Strategic Planning Health Care Health And Social Care Essay

Alcohol abuse is a signifier of substance maltreatment and plays an tremendous function in United States Navy human deaths. Although attempts are being made to de-glamorize the usage and abuse of intoxicant in the Navy, this quandary still remains. Alcohol is easy available, readily accessible, and socially acceptable. It can be found at featuring events, household reunions, societal assemblages, eating houses and assorted jubilations. Bing socially acceptable and legal, the ingestion of intoxicant does non keep the same societal stigma as other drugs. Nevertheless, intoxicant abuse is a national epidemic. Harmonizing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2001, more than half a million people were injured in auto accidents where constabulary reported that intoxicant was present – an norm of one individual is injured about every two proceedingss ( Blincoe, Seay et al. , 2002 ) . Excessive intoxicant ingestion is the 3rd taking â€Å" existent † cause of decease in the United States ( Mokdad, Stroup, Marks & A ; Gerberding, 2000 ) . In 2001, 17,448 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle clangs, stand foring 41 % of all traffic-related deceases ( NHTSA, 2002 ) . Alcohol-related motor vehicle clangs kill person every 30 proceedingss ( NHTSA, 2002 ) . Alcohol is besides a major subscriber to force and offense, peculiarly assaults, violative behavior, domestic force and kid maltreatment ( Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, 1996 ) . Harmonizing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) intoxicant abuse was responsible for 75,000 deceases and 2.3 million old ages of possible life lost ( about 30 old ages of life lost per decease ) in 2001. ( Town, Naimi, Mokdad, & A ; Brewer, 2001 ) . The National Survey on Drug Use and Health ( NSDUH ) , which conducted a countrywide study affecting questioning about 70,000 indiscriminately selected persons aged 12 and older in 2006, reported somewhat more than half of Americans age 12 or older admitted to being current drinkers of intoxicant. More than 125.3 million people or 50.9A per centum of the population reported being drinkers of intoxicant. A follow-up study in the 2007 study reported a rise in intoxicant ingestion with more than 126.8 million people or 51.1A per centum, acknowledging to being current drinkers of intoxicant. Datas from Substance Abuse & A ; Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ‘s ) National Survey on Drug Use and Health f ound in 2003, an estimated 56.6 % of veterans used intoxicants compared with 50.8 % of comparable nonveterans. Harmonizing to Dr. Alexander Wagenaar, Director of Alcohol and Other Drug Epidemiology Program at University of Minnesota School of Public Health, intoxicant was involved in: about 32 % of air power deceases ; 62 % of drownings ; 48 % of falls ; 54 % of fires ; 40 % of industrial hurts. Approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested in 2000 for driving under the influence of intoxicant or narcotics. That ‘s merely over 1 % of the estimated 120 million or more episodes of impaired drive that occur among U.S. grownups each twelvemonth ( NHTSA, 2001 ) . Harmonizing to The Navy Safety Center over the past 5 old ages, crewmans have been deceasing in alcohol-related vehicle accidents at the rate of 1 every 17 yearss. At this rate, a crewman who completes a 20-year calling in the Navy will hold lost 1197 shipmates due to alcohol-related vehicle accidents. That is about 60 crewmans ‘ deceases per twelvemonth as a direct consequence of intoxicant abuse. Harmonizing toaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.The term intoxicant is besides referred to as ethyl alcohol or ethyl intoxicant. Alcohol is a thin, clear liquid with a rough combustion gustatory sensation and high volatility. Alcohol is created when grains, fruits, or veggies are fermented. Fermentation is a procedure that uses barm or bacterium to alter the sugars in the nutrient into intoxicant. Agitation is used to bring forth many necessary points – everything from cheese to medicines. Alcohol has different signifiers and can be used as a cleansing agent, an antiseptic, or a ataractic. Harmonizing to farther research intoxicant is defined as an intoxicating agent. Alcohol is besides a psychotropic substance, which means that it has the ability to alter consciousness and to change perceptual experiences and behaviour. When speech production of intoxicant, it includes, vino, whisky and beer to call a few.Reappraisal of the peer-reviewed scholarly literature refering to your subject ( 4-5 page narration )Misuse can be defined to utilize falsely or improperly ; misapply, to utilize or handle severely or harshly ; maltreatment. Harmonizing to National Health Science in England ( 2006 ) , alcohol abuse involves the heavy and frequent usage of intoxicant. Misuse can be characterized by a form of imbibing that can ensue in issues with 1s ‘ relationship perchance as a failure to pay close attending to indispensable undertakings, responsibilities and duties at school, work, or at place which consequences in an inability to work usually. The abuse can do both short and long-run physical, psychological and societal jobs. Misuse of intoxicant can be associated with important injury to kids, particularly when combined with other characteristics such as domestic force or other drug abuse. Salter ‘s Psychiatric Review ( 2003 ) defines intoxicant abuse as imbibing intermittently or persistently to such an extent that it interferes with an employee ‘s wellness or public presentation ( efficiency, productiveness, safety or attending ) . The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines alcohol abuse as the ingestion that puts persons at an increased hazard for inauspicious wellness and societal effects. It is defined as extra day-to-day ingestion ( more than 4 drinks per twenty-four hours for work forces or more than 3 drinks per twenty-four hours for adult females ) , or extra entire ingestion ( more than 14 drinks per hebdomad for work forces or more than 7 drinks per hebdomad for adult females ) , or both. Other illustrations of intoxicant abuse include demoing up late to work or non demoing up at all, going ailment as a consequence of intoxicant ingestion, prosecuting in inappropriate behaviour, failure to abiding by the Torahs or prosecuting in behaviour that causes concern for one ‘s safety or the safety or others. Consequences of abuse include non being recommended for publicity, low public presentation markers and belongings harm. It affects one ‘s ability to decently do determinations, execute their needed responsibilities and duties and compromises one ‘s safety.Physical DeductionsAlcohol abuse has been associated with a broad scope of mental, physical and societal injuries. Most wellness professionals agree that intoxicant affect practically every organ in the human organic structure. Alcohol ingestion has been linked to more than 60 disease conditions in a series of recent meta-analyses These include increased hazard of unwilled hurts, force, liver disease, high blood pressure, certain malignant neoplastic diseases, and diseases of the cardinal nervous system. ( English et al. , 1995 ; Gutjahr, Gmel & A ; Rehm, 2001 ; Ridolfo & A ; Stevenson, 2001 ; Single et al. , 1999 ) . Alcohol abuse in any environment is known to do wellness jobs, most notably it can take to liver harm ( e.g. cirrhosis ) , every bit good as jobs with other systems of the organic structure. It is estimated to do about 20-30 % of oesophageal malignant neoplastic disease, liver malignant neoplastic disease, cirrhosis of the liver, homicide, epileptic ictuss, and motor vehicle accidents worldwide ( WHO, 2002 ) . Harmonizing to the Center of Disease Control ( 2010 ) , some illustrations of the affects of intoxicant abuse include unwilled hurts ( e.g. , auto accidents, falls, Burnss, submerging ) , knowing hurts ( e.g. , piece hurts, sexual assault, domestic force ) , alcohol toxic condition, high blood force per unit area, shot, and other cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, offense, and driving under the influence. Alcohol abuse consequences in a assortment of inauspicious wellness results. Persons who misuse intoxicant are besides at increased hazard of a assortment of inauspicious generative wellness results. ( Iyasu, Randall, Welty, Kinney, Mandell, 2002 ) . Recent surveies conducted on rats, have shown that intoxicant additions malignant neoplastic disease, spread by stamp downing the ability of â€Å" natural slayer † cells to destruct malignant neoplastic disease cells going in the blood stream. The findings are peculiarly of import for adult females because old surveies suggest adult females who drink every bit small as one to two drinks a twenty-four hours have an incidence of chest malignant neoplastic disease anyplace from 10 % to 100 % higher than abstainers. ( NHTSA, 2002 ) Research has noted that alcoholic drinks which are consumed in moderateness pose no important menace and have no long term effect. Moderate usage is defined by The Dietary Guidelines for Americans as no more than two alcoholic drinks per twenty-four hours for work forces and no more than one alcoholic drink per twenty-four hours for adult females. A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of vino, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled liquors, all of which contain the same sum of intoxicant ( NHTSA, 2002 ) However, it has been noted that intoxicant abuse involves the heavy and frequent usage of intoxicant which leads to serious effects. A modest ingestion of intoxicant for many in America and in the Navy is considered safe, suited and pleasant. In fact, moderate consumption of intoxicant has been shown to be reciprocally related to the incidence of coronary arteria disease. ( Vidal, A Arveiler, A Evans, A Montaye, A & A ; A et al.A 2000 ) .Misuse of Alcohol and the Mil itary Culture, Attitudes and BeliefsIn the United States Navy, imbibing has become a tradition and has become portion of being defined as a crewman. Over the old ages, Navy tradition has changed ; nevertheless, the Navy ‘s civilization has easy changed. In the early beginnings and in the formation of the Navy, captains of ships would enroll their crews from saloon. Aboard ship they would have their ration of grog. Grog was a mixture of rum and H2O. It is named after Admiral Grogram Vernon, who foremost ordered the dilution of the British Royal Navy ‘s day-to-day rum ration ( Pack, 1982 ) . Social psychologists have long argued that people tend to follow group attitudes and act in conformity with group outlooks and behaviours based on association demands and societal comparing procedures ( Festinger, 1954 ) , societal force per unit areas toward group conformance ( Asch, 1951, 1952 ) and the formation and acquisition of mention group norms ( Newcomb, 1943 ; Newcomb Wilson , 1966 ; Sherif, 1936, 1972 ) . Alcohol was one time a really of import facet of many of the Navy ‘s oldest clip honored ceremonial processs, such as publicity to main junior-grade officer and traversing the equator. In the yesteryear, intoxicant was thought to be a necessary point for subsistence and morale and, as such, was provided as a day-to-day ration to crewmans and soldiers. Within the preponderantly male U.S. military population, heavy imbibing and being able to â€Å" keep one ‘s spirits † have served as trials â€Å" of suitableness for the demanding masculine military function † ( Bryant, 1974 ) . Research has shown that groups of people, who work together, whether in little squads or larger organisations, develop shared beliefs and patterns that can act upon intoxicant usage ( Trice, 1990 ; Ames, 1992 ) . As a consequence of alterations in the past several decennaries, intoxicant is no longer permitted at official military maps, ceremonials or bid sponsored events. In fact, th e end is to deglamorize is usage to promote appropriate behaviour. The Navy ‘s policy against intoxicant is a seeking and hard undertaking and complicated affair particularly for the primary ground ; it has been a portion of the Navy ‘s civilization for over 200 old ages. The footing of the Navy ‘s Alcohol policy is â€Å" zero tolerance on and off responsibility, afloat and ashore. † It is of import to observe, zero tolerance translates into responsible usage of intoxicant. Harmonizing to this policy, abuse of intoxicant is unacceptable ; it interferes with the Navy nucleus Valuess of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Misuse does non fall in line with Navy ‘s criterions of public presentation for it does non show a sense of professionalism. Alcohol abuse usage is a serious discourtesy in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, breaches good order and subject and is incompatible with service in the Navy. It can destruct the lives of those who misuse it and the lives of their loved 1s, for it can make and do relationship iss ues, wellness jobs and fiscal troubles. Alcohol abuse besides places the member ‘s continued service in the Navy in serious hazard. For illustration, new regulations have been