Psychology of Terrorism Essay

In his article, Vaisman-Tzachor (2006) discussed the most common misconceptions regarding terrorist profiling in forensic psychology. True, where effective forensic profiling techniques are absent, there is no place for effective counterterrorism strategies. In this context, the profiling criteria described by Vaisman-Tzachor (2006) are particularly interesting and important when applied to psychological profile of Osama Bin Laden. From the viewpoint of forensic psychology, and through the prism of Vaisman-Tzachor’s (2006) psychological criteria, forensic profiling of Osama Bin Laden should begin with the profound analysis of his personal background (age, educational background, ethnicity, socio-economic status, national origin and marital status, religious or social affiliations). Contrary to traditional (and probably, outdated beliefs), the national origin of Osama Bin Laden will play important, but not the primary role in creating the picture of his personality. Of course, â€Å"elements such as Arab ethnic or national background [†¦] are highly important in the list of the determinant variables† (Vaisman-Tzachor, 2006), but psychological profile of Osama Bin Laden seems even more consistent with the fact that he is unmarried, possesses sufficient material background and displays negative disposition to the non-Muslim society. Simultaneously, Osama Bin Laden does not match the criminal profile created by Vaisman-Tzachor (2006), where the likelihood of a terrorist act is inversely related to the age of the potential terrorist; in case of Osama, his age is evidently associated with the growing terrorist experience and the increasing sophistication of his terrorist needs. Objectively, and truly for many generations of terrorists, Osama Bin Laden is fairly regarded a kind of a mythical figure, â€Å"who represents a messianic being to members of those national groups and social entities, who are disenfranchised by political, religious, or ethnic circumstances† (Vaisman-Tzachor, 2006), and this mythical figure works to establish closer ties and strengthen the existing terrorist identifications in his terrorist networks. In this context, Osama Bin Laden is a multifaceted image of the leader, whose criminality and respectability are uniquely combined to shape the new vision of a charismatic terrorist. Historical and sociocultural antecedents of September 11 The escalation of international violence and the growing anti-American moods have generated a set of questions regarding the historical and sociocultural antecedents of September 11. Objectively, a whole set of factors have contributed into the development of violent attitudes toward American nation, of which September 11 was the culmination; in this context, the continuous political commitment to â€Å"low intensity conflicts† and the self-declared pro-American ideology which lacks authoritarian rule and visible religiosity have become the two most important antecedents of the 9/11 attack. In his book, Michaels (2002) refers to the â€Å"low intensity conflict† scenario, to which American presidency adhered over the course of the last decades. The declaration of anti-terrorist ideals and the deceptive need for maintaining low intensity wars in the most problematic international regions was expected to strengthen the military power of the United States, and to ensure that America was able to respond to the most challenging social and military conflicts all over the world. What the United States had obviously overlooked was that the gradual military expansion might not have been favored by other nations (Michaels, 2002). Increased military spending combined with the overt rejection of treaty opportunities have formed the set of historical antecedents which led to the emergence of the new quality relationships between the two worlds – the Muslim and the orthodox. After the fall of socialism in the world, the rhetoric of the American hyperpower has literally doubled, and all visions of authority and power have since then been projected onto the U. S. (Werz, 2004). Given historically relevant anti-American attitudes, the multiplying American superiority has frozen the cultural difference between the two worlds. The social development in America has been colored with obvious secularization of the public opinion and the values, which the American nation has treated as its own (Werz, 2004). Thus, the events of September 11 have come as the culmination in the growing opposition against the militaristic attitudes of the United States towards its political and cultural superiority. Psychology of terrorism In the aftermath of 9/11 attacks researchers and psychology professionals have become increasingly concerned about the origins and the motives of terrorist attacks. The current state of empirical research is pressured by numerous prejudices and misconceptions that have grown as a result of the overt callousness of terrorist attacks. By turning terrorists into a group of abnormally deviant people, however, psychologists have seriously distorted the real image of a true terrorist. Silke (2004) is correct: we cannot be certain that terrorism is a kind of psychological abnormality, unless we are able to avoid bias and to promote objectivity in our judgments. It is difficult not to agree to Silke (2004) in that the differences in the current research of terrorism have become the results of our inability to explore and document primary information, and the impossibility to access primary sources of information about terrorists. â€Å"The risks involved for the potential researcher are considerable. Academic researchers have been threatened, kidnapped, attacked, and shot for attempting to research terrorism† (Silke, 2004). In our quest for better understanding of terrorist psychology, we frequently become the victims of our own psychological misconceptions. We still operate scarce and unclear (as well as unreliable) data concerning the major emotional and psychological issues terrorists face on their way to a violent act. Seeking sensations, we tend to neglect the role which primary data may play in developing and spreading a completely new vision of terrorism. With the scarcity of tools of psychological and sociological research which could be readily applied to terrorism, and bearing in mind an almost complete impossibility to access primary sources of data, it is unlikely that we will be able to produce a single relevant and the most objective psychological profile of a terrorist in the coming decade. References Michaels, C. W. (2002). No greater threat: America after September 11 and the rise of a national security state. Algora Publishing. Silke, A. (2004). Courage in dark places: reflections on terrorist psychology. Social Research, 71 (1): 177-198. Vaisman-Tzachor, R. (2006). Psychological profiles of Terrorists. Forensic Examiner, 15 (2): 6-17. Werz, M. (2004). Anti-Americanism and ambivalence: Remarks on an ideology in historical transformation. Telos, 129: 75-95.

