EBay and Siebel Companies Essay Example for Free

EBay and Siebel Companies EssayEBay EBay is an American, online auction and shopping family in which people and businesses buys and sells goods and services intercontinental over the internet. It is a well up established union with localized websites in several other countries. The website was established in 1995 in San Jose, California by a French born Iranian com locateer programmer Pierre Omidyar (Patsuris, 2003). Anything can be sold at eBay as long as it is not an illegal. For mannikin appliances, computers, furniture, equipments and vehicles argon listed, bought and sold daily. Large international companies such as IBM sell their vernalest products and other services on eBay using competitive auctions and fixed-priced storefronts. The caller-out has a well structured eBay express site that acts as a standard internet shopping site for consumers who own United States addresses. EBay generates revenue from a number of fees supercharged on its services based on variou s factors.Siebel Siebel carcasss Inc is a software ships telephoner that deals in the design, development, tradeing and support of customer relationship focal point (CRM) applicants. The comp each was founded by Thomas Siebel in 1993.Initially it was known for its sales force automation products. Later, it expanded into the broader customer service applications that included customer relationship management (CRM) (Kerstetter, 2003). The company benefited from the explosive growth of the CRM market in the late 1990s. By 1999, Siebel systems was the fastest growing company in United States. With growth of electronic commerce, Siebel organise strategic alliances and made several acquisitions to provide e-business solution for CRM and related areas. The two companies clear for a long time experienced a long growth.They have enjoyed prominence in the market since early 1990s. However they seem to have taken totally different directions. Whereas eBay is exempt expanding incredib ly, Siebel is on the verge of collapse. EBay has indeed substantial superbly from its humble beginning. Currently, at least 30 million people buy and sell over 20 billion dollars in merchandise. Over 150, 000 entrepreneurs micturate a living selling on eBay. The company provides a new way of doing business. EBay has an exceptional educational system that teaches people on how to sell on its website.It has a payment system that allows buyers to make electronic payments to sellers who cant afford a merchant credit card account (Hof, 2003). The company has a different way of management in this era. Through the web, eBay citizens have a full time access to every activity performed in the company. The whole system is very transparent. Products and services are subjected to close scrutiny by customers before any business deal is undertaken. (Hof, 2003). The transparency involved in eBay business makes customers and vendors to be collaborators and colleagues. The company has a superb man agement that can be borrowed by many.It is based on cooperation and finesse not coercion and force. EBay executives work like well-bred servants rather than corporate managers (Hof, 2003). This enables the company to stay in touch with the needs of customers. This approach offers a lot of benefits to the company. Good management at eBay is shown by its financials. The company profits shot from 176 to 250 million dollars in the year 2002. Net sales from transaction fees on 15 million dollars in gross revenue ten-strike 1. 2 billion dollars (Hof, 2003). This growth has made the company enjoy supremacy in the market.The company has done well to reduce problems of shipping goods, simplifying payments and cracking cut can crooks on the site. The company always listens to the needs of customers to improve its services. This is done through constant meetings with sellers and buyers asking for their opinions, complains, and suggestion to improve their services (Hof, 2003). As a force u sers feel part of the company and take necessary initiatives to expand the companys economy. EBay has a well organized way ensuring security of its business. It has a special police unit that helps to crack down any fraud activities which can turn off prospective customers.It has a Trust and safety department staffed by several EBay employees all over the world (Hof, 2003). As businesses on EBay grow larger, the market is also expanding. As EBay is achieving financial supremacy Siebel takes an opposite route. Although the two companies started to the highest degree at the same level, Siebel currently faces a stiff competition from other companies. It has been on the down ward trend in recent years. The giant company of 1990s has collapsed than its rivals. For example, revenue in 2002 lost by 22% to reach at 1. 5 million dollars.The stock price faced a massive drop by 94% to reach 8. dollars from its peak of 119 dollars in the year 2000 (Kerstetter, 2003). The company has lost touc h with customers. Customers are extremely reluctant to buy company products. It has of recent past suffered from bad publicity, as customers show dissatisfaction. It has lost its strong ground to corporate application leader (SAP). The reputation of the company has been lost. In 2002 the companys share of customer-management market flopped from 29% to 23% (Kerstetter, 2003). The company faces a managerial crisis. The management is continuously shuffled in pursue of the lost glory.Although the company has introduced new technologies, still the sales are growing weaker every year. However the leaders fail to acknowledge that a problem is looming in the company. As software market grows yearly, Siebel systems can no longer dominate it. The competition has grown so strong that Siebel might never recover. Research show that, the company revenue has been travel at an alarming rate. Many corporations that used to deal with the company currently prefer suppliers who offer broad range of in tegrated products like corporate homework and human resources (Kerstetter, 2003).The company has done little to decrease the growing number of dejected customers who have lost faith in the company. Many complain of having not met their target even after two years. However top managers still do not realize the problem. The company is trying to develop new technologies as a way of bouncing back to the market. However this is a big gamble. The competing companies like SAP have gained a lot of momentum and will still offer stiff challenge (Kerstetter, 2003). Siebel need to undertake major changes to enable it recover.However this is a journey that will need a total divine service of the administration and a change in strategies. Unless an urgent step is taken, Siebel will collapse totally. The two companies EBay and Siebel differ a lot because of the path they follow. As EBay enjoys an upward(a) surge to economic and financial superiority, Siebel is struggling a lot. The companies also not only differ in their fortunes but also in their administration setup. EBay has put all the necessary administrational techniques to ensure that the company competes favorably in the market. EBay tends to take into consideration the interests of the customers more than Siebel.The company still holds a lot of following from its customers who are increasing all over the world. The company has superb strategies that make them a force in todays globose market. Siebel need to go back to the drawing board if at all they hope to change the turn of events. The two companies offer a lot of lessons to business, management and all financial undertakings. It is patent that managerial skills are very vital in enabling companies to grow (Hof, 2003). Unless an exciting and creative management is in place, business undertakings can never make the best.The management ought to be enterprising and subscribe toy to undertake constant changes as a way of care the companies alive in the ever cha nging global market. It is also important to take note of the ever changing consumer needs. All business companies should direct their business towards the needs of consumers. Unless consumers have faith in the company, achievement will always be elusive. Many companies collapse due to failure to acknowledge the need to celebrate consumers always in mind. Companies should be ready to work shift their short term objectives as consumer needs shift.Technology also plays a big role in the business industry. It is an important factor in any business undertaking. Successful companies embrace new and advanced technology to boast their output (Kerstetter, 2003). That is the only way that customers can stick to the company because of superior output. Companies should undertake to embrace new technology to enable favorable competition in the market. It is also important for companies to undertake a thorough research always. Research enables them to read the market trends. In that way compa nies can be able to keep in touch with the latest market trends.This can also help to occasion the production channels according to the market trend.Companies and business enterprises ought to device means and ways of maintaining faith and trust of their customers. There should be a way of keeping customers hooked up to the company and opening it up for many others. Skillful management can enable companies achieve this. All successful businesses always keep these in mind. As long as a company has good management, respect and trust from customers, it will be easy to introduce new products in the market. EBay serves as an example to be followed by all business enterprises.

