My Beloved Charioteer Essay

Shashi Deshpande is an award-winning Indian novelist. Shashi Deshpande makes gender central to her writing. In her story â€Å"MY BELOVED CHARIOTEER† she tries to the show the relationships of grandmother, mother and daughter at various stages of life. It is a story of a mother daughter relationship as well as a women’s role as a wife. Mother and daughter relationship is like sisters or sparring partners. They care for each other. My Beloved Charioteer depicts the life of mother’s nature and behavior not as generosity but as a normal human being full of negatives as well as positives, full of emotions as well as frustrations and not a perfect being. My Beloved Charioteer by Shashi Deshpande is based on the three generations, three women i.e. grandmother, mother and daughter and three different mindsets living together. Grandmother being the oldest one and the one who takes care of each and everyone in the house. Mother named Arti the daughter of grandmother a depressed lady as for whom she cared and loved have died. She loved two persons that is her father and her husband has both died. She is now the most irritated person in the house and she spends her most of the time smoking and looking at the walls of her room. She doesn’t talk to anyone neither to her daughter Priti and nor to her mother. She evens scolds priti for no reason .She is so much entangled with the past that her present is neglected. The daughter named priti the youngest and the most energetic character. Her father and grandfather had both died. Her mother doesn’t talk to her. Her caretaker and her best friend in the house is her grandmother (Ajji). When Priti is gone silence settles in the house. The relation between the Arti and Priti is not too good in the story. Arti is depressed, sad, unhappy, and is in pain. She doesn’t do any work, which a mother should do for her daughter and for her aged mother. She doesn’t talk to Priti; play with her however she scolds Priti at times to show her anger, outrage and displeasure. Because of her nature grandmother Ajji have to take care of Priti, she acts like her mother. She wakes her, she dresses her for school, make breakfast for her. It is shocking to see  that at this age also Ajji does all the work and she even doesn’t complain. The relationship of Arti and Priti is not good whereas the relationship between Ajji and Priti is good. Ajji once insist Arti to go out of house like park whereas in reply she says that seeing other people happy she wanted to kill and bury their happiness. This shows one of the natures of depressed lady. Ironically Ajji’s husband’s room offers her the opportunity to find her voice, rebel against her daughter and break the silence that threatens to destroy her home and her granddaughter. The photo frame that was broken accidently by Arti gave a chance, which helped Ajji to talk to her and to explain her that what gone is gone. Ajji is also holding the pain of her husband but on the other hand she is managing and not running from her problems and fears. Priti has a daughter and she need to take care of her. Ajji also says that she does not want to ever see the photograph again as it is no point of seeing things which gives pain and discomfort. Arti needs to be happy at which she got rather than things, which she doesn’t have. Hence through this story Shashi Deshpande elegantly brings out the mother/daughter relationship on different stages and aspects of life.

Pre1914 prose study Essay

A single eye opens. On the dark, damp night of November, Frankenstein’s creation at last exists. Chapter 5 shows the awaking of his creation, literally his child. For so long he toiled, working towards this moment. But for what? For when the time came, only negative attitude was expressed. And so Victor deserts his â€Å"monster†, plunging the creation into complete darkness, lost, lonely and unaware. Frankenstein wants nothing to do with it, but to his creation, Victor is his everything. He made him; he is his mother, his father, and ultimately his God. Although, to say that Victor is a parent is rather ironic; it’s such an inhumane way of creating a living human being, such a ‘masculine’ form of science cannot work, it’s not naturally correct to deny the feminine act of child birth. Also, Frankenstein never once considered what he would do with the creation once he is alive; therefore, Victor fails as a parent. Frankenstein never educated the creation, and denies loving it. In the absence of love, Frankenstein’s Monster is forced to learn the hard way. The reactions he received drives the creature to realize that appearance and physicality is an important part of the public’s vain judgments. Rejected, uneducated and even nameless, it’s distanced from humanity and branded with such names as ‘wretch’, ‘daemon’, and ‘monster’ in which most of the names are from his creator’s own mouth. Such a gentle soul never had any physical contact with the human race and therefore attaches itself to the De Lacy family. Soon developing new emotions and sensations, he gains pleasure from help the family suffering from poverty. In return, he gains a steady education, Just like a child, and with a child, his knowledge builds off the teaching of Felix De Lacey. An important factor in this is the books he reads; Plutarch’s Lives, Volney’s Ruins of Empire, Goethe’s The Sorrows of Werther and most importantly Milton’s Paradise Lost. All of them represent the idea of romantic thinking in which Mary Shelley was associated. When presenting his arguments, he quotes from one such book: â€Å"I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed† (p. 77-8) He quotes Paradise Lost and relates himself to one character. Satan. Judged by his appearance, the public see him as evil and yet he is a tragic character, isolated from the world. He sees this mirrored in Milton’s Satan. Believing that perhaps the De Lacey family may accept him as a normal person and with that only to fail, was the stimulus to the beginning of his transportation from love to hate. Demonstrated in this novel is that creation isn’t just finished at the beginning of life. Frankenstein gives birth to this child of science, but makes him what he is branded, and ultimately what he is. A monster. By deserting him, he created an isolated and suffering being. With addition to being rejected by any other living person, this makes him a tragic figure. Victor was deeply self-absorbed, never once thinking of the welfare of his creation, but rather how to distance himself further from it. But, when moved by the monster’s happenings, he agrees to make a female partner. But again, he abandons him for his own welfare, and will not complete his companion. After making his creation, he fears making another double of his regret. The creature denies this though, he only wishes for a companion for the rest of his days on earth. Yet roles are reversed in the heart of the novel. In the beginning, power is mostly in Victor’s possession but by the time of meeting, the creature dominates, leading Victor into the wilderness of the mountains.

Sales Journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Sales Journals - Essay Example an (176) explained, the candidate detailed that his job is specifically to look for new orders in state organizations, private sector organizations as well as individual consumers for the supply of HP products. The products include new computers and product servicing if his company gets contracted to supply computers to any client. Although I did not buy any product from John, he demonstrated that he is an outstanding salesman. He demonstrated substantial knowledge about his products and selling techniques, which are paramount in the art and profession of salesmanship. He even asked for my contacts for future follow ups and getting other referrals. To my surprise, after a period of four days as agreed on, I received a call from John confirming our meeting in a day’s time. This demonstrated how he takes follow-ups very seriously by preparing clients in advance prior to visiting them. John is a good listener; he never interrupted my speech as he carefully paid attention to every bit of what I was saying. In order to reach more clients, John explained that he utilizes sales activations and product exhibition shows that are held in different American cities. Such forums are important as salespeople can give presentations and product brochures in regard to their products. As mentioned by Amjed (1-2), he also displayed the characteristic of having good people skills noted in his friendliness, outstanding personality, good listening and the ability to communicate very effectively. He demonstrated good product knowledge as he explained without hesitation all the questions I asked I personally discovered that John is a critical thinker as his plans of action included psychological engagement of a client as well as his ability to initiate a personal feasibility study to have diversity of marketing approaches. Although this was not a company mandated survey, it was for his own benefit to achieve market segmentation in order to sufficiently capture

Adopting Native American Names - Abandoning Redskins Research Paper

Adopting Native American Names - Abandoning Redskins - Research Paper Example Controversial cases of adoptions of Native American symbols and names for the emblems, mascots, and names of sports’ teams are the ‘Chief Wahoo’ mascot, supporters’ ceremony named the ‘Tomahawk Chop’, the professional basketball team Atlanta ‘Braves’, and possibly the most notorious of all, the name of professional football team—Washington ‘Redskins’ (Yiannakis & Melnick 204).Native Americans and other groups have been demanding to eradicate this tradition as they regard it to be disrespectful, insulting, and racially prejudiced. This paper argues that racial stereotyping as such, whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’, is damaging, and condemns the notion that such team names like ‘Redskins’ value Native Americans. Therefore, this paper argues that the Washington, D.C. professional football team should change its name/mascot in response to recent criticism. Colman McCarthy of the Washington Post argues that â€Å"’Redskins’ is a slur name that smells with the stench of racism† (Yiannakis & Melnick 204). Almost all of the new supporters of the team are not aware of the historical framework of the team’s racial prejudice. The ‘Redskins’, not once acclaimed for broad-minded race dealings, were the last team in the National Football League to accept African American athletes and were only forced to do so by the 1957 Stadium Act (Stapleton 15). The way racial minority groups call themselves—for instance, ‘Native American’, ‘black’, or ‘Negro’—is very important for those belonging to these groups. The way other people see them not merely works as a proof of the nature of intergroup relationships or affairs, but can actually be a critical, momentous issue. Racial insults, whether caused by deep-seated hatreds or of thoughtless stereotypes, breed hard feelings or enmity and usually deteriorate into violence or aggression (Stapleton 38). In an effort to show higher cultural respect, several academies, such as Stanford, Miami of Ohio, and Eastern Michigan, have given up their old Native American-based team labels. In numerous cases, opponents have criticized these movements as confirmation that political correctness is going berserk on universities (King 29).

A Speech on Bullying in Schools Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Speech on Bullying in Schools - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that bullying among students takes various forms, such as physical, emotional, verbal or cyber harassment. This implies that the victims may experience harassment in any form that is prevalent in their schools. The researcher would like to tell that the physical and verbal forms are common with the boys while girls normally use the emotional and verbal tendencies. The cyberbullying aspect is also on the rise because of the advent of the social media networks where students interact with their peers and strangers. Similarly, both girls and boys can still apply the other forms of bullying that they like and depend on environmental and background factors. The researcher states that bullies are always known individuals, especially the popular students. They take advantage of their popularity and seniority within the school to harass others for their own personal interests. This also takes place in the presence of other studen ts who might influence the action to proceed or be prevalent in their school. The parents should try to mold their children to embrace good manners and know how to relate to others. It is also appropriate for the teachers to encourage the students to speak out whenever something like bullying happens. Bullying poses negative consequences in schools and affects the bullies and the victims in similar measures. For instance, bullying can derail a student’s academic performance due to the psychological effects and physical injuries. The mental well being of a student is vital for academics and socialization since he or she feels comfortable learning in that environment. The other undesirable consequence of bullying is that it can make a student skip classes for fear of victimization. This happens if the administration does not control the bullying activities and the students feel the school is not the right place. They end up missing classes, which drops their academic performanc e.