‘I Am Not That Woman’ by ‘Kishwar Naheed’ and ‘The Bridegroom’ by Liz Lochead Essay

The two poems I will be comparing and contrasting the two poems called ‘I Am Not That Woman’ by ‘Kishwar Naheed’ and ‘The Bridegroom’ by ‘Liz Lochead’. I will be comparing the themes used and the poetic devices with the similarities and differences both writers use in these similar but not so similar poems. Both these poems have been written in the 21st century which are new but they talk about customs and traditions which are dated very old. In ‘The Bridegroom’ ‘Liz Lochead’ writes in a traditional humorous style. She talks about her wedding and how it should be laid out. She describes the perfect bridegroom that’s fit for her. She thinks that the bridegroom spoils the look in the wedding but after the marriage it he is the most important thing for the woman. In ‘I Am Not That Woman’ ‘Kishwar Naheed’ looks at a more cultural and serious issue on the poem. She writes a much longer poem and has a set pattern/ structure all throughout the verses. She talks about her past and how she was used into thinking that her husband loved her and how suddenly she got bounded off by the weight of custom and traditions. Her chastity, her motherhood, her loyalty was bought and sold like a product in the market. ‘Kishwar Naheed’ uses the past tense to write her poem so it shows that she was talking about the past as if it just happened a while ago. There are a lot of similarities between ‘I Am Not That Woman’ and ‘The Bridegroom’ the two traditional and cultural themes which have been used. Both the writers ‘Kishwar Naheed’ and ‘Liz Lochead’ are females so the impression you get in both the poems is that the man in not the important person and the poem is slightly biased. When they talk about their husbands in both poems they criticise them a lot. ‘The Bridegroom is a necessary accessory if often irrelevant’ from ‘The Bridegroom’ and ‘I am the one you crushed with the weight of customs and traditions’ from ‘I Am Not That Woman’. They criticise their husbands because in both poems it seem that the man had the control over the women and he is the dominant one. ‘tower over her in her highest high heels’ from ‘The Bridegroom’. This infers that the woman is the victim and is treated badly ‘you picked flowers and planted thorns’ in ‘The Bridegroom’. Both the women in the poems speak out for themselves in defence for what is going on. ‘Kishwar Naheed’ uses ‘not knowing that I can walk on water when I am drowning.’ This is an oxymoron which is used at the end of the verse showing she is defending and is also speaking out for herself. ‘-the brides the star’ she says as if the husband does not matter because she says the bridegroom always take over the wedding in ‘The Bridegroom’. Both ‘Liz Lochead’ and ‘Kishwar Naheed’ use the poetic devices metaphors and similes to describe things. The writer’s use of objects and nature makes you picture the scene very well. ‘The Bridegroom †¦ a bit of a white elephant’ is a metaphor in ‘The Bridegroom’ meaning the bridegroom is an expensive burden at the marriage and in ‘I Am Not That Woman’ uses similes to describe how her husband roamed ‘free as the breeze’. They both use repetition and alliteration to make the poem even more interesting not dull. In ‘The Bridegroom’ she uses ‘tall’ and ‘highest high heels’ to emphasise the meaning of things. In ‘I Am Not That Woman’ she uses ‘flower free’ and ‘I am not that woman selling you socks and shoes’ as repetition through out the poem. Both ‘Liz Locked’ and ‘Kishwar Naheed’ use objects and nature to describe things in similes, alliteration, metaphors, repetition and rhyme. ‘Liz Locked’ uses ‘more than a penny stick of liquorice’ to show that the bridegroom is not worth anything. Here she uses a metaphor. ‘Kishwar Naheed’ ‘†¦ you hid in your walls of stone while you roamed as free as the breeze†¦ smothered by stone’. Here she uses alliteration. She means that the man is free whilst he has confined her from the outside world. When is comes to the end of both the poems they are both outspoken and end with an exclamation mark (!) to show their feelings. ‘Liz Locked’ uses ‘don’t forget is ha! another matter and ‘Kishwar Naheed’ uses ‘No, No, I am not that woman!.’ There are many differences in these two poems firstly the main theme looks at marriages at two different angles. ‘The Bridegroom’ looks at a more hysterical and funny side to Marriage which is more positive. This is shown by her saying ‘to her sixpence worth of candy floss’ ‘I Am Not That Woman’ looks at a more sober and emotional side to marriage which is negative which is shown to us by her saying ‘whom you bought and sold of my own chastity’ Because the poem ‘I Am Not That Woman’ has been translated from Urdu so there is no rhyme where as in ‘The Bridegroom’ there is lots of rhyme but that rhyme does not have a pattern eg: ABAB but instead it had been placed anywhere thought the poem. This has a rhyme pattern because it has been written in English and not in any other language. ‘Liz Locked’ writes in a formal style throughout most of the poem ‘He should, at the risk of being banal’ but at the end she writes in informal language ‘the role of the bridegroom as they scatter the confetti’s’ and ‘Kishwar Naheed’ keeps her writing formal all the time ‘I am not that woman selling you socks and shoes’. In ‘The Bridegroom’ ‘Liz Locked’ writes her poem so it is set out on the day of the wedding because it says ‘The Bridegroom is a necessary accessory-†¦ a bit of a white elephant after the event.’ where as in ‘I Am Not That Woman’ it is after the wedding but we do not know how long it has been. ‘I am the woman you married off’ ‘Liz Locked’ uses a whole range of poetic devices, more that ‘Kishwar Naheed’ uses. This makes ‘The Bridegroom’ seem more lively and funny. ‘He should be tall, but not too tall- the ideal’s tall enough†¦ tower over her in her highest high heels,’ here there lots of use of alliteration and repetition. ‘I Am Not That Woman’ uses ‘that I can walk on water when I am drowning’ here she cleverly uses an oxymoron to show that even though she is in trouble in a difficult situation she still has her head up high and will not let her down. In ‘I Am Not That Woman’ she gets treated like an outcast ‘I am the commodity you traded in, my chastity, my mother hood, my loyalty’ where as in ‘The Bridegroom, she doesn’t get treated like an outcast ‘- the bride’s the star!’ In my opinion I think that I liked ‘The Bridegroom’ better because the way ‘Liz Locked’ writes her poem. It is very amusing and it makes a marriage sound like a joke. ‘Kishwar Naheed’s’ poem was also good which made me see the more serious side to traditional marriages in an Asian background. This poem was more difficult to understand because there were many ways you could put the poem. She could have been talking about her past because it uses the past tense ‘whom you’ or you could adapt it as she is saying it in the present tense where she has just been married and thrown out of her house on to the streets ‘The woman on that poster, half- naked, selling socks and shoes- No, no, I am not that woman’ Overall I think that she is talking about her long gone past and that she is a beggar woman at the present time. She doesn’t want to tell anyone because she is too ashamed of herself and keeps on saying ‘I am not that woman selling you socks and shoes’ which again uses repetition.