Fingerprints Essay Example for Free

Fingerprints EssayMy science fair project is called Are Fingerprints Inherited? I will try and cook if fingerprint patterns from biological siblings are inherited however, I will also impart control so that I can compare the data. I am interested in finding the results of this because of me having an half brother and sister. I will use a table to take fingerprints and next to each fingerprint is a code so I dont use names on the same page as the actual prints. HypothesisMy hypothesis is that I think these fingerprint patterns will be inherited. I believe this because I have learned about heredity and genetics in school. Hair color, snapper color and skin color all have to do with heredity and genetics. It has interested me if fingerprints are inherited because fingerprints can also be a get of identification. If they are inherited, it could determine what the childs fingerprints could be.Method and ProceduresFor this science experiment. I used the following, an ink pad, coded forms for fingerprints (biological and non-biological) consent forms that will keep the name and signature violate from the actual prints, folder for organizing purposes, human subjects ( biological and non-biological and all age groups) wipes for cleaning fingers, a magnifying glass , and research information to determine the three fingerprints patterns. I will classify each fingerprint pattern into one of three groups. The whorl, loop, and arch patterns. I will analyze the data carefully and make a percentage for each group. I will the compare the two percentages. Then, I will have my results.DiscussionBefore I started the experiment, I thought there would be a higher number of the same patterns of biological fingerprints. But my results showed me something different. You can also have error when doing experiments. I could have misread the fingerprints or the fingerprints could have been unable to read clearly. If I restarted the project, I would do things differently. I would have the Mom and Dad fingerprint and compared it to their child fingerprint.ConclusionI found the my results for biological and non-biological siblings were the same. Forty-nine percent of biological and non-biological siblings had the same fingerprint patterns. Fifty-one percent of non-biological and biological siblings had different fingerprints patterns. I never would have thought that my results would be the same. I am also surprised that fifty-one percent of biological siblings were different.

Improving Performance of MANET under DSR Protocol

Improving Performance of MANET under DSR ProtocolImproving Performance of MANET under DSR Protocol victimization Swarm Optimization to avoid surplusageCHAPTER 5Implementation and interrogatoryThe implementation phase of any project development is the most important phase as it yields the final solution, which solves the problem at hand. The implementation phase involves actual materialization of the ideas, which ar expressed in the abbreviation document and developed in spirit phase. Implementation of any softw atomic number 18 point of intersection trunk is always preceded by important decisions regarding selection of the platform, the language exercised, etc. These decisions are often influenced by several movers such as the real environment in which the administration work, the speed that is required, the security concerns, otherwise implementation peculiar(prenominal) details etc. Implementation should be perfect matching with the traffic pattern document in order to achieve the necessary final product. For implementation of our carcass we use Nedeucerk Simulator (NS) tool for excuse of the network and computer computer programming languages like Tool instruction Language (TCL) and AWK are employ for coding.5.1 General ImplementationImplementation and simulation under NS-2 consists of 3 stepsSimulation DesignThe first step in simulating a network is to design the simulation. In this step, the users should determine the simulation purposes, network configuration and assumptions, the doing measures, and the type of expect resultsConfiguring and Running SimulationThis step implements the design described in the first step. It consists of two phasesNetwork configuration phase In this phase network destinys (e.g., thickener, mobile sink, base station TCP and UDP) are created and configured according to the simulation design. Also, the events such as selective information transfer are scheduled to start at a certain time.Simulation grade This phase starts the simulation which was configured in the NetworkConfiguration Phase. It maintains the simulation clock and executes events chronologically. An algorithm is a procedure or formula for solving a problem. A computer program loafer be viewed as an elaborate algorithm. In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm usually means a downhearted procedure that solves a recurrent problem. The algorithms utilize in the project to solve the problem.Evaluation of Fitness FunctionThe fitness function F(x) is defined as followsF(x) = PDR/k k*NO + AD + PDWhere, NO = Normalized OverheadAD = Average End to End DelayPD = Number of Packet dropPDR = Packet preservation Ratiok = Proportionality continuous used for the optimization of fitness function. Value of k lies between 0 1 i.e. O5.1.1 Proposed Algorithm1) transmissible Algorithm mistreat 1. Simulate the network using the DSR protocol.Step 2. After the simulation, analyze the Trace file. This gives the turn of event s of different modes for the same source and remnanting pair.Step 3. Choose two paths PI P2 for the same source and destination pair with the equal number of nodes n.Step 4. Calculate the Routing Load (RL) MAC Load (ML),Packet economy Ratio ( PDR), End-to-End Delay (D), and number of bundles dropped, for the selected path.Step 5. ease up fitness function on the path chosen in step 3.Step 6. Apply crossover on the path chosen in step 3 at random site.Step 7. Apply mutation after crossover on the path chosen in step 3 on the randomly chosen site.Step 8. Step 6 gives two unsanded paths P1 P2 with one new node as compared to the old path. Let the new node in path PI be nl and in P2 be n2.Step 9. If n 1 belongs to network topology then apply the fitness function on the respective path otherwise discard the path.Step 10. Do the same for node n2 as in Step 9.Step 11. Consider the path with the highest fitness function value and- Respective path will be the optimal path for the give n source and destination pair. The node replaced from the previous path is the misbehaving node.2) Ant Colony OptimizationStep 1 Calculate the probability of selection of impudently generated path that are obtain by applying genetic algorithm for the given source-destination pair. The path will be selected with the higher probability.Pij=pheromone on the link.ij visibility factor of the link.B k k is a constant used for optimizationand lies between 0 and 1, B are the constant aco optimization constantStep 2 The backward ant accumulates the pheromone and also the evaporation of pheromone take place, now we calculate the updated pheromone after the evaporation,ij= (i,j) accumulated pheromone on the link.FF Fitness Functionk proposnalitynew=*old+Step 3 The path with the higher path preference probability will be considered as the best path and the information transmission can be started along that path.Network Simulator2 (NS2)Network Simulator (Version 2), extensively recognized a s NS2, is basically an event driven simulation tool that has schematic helpful in learning the dynamic environment of communication networks. Simulation of agitated as well as wireless network purposes and protocols for example, routing algorithms, TCP, and UDP can be completed using NS-2. In all-purpose, and then the NS-2 make available for the users by means of a way of identifying such network protocols and simulating their corresponding activities.NS-2 is written in C++, with an OTcl1 viewer as a command and configuration interface. The C++ part, which is fast to run but slower to change, is used for detailed protocol implementation.The OTcl part, on the other hand, which runs much slower but can be changed very fast quickly, is used for simulation configuration.One of the advantages of this split language program onrush is that it allows for fast generation of large scenarios.To simply use the simulator, it is sufficient to know OTcl. On the other hand, one disadvantage is t hat modifying and extending the simulator requires programming and debugging in both languages. NS-2 can simulate the followingTopology Wired WirelessTransport Protocols TCP, UDPRouting Static and dynamic routingApplication FTP, HTTP, Telnet, Traffic generators5.2.1 Basic Architecture of NS2The basic architecture of NS2 is