Sigmund freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sigmund freud - Essay Example The theory carries with it some weighty assumptions. One is that, we as individuals, know components of psyche, we know about the brain and also the nervous system. The second assumption is that we know how we act unconsciously. Hence psychoanalysis studies the suppression of some of the basic instincts (Freud 1937). According to Freud this suppression is constant and ongoing. Psychoanalysis may speed up the rates at which clients get better. It is also vital to note that, the nature of psychoanalysis creates a power imbalance, between the physician and the client. The id can be termed to be the most valuable part of the psyche. It usually contains urges that are extremely primitive. It is comprised of all the basic biological urges. A good example of some of this urges are hunger, thirst and sex. This part of psyche usually seeks pressure blindly. It does not care about the consequences; its aim is to seek instant gratification. Ego is developed from the id. It seeks to satisfy the id; it does so in a precise practical manner. It decides whether or not satisfaction is appropriate, and if favourable with the outside world. Commonly the ego is called self since it has the capability to look after itself. The superego is the third portion of the psyche; it develops with maturity. It has the sole responsibility of deeming the person’s actions good or bad. For Freud, there is a constant conflict between demands of the instincts and the demands of the society (Freud 1937). This can be caused by some of the impulses that may be hidden or even denied for lengths of time. However, this demands, in one way or another, reasserts themselves. The inner conflict is usually unknown and hence, it appears in thoughts and deeds that appear to be irrational. Psychologists that use psychoanalysis often see their patient’s problems as rooted in the unconscious part of

Micro Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Micro - Assignment Example According to Samuelson and Temin the opportunity cost of a choice is determined by the next best choice, and for many allocations, opportunity cost is measured by monetary value (Samuelson and Temin, 1976, p.20). Hubbard and Brien write that choices are costly thus the need for an alternative that will incorporate the scarce resources (Hubbard and Brien, 2006, p.8). Choices have both the implicit and explicit. Explicit costs are which monetary value is lost i.e. the sacrifice of the choice is paid out in monetary value. On the other hand, implicit costs are costs for which there is no monetary value in the choice made. The principal forfeit in this cost is time. According to Douglas the cost of production of any product is estimated in terms of what is foregone (Douglas, 1994, p.171). The concept of opportunity cost is best illustrated by production possibility frontiers. A PPF demonstrates the probable combination of two products e.g. let us consider a firm in UK producing computers and mobile phones. When it uses all its resources, it can produce 6.8 million computers and 50 million mobile phones. Computer (m) Mobile Phones (m) 84 0 80 1 70 3 60 5 50 6.8 40 8.2 35 8.8 20 10 5 11 Production Possibility Frontier Opportunity cost will lead to trade off in the choices of consumers and a comparative advantage in countries. A trade off entails a forfeit made to obtain a certain good. The output increases when countries specialize in the goods and services they have absolute advantage. For example let us consider UK and country B-producing motor cars and trucks. Maximum production Max Output U.K. Country B Cars 60 45 Truck 40 20 Employing all the resources U.K. can produce 60 million cars and 25 million trucks, while country B can produce 45 million cars and 20 million trucks. It is therefore right to say that U.K. has an absolute advantage in producing both goods, but it has comparative advantage in producing trucks since it is 2 times better at producing them than country B, whereas it is 1.3 times better in producing cars. The concept of opportunity comes in production of products by countries. Countries that produce goods using few resources at low opportunity cost have a high comparative advantage in producing those goods. However, comparative advantage ignores costs and assumes there are no diminishing returns (Hubbard, p.101). Effect of change in price of disposable hospital gowns in U.K Change in demand Price P=p* p=p1 DD 2 DD 1 output A decrease in the price of disposable hospital gown in the United Kingdom results to an increase in demand from DD 1 to DD 2. Supply remains the same in this case. Change in demand and supply due to change in market SS 1 p SS 2 P=p* DD 2 DD 1 Y1 Y2 Y3 Quantity A change in the price of hospital gowns will result to an increase in demand. An increase in demand results to more production as firms try to meet the increased demand. This result to change in the equilibrium price (McGraw-Hill, p.58). Market equ ilibrium shows the relationship between market demand and market supply. There is competitive and Nash equilibrium. Profit is the variation between revenue and costs. In economics profit denoted as П is the differentiation of marginal revenue and marginal cost i.e. П = TR-TC. High revenues translate to high profits if the production cost is low. Usually a company tries to maximize profits

Salesperson characteristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Salesperson characteristics - Essay Example Interpersonal expectancy effects research focuses on how one individual's expectations influence another individual's behavior. Also known as self-fulfilling prophecies, interpersonal expectancy effects have been shown to be a significant phenomenon in human interaction. Assessments of participants' behavior during the interaction (e.g., time spent talking) and perceptions (e.g., self-report items reflecting participants' liking for each other) revealed that prior expectations affected buyer-seller interactions. Thus, as Arthur Miller mentioned not smiling back means a real earthquake. During the course of daily lives, individuals encounter a multitude of objects. In fact, they are bombarded by a diverse array of stimuli and forced to make innumerable decisions about which to approach and which to avoid. These stimuli include not only such physical objects as foods, clothing, and toys but also other people, events, and activities (Furnham 1999, 44). Moreover, societal matters, as well as conversations with others, often require that individuals adopt a position regarding various social and political issues. Thus, merely proceeding through a day involves individuals making a continuous series of choices based on their appraisals of objects (Furnham 1999, 23). When considered in this way, daily existence appears to be astoundingly burdensome. One can readily imagine an individual who is paralyzed by the need to assess and then weigh the pros and cons of the choice alternatives for each successive decision. Yet, few people - at least not those who can be considered mentally healthy - experience day-to-day life as so phenomenologically troublesome. How do we manage We are extremely adaptive creatures who have the capacity to learn from experience. We have memory for these experiences. We develop and remember vast storehouses of knowledge regarding the attributes that characterize the objects, people, issues, and events that we either encounter directly or learn about indirectly from others. As helpful as this knowledge base might be, however, it represents only an initial step toward individuals' successful coping with the multitude of stimuli that impinge on them. Having knowledge regarding a given object available in memory provides a basis for choice, but still requires that individuals engage in extensive and effortful deliberation. They must retrieve the relevant stored information, consider its implications for approach or avoidance, and integrate those implications into a final judgment (Clarke 1998, 404). Although individuals unquestionably engage in such deliberation at times, even these processes do not seem to capture the ease with which individuals typically function in their daily lives. People do not simply acquire knowledge about the objects in their social world. Instead, individuals employ this knowledge - be it information about the positively and negatively valued attributes of the object, about their past behavioral experiences with the object, and/or about emotions that the object has evoked in the past--as the basis for forming for an attitude toward, or summary evaluation of, the object (Maio & Olson 2000, 359). In other words, individuals categorize objects along an evaluative dimension. It is such categorizations into likes and dislikes - objects that we wish to

Robert Frost And William Stafford Essay Example for Free

Robert Frost And William Stafford Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The writer chose to compare and contrast the brilliant poems of two of the most famous poets of all time. â€Å"Birches† by Robert Frost, and â€Å"Traveling Through The Dark† by William Stafford. Both poems cover nature as a theme and through it, expertly laid out their ideas and what they wanted to express.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Robert Frost (1874-1963) was a Californian poet famous for his poems â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Pasture†. William Edgar Stafford (1914-1993) born in Kansas was a military veteran and was a teacher at one point in his life. His best known works are â€Å"The Rescued Year†, â€Å"Stories that Could Be True: New and Collected Poems†, â€Å"Writing the Australian Crawl: Views on the writer’s vocation†, and â€Å"An Oregon Message.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At first, it may seem that these are just simple nature-themed poems but as we looked deeper, we’ll see that it’s not the case. It may also appear that these two poems have nothing in common since Birch talks about a bent tree and Traveling talks about a dead deer. [We can see that both poems talk about hope and taking chances. Although they differ in presentation and that in Birch, the narrator tried to go back when everything was simple for him – we can see that the two poems touched the difficulty of making a life-altering decision. ]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper would further provide proof and verses from the two poems to support the above statements. Individual analysis of the poems would be discussed and their similarities and differences would be concluded in the last paragraph. Robert Frost’s â€Å"Birches†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Robert Frost was a pastor and his devotion to God can be seen through his works. He frequently used metaphors about nature to express his ideas of a situation or special circumstances. In Birches, Frost reminisced his childhood when he was just a young boy swinging the branches of a birch tree. In recapturing the moments, Frost used third-person narration instead of saying directly that it’s him who was swinging the branches. The branches were bent as a result of this â€Å"swinging†, and also as a result of the ice crystals from the ice storm. Frost vividly described the image of the bent birch trees, â€Å"When I see birches bend to left and right. Across the lines of straighter darker trees† and the melting of the ice crystals trapped in the branches, â€Å"Often you must have seen them. Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning; After a rain. They click upon themselves; As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored; As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. Soon the suns warmth makes them shed crystal shells.† The poem tries to make the reader visualize the image in his head; of the bent birch tree, and its’ process of change through different seasons. This colorful description of nature can simply be as plain as about the bent branches of a birch tree; or about the many reasons why a branch, could be a metaphor for a person, would bend or go way out of his or her path in life. He also associated bending birch trees to young girls drying their hair under the sun. The seasons Winter and Summer are allegories of the obstacles one person would meet in his lifetime. This symbolizes the cycle of life, that after every winter, comes spring then summer. Same so with life, after every trouble, comes happiness. Also related to the saying there’s always a rainbow after the rain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, the poem talks about how the boy who used to swing birch trees grew up and became successful in life, and he looks back and wishes for the simplicity of life when he was younger. He wishes to retreat from the current situation that he’s in and feel heaven once more, just like when he was just a young boy, â€Å"So was I once myself a swinger of birches.   And so I dream of going back to be. Its when Im weary of considerations, And life is too much like a pathless wood; Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to this, the monochromatic tone of the verse â€Å"Id like to go by climbing a birch tree, And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk,† symbolizes the perception of a child, wherein there are only two choices; black or white – right or wrong. This fact upholds the innocence and un-complexity of being a child – the same reasons Frost wanted to go back and swing those birch tree branches once again. However, he can not go back in time when he was still light like a child and the birch tree branches could carry him high up, now, the birch tree branch bowed down and gently let him down touching the earth. He could only, but daydream of those days, â€Å"Id like to go by climbing a birch tree, And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk; Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more, But dipped its top and set me down again.† William Stafford’s â€Å"Traveling Through The Dark†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem relates the story of a man driving along a narrow road and comes across a dead deer lying in the middle of the road. Since the road is too narrow to swerve and avoid the dead animal, he got off his car and inspected the dead deer. With intentions of pushing it over the canyon, he touched the deer and realized that it was pregnant. Feeling the warmth of the deer’s tummy and knowing that the baby is still alive. He chose to shove it over the canyon like they normally do to avoid accidents that might happen in the narrow road because swerving might lead to deaths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This poem may appear to be very morbid and showcases the narrator’s selfishness, but shoving the deer into the river was actually the best and the only thing he could do. This decision did not come easy for him, â€Å"Beside that mountain road I hesitated. The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although, literally, the poem poses the difficult question of should you or should you not push the dead deer over the river? It is actually a representation of the difficult choices we make in life. The narrow road symbolizes life and the dead deer is an obstacle or an opportunity. In such narrow road, we can choose to swerve, or go around the dead deer to avoid it, but take the risk of not knowing where we might end up. Or we can stop and push the deer aside. This poem involves difficult decisions which we have to make in order to move on – along the narrow road, and with our lives. Discussion Both poems used nature as metaphors to express what they truly mean. Robert Frost’s bent birch tree branches are analogous to Stafford’s narrow road. The birch tree carried swinging young boys and caught heavy snow every winter, but it remained strong and flexible; instead of breaking, it bended to adapt to a changing environment. Just like the narrow road in Traveling, although it did not bend like the birch tree, the poem offered an opportunity to swerve, get out of the path, and dive into the uncertain. This just shows that life as we know it is not definite. In Birches, the changing seasons from the harsh winter to a bright summer, delivers a promise of hope. Just like in Traveling, the difficult decision of pushing the deer to the river also delivers a promise of hope for the drivers taking the same road. After many hardships in life, the narrator in Birches wanted to go back to the simplicity of a young boy’s life but realized that he can not and he should not, so he continued with his life. Just like the man in Traveling, he made a very hard decision, for the safety of the greater good, he had to live with his decision and he had to go on living.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both poems present making life-altering decisions – Birches (choosing to stay trapped in the past or to move on) and Traveling (choosing to leave the dead deer on the road or pushing it over the river). However, the presentation of nature in Birches was more alive and vibrant unlike in Traveling wherein it’s dark and dangerous. In Birches, Frost vividly described the setting and imagery of nature and uses a lot of adjectives. While Stafford simply put out the words out there, even taking a sonnet-like form. Conclusion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Birches and Traveling Through the Dark are among the best poems ever published. They stimulate deeper analysis and interpretation by the simplicity of the words that authors used and the un-complexity of the setting in which they derive the stories from. Poem analysis and interpretation are subjective and is solely based on the reader’s understanding of the texts used. This understanding can either go literally (based solely on the surface meaning of the words) or figuratively, wherein, interpretation in this manner could go about for centuries. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to poem analysis; the truth is, whatever the critics say about a particular poem – only the author himself knows the real meaning and essence of the poem. References Frost, Robert. Birches. Stafford, William. Traveling Through The Dark