Company law Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 14250 words

Company law - Dissertation Example Such intrusion takes place, only when it is evident that there is mala fide intent in the decisions of the directors. This is in accordance with section 306 of the Companies Act 2006. Although, section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 influences the general duties of the directors of a company; it has been seen to result in legal uncertainty, regarding their general duties. This is due to the absence of an exhaustive list of the duties to be discharged by the directors. Apparently, this bestows widespread discretionary powers upon directors. This wide discretion has been provided by the statute for the purpose of conducting the affairs of the company in a congenial manner. However, under certain circumstances, such discretionary power can be misused by the directors of a company, in order to further their personal interests. This had transpired in Hawkes v Cuddy & Others.1 A codification of some of the duties of the directors of a company was effected by the Companies Act 2006. Insta nces are the codification of the common law duty of care and skill, by section 174(1) of the Companies Act 2006. A very important feature of the codification of directors’ duties relates to the fact that not all of the directors’ duties have been codified.2Directors’ duties codified by the Companies Act 2006 are their principal fiduciary duties and the duty of care and skill. ... ector is required to comply with all of these duties.3 It is apparent from the various law reports that section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, merely effects a codification of the obligations of directors under the common law. In Re Southern Counties Fresh Foods Ltd,4 the court made a comparison between the previous wording and the new form after codification.5Prior to the 2006 Act, there was no material difference in this position. This was clarified in Re Smith and Fawcett Ltd.6 The shareholders of a company can sue a director of their company, for breach of duty towards the company.7 Prior to the enactment of the Companies Act 2006, shareholders had to obtain the permission of the board of directors of their company, if they were desirous of initiating legal action against a director of their company. This inequitable situation was rectified to some extent, subsequent to the enactment of the Act, which permits shareholders to bring in derivative action against a director of their company. It is no longer necessary to obtain the prior permission of the board of directors of the company, to bring such derivative action. The business judgement rule absolves directors of liability for the decision taken by them, if these decisions had been taken in good faith, with due care and within their powers.8 A director’s liability will be absolved, if he had taken the concerned decision with due care and diligence. However, there is every possibility that the director may exceed the limits of his authority, in taking such decisions. In Lonrho Ltd v Shell Petroleum Co. Ltd 9, the House of Lords stressed upon the importance of the duty of directors towards the company. In Re Horsley & Weight Ltd 10 it was held that the directors owed a duty towards creditors. This was a novel

Constructing Pro-Forma Statements (Heartland Express) Term Paper

Constructing Pro-Forma Statements (Heartland Express) - Term Paper Example e income taxes 53,264 26,833 13,617 26,833 Federal and state income taxes 9,350 9,350 9,350 9,350 Net income 43,914 17,483 4,267 17,483 FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS THROUGH RATIO ANALYSIS A method widely used by the investors and analyst in order to evaluate and analyze the financial history of the company is the ‘Ratio Analysis’. Ratio analysis is a very accurate and reliable tool when it comes to analyzing the financial outlook of an entity. The primary reason to conduct a ratio analysis is to quantify the results of the operations of a company and compare them with that of the prior year(s) in order to assess different aspects of the financial feasibility. The ratios can be divided into various categories such as profitability, gearing and liquidity, each focusing on a different area of the financial outlook of the organization and highlighting the company’s performance. The financial analysis of Heartland Express is divided into three main categorize namely Pr ofitability, Liquidity and Gearing. Profitability Ratios    2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006    Profitability Ratios Gross profit margin 20.16% 18.31% 17.18% 15.66% 18.66% 21.58% Net profit margin 20.30% 18.59% 17.69% 17.12% 20.40% 23.63% ROCE 31.50% 27.79% 22.11% 29.74% 35.22% 27.30% EPS 0.78 0.69% 0.62 0.73 0.78 0.89 Gross profit margin is an analyzing tool which assists in identifying how effectively and efficiently the company is utilizing its raw materials [1], variable cost related to labor and fixed costs such as rent and depreciation of property plant and equipment. The gross profit margin analysis of the last five years shows that subsequent to the financial year 2006, the gross profit margin declines. Though the sales of the company kept on increasing subsequent to the financial year 2006, but the... The liquidity ratio measures the company’s ability to pay its short-term liabilities. The ratio illustrates that how quickly a company can convert its assets into cash and cash equivalent in order to pay off its short-term liabilities. The most commonly used liquidity ratio, the current ratio, which is calculated by comparing the current assets and current liabilities. The strengthened the current ratio the more ability the company has to pay its debts and short-term obligations over the next 12 months. An overall analysis of the ratio would portray that in all the years the company had enough assets to pay off its obligations and debts. In the financial year 2007, the current ratio decreases from 3.35 to 2.91 due to the decrease in the current assets of the company by a staggering 32% which majorly pertains to the decrease in the short term investment from 322 million to 186 million. The cause of the decrease in the current ratio for the financial year 2008 also pertains to t he massive decrease in the short term investment. The reason for this decline is during that particular period, the equity shares market was going through its worst time. The companies rather than recording losses on market to market of these securities started selling these securities in the stock market. The acid test, which is also regarded as the quick ratio, is calculated by subtracting the inventory balance from the total current assert balance. Out of the current assets mentioned, inventories are regarded as the one which takes comparatively more time to be converted into cash or cash equivalent. The acid test ratio has followed the same trend as the current ratio.

