Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 44

Summary - Essay Example After reading about Avila and watching trailers of ‘Savages’, I realized that women are more deeply involved in drug trafficking than it is widely believed. The involvement of high-profile women from the world of fashion in dangerous, life-threatening and illegal activities also raises other important questions like the reasons and factors that contribute to their involvement and their manipulation on the basis of their gender in drug trafficking. A research article by Council on Hemispheric Affairs stated: Because a woman could use her appearance to bypass security officers, DTO affiliates began attending beauty pageants held in Latin America in order to approach contestants with the lures associated with drug trafficking... Colombian beauty queen and lingerie model, Angie Valencia, who was supposedly using other young, beautiful models to transport drugs in an international cocaine ring. (Mares, COHA) This research topic would not only explore the dual roles of women as victims and perpetrators but would also investigate about the ambiguous roles played by women in the complex web of the underworld. â€Å"According to the National Womens Institute (INMUJERES), the number of females convicted in connection to the drug trade rose 400 percent between 2007 and 2010.† (Ramsey, Insight) Such facts and figures about the involvement of women in drug trafficking are likely to attract students of women and gender studies, legal studies, criminal psychology etc. The data available at the official websites of law enforcement agencies, newspaper articles, human rights organizations, etc. shall prove to be the most authentic sources of acquiring information about this topic. Some sources from where official statistics can be obtained are: Almanac of Policy Issues (http://www.policyalmanac.org/); United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Global Geographical Features Essay Example for Free

Global Geographical Features Essay Throughout global history civilizations have been developed and destroyed. This is due to geographical features surrounding the nation or region. The geographical features can benefit a region, but it may also be the source of a catastrophic event. These geographical features include mountains, oceans, and volcanoes and so on. A geographical feature that has had both positive and negative effects on a nation or region would be ocean. An ocean like the Pacific Ocean can be able to provide a region with seafood to help a civilization developed with a surplus of food. An ocean could also allow a region to create a trade route between other regions, this can be proven true because the Atlantic Ocean was used throughout history as a major trade route from Europe to North America. A negative effect of an ocean would be that a nation can be more susceptible to tsunamis. For example eastern Asia could be more easily open to this because there are a lot of archipelagoes that are surrounded by a lot of water. This would destroy all of the land close to the ocean, which would leave you without shelter and crops. This would eventually lead to starvation which may cause people to migrate over to a safer place. Geographical features have been part of history, and have made the world what it is today. These features could even provide protection for a civilization that is trying to develop. This is way before a civilization actually settles they make sure of how they will use their new surroundings.

History of the Byzantine Era and Significance Today Essay -- World His

Like John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite was an important literary figure and one of the principal people involved with the writing of the Canons. Theodore the Studite lived from 759-826 CE, and served as the abbot of the monastery of Studius in Constantinople from 798 CE until his death. Like John, Theodore was a defender of icons and believed that Iconoclasm was heresy. Theodore's arguments against Iconoclasm can be found in his three formal tracts and in his letter that opposed Iconoclasm based on the human side of Christ's nature, and on Theodore's belief that symbolism was necessary in religious worship. Though Theodore did admit that God could not, and should not be depicted in art, he still believed that the denial of the legitimacy of Icons of Christ meant the denial of the Incarnation. He argued that it was false to hold the belief, as the Iconoclasts did, that the symbol was the same as the essence it symbolized. Had this been true, he believed that the defende rs of images would have agreed that the legitimate icon of Christ was the sacred elements of prayer and conscious. Along with his writings and stances against the Iconoclasm, Theodore also created two important funeral orations, one for his mother Theoctista, whom he painted as a pious yet practical Byzantine lady, and another for his uncle Plato, abbot of the Saccudion monastery, whose rules had provided Theodore with a pattern that would aid him in his own monastic reforms. These works, by Theodore, provide arguments from the Iconoclasm periods, and also, from his personal history that give scholars a view into that period of the Byzantine history. Another influential scholar was Maximus the Confessor. In his early years, he studied philosophy, g... ...s F.X. The Western Humanities Volume I: Beginnings Through the Renaissance. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2010. Newman, Garfield. Echoes from the Past World History to the 16th Century. Whitby, Ont: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2001. Nicol, Donald MacGillivray, Teall, John L. â€Å"Byzantine Empire.† Britannica Online Encyclopaedia Academic Edition. Accessed January 27, 2014. Retrieved From http://0-www.britannica.com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/EBchecked/topic/87186/Byzantine-Empire â€Å"St Maximus the Confessor.† Orthodox Church of America. Last Modified January 21, 2014. Accessed February 20, 2014. Retrieved From http://oca.org/saints/lives/2014/01/21/100249-st-maximus-the-confessor â€Å"Who is Saint Maximus?† St. Maximus the Confessor Orthodox Mission. Accessed February 20, 2014. Retrieved From http://www.stmaximus.org/who_is_st_maximus.html

Discussion Questions for Operational Management

Discussion Questions for OM 5016 Class 2 Ch 1 &2. Operations Management Introduction and Strategy 1. What is Operations Management? What are major OM decisions? 2. What are the key differences between goods and services? 3. What a role does productivity play? How to measure productivity and what challenges do we have in measuring and improving productivity? 4. What is mission and strategy? How important is it for an organization to develop a mission and strategy? 5. What is OM strategy? How can operations management help a company achieve competitive advantages? 6.What is SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) analysis? Under what circumstances do you think should we conduct SWOT analysis? Class 3 Southwest Airlines 1. Why has Southwest Airlines been so successful? 2. What recommendations would you make about the issues raised on pages 13 – 15 of the case? 3. What are the implications for Southwest of the actual or threatened bankruptcies of other major U. S. airlin e? Class 4 Ch 05. Product and Service Design 1. Why do companies need to continuously develop new products? How to generate new ideas? 2. What factors should be considered in product development?Describe the typical phases of product development and evaluate their relative importance. 3. What is the role of quality function deployment (QFD)? How is Quality of House working in product development? 4. Describe the main techniques used in designing products. Give some real world examples. What strategic advantages do techniques provide? 5. Describe the documents used to define and produce a product? How are they important and necessary? 6. Describe four organizational approaches to product development. What pros and cons do they have? 7. What are the key differences between product design and service design? 8.What an impact does environmental friendly design have on product development? How do you address conflicts between ethical design and company profitability? Class 6 Discussion q uestions for IDEO If you have interest, watch the video on Youtube: the Deep Dive Q1. How would you characterize IDEO’s design process, organization, culture and management? Q2. Should IDEO accept the Visor project as is (on a dramatically reduced schedule)? Should they try to persuade Handspring’s management to change its aggressive launch schedule? Or should they simply decline the project? Please consider both the IDEO and Handspring perspectives.Class 7 Process and Layout Strategy 1. What process strategies does an organization usually use? What key factors does a company consider in choosing its process strategy? What are the competitive advantages a firm (producing goods or service) has by using different process strategy? 2. What is mass customization? What major factors contribute to the success of mass customization? 3. How to analyze and design a process by using different tools? 4. What process strategies should be used for service? What are the key differen ces between a service process and a product process? How to improve the service process? . What layout strategies can a company use? What are the main characteristics and concerns of these strategies? 6. What are the relationships between process and layout? Class 8 Mass Gen Hospital Q1. What are primary challenges in improving operating processes in a health care environment such as that of MGH? Why choose CABG for care path? Q2. What implementation approach would you recommend for Bohmer and Torchiana? Be specific as to where you would start, what resources you would bring to bear, what performance you would expect, and what timeline you would hope to follow.What would you recommend MGH to do for its longer-term process improvement? Q3. How should MGH balance the tension between process standardization and process customization? What are the hazards of standardizing the process too rigorously? What are the dangers of allowing too much freedom to customize? Class 9 Capacity Plannin g and Location 1. What is capacity decision about? Why is it important? 2. Distinguish between design capacity and effective capacity, between utilization and efficiency. 3. What factors should be considered in determining the capacity? 4. What approaches are used and when to use them to expand the capacity? . Describe approaches used to determine the capacity. (You do not need to know how to calculate, but have to know the idea and assumptions of the approaches) 6. What are the goals, criteria and factors does a company consider in choosing a location? What are the trends of location decision? 7. Describe techniques used for location decision and identify the situations and assumptions under which these techniques should be applied. Class 10 Questions for Alden 1. Looking back, do you agree with the logic that led API in 1962 to consolidate its European production into a single facility? 2.What is your evaluation of the Uniplant’s performance during the 1980s? 3. What recomm endations would you make to Mr. Genet, API-Europe’s Executive VP, as regards the operations strategy his organization should follow in the future? Specifically, which option should it take, where should it be located, and how should it be managed? Class 12 Questions for Supply Chain Management (SCM) 1. What is a supply chain? What are the differences between SCM and OM? Describe the various stages in the supply chain and the different flows involved. 2. What is the goal and main decisions of supply chain? 3.What is your evaluation between single supplier and multiple suppliers? 4. What is push/pull view of a supply chain? What product characteristics influence the choice of push/pull SC 5. What is bullwhip effect? Why does it happen and how to reduce this effect? 6. What is an integrated supply chain? What are the key challenges and how to make it a success? Class 13 Discussion questions for Crocs 1. What are Croc’s core competencies? 2. How do they exploit these compe tencies in the future? Consider the following alternatives: a. Further vertical integration into materials. b. Growth by acquisition. c.Growth by product extension 3. To what degree do the alternatives in question 2 fit the company’s core competencies, and to what degree do they defocus the company away from its core competencies? Class 14 Inventory Management 1. What is inventory? What types of inventory are there? What are the major causes of inventory? 2. What is the purpose of ABC classification system and how is it working? 3. What types of costs associated with an inventory system? What are the objectives and key decisions of inventory management? 4. What are the assumptions and objective of EOQ model? Are these assumptions reasonable? . What are the major differences between EOQ and production order quantity (POQ) model? Why is the production inventory quantity larger than the economic order quantity, given other things equal? 6. What is â€Å"safety stock†? Wha t does safety stock provide safety against? How to calculate safety stock based on the required service level? 7. How to determine inventory size when there is uncertainty with demand/lead time? 8. What are the main challenges in inventory management, in your opinion? Class 15 Sport Obermeyer 1. What challenges does Sport Obermeyer have in production planning with uncertain demand? . What are your recommendations for production planning prior to and after observing the Las Vegas show? 3. What operational changes would you recommend to Wally to reduce markdown and stockout costs? 4. What are your views on sourcing from Hong Kong versus China? Class 16 Aggregate planning and ERP 1. What is aggregate planning and what aggregate means? 2. What are the strategic objectives of aggregate planning? Which one of these is most often addressed by the quantitative techniques of aggregate planning? 3. What strategies are used in developing a plan?What options are available for each strategy and what are the pros and cons of each option? 4. How does aggregate planning in service differ from aggregate planning in manufacturing? What is yield management and where are they implemented? 5. What is the relationship between the aggregate planning and the master production schedule (MPS)? What is the relationship between MPS and material requirements planning (MRP)? How to develop a MRP? 6. How does MRP, as an approach to inventory management, differ from the approach taken in the chapter Inventory Management, dealing with economic order quantities? 7.What is ERP and what benefits and disadvantages of ERP have? Class 17 Cisco Systems 1. At the end of the case, Pete Solvik has a number of questions. Please think about these questions, and be prepared to give your answers: What factors had contributed to the success of the ERP implementation? What obstacles did Cisco overcome for the ERP project? How? Where had the EPR team been â€Å"smart†? Where had the ERP team been just plain lucky? Do you think that the ERP project a complete success? Do you think that the Cisco team could do such a project again if they had to? Why? Why not? 2. How important is the ERP to the overall architecture?Do you see the ERP component as something that will be undertaken by some, most or all companies as they build their Information Age IT architectures? Class 18 Just-in-Time (JIT) 1. What is JIT, the Toyota Production System (TPS) and lean operations? What are the underlying philosophies? 2. Does JIT mean zero inventory? How to use EOQ and POQ models in inventory management to determine the lot size in a JIT system? 3. What are the differences between JIT and customization? 4. What are the characteristics of JIT partnerships with respect to suppliers? 5. How can layout help a company achieve JIT? How are JIT and quality related? . What is level scheduling? Discuss how the Japanese word for card has been applied in the study of JIT. 7. JIT attempts to remove delays that do not add value. How does JIT cope with weather and its impact on crop harvest and transportation times? 8. Does lean techniques work for service industry, such as a restaurant? If so, how? Class 19 Toyota Motor Manufacturing 1. What are the possible causes of the seat problem? What is the real problem facing Doug Friesen? 2. What are the key elements of TPS? Where, if at all, does the current routine for handling defective seats differ from the principles of TPS? . As Doug Friesen, what would you do to address the seat problem? Where would you focus your attention and solution efforts? Class 20 Quality and TQM 1. What is quality? What factors are used to determine quality for goods and services? 2. What are costs of quality? How can improving quality reduce costs? 3. What is Total Quality Management (TQM)? What concepts are used to implement an effective TQM program? Explain them. How are they related to Deming’s 14 points? 4. What are seven tools of TQM? What are their purpo ses and when to use them? 5. How does fear in the workplace inhibit learning? . Philip Crosby said that quality is free. What does it mean and why? 7. What roles do operations managers play in addressing the major aspects of service quality? 8. Good quality products last a long time, which in turn may reduce the sales of the product and thus the profit. How do you explain this? Class 21 Ritz-Carlton 1. What is the essence of the Ritz-Carlton experience? What is the Ritz-Carlton selling? 2. How does Ritz-Carlton create â€Å"Ladies and Gentlemen† in only 7 days? 3. Should McBride lengthen the 7 Day Countdown? Any other alternatives?

Ikea Strategic Brand Management

When people talk about furnitures, the first brand which comes to mind is IKEA. Originating from Sweden, IKEA first open shop in 1958, then in Norway in 1963 and soon after, it spread throughout the whole of Europe and thus slowly making its way to the whole world. With their biggest market in Germany with 45 stores followed by United States with 35 stores, now IKEA have 313 stores in 30 countries. (Cult Branding, 2012). Known for its simplistic design which has maximum optimization, IKEA product ranges from not only furniture but also different furniture segments such as kitchen cabinets, build-in wardrobe and much other furniture.IKEA strategic brand management in making the brand such a craze among its customer and thus leading to a brand value which is important for IKEA’s entire product line making IKEA one of the most valuable brand in the furniture niche. A visit to IKEA for either shopping or leisure would reveal several factors on why customers come back over and over again for not only products from IKEA but also the shopping experience from IKEA. Comparing a visit to IKEA with any other furniture outlet is different as one gets the sense of belongingness as the layout of every IKEA store makes one feels homely.It is so that customers can visualize their homes when buying IKEA products. IKEA’s interior designing team designed the rooms or kitchens in a way that people could visualize how their homes will look like before purchasing the product from IKEA making a purchase from IKEA a worthwhile one. Adding to that, IKEA made things different as its furniture and home furnishing shopping is differentiated so well, consumers who wanted specific products from specific departments of the home. Another value added to IKEA’s brand is about the design of the products.Eventhough IKEA’s product design are minimalistic, the products presents itself in an innovative way in such that it does not take much space and yet still being able to function better or on par with what the particular product will do which still look pleasant to house owners or visitors instead of a sore eye. For instance, IKEA’s simple Lackside coffee table might look like a dull one in black and white, but throwing in the colours made it fun to look it although an old school design is used.In a sense, that the designs are modern and traditional with functionality. IKEA’s products always come with a set of instruction manuals that are not complicated and are straightforward making IKEA’s product being easily assemble without much of hassle which in turn keep their prices low and reasonable to the range of products being sold. Making products in such way added value to the brand IKEA as furnitures are often regarded as comes in one piece or do it yourselves which is very difficult to assemble.Having products in low and reasonable price range, it is no surprise that the brand IKEA appeals to most people, primarily to young urban couples or families which do not want to burn a deep hole in their pockets in their investment of their first house. However, this does not mean that people on the middle income or higher income do not buy products from IKEA. IKEA produces products in such it varies in prices depending on its differences. Therefore, the brand IKEA is made stronger by introducing a variety of product ranges with different product prices which caters and fulfill to any level of income consumer’s need in the market.Despite having products at such low prices, this does not show that products sold are not of quality as buyers are given a sense of value to their household items but satisfying the customers saying â€Å"less is more†. Not only that, every single year, IKEA’s product prices are cut down even further which made it favourable for consumers who could not afford to get it the following year, thus making the IKEA brand also a favourable one. Taking things a few steps b ack, most of IKEA’s product are made of wood which somehow does not go well with the word environment in various ways. Therefore, waste reduction is a crucial key in production.IKEA’s designers and engineers strive to reduce the amount of material used and wasted in production of its furnitures. Additionally, many waste products are then used to make new products, which in turn further reducing overall cost both to the pocketbook as well as to the environment. Adding on to this, the Recovery Department is responsible for sorting and recycling all recyclable materials, including packaging broken down in-sotre as well as materials collected from customers at recycling donation bins where available. In conclusion, IKEA’s strategic brand management involves its retail and alue to be seen by consumers all around the world. Using differentiation to its advantage, IKEA differentiates themselves with other big home furnishing and furnishing outlets available such as Big Brand, Darby and Vandrie through products which are innovative, quality and yet low in prices. And thus, living to its tagline â€Å"affordable solutions for better living† says it all. (IKEA 2012) References Cult Branding. (2012). The IKEA Cult Brand Profile. The Cult Branding Company. Retrieved from http://www. cult-branding. com/ikea-cult-brand-profile IKEA (2012). Welcome to IKEA. Retrieved from http://www. ikea. com/

The eNotes Blog Powering Up Social Media and the NewClassroom

Powering Up Social Media and the NewClassroom Just a few years ago, when kids began having their own phones in large numbers, schools freaked out. At my daughters junior high, phones had to be hidden away in backpacks or lockers. Any teacher who observed a student with a phone was required to seize it. The phone was then taken to the office, and there was a $15 fine to get it out of hock. Two years later, my son is now in the same junior high. Phones and other electronic devices are no longer  pariahs; in fact, students are  encouraged  to bring their personal phones or iPads. Teachers can request that their students use them during all kinds of lessons, from geography to science, even English, to look up quotes or biographical information. Students can also use their phones during passing periods and at lunch. (I suspect there will be a lot more fund raisers this year, seeing as how the cash cow of phone seizing is no longer being milked. ) Of course, it isnt just the fact that teachers and administrators are tired of fighting the ubiquitous phones and their larger cousins. Slowly, educators are realizing the benefits of social media. And, as those in charge learn more about the remarkable versatility of the internet, the applications are becoming an integral part of the students learning experience, arguably making them more engaged and interactive than ever before. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and even one of the relatively new social media sites, Pinterest, are giving education a much-needed boost. Here are a few of the ways educators are employing the power and persuasion of social media: Twitter:   Teachers have been setting up subject or class Twitter accounts that students can follow. The teacher then tweets information related to their class. Some even set homework via Twitter, reports  The Guardian,  in their article Social media for schools: A guide to Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Twitter, as many have discovered, is also often the fastest way to find out about breaking news. Facebook:   I have often asked my own students to post a specific status and have their friends respond. Then, the following class period, we discuss those responses. For example, I recently had them read Hal Niedzvieckis New York Times  article, Facebook in a Crowd. Niedzviecki wonders what would happen if he invited many of his virtual friends to a real life cocktail party. Of the several hundred invitations, twenty people accepted; one actually showed up. I asked my students to post as their status, Is a virtual friend a real friend? We had a lively discussion that could not have happened otherwise. Pinterest:   Not just a place to pin your favorite recipes or cute cat photos. Many teachers have found great success, especially for their highly visual learners, using Pinterests Tutorials. Here, among other things, you can learn, step-by-step, how to create QR codes, or become more proficient in Photoshop, or learn how a touchscreen works. Tumblr:   Again, a great site for students and educators. More and more companies have begun to tumbl, as it is a great way to find archival materials as well as current news and discussions. Some of my favorites, which I often use to prepare lectures, are the tumblrs of The Paris Review, Life  Magazine, the  New York Public Library,   NPRs  Fresh Air,  and, of course, .   How do YOU use social media in the classroom? Whether you are a teacher or a student, wed love to know.

Vocabulary About Work in German

Vocabulary About Work in German Here is some work-related German vocabulary to practice with.die Arbeit - jobder Beruf/ die Karriere - careerdie Stelle - the positiondie Aufgabe - the taskdie ÃÅ"berstunde - overtimedie Vollzeitarbeit - full-time workdie Teilzeitarbeit - part-time workselbststndig - independentder Werktag - workdayder Feiertag - holidaydie Schichtarbeit - shift workdie Nachtschicht - night shiftdie Schwarzarbeit - moonlightingbeschftigen- to be occupieddas Personal - staffder Geschftsfà ¼hrer/ der Manager - managerder Kollege/ der Mitarbeiter - colleagueder Angestellte - employeeder Arbeitgeber - employerunterbezahlen - to underpayder Arbeitnehmer - employeein Streik treten - to go on strikeanwerben - to recruitdie Arbeitslosigkeit - unemploymentder Arbeitslose - unemployeddie Anwerbung - recruitmentdie Personalkà ¼rzung - staff cutbackstariflich festgelegt - contractualdie Einstellung - employmentdie Bewerbung - (job) applicationder Bewerber - apllicantbefà ¶rdern - to promotedie Teamarbeit - teamworkauf Stellensuche sein - to be job-huntingdie Erfahrung - experienceder Interview/ der Vortstellungsgesprch - interviewder Kopfjger - headhunterder Lebenslauf - curriculum vitaeder Arbeitsvertrag - employment contractder Arbeitsunfall - accident at workdie Versicherung - insurancedie Karriereleiter hinaufsteigen/ beruflich aufsteigen - to climb up the ladderzustndig fà ¼r - responsible forder Urlaub - vacationsich pensionieren - to retire