Fedex Analysis Essays

Fedex Analysis Essays Fedex Analysis Essay Fedex Analysis Essay TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARYII TABLE OF CONTENTSIII LIST OF FIGURESV LIST OF TABLESV 1INTRODUCTION1 PART 1: TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTIC INDUSTRY2 2EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS2 2. 1TECHNOLOGICAL2 2. 2ECONOMICAL2 2. 3MARKET2 2. 4POLITICAL AND LEGAL2 2. 5ENVIRONMENTAL3 2. 6SOCIETAL3 2. 7DEMOGRAPHIC3 3INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS4 3. 1PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL4 3. 1. 1Threat of new entrants (Low)4 3. 1. 2Threat of substitutes (Low – medium)5 3. 1. 3Bargaining power of buyers (High)5 3. 1. 4Bargaining power of suppliers (Medium – high)5 3. 1. 5Intensity of rivalry (High)5 4CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR6 4. STRONG AND TRUSTWORTHY BRAND6 4. 2ADVANCED IN IT SYSTEMS6 4. 3INTEGRATION TO CUSTOMERS SUPPLY CHAIN6 4. 4LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY6 PART 2: FEDEX CORPORATION7 5COMPANY ANALYSIS7 5. 1PRODUCTS AND SERVICES7 5. 2STRUCTURE7 5. 3STRATEGY7 5. 4GENERIC POSITIONING7 5. 5KEY STAKEHOLDERS8 5. 6PERFORMANCE8 5. 6. 1Marketing8 5. 6. 2Operations8 5. 6. 3Human resources8 5. 6. 4Research and development8 5. 6. 5Information Technology8 5. 6. 6Finance8 6COMPETITORS ANALYSIS10 7SWOT ANALYSIS11 7. 1STRENGTHS11 7. 2WEAKNESSES11 7. 3OPPORTUNITIES12 7. 4THREATS12 7. 5POSITIONING OF FEDEX13 8RECCOMMENDATION14 8. 1CORPORATE LEVEL14 . 2BUSINESS LEVEL15 8. 3FUNCTIONAL LEVEL15 8. 4NETWORK LEVEL16 8. 5SUGGESTED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN16 9CONCLUSION17 REFERENCES18 LIST OF FIGURES This is the complete listing of all the figures used throughout the report. FIGURE 1 ILLUSTRATES PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL FOR TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS INDUSTRY. 3 FIGURE 2 ILLUSTRATES POSITION OF FEDEX IN SWOT. 7 LIST OF TABLES This is the complete listing of all the tables used throughout the report. TABLE 1 ILLUSTRATES IMPLEMENTATION PLAN OF SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATION13 1INTRODUCTION FedEx is the world leader in transportation and logistic industry. It was founded in 1971 as Federal Express which provides only express delivery services. Over the decades, it has transformed it self to a global logistic and supply-chain management company (Express, Ground, Freight, etc. ) through massive investment in its IT infrastructure and acquisition of Caliber systems, Inc (Figure 1) 1971 1994 Now Figure 1. FedEx Brand Transformation FedEx has always been an innovator in changing how the world works and lives. Today’s FedEx is a network of companies, worth $34 billion, offering the right mix of transportation, e-commerce and business solutions. While each company has a unique history, collectively they exhibit the â€Å"absolutely, positively† dedication to providing specialised solutions for every shipping, information and global trade needs that the world has come to expect from FedEx. But as every cloud has a silver lining, so does FedEx Corporation. Through the reading and analysis of the case study of FedEx Corp. in 2000, provided in De Wit and Meyer (2004, pp. 647-662), some recommendations have been made to address the key issues concerning the organisation, in the context of its structural transformation through e-business. : PART 1: TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTIC INDUSTRY 2EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS 2. 1Technological The development of information technology (IT) has dramatically changed the way businesses operate in express transportation and information industry. It gives organizations the ability to share information within and between organizations, and hence, promote more time and cost effective operations which leads to shorter order-to-payment cycle and better cash flow. With the use of e-commerce in transportation and logistics, the consumer can now even track the progress of the courier at any point of time, at any given hour. 2. 2Economical The globalization of world’s economy has trigger enormous demand for transportation and logistic industry. As businesses expand itself into other countries, whether for seeking the new market or cost reduction, the transportation of goods or raw-material and management of information pertaining with them are essential. To cater to this need, as of 2000, FedEx now operates in 210 countries managing over 10 million square feet of warehouse space worldwide. Other than globalization, there are more economic factors that affect the transportation and logistics industry, for example economic rates, fuel price and economic growth. Economic rates, such as interest rate, inflation rate and currency exchange rate, and fuel price affect the price management of this industry. While economic growth affects the industry in terms of the demand of the services from customers. 2. 3Market Globalization has broadened market for all industry, from nationwide to world wide. The speed and accuracy has become the critical success factors not only for transportation and logistic company but also for their customers as well. As a result, fast and reliable service is not considered as values anymore, it becomes norm which customers expected from every transportation and logistic company. Therefore, to be competitive in this industry, companies must provide value-added-services which create great satisfaction to its customers. 2. 