shown in the figure 5.1 below. NS2 provides users with executable command ns which take one input quarrel, the name of a Tcl simulation scripting file. Users are providing for the name of a Tcl simulation script as an input argument of anNS2 executable command that is ns.In the majority suitcases, a simulation trace file is shaped, and is second-hand to plot graph and/or to construct animation. NS-2 consists of two key languages C++ and Object-oriented Tool Command Language (OTcl). While the C++ characterizes the internal apparatus of the simulation fair games, the OTcl delineates up simulation by pull together and configuring the substance as well as preparat ion discrete events. The C++ and the OTcl are linked collectively by means of TclCL. Mapped to a C++ object versatiles in the OTcl sphere of influence are occasionally referred to as switches. Theoretically, a handle for example, n as a Node handle is just a string in the Otcl sphere of influence, and does not surround any functionality. Instead, the functionality for example, receiving a piece of ground is distinct in the mapped C++ object examples are, of class Connector. In the OTcl province, a handle take steps as a frontend which interrelated with consumers and other Otcl objects. After simulation, NS-2 outputs moreover text-based or animation-based simulation consequences.Figure 5.1 Basic Architecture of NS2To interpret these results graphically and interactively, tools such as NAM (Network Animator) and Xgraph are used. To investigate an exacting behavior of the network, clients can extract a relevant subset of text-based data and make over it to a more conceivable presenta tionTcl and OTcl ProgrammingTcl (Tool Command Language) is used by millions of people in the world. It is a language with a very simple sentence structure and it allows a very easy integration with other languages. The characteristics of these languages are as followsIt allows a fast developmentIt provide a graphic interfaceIt is harmonious with many platformsIt is flexible for integrationIt is easy to useIt is freeSome of the basics of Tcl and Otcl programming are listed below.Assigning a value to a variable is done done the set command for example set b 0assigns the value 0 to b.When we want to use the value assigned to a variable, we should use a $ sign before the variable. For example, if we want to assign the value of the variable b, we should write set x $a.A mathematical unconscious process is done using the expression command. For example, if we wish to assign the sum of values of variables a and b, we should write set x expr $a+$b.The sign starts a commented distincti on that is not part of the program, so the Tcl interpreter will not execute this line.Performance Analysis ModuleThis module performs processing of output result set to compute the various performance metrics required to analyze the performance of flow slice based routing. This module includes followingAWK scripts to compute various performance metrics.Plotting graphs for the performance metric to analyze the performance.The Fig 4.11 gives Flow chart for working of performance analysis module, Understanding the trace file format is essential for simulate performance metric computation. Manually interpretation of NS2 trace files for wireless simulation as followsACTIONsrD s sent, r received, D droppedWHENthe time when the military action happenedWHEREthe node where the action happenedLAYERAGT application,RTR routing,LL link layer (ARP is done here),IFQ outgoing packet queue (between link and mac layer),MAC Mac,PHY physicalSEQNOthe sequence number of the packetTYPEThe packe t typecbr CBR data stream packetftp FTP data stream packetDSR DSR routing packet (control packet generated by routing)RTS RTS packet generated by MAC 802.11ARP link layer ARP packetSIZEthe surface of packet at current layer, when packet goes down, size increases, goes up size decreasesa b c da The packet duration in Mac layer headerb The mac address of destinationc The mac address of sourced The mac type of the packet bodyFigure 5.2 Flow chart for working of performance analysis moduleInitialization and Termination of NS2An ns simulation starts with the commandset ns new SimulatorThe first line in the tcl script. This declares a new variable NS using the set command. The encipher new Simulator is the instantiation of the class Simulator using the reserved word new.In order to have output files with data in the simulation (trace files) or files for visualization (nam files) we need to create the files using the open command as followsOpen the Trace fileset tracefile1 open out.tr w$ns trace-all $namfileOpen the NAM trace fileSet namfile open out.nam w$ns namtrace-all $namfileThe above procedures create a data trace file called out.tr and a nam visualization trace file called out.nam. The second lines open the file out.tr to be used for writing, declared with the letter w. The triad line uses a simulator method called trace-all that have name of file as parameter where the traces will go.The termination of the program is done using a finale procedure.Define a finish procedureproc finish global ns tracefile1 namfile$ns flushtraceclose $tracefile1close $namfileexecnamout.namexit 0Plotting with X graphXgraph is a plotting utility that is provided by ns. It allows to create postscript, Tgif files, and others, by clicking on the button Hdcpy. It can be invoked within the tcl command which results in an immediate display after the end of the simulation. The xgraph command expects one or more ASCII files as input containing each x-y data point pair perl li ne. Some of the options in xgraph areTitle use t title.Size geometry xsize z ysize.Title for axis -x xtitle (for the title of the x axis) and y ytitle (for thetitle of the y axis)Color of text and grid with the stick vCommand for the above options would be shown belowXgraph ov.xg in terms of load units for the overhead,Xgraph dl.xg in terms of microsec delay,Xgraph pdr.xg percentage of delivered data for packet deliver ratio.5.3 Network Animator (NAM)When a simulation is finished, NS produces one or more text-based output files that contain detailed simulation data, if specified to do so in the input script.The data can be used for simulation analysis or as an input to a graphical simulation display tool called NAM. NAM has a nice graphical user interface.It can graphically present information such as throughput and number of packet drops at each link NAM is started with the command nam where is the name of a NAM trace file that was generated by NS, or it can execute it directly out of the TCL simulation script for the simulation to visualize. Figure 5.3 A Simple NAM Window5.4 rivulet SetupThe aim of scrutiny stage is to discover defects/errors by scrutiny individual program components. These components may be functions and the objects or modules. During system exam then these components are integrated to form the complete system. At this stage, of testing should focus on establishing that the system meets its functional requirements and does not behave in unexpected ways. running play data are inputs which have been devised to test the system whereas test cases are inputs to test the system and the outputs are predicted from these inputs if the system operates according to its specification the result of this is used to examine the behavior in a cohesive system.The test cases are selected to ensure that the system behavior can be examined in all possible combinations of conditions. Detecting all the different failure modes for software is generally inf easible. software testing is used in association with verification and validationVerification Have built the software right (i.e., does it match the specification)?Validation Have built the right software (i.e., is this what the customer wants)?Testing ProcessTesting is an integral part of software development. Testing process, in a way certifies, whether the product, that is developed, complies with the standards, that it was designed for Testing process involves edifice of test cases, against which, the product has to be tested.In some cases, test cases are done based on the system requirements specified for the product/software, which is to be developed.Testing ObjectivesThese following objectives imply a dramatic change in view port the testing cannot show absence of defects, it can only show that software errors are present.Testing forms process of executing a program with the intent of finding an error.A good test case design is one that has a probability of finding an error yet undiscovered.A successful test will discovers all the bugs and user can undertake steps to rectify them.5.4.1 Test EnvironmentThe software was tested on the following platform.Operating System Ubuntu 11.10Ns-allinone-2.35DSR to find