implemented, as of July 30, 2010 ; crewmans who are repeat wrongdoers, convicted of a 2nd DUI strong belief will ensue in administrative separation. Previously, the Commanding Officer had the concluding recommendation.An analysis of the job that you are analyzing taking into consideration old coursework ( 2-3 page narration ) The graduated table of the job.Most late we have seen a rise of intoxicant abuse at our bid and in the Navy overall. Aanalysis of the job in a 2002 Department of Defense ( DoD ) survey found that in the last 20 old ages 21 % of service members admitted to imbibing to a great extent ( 2002 ) . Soldiers and Marines stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq are contending for their lives, and many of our Sailors stationed in San Diego are contending for theirs every bit good. The DoD survey be sides found that 31 % of all occupational hurts are alcohol-related, as are 23 % of self-destructions and 32 % of homicides ( 2002 ) . While in homeport, directors, leaders and supervisors up and down the concatenation of bid are combating an addition in the measure and frequence of intoxicant related incidences and driving under the influence charges imposed on several of their crewmans since their return from abroad. Research has besides shown that intoxicant usage has remained reasonably changeless between 1980 and 2002: 20.8 % in 1980, 24.8 % in 1985, 20 % in 1988, and basically unchanged through 2002 ( Bray et al. , 2003 ) . Harmonizing to research from Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor ( DAPA ) for Navy Region Southwest, since 2001 – to 2008 DUI apprehensions rose about 7 per centum across the Navy but dropped 15 % in the Southwest part. Harmonizing to Command Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor ( DAPA ) for Mobile Security Squadron FIVE, the figure of driving under the influence offenses has doubled since this clip last twelvemonth. To day of the month, four Sailors, two Chief Petty Officers and two Petty Military officers have been charged and arrested for driving while intoxicated. Charges against the four persons are still pending. Harmonizing to the Command DAPA they will be held accountable. In order to obtain information for this peculiar survey, interviews, ego appraisals and questionnaire were used. The intent of the ego appraisal was to obtain a baseline on the degree of intoxicant abuse in the bid, enhance Sailor ‘s consciousness and obtain information on hazard behaviours, wellness guidance and testing informations. The term â€Å" orgy imbibing † was defines as a imbibing juncture taking to poisoning, frequently measured as holding more than ten figure of drinks on one juncture ( i.e. , devouring five or more drinks per typical imbibing juncture at least one time a hebdomad ) ( Gmel, Rehm and Kuntsche, 2003 ) . The completion of the appraisal took approximately five proceedingss. A sum of 413 persons completed the appraisal. Datas from 413 studies were collected during a two month period. Presently the bid is composed of 512 forces, 350 of the Sailors late returned from a 7 month deployment to Kuwait in January. In less than 7 months from their last d eployment, those same Sailors will go forth their households, friends and loved one to one time once more deploy to the United Arab Emirates UAE. In a recent study conducted, the figure of â€Å" Days Away from Home Station † averaged 142 yearss. The information besides indicated that 80.6 % of the studies were completed by enlisted crewmans and 19.4 % by officers. The information besides indicated that of the reported study respondents indicated 50.8 % of the respondents were in the 20-29 twelvemonth old age group. Data recorded that 32 % , reported the ingestion of intoxicant, 24 % reported heavy intoxicant usage, 29 % moderate usage, 47 % reported devouring intoxicant fewer than one time a hebdomad and 8 % reported intoxicant usage while driving a vehicle. A really startling statistic is that 6 % of members surveyed reported drive after imbibing excessively much intoxicant.Consequence of Alcohol Misuse: Economic and Military ActionsOn April 4th 2010, May 16th, 2010, June 17, 2010 and August 1st, 20th 2010, service members were detained and charged with driving while under the influence ( DUI ) . Servicemembers were g uilty of DUI ‘s, three of the 4s were first clip wrongdoers. Three of the four were fined between $ 300.00 to $ 850.00. So far, servicemembers have had their impulsive privileges on base suspended for a twelvemonth and all four were jailed overnight. Each are presently required to go to an compulsory intoxicant safety action plan ; two of the four failed to inform their concatenation of bid. They were discovered by the usage of the Alcohol and Drug Management Information and Tracking System ( ADMITS ) , which is a computerized database that paperss and studies all alcohol related incidents. In an interview with one of the service members he shared he began imbibing intoxicant when he was 16 old ages old and continued good into his calling in the Navy. He drank four or five beers a hebdomad with friends. He would imbibe largely with household and friends and while socialising and with his married woman. Most late his ingestion has decreased to imbibing one or two beers one time or twice a month. He believes that he did non hold a imbibing job ; for no 1 at his occupation, in his concatenation of bid or his household or friends has of all time suggested that he misused intoxicant. This is the service members ‘ 2nd discourtesy. California DUI Offense punishments are serious. There are both condemnable and administrative punishments that can be imposed. The 1st discourtesy of a rummy drive strong belief, in most instances, will dwell of two discourtesies: 1 ) driving under the influence of intoxicant ( DUI ) , and 2 ) driving with.08 % or higher blood-alcohol concentration. First clip wrongdoer face possible gaol clip, probation, suspension of their licence, ignition interlock installing, a significant rise in insurance fees ensuing in duplicating or trebling of premiums, restricted travel, community service, loss of employment and expensive mulcts. Punishments, mulcts and fees increase well with each extra discourtesy. The punishments for imbibing and drive are going progressively stricter each twelvemonth but vary from province to province and are broad runing. In California, harmonizing to the National Safety Council State Traffic Safety Legislation Database, first clip wrongdoer, non-injury DUI ‘s are by and large misdemeanours. DUIs that consequence in bodily hurt may be elevated to felony position. Persons face 48 hours up to 6 months in gaol and mulcts can run from $ 390- $ 1,000 plus punishment appraisals. Wrongdoers may hold their licence suspended from 4 months up to a twelvemonth. Courts may besides order the installing of an interlock device. Furthermore, vehicles may be impounded, wrongdoers must take and alcohol instruction class, may be placed on probation and have to execute community service. A 2nd California DUI discourtesy may include 90 yearss to 1 twelvemonth in gaol, a two twelvemonth licence suspension, attending of an 18-30 month DUI school and 3-5 old ages informal pro bation. In comparing, in Texas, for a first clip discourtesy, a driver convicted of a DUI could confront 72 hours to two old ages in gaol, a $ 2,000 to $ 10,000 mulct, suspension of licence for 90 yearss to one twelvemonth and a DUI surcharge of $ 1,000 per twelvemonth for three old ages or $ 2,000 for old ages, if Blood Alcohol Level is above.16. A 2nd rummy drive discourtesy could ensue in 30 yearss to two old ages in gaol, $ 4,000- $ 10,000 mulct, suspension of licence from 180 yearss to two old ages, installing of an ignition interlock device and a DUI surcharge from $ 1,500 to $ 2,000 for three old ages. Bing charged with a rummy driving strong belief can be an really expensive proposition. With the combination of tribunal costs mulcts, fees and an addition in premiums, the cost of one DUI can run between $ 5,000 and $ 20,000. Fines and fees associated with intoxicant abuse vary province to province, nevertheless, the cost of possible fees and mulcts, in all provinces are reeling. Harmonizing to informations by Mother Against Drunk Driving ( 2010 ) , a DUI costs about $ 5,000 – $ 20,000 by the clip you pay mulcts, fees, bond and insurance. For illustration, bond can be $ 150.00 to $ 2500.00 and towage fees can run from $ 200 to $ 1500. Some metropoliss charge $ 1,200 for the first 24 hours and $ 50 for each extra twenty-four hours of storage. driving/alcohol-awareness schools ( 16 hebdomads lower limit ) scope from $ 250.00 to $ 2,000.00. The fee for and installing of an ignition lock is about $ 70.00, legal representation could be anyplace from $ 2500.00 to $ 25,000.00 and li cense reinstatement fee can run from $ 100- $ 250, Auto Insurance Increase: $ 3,600 – $ 6,600 ( The Auto Club estimates $ 2,200 a twelvemonth for 3 old ages ) There are besides unanticipated and incalculable cost such as an addition in life-insurance-premiums, lost of income due to tribunal day of the months, community service, gaol clip, loss of licence and employability.Mission Readiness/Health Care CostssAlcohol abuse affects mission preparedness since it takes clip and costs money for medical referrals, to treat separations and penalties. Additional, it reduces member ‘s dependableness, dependability and discredits members. Furthermore, members are removed from places in which they have been trained for. Alcohol abuse on the single degree is a personal duty failure in leading, judgement, personal and professional behaviour. Over the past two decennaries, five major surveies have used the cost of unwellness ( COI ) model to gauge the economic costs of intoxicant malt reatment in the United States ( Berry et al. 1977 ; Cruze et Al. 1981 ; Harwood et Al. 1984, 1998 ; Rice et Al. 1990 ) . In a survey by Healthy People 2010, a list of national wellness aims for the first decennary of this century includes substance maltreatment as a taking wellness index, with an estimated cost to society of $ 167 billion for intoxicant maltreatment ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000 ) . Alcohol related jobs cost British industry, 2 billion per twelvemonth due to absenteeism and hapless work public presentation. These surveies present estimations of the costs of intoxicant maltreatment on the footing of analyses of wellness attention costs, productiveness losingss, and assorted extra costs, such as those associated with alcohol-related offense and motor vehicle clangs. In the most recent of these COI surveies, the research group estimated the overall economic cost of intoxicant maltreatment at $ 148 billion for 1992, the most recent twelvemonth for which equal informations were available at the clip the survey was undertaken ( Harwood et al. 1998 ) . The economic costs as a consequence or lost of productiveness was estimated at $ 134.2 billion. Health attention costs of intoxicant maltreatment were estimated at $ 26.3 billion for 1998, stand foring a comparatively modest fraction 14.3 % of the sum estimated cost of intoxicant maltreatment. The direct and indirect cost of intoxicant abuse in the United States was estimated to be about $ 185 billion in 1998. Medical effects of foetal intoxicant syndrome ( FAS ) accounted for about $ 2.9 billion of this sum and about $ 1.3 billion were attributed to lost net incomes due to FAS ( Hardwood, 2006 ) . Harmonizing to the CDC, the cost of intoxicant abuse in the United States was estimated to be $ 185 billi on in 1998. About $ 16 billion of this sum was spent on medical attention for alcohol-related complications ( non including foetal intoxicant syndrome [ FAS ] ) , $ 7.5 billion was spent on forte intoxicant intervention services, and $ 2.9 billion was spent on FAS intervention. The staying costs ( $ 134 billion ) were due to lost productiveness. Lost productiveness due to alcohol-related deceases and disablements impose a greater economic load than do wellness attention costs ( Harwood, 2000 ) . Harmonizing to a 1997 DoD study, the DoD reported that costs for wellness attention associated with the sensing, rehabilitation, and intervention of active responsibility, retired person, and dependent forces with intoxicant related diseases and hurts were approximately $ 557 million. The lost productiveness costs for active responsibility forces hospitalized for intoxicant attributable disease was $ 13 million for the same period. Non-DoD social costs for intoxicant related incidents attributable to active responsibility, retired person, and dependent forces were approximately $ 396 million for the same period. Alcohol abuse among Prime donees cost the DoD an estimated $ 1.2 billion in 2006aˆâ€ ¢ $ 425 million in higher medical costs and $ 745 million in decreased preparedness and misconduct charges. In footings of medical attention and lost clip at work, intoxicant maltreatment costs the DoD more than $ 600 million in 2008 and the DoD spends another $ 132 million a twelvemon th to care for babes with foetal intoxicant syndrome.Legal ActionsThere are several mentions and instructions which discuss legal action that can be taken against military members that misuse intoxicant. Members arrested and convicted for alcohol-related discourtesy by civil authorization ( i.e. , DUI/DWI, public poisoning, disorderly behavior ) , are apt to be punished under article 92, failure to obey a lawful order, and Article 111-drunken or foolhardy operation of vehicle, aircraft, or vas. Legal actions against service members is based on misconduct and abuse, the non the intoxicant job in itself. Military legal actions and effects include loss of on base privileges, limitation, publicity recommendation and a 2nd intoxicant misconduct discourtesy will ensue in administrative separation. Members found guilty at ( non-judicial penalty ) NJP typically face A? months pay times two months. On norm, a Chief with over 12 old ages of service makes 3,699.00. The Chiefs in our bid confro nting NJP can anticipate to lose $ 1849. This does non include loss of possible future publicities. In contrast, civilian legal actions include tribunal costs and fee, increased insurance premiums, driver ‘s license suspension and possible gaol clip.Effectiveness of Navy Training ProgramsTo find the effectivity of the intoxicant preparation plans a sample study was utilised. 