4Political and Legal The transportation and logistic industry is greatly affected by political stability, government policies, and regulations in each country. The deregulation and trade agreement has eliminated boundaries between countries such as U. S and Mexico, and hence, encourage transportation and logistic companies to easily establish and operate within those country. In addition, the regulations on airline and trucking industry also play vital roles on this industry because it directly impacts the core operation of industry. 2. 5Environmental Weather and climate change have great impact on transportation and logistic industry due to the fact that this industry is deeply associated with travel of airplanes, truck, freighter, and other vehicles. The ability to understand and predict weather and climate change can save company from delay, loss of its fleets, all of which is directly proportional to its reputation. 2. 6Societal Social mobility affects this industry in some way. It refers to the dollars consumers are willing to spare at the cost of time; as the most important asset in today’s cut-throat world is time. One of the most important social factors for the transportation and logistics industry is the labour part which helps the organisation carry out the day to day operations and keep the cash charts ringing. 2. 7Demographic The demographic is one external environment that affects transportation and logistics industry, especially the location of the stores; distribution centres hubs and so on. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS FedEx Corporation has been operated in the transportation and logistic industry which mainly involve in delivery, and managing and controlling of goods, information, and other resources like products. 3. 1Porter’s five forces model Figure 1 illustrates Porters five forces model for transportation and logistics industry. 3. 1. 1Threat of new entrants (Low) To be competitive in t his industry, businesses must have their own freighter, airplanes, trucks, etc. This result in very large capital investment required in order to start a business. Moreover, brand awareness is also very crucial. Without strong brand, particular company would not be able to gain trust, which is very important in this industry, from customers. For newly established company in this industry where there are already many strong players, it is not easy to create and strengthen its brand image. As a result, the entry barrier is considered very high. 3. 1. 2Threat of substitutes (Low – medium) Emergent of internet and email do reduce the necessity of express delivery of documents. There are also some moving and shipping services which target private households when they have to move aboard, or international students moving from or to their origin. But these are still in different market segment. There are still no potential alternatives which can fully replace service of FedEx. 3. 1. 3Bargaining power of buyers (High) Since there are many of companies which offer the same service as FedEx and with the increasing contribution of IT in logistics industry, buyers can easily compare prices and offers from different companies and choose the one that cheapest and most suit their needs. FedEx should provide significant service to its customers and have high differentiate products. 3. 1. 4Bargaining power of suppliers (Medium – high) The main suppliers of FedEx are fuel and other energy provider, aircraft manufacturer, and truck manufacturer. The bargaining of vehicles manufacturer is considerably medium because even though FedEx is a big organization which requires big fleet of vehicles and continuous maintenance service, but vehicle manufacturers still has other choice of buyers from various industries. 3. 1. 5Intensity of rivalry (High) The intensity of rivalry is considerably high due to the three strong competitors which are UPS, DHL, and TNT. Need more 4CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 4. 1Brand The reliability and accountability is the most important factor in this industry. Even though the company can make the very low price with easy access and user friendly service, but if the company could not guaranteed the speed and accuracy of its services, customers would not take the risk. 4. 2IT systems The advancement of IT systems leads to more efficient operations which again lead to faster and more accurate services with lower cost. In present, from the comfort of ones home, they can use most of the services offered by FedEx, booking a delivery or tracking the progress of the courier and so on so forth. 4. 3Service quality By providing services which integrate into customers’ supply chain, the company built up barrier to protect its customer from its competitors, as FedEx delivers almost anything anywhere at the quickest time possible, which is not really exclusive but with the continuous innovation and creativity, it helps in customer retention. 4. 4Location and accessibility Location of hub has massive impact on the speed of services. Proper distributed hub location according to geographic and intensity of demand could leads to faster and more responsive services. The accessibility such as customers care centre or user friendly systems also promote more pre and post sales. PART 2: FEDEX CORPORATION 5COMPANY ANALYSIS 5. 1Products and services FedEx corporation start the business with express delivery services as Federal express and the transform it self in to a global logistics and supply-chain management company. At present, FedEx offers wide range services which include express delivery, business to business ground small package delivery, special express delivery, less than truck freight, integrated logistics and warehousing solutions, supply chain management solutions. 5. 