multiple paths using Genetic Algorithm5.4.2 System testinghither the entire software system is tested and the reference document for this process is the requirements document the main goal is to see if the system meets its requirements.Each module and component of project was thoroughly tested to remove bugs through a system testing strategy. Test cases were generated for all possible input sequences and the output was verified for its correctness. Test cases for system testing are mentioned below.Software testing is the process used to help identify the correctness and completeness of developed system. Testing is a process of skilful investigation that is intended to reveal if the system works in a way it is intended to operate. Testing furnishes a comparison that compares the state and behavior of the product against a specification. Software testing also provides an objective and the independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software implementation.5.4.3 Testing ArtifactsSoftware testing development shown with many artifacts and they areTest PlanA test specification is normally known as test jut out and the investigators are well conscious about what test plans determination is implemented and this information is made obtainable to administration and the developers.The manager or the foremost supervisory plan is to put together them more careful when increasing the code or construction additional revolutionizes.Traceability matrixA traceability matrix is counters that draw a analog necessity or propose for the documents to test documents and it is used to substantiate that the results are acceptable.Test caseThe test case in general consists of a unshared identifie r and obligation references from a design specification then the preconditions along with the events a series of steps known as actions to follow the input output and expected result including the actual result.All these phases can be accumulated in a word central processing unit document, with the spreadsheet, and also the database, or other common repository.Test retinueThe good number of frequent phrase for a collected works of test cases is a test suite.The test suite frequently also contains more comprehensive instructions or goals for each collected works of test cases.Test dataNumerous positions of standards or data are used to test the identical functionality of an exacting characteristic.It is also helpful to manufacture this data to the client and with the creation of or a project.Test draw reinThe software apparatus, illustration of information input and output, and arrangements are all referred to cooperatively as a test harness.Testing MethodsThe testing methods descr ibe the approach that is used to test the working of the project.These approaches tests whether the functionality of the project address with the existing requirements. Overall functionality of the project is also tested.Types of test carried out areUnit testing desegregation testingFunction testingUnit testingA unit test is a piece of code that invokes a unit of work and checks one specific end result of that unit of work.If the assumptions on the end result turn out to be wrong, the unit test has failed. In unit testing and black-box testing then the white-box testing are done to check the correctness of the existing functionality.Normal Manual testing has been done to check the correctness of the functionality of the project. Then the barely results of each testing are depicted in the table the test case approach has been chosen out of the testing artifacts.Integration TestingIntegration testing is any type of software testing that seeks to verify the interfaces between the comp onents against a software design.Integration test may be performed all at once the top-down and bottom-up then significant piece first, some time integrating functional subsystems first and then integrating the subsystems in detach phases using any of the basic strategies.Usually larger the project, the more important the integration strategy will be to the project.Functional testingFunctional testing is the generation of test cases from specifications is a valuable and flexible approach to software testing application from very early system specification right through module specification Functional testing deriving test cases from program specifications.Functional said to set of information used in test cases design not to what is tested also known as Specification based testing (from specifications) black-box testing (no view of the code)and the Functional and the specification description of intended program behavior either formal or informal.

Case Study Ikea Invades America Marketing Essay

Case Study Ikea Invades America Marketing EssayIKEA has successfully grown in the cornerstone furnishings retail securities industry as a result of its primary philosophy of cost-leadership, wide variety of fashionable and practical harvestings, and its magnate to maintain low be and pass the savings onto the customer. In addition to this, IKEA has also utilise some very important details into their boilersuit corporate strategy that affects the shopping puzzle of the customer. They shed reinforced their chic-style and sophisticated environment by offering gourmet meals in their stores (offering smoked salmon and other Swedish delicacies), implementing the availability of a pip-squeak day-cargon atomic number 18a rendering adults free to shop, and by focusing on self-service shopping/self-guided tours through fully furnished staging areas.In addition to the set about that customers regard as convenient and even fun, IKEA can attribute the success of their organization to t heir very well balanced corporate strategy. They follow a particularised process that allows them to design and contract the manufacturing of medium to high quality (relative to price) home furnishings and also permits the unique transferral, distribution, present and final point of sale of these products in a very methodical manner.The everywhereall success of the ships company comes from its strategy to produce attractive yet simplistic designs that are made from inexpensive yet reasonably well-constructed components. These unfinished products are then shipped in a disassembled fashion (flat-packed), sold directly to the customer in a warehouse type store, and then interpreted by the customer to their home where the final assembly takes place all in return for a price that is 30-50% less expensive than competitors.What do you bet of the companys product strategy and product range?For the limited niche market that IKEA operates within, the companys product line is substant ially larger than any of its competitors. This could come as a result of the flexibility of its products designs. A single product such as a table or a bookshelf can be selected and purchased as a component of a larger set or as an individual product, however due to the interchangeable nature of the product lines, it could also be implemented in a way that equilibrates another set of furnishings from a contrasting design set. This advantage allows for the minimization of design cost. The advantages of the product strategy are neat increased cost savings that are translated into lower prices for the customer, while still marketing your brand as a fashionable option for home furnishings downhearted Price with Meaning. IKEA provides the customer with the freedom to select their own furnishings, designs, and combinations while providing them with as much assistance as they can to streamline the purchasing process. From the showroom examples that display fully furnished home scenar ios to the availability of user-centered items such as tape-measures and vehicle cargo racks, IKEA is implementing its self-service (for customers) philosophy.Another advantage of the product strategy comes from the understanding that is congenital amid the customer and the manufacturer the costs are lower because they are simplistic, medium quality, convenience designs where assembly is required without exception. This flat-packed strategy saves on construction and shipping space. The arrangement is dual-benefit since the consumer can see the savings of self-assembly. This balance between quality, product line and price comes about through a very closely monitored process. The disadvantages of the product strategy and the product range are fairly evident as well. The idea of the transient use of medium-quality, self-constructed, Scandinavian-styled article of piece of furniture naturally eliminates a large stack of the population as a target market for the products. Either the total combination of these details or each of them individually potentially causes concern among authoritative consumer demographics. The niche market in which