Transitions Essay Example for Free

Transitions Essay Transitions are changes that take place in our life; changes that move us from one stage to another, for example from being single to being married, or from being unemployed to being in work. Children go through lots of transitions from 0-19years birth itselffrom milk to solidsfrom crawling to walkingfrom being fed to feeding ourselvesfrom nappies to being trainedbecoming self awareable to be cared for by othersgoing to nurserygoing to school developing new skills. nd college or work home to early childcare when the child is getting ready for going to a childminder or nursery then the John Bowlby Attachment theory helps as it can be difficult for children to separate from there parents so it its important to let them know that everything is fine and that they are loved moving on to primary school this is a big transition because they are moving into full time school so its a good to introduce them to the teacher a few times before starting as this get the use to a new face and classr oom some schools let the children have a morning with the teacher before they that start the class. Moving on to secondary school each school is different some schools let the the children have a have a full day at the new school other schools let them have a week of moving around the school its important that the children are told what is happening at that a familiar face is there to help with the transition. Moving on to college,employment or training there are many different agencies there is connections for teenagers where they can get support and advice for careers that they want or at college there is a student service that will help. any children can deal with a particular change unaffected but for some children find the divorce or a death a life changing experience. children need to have a positive relationship during periods of transition as they need to feel secure in other areas of their lives. Each child is different some children may want to talk about the transition so its important to make the time for them. If there is enough time to prepare the child or children for the transition then it will help them when the time comes. Some children’s behaviour may change for example the child may become quiet and withdrawn may show signs of uncharacteristic behaviour or become attention seeking The child’s development may also become affected lack of motivation avoiding social contact or regressing All of these transitions present the child with challenges. Of course, the child doesn’t usually have to go through the transitions on his own, he will be supported by those around him at home or in day care, or in education. However, the experience of going through the transition will depend on the kind of response and support he gets from those around him. We must also keep in mind the fact that a child’s early experiences of transitions will have a big effect on how he handles transitions at later stages of his life.

Australias Healthcare System: An Analysis

Australias Healthcare System: An Analysis Australia’s Health Care System Mollie M. Ludeman Abstract Health care systems are created to provide quality and efficient care to patients when they need treatment. The health care system in Australia is universal. Therefore, it provides free health coverage for citizens in public hospitals. It also covers a portion of the fees in private hospitals; however, the patient has to pay the remainder of the payments at private hospitals out of pocket. Australia does not only have public health insurance, but it has private health insurance as well. Citizens who are capable of affording it are encouraged to apply for private health insurance. Having private health insurance on top of the public insurance is extremely beneficial. The health care system in Australia has provided some of the best care to the citizens of its country. Australia’s Health Care System Australia has a developed health care system that is substantially beneficial to the residents of the country. It supplies universal health care to all citizens; which means that the government pays for all or most of the health care services. Some visitors are also eligible to receive the health care in Australia while visiting. According to the World Health Organization website, â€Å"the goal of universal health coverage is to ensure that all people obtain the health services they need without suffering financially when paying for them.† Financial issues are typically the main reason for why people refrain from getting medical treatment until it becomes serious and they are sent to the emergency room. In the United States, this is a problematic issue that comes into play. However, the health care system in Australia does not make the citizens refrain from getting treatment. The health care system has allowed Australian health care providers to give some of the best care in the world to its citizens. The Australian government has attempted from the very beginning to give its country the best possible care through its health care system. According to the World Health Organization website, â€Å"a good health care system delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them.† This is something that the government in Australia has worked very hard to do for its citizens. Australia has managed to have some of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, and some of the lowest mortality and infant mortality rates. In Australia, the life expectancy for males is 78.9 years of age, and 83.6 years of age for females (Leiyu Shu, 2014). Although, Australia typically has good health overall throughout the population, there are always some groups that do not have the best health. These people are considered to be the vulnerable populations; those that live in the rural areas. The vulnerable people in Australia are not left unknown or unaware of how to receive treatm ent when it is needed. The government has made known of these populations, and have set up programs to decrease this â€Å"gap.† Decreasing this gap will increase the overall percentage of excellent health that Australia has as a whole (Armstrong, Gillespie, Leeder, Rubin Russel, 2007). After the Second World War, the number of people covered by health insurance had increased dramatically. However, there still was a large portion of the population that lacked sufficient coverage. Gough Whitlam was elected in 1972. His plan was to extend the health coverage to the entire population to eliminate the large portion of the population that lacked any health insurance coverage (Dwyer, 2004). Medibank was the name of the health system that passed in 1974 to increase the amount of people with health insurance. However, Medibank only lasted a couple of years before it was forced to shut down in 1981. On February 1, 1984, Medicare was created by Hawke Labor Government. Today, this is still the current health care system in Australia. Medicare is a universal health care system that gives free health care to the citizens in public hospitals, and in private hospitals it lowers the cost of payments. However, it is not considered to be completely free health care because the citize ns are paying a percentage of the care with their taxes. Therefore meaning that is tax funded, but ran by the government (Dwyer, 2004). The health care system, Medicare, works with both public and private sectors. The public health sectors are provided by all of the levels of government: local, state, territory, and the Australian Government. The private health sectors are provided by private hospitals, medical practices, and pharmacies. However, Medicare is the primary source of funding for health care and funding for primary health care in Australia. Medicare typically covers the majority of costs in public hospitals, and a portion of costs in private hospitals (Australian Government). The Australian government highly recommends that people also get private insurance on top of their Medicare if possible. They recommend this due to the fact that there are often long waiting lines and long waiting lists to get treatment. Regarding the long waiting lines and lists, when you have private insurance you do not have to wait as long for treatment because you are able to pick from a public or private institution to receive the treatment. Also, if you have private insurance you are able to pick your doctor. When you just have Medicare, you do not get to pick your doctor. You typically are just assigned to whatever doctor is available at the time. If you have complications, and need to go back to a hospital for treatment, often times you do not see the same doctor. Therefore, there are many benefits to having private health insurance on top of the public health insurance that is provided to all residents of the country. However, it is not always possible for every citizen to obtain private insurance on top of their public insurance. This is due to low income status of some residents (Australian Government). Medicare covers a variety of different fees in the hospitals and different practices. Therefore giving free or lower cost treatments for patients. In public hospitals, Medicare covers 100% of the treatment. Which means that a patient may go into a surgery, come out, and have not a single payment to make. This means that many Australian citizens will not go into debt or go bankrupt trying to pay their medical expenses. Having medical bills taken care of completely in public hospitals is significantly beneficial; however, there are drawbacks to public hospitals in this country. The waiting lists for some surgeries can be anywhere from one hundred to two hundred days (Healthcare in Australia, 2014). This can cause complications if a person is in serious pain. Often times the waiting lists will force some people to go to private hospitals to receive treatment or get a surgery done. Receiving treatment or getting a surgery done at a private hospital can be extremely expensive without health insurance. Medicare will cover up to 75% of the fees and services that are taken care of in a private hospital (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). However, the patient still has to pay out of pocket the portion that the government does not take care of; this could be up to a couple thousand dollars or more. Often, people will take out private insurance, if they can afford, to cover out of pocket costs. It still needs to be taken into consideration that just because an individual has private insurance on top of their public insurance, it does not mean that they will not have any out of pocket payments for their medical expenses. Private insurance also entitles the patient to be able to choose their doctor; something that a patient with only public insurance does not have the option to do. Therefore, a patient with private insurance may have a doctor that they k now and work well with, and they can continue to go to this doctor as long as they have private insurance as well. Private insurance may also provide other services that are not available to the citizens who only have the public insurance. For example, â€Å"physiotherapy, dental, optometry, and podiatry services† (The Australian Immigration Book). Medicare also only covers the services that are necessary. For example, if a patient has a serious heart condition and needs heart surgery, this will be covered. On the other hand, if a patient wants to have plastic surgery but the surgery does not have anything to do with any acute or chronic health condition, this will not be completely covered by the government. The Australian government does an excellent job in assorting what is covered by the government completely, and what receives lower cost treatment for the individuals in the country (The Australian Healthcare system). The Australian health care system has a variety of strengths and successes. The biggest and main strength and success that is portrayed through the health system would be the availability and access of care. The citizens in the country do not have to struggle to pay for care or treatment because they are receiving it for free, or at a lower cost. This is beneficial to their overall health because they are not waiting for the symptoms to become severe before they seek help and treatment; which is a rising problem in some countries that do not provide universal health care. It does not matter if a citizen makes 100,000 dollars a year or 15,000 dollars a year, each person receives the same quality of care as the other (Hsieh, 2014). The health care system has many strengths; however, there are a few weaknesses that need to be considered. One weakness in Australia deals with disease patterns. Serious diseases that are related to age and the vulnerable populations. The country attempts to reach out to the vulnerable populations; however, the outreach is not effective enough to the people who are actually at risk with the diseases. The country needs to find ways to reach out to the community in ways that will be effective and help decrease or treat the chronic diseases (Armstrong, 2007). Another weakness that has been viewed in the system is the shortage of health care providers; whether it be doctors or nurses. Healthcare providers are less willing to work overtime hours due to the attempt to balance work and family life. However, it appears that the high percentage of shortages in health providers are in lower income areas (Armstrong, 2007). The health systems of Australia and the United States are significantly different. The Australian government spends less money on GDP than the United States. However, Australia has higher life expectancy rates than the United States. Therefore, the U.S. is spending a much larger amount of money on health care but is lagging behind in life expectancy rates even with all of the money being put forth (Leiyu Shu, 2014). A large difference between the health systems is that Australia has universal health care, and the United States does not. There are many people in the United States that fail to receive treatment when they need it because they cannot afford to see a doctor. This is a key factor in what may lower the life expectancy rates from Australia. In Australia you would expect to have higher life expectancy rates due to the fact that there is universal health care and that citizens do not have to worry about medical expenses putting them into debt (Leiyu Shu, 2014). In the United S tates that is a serious issue to be taken into consideration. Both countries systems use â€Å"Medicare†. However, they stand for different things in each country. In Australia, Medicare is the name of the universal health coverage provided to everyone. In the United States, Medicare is a program that is provided for people who are 65 or older. These people have owned a right to be in this program because they have worked through their life and received social security benefits. Also, people with disabilities are also eligible to qualify for Medicare. The United States also has a program called Medicaid that is for those who low income. A person has to have a certain income or disability to be able to qualify for Medicaid. Australia does not have programs like the United States does because of the universal health care coverage that is provided (Leiyu Shu, 2014). Although the two countries health systems are significantly different, there are a few aspects that are similar. The systems are similar in terms of wanting to provide the best quality of care for all patients. The two countries want to ensure that patients are being able to afford treatment when they are in need it of it. They also want to ensure that when they are receiving the treatment that they are the best quality care that is possible. Australia and the United States also want to ensure that patients are able to access the care when necessary. The leaders of the United States could learn some valuable aspects for the Australian health care system. One thing that the United States leaders should take in consideration is implementing a universal health care system. The universal system in Australia has been beneficial to the citizens and their health. In the United States there are much larger groups of people who are considered to be vulnerable populations and do not receive treatment when they are in need. Health insurance in the United States can be very expensive if you want good coverage. However, there are people that cannot afford to have any health insurance. Although there are programs for people with low incomes; sometimes these people are over qualified to be eligible for these programs. Which means that these people do not have health insurance at all and have to pay any medical expenses out of pocket. This is the reason why many Americans fail to receive necessary treatment until they are rushed to the emergency room when the symptoms become serious. The United States could also look into spending less on GDP and making sure that the money spent on health insurance is going to improve the overall care and health the citizens. Thus far, the United States spends a significant larger portion of money than Australia and fails to have the quality of health care that Australia has overall (Mascarehhas, 2009). Although the United States could learn valuable information for the Australian government in terms of health care; the United States could also assist the Australian government with their system. Hospitals in the United States do not have long waiting lists like the Australian hospitals. In the United States you may find out that you have an illness, and you are able to schedule the surgery and pick the date that you want without having to wait one hundred or two hundred days to receive the treatment. The United States could help share their techniques about scheduling surgeries with the leaders of the Australian health system. This way residents in Australia would not have to wait up to two hundred days to receive the treatment that they need to improve their health. The United States has a significant amount of health care providers unlike Australia. The United States could help them increase the amount of providers they have by letting them know the incentives and other key factor s that are necessary for having more efficient health care providers. The universal health care system in Australia, Medicare, is beneficial to the citizens of the country. It ensures that all citizens are capable of receiving treatment when they are in need. The treatment is free in public hospitals or it is at a lower cost in private hospitals. The universal health care has increased the life expectancy rates in Australia and has allowed the overall health of the country to be some of the best in the world. References Armstrong, B., Gillespie, J., Leeder, S., Rubin, G., Russel, L. (2007, August). Challenges in health and healthcare for Australia. Retrieved from https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2007/187/9/challenges-health-and-health-care-for-Australia/ Australian institute of Health and Welfare. (2013). Australia’s health system. Retrieved from www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health/2014/health-system/ Australian Government. What is covered by Medicare. Retrieved from www.privatehealth.gov.au/healthinsurance/whatiscovered/medicare.htm Australian Government. (2014). Australia’s health. Retrieved from www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health/2014/ Dwyer, J. (2004, November). Australian health system – restructuring- what problem is being solved? Retried from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC544964/ Healthcare in Australia. (2014). Retrieved from www.nib.com/au/health-information/healthcare-in-australia Hsieh, Paul. (2014, March). What the US can learn from the Australian health care debate. Retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/paulsieh/2014/03/31/what-the-US-can-learn-from-australia/ Mascarehhas, A. (2009, August). What the US can learn from Aussie health care. Retrieved from www.globalpost.com/dispatch/asia/090819/what-can-aussie-health-system Parliament of Australia. Health in Australia: A quick guide. (2013, November). Retrieved from www.aph.gov.au/about-parliament/parliamentary-departments/parliamentary_library/ The Australian healthcare system. Retrieved from www.heti.nsw.gov.au/international-medical-graduate/australian-healthcare-system/ The Australian immigration book. Australia’s health care system. Retrieved from www.aust-immig-book.com/au/general/health-australias-health-care-system World Health Organization. Universal health coverage. Retrieved from www.who.int/universal-health-coverage/en/

