio ns companies Educational institutions Energy providers Financial service s firms Government Health care providers Manufacturers of consumer packaged goods, industrial equipment, and pharmaceutica ls Retailers Communicatio ns companies Federal government APS Business Intelligence (BI) CRM Ecommerce Procureme nt Selfservice Portals SFA APS BI CRM E- 34 SAP R/3 AS/400 Window s NT Unix Financial service firms Health care providers Higher education institutions Manufacturers of consumer packaged goods and high-tech electronics Public sector operations Retailers Service providers Transportation companies Utility providers Banks Engineering and construction firms Health care providers Insurance companies Manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment, automotive supplies, chemicals, consumer packaged goods, hightech equipment, oil and gas, and pharmaceutica ls Media companies Mills Public sector commerce Procureme nt Selfservice SFA Portal is planned APS BI CRM Ecommerce Portal Procureme nt Selfservice SFA 35 rganizations Real estate firms Retailers Service providers Telecom companies Transportation companies Utility providers Appendix 2 E-commerce product offerings from leading ERP software vendors11 Company/ Software Vendor American Software Baan Cincom Systems Epicor Software Fourth Shift Great Plains Intuitive Systems JBA J. D. Edwards Lawson S oftware Macola Made2Manage Navision Oracle PeopleSoft PivoPoint PowerCerv QAD 11 B2C Storefront X X Commerce Engine X X Self-service applications X X X X X X X B2B selling X X X X X X X X X Internet based Procurement X X Portal X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X