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

Argument - Essay Example The powers are crafted to ensure that the president does not apply or enjoy government excesses, leading to a monarchical regime. In my understanding on how the federal or state governments operate, immigration reforms fall solely under the purview of the federal state. The federal government aims to provide protection for all the citizens under its care. As has been introduced above, a federal state works in tandem with the state government. There is a strong law that accords and insists that both institutions work together to seal the existing loopholes in the element of governance (Proudhon 16). This means that all laws, threats, challenges and governance issues that are experienced at state level get to be discussed at that level. This will then create room for the issues to be dissected, and approved by the partially governing states, and the central government. In conclusion, immigration issues remain sensitive and overly dramatic. This is a major reason why it is important for both state governments and the central government to agree if lenient or stiffer immigration policies should be

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Project management - Essay Example ves activities and processes that determine quality objectives, policies and responsibilities, which are required to ensure that the project’s goals are, met (Project Management Institute 13). 6. Project Human Resource Management: This aspect of project management primarily involves the organization and management of a project team. A project team includes people with different knowledge, skills and responsibilities. This, therefore, requires strong coordination between these individuals. 7. Project Communications Management: This knowledge area plays a significant role to ensure that members of the project management team are kept on the same page. Adequate communication within a project management team is a necessity that ensures that all processes are implemented as they were predetermined (Project Management Institute 13). 8. Project Risk Management: This component of project management deals with the identification and moderation of risk on a project. Its main objective is to maximize and increase the probability of achieving positive goals. 9. Project Procurement Management: This process is required to process and achieve products and services, or other outcomes that are required out of the project management team. It involves processes such as administering contracts, closing out contracts, and planning and achieving product and services from outside sources (Project Management Institute

MANAGED HEALTHCARE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

MANAGED HEALTHCARE - Assignment Example Medicare plans will bring in new support sectors like data services and also lead to more employment. Laying out a Medicare plan requires extensive investment in the support sectors like data handling systems and infrastructure (Crilly, 2007). There will also be an increased employment that acts as a positive incentive to the economy. One of the primary disadvantages of Medicare plans is the increased burden of handling long-term care. Most of the Medicare plans are complex and this demands an extensive investment of both time and resources. This poses a challenge to the government and healthcare agencies (Klemm, 2000). Catering for the huge and increasing population is a challenge and this creates a problem in the laying out of the Medicare plans. Medicare plans are complex and demand huge funds and this poses a challenge to the government. The need for reliable Medicare plans is increasing as the population grows. More need for Medicare translates to a growing need for the government to allocate more funds to the healthcare sector. The Medicare plans will, therefore, result in an economic burden that will hamper government’s response to other needs (Crilly, 2007). The legislative history of Medicaid gives mixed views in regarding the government’s response and approach to the sector’s several years of existence. The government has given adequate support in the uplifting the standards of Medicaid in response to the healthcare challenges. There has been increased funding over the years and this shows a positive response from the government. On the other hand, the legislative expresses government’s failure to offer substantial support that matches the growing population (Klemm, 2000). It outlines that government’s support for Medicaid is not sufficient especially in the current rise of health complications and the increasing