Ku Klux Klan :: essays research papers

Ku Klux Klan In the 1920s, the KKK was a secret society of WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) that targeted blacks, Catholics and minority groups. Their main aim was to put off these people from voting so that the people the KKK wanted in positions of power stayed there. It was first formed in 1865 as a social group for ex-confederate (southern) troops. It became more sinister after 1867 when it directed itself towards preventing former black slaves from voting. After the war the slaves had been given the right to vote, but the KKK thought that blacks were an inferior race and giving them political power was a bad idea. The robes, hoods and rituals of the Klan terrified African Americans in the south which appealed to white racists, and this cumulated in the Klansmen being involved in flogging, mutilating and killing African Americans. Between June of 1920 through October of 1921, it is estimated at much as 85,000 men joined the Ku Klux Klan. Although the Klan was the strongest in the midwest and the midsouth, it was a nation wide epidemic. Klan members fed off of Xenophobic, a fear of foreigners. Klan members believed that every Catholic in public life, no matter what position they held in society, must be watched carefully. â€Å"The modern Klan added an anti-Semitic element.† Klan theoreticians believed that the Jews were not only unproductive, there were also un-American. â€Å"Jew Movies Urge Sex and Vice,† the Klan title screamed like an echo from Ford’s Dearborn Independent. The position of woman in the humanities of the Klan was expressly conventional. The Klan believed in protection of women because they thought women could help in the â€Å"shaping of America†. Even though they believed so strongly in woman protection, this came at a costly price: violence. In the southern states of America, the Ku Klux Klan was involved innumerous violent attacks against African Americans. Klan intimidation was often targeted at schoolteachers and operatives of the federal Freedmen's Bureau. African American members of the Loyal Leagues were also the frequent targets of Klan raids. In a typical episode in Mississippi, according to the Congressional inquiry, â€Å"One of these teachers (Miss Allen of Illinois), whose school was at Cotton Gin Port in Monroe County, was visited ... between one and two o'clock in the morning on March, 1871, by about fifty men mounted and disguised. Each man wore a long white robe and his face was covered by a loose mask with scarlet stripes. Ku Klux Klan :: essays research papers Ku Klux Klan In the 1920s, the KKK was a secret society of WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) that targeted blacks, Catholics and minority groups. Their main aim was to put off these people from voting so that the people the KKK wanted in positions of power stayed there. It was first formed in 1865 as a social group for ex-confederate (southern) troops. It became more sinister after 1867 when it directed itself towards preventing former black slaves from voting. After the war the slaves had been given the right to vote, but the KKK thought that blacks were an inferior race and giving them political power was a bad idea. The robes, hoods and rituals of the Klan terrified African Americans in the south which appealed to white racists, and this cumulated in the Klansmen being involved in flogging, mutilating and killing African Americans. Between June of 1920 through October of 1921, it is estimated at much as 85,000 men joined the Ku Klux Klan. Although the Klan was the strongest in the midwest and the midsouth, it was a nation wide epidemic. Klan members fed off of Xenophobic, a fear of foreigners. Klan members believed that every Catholic in public life, no matter what position they held in society, must be watched carefully. â€Å"The modern Klan added an anti-Semitic element.† Klan theoreticians believed that the Jews were not only unproductive, there were also un-American. â€Å"Jew Movies Urge Sex and Vice,† the Klan title screamed like an echo from Ford’s Dearborn Independent. The position of woman in the humanities of the Klan was expressly conventional. The Klan believed in protection of women because they thought women could help in the â€Å"shaping of America†. Even though they believed so strongly in woman protection, this came at a costly price: violence. In the southern states of America, the Ku Klux Klan was involved innumerous violent attacks against African Americans. Klan intimidation was often targeted at schoolteachers and operatives of the federal Freedmen's Bureau. African American members of the Loyal Leagues were also the frequent targets of Klan raids. In a typical episode in Mississippi, according to the Congressional inquiry, â€Å"One of these teachers (Miss Allen of Illinois), whose school was at Cotton Gin Port in Monroe County, was visited ... between one and two o'clock in the morning on March, 1871, by about fifty men mounted and disguised. Each man wore a long white robe and his face was covered by a loose mask with scarlet stripes.

lord of the flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies Imagine yourself lost on an island with three other people you barely even know. In are eyes this is a scary feeling when all think about ever seening yourself in a situation like this. While unfortunely this can happen not to us but to somebody else. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding are numbers of boys who are under twelve years old stuck on an island after a plans crash. In the story there are four main characters name Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and Simon who are the oldest of the boys. On the island there are many conflicts. In the beginning Ralph was the leader and everyone had a job they were responsible and keep up until they were rescue. Many of the boys start to lack off especially Jack’s who was in charge of hunting. Ralph and Jack never saw eye to eye during the novel because Jack at the same wanted to be leader of his own tribe. Besides all the chaos within the group there are three major symbols that conch shell, Piggy’s glasses and the fire that ha d everyone’s attention and also savage each other on the island. Conch shell At the start of the novel Piggy and Ralph both discover this conch shell. The conch shell is the most powerful symbol on the island. The conch shell symbolized to bring the boys together to discuss their meetings on the island. At the meetings who ever has the conch shell in there hands they have the right to speak quote "We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school."(page 33) With the to help the group hunt for food, build shelters, and find any empty areas were they can have a restroom at and to survive on the island. All boys had a jobs and they had to keep to up by Ralph’s orders. From the start all boys respect the conch and fellow the rules of the island accept for Jack who believe at the beginning he should the new leader and that Ralph was a weak leader. Later Jack begin to ignore Ralph’s orders and at ever meeting Jack always going against Ralph’s word and he eventually leaves the group. After Jack leave s the group Ralph slowly loses respect from another boys. Around this time Jack begin to start his own tribe, which made many of the boys seek away from Ralph’s camp.