2Structure FedEx has been through many transformation of its organization structure with the goal to make it easier and faster for its customer and also to improve efficiency of its operations. Currently FedEx Corporation consists of six subsidiaries which independently operate but collectively compete with its competitors. 5. 3Strategy Base on case study, FedEx has always emphasis on shear innovation, industry leadership and IT development and use it as its key competitive advantages and also use it as the tools to help its customers take advantages of international market. Moreover, FedEx is the first company in the industry which owns all transportation fleet and expands its business through acquiring more trucks and planes. 5. 4Generic positioning . 5Key stakeholders FedEx works in the B2B as well as B2C model, which makes the customers as well as the organisations that it caters to as its key stakeholders. Moreover, its employee from all subsidiaries; its suppliers, such as fuel provider and packaging suppliers, and environmental activist group also constitute a large share of stakeholders. 5. 6Performance 5. 6. 1Marketing FedEx has a strong marketing presence but need to market all of its subsidiaries to gain a bigger market share as only FedEx Express is the dominant one amongst all. It uses the print media as well as TV campaigns to attract customers as well as create awareness for its excellent supply chain systems. 5. 6. 2Operations FedEx’s operation was one of the critical issues in the company as learnt from the case study, where it does not operate efficiently as a whole company. Not only it had different operations department for each division, it also added to the operation costs to great extent, which otherwise could be minimalised by sharing the available resources. 5. 6. 3Human resources FedEx failed in utilisation of its HR as one person was assigned one work only, irrespective of their maximum capabilities. 5. 6. 4Research and development FedEx allocates excessive resources to its RD division in order to keep itself updated with the every-day increasing IT developments in logistics field. But it still stands a fair level in terms of the services offered for customers. 5. 6. 5Information Technology FedEx was the first logistic company which introduce the use of IT to the business in 1984, by using the first PC-based automated shipping system. Since then, FedEx has been always implementing and improving its IT system, from barcode labelling, websites, software, e-Business and so on. FedEx IT has become its competitive advantage for years comparing to its competitors. The information about a package is as important as the delivery of the package itself. - Frederick W. Smith (1979) 5. 6. 6Finance In 1998, FedEx was listed as a US$10 billion company and it used US$1 billion annually on IT developments plus millions more on capital expenditure. And in 1999, it spent US$1. billion on IT from US$17 billion annual revenue. On 31 May year ending sheet, the company out-performed the projections and posted record earnings on 73 percent increasing the net income to US$221 million. Financially, FedEx spent about US$100 million for the reorganization over three years in 2000. In simpler terms, companies operating income as well as net income has been going down since first quarter ending 31 August, 1999. 6COMPETITORS ANALYSIS 6. 1UPS oStrong in logistic and delivery, especially in US. oIT developed as well (spent $9 billion on IT) Formed 5 alliances in 1997 to disseminate its logistics software to e-commerce users oFormed a strategic alliance with Open Market Inc to deliver a complete Internet commerce solution oWorking with IBM and Lotus to standardize formats on the websites oShipped more than 55% of goods ordered over internet and offered over full range of logistics solutions to its customers oOnly market 1 brand UPS 6. 2DHL oStrong in logistic and delivery, especially in Europe. o1993 DHL announced a 4 year US$1. 25 billion capital spending programme aimed at investing in handling system, automation, facilities and computer technology. Launched website in 1995 o25% owned by Deutsche Post and 25% owned by Lufthansa Airlines oDominated UK market oProjected an increase in worldwide turnover of 18% to US$5. 26 billion 6. 3TNT oOnly provide express delivery service. oLaunched website in 1998 oLaunched the first global price checker service on its website that allow customers to calculate the price of sending a consignment from one place to another anywhere in the world o1999, TNT launched QuickShipper, nonstop online access to TNT entire range of distribution services SWOT ANALYSIS 7. 1Strengths Innovation and creativity. Strong and well established research and development centre for IT systems to promote more efficient operation. Very advanced â€Å"Global Operation Command Centre† which allows FedEx to prioritise hundreds of variables (eg. world event, weather patterns, and real time movement of its freighter) involved in the successful operation. Excellent reputation in the industry. Own all transportation fleets. Strong business networks in the US. 7. 2Weaknesses Historical image of the company makes customers perceive FedEx as just an express delivery service company. Complex and inefficient organization structure. There are too many part of organization that duplicates each o ther. Entirely reliant on manual labour to a great extent, which can be a prospective weakness in some circumstances Insufficient promotion of the other sectors and fields where FedEx offers its services Disproportionate branching of FedEx subsidiaries thereby increasing the operating costs which can be otherwise be reduced by sharing the resources. . 