75 % of those surveyed believed that developing plans were effectual. Many of the respondents stated the preparation plans purposes have been and are clearly stated, nevertheless, developing to cut down intoxicant abuse are merely effectual if persons make a witting determination to implement what they have learned from the preparation. Others stated that plans are effectual ; nevertheless, they are merely non decently utilised unless you ‘re at a rigorous bid. On some occasions, plan are merely to the full implemented and supported when something happens. Many of the plans that are presently in topographic point include Right Sprit, 123, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Managers and Supervisors ( ADAMS ) for Leaders, ADAMS for Supervisors and ADAMS for Facilitators. These plans emphasize responsible usage and deglamorize intoxicant with the purpose of cut downing the impact of intoxicant abuse. Training plans are effectual for they raise awareness, promote treatment, promotes positive behaviours refering responsible usage while avoiding intoxicant abuse. They besides discuss the dangers of intoxicant abuse and supply information on where persons can travel to have guidance and other valuable resources. These plans are effectual ; they teach crewmans how to take attention of non merely themselves, but to be aware of the wellness and public assistance of those they work or live with and assorted options to bask life without intoxicant. The Navy presently uses instruction and preparation pictures, community organisation, jurisprudence enforcement, and wellness publicity runs. These assorted types of preparation plans, assistance in acquiring the message out about the responsible usage of intoxicant and can do a important difference in person ‘s life. These preparation plans set criterions in educating the Sailors of the hereafter in forestalling future issues associated with its abuse. These preparation plans are effectual for they promote a healthier lifestyle and can perchance forestall person from going a statistic.A proposed program for turn toing this job ( 4-5 page narration )The Navy ‘s attempts to cut down intoxicant abuse have non been successful. Alcohol is a legal substance, but its abuse has a important impact on misusers. The proposed program to diminish intoxicant abuse usage would be an incorporate attack to undertaking the jobs through early intercession and sensing, airing of cognition of intoxicant abuse policies, wellness related issues and its societal and wellness effects. The program include s implementing a strong policy that would be enforced systematically concentrating on intoxicant abuse bar. Numerous school-based plans have emerged over the old ages to battle minor imbibing and drive. Recent grounds has highlighted a figure of factors that strengthen the efficaciousness of school-based substance maltreatment prevention/education plans which include an synergistic function ( e.g. , Komro, 2002 ; Tobler, 1992 ; Tobler et al. , 2000 ; Tobler & A ; Stratton, 1997 ) . Research besides illustrates that community-based bar plans have been effectual in cut downing those jobs ( Hulley and Fortmann 1981 ; see besides Puska et Al. 1985 ; Maccoby et Al. 1977 ; Jacobs et Al. 1986 ) . This system can forestall a job before a job develops which will help in assisting crewmans make the right determinations at the right clip about their actions and behaviour.Leadership ‘s function, Interventions and Practices to Decrease Alcohol Misuse in the NavyThe program that could be im plemented would be an incorporate program with a focal point on bar and instruction, clear concise communicating, intrusive leading and battle and mentorship. The program I would implement would non set a arrest to all intoxicant abuse, alternatively it would concentrate on bar attempts paying peculiar attending to the bad imbibing behaviour. Alcohol abuse can be reduced through early sensing and early intercession. Communicating straight with our Sailors about intoxicant abuse, intrusive leading, prosecuting the bid and being direct with our Sailors about the issue of the abuse of intoxicant is the foundation of a the preventative integrative program. Communicating, prosecuting the Sailors in the bid and being direct with the Sailors, leads to constructing a relationship between Sailors and the leading.The end of leading should be to construct a relationship with those crewmans allowing them know that they are of import and that leading is at that place to help them with any issues they may hold. It besides creates an environment of positive aid where Sailors know leaders will make the best they can to take attention of their demands. Commands that have clear communicating are intrusive, engaged and direct set the tone and are active participants in cut downing intoxicant abuse. This system provides leading the chance to supply information jeopardies and effects of intoxicant abuse.AIn constructing a relationship with the Sailors they become cognizant that they are relevant and an of import portion of the bid and instills a sense of duty and AIDSs in edifice and apprehension of Navy policy and outlooks. This besides gives leading an chance to discourse the bids policy constructing a contributing acquisition environment. There is strong grounds that short treatments or †brief intercessions † delivered by professionals are effectual in cut downing imbibing and are cost-efficient. ( Fitzgerald, Watson, A Mccaig, A & A ; A Stewart, A D.2009 ) . This a ttack besides allows an chance to raise the issue of abuse and to discourse bounds of intoxicant ingestion and its negative effects. Another cardinal facet of this integrative program would include bid engagement. Commands should stress moderateness and responsible usage. Commands along with the bid leading should reenforce the message of the Navy intoxicant policy and deglamorize the usage of intoxicant and take restorative every bit good as preventative steps as needed. The Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Command Master Chief and leading should guarantee policies are implemented and members are held accountable by efficiently training improper behaviour, maintaining the plan extremely seeable, sharply prosecuting crewmans, discoursing responsible usage and the effects of go againsting the Navy ‘s refering its abuse, guarantee preparation is easy available and guidance and referrals are readily accessible. Command engagement would besides include cognizing when your crewmans are turning 21 or being cognizant of their birthdays. Research reports found that that 1/5 of all Navy intoxicant related incid ents go on within 12 months of Sailors turning 21. Sailors on or around their birthday should be counseled on the negative effects of intoxicant abuse and should be informed of the Navy ‘s policy on intoxicant and apprehension there are alternate options which do non affect the ingestion of intoxicant. Commands can besides increase the frequence they have Command Calls or have the Command Master Chief speak with the bid more often for case before long vacation weekends, to discourse the bids policy on intoxicant abuse and to remind Sailors to be responsible. Another preventative integrative attack would be supervisors and leaders understanding their duty of being leaders and wise mans. Supervisors, leaders and directors should be cognizant that they are function theoretical accounts. They should be responsible and should advance and further an ambiance of professionalism. Another program to battle intoxicant abuse in the bid is to convey in synergistic games designed to exemplify the dangers of intoxicant abuse. This synergistic device would be a computing machine simulation which would imitate the effects of driving while under the influence to let crewmans to see the effects of how it would and how they would respond while under the influence to see first manus the impact of intoxicant has on the organic structure. This device would assist raise consciousness and hopefully die DUI incidences.A treatment of possible barriers to implementing your program ( 1 page narration )Recommendations for get the better ofing these barriers ( 1 page narration )DecisionIn shutting, one of the most discouraging findings from this research was that 8 % of those surveyed reported driving while under the influence. Alcohol is a drug which can do serious societal, fiscal and physical convulsion. Unhealthy intoxicant ingestion and intoxicant abuse is a major concern in the United States Navy for it has had an inauspicious impact on the mission preparedness of bids and significantly impacts misusers. Alcohol abuse is dearly-won in footings of cost, clip lost and its consequence on households. It besides destabilizes and threatens one safety, wellness, combat preparedness, and is damaging to morale. Alcohol abuse is incompatible with United States Navy criterions of public presentation, and is destructive in the Navys attempts to transfuse pride, professionalism, and esprit de corps. Alcohol in the United States Navy has a long and celebrated tradition of abuse and continues to hold considerable medical, legal and societal effects. It is hard to explicate the positive consequence of intoxicant abuse. While the ingestion of intoxicant may convey with it feelings of enjoyment and heat in the heads of many, it carries with it legion damaging effects, if non used responsibly. As documented in this study, intoxicant abuse poses some serious jobs on its users and their household and topographic points undue load and emphasis on the lives of those affected by its abuse. Furthermore, service members often use intoxicant to get by with apprehensiveness, humdrum, force per unit area, solitariness, jitteriness, emphasis and the sensed deficiency of off responsibility easy activities. Research has illustrated that this is a serious issues that demands our attending. It is of import that we all understand that intoxicant abuse will non be eradicated overnight. It will take several old ages to alter the military civilizations mind set, perceptual experience, attitudes and beliefs about intoxicant usage. The United States Navy civilization will merely alter through an incorporate attack of bar through intercession, instruction and preparation. Additionally, leading should encompass and accept their function and duty in educating their crewmans on current patterns, processs, constabularies and the nature of intoxicant abuse and how it can be prevented and treated efficaciously. The procedure has taught that the bing grounds that has been provided shows that we have an issue in our bid that needs to be addressed. This really little but really alone organisation of informations suggests that more demands to be done to battle this quandary at our bid. Prevention is better than remedy and this information indicates that the Navy needs a better program to pull off the force per unit areas that our crewmans face, which can lend to unhealthy lifestyle determinations. It is apparent from this study that we need to increase our consciousness of intoxicant ingestion and its societal, legal and wellness effects. This study has significantly contributed to my cognition base and has aided in the apprehension of the current tendencies in our bid in relation to alcohol-related issues. This information will be good in raising consciousness among the bid about the terrible reverberations that alcohol abuse can hold. This research has highlighted the importance of responsible usage. There is a demand for more of a focal point on more tools for effectual alteration. To efficaciously cut down the abuse of intoxicant includes implementing effectual schemes to battle intoxicant abuse usage by supplying instruction, preparation and proper showing. Education, preparation and effectual showings have shown to be an indispensable constituent and component in diminishing intoxicant abuse every bit good as minimising the injury caused by intoxicant. I will be my purpose to be more proactive with my attacks to communication the navy policies on responsible usage, through, program of the day of the month notes, on line showings, and posting runs In shutting, early intercession and sensing, airing of cognition of intoxicant abuse policies and wellness publicity combined with intoxicant deglamorization can be utile in stemming tide of abuse. More information, information and research is still required and more demands to be done the kerb the tide of intoxicant maltreatment. In the interim, supplying the appropriate support, preparation, resources, testing and instruction will supply a model to help the bid in undertaking this really serious issue. Overall, these findings indicate that the armed forces has made paces in battling intoxicant abuse ; nevertheless, farther research is needed to measure the effectivity of these plans. intoxicant. ( n.d. ) . In Dictionary Definitions. Retrieved August 9th, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.yourdictionary.com/alcohol Asch, S.E. Effectss of group force per unit area on the alteration and deformation of opinions. In: Guetzkow, H. ( Ed. ) Groups, Leadership and Men: Research in Human Relations, Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press, 1951, pp. 177-190. American Heritage Dictionaries ( 12 April 2006 ) . The American Heritage lexicon of the English linguistic communication ( 4 ed. ) . Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBNA 978-0-618-70172-8. hypertext transfer protocol: //books.google.com/ ? id=uPCFIQAACAAJ. â€Å" To utilize wrongly or improperly ; abuse: maltreatment intoxicant † Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ( AIHW ) . 2006. Australia ‘s wellness 2006. AIHW cat.no. AUS73. Canberra, Australia. Available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/ title/10321 # full_publication ( accessed May 2008 ) . Andrew J Treno, A & A ; A Juliet P Lee.A ( 2002 ) . Approaching intoxicant jobs through local environmental interventions.A Alcohol Research and Health, A 26 ( 1 ) , A 35-40.A Bryant, C. D. ( 1974 ) . Olive-drab Drunks and GI Drug addicts: Alcohol and Narcotic Addiction in the U.S. Military. In C.D. Bryant ( Ed. ) , Deviant Behavior ( Pp. 129-145 ) . Chicago, IL: Rand McNally. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-attributable deceases and old ages of possible life lost – United States, 2001. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2004 ; 53:866-70. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-attributable deceases and old ages of possible life lost-United States, 2001.MMWR 2004 ; 53:866-70. Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services ( 1996 ) National Alcohol Action Plan 1995-1997. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. â€Å" Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 † . USA: health.gov. 2005. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.health.gov/DIETARYGUIDELINES/dga2005/document/html/chapter9.htm.A Dietary Guidelines Domes I. Uvole J ( 2008 ) Integrating services for frail aged people the R & A ; vitamin E of local, regional and departmental histrions In Ilebeit R Tourigny P. Raiche M ( Eds ) Integration of Services Fr Disabled People Research Leading to Action. Edison Quebec, 6. English, D. R. , Holman, C. J. D. , Milne, E. , Winter, M. , Hulse, G. , Codde, J. , Bower, C. , Corti, B. , de Klerk, N. , Knuiman, M. , Kurinczuk, J. , Lwein, G. and Ryan, G. ( 1995 ) The Quantification of Drug-caused Morbidity and Mortality in Australia. Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra. English DR et Al. The Quantification of Drug Caused Morbidity and Mortality in Australia, 1992. Canberra, Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, 1995. Fitzgerald, A N. , A Watson, A H. , A Mccaig, A D. , A & A ; A Stewart, A D..A ( 2009 ) . Developing and measuring preparation for community druggists to present intercessions on intoxicant issues.A Pharmacy World & A ; Science, A 31 ( 2 ) , A 149-53.A Heather, N. ( 1996 ) The public wellness and brief intercessions for intoxicant ingestion: the British experience. Addictive Behaviours, 21, 857-868 Iyasu S, Randall LL, Welty TK, Hsia J, Kinney HC, Mandell F, et Al. Hazard factors for sudden baby decease syndrome among Northern Plains Indians. JAMA 2002 ; 288:2717-23 James Pack, Nelson ‘s Blood: The Story of Naval Rum Naval Institute Press, 1982 Harwood H. Updating Estimates of Economic Costss of Alcohol Abuse in the United States: Estimates, Update Methods, and Datas: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ; 2000. NIH Publication No. 98-4327. Harwood H. Updating estimations of economic costs of intoxicant maltreatment in the United States: estimations, update methods, and informations. Rockville ( MD ) : National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ; 2000. NIH Publication No. 98-4327 Komro, K, A. , & A ; Toomey, T. L. ( 2002 ) . Schemes to forestall minor imbibing. Alcohol Research & A ; Health, 26 ( 1 ) , 5-14. McBride, N. ( 2005 ) . The grounds base for school drug instruction intercessions. In T. Stockwell, Gruenewald, P. J. , Toumbourou, J. W. , & A ; Loxley, W. ( Ed. ) , Preventing harmful substance usage: The grounds base for policy and pattern, ( pp. 101-112 ) . New York: Jonh Wiley & A ; Sons, Ltd. Midanik LT, Room R. Epidemiology of intoxicant ingestion. Alcohol Health and Research World, 1992, 16 ( 3 ) :183-190. Marmot MG, Rose G, Shipley MJ & A ; Thomas BJ ( 1981 ) : Alcohol and mortality: a U-shaped curve. Lancet 1, 580 A ± 583. abuse. ( n.d. ) . In Dictionary Definitions. Retrieved August 10th, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.yourdictionary.com/misuse Mokdad AH, Stroup D, Marks JS, Gerberding J. Actual causes of decease in the United States, 2000. [ Published misprint in: JAMA 2005 ; 293:293-294 ] . JAMA 2004 ; 291:1238-45. Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Drinking and Driving is Very, Very Expensive! Retrieved on August 1, 2010 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.maddorangecounty.org/cost.htm National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Helping patients who drink excessively much: a clinician ‘s usher, updated 2005 edition. Rockville: National Institutes of Health ; 2005 [ cited 2008 Dec 5 ] . Newcomb, T.M. Personality and Social Change: Attitude Formation in a Student Community, New York: Dryden Press, 1943. P Marques-Vidal, A D Arveiler, A A Evans, A M Montaye, A & A ; A et al.A ( 2000 ) . Patterns of intoxicant ingestion in middle-aged work forces from France and Northern Ireland. The Premier study.A European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, A 54 ( 4 ) , A 321-8.A Retrieved September 1, 2010, from ProQuest Medical Library. ( Document ID: A 57479533 ) . Treatment Episode Data Set ( TEDS ) , Trends in Adult Femal Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Reporting Primary Alcohol Abuse: 1992 to 2007. ( January 7, 2010 ) . Retrieved 1/29/2010 from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.oas.samhsa.gov/samhda.htm. Trice, H.M. , and Sonnenstuhl, W.J. On the building of imbibing norms in work organisations. 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Health care entree among U.S. grownups who drink intoxicant overly: lost chances for bar. Prev Chronic Dis [ consecutive online ] 2006 Apr [ day of the month cited ] . Available from: Uniform resource locator: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/ apr/05_0182.htm. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( 2000 ) . Healthy people 2OW ( 2nd ed..Vol. 2 ) . Washington. DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening and behavioural guidance intercessions in primary attention to cut down intoxicant abuse [ Internet ] . Rockville ( MD ) : Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ; 2004 Apr [ cited 2005 Jun 10 ] . Available from: Uniform resource locator: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/alcohol/alcomisrs.htm. The World Health Report 2002 – Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life. 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Ratio Analysis of Hcl Tech Essay

It provides software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management and BPO services, focused mainly on transformational outsourcing. The company leverages its extensive offshore infrastructure and global network of offices in 31 countries to deliver solutions across selected verticals including financial services, retail and consumer, life sciences, aerospace, automotive, semiconductors, telecom, media publishing and entertainment. HCL takes pride in its philosophy of â€Å"Employees First, Customers Second† which empowers their 84,403 employees to create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had consolidated revenues of US$ 4. 5 billion, as on 31st March 2013. HCL Leadership team 2. Objectives of Study Development of industries depends on several factors such as financial, personnel, technology, quality of product and marketing. Financial aspects assume a significant role in determining the growth of industries. All the company’s operations virtually affect its need for cash. Most of these data covering operations area are however outside the direct responsibility of the financial executives. The firm whose present operations are inherently difficult should try to makes its financial analysis to enable its management to stay on top of its working position. In this context I am undertaking financial ratio analysis of HCL Technologies to examine and understand financial performance of the company. Using ratio analysis this project will provide the insights of – * The growth and development of HCL Technologies for last 5 years (FY 08-12) * The behavior of liquidity and profitability of HCL Technologies * The factors determining the liquidity and profitability of HCL Technologies Scope The scope of the study is limited to financial data published in the annual reports of the company every year. The analysis is done to suggest possible solutions for financial growth of the organization. This study is carried out for 5 years (2008-2012). Also data provided by external agencies are used for analysis of future predication. 3. Concept of Financial Statement & Ratio Analysis 2 3. 2 Financial Statement To understand the information contained in financial statements with a view to know the strength or weaknesses of the organization, to make forecast about future prospects and thereby enabling the management and external parties to take different decisions regarding the operations. Fundamental analysis has a very broad scope. One aspect looks at the general (qualitative) factors of the company. The other side considers tangible and measurable factors (quantitative). This means crunching and analyzing numbers from the financial statements if used in conjunction with other methods, quantitative analysis can produce excellent results. Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is the method or process by which relationship/group of items in the financial statement are computed, determined and presented. Ratio analysis is an attempt to derive quantitative measure or guides concerning the financial health and profitability of business enterprises. Ratio analysis can be used both in trend and static analysis. Purpose of several ratios depends on the objective of analysis. A financial ratio measures a company’s performance in a specific area. For example, you could use a ratio of a company’s debt to its equity to measure a company’s gearing. By comparing the gearing ratios of two companies, you can determine which company uses greater debt per equity. You can use this information to make a judgment as to which company is better investment risk. However, you must be careful not to place too much importance on one ratio. You obtain better indication of the direction in which a company is moving when several ratios are taken as a group. Ratios are worked out to analyze the following aspects of an enterprise: a. Solvency: i. Long term ii. Short term iii. Immediate b. Profitability c. Operational Efficiency d. Credit standing e. Effective utilization of resources f. Investment Analysis 3. 4 Significance of Ratio Analysis in Financial Statement Ratio analysis is very important in revealing the financial position and soundness of the business so used by various parties * Management: The group that has the most interest in financial statement analysis is management. Management needs to discover quickly any area of mismanagement so that corrective action can be quickly taken. It mainly helps in: * Decision making: Ratio analysis helps in making decision from the information provided in these financial Statements. Financial forecasting and planning: Planning is looking ahead and the ratios calculated for a number of years a work as a guide for the future. * Communicating: The financial strength and weakness of a firm are communicated in a more easy and understandable manner using ratios. * Co-ordination: Better communication of efficiency and weakness of an enterprise result in better co-ordination in the enterprise * Control: The weaknesses are otherwise, if any, come to the knowledge of the managerial, which helps, in effective control of the business. * Investors or Shareholders Investors are interested in financial statements to evaluate current earnings and to predict future earnings. Financial statements influence greatly the price at which stock is bought and sold. * Lenders: Bankers before granting loans usually require that financial statements be submitted. Whether or not a loan is made depends heavily on a company’s financial condition and its prospects for the future. * Employees: Employees are mainly concerned about the profitability. Their salaries and increments are dependent on the profit made by the company. * Government:

Best friends Essay Example for Free

Best friends Essay Essay Topic: Clothing , Best friend Sometimes I wonder how my life would be without my best friend Tonya, after thirteen years of putting up with each other we are still as inseparable as ever. We know everything about one another, share everything, and spend hours talking to each other developing a relationship that cannot compare any other friendship. Many times when we are together we are mistaken for sisters and it’s easy to understand why; we both stand little over five foot tall, have blonde hair, blue eyes, and wear the same size clothing. It always seems that my closet has more of her clothes in it than mine and vice-versa. Our mothers can never stop comparing notes as to how many clothes they have bought us that they’ve never seen on their actual child wear. When we are together people swears that we speak a different language and between finishing each others sentences, the jumps in topics, and the giggles it’s amazing that we even understand each other. After spending all day together we always end up talking on the phone for hours and many times repeating the same conversations without ever realizing it. For some people it’s hard to imagine being friends with someone for so long, but if I were to choose one person outside of my family that I could not do without. I would pick my best friend Tonya. We’ve helped each other through the good times and bad and held each other when some guy has broken our hearts and even yelled at each others parents. She is as much a part of my family as anyone else, no matter what anyone says. We are best friends and so much more, everyday I am thankful that we found each other so many years ago because neither of our lives have ever been the same. Best friends. (2016, Jun 19). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Desktop and Laptop Computers Marketing in Philippines Essay

Desktop and Laptop Computers Marketing in Philippines - Essay Example In the website of CIA-The world fact book (2007) it is stated that "The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence." In dealing with this statement alone, it would give us the idea of chances in penetrating the market, since our country has made significant change in this Arizona-sized country. Despite the fact that the country is the second poorest nation in Asia (Next to Bangladesh), the country showed significant demands on the acquisition and utilization of desktop and laptop computers since the country is gearing for the digitalization of all of the offices and industries and with this events, utilization of computers is one of the need of this country. Furthermore, the world fact book of CIA described the economic overview of the country as "The Philippines was less severely affected by the Asian financial crisis of 1998 than its neighbors, aided in part by its high level of annual remittances from overseas workers, no sustained runup in asset prices, and more moderate debt, prior to the crisis. From a 0.6% decline in 1998, GDP expanded by 2.4% in 1999, and 4.4% in 2000, but slowed to 3.2% in 2001 in the context of a global economic slowdown, an export slump, and political and security concerns. Average GDP growth accelerated to about 5% between 2002 and 2006 reflect ing the continued resilience of the service sector, and improved exports and agricultural output" This kind of situation gave us enough grounds to consider that this country has the money and resources to purchase such goods. In order to further determine that the market has enough resources to shell out and to be able to determine that the product would be a hit for this country, using Hofstede's Five Dimensions of Culture as a parameter is a good pendulum to analyze the capability of this country in a cultural perspective as well as comparing it to US are important factors to be analyzed. International Marketing 3 The first thing that we should consider is the Power distance index (PDI) of the Philippines. Based on the research conducted by several non government organization and voluntary group, there is a huge distance between the rich and the poor from this country. Unanimously, these organizations concluded that less than 10 percent of the families are included in the so-called upper class of the society (the rich and famous) and the remaining 90 belongs to the B,C and D classes of the society. Among these classes, the class C and D are the ones who are the majority. In this case, it is established that the rich and the famous does have distance with each other and such a scenario suggests imbalance since less than 10 percent of the population are wealthy and the poor ones does have grater

Change of Command Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Change of Command - Essay Example to admit that existence of mistakes in our records such as failing to identify unfavorable traits among candidates in recruitment processes call for improvement. New approaches are therefore necessary for better results. Greater success can be achieved through diligence that leads to more efficiency. I therefore recommend approaches that have been successful to me in developing trust among people towards cooperation. As a member of a team, I learnt that positive interactions with the community, as well as with team members, develop positive relations and cooperation into efficient operations. Some of the most effective strategies towards positive interactions with the community include preventing and solving the community’s problems that develops the community’s trust in you. I am also confident that your â€Å"knowledge, skills and attitudes† can be applied to greater achievements that will set performance standards for future personnel (Lawrence and Mathew, 2012,p.

Resistance to Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resistance to Change - Essay Example The other tactic that can be used to reduce change in an organization is education. In most cases, when there is lack of information about a particular change initiative, people tend to resist it. it is therefore imperative to educate the members involved so that they can share the same understanding with the change agents. There are likely chances that people will understand why change is necessary in the organization if they are educated. For example, people may resist computerisation in their workplace in preference of traditional methods of storing and processing information which are manual in most cases. The main reason for this resistance is that people may lack knowledge about operating computers. Therefore it is important to educate them so that they can also understand the benefits of using computers in the workplace. The other method that can be implemented in order to reduce resistance to change in the organization is negotiation. According to Jackson & Schuler (2000), when a certain group will clearly lose out in a change and that group has considerable power to resist, then it is important to negotiate. Negotiation will create a win-win situation where the groups involved are likely to benefit from the change initiative at the end of the day. For instance, the management may not be able to fire the productive employees in the organization simply because they have resisted change. Instead, the two groups should come to the drawing table and negotiate so that they can map the way forward about how they can tackle the pressing issue together as a group not individuals. Cooptation is the other tactic that can be implemented in order to reduce change when other tactics will not work or are too expensive. Different ideas are taken into consideration so as to enable the members of the organization to agree on one thing that can rescue the company from collapse. This is more of a compromise situation where a

Principles of Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Economics - Research Paper Example sgruntling customers, suppose that the company may introduce a different type of programming that is cheaper for the company to provide yet is equally appealing to customers. Explain what would be the effects of this action. The law of demand states that, ceteris paribas, the higher the price of a commodity, the less the demand will be. On the other hand, the law of supply states that, all factors being constant, sellers are more willing to supply goods at a higher price than at a lower price. This theoretical point at which sellers are willing to supply goods and buyers are getting all the commodities they are demanding is referred to as the equilibrium. The equilibrium is depicted in the figure below: Figure 1: Market equilibrium chart (â€Å"Economics Basics: Demand and Supply,† 2011) If the government make a price ceiling law on cable TV that sets the price below the current equilibrium price two things will happen immediately: (1) cable TV sellers will find the business less attractive because of increased possibility of lower revenues and thus they will lower their supply. (2) Consumers will find the lower prices attractive and thus they will increase their consumption and demand for cable TV. After some duration, the huge consumer demand and low supply will cause consumers to compete for the few cable TVs available. This is depicted below: Figure 2: Effect of price ceiling (Taylor, 2006) In a free market economy, the consumer competition for cable TVs will push the prices up, which will make sellers want to supply more and hence bring the price closer to its equilibrium. However, in this case, the price ceiling prevents suppliers from increasing the supply because of the low marginal benefits compared to marginal cost of supplying cable TVs. This eventually... The rationale for releasing the new guidelines to be used by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission for evaluating proposed mergers is to provide more clarity and transparency to businesses seeking to engage in mergers and acquisitions. This way business can tell beforehand whether they will be successful with their application or not. Additionally, the new Guidelines take into account changes that have taken place in the legal and economic arenas since the last revision in 1992. From the guidelines one thing that stands out is the Department of Justice’s and the Federal Trade Commission’s focus on protecting competition and innovation within the American business sector. Mergers and acquisitions that may substantially lower competition, or to tend to create a monopoly will be rejected. So too will those M&As that are viewed as done to kill innovation. Some of the major implications of these guidelines are that: (1) it will enable companies save on r esources that they may have wasted on a merger or acquisition that ends up being disapproved; and (2) it provides the legal fraternity with more clear guidelines for those who would like to seek legal redress

A Health Promotion For Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A Health Promotion For Older Adults - Essay Example The growing number of Americans is s common founded information. For example in 2010, 40.2 million older adults (65 plus years) represented the American populace. It is approximated that by 2050 there will be more than 88.5 million older adults, twice the number in 2010. This has been treated as strange in America because the older adults have outnumbered the teenagers. Additionally, the majority of the middle aged couples have an alive parent compared to their children (three to four parents compared to just two children Markson, 2003, p.10). Relationship of race, ethnicity, and culture on health status, health belief, help-seeking behaviors, health practice (i.e., traditional and non-traditional medicine), and health outcomesThe number of American adults of 65 years and above will be more than a twofold close to 71 million by 2030. The quickly escalating number of elderly Americans has far-reaching repercussions for the country's public health structure and will bring unmatched req uirements on the conditions on the healthcare and age related-services. Public health attempts to advance health and serviceable autonomous critical strategies in assisting older people to remain healthy. According to studies, poor health does not have to be expected outcomes of aging. Elderly adults who exercise health behaviors, fully utilize clinical preventive services, and continually engage with family and friends are most likely to stay healthy, live independently and attract less health-related costs.

Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architecture - Essay Example The basic architectural context constitutes of the external and internal circumstances that entail the setting for a statement, event or idea in the terms which it can be assessed and understood (Fritsch 11). From a utilitarian point of view, buildings are a product of the social political, religious and economic needs of a society and their attributes range from size, material and design are a reflection of the prevailing temporal and special environments. Throughout human history and contemporary times the architects have always responded to the climate and physical environment or cultural beliefs or intellectualism and popular ideologies. Therefore, modern designers are obligated to take careful consideration of the temporal context as they create new architectural designs because architects that disregard this concept ultimately risk making culturally irreverent and inferior designs. In this essay this position is primarily defended by and introspection of retrospective architect ural designs that have cemented their place in culture and history of their retrospective as well as some of the cultural factors that should be considered when architect are trying to design cultural strong and consistently relevant structures. A generic example of this is the pyramids of Giza and Memphis; their intricate geometrical design can be attributed to the prevailing temporal developments in mathematics since the ancient Egyptians were among the first people to develop a several mathematical concepts. That the pyramids are some of the vastest works or architecture bespeaks the fact that they had a lot of space in which to build them. Outside the silt rich Nile valley, and there was very little arable land therefore unlike other cultures; the Egyptians could afford to build on huge tracts without compromising grazing of farm (Barta 178). The pyramids despite their sheer size and potential for occupancy were never meant for the living but only the dead kings and their servan ts (also dead). From a western point of view, and this may have been seen as an extremely wasteful and impractical; however, to the Egyptians it was the natural thing to do based on the their deep seated beliefs in the divinity of their rulers and life after death. These structures are also a reflection of the economic prowess of the Egyptian civilization and they have been used just as the romans were to later use the coliseum to symbolize their power. The particular use of the Egyptian pyramids is based on the act that they embody many of the contextual dimensions that this paper shall base its arguments on in supporting the thesis. In a study dedicated to the â€Å"Ethno archaeological Study of Vernacular Architecture in Tigray, Ethiopia†, Diane Lyon examines the various temporal and special dimensions and considerations that inspire and construed indigenous and modern architecture in Ethiopia over the course of the last two centuries. This particular article is inclined t owards the temporal aspects of architecture as it seeks to investigate the cultural significance of architecture within the time in which it is restricted. By examining vernacular architecture described as an indigenous and none-elite domestic practice of construing domestic habitation, he intends to compare the social and political significance that came with specific architectural designs (Lyon 184). The Tigrayan rural houses were viewed both as political and local prerequisites which were instrumental and reflective of all social political and economic action throughout the spectrum. One of the themes in the Tigryan architecture than emerges prominently is the usage of wood specifically to decorate the interiors of houses more so the roofs of the traditional house made from mud

21th Bled eConference eCollaboration Essay Example for Free

21th Bled eConference eCollaboration Essay 1 Introduction This is not a research paper. Rather, it is a teaching report in which I describe the use of the so called beer distribution game (or beergame) – a logistics and supply chain simulation game – in teaching business-to-business eCommerce. The aim of the paper is twofold: First, I want to demonstrate how the beergame can be used to provide students with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in contemporary supply chains to exchange information and to facilitate collaboration. Second, I want to share both my experiences and my materials for using the beergame in eCommerce courses with the IS community, i.e. those scholars that teach (business-to-business) eCommerce or supply chain management courses. The beergame is a role-play simulation game in which students enact a four stage supply chain. The task of this supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the beer units until it reaches the customer at the downstream end of the chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each of the four groups has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer by placing orders with the next upstream party. Since communication and collaboration is not allowed between supply chain stages, the players invaria588 bly create the so called bullwhip effect. With ‘bullwhip’ we refer to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies upstream in the supply chain towards the production end, thus causing a range of operational problems. The bullwhip effect is a well-known phenomenon and a prominent symptom of coordination problems in supply chains. In using the beergame to create the bullwhip effect students experience first hand, not only the problems of lack of information sharing and collaboration in supply chains, but also the main causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Henceforth, in introducing eCommerce measures in the later sessions of the course, students can relate to these topics through their own experiences. The paper ties in with a recent discussion on the ISWorld eMail list on â€Å"how to make relevant IS teaching for students with little or no practical experience†. In teaching information systems (IS) and specifically B2B eCommerce we frequent ly experience problems of making relevant those topics for students. The challenge is to get them to appreciate the relevance of IS and also to provide them, not only with a superficial knowledge of the topics, but with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in practice. Against this backdrop I want to show how the beergame can help demonstrating the role and need of eCommerce technologies in a topic area in which the students not only lack practical knowledge (i.e. with regards to supply chains), but typically also do not have their own frame of reference to be able to relate to the topics we teach. To this end, I will introduce the beergame, demonstrate its use in a classroom setting, present typical results created by playing the game and show how I embed the game in a typical B2B eCommerce syllabus. I begin with introducing the game and the bullwhip effect (in section 2). In section 3, I then describe the application of the beergame in a classroom setting; I give an overview of a beergame session and present typical results. Section 4 demonstrates how typical supply chain problems (and the causes of the bullwhip effect) can be deduced from the beergame experience in order to motivate the introduction of eCommerce measures for improving supply chain coordination. The section is concluded by a synopsis of typical eCommerce topics that can follow the beergame in a typical B2B syllabus (section 4.3). 2 The Beergame In the following I will first give a brief introduction to the bullwhip effect before I introduce the beergame itself, i.e. its history, structural setup and the rules of the game. 2.1 Bullwhip effect as symptom of typical supply chain problems The bullwhip effect is a well-known symptom of typical coordination problems in (traditional) supply chains. It refers to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies as one moves upstream in the supply chain towards the production end (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a). Even in the face of stable customer demand small variations in demand at the retail end tend to dramatically amplify upstream the supply chain with the effect that order amounts are very erratic, and can be very high in one week and almost zero in the next week. This phenomenon was discovered and first described by Forrester (1961) who did research into the relationship between ordering and stock keeping patterns using simulation models (Warburton 2004). The term itself was first coined around 1990 when ProcterGamble perceived erratic and amplified order patters in its supply chain for 589 baby diapers. The effect is also known by the names whiplash or whipsaw effect (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a), which refers metaphorically to the visualisation of order patterns moving upstream the supply chain (see figure 3). As a consequence of the bullwhip effect a range of inefficiencies occur throughout the supply chain, e.g. high (safety) stock levels, poor customer service levels, poor capacity utilisation, aggravated problems with demand forecasting, and ultimately high cost and low levels of inter-firm trust (Chopra Meindl 2001; Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a). While the effect is not new and a lot of research has been conducted and supply chain projects have been initiated since its discovery, it is still a timely and pressing problem in contemporary supply chains. Various research studies have quantified the effect and estimate that profitability in most supply chains might improve by up to 30% by eliminating the bullwhip effect (Metters 1997; McCullen Towill 2002). 2.2 Beergame setup and rules Having introduced the bullwhip effect and its implications for the supply chain and its players I will now introduce the beergame, its setup and rules. I begin by providing a brief history of the game before I present the general structure and the rules of the game. 2.2.1 History of the beergame The beergame (or beer distribution game) was originally invented in the 1960s by Jay Forrester at MIT as a result of his work on system dynamics (see Forrester 1957). While the original goal of the simulation game was to research the effect of systems structures on the behaviour of people (â€Å"structure creates behaviour†), the game can also be used to demonstrate the benefits of information sharing, supply chain management, and eCollaboration in the supply chain (Li Simchi-Levi 2002). A range of different versions of the beergame have emerged over the years. The original beergame was realised as a board game (Sterman 1989). Meanwhile a table version (Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002 ) and also computerised simulations (Hieber Hartel 2003) have been developed. In this paper I predominantly draw on a table version, which I adapted from the so called Klagenfurt design (cp. Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002); the structural setup of the table version is shown in figures 1 and 2. I will briefly discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different game versions in chapter 3.1 where I discuss the administration of the beergame in a classroom setting. 2.2.2 General structure of the game The beergame simulates a supply chain that consists of four stages (retailer, wholesaler, distributer and factory), each of which is played by one or better two or three players (Goodwin Franklin Sr. 1994). Hence, a supply chain is typically played by 8 to 12 people, while more than one supply chain can be administered in one class at the same time. The task of each supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the beer un its until it reaches the external customer at the downstream end of the supply chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each sub group has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer. The retailer receives an externally predetermined customer demand and places orders with the wholesaler; the wholesaler sends orders to the distributor, who orders from the factory; the factory finally 590 produces the beer. Hence, orders flow in the upstream direction, while deliveries flow in the downstream direction of the supply chain. An important structural aspect of the game is delay (i.e. time lag) in order to account for logistics and production time. Each delivery (and production order) requires two rounds until they are finally delivered to the next stage. In the structural setup of the game this is represented by two shipping delay fields located in between the supply chain stages as well as at the production end (figure 1). Order flow Delay Delay Delay Delay Factory Factory Distributor Distributor Wholesaler Wholesaler Retailer Retailer Product flow Figure 1: Supply chain setup in the beergame table version Student Outgoing order Play sheet Incoming order Wholesaler Delay Distributor Distributor Outgoing delivery Delay Factory Incoming delivery Student Student Figure 2: Detailed table layout 2.2.3 Rules of the game The game is played in rounds, which simulates weeks. In each round the following steps have to be carried out by the players: 1) receive incoming orders, 2) receive incoming deliveries, 3) update play sheets (outstanding deliveries and inventory), 4) send out deliveries, and finally 5) decide on the amount to be ordered. In doing so, deciding on each round’s order amount is effectively the only decision that players are able to make throughout the game; everything else follows a set of fixed rules. The first rule is that every order has to be fulfilled, either directly (should the players’ inventory be large enough) or later in subsequent rounds. In the latter case, players have to keep track of their backlog (backorder) (Coakley et al. 1998). Secondly, inventory and backlog incur cost – each item in stock costs EUR 0.50 per week, while each item on backlog costs EUR 1.00. Consequently, the primary aim of ea ch subgroup is to keep their costs low. Hence, the optimal strategy for the players is to run their business with as little stock as possible without being forced to â€Å"move into backorder†. Thirdly, players are not allowed to communicate. The only information they are allowed to exchange is the order amount; there is no transparency as to what stock levels or actual customer demand is; only the retailer knows the external demand (Rafaeli et al. 2003). Moreover, the game is based on the simplification of unlimited capacity (in stock keep591 ing, production and transportation) and unlimited access to raw materials at the production end (Hieber Hartel 2003). 2.2.4 The external demand In playing the game the external demand is predetermined and usually does not vary greatly. In the beginning, the supply chain is pre-initialised with inventory levels (e.g. 15 units), orders (e.g. 5 units) and beer units in the shipping delay fields (e.g. 5 units). In order to induce the bullwhip effect to the supply chain the external demand remains stable for a few rounds (e.g. 5 units for 5 rounds) before it suddenly shows one steep increase (jumps to 9 units) before it remains stable again at this higher level for the remainder of the game (usually 40 to 50 rounds in total). However, the one increase in external demand is enough to induce variance into the supply chain, which will inevitably lead to the creation of the bullwhip effect and to a destabilisation of ordering patterns throughout the supply chain. 3 Using the beergame in class Having described the idea, the structural setup, and the rules of the beergame, I will now discuss the administration of the game in a classroom setting. This is followed by the presentation of typical results generated by beergame applications in eCommerces courses. These results are very useful for deriving the causes of the bullwhip effect in discussions with students in a so-called debriefing session (see section 4). For a session outline of a B2B course that uses the beergame please refer to appendix 2; the experiences shared in the following sections are more or less based on this session outline. 