Critical questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical questions - Research Paper Example Firstly, the development of the oil drilling plant in the water leads to congestion in the marine life, in turn, making them migrate to spacious areas. Oil spillage to the water caused by the drilling can lead to the release of toxins. Subsequently, when marine life encounters the toxins, they get genetic disorders and even death. The machines used to drill the oil are operated by humans and use fuel to do a lot of things. These machines usually need cooling occasionally, and the cooling usually takes place in the water. This leads to the transmission of the heat and ends up heating the surrounding water thus cause temperature imbalance1. In turn, this imbalance causes the marine organisms that live the surroundings to migrate to favorable environments. Concurrently, the heat may also lead to the death of the marine life around due to exposure to extreme temperatures. Lastly, offshore drilling leads to pollution in the water by damping wastes such as mud and other rock particles onto the surface of the water. The quest for making the mode of transport more efficient has been there over an exceedingly long period in history. We have evolved from animal transport, to carriage carts and now to cars and more sophisticated modes of transport. Nevertheless, this evolution has come with a cost. Cars have made our day-to-day lives easier making the movement from one place to another fast. The use of cars has led to the environmental degradation through the constant emission of fumes and gasses to the air. These fumes and gasses, when inhaled by human beings and animals, can cause respiratory problems. For example in human beings, apart from the respiratory problems, these fumes with toxins can cause serious diseases like lung cancer. The infiltrations of the harmful fumes have also led to global warming because of allowing the penetration of harmful rays to the ecosystem. This is because of global warming. The extraction of fuel from the earth has also

Human Genetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Genetics - Essay Example Conducting methodical investigations in human genetics would therefore help scientists or researchers understand how diseases are caused, how they spread, and subsequently form the foundation for the creation of new drugs to treat various medical conditions. There are many reasons why this topic is worth my research. In the contemporary world, the human race has been faced by many health problems many of which have no cure. For instance, there are no known cures for diseases such as HIV/AIDS and chronic cancers. Conducting more research in the field of human genetics can help understand these diseases more and therefore help in the development of new drugs to cure them. My current comprehension on this topic include basic concepts on heredity particularly how genes are passed from one generation to another. In addition, I have an understanding of the human DNA and its importance in genetic research. Since there has been a lot of advancement in the field of human genetics, one of the issues this research would focus on include the contributions of modern technology in genetic research, and the degree of genetic differences in human beings, as well its significance. Subsequently, how genetics cause ill health among individuals would also be discussed in the research. Australian Law Reform Commission. The Regulation of Human Genetic Research: The Importance of Human Genetic Research. n.d. Web. 22 April. 2014.