3Opportunities Government deregulation of airline industry, permitted the landing of larger freight planes, thus reducing operating cost of FedEx Deregulation of the trucking industry, which allowed FedEx to establish a regional trucking system to lower costs further on short haul trips Trade deregulation in Asia Pacific, which opened new market to FedEx, expanding globally became a priority for FedEx Technological breakthroughs and applications innovations promoted significant advances for customer ordering, package tracing and process monitoring. Rising inflation and global competition gave rise to greater pressures on businesses to minimize the costs of operation, including implementation of JIT inventory management system and created demands for speed and accuracy in all aspects of business. 7. 4Threats FedEx advantages were quickly eroding as newer technologies became more powerful, developed faster, and less expensive – more affordable for its competitors. Potential financial crisis due to too much fixed cost, such as aircrafts, vehicles and other heavy equipments. On the lines of blue ocean strategy, CHEP is a possible/prospective threat to FedEx as it explores altogether new approach in the supply chain industry. Rocketing fuel prices which increase the transporting cost to sky-end. 7. 5Positioning of FedEx Figure 2 illustrates position of FedEx in SWOT. Base on the SWOT analysis, even though FedEx has many strong points but its historical brand image has put limit on almost all of its strength. Due to this constraint, it is known only as Express Delivery Company. As a result, FedEx is currently located in weaknesses-opportunities quadrant. If FedEx could widen the perception of its current and potential customers, and fully utilize its own strength to pursue its opportunities, it would be one of the strongest in its industry. 8RECCOMMENDATION 8. 1Corporate level Get slim: FedEx could shrink down its structure by integrating some division of its subsidiaries together to reduce cost and time caused by duplication of works. And by doing so, it would encourage lateral flow of information between each business unit. And as a result, its operations would be more efficient which leads to more flexible profit margin and more customers’ satisfaction. Add pic Acquire CHEP: CHEP is a global leader in pallet and container pooling services. It is not actually a logistics company. It provide and manage, returnable and reusable supply chain packaging solutions (such as pallets and containers) to help customers to store, protect and move their products through the supply chain in a cost-effective, safe and environmentally sound way. By acquiring CHEP, FedEx will benefit from immediate horizontal expansion of its company and also its customer base. Moreover, acquisition of CHEP will also allow FedEx to integrate more into its customers supply chain and hence create strong barrier from its competitors and substitutes. Take serious concern on environment: Due to the fact that the nature of FedEx businesses required extensive amount of transportation activities which results in largely emission of green house gas that create global warming effect. Therefore, in order to get strong support from community and environmental activist such as Greenpeace, FedEx should then come up with the environmental concern vision to make its fleet cleaner and be more environmental friendly. This could be done by modifying its fleet or support or joint-research with any car company or institute to develop an alternative cleaner power source. Moreover it could establish its own manufacturing plant for shipment package and protection (such as cardboard boxes, paper envelope, bubble wrap, shredded paper) by emphasis on recycle of material. 8. 2Business level Promote brand awareness of all FedEx subsidiaries: Now FedEx is struggling with its historic image which narrows customers’ perception to FedEx as only an express delivery company. To deal with this problem, FedEx should promote all of its services by strong marketing campaign. This could be done by advertisements in television, its website, or major video clip website such as Youtube. Alternatively FedEx could collaborate with 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Picture to create a film, which represent all the of its services, as it was done before in â€Å"Cast Away†, 2000. 8. 3Functional level Developing and training for multi-task oriented employees: In order to successfully shrink down company structure as proposed before in corporate level recommendation, FedEx should develop a training program for its employee to be multi-task oriented. By doing so, FedEx encourage its staffs to be able to work in more than one job. This does not means that FedEx should overworks its staff, but it should be able to rotate its staff around for different roles such that one staff could delivery a package to customers and in the same time pick up another couple of packages which one suppose to be sent by ground and another one by express air. Create strong marketing division FedEx should establish a separate marketing division which in charge in creating strong marketing strategy for all of its subsidiaries. FedEx should allocate some portion of budget from its research and development to its marketing division in order to support strong marketing strategy which is very vital for creating brand awareness for all of its subsidiaries. 8. 4Network level Alliance with companies in IT industry: The research development and advance in IT systems are one of FedEx competency. But with too high budget allocation, this could cause adverse effect to the company. FedEx should make strategic alliance with IT systems company such as IBM or HP in order to reduce their cost of operation. 8. 5Suggested implementation plan Table 1 illustrates implementation plan of suggested recommendation