3.1 Administering the beergame 3.1.1 Choosing a beergame version As mentioned above, different versions of the beergame exist for use in classroom settings. The traditional version is a board game in which tokens are physically moved on the board to represent orders and stock. The upside of the board version is that people relate well to moving actual objects. However, there are two downsides: firstly, the board game is too slow, cumbersome and complex to administer; secondly and more importantly, because physical objects are used to represent inventory on the board, people enjoy an unwanted transparency of inventory levels of other supply chain stages and can thus strategically act upon their knowledge of incoming stock. The table version of the beergame was originally developed by a team at the University of Klagenfurt (Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002). It shows several improvements to the original design such as a leaner and more pragmatic approach to moving orders and stock in the supply chain. Essentially this is done by using paper slips on which numbers are written by the players. However, it still shows some administrative overhead such as a bookkeeping pe rson that takes stock of all things happening within the supply chain using a computer. While this functions as a built-in safety net in case something goes wrong, it is still a hurdle to the application in a classroom setting and it also slows down the game, which results in long sessions and the students being bored throughout the game. Henceforth, I have adapted the table version and essentially eliminated the bookkeeper in order to achieve a more straightforward progression of the game. The 592 risk however is that students make mistakes in calculating order amounts or stock levels using the paper play sheet. While it helps to start slowly and to doublecheck the play sheet calculations during the first few rounds, in a few of my first beergame applications some people indeed miscalculated stock levels, which led to problems with interpreting the data later on. For this reason, today I use MS Excel and a laptop computer on each table for people to fill in their play sheets; this effectively eliminates the risk and ensures a quick progression of the game (see appendix 1 for a play sheet example). 3.1.2 Schedule of a beergame session The first step in administering the beergame is the preparations of the tables. As is illustrated in figure 2, four fields have to be marked on each table, which is done by fixing to the table 4 sheets of paper using sticky tape. The same is done with the delay fields. Furthermore, cardboard boxes (or plastic cups) and envelopes have to be filled with small paper slips to pre-initialise the supply chain with orders and deliveries. Then, every table has to be prepared with a stack of order and delivery slips that will be used by the players during the game. Finally, paper slips with the external demand progression (see above) have to be prepared that are handed to the retailer groups during the game. Also, for administering more than one supply chain, (student) assistants are needed to help with moving boxes and envelopes during the game. The second step is briefing the students; in doing so I provide a short introduction to the idea of the game, its history, structure, and rules (see above). When playing in more than one supply chain I stress the fact that groups of each stage are competing with one another (e.g. retailer vs. retailer), in order to get the students to take playing seriously. The third step is to start playing some initial trial rounds with the pre-initialised supply chain and to make sure that everyone gets used to filling in play sheets and order/delivery slips. Then, in the fourth step, the speed of playing the game is increased and the game is played for a number of 40 to 50 rounds. The game is then stopped abruptly so that the students do not have time to react strategically to the coming end of the game. The fifth and final part of the session is a short discussion directly after the game, where I ask students how they felt throughout the game and what they think the average customer demand was. The next session after the beergame session is the debriefing session, for which the data that the groups produced throughout the game has to be consolidated, plotted and analysed. Typical beergame results and their creation are presented in the next section; the debriefing session is described in section 4. 3.2 Typical progression and results of a beergame session Every beergame session follows roughly the same scheme, so that the progression of the game shows a recurring pattern. I usually start playing the game at a slow pace for people to get used to moving objects, taking stock and filling in the play sheets. What typically happens during these first few rounds is that people try to get rid of some of the inventory (e.g. 15 units) in order to manage their costs; hence they often only place small orders in the beginning (for an example see weeks 1-7 in figure 3). Consequently, when the customer demand jumps to the higher level in round 6 the supply chain has adjusted to a low demand scenario. After the steep increase many retailer groups tend to wait one or two rounds in order to see if the increase is permanent (as in figure 3). When they then place the first large order they invariably initiate a bullwhip effect that perpetuates through593 out the chain. Typically, the order amount increases with every stage in the supply chain (as in figure 3). What happens then is that the groups move deeply into backorder (see figure 4), because due to the delivery delays it takes quite some time for the beer to move through the supply chain to the retail end. Getting increasingly desperate players often try to send signals and place more large orders; in the end they typically lose track of what they have ordered and order way too much. The consequence is that the supply chain is flooded with beer and the inventories overflow (see weeks 2035 in figure 4). The effect is that people cease ordering entirely; e.g. a lot of very small orders are placed. This is especially true for the higher stages of the supply chain (see table 1). In the end, while the retailer groups often manage to stabilise their business, the higher stages have no idea of the actual customer demand and are left frustrated. Bullwhip Effect 70 60 50 Customer Orders 40 30 20 10 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 3: Plot of order distribution, visualising the bullwhip effect Figure 3 shows the order distribution over 40 weeks and a typical bullwhip effect. Figure 4 shows the inventory fluctuation, with negative inventory representing back order. Table 1 finally shows the decrease in customer demand information upstream visualised by the average order amount by the four stages of the supply chain in this example. More importantly, the increase in order fluctuation upstream the supply chain is illustrated by the largest amount having been ordered in each stage and the number of small orders that were placed. This translates into an increase in inventory fluctuation as well. All this information is being used in the following debriefing session to discuss the bullwhip effect, its implications and the reasons for its existence. 594 Out of stock = Serious lack of service level! 200 150 100 Inventory 50 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 -50 -100 -150 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 4: Example of inventory fluctuation (negative inventory = backorder) Key figures Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory ∅ order amount (units of beer) 8.33 8.68 8.75 9.95 Largest order amount 25 40 50 60 No of small orders (0-2 units) 4 11 14 18 Inventory fluctuation range 84 81 170 165 Table 1: Example of key figures derived from the beergame 4 Learning from the beergame results Having presented the way in which the beergame is administered and a typical progression of the game and its results, I will now first show how a debriefing session can be used to illustrate supply chain coordination problems and to derive typical causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Based on these causes one can then quite easily motivate eCommerce measures and ICT-based supply chain reform initiatives that aim at reducing the bullwhip effect and improving supply chain coordination. 4.1 The debriefing session The debriefing session follows the beergame session (see appendix 2). I usually begin the session with a brief discussion of students’ experiences throughout the game. Typically, the following questions are being discussed: Did you feel yourself controlled by forces in the system from time to time? Or did you feel in control? Did you find yourself blaming the groups next to you for your problems? Did you feel desperation at any time? This discussion typically shows that people indeed were blaming their neighbouring supply chain partners for not doing their jobs right (either not ordering in a 595 sensible way or not being able to deliver); desperation and frustration are common feelings during the last rounds of the game. A first learning from this discussion is that it is the structure of the game (i.e. the supply chain) that causes the behaviour. This is precisely what its inventor (Forrester) intended to achieve and what is referred to as the effects of systems dynamics. A second set of questions can then be discussed in order to reflect upon the beergame itself and its degree of simulating real world conditions: What, if anything, is unrealistic about this game? Why are there order delays? Why are there production delays? Shipping delays? Why have both distributor and wholesalers; why not ship beer directly from the factory to the retailer? Must the brewer be concerned with the management of the raw materials suppliers? Using these questions and by stressing the fact that real-life supply chains are much more complex (a huge variety of products and supply chain partners e xist, as well as complex criss-crossing networks of relationships) the students can quickly be convinced that real-life conditions favour the emergence of the bullwhip to a much greater extent and that the beergame is indeed a good vehicle to simulate the creation of the effect. Having established this necessary bit of legitimisation, the session can then proceed with presenting the beergame results and with identifying the underlying causes. Hence, the next step essentially is to present, for all supply chain groups, the data (table 1) and figures (3 and 4) presented above. In doing so, I typically have a very interactive and lively discussion. I ask what people thought while playing the game and what led them to, for example, place a huge order at a particular point in the game. In discussing the extreme examples, the class usually shares a laugh, which, as a nice by-product, leads to a more casual atmosphere and contributes to setting an open tone for the remainder of the course. I also honour the winning supply chain teams at this point in time. This is also the time where I introduce the concept of ‘cumulated supply chain cost’, e.g. by pointing ou t that the product at the customer end has to earn all (cumulated) costs of all supply chain parties; this insight serves as a first step in establishing the idea of global thinking and chainwide optimization, which essentially requires eCollaboration technologies. At this point in the session one can then either go straight to identifying the causes and effects of the bullwhip effect (see below), or take a little (useful) detour in discussing a teaching case to corroborate the results and to give the results of the beergame some more credibility. In doing so, I use the case of Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla, one of the first documented cases in which a company launched a project to identify the causes of the bullwhip effect and to introduce some countermeasures (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003, p. 91). 4.2 Identifying the causes of the bullwhip effect The bullwhip effect, as simulated in the beergame, is mainly caused by three underlying problems: 1) a lack of information, 2) the structure of the supply chain and 3) a lack of collaboration and global optimisation. These three causes can be identified in an interactive session with the students by discussing the beergame experiences and then be corroborated with insights from practice and the literature. 596 4.2.1 Lack of information In the beergame no information except for the order amount is perpetuated up the supply chain. Henceforth, most information about customer demand is quickly lost upstream in the supply chain. Moreover, no other information is being shared. With these characteristics the beergame simulates supply chains with low levels of trust, where only little information is being shared between the parties. Without actual customer demand data, all forecasting has to rely solely on the incoming orders at each supply chain stage. In reality, in such a situation traditional forecasting methods and stock keeping strategies contribute to creating the bullwhip effect (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a; Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky SimchiLevi 2003). Unexpected increases in orders from downstream partners translate into even higher order increases upstream, because when players regard the increase to be permanent and want to avoid running out of stock, they need to update their safety stock levels; hence they place an even larger order. Later, when it turns ou t that an increase was only temporary, safety stock levels are lowered and players might order nothing for a while, hence contributing to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.2 Supply chain structure The supply chain structure, with its design as separate stages and the long lead times, contributes to the bullwhip effect. The longer the lead time, i.e. the longer it takes for an order to travel upstream and the subsequent delivery to travel downstream, the more aggravated the bullwhip effect is likely to be. With traditional ordering, the point in time where an order is typically placed (the order point) is usually calculated by multiplying the forecasted demand with the lead time plus the safety stock amount, so that an order is placed so far in advance as to ensure service level during the time until the delivery is expected to arrive (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003). Hence, the longer the lead time is, the more pronounced an order will be as an reaction to an increase in forecasted demand (especially in conjunction with updating the safety stock levels, see above), which again contributes to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.3 Local optimisation Local optimisation, in terms of local forecasting and individual cost optimisation, and a lack of cooperation are at the heart of the bullwhip problem. A good example for local optimisation is the batch order phenomenon. In practice, ordering entails fix cost, e.g. ordering in full truck loads is cheaper then ordering smaller amounts. Furthermore, many suppliers offer volume discounts when ordering larger amounts. Hence, there is a certain incentive for individual players to hold back orders and only place aggregate orders. This behaviour however aggravates the problem of demand forecasting, because very little information about actual demand is transported in such batch orders. And batch ordering, of course, contributes directly to the bullwhip effect by unnecessarily inflating the orders. This might lead to lower local cost in the short term, but translates into higher overall cost at the chain level. 4.3 eCommerce measures to tackle the bullwhip effect Having identified and discussed the three problem areas with regard to both the beergame and their real-world counterparts, I then present three areas of improvement that directly correspond to the three problem areas: 1) information sharing in terms of electronic data interchange, 2) ICT-enabled supply chain re597 design, and 3) supply chain collaboration for global optimisation (see figure 5). In terms of teaching, these three bundles of eCommerce measures and initiatives can then be briefly introduced in one session (see appendix 3) or in more (technical and organisational) detail in three separate sessions (see appendix 2). In the following sections I give a brief overview of what can be part of those sessions. 