Citizenship in America Essay Example for Free

Citizenship in America Essay U.S. citizens are lucky. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and many more rights. Citizenship can mean different things to different people. Who a country defines as its citizens may differ in different times and different places. In general, we know that citizenship belongs to a person who lives in a certain country and has certain rights. Yet, I believe that the true essence of citizenship lies in the duty to help solve problems.   In the United States, the idea of citizenship has evolved over time. For instance, in 1776, most blacks, Indians and white women had no right to vote. They had to struggle to become full citizens. The right and responsibility to vote came after a long and hard fight. Studying history is a key part of effective citizenship because from people in the past, we learn examples of good citizenship. One very good example of good citizenship was that shown by Jane Addams. Even at age six in 1866, she was an initiator and she wanted to change her world. During that time, she got this remark from Theodore Roosevelt, president from 1901 to 1909, that Addams became â€Å"the most useful citizen.† When she was 29 years old, Addams bought a large, old house called the Hull House in a poor immigrant area of Chicago. They soon learned that Addams wanted to help poor people solve the problems they faced. At Hull House, immigrants could learn English. Working parents could even leave their babies there during the day and the children were encouraged to take art classes. She also made the house available for family gatherings, weddings and other events. Addams raised money herself to pay for these programs. She also tried to change the government and often she worked in campaigns for people running for office whom she believed had honest intentions. She also wrote letters to members of Congress. She went to meetings to support giving women the right to vote. She lead marches to support laws ending the use of child labor in factories. She also tried to influence the government. In fact, people today can still petition, or try to influence the policies of government. Petitioning is one of the basic rights of all citizens protected by the United States Constitution. When garbage filled up the alleys near Hull House, she was worried that the piles of trash may cause disease and death among the children in the neighborhood. So, she did something none of us would ever think of—she applied a job as a garbage inspector. Thus, she was able to follow those garbage wagons all the way to the dumping site just to be sure that garbage is properly disposed. Addams was good citizenship personified. In my own way, I want to do the same thing as Addams did. Starting from my own home, I can begin helping my parents in cleaning our surroundings. I can also do some volunteer work in our community during weekends when there are no exams in school. Volunteer work can be fun especially when I mobilize my other friends to join in. I am sure they will be open to make themselves useful, in our own small way, in making a difference to the world out there. In my own small way, I can learn from people of the past how it is to exercise good citizenship. Making the community look good is a part of good citizenship. In fact, the community is a setting that provides much potential for helping and learning at the same time. Libraries, museums, and many places are rich sources of exercising good citizenship. For afterall, citizenship requires initiative, courage and sacrifice. As Jane Addams said, â€Å"Progress is not automatic; the world grows better because people wish that it should and take the right steps to make it better.† REFERENCES Jane Addams 1860-1935. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2006 at: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/janeadams.html#childhood Wikipedia. Jane Addams. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2006 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Addams Women Working. Jane   Addams. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2006 at: http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/people_addams.html