The eNotes Blog Ten Writers.ErrrrToast the Future Thoughts for New Years2013

Ten Writers.ErrrrToast the Future Thoughts for New Years2013 Looking for some words to guide revelers into the future? Here are some sentiments from writers who have pondered the unknown. 1.   Looking for Alaska  by John Green   Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia†¦You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present. 2.   Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power  by Jon Meacham I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. 3.  Ã‚  The Second Sex  by Simone De Beauvoir   Change your life today. Dont gamble on the future, act now, without delay. 4.   Steve Jobs  by Walter Isaacson   Again, you cant connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. 5.   The Last Lecture  by Randy Pausch â€Å"The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. † (Bonus, because I love this book so much) â€Å"Look, Im going to find a way to be happy, and Id really love to be happy with you, but if I cant be happy with you, then Ill find a way to be happy without you.† 6.   Of Mice and Men  by John Steinbeck Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. . . . With us it aint like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We dont have to sit in no bar room blowin in our jack jus because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. 7.   Tik-Tok  by John Sladek The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive. 8.   The Theban Plays  by Sophocles Whoever neglects the arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future. 9.   Stephen Wright, Comedian I was a peripheral visionary. I could see the future, but only way off to the side. 10.   Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life  by Anne Lamott   Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you dont give up.

ESUS 3 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ESUS 3 assignment - Essay Example Similarly obesity adversely affects the health of an individual by increasing various cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, stroke etc, psychosocial problems, orthopaedic and respiratory difficulties. B. Obesity is measured as the main reason for damage of mitochondria required for metabolism and energy regulations (Bailer, 2015). Obesity is considered as the interaction of the social, cultural, genetic predisposition and environmental influences. C. The European court of justice suggests that Obesity should not be treated as the disability. The causes of obesity may demand for discrimination protection. The insurance department was of the opinion that people cannot claim insurance for receiving the disability benefit only because they are obese. The claim management is required to investigate various aspects and parameters of obesity and its impact on the morbidity psychosocial problems. The American Medical Association revealed in their research that obesity is considered as the illness and it can be considered as one of the factor contribution towards development of disability, but it cannot be regarded as the only factor. D. The European law does not discriminate on the ground of obesity, it may result in disability in future.ECJ judgment suggest that the symptoms of obesity may result in discrimination protection. But it cannot be regarded as the only element of disability, since the mental imbalance also results in disability of the person but it does not have any relation with obesity. A. Kartsen Kaltoft from Denmark was discharged from his job on the basis of obesity, but the Danish authority board and the union criticized against such discrimination made against the employee of the organization on the basis of obesity. The Union was on the behalf of the employee protesting against such rule of discharging out on the basis of

Personal study skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal study skills - Assignment Example The many teaching opportunities have given me a chance to manage my time effectively. The main challenges I encountered in the pursuit of my targets include lack of adequate time to carry out my activities. In other instances, stress arising from family matters made it impossible for me to manage my many activities. Due to my intolerance towards others, I found that most people neglected me and I spend most of the times alone (Cobb, 2002). I have not been able to achieve some of my set targets, for example, my learning skills due to dyspraxia. Due to this condition, I take more time to understand some things since for me to understand I need to be given a more detailed explanation which may take longer period of time. In terms of keeping fit, I have not been able to manage my weight due to my inability to maintain a healthy lifestyle (Bligham and Drew, 2010). Additionally, my trip to New York has been affected by my parents desire to buy a second home in London. Having not saved enough money to cater for my trip, I have to push it up to 2016. By 2016, I intend to have saved around $2,000 for the trip. In order to keep fit, I will take boxing classes 3 times a week and engage in daily home exercise as well as maintain a healthy â€Å"Dukan Diet†. To improve my learning skills, I will engage into more learning activities and devote more time into learning. In an effort to reset my targets I have tried to identify my own strengths and weaknesses and try to work on them. Additionally, to be able to reset my targets, I need to develop good time management skills (Lee-Davies and Bailey, 2007). During the semester, I have had good moments through the learning process. I have been able to gain many skills and improve my way of approaching life. I have also been able to change my attitude towards others and appreciate working with others to achieve the desired results (Lee-Davies and Bailey, 2007). I have been able to improve my time