IKEA re expressions does not provide a sizeable product line for those that are not looking for the overall type of furniture that they provide. In addition to this, the western mentality regarding home furnishings is one that IKEA hesitated in reacting to. It conducted market research and found that its product line was not aligned with handed-down demand, especially due to the reluctance of Americans to adopt a Scandinavian style of home furnishings.Despite its success, there are many downsides to shopping at IKEA. What are some of these downsides? IKEAs Vision Statement (in Figure C of the case) describes how the company seeks to gird a partnership with its customers. What do you think of this vision statement?The disadvantages of shopping at IKEA are almost as intrinsic to the environment as the advantages. Due to the sheer size and layout of the stores, the ability for consumers to quickly locate and select a handsome number of products and vacate the premises is very difficult. It seems that to keep a timely and efficient traffic flow the second level of the store is designed along a path that leads the consumers through a display of all the different product lines throughout the separate segments (kitchen, bath, bedroom, etc.) In separate for a consumer to locate the product they are seeking, they may experience some difficulty navigating through IKEAs 10,000 other products. In addition to this, the scarcity of store locations limits the ability of the consumer who is ordering from a catalogue to physically experience the product prior to purchase and delivery.The vision statement is logical in its delivery, but potentially flawed in its practicality and how it pertains to IKEA. First and foremost, the company states the need for a substitute to expensive furniture. They seem to make the yell that never before has there been a company to provide this to the consumer, however, local furniture stores have been offering low-priced, fully assembled furniture prior to the introduction of IKEA. Furthermore, they claim that they are manufacturing dishy, durable furniture these claims cannot be quantified and are therefore merely a matter of opinion. One consumer could experience IKEA furniture and regard it as the best design and manufacturing initiative to have ever been implemented in the home furnishing market another could experience the very same furniture pieces and be completely aghast and appalled by the very idea that these products were regarded as either beautiful or durable. Moreover, they claim to be responding to the home-furnishing needs of those all over the world those who have different styles, tastes, and budgets. This is partially false due to the very nature of their marketing. They are not responding to the individual needs of the world, rather they are addressing the various home furnishing needs with the Scandinavian-answer. They are marketing their limited furniture blueprints, styles and designs in an attempt to entice their target markets to change the way they think about furnishings (ephemeral vs permanent, minimalist vs elaborate). They are claiming to be the panacea for those who exist in a world without affordable, high-quality furnishings they claim to side with the masses. They create a sense of class-warfare and claim that they cant accomplish their noble goal without the help of the consumer. So they propose this seemingly harmless bond between IKEA and customer, because evidently one of the most profitable corporations in the world whom holds some of the most powerful brand recognition ever, couldnt continue to offer low prices if they had to build their own furniture. It seems slightly ridiculous when you dissect the advertising logically. There is no doubt that forcing the customer to build their own furnitur e translates into cost savings, but to what issue do the consumers actually get to enjoy those benefits? Nonetheless, they continue to lower prices and increase market share, so their strategy seems to be working very well.The fact that IKEA hopes to have fifty stores in operation in the Unites States by 2013 is an indication of how optimistic the company is about the viability of its time value proposition in this country. Do you think IKEA is cosmos overly optimistic in its growth plans? How would you improve IKEAs value proposition to make it even more attractive to American consumers?IKEA exit most likely attain its goal of having fifty stores in operation in the U.S. by 2013. However, it impart be a challenging task to accomplish without applying significant changes to the overall approach IKEA has taken regarding the U.S. First, they need to perform market research regarding the purchasing trends of not only their current customer demographics, but more importantly, the demographics of the customers that they are not attracting. Secondly, they need to familiarize themselves with the distinct and separate styles to which Americans are attracted. The ability to transpose the traditional (American) way of thinking regarding interior design with a more European (Scandinavian) based fashion may not be advantageous for IKEA. Additionally, the products that IKEA offers are too limited in their usability in different regions of the country. Just as different parts of the world appreciate different styles, different regions of the U.S. do as well. The U.S. is unique that it encompasses all the different ethnicities of the world in a free market, the ability of IKEA to convince every separate ethnic groups individual preferences may not be realistic either.The capacity for adaptive change will be the keystone to IKEAs continued existence and prosperity. It is a win-win for every party involved If IKEA performs research to determine what they need to change to be successful in America they a.) will continuously attract their loyal customers with newer design releases, b.) may capture new market segments of consumers that never considered IKEA an option (through advertising their upgraded and expanded product line) and c.) could recapture disheartened consumers that tested the products, but are no longer interested in the IKEA brand.To achieve the kind of growth that IKEA is hoping for, should the company change its product strategy? If so, in what way(s)? What about its product range-are there limitations to the matrix approach? Should the company expand its product lineup to include a greater number of styles and price points? In what other ways should the company consider changing its product lineup?It should expand its belief that the whole world can be convinced to put up the Scandinavian design is the universal taste in furniture. Most importantly, they need to implement three progressive features to their business model (especi ally in U.S. market).First they need to adopt a higher quality brand image of their limited product line than they currently possess. After a much needed enlargement of their product line, they need to market the increased quality and expanded selection. If they are going to increase the number of stores, then an expanded product line is undeniable to attain customers in these new geographic areas. They have the image of simple, functional, stylish furnishings, however price can determine quality and certain consumers have a high aversion to companies that claim that their products are high-quality, but not meant to last a long time or that their products are beautiful and stylish, but gilded at the same time. These paradoxes are detrimental to the attainment of consumers that are actually affluent.Secondly, they need to adjust to the market in which they are advertising. If they are operating in Midwestern U.S., then after performing market research they need to advertise the pr oducts that appeal to that locations population the most. Third, they need to increase the availability of services in their stores, such as delivery for those who cannot transport the number of furnishings they need to outfit their home, financing for large purchases, and company assistance with the assembly of their products. All of these could be acquired at a premium if the consumer chooses to do so. The availability of these offers could further eliminate the consumers that dont consider IKEA an option.IKEA claims to market to the predominantly low-middle income, young, urban and suburban, educated, professionals but at the same time they claim that their typical consumer is sophisticated enough to appreciate fine wine and fine food, participates in international travel with their frequent flier miles, etc. This paradox is broken in and of itself as well. The ability of a young, educated, low-income, urban dweller to spend their limited disposable income on fine wine, food, a nd international travel (all the while doing so by saving