Analysis of Durkheim’s “The Elementary Forms of Religious Essay

As described in Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, a totem is apparent in every society. A totem is a symbolic figure of some creature, being, or thing that represents the sanctity and principle of god. Essentially, a totem is a profane, ordinary object that has been deemed by society to have some holy, sacred characteristics. With this being said, the object itself does not have any holy or sacred qualities; rather it is merely the representation of the totem that holds these characteristics. For example, if a society’s totem is a turtle then an actual turtle would merely be a turtle, but when the turtle is presented as a totemic emblem then this symbolic representation of the turtle is sacred. Durkheim argues that, because the totem is a socially constructed representation of god then the totem itself represents society as well. Durkheim makes this assumption evidently clear by stating that â€Å"the god of the clan, the totemic principle, can therefore be nothing else than the clan itself, personified and represented to the imagination under the visible form of the animal or vegetable which serves as totem. From this, one can conclude that Durkheim viewed the worship of totem as worshipping society. Durkheim goes on to make the argument that god and society are â€Å"equivalent. † God is an outside, figurative force that holds the people worshiping it to certain manners and actions. The act of worshipping said god or totem is an indication that the follow ers, believers, or worshipers are dependent upon this force to determine the actions they partake in, the behaviors they exhibit and so on. God and religion exist in order to keep people â€Å"in line† via ritualized activities and setting moral and ethical guidelines that people abide by. Society, in and of itself, possesses the same qualities. The norms and values of a society, which for the most part have been incorporated into the moral and ethical guidelines laid out in the society’s religion, are followed whether or not they are in line with the individuals intrinsic nature. Because of this characteristic, society is itself an outside force that people are dependent on, whether or not they acknowledge it. Lastly, Durkheim acknowledges that these ritualized activities and shared moral values foster the social solidarity and cohesion of society. By partaking in shared activities, whether it be the Islamic ritual of praying to Allah multiple times a day, the American tradition of singing of the national anthem before the first pitch of a baseball game, or the Catholic ritual of aking communion, we are acknowledging that we belong to a group or society. Common activities help establish what Durkheim refers to as â€Å"collective consciousness†, that is a specified set of beliefs and values that are common to members of a given society or group. Praying to the same god or praising the same society, which according to Durkheim are one in the same, encourages the development and maintenance of a collectively held set of morals, values, ethics, and belief s.

Orbach

Sample descriptive outline and summary Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Arroba Descriptive Outline Paragraphs 1 & 2 Paragraphs 3 & 4 Paragraphs 5 -8 Paragraph 9 Us Mary Arroba details the epidemic of obesity in American women, the emotional effects of overeating on women, and lists commonly held views about the causes of obesity. Arroba suggests that women's obesity is in fact a challenge to gender stereotypes and should be viewed as a societal illness, not a personal failing.In this section of the text, Arroba argues that women's inferior societal position is the result of a centuries-long belief that women's biology makes them fit for the limited roles of wife and mother. In order to achieve this status, however, Arroba states that a woman must â€Å"have† a man, which makes her seclusion's and keenly aware of herself as an object for the pleasure of men. A woman therefore is highly susceptible to the vagaries of fashion, media, and make-up in an effort to make her more ascr ibable to men.Arroba concludes by stating that, despite the many changes in fashion trends, being thin is consistently viewed as positive, and necessary, for women, and that, as a result, obesity may express rebellion against the strictures of cue Trial conformity women face. Arroba uses her introductory paragraphs to establish the context of her discussion about women's obesity in the United States. Arroba begins to make her argument, offering a feminist explanation of women's obesity, alleging that â€Å"fat is† n expression of independence.Her parallel structure Caftan is†) suggests ownership of an otherwise unattractive quality – fat itself. Arroba logically and methodically builds her argument in this section of the text, moving from biology to culture, in order to persuade the reader that the epidemic of female obesity may, in fact, be a feminist choice -? rather than the availability of unhealthy food, lack of exercise,

Leadership concept

Nurses are self directed and can solve even the most complex problems with proper leadership and commitment in their practice. It is important for a nurse to work in a cohesive and strong nursing team, as this result in to an effective delivery of client care. In building this empowered nursing team, it is all attributed to the nurse executive. A nurse executive often holds the title of the vice president or is the director. The executive’s position within an organization is critical in uniting the strategic direction of the organization with the philosophical values and goals of nursing. The nurse executive is a clinical leader and business leader in organization, the person responsible and concerned with maximizing quality care and cost effectiveness. The most important responsibility of the nurse executive is to establish a vision for nursing the lays groundwork which enables the managers and staff to provide quality care. This forms the essence and value of the nursing care and is the foundation of quality practiced nursing administration. It is important for the nurse executive, as leader to expand his or her role from collaboration, coaching, monitoring, communicating, coordinating and coinciding with the staffs and other related health care providers. A nurse executive must serve as the role model that exemplifies the mission and vision of the organization. It is important that the values are diversified and promoted by the nurse executive in order to have a culturally competitive group of health care workers. As a leader, is open to change that would help innovate the staffs and promote creativity which will improve the quality of care they are providing. It is important that she or he demonstrates a sound judgment regarding the decisions and regulation that is formulated in the administration, these should be within the scope of the staffs and as well as coincide to the patients. It is important that as a leader he or she would be able to facilitate the designed delivery of care that is suited with the needs of the patient. The nurse leader should be able to make a strong connection with the group in order to unit the group with one aim: to provide the best quality care to patient in line with the cost effectiveness that is inline with treatment. It is important that the nurse executive delegate the tasks appropriately to the staff in order for them to function accordingly. In most cases, failed relationship with the nurse executive and the staff is one of the reasons why health care services are unmanageable. It is important that the nurse executive and the nurse manager to support each other in order to establish the necessary management structure that would help in attaining the organizational goals and provide the appropriate support to the care delivery staff. Within this created connection of the executives, staffs and members of the health groups it would create an environment that nursing practice would thrive. Involvement of staff is beneficial because with the participation of each member it would help incorporate the knowledge and skills into one. This relationship that is formed within the structure of the nursing administration is important because it is the one that determines the role’s and task of the members. Some tasks are carried out personally by the nurse executive but it is important that she is still able to delegate tasks to its member. The leader should be able to interact. Through this interaction, relationships are built and this would be dependent on the tasks that will be formulated by the role holder. This relationship building is the foundation of trust on the members of the organization which is beneficial in carrying out the tasks needed. Each member of the health organization should be entitled to give their perceptions and understanding regarding the current health administration and in turn as the nurse executive she or he should be able to accumulate this and present a substantial form of management. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse’s â€Å"human becoming theory† abides with three themes: meaning, rhythmicity, and transcendence. The first theme is â€Å"meaning† which means that people participate in creating something if it is real for them through their self expression and the values that they have. As a nurse executive, she or he must be able to consider the values and individual perceptions of the members of the team. With this she would be able to understand them and in turn would be able to recognize the needs and improvements. The culture and climate is often the key to how the members will be able to act accordingly. The culture is the routines, rules and how they do things that have been past on by the past and former leaders. The climate on the other hand is the perceptions and behavior of the members. This influences individual and team motivation that is why it is important that the nurse executive to do things according to the values attributes, skills and priorities which would also consider the ethical rights. It is important that the behavior of the leader is well founded with this so she would be able to have her staffs involvement and they in turn with participate to what she asks them to do. The second theme is â€Å"rhythmicity† which means that the self can limit or set the opportunity that emerges which can either be a way of moving or being apart from others. The nurse executive should know when or which opportunity to grab. These opportunities should be with the scope of its members and should also be within the patients needs. The concern should be base on the people in which he or she is in control of. The nurse executive cannot have a one way approach of addressing the needs of the administration because it may not coincide with the needs and understanding of the staffs, it is better that they are both able to acknowledge their concerning by having two way system. The executive listen to the ideas of the members as the members do the same with regards to the ideas of the executive. The third theme is â€Å"transcendence† which means that one must be able to cope up with the changes that are on going and would be able to stand out in it. A nurse executive should be open to change and is open for improvements whether it is regarding the attitudes and behavior or the organizational structure of the administration. She or he as well should be open for this change because in order for her to be an effective leader the change should start from her in order for her members to that too. Decentralized management is the type of structure that enables the nurse executive to have a greater collaborative effort, increased competency of the staff and ultimately a greater sense of professional accomplishment and satisfaction. The decision making is move by the nurse executive to the manager going to the staff. It is important that as a nurse executive she or he would be able to voice out the concern of his or her member in order to have a centralized decision making. The nursing administration is very much dependent on the roles of this nurses that is why the role of the nurse as an advocate is important in order to motivate the staffs and involve them to health care innovations that would help improve the quality of nursing care. As a leader it is important that she would be able to identify the process that needs to be improved. Set her vision and mission that her members could be able to understand, and she could easily facilitate on. In order for them to act she should be able to provide the needed materials and methods in order to carry out the tasks and solve problems. As a leader she should be able not only to carry out the task but carry it out on herself as well, a good leader knows and shows how things could be done. It is important that despite the hardships and differences each one has a good leader and advocate of health should encourage her members in promoting and improving the quality of health care delivery. References: Executives, A. O. O. T. N. (2007). Nurse Executive. 2007, from http://www.nursesource.org/executive.html Theory.com, R. (2007). Human Becoming Theory. Perry, P. (2001). Fundamentals of nursing 6th edition: Mosby Inc.   

“La Grande Odalisque” and Manet’s “Olympia” Essay

This essay is comparing paintings of reclining female nudes thru the history of art. – Ingres’ â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† and Manet’s â€Å"Olympia† a Comparison The reclining female nude has been a recurring image in the history of European art. Each artist through time approaches the subject in a different, individualized way. An earlier example of the reclining nude is Giorgione’s â€Å"Sleeping Venus,† created around 1510(see fig. 1). His nude is painted using the clair obscur method with soft, blurred lines, making her fair skin fade slowly into the dark background. Her eyes are closed, giving an aura of innocence, because she is unaware of being observed. Also, Giorgione seems to be experimenting with background in the painting. When examining the painting as a whole, one does not simply see the reclining figure, but the diverse and unusual background also attracts the eye. The fact that the background is open is a certain indication of classical influence on this Renaissance artist. Later, in 1796, Goya began his version of the reclining nude, â€Å"The Nude Maja†(see fig. 2). This painting was ahead of its time, in the respect that the Spanish society was not ready to view this â€Å"obscene† image. She was considered obscene because of her provocative position of frontal nudity, and because this is the first time a nude has been painted in awareness of the painter; her gaze is focused outward. About thirty years later, in 1814, Ingres paints â€Å"La Grande Odalisque†(see fig. 3). She, like Goya’s â€Å"Maja† was rejected at first by society, but for different reasons. She was not rejected because she was â€Å"obscene,† but because her body was an unnatural shape; her long back does not seem proportional to her small head. One critic of Ingres said, â€Å"She has three vertebrae too many!† Ingres’ nude is also looking out from the painting with awareness, as Goya’s â€Å"Maja† did. However, there was not as much objection to the lack of innocence demonstrated here. Her awareness may have been less of an impact  on Ingres’ society because the body of â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† is painted more modestly; it is facing in, away from the viewer. It was also more accepted in Ingres’ society because it was painted after the shock of Goya’s work. The advancement of time has given Europe a chance to broaden its perspectives, and become more open-minded regarding the strict rules of painting nudes. If Ingres’ style in â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† is examined, one can definitely see classical influence playing a large part. The classical influence is most clear through the solid delineation of the figure. There are no blurred or choppy lines. Classical influence is also shown through the way Ingres paints his nude with very smooth, invisible brush strokes. The skin and textures of fabric seem so real, they are practically photographic. She is painted indoors, but the black background behind the blue curtain denotes openness, as seen in classical works. Even though these obvious classical influences exist, Ingres did not follow the classical masters exactly as other Neo-Classical artists did. The figures’ slight deformation does not coincide with the classical challenge to create the perfect body. Why did Ingres reject the classical style when he shaped the body of his nude? Some critics felt that because of her unusual shape, Ingres must have been following the Mannerists, who with their unnatural ways of painting rejected the normal classic figure. However, it is also believed that Ingres elongated the back and outstretched arm to create a more sensual and erotic shape. His painting may also be considered romantic in subject matter, even though his style is Neo-Classical. Almost fifty years after Ingres painted â€Å"La Grande Odalisque,† Manet created â€Å"Olympia†(see fig. 4). Olympia could be considered the most unconventional nude up to this point. She was painted in 1863, and again, society rejected the reclining figure. Olympia was the first of the nudes to give the viewer the sense of a real person, rather than an idealized figure. This realistic, unconventional portrayal caught the world by surpass. Olympia’s pale skin is totally unattractive when compared with the smooth, well-shadowed skin of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"La Grande Odalisque.† Manet’s figure seems two-dimensional, whereas Ingres’ nude is three-dimensional. This is attributed to the fact that Manet, being reluctant to follow the trends before him, â€Å"refused to create three-dimensionality through modeling forms with lines or gradations of color.† â€Å"Olympia† is proof of this refusal; her body almost seems like a cardboard cut-out. Another notable difference between â€Å"Olympia† and the other nudes is her gaze. She looks out at the viewer, just like â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† and â€Å"The Nude Maja,† but where these nudes had very seductive, enjoyable gazes, Olympia’s stare is very honest and frank. She looks out at the viewer with little interest, and she has no modesty whatsoever. This small change in gaze may seem insignificant, but upon examining the various nudes, one can see that it makes a dramatic difference. Manet’s nude, with her uncaring look, has a modernized feeling to it; it clearly demonstrates how Manet got the title, â€Å"The Father of Modern Art.† Throughout the time span of the four paintings mentioned here, it is obvious that the 19th century was indeed the one most revolutionary for new thought and innovation. Ingres’ work at the beginning of that century has not quite reached that point of change, but Manet’s work in the middle of the century reflects a totally new era of change. His art helped the Victorian society to realize that the roller coaster ride into the twentieth century was to be one of exciting, liberal thought. Even today, the reclining nude is being recreated in a very fascinating way(see fig. 5). By a simple comparison of these four works, it is easy to trace the history of art from its classical stage, to the modern art it is today.