CNN And FOX News Essay Example for Free

CNN And FOX News Essay I chose to view CNN and Fox news to investigate the difference between how they relay information to the public. I have read that CNN publishes real news and that Fox is just an informational entertainment station filled with opinions about the news. Immediately it is seen that CNN is very detailed in their broadcasts. Upon watching several stories from both channels, I have found that they basically convey the same exact news stories, just in different ways. CNN was only a 30 minute segment but they thoroughly covered the most important world events. Fox News was an hour long segment and briefed the world news events. This is understandable since Fox news is a local station, they had to spend a majority of the air time on local news. Both stations do however relay the news in a bias manner. For example, both channels discussed the recent Teacher strike in Chicago. CNN spent about 4 or 5 minutes on the story stating that the teachers have come to an agreement and the children will be able to return to school on Wednesday. A 2 hour meeting with about 800 union officers and delegates concluded with a contractual agreement which would need to be ratified by the teachers and support staff and union members. The Chicago Mayor Emanuel was pleased with the results stating that it was an honest compromise. The students will suffer with a longer school day but they will be returning to school, which in turn will allow the parents and care givers to return to work. The coverage of this story on Fox news was minimal, lasting about 2 minutes. It was just brief details stating that the teachers and union members had reached and agreement and that the students would be returning to school after missing a full 7 days of class. Also, a topic of the news that was presented on both channels was the horrible situation in Afghanistan. CNN had an extensive small segment on the things that were transpiring as well as a short interview with some of the people in Afghanistan. The segment lasted about 5 minutes on CNN it was stated that the U.S. coalition is gradually transferring control to Afghan  authorities but as of now the war is not over. There are still tens of thousands of American forces there dealing with what they call â€Å"green† and â€Å"blue violence. There were a total of 6 U.S troops killed last week by Afghan allies. There were also 6 jets destroyed. When this story was aired on Fox News there wasn’t that much detail. The segment only lasted about 3 minutes on Fox News. It was only stated that there were four troops killed on Sunday and 2 more killed on Friday of last week. Fox also stated that there was a raid on a military base by 15 insurgents and six jets were destroyed. Four teen of those 15 insurgents were killed. President Obama’s job in the White House thus far was also a topic discussed on both channels. CNN spoke on this topic for about 9 minutes and commented on how the President is quickly making progress towards recovering the U.S., and has a big agenda for the future already planned compared with past presidents. The news reporter described this facet as â€Å"breath taking† and â€Å"stunning.† Fox news discussed the president and the upcoming election for about 5 minutes, and as could be expected, completely had the opposite view on this. They maintained that the President is taking on way too many different tasks at once per his quote, and that it is absolutely crazy for him to think he will get everything completed in two terms should he be re-elected. The news reporter said that he should stop misleading the American people and pick one or two big issues to cover in his agenda, and just maybe he will be able to address those in a believable manner. Fox News also spoke of the uproar that comments made by Romney about â€Å"47% of Americans being dependent upon the government backing the President† No comments were made about this video on CNN. I have never actually watched various news channels like this. I usually catch the local news on Fox and then the world news on ABC. I enjoyed the CNN broadcast. If was much more informative and it not only covered the large world stories but it touched on some of the smaller things happening in the world as well.

Essay --

What is diabetes type 2? Diabetes type 2 occurs when the body produces too little insulin or is unable to use the insulin correctly. (Jen Grogan and Ruth Suter 2008 p. 2.1.13) Diabetes is a chronic disease where there are high levels of glucose in the blood as it cannot leave the bloodstream and cannot enter cells without the assistance of insulin. (Jen Grogan and Ruth Suter 2008 p. 2.1.9) What causes Diabetes type 2? Common risk factors for diabetes type 2 are being overweight, a lack of exercise, if someone has had gestational diabetes, having a family history of type 2 diabetes, high Cholestrol, high blood pressure, increasing age, having a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome or metabolic syndrome, non-Caucasian ethnicity (Brind'Amour, K, 2012) and a diet which is high in fats, sugars and over processed foods. (Jen Grogan and Ruth Suter 2008 p. 2.1.13) Simple carbohydrates which break down quickly during digestion can cause a dangerously high level of glucose in the blood. Complex carbohydrates release glucose more steadily into the bloodstream and help prevent dangerously high levels of glucose in the blood. (Jen Grogan and Ruth Suter 2008 p. 2.1.13 – 2.1.13) What kind of a diet causes diabetes type 2? †¢ High-sugar foods such as sweets, biscuits, syrup, and soda which cause a remarkable spike in blood sugar levels and can also contribute to weight gain. both of these effects can worsen diabetes complications. †¢ Eating concentrated sugar such as raisins or other dried fruits may be a better option than snacking on cookies, but it'll still spike your blood sugar because during the dehydration process, fruits' natural sugars become very concentrated, causing an unhealthy elevation in blood sugar when they are quickly... ...0 IU daily supplement of vitamin D3. Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in animal foods so vegetarians must include three servings of B12 in their daily diet: fortified soy or rice beverage, nutritional yeast, fortified breakfast cereal or fortified soy or meat.( Beck, L, 2011) Conclusion A vegan diet is a low in sodium and that is high in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products which can help manage blood pressure. A Vegan diet is low in Saturated fat and trans fat contribute to coronary heart disease and has a variety of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are relatively healthy for diabetics. A vegan diet is also high in whole grains and fibers which help maintain the blood glucose level thus a vegan diet is beneficial to diabetics although a vegan diet must be aided with multi vitamins etc to compensate for the lack of certain nutrients.