1 Information loss upstream the supply chain Without direct communication, forecasting is based on aggregated, inaccurate information. This causes large stock, high cost, poor service levels. Improvement Efficient communication and information sharing 2 Supply chain structure Long lead times lead to increasing variability upstream making planning nearly impossible: large safety stock is required, variability increased. Slow downstream product flow causes poor service levels. Improvement Supply chain redesign: processes, tasks roles 3 Local optimization Independent planning and local optimization lead to inefficiencies, such as local forecasting, batch ordering, inflated orders, etc. Improvement Cooperation to achieve global optimization Figure 5: Summary of bullwhip causes and areas of improvement 4.3.1 Efficient communication One of the most basic learnings from the beergame is to improve information sharing along the supply chain (e.g. of point-of-sale customer demand data); information sharing is the first step towards more advanced supply chain coordination (Muckstadt et al. 2001). Henceforth, the first step in teaching eCommerce measures is to present the principles and technologies of electronic data interchange. In doing so, I first of all discuss with the students the â€Å"principles of digitally mediated replenishment of goods† by Johnston (1999), essentially a collection of principles for effective inter-organisational electronic data interchange, such as the â€Å"once-only data entry principle† or the â€Å"synchronicity principle†. Based on these fundamental principles I discuss the ways in which traditional document-based ordering can be reformed using electronic data interchange. While these topics might seem to be outdated from a modern information systems perspective, it lays the foundation for a step-by-step increase of complexity that aims at providing the students with a more substantial knowledge of the problems and ideas behind ICT-enabled supply chain reform than can be achieved by a simple presentation of the latest communication technologies. The next step in this endeavour is to introduce technologies that are needed to enable effective inter-firm data interchange and electronic ordering, such as product numbering schemes and automatic product identification technologies. In most supply chains physical products have to be handled; hence ways are needed to attach information to these objects. Consequently, I introduce the following technologies: †¢ Standardised product numbering schemes: Here, the history, proliferation, functioning and impact of numbering schemes such as the Universal Product Code (UPC), the European Article Numbering (EAN) code and more special598 ised codes like for example container codes (SSCC) are introduced. Most of these codes today are administered by the standardisation organisation GS1 (2005). †¢ Automated product identification technologies: The technology with the greatest diffusion in the market is the barcode; while specialised barcodes exist in some industries, the most common one is the UCC/EAN-128 (Coyle, Bardi Langley 1996). The second, much newer technology to be discussed here is Radio Frequency based Identification (RFID). †¢ Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): EDI is the basis for electronic ordering. Here, traditional EDI standards, such as the UN/EDIFACT, which was jointly developed by ISO and the UN (Coyle, Bardi Langley 1996), can be discussed, as well as newer techniques such as Internet-based WebEDI and XML-enabled order exchange. In discussions with the students these enabling communication and data exchange technologies can then be related back to the beergame experience in that they 1) speed up the order process, thus reducing lead time and 2) enable more sophisticated information sharing of POS data. Moreover, they are the basis for the next step, the ICT-enabled redesign of supply chain structures. 4.3.2 ICT-enabled supply chain reform initiatives The second building block in dealing with the bullwhip effect comprises a range of different supply chain reform initiatives that can be subsumed under the concept of efficient replenishment. As such, two distinct types of measures can be distinguished: 1) inventory management concepts that aim at changing the ways in which actors in the supply chain carry out their roles of stock keeping and ordering and 2) logistics concepts that aim at improving actual material and information flow. Efficient inventory management is based on the idea that suppliers have timely access to POS data and can thus eliminate traditional forecasting and change the way ordering and inventory management is carried out (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997b). Three concepts with increasing degrees of complexity can be distinguished: †¢ Quick Response: The idea behind this concept is for the supplier to become more responsive to changes in customer demand through the sharing of POS data. Retailers still prepare individual orders, but suppliers are better prepared. †¢ Continuous Replenishment: Suppliers continually receive POS data from retailers to prepare shipments at agreed-upon levels. †¢ Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI): Under this initiative the suppliers manage all inventory aspects for their own products at the retailer end. Suppliers decide on shipment levels without any orders from the retail end to be placed. In fact, the retailer has very little to do with the operational aspects in VMI (Waller, Johnson Davis 1999). The second type of efficient replenishment measures is efficient logistics (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003). Here, two main building blocks can be discussed: †¢ Warehousing and delivery concepts: Depending on the kinds of goods that are moved along the supply chain, different kinds of warehousing and delivery can be applied in order to achieve an optimal flow of goods. Cross docking is a concept i n which warehouses function as inventory coordination points rather than actual inventory storage points; hence, goods are only re-shuffled 599 between trucks coming in from suppliers and trucks leaving for stores. This instrument can be used for fast selling products. For bulk products central warehousing can be used; while fresh products benefit from direct delivery. †¢ Full-blown just-in-time delivery (JIT): Most commonly found in the automotive industry, ‘just-in-time’ describes a concept, whereby supplier and manufacturer align their logistics and production processes to a degree that no (or very little) inventory is needed. Goods can be directly delivered from the production at the supplier to arrive just in time to be used in production at the manufacturer end (e.g. Johnson Wood 1996). Changing the way in which inventory is managed means to effectively change the supply chain structure. For example, by implementing VMI the supply chain partners eliminate one stage of ordering, thus eradicating one step in the typical bullwhip chain of events. Moreover, by speeding up product flows using the logistic s concepts lead time is being reduced, which in turn softens the bullwhip effect. Consequently, all measures discussed in this section can be directly motivated by the beergame. In presenting this block to the students I also point out, for every singly concept, the role of information systems and eBusiness technologies. 4.3.3 eCollaboration: joint planning and global optimisation The third block of eBusiness measures for tackling the bullwhip effect is the most sophisticated one and builds on the first two blocks. Global optimisation of supply chain processes can only be achieved through the collaboration of supply chain partners under a joint initiative. I present the Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) initiative as an example from the Grocery industry (VICS 2001) and also discuss (sometimes only briefly) joint product development initiatives in the automotive industry. CPFR as a concept builds on and extends concepts such as VMI by aiming at establishing a long-term planning of joint promotion activities. CPFR is based on the observation that a combination of inventory management and logistics concepts (see section 4.3.2 above) can reduce the bullwhip effect for day-to-day deliveries, but that these concepts still can not cope with demand variations induced by promotion activities. Hence, CPFR aims a t jointly planning promotions and to create transparency as to the expected demand increases induced by these promotions. The concept is based on the use of shared eMarketplace infrastructures, which I also discuss in some detail in this section. Again, the application of eCommerce technologies can be nicely illustrated using the beergame. 4.3.4 Summary The discussion of the three building blocks of eCommerce measures culminates in the development and presentation of an integrated model of eCommerce-based supply chain management informed by the key learnings from the beergame. The model is presented in figure 6. Following the line of argument in the last sections, it becomes obvious that the beergame can be used to motivate and substantiate large parts of a typical eCommerce masters course (as in appendix 2). In the next section I draw some final conclusions and briefly reflect upon the use of the beergame in a classroom setting. 600 Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Tactics Operations Infrastructure Improvements Improvements Suppy Chain Suppy Chain problems problems trade-offs trade-offs Information loss Joint Planning CPFR (promotions, product introduction), Category Mgmt, Production scheduling Collaboration Strategic alliances for global optimization Efficient Replenishment Inventory Management: Quick Response, CRP, VMI, SBT Redesign ICT-enabled supply Chain re-structuring S.C. structure Materials information flow: Direct delivery, Warehousing, X-docking Local optimization Communication Information sharing, Electronic ordering Efficient Communications Infrastructure, EDI, AutoID, Product numbering, Process simplifications Figure 6: A comprehensive eCommerce and supply chain model 5 Conclusion and outlook I have introduced the beergame and demonstrated its usefulness in teaching B2B eCommerce and supply chain management. To the present day, I have used the beergame mainly in eCommerce masters courses at different Universities in different national contexts. The experiences and also the teaching evaluations have always been positive and very encouraging. While I believe that the beergame, and the way it is embedded in my B2B eCommerce syllabus, works well in providing students with both a profound understanding of the underlying wisdoms of eCommerce, as well as with a good overview of eCommerce measures, there is more to it than that. Playing the beergame is great fun, for the teacher and for the students, and it is always a good experience in itself. As such, the beergame is also very helpful for the general course atmosphere and the creation of positive team dynamics in the group. For the future, we are working on a software version of the beergame, which can be used in a classroom setting in the same interactive role-play style, but avoid some of the still remaining problems of the table version. While software versions today only provide a simulation (instead of role-play) mode and are not built for classroom use, a client-server software version of the game might replace the cumbersome logistics aspects (the moving of boxes) and help in gathering data that can be used for debriefing straight away. Moreover, it would be great to be able to play the beergame with different setups, e.g. with implementing effective sharing of (customer demand and inventory) data in order to demonstrate, in a second round of play, the usefulness of information sharing in reducing the bullwhip effect. To this end, our software will be flexible enough to incorporate such exploration of different supply chain modalities.1 1 For further information please see: http://www.beergame.org. 601 Appendix 1: Beergame play sheet The following table shows the play sheet of a retailer group that was filled in during a beergame session. The ‘incoming order’ column shows the external customer demand with its increase in round 6. During the game the students only have to fill in the white columns – the ‘incoming delivery’ and the ‘incoming order’ are taken from the incoming paper slips, while in the ‘your order’ column the students have to fill in their order decision for the respective weeks. Having done that, the play sheet shows exactly what has to be written on the outgoing order and delivery slips (in the dark columns). All orange columns are calculated automatically, so that students can easily keep track of their inventory and cost progression. After the beergame this data is then put together and consolidated with the data that was collected in the play sheets of the other groups of the same supply chain. It is then plotted to create figures 3 and 4 and table 1 (see above). Week Incoming Delivery Available Incoming Order Your Delivery Backorder Inventory Cost 7,5 15 22,5 30 35 37 40 45 49 52 64 78 86 100 118 137 159 180 201 223 244 265 283 295 303 316 317,5 321 324,5 328 331,5 335 338,5 342 345,5 348,5 351 353 355 357 Your Order Please fill out play slips: Delivery Order 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 5 5 5 5 0 3 2 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 13 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 20 20 20 20 15 13 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 14 13 13 13 5 5 5 5 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 4 3 12 14 8 14 18 19 22 21 21 22 21 21 18 12 8 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15 15 15 15 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 4 4 4 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 602 Appendix 2: Syllabus for a beergame-based B2B course The following table gives an overview of how the beergame can be incorporated in a typical (B2B) eCommerce (masters) course (e.g. 12 weeks with 3 hour sessions). The beergame and the subsequent modules can cover up to 6 sessions. After presenting the three blocks with eCommerce improvements, an additional session can be used to discuss management challenges of inter-firm collaboration, covering issues such as trust, managing interfaces, ICT standards etc. Throughout the course, cases from the grocery and the automotive industries might be used for illustration purposes and to facilitate discussions. Depending on the setting, background readings might also be handed out to the students. Sessions (3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40-50 rounds) d. Brief discussion afterwards 2. Debriefing a. Discussion of experiences and game setup b. Presentation and discussion of beergame data (results) c. Teaching case Barilla: bullwhip causes [optional] d. Identification of the three main causes of the bullwhip effect e. Short presentation of three areas of improvement and the schedule for the next three sessions 3. Information sharing a. Short discussion: why is information sharing important? b. Principles of electronic data sharing c. Attaching information to physical goods: standardised product numbering, Automated product identification technologies: barcodes, RFID d. Electronic Data Interchange: EDI, WebEDI, XML-based ordering 4. Supply chain reform a. Overview: efficient replenishment initiatives b. Efficient inventory management: Quick Response, Continuous Replenishment, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) c. Efficient Logistics: Warehousing, Direct Delivery, CrossDocking d. Just-in-Time Delivery in the automotive industry [Kanban] 5. eCollaboration a. eCollaboration in the supply chain: idea and philosophy b. Collaborative Planning Forecasting Replenishment (CPFR) c. Joint product development in the automotive industry 6. Management of inter-firm collaboration a. Complexities of supply chain reform initiatives b. The role of trust and social capital in inter-firm relationships c. Interoperability of ICT d. Managing inter-firm interfaces 603 Appendix 3: Session outline for a beergame-based workshop The following table shows a short workshop format based on the beergame. Such a workshop can be incorporated in other (general IS) courses or be a stand-alone event, for example as an executive teaching offering. The workshop is essentially made up of two sessions – the actual beergame session and a combined debriefing and learnings session. As an example industry the Grocery industry can be used to illustrate the application of the eCommerce initiatives and technologies. Sessions (~3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40 rounds) d. 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