A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management

3528 Email: gurung@uta. edu ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the impact of information technologies (IT) on logistics by conducting a survey of literatures on academic logistics journals and practitioner journals. The literature survey and practice find that third party logistic providers have better opportunity to leverage IT since they need to have interoperable IT systems with their customers. The business philosophy of Just-In-Time (JIT) has also contributed to the impact of IT in logistics. Further, information technologies are identified that has benefited the logistics. Future directions of logistics are discussed. INTRODUCTION The proliferation of information technologies (IT) and the internet technologies have provided impetus and challenges to the logistics. New technologies present new means to manage the flow of information. IT as a productivity tool can be utilized to both increase the capability and decrease the cost at the same time (Closs et al. , 1997). It has been widely accepted that firms can achieve competitive advantage by cost reduction or differentiation with the proper implementation of IT (Porter Millar, 1985). Enabled by IT the logistics has become a source of competitive advantage for many firms. Two streams of research are identified that highlights the role of IT in logistics. First stream relates to just-in-time logistics information system (Anderson Quinn, 1986; Bookbinder Dilts, 1989; Das Handfield, 1997; Gomes Mentzer, 1988; Perry, 1988; Schwarz Weng, 2000; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1994; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1996; Takahashi Nakamura, 2000; Titone, 1996; Wafa Yasin, 1996). The other stream is the third party logistics (Lewis Talalayevsky, 2000; Peters et al. , 1998; Sauvage, 2003; Sink Langley, 1997; Vaidyanathan, 2005). Importance of IT in logistics has grown to some extent by business philosophy of Just-InTime (JIT) by firms. With the emphasis of firms on JIT, the impact of logistics has grown as it is increasingly recognized as a source of consistent, low lead time, damage free deliveries (Bardi et al. , 1994). In pursuit of competitive advantages, firms outsource their functions which are noncore competencies so that they can focus on their core competencies. A recent survey found that 83 percent of the surveyed Fortune 500 companies reported having at least one contract with a third-party logistics provider (Lieb Bentz, 2004). Over the years, the use of third-party logistics has been increasing. Similar survey of Fortune 500 companies taken in 1991 had only 38 percent of the respondents reporting the use of third-party logistics provider (Lieb, 1992). The 618 third party logistic operators attempt to harness the capability of information technology to provide superior services to their customers. The objective of this paper is to study how IT has impacted logistics. To this end, literature review of both leading academic and practitioner logistic journals is conducted. The next section will report the framework of logistics. The following section will analyze the IT enablers in logistics. Then, the implications of ecommerce are discussed followed by a section on future directions for logistics. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A classification scheme logistics functions provides a meaningful way to study how IT has impacted the various functions of logistics. Previous research in logistics have categorized the use of information systems in logistics in different ways. A system of logistics functions can be divided into following five broad areas (Bowersox, 1974): facility location, transportation, inventory, communication and material movement. Based on the problem areas that application addresses, seven areas of logistics has been identified as facility location, inventory control, order entry, vehicle scheduling, warehouse layout planning, freight rate retrieval, and product and shipment tracing (Ballou, 1976). Another survey identified five categories as facility location, inventory control, transportation, production scheduling, and total physical distribution (House, 1978). These categories treated each category as individual entities rather than a whole system. Noting this shortcoming, Stenger (1986) proposed another classification consisting of transaction systems, short-term scheduling and inventory replenishment systems, flow planning systems, and network planning and design systems. Expanding on the framework developed by Bowersox, Novack et al (1992) divided logistics function into two categories. The first category refers to physical activities that are required various utilities of customer need. These will include inventory, transportation and customer service operations. The second category refers to flow of information or transaction activities that follow or initiate the physical activities. The physical and information flows in logistics function is well-depicted in Figure 1 that shows the categorization of logistics functions as described by Vaidyanathan (2005). As shown in the figure, information flows between logistics function are managed, coordinated and supported by various logistics technologies. 619 Inventory and Logistics Management: – Freight Consolidation – Freight Distribution – Shipment Planning – Traffic Management – Inventory Management – Carrier Selection – Order Entry/ Management Information Flow Customer Service: – Freight Payments – Auditing – Order Management – Fulfillment – Help Desk – Carrier Selection – Rate Negotiation Information Flow Warehousing: – Packaging – Product Making – Labeling – Warehousing Material Flow Transportation: – Fleet Management – Cross Docking – Product Return Figure 1: Categorization of Logistics Functions (adapted from Vaidyanathan 2005) IT enablers in Logistics The literature in logistics is full of instances where information technology has been touted as a means to enhance logistics competitiveness (Bowersox, 1974; Closs et al. , 1997; Rabinovich et al. , 1999; Stenger, 1986). Yet there has been few empirical studies that relates logistics information capabilities to logistics competence (Closs et al. , 1997). A popular framework in information systems discipline put forward by Gorry Morton (1989) place logistics decisions as structured and varying from operational to strategic. The role of logistics information systems as operational and strategic enablers in different areas of the firm’s supply chain has been stated in the literature (Langley et al. , 1988). There has been a shift of IT from being an enabler of operational and material handling functions to being an enabler of decision-making and activityplanning functions within the supply chain (La Londe Auker, 1973). Logistics Information System Logistics Information System (LIS) is the application component of logistics information technology. An effective LIS facilitates the proper information flow between inventory, 20 Information Flow warehousing and transportation to realize the high level of customer service. The ability to optimize the logistics cost and service levels is affected by the LIS of the firm and its partners. Firms that provide better logistics services at a lower cost can have competitive advantage over its competitors (Bardi et al. , 1994). Two classes of LIS has been recogn ized in the literature (Closs et al. , 1997). Logistics operating systems (LOS) refer to transactional applications such as order entry, order processing, warehousing, and transportation. Logistics planning systems (LPS) refer to coordinating applications such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution requirements planning. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has successfully enhanced the communication between firms which is essential for logistics. This technology requires firms to have common data formatting and transmission standards or protocols. Such technologies have been employed by companies to coordinate their value chain activities including logistics. Early applications of EDI has been on transmitting vehicle location information by railways to their customers. Other types of logistics information carried by EDI are purchase orders/releases and changes, advanced shipping notices, bills of lading, and invoices. Timely and accurate information is crucial in decision making about complex logistics problems. Japan Airlines (JAL) adopted EDI to manage their complex value chain logistics required for their operations, including procurement and just-in-time delivery of aircraft fuel, repair and maintenance aircraft parts, food catering and other customer requirements (Chatfield Bjorn-Andersen, 1997). The competitive advantage gained by companies employing EDI is cited in the literature. Firms utilizing EDI were better able to fulfill greater number of services to their customers (Rogers et al. , 1992). Bar coding Bar coding is one of the most IT enablers to date and has made significant impact in the practice. Starting in 1960’s some of the earliest implementation of bar codes were in rail road cars. Nowadays it is rampant in anything that needs to be identified and tracked. The different type of bar codes are available, known as symbologies, for different purposes. In practice, most firms prefer to use industry standards rather than proprietary standards for most of their bar codes on their products. By following industry standards, bar codes reduce the complications inherent in the use of multiple standards and thus provides a strong foundation for integrating the corporate logistics and the supply chain (Closs Kefeng, 2000). Real-time communications capability The logistics IT capability of real-time communications is essential for maintaining the flow of information. As noted by Dudley Lasserre (1989), one of the important roles of logistics IT is to substitute information for inventory. To make real-time tracking of goods, logistic information systems of business partners should have real-time communications capability. The business partners require an integrated messaging architecture which exchanges business data while customizing business flows and format transformation. Real-time communications also allows for schedule plans to change in dynamic routing and scheduling system when the vehicles are 621 already out on the road. Any last minute changes in routing and scheduling system or constant tracking has been possible only with real-time communications ability of the respective systems. RFID RFID helps to identify, track and locate items automatically. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is expected to increase rapidly in coming years. Often referred to as the next step in the evolution of bar-coding, RFID is growing rapidly in the automatic data capture and identification market (Srivastava, 2004). RFID is not a new technology, in fact, its use dates back to 1940’s but only now it is starting to make a significant impact within the supply chain. The growth in use of RFID will be enhanced to some extent by mandates from large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and the US Department of Defense, who require their suppliers to adopt this technology within the next few years (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). Among the companies that are piloting RFID in their supply chain management prominent ones are WalMart, Procter Gamble, Coca-cola and Gillette. Although the biggest driver in the popularity of RFID has been supply chain, companies are experimenting in other applications as well. Other applications are theft detection, asset tracking, mobile payments, in-process inventory tracking and luggage tracking. Dell, Seagate, Boeing and Ford are among other companies that are using RFID to track their in-process inventory in manufacturing. An RFID system includes transponders or tags that can identify items ; antennas that allows tags to be interrogated and to respond; and software that controls the RFID equipment, manages the data and interfaces with enterprise applications. RFID has lots of potential to improve the efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. For example, efficiency would result from automatic update of inventory system when products with RFID tags are unloaded from trucks into stores. The advantages of RFID over bar coding are as follows: RFID tags can provide longer read distances; store more data; require no direct line of sight between tag and reader; and can collect data from multiple sources simultaneously (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). There are some technical and business challenges to overcome before RFID can be ubiquitous. Technical issues include problems of interference, security and accuracy while business issues relate to costs and lack of standards. Another significant business challenge in adopting RFID faced by managers is to work out a business case for the executive board. Early adopters of these technologies are marred by problems such as possible adverse consumer outbursts to perceived invasion of privacy, reliability of the RFID system, and issues related to health, safety and IT integration. IMPLICATION OF ECOMMERCE ON LOGISTICS The growth of ecommerce pose opportunities and challenges for logistics. As internet retailing increases the companies are accepting orders from their clientele across the borders. In many instances the location of clients are not covered by any existing distribution system of the companies. On such occasions the companies have no resort but to turn towards third party logistics operators for physical flow of goods. As for the information flow, the companies need to have capabilities for ecommerce applications. The group of technologies and processes for coordinating logistics information flow has been named e-logistics. An important web 622 technology that facilitates the exchange of business data among logistics business partners across different platforms is extra markup language (XML). For example, UPS is exploiting the power of the web services to streamline its information flows for logistics activities such as RFQ, shipping and tracking. Changing Trends in Logistics Consultants are beginning to take an active part in helping out the shippers select third party logistics operators. Shippers hire consultants to help them align business processes with supply chain strategies. The newly coined term â€Å"4PL† for consultants stands for dominant role that consultants will be taking in managing the resources, the technology and the processes in the supply chain. It is yet to be seen whether the shippers will let the consultants manage all the logistics processes. Instead of handing over the authority to manage the logistics processes to the consulting firms, shippers may choose to develop alliance with the third party logistics operators and maintain the supply chain themselves. The key thing that will allow coordination between shipper firms and the third party logistics will be information technology and management skills to run the supply chain effectively. This implies that firms should also have proper logistic technologies in place to enjoy the full benefits of use of third party logistics. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The research directions that are available for researchers in logistics are numerous. Before companies implement new logistic information technologies such as RFID it is important to assess the viability of adopting the technology. What would be the expected benefits? What is the ROI? Researchers can come up with various econometric models to predict the outcomes of adopting logistics technologies. Modeling techniques can be used to assess the scenarios that would be beneficial for adopting new technologies. As companies are entering into ecommerce, better coordinating techniques are required to streamline logistics activities for transactions taking place on the internet. Collaborative technologies for supporting e-logistics would greatly enhance the future logistics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide an interesting avenue of research that is applicable for supporting logistics technologies on the internet. Intelligent software agents can be used to assess the bids offered by multiple third-party logistics operators. To support global ecommerce the companies need to have different options for global logistics. The best way to traverse the geographical distribution is through technology. What are the communication channels and technologies that would benefit the company in terms of monitoring and coordination logistics functions? More empirical evidence will be preferred to establish the direct link between organizational performance and logistics information systems. Researchers can seek to examine the complex relationships between logistics technologies and performance from different paradigms and theories. The perspective of organizational learning can be used to evaluate the performance gained by employing logistics information systems. 23 CONCLUSION The objective of this paper was to observe the impact of information technology on the logistics functions. A literature review of the academic and practitioners journals was conducted. The information technologies that have been used to support logistics functions were discussed. It is evident that academic researchers are aware of new tec hnologies in practice such as RFID. Development in technologies offer sources of competitive advantage for companies. Adoption of new technologies provide challenge and opportunities for the companies. Proper business case and calculation of ROI needs to be done to assess the expected benefits from new technologies. Changing trends in business in terms of ecommerce open new markets for firms for all sizes to expand their market share. Strategic use of information resource would bear results of competitive advantage and thus leading to success stories. The best practices in logistic information technologies need to be adopted by firms in alignment of their strategic goals. Future trends in logistics may prompt companies to rethink their logistics strategies. Firms may choose to use third party logistics in order to focus on their core competencies. However, firms need to have logistics information systems in place that is compatible with the third party operators in order to fully benefit from their services. REFERENCES Anderson, D. L. Quinn, R. J. 1986, â€Å"The Role of Transportation in Long Supply Line Just-InTime Logistics Channels â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 68-88. Asif, Z. Mandviwalla, M. 2005, â€Å"Integrating the Supply Chain with RFID: a Technical and Business Analysis†, Communications of the AIS, vol. 15, pp. 393-427. Ballou, R. H. 976, â€Å"Computer Methods in Transportation-Distribution†, Transportation Journal, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 72-85. Bardi, E. J. , Raghunathan, T. S. Bagchi, P. K. 1994, â€Å"Logistics information systems: The strategic role of top management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 7185. Bookbinder, J. H. Dilts, D. M. 1989, â€Å"L ogistics Information Systems in a Just-In-Time Environment â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 50-67. Bowersox, D. J. 1974, Logistics Management: A Systems Integration of Physical Distribution Management and Materials Management, Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY. Chatfield, A. T. Bjorn-Andersen, N. 1997, â€Å"The impact of IOS-enabled business process change on business outcomes: Transformation of the Value Chain of Japan Airlines†, Journal of Management Information Systems, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 13-40. Closs, D. J. Kefeng, X. 2000, â€Å"Logistics information technology practice in manufacturing and merchandising firms† An international benchmarking study versus world class logistics firms†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 869-86. 624 Closs, D. J. , Goldsby, T. J. Clinton, S. R. 1997, â€Å"Information technology influences on world class logistics capability†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 4-17. Das, A. Handfield, R. B. 1997, â€Å"Just-in-time and logistics in global sourcing: An empirical study†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 3/4, pp. 244-59. Dudley, L. Lasserre, P. 1989, â€Å"Information as a Substitute for Inventories â€Å", European Economic Review, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 67-88. Gomes, R. Mentzer, J. T. 988, â€Å"A Systems Approach to the Investigation of Just-In-Time â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 71-88. Gorry, G. A. Morton, M. S. S. 1989, â€Å"A Framework for Management Information Systems†, Sloan Management Review, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 49-61. House, R. G. 1978, â€Å"Computer Models in Distribution Management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 1, no. 1, p p. 129-52. La Londe, B. J. Auker, K. 1973, â€Å"A Survey of Computer Applications and Practices in Transportation and Distribution†, International Journal of Physical Distribution, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 92-301. Langley, C. J. , Carlisle, D. P. , Probst, S. B. , Biggs, D. F. Cail, R. E. 1988, â€Å"Microcomputers as a Logistics Information Strategy†, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Materials Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 11-7. Lewis, I. Talalayevsky, A. 2000, â€Å"Third-Party Logistics: Leveraging Information Technology â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 173-85. Lieb, R. C. 1992, â€Å"The use of third-party logistics services by large American manufacturers†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 29-42. Lieb, R. C. Bentz, B. A. 004, â€Å"The Use of Third-Party Logistics Services by Large American Manufacturers: The 2003 Survey†, Transportation Journal, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 24-33. Novack, R. A. , Rinehart, L. M. Wells, M. V. 1992, â€Å"Rethinking concept foundations in logistics management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 233-67. Perry, J. H. 1988, â€Å"Firm Behavior and Operating Performance in Just-In-Time Logistics Channels â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 19-33. Peters, M. J. , Lieb, R. C. Randall, H. L. 1998, â€Å"The use of third-party logistics services by European industry†, Transport Logistics, vol. , no. 3, pp. 167-79. Porter, M. E. Millar, V. E. 1985, â€Å"How information gives you competitive advantage†, Harvard Business Review, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 149-60. Rabinovich, E. , Windle, R. , Dresner, M. Corsi, T. 1999, â€Å"Outsourcing of integrated logistics functions†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 353-73. Rogers, D. S. , Daugherty, P. J. Stank, T. P. 1992, â€Å"Enhancing service responsiveness: the strategic potential of EDI†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 15-20. Sauvage, T. 2003, â€Å"The relationship between technology and logistics third-party providers†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 236-53. Schwarz, L. B. Weng, Z. K. 2000, â€Å"The Design of a JIT Supply Chain: The Effect of Leadtime Uncertainty on Safety Stock â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 231-52. 625 Sink, H. L. Langley, J. C. J. 1997, â€Å"A managerial framework for the acquisition of third-party logistics services†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 18, p. 163. Spencer, M. S. , Dale, S. R. Patricia, J. D. 1994, â€Å"JIT Systems and External Logistics Suppliers†, International Journal of Operations Production Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 6074. Spencer, M. S. , Daugherty, P. J. Rogers, D. S. 1996, â€Å"Logistics support for JIF implementation†, International Journal of Production Research, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 701-14. Srivastava, B. 2004, â€Å"Radio frequency ID technology: The next revolution in SCM†, Business Horizons, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 60-8. Stenger, A. J. 1986, â€Å"Information Systems in Logistics Management: Past, Present, and Future†, Transportation Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 5-82. Takahashi, K. Nakamura, N. 2000, â€Å"Reactive logistics in a JIT environment†, Production Planning Control, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 20-31. Titone, R. 1996, â€Å"Moving Beyond JIT to Logistics Planning†, IIE Solutions, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 22-4. Vaidyanathan, G. 2005, â€Å"A Framework for Evaluating Third-Party Logistics†, Communications o f the ACM, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 89-94. Wafa, M. A. Yasin, M. M. 1996, â€Å"The impact of supplier proximity on JIT success: an informational perspective†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 23-34. 626 A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management 3528 Email: gurung@uta. edu ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the impact of information technologies (IT) on logistics by conducting a survey of literatures on academic logistics journals and practitioner journals. The literature survey and practice find that third party logistic providers have better opportunity to leverage IT since they need to have interoperable IT systems with their customers. The business philosophy of Just-In-Time (JIT) has also contributed to the impact of IT in logistics. Further, information technologies are identified that has benefited the logistics. Future directions of logistics are discussed. INTRODUCTION The proliferation of information technologies (IT) and the internet technologies have provided impetus and challenges to the logistics. New technologies present new means to manage the flow of information. IT as a productivity tool can be utilized to both increase the capability and decrease the cost at the same time (Closs et al. , 1997). It has been widely accepted that firms can achieve competitive advantage by cost reduction or differentiation with the proper implementation of IT (Porter Millar, 1985). Enabled by IT the logistics has become a source of competitive advantage for many firms. Two streams of research are identified that highlights the role of IT in logistics. First stream relates to just-in-time logistics information system (Anderson Quinn, 1986; Bookbinder Dilts, 1989; Das Handfield, 1997; Gomes Mentzer, 1988; Perry, 1988; Schwarz Weng, 2000; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1994; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1996; Takahashi Nakamura, 2000; Titone, 1996; Wafa Yasin, 1996). The other stream is the third party logistics (Lewis Talalayevsky, 2000; Peters et al. , 1998; Sauvage, 2003; Sink Langley, 1997; Vaidyanathan, 2005). Importance of IT in logistics has grown to some extent by business philosophy of Just-InTime (JIT) by firms. With the emphasis of firms on JIT, the impact of logistics has grown as it is increasingly recognized as a source of consistent, low lead time, damage free deliveries (Bardi et al. , 1994). In pursuit of competitive advantages, firms outsource their functions which are noncore competencies so that they can focus on their core competencies. A recent survey found that 83 percent of the surveyed Fortune 500 companies reported having at least one contract with a third-party logistics provider (Lieb Bentz, 2004). Over the years, the use of third-party logistics has been increasing. Similar survey of Fortune 500 companies taken in 1991 had only 38 percent of the respondents reporting the use of third-party logistics provider (Lieb, 1992). The 618 third party logistic operators attempt to harness the capability of information technology to provide superior services to their customers. The objective of this paper is to study how IT has impacted logistics. To this end, literature review of both leading academic and practitioner logistic journals is conducted. The next section will report the framework of logistics. The following section will analyze the IT enablers in logistics. Then, the implications of ecommerce are discussed followed by a section on future directions for logistics. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A classification scheme logistics functions provides a meaningful way to study how IT has impacted the various functions of logistics. Previous research in logistics have categorized the use of information systems in logistics in different ways. A system of logistics functions can be divided into following five broad areas (Bowersox, 1974): facility location, transportation, inventory, communication and material movement. Based on the problem areas that application addresses, seven areas of logistics has been identified as facility location, inventory control, order entry, vehicle scheduling, warehouse layout planning, freight rate retrieval, and product and shipment tracing (Ballou, 1976). Another survey identified five categories as facility location, inventory control, transportation, production scheduling, and total physical distribution (House, 1978). These categories treated each category as individual entities rather than a whole system. Noting this shortcoming, Stenger (1986) proposed another classification consisting of transaction systems, short-term scheduling and inventory replenishment systems, flow planning systems, and network planning and design systems. Expanding on the framework developed by Bowersox, Novack et al (1992) divided logistics function into two categories. The first category refers to physical activities that are required various utilities of customer need. These will include inventory, transportation and customer service operations. The second category refers to flow of information or transaction activities that follow or initiate the physical activities. The physical and information flows in logistics function is well-depicted in Figure 1 that shows the categorization of logistics functions as described by Vaidyanathan (2005). As shown in the figure, information flows between logistics function are managed, coordinated and supported by various logistics technologies. 619 Inventory and Logistics Management: – Freight Consolidation – Freight Distribution – Shipment Planning – Traffic Management – Inventory Management – Carrier Selection – Order Entry/ Management Information Flow Customer Service: – Freight Payments – Auditing – Order Management – Fulfillment – Help Desk – Carrier Selection – Rate Negotiation Information Flow Warehousing: – Packaging – Product Making – Labeling – Warehousing Material Flow Transportation: – Fleet Management – Cross Docking – Product Return Figure 1: Categorization of Logistics Functions (adapted from Vaidyanathan 2005) IT enablers in Logistics The literature in logistics is full of instances where information technology has been touted as a means to enhance logistics competitiveness (Bowersox, 1974; Closs et al. , 1997; Rabinovich et al. , 1999; Stenger, 1986). Yet there has been few empirical studies that relates logistics information capabilities to logistics competence (Closs et al. , 1997). A popular framework in information systems discipline put forward by Gorry Morton (1989) place logistics decisions as structured and varying from operational to strategic. The role of logistics information systems as operational and strategic enablers in different areas of the firm’s supply chain has been stated in the literature (Langley et al. , 1988). There has been a shift of IT from being an enabler of operational and material handling functions to being an enabler of decision-making and activityplanning functions within the supply chain (La Londe Auker, 1973). Logistics Information System Logistics Information System (LIS) is the application component of logistics information technology. An effective LIS facilitates the proper information flow between inventory, 20 Information Flow warehousing and transportation to realize the high level of customer service. The ability to optimize the logistics cost and service levels is affected by the LIS of the firm and its partners. Firms that provide better logistics services at a lower cost can have competitive advantage over its competitors (Bardi et al. , 1994). Two classes of LIS has been recogn ized in the literature (Closs et al. , 1997). Logistics operating systems (LOS) refer to transactional applications such as order entry, order processing, warehousing, and transportation. Logistics planning systems (LPS) refer to coordinating applications such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution requirements planning. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has successfully enhanced the communication between firms which is essential for logistics. This technology requires firms to have common data formatting and transmission standards or protocols. Such technologies have been employed by companies to coordinate their value chain activities including logistics. Early applications of EDI has been on transmitting vehicle location information by railways to their customers. Other types of logistics information carried by EDI are purchase orders/releases and changes, advanced shipping notices, bills of lading, and invoices. Timely and accurate information is crucial in decision making about complex logistics problems. Japan Airlines (JAL) adopted EDI to manage their complex value chain logistics required for their operations, including procurement and just-in-time delivery of aircraft fuel, repair and maintenance aircraft parts, food catering and other customer requirements (Chatfield Bjorn-Andersen, 1997). The competitive advantage gained by companies employing EDI is cited in the literature. Firms utilizing EDI were better able to fulfill greater number of services to their customers (Rogers et al. , 1992). Bar coding Bar coding is one of the most IT enablers to date and has made significant impact in the practice. Starting in 1960’s some of the earliest implementation of bar codes were in rail road cars. Nowadays it is rampant in anything that needs to be identified and tracked. The different type of bar codes are available, known as symbologies, for different purposes. In practice, most firms prefer to use industry standards rather than proprietary standards for most of their bar codes on their products. By following industry standards, bar codes reduce the complications inherent in the use of multiple standards and thus provides a strong foundation for integrating the corporate logistics and the supply chain (Closs Kefeng, 2000). Real-time communications capability The logistics IT capability of real-time communications is essential for maintaining the flow of information. As noted by Dudley Lasserre (1989), one of the important roles of logistics IT is to substitute information for inventory. To make real-time tracking of goods, logistic information systems of business partners should have real-time communications capability. The business partners require an integrated messaging architecture which exchanges business data while customizing business flows and format transformation. Real-time communications also allows for schedule plans to change in dynamic routing and scheduling system when the vehicles are 621 already out on the road. Any last minute changes in routing and scheduling system or constant tracking has been possible only with real-time communications ability of the respective systems. RFID RFID helps to identify, track and locate items automatically. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is expected to increase rapidly in coming years. Often referred to as the next step in the evolution of bar-coding, RFID is growing rapidly in the automatic data capture and identification market (Srivastava, 2004). RFID is not a new technology, in fact, its use dates back to 1940’s but only now it is starting to make a significant impact within the supply chain. The growth in use of RFID will be enhanced to some extent by mandates from large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and the US Department of Defense, who require their suppliers to adopt this technology within the next few years (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). Among the companies that are piloting RFID in their supply chain management prominent ones are WalMart, Procter Gamble, Coca-cola and Gillette. Although the biggest driver in the popularity of RFID has been supply chain, companies are experimenting in other applications as well. Other applications are theft detection, asset tracking, mobile payments, in-process inventory tracking and luggage tracking. Dell, Seagate, Boeing and Ford are among other companies that are using RFID to track their in-process inventory in manufacturing. An RFID system includes transponders or tags that can identify items ; antennas that allows tags to be interrogated and to respond; and software that controls the RFID equipment, manages the data and interfaces with enterprise applications. RFID has lots of potential to improve the efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. For example, efficiency would result from automatic update of inventory system when products with RFID tags are unloaded from trucks into stores. The advantages of RFID over bar coding are as follows: RFID tags can provide longer read distances; store more data; require no direct line of sight between tag and reader; and can collect data from multiple sources simultaneously (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). There are some technical and business challenges to overcome before RFID can be ubiquitous. Technical issues include problems of interference, security and accuracy while business issues relate to costs and lack of standards. Another significant business challenge in adopting RFID faced by managers is to work out a business case for the executive board. Early adopters of these technologies are marred by problems such as possible adverse consumer outbursts to perceived invasion of privacy, reliability of the RFID system, and issues related to health, safety and IT integration. IMPLICATION OF ECOMMERCE ON LOGISTICS The growth of ecommerce pose opportunities and challenges for logistics. As internet retailing increases the companies are accepting orders from their clientele across the borders. In many instances the location of clients are not covered by any existing distribution system of the companies. On such occasions the companies have no resort but to turn towards third party logistics operators for physical flow of goods. As for the information flow, the companies need to have capabilities for ecommerce applications. The group of technologies and processes for coordinating logistics information flow has been named e-logistics. An important web 622 technology that facilitates the exchange of business data among logistics business partners across different platforms is extra markup language (XML). For example, UPS is exploiting the power of the web services to streamline its information flows for logistics activities such as RFQ, shipping and tracking. Changing Trends in Logistics Consultants are beginning to take an active part in helping out the shippers select third party logistics operators. Shippers hire consultants to help them align business processes with supply chain strategies. The newly coined term â€Å"4PL† for consultants stands for dominant role that consultants will be taking in managing the resources, the technology and the processes in the supply chain. It is yet to be seen whether the shippers will let the consultants manage all the logistics processes. Instead of handing over the authority to manage the logistics processes to the consulting firms, shippers may choose to develop alliance with the third party logistics operators and maintain the supply chain themselves. The key thing that will allow coordination between shipper firms and the third party logistics will be information technology and management skills to run the supply chain effectively. This implies that firms should also have proper logistic technologies in place to enjoy the full benefits of use of third party logistics. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The research directions that are available for researchers in logistics are numerous. Before companies implement new logistic information technologies such as RFID it is important to assess the viability of adopting the technology. What would be the expected benefits? What is the ROI? Researchers can come up with various econometric models to predict the outcomes of adopting logistics technologies. Modeling techniques can be used to assess the scenarios that would be beneficial for adopting new technologies. As companies are entering into ecommerce, better coordinating techniques are required to streamline logistics activities for transactions taking place on the internet. Collaborative technologies for supporting e-logistics would greatly enhance the future logistics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide an interesting avenue of research that is applicable for supporting logistics technologies on the internet. Intelligent software agents can be used to assess the bids offered by multiple third-party logistics operators. To support global ecommerce the companies need to have different options for global logistics. The best way to traverse the geographical distribution is through technology. What are the communication channels and technologies that would benefit the company in terms of monitoring and coordination logistics functions? More empirical evidence will be preferred to establish the direct link between organizational performance and logistics information systems. Researchers can seek to examine the complex relationships between logistics technologies and performance from different paradigms and theories. The perspective of organizational learning can be used to evaluate the performance gained by employing logistics information systems. 23 CONCLUSION The objective of this paper was to observe the impact of information technology on the logistics functions. A literature review of the academic and practitioners journals was conducted. The information technologies that have been used to support logistics functions were discussed. It is evident that academic researchers are aware of new tec hnologies in practice such as RFID. Development in technologies offer sources of competitive advantage for companies. Adoption of new technologies provide challenge and opportunities for the companies. Proper business case and calculation of ROI needs to be done to assess the expected benefits from new technologies. Changing trends in business in terms of ecommerce open new markets for firms for all sizes to expand their market share. Strategic use of information resource would bear results of competitive advantage and thus leading to success stories. The best practices in logistic information technologies need to be adopted by firms in alignment of their strategic goals. Future trends in logistics may prompt companies to rethink their logistics strategies. 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