Patient Interview Essay

There are many components to consider a patient interview to be effective. During the workshop week in Toronto, I have learned those basic yet very essential components through the enactment presented. Firstly, it is really important to establish a good rapport when dealing with patients. A good rapport can create a relationship that is built on trust and commitment. Through this, patient can share private medical information without hesitations. An example of this was when the pharmacist greeted the patient and asked how can she be of help. She also showed empathy when she found out that the patient was in pain and told the patient she’d prepare the prescription right away. Listening is also an essential component. As a health care provider, listening gives the opportunity to know their needs and concerns. Acknowledging what the patient is really saying, maintaining eye contact, and recognizing and using body language are some of the things that I need to consider. If these are all effectively met, I think that this would help patients in becoming more involved with their medications/treatments, thus producing a positive patient outcomes. The probing or the way I ask question to patients also plays a vital role. It is important that I ask questions in a sincere way to obtain needed information or to just simply clarify something. Asking open-ended questions will help elicit relevant answers from the patient and not just â€Å"yes/no† answers. An example would be when she asked for allergies and asked for the specific kind of reaction that she had. Lastly, feedback is a must. Before ending the interview, asking for a feedback will allow me to check if the patient really understands what was taught. . An example of this was when she asked the patient how she would be taking the medication. This will help to reinforce adherence and make the patient to be involved in the treatment, reducing or eliminating chances of non-compliance. Patient interview is very important for a positive treatment outcome. It is not a simple process but I do hope that as I go along, I would be able to utilize all these components and achieve an effective patient interview.

Globalization: Indigenous Peoples and World

Globalization is the process in which the world becomes connected through communication, trade, and migration. Globalization can transform cultures and the identity of people within those cultures. One of the primary factors that leads to globalization in the advancement of technology In 1980 Dr. Knauft began to study an indigenous group of people deep in the forests of Papua New Guinea. This group of people had no contact with the outside world until the 1960’s, they were cut off from everything. They had a language and a name that was unknown to Anthropologists at the time. They were virtually invisible to the outside world. When Dr. Knauft arrived he met the Gebusi people, and began his study. He watched as they preformed ritual dances and wore traditional costumes. The Gebusi people lived their lives according to tradition and beliefs and were not affected by the outside world. The truth is no one can hide from globalization, not even the secluded Gebusi people. With in a matter of only 18 years they were transformed, most of them willingly converted to Christian beliefs, and they became focused on politics, economics, religion and nationalism. They were caught up to speed with the rest of the world due to globalization. The culture of the Gebusi people and their identity was drastically changed due to globalization. They were now on the same page as the rest of the world, and were now connected with the outside world. Trade organized groups such as NAFTA and the WTO make globalization easier to obtain for the smaller â€Å"developing† countries. For the countries that are a part of these groups goods, and ideas are much easier to share. With groups such as these and other factors globalization is inevitable so there is no sense in fighting it. If it were embraced rather then rejected everyone would be much better off. I understand that it can interfere with older cultures and traditions of developing countries, but it’s eat or be eaten in today’s world and you need to do what you need to do in order to compete with other countries and to survive within your own. Globalization exposes who ever it effects to a variety of new and different opportunities that must be taken in order for that group to survive. It can be compared to having to evolve, or becoming extinct. A lot of people see globalization as a bad thing, but its essential for survival in today’s world, and with out it we would be totally secluded from the rest of the world and that would just make everything extremely hard. It also helps keep the world balanced with power. Without globalization one country, or one group of people could easily be way ahead of others, and that could lead to wars and many other conflicts. The positives of globalization strongly out weigh the negatives and I’m not sure why anybody would be against it.