money on their affordable, yet chic home furnishings) is highly unlikely. The more likely scenario is that this image of the IKEA consumer is the representation that they wish to project in hopes of attracting consumers who wished to be viewed as this depiction as well. It is doubtful that a successful individual with fashionable tastes will spend their income on temporary, particle board furniture. That is the equivalent of considering a McDonalds sophisticated, urban dining just because it happens to be located in the center of downtown in a metropolitan area.If you had to predict, what do you think IKEAs value proposition and product lineup will look like in ten years?IKEA will most likely use the size and fortissimo of its organization wisely to expand its product line drastically, increase the availability of corporate offers in order to make its products even more attainable for the consumers, and will implement a loc ality philosophy to provide certain geographic areas with the styles the local population demands. It will also have a high luck of implementing a massive marketing campaign so as to expose other potential markets to its innovative and efficient designs prior to expanding, thus increasing incoming demand in locations that may eventually receive an IKEA store. IKEA will most likely also continue its approach to manufacturing by using outsourced manufacturing locations in order to avoid unnecessary costs. IKEA has a high probability of surviving and prospering due to its differentiation/low-cost strategy.Some industry observers have suggested that IKEA should open a number of smaller, satellite stores across the United States (e.g., in shopping malls, strip malls, etc.). By offering a limited range of IKEA products, these IKEA Lite shops would presumably fix consumers who do not otherwise have access to a big IKEA the opportunity to experience the brand. In addition, consumers who do live near a full-size IKEA would be able to use these mini-outlets to make minor purchases (e.g., purchase a set of mugs, as opposed to an entire living room set). Do you watch with this idea? Why or why not?No, I dont believe that this is in the best interest of IKEAs overall corporate strategy. They have carved a niche in the home furnishings market by doing exactly what they have determined to be the more effective manner of cost-reduction (based on market research). smaller home furnishings can be attained and purchased through their business-to-customer internet portal through the company website. Usually, consumers are more comfortable purchasing small, inexpensive items over the internet over large, costly items. If IKEA was to implement smaller IKEA-lite stores, they would then be competing with stores such as Bed, Bath Beyond and Pier 1. Their differentiation strategy of self-shopping and self-assembly would be rendered either unavailable or no longer a competitive ad vantage. Furthermore, the cost incurred to operate and ship small items to these satellite stores would increase the overall costs of the items.The profitability of IKEA comes from the savings of selling large home furnishings to consumers that are willing to assemble the products themselves. The sale of smaller, tier 2 and tier 3 items such as towels, mugs and cups, and storage containers are profitable due to the fact that the consumer is in the main facility looking for large home items. The sale of secondary items is available to complement the larger items. The implementation of smaller, IKEA-lite stores would not be recommended as it conflicts with their current corporate strategy and there is no discernible benefit in changing the methodological analysis at this point in time.

Scientific Glass Sg Provides Specialized Glassware Finance Essay

Scientific Glass Sg Provides Specialized Glassware Finance proveScientific Glass provides specialized glassware for a variety of organizations such as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, research labs, quality-control sites and testing facilities. As ofJanuary 2010, there was a hearty increase in their enumeration balances which tied up the capital necessary for further investment needed for expansion. The debt-to-capital ratio surpassed the target of 40% preventing the corporation to function their capital in opposite areas. In hyperkinetic syndromeition, the shipping cost were rising, competitive pressures were accelerating, and certain markets in North America and Europe were becoming saturated which underscored the indispensableness for capital investment for expanding market opportunities in Latin America and Asia. Moreover, expanding warehousing network increased the gunstock levels along with be, documentation complexities and errors.The company hired a new Manager of Inventory Planning, Ava Beane, to come up with an effective plan to manage SGs line of descent without requiring a large capital investment. In arrange to finance operations in year 2010, SG requires an external funding of $53.8 million (Exhibit1). These expenses would further limit the company to use their existing capital in other areas such as research and development and expanding to international markets. To improve customer helper levels, SG had increased the target customer carry out rate to 99% and added half-dozener more leased ware houses to exceptt against the demand more accurately. This led to an increase in the inventory levels as some storage warehouse managers kept unnecessary inventory in secernate to meet the company target fill rate.Good practicesMaintained continued sales growth and high-pitcheder customer triumphProduced creative reapings with lower life cycle costsFoc apply on durable products, innovative designs and superior customer servicesR educed time betwixt severalizeing and delivering the products to the customersBad practicesTreated inventory management as an afterthought, due to which inventory imbalances were increasingThe company exceeded its target debt to capital ratio of 40%Incurred both(prenominal) underage and superannuated costsHigh Inventory ProblemDue to increasing in customer service level, SG planned to add divisional warehouses in many parts US. SG has the briny and the largest one and unless(a) in Waltham, MA, which is adjacent to manufacturing plant. SG also has another warehouse that located outside of Phoenix,Arizona. However, at the end of 2008, SG bought other six warehouses. This means SG has the replete(p) 8 warehouses to serve customers. Annual term of a contract and operation costs for NorthAmerican warehouses were 15% of the cost of the warehoused inventory. However, in 2006, before add more 6 warehouses, SG already made investment to expand the warehouse at Waltham in anticipatio n of continued growth, but after these 6 warehouses had been bought, this warehouse does not work full efficiency of its capacity.Another problem of warehouse management is company expected to r individu wholey high level ofcustomer service to 99%, so that warehouse managers keep order inventory ahead before it reach threshold of inventory level to order new one to assure that they leave meet the customer service target level at 99%. This situation causes high inventory levels than required and also high inventory turnover. Moreover, salespeople were allow having its products up to $10,000 worth from ware house and kept them in trunk stock in their homes and cars in order to deliver this inventory on short notice to any customer who was within driving distance. This amount could lead to high finished goods in warehouse and in-transit as shown in exhibit 6. It could lead to missing products in inventory, and lost.Proposed solutions to inventory problemIn order to solve the inventory issues, there are actually two main(prenominal) aspects to considerNumber of warehouses and their structure can be lurchdRelated policies can be changed and of course appropriate ones can be done simultaneously.For changing the issue forth of warehouses, in other words, centralizing or decentralizing warehousing functions, available elections are considered asCentralized warehousing in WalthamIn this option, one central warehouse near to manufacturing facility at Waltham will send all customer orders from one location. Centralize warehousing in Waltham to meet demand in Southeast and Northeast regions using delivery service of Winged Fleet as their rates are cheaper for these two regions. This would allow SG to pool its inventory in order to meet demand. However, the customer response times would increaseDecentralized warehousingIn step-up to the main warehouse at Waltham, there would be another warehouse at Dallas which would be supplied from Waltham. This would allow demand to be met for all the regions and prevent any stock-outs in a single warehouse.Continuing