Aggregate Sales and Operations Planning

Aggregate Sales and Operations Planning Many companies adopt a business process known as sales and operations planning (SOP) to strike a balance between the demand and supply so that the costs of the resources is minimised. The plan aids to solve the problems related to customer satisfaction, inventories stock, timely shipments, finger pointing at others, cash-flow glitches, demand and supply etc. through execution of business plan. The sales and operations planning gives a better grip of the business to the top management. The sales and operations planning processes comprises of a number of meetings, ultimately ending with high level meetings where intermediate-term decisions are finalised. An agreement between various departments on the future actions is done so that the balance between demand and supply can be met. The aim is to put the business plans to actual operational plans. It is difficult to estimate how much of the individual product would sell but the larger groups of products sale can be evaluated. The term aggregate refers to the group of products. With the help of this aggregate plan, the weekly and daily individual products demand is handled. Overview of Major Operations Planning Activities Sales and operations planning assists the organisations to balance the demand and supply. This process is also called aggregate planning. This planning involves functioning of all the activities of the organisation like sales, manufacturing, operations, finance etc. The marketing team develops a sales plan for the coming 3 to 18 months. The plan is in units of aggregate product groups. They also plan their marketing schemes and offers. The operations department develop the actual operational plan for the production related activities. Keeping in mind the sales volume, the plans to meet the demand are made. However this is a not an easy task, since the demand keeps on changing with seasons and market situation. On the supply side, the product families comprise the aggregate whereas the groups of customers fall in the demand side of aggregate plan. Generally, the sales and operations planning is done once in a month. It associates the business and the strategic plan to the actual operational processes . The diagram below shows that for manufacturing processes like master scheduling, material requirements planning and order scheduling are prepared. The weekly/daily workforce and customer scheduling is also planned. . Long-range planning is done for companys long term actions i.e. more than one year Medium-range planning is done for the coming 3 to 18 months, with weekly, monthly or quarterly time increments. Short-range planning is for periods ranging from one day to six months, with daily or weekly time increments. Process planning is done for accessing the new technologies and improved processes for developing products or services. Strategic planning is done to determine the long-term needs for the production like incre asing the number of factories. Sales and operations planning is done by taking the sales plan from marketing and then using it to develop the corresponding operational plan which can balance the demand and supply needs. The aggregate operational plan is almost the same for the services and manufacturing industries. The only difference lies in the inventory control and production procedures. However, the manufacturing and service activities are different from each other. The aggregate plans needs to be updated timely depending on the specific industry needs. In manufacturing, the planning process involves following processes. Master production schedule (MPS) Rough-cut capacity planning Material requirements planning (MRP) Capacity requirements planning Order scheduling The MPS consists of the dates and the amounts of specific items required for each order. Rough capacity planning checks the production and warehouse units. It also monitors the equipment, labour and material availability. MRP uses the end product requirements from the MPS and finds out the component parts and subassemblies requirement for creating the material plan. The plan tells when the production and purchase orders are placed so that the products are made as per schedule. The Capacity requirement for the production is also done during the MRP. Order scheduling specifies the daily and weekly action plan for production lines and work place. In service industry, the aggregate manpower is determined. Then the customer and the workforce scheduling during the day and the week is done. Workforce schedules specify the number of hours for which the service is available, the specific skill requirement needed at a particular period etc. Overview of Major Operations Planning Activities Process planning Long Range Strategy capacity planning Sales and operations (aggregate) planning Forecasting and demand management Aggregate operations paln Sales plan Medium Range Master Scheduling Material requirements planning Order scheduling Weekly workforce and customer scheduling Short Range Daily workforce and customer scheduling The Aggregate Operations Plan The main motive of the aggregate plan is to strike a balance among production rate, workforce level and inventory on hand. Production rate refers to the number of units produced during a period of time(per hour or per day) Workforce level is the manpower required for the production (Production = production rate X workforce level) Inventory on hand is the un-used stock lying in the reserves previously. The data for the planning is derived from the corporate annual plan. So depending on the number of units required in the future or the amount of sales to be achieved, the aggregate plan is made. The other approach to make the aggregate plan is by simulating the production schedule and evaluating the requirements of labour and equipments. The plan is further modified by cut-and-try or mathematical methods to come to a final low-cost plan. Fig: Required Inputs to the Production Planning System Competitors behaviour Raw material availability Market demand External to firm External capacity (like contractors) Economic conditions Planning for production Internal to firm Acitvities required for production Current physical capacity Current workforce Inventory levels Production Planning Strategies There are mainly three production planning strategies. These strategies are applied in different situations and deal differently with manpower, working hours, inventories etc. Chase Strategy: Hiring and laying off of employees takes place to match the order rate to the production rate. There should be a number of trained people available who can be hired. Also some employees may slow down their work due to the fear of being expelled after the work gets over. Stable workforce- variable work hours : The number of employees are kept constant and the working hours are increased or decreased as and when required. This strategy avoids the hassles of hiring and firing the employees. Level Strategy : A constant workforce works with a constant production rate. The effects of shortage or excess products are borne by the company. The disadvantage of this strategy is the inventory items may become obsolete after sometime. When only one strategy is used by the company to meet the demand, it is known as Pure Strategy. A Mixed Strategy is one in which a combination of two or more strategies is used. Subcontracting : The work is outsourced by the company in case there is a large change in demand. This can be used as an alternative to hiring and firing employees. However, the quality of the product may decrease if the supplier is not good. Relevant Costs There are four costs to be dealt with by the aggregate plan Basic production costs : These are the costs incurred in producing the product in a given time. This includes both fixed and variable costs, direct and indirect labour costs. etc Costs associated with the changes in the production rate : The costs involved in hiring, training and laying off people. Inventory holding costs : This cost includes the capital invested in the inventory. It also includes insurance, taxes, storing costs. Backordering costs : These are hard to evaluate and include cost of expediting, loss of goodwill, and loss resulting due to backordering. Aggregate Planning Techniques Companies use cut-and-try charting and graphic methods to develop aggregate plans. Cut-and-try involves calculating the costs in various production planning alternatives and choosing the one which is the best. Spreadsheets, simulation and linear programming are often incorporated in such spreadsheets. The mathematical techniques are used when the cost and variable relationships are linear and demand can be assumed to be deterministic. Yield Management The process of allocating the right type of capacity to the right type of customer at the right price and time to maximize the revenue. It can also be used to make the demand more predictable. This system was started in the mid-1980s by American Airlines computer reservation system (SABRE). The ticket price on any route changed according to the demand forecast. This is also applied to hotels where the same room is offered at different prices in different seasons.