buy custom The Mexican American Generation essay

buy custom The Mexican American Generation essay During the Second World War, there were about 500,000 Mexican American men who were drafted into or who volunteered to serve in the American army. The Mexican Americans who served in the American army won the highest number of Congressional Medal of Honors that any minority group in America had ever won. This showed the dedication with which the Mexican Americans served the American Army. The Mexican American women also worked in the home front and they supported the war effort and at the same time made money for themselves and their families (Rivas-Rodriguez 32). Many Mexican Americans also found jobs in factories in the US through the Bracero program. This helped sustain the American economy during the war. The memory of Mexican Americans who served in the war was preserved as their names were written on ships and in parks, among other places. There were however different kinds of discrimination against the Mexican American veterans, including discrimination in housing, employment and education. The Mexican Americans however had several reasons why they supported the American Army during the War, one of them being that they wanted to prove their patriotism. Mexican Americans and the Second World WarMexican Americans participated in the home front and in the military front during the Second World War. In this way they contributed to the victory of the US in the Second World War. Bellafaire explains that during the War several Mexican American Women joined the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES) and the Womens Auxiliary Corps (WAACs). In these organizations the women served as nurses and administrators, mostly helping wounded American soldiers. The women also worked in factories where war ammunitions were manufactured. They also worked in shipyards where they repaired cargo ships. Some women even worked as airplane mechanics. There were also Mexican American entertainers who entertained the troops in order to boost their morale. Mexican Americans also migrated to urban areas such as California in order to do more war related jobs. There were also about 200,000 Mexican Americans who came into America through the Bracero s program (Gamboa 378). This program was negotiated between the US and Mexican governments, in the Bracero Treaty and it saw thousands of Mexicans immigrate to America in search of greener pastures. The Mexicans who came in through the program mainly worked in the agricultural sector. This meant that America still had food despite the war. In the different military units there were approximately 500,000 Mexican Americans who were serving therein. Hundreds of these soldiers won Congressional Medals of Honor and Silver and Bronze Stars for their braveness. Those Mexican Americans who could not afford to reach recruiting stations to enlist to join the army, borrowed money from their families and travelled all the way to the nearest cities in order to enlist. Thousands enlisted in cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee, and most young Mexican Americans from the Midwest served in the army. The young Mexican American men influenced each other to join the Army, Marines and Navy thus increasing the number of troops. It is stipulated that some young men lied about their age in order to be able to serve in the military. Many of the Mexican Americans who served in the American army identified themselves as defenders of democratic organization. There are several reasons why the Mexican Americans helped the US win the Second World War. First of all many of those who had immigrated into the country wanted to prove that they were patriotic to America. They also wanted to be afforded civil rights just like the whites. The Mexican Americans also wanted to acquire voting rights, new homes, better employment and education. This is because as the Mexicans wer migrating into America they were not recognized as equals to the whites in the country. They were paid low wages and worked under extremely dire conditions. By fighting in the war, the Mexican Americans wanted to show that they did deserve to be called Americans and furthermore that they had earned the right. Most Mexican Americans wanted to enjoy the American dream, seeing as conditions in Mexico were not as conducive as they were in America. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Mexican government also sympathized with America and gave them support. This saw many Mexican Ame ricans also support the American army. The Mexican Americans had a lot to gain from the victory of the United States. They mostly depended on the economy of the US with most Mexican Americans working in America. They therefore saw that it was necessary to assist in the victory by enlisting and volunteering to join the army. Mexican American veterans and youth unfortunately faced racial discrimination during the Second World War. The discrimination was from the employers and also the locals. The most memorable form of discrimination against Mexican Americans was seen in the Zoot-Suit Riots of Los Angeles. The term Zoot-Suit came from the clothing that was worn by most Mexican Americans in the 40s. The Zoot-Suit Riots began when a dispute arose between some Caucasian sailors and a group of Mexican Americans and the Mexican Americans set upon the whites. This sparked a spree of attacks on Mexican Americans. For a period of several days soldiers, civilians and sailors set upon Mexican Americans beating them up, stripping their clothes and shaving their heads. It was reported that the police did not arrest the situation; instead of arresting the attackers, they arrested the Mexican Americans who had been beaten up. The military eventually intercepted the violence and one newspaper, The Eagle Rock Advertiser, was reported to bemoan the interference of the military, stating that the locals were enjoying teaching the Mexicans a lesson (McWilliams 169). During the migration of the Mexicans during the Bracero program many Mexican Americans moved to America and were engaged in among other things building of the railroad. The Mexican Americans who worked on the railroad were living in squalor in box car camps and they were segregated from