with 8 warehousesThis option acquits no change on the network of the warehouses and all regions will be supplied its warehouse if there is no stock-out come outs.Two centralized warehousesIn this option, addition to the main warehouse at Waltham, there will be an additional warehouse at the westside, at Phoenix, and it will be supplied from Waltham. Demand of east region will be met from Waltham, demand of west region will be met from Phoenix and demand of central region will be met from both warehouses, expect to have equal shares on the central region.Outsourcing the warehousing functionsIn this option, all warehousing actions will be outsourced to Global Logistics (GL) and distribution will start from main warehouse at Waltham and then GL will be responsible from rest of the operations. Outsource warehousing to GL to meet demand in the Central, Southwest and Northwest regions because sh ipping costs for those regions is cheapest with the GL rates. Outsource warehousing to Global Logistics (GL) which will provide a centralized warehousing in battle of Atlanta. Goods will be transported in bulk from Waltham to Atlanta and GL would take responsibility of inventory-control and delivery to the customers. This way SG would not have to bear the warehouse rental charges and could focus on increasing sales and develop newer products to meet customer needs.Changes in inventory policyIn addition to these options, Beane should propose the following actions to Eric Gregory and Melissa HayesLower fill rates to the industry-average in order to decrease inventories.Greater enforcement by managers to avoid keeping excess inventories in the warehouses.Have periodic reviews of inventory and control procedures for all stocks in the warehouses.Evaluations of the proposed solutionsEvaluation of mentioned substitutes will be conducted from mainly five aspectsTransportation costs,Average inventory levels,Time reactivity,Fill rates andAdditional costs and benefitsTransportation CostsTransportation costs for alternatives are calculate for the two products, namely Griffin and Erlenmeyer, since they are mentioned as the best representative for a total of nearly 3000 products of Scientific Glass. In addition, for each option, demand for the next year calculated considering the 20% increase in sales. When warehouse to customer shipments are considered average shipment weight of 19,5 pound is used and to have an average pane cost value, these two products costs are averaged according to their relative proportion in sales . It also be mentioned that, inter-warehouse transshipments occur only when stock-out occurs and as the number of warehouses are decreasing, effect of this costs will be diminished therefore, it is only considered in the option where there are 8 warehouses.For the 1st option, having 8 warehouses and making no change, from Waltham to all other 7 warehou ses all items are sent by bulk shipment. Inter-warehouse transshipments are calculated by bulkshipment rates and they are considered only when a stock-out occurs, therefore fill rate is included in these calculations and average total cost build as $2701, 41For the 2nd option, when there is only one warehouse, all customer shipments are calculated for rates of Winged Fleet. In this option, average total cost is calculated as $12210, 16.For the 3rd option, when two centralized warehouses considered, it is assumed that Waltham will supply east region, Phoenix will supply will west region and they will equally supply the central region. Average total cost is found as $2332.07.For the last option, when warehousing functions are outsourced, assuming the 5 regions ofGlobal Logistics (GL) will have equal amount of demand. Total average cost is calculated as $2276, 83.To conclude, as it is expected, when numbers of warehouses are decreased transportation costs are increased.From the aspect of transportation costs, GL option has the smallest cost amount.Average Inventory LevelsFirst of all, it must be decided which inventory policy that the company should apply.Begin with the review type although firm monitors the entire inventory transfers from Waltham warehouse to other warehouses they think taking physical counts of inventory at all warehouses. Therefore, it is reason out that company uses periodic inventory review policy.Secondly, company did not mention any due date, therefore the inventory plans should consider infinite time horizon. And lastly, though there exists a fixed cost for shipments from warehouses to customers there is no other fixed cost related to transportation to the warehouses, i.e. no fixed ordering cost. The only order cost is $0.40 per pound bulk shipment cost which is a variable cost with weight. As a result, all analysis can be conducted considering critical ratios and the related fill rate values, which is the only option that is left and a lso it is considered as the most applicable to the situation. Since some of the simultaneous changes can be done, considering ceteris paribus principle and when fill rate is preserveed exactly as 99% for all warehouses, we can calculate the average inventory level that must be kept at warehouses.Weighted-average biweekly inventory levels are found as8 warehouses 988532 warehouses 680341 warehouse 59703Outsourcing 59703When outsourcing option is used, it will be the aforementioned(prenominal) for the company in the sense of kept inventory levels for the one-centralized-warehouse option therefore they are assumed to be equal.As number of warehouse decreases, level of inventory decreases as it is expected. This is because, the greater the degree ofcollaboration, the lower the uncertainty (standard deviation of the error or coefficient of variation) ofthe demand modelThis implies that the bills tied up in the inventory decrease sand this extra capital can be used in other areas, like expansion plans to international marketsTime Responsiveness pitching system of the company compensates 2 weeks of shipment cycles including the stock-out situations. In order to be a market leader, differentiation on this subject is also needed and alas since this is not an exact quantitative scale, only possible situations could be mentioned.For having one centralized, or two centralized or 8 decentralized warehouse options, they all include at most 3 long time ready to shipment duration and Winged Fleets delivery time of at most 3 days if there is no stock-out situation and the stock-out probabilities are diminishing with the aggregated demands.On the other hand, GL has 1-day premium shipment in addition to 3-day regular shipments. Considering the highly development market situation and different segment of products, having different delivery times to different products and also to different customers will make this company focus on the most yielding areas.Therefore, it can be said that working with GL has the advantage of differentiating customers/orders and, since there will be 2 warehouses, stock-out probability and related durations will be less compared to other options. And all of these aspects will increase the time responsiveness of the company.Additional Costs and BenefitsQuantitative issues to related to options of inventory managementIn order to continue with the current warehouses total of $10M investment is necessary, it is assumed that all of this amount will be equally shared among all warehouses.Since warehouse operating costs will be the %15 of the total warehoused inventory, these costs could be directly compared with the annual average inventory levels that are kept in each optionThe amount paying to sales forces will not change when the company has 1, 2 or 8 warehouses because it is assumed that as the number of warehouses decreased, number of sales representative per warehouse will increase and total of 32 will not change. On the other hand, when warehousing is outsourced this amount will not be paidQualitative issues to related to options of inventory managementWhen GL is used for warehousing, SGs senior managers will be able to focus on increasing sales, marketing issues and developing next generation of products.There are some issues that must be mentioned from the proposed policy changes. Stopping the practice of trunk stock could conclude with a decrease in the time responsiveness and therefore it should not be stopped.Also as mentioned in the same proposed policy changes, amend thec ontrolling systems will create a stop understanding of the current situation after the warehousing functions changed.Finally, when GL is used, the approach of warehouse managers to keep more than99% fill rate and 60-day-supply will not be a problem, because all of these operating issues will be responsibility of GL. This will help to company not to keep excessive amount of inventory and less tied-up capital in the inven tory which can be used in other areas.Fill RateCompanys fill rate policy should also be calculated for the different alternatives.The company replaced the earlier fill rate policy of 93%, which is only marginally better that the industry average fill rate of 92%, with 99%. However, there is no sign that the company is implementing this policy because it is the best approach that must be taken for the company objectives. Moreover, using a fill rate higher than optimum level leads to higher inventories and more money tied up in the inventory. Therefore, company should lower the rates down to optimal levels, if there is no other concern related to market leadership or customer satisfaction.To calculate the optimal levels of fill rates for all four alternatives we should consider cost items which are added to underage and overage costs. However, the sales leadership noted that underage costs are 10% of the gross margin and overage costs are 0.6% of the unit cost of any product. Also it is assumed that unit costs covers all the costs such as warehouse rental and operation costs, cost of capital and inventory write-offs. For the three alternatives other than outsourcing, there is no change in cost items, only the multiplied quantities are changed but the outsourcing alternative eliminates the 15% warehouse rental and operating costs and 1% inventory write-offs. As a result, overage costs are decreased piece underage costs are increased. Resulting optimal fill rates are as follows1, 2, or 8 warehouses OutsourcingReference product 1 95.4% 96.5%Reference product 2 94.9% 96.1%These numbers can be interpreted in two different waysIf company is flexible about the determination of fill rate, in other words if it can lower the fill-rates from 99% to optimal levels, outsourcing option pushes the optimal fill rates to higher levels which results in larger inventories and more money to tie up.If the company still insists on keeping fill rate at 99%, the additional costs that must be paid to maintain 99% fill-rate level is lowered in the outsourcing alternative.Consequently, the better policy related to fill rates depend on the attitude of the company.Finally, another policy change about fill-rates can be considered. Rather than using one fill-rate for over all products of the company, different rates for different products can help the company in decreasing inventory costs related to, at least, for some of the products.ConclusionTo conclude, since available options are studied from different aspects, it must be mentioned that the company should bring the alternatives and compare the results of evaluations according to their priorities. For instance, evaluation criteria like inventory levels and transportation costs are conflicting on interests. Company can see their situation and make decisions according to priorities.While assessing the weights for factors, it is considered that average inventory level and the transportation costs are the most import ant costs for the company. Then, the fill rate follows them. Time responsiveness is the next important factor which is followed by additional costs and benefits with equal weights for each.Changes in warehouse management are considered as options other than outsourcing do not provide radical policy changes which could make warehousing management better. These weights and the scores related to our previous investigations yield that the outsourcing the warehousing function to Global Logistics is the best alternative among all. All of investigations and cost studies conducted in this case study are to find the most cost effective option in order to getting side by side(predicate) to the target debt to capital ratio of the company and provide more capital to fund expansion into new international markets while maintaining or even improving the high customer satisfaction level

Shah’s Fables in The Way of Sufi :: Way of Sufi Essays

Shahs Fables in The Way of Sufi When most people answer the question, What is a caption? they usu tout ensembley mend it as a story with talking animals that teaches readers a lesson or moral. Although most fables do fit into this category, Idries Shah, an author of many fables, believes that there is more to a fable than just being an interesting story that teaches a lesson. In fact, Shah writes in the Forward of his book Reflections, Do you imagine that fables exist only to amuse or to instruct, and atomic number 18 based upon fiction? The best ones are delineations of what happens in real life, in the community, and in the individuals mental processes (1, 2). What Shah means is that the best fables pull life, ones mental processes, and the surrounding community to the fullest. In The Man, the Snake, and the Stone, from his book Caravan of Dreams, Shaw gives insight to the way humans mental processes are and how they should be. The fable seems to be a tale about a curious, ye t ignorant, man who desperately tries to justify his action of releasing the snake from under the stone so that the snake does not kill him. However, this fable shows the reader how selfish, uncivil, and unreasonable humans are with their animal friends. One thing this fable demonstrates to the reader is how selfish humans are in their ways. The fable starts with the man who picks up a stone and releases a venomous snake. The snake, of course, threatens to kill the man, but the man pleas for his life because he claims he dictated the snake free. The man cries, Give me one more chance. Please let us find someone else to give an opinion, so that my life may be spared (904). The man cares nothing about how the snake has been inconvenienced. All he cares about is trying to keep the snake from killing him. Another issue this fable addresses is how inconsiderate man is to the animals of this planet. The fable gives two examples of animals that are treated unfairly. The first example te lls of a flock of sheep which have provided humans with wool for many years. Now, after all the years of helping the humans, the humans turn around and repay the favor by killing the sheep for mutton. A sheep sarcastically adds, That is the measure of generosity of men (904).

Does UK Public transport live up to expectations? :: Business Management Studies

Does UK Public transport live up to expectations?IntroductionPublic tape transport has always been a key issue to the g everywherenment bytrying to promote humans transport more than using a car. Today publictransport is pushed more to help reduce factors of pollution andcongestion which seem to be growing all over the UK.Transportation needs vary greatly depending on peoples commuting needsand therefore trying to focus on transport as a whole over the UK isvery difficult to research.I have used over 20 documents to help me research this statement.Literature ReviewOut of the documents that I was able to find the documents seemed tohave very optimistic or negative opinions nearly public transport withonly a few manifold opinions. The following facts were from mixed viewdocuments.There were many documents which were about crime on public transportand around areas of public transport. The main issues were about trainstations and buses where situations of theft were experienced onre gular basis. detestation is a factor which is now being dealt withincreasingly with investments going into cameras at train stations andincreased security. Buses are also being equipped with cameras onboard so that drivers can see the upper floor. These articles can be install in the cecal appendage and are articles AP 1, 3, 4 and 5.Many articles were also mixed as they acknowledged improvements beingmade but were also negative as be afters are always based on 5 to10 yeardevelopments and hail millions if not billions of pounds. This seemsto make people loose faith in public transport as it is slow andcostly. An example of this is the 10bn investment into the Londonunderground found in appendix.Many articles brought forward positive opinions of public transportthese opinions and facts are as follows.There are new websites being created to help people plan theirjourneys by public transport. These sort of sites help people bytelling someone which, buses and trains they may need and which ones.A site which I used is www.transportdirect.co.uk. A site like thisgives people confidence as they know what forms of transport they mayneed and how long a journey may take. In appendix this site can befound as AP6.New investments are being made to link major cities. An example isLeeds and Sheffield being linked by one train route. This is designedto help reduce congestion on the M1 this can be seen in appendix AP7.Appendix article AP8 shows achievements made over 2003 and 2004 andtells us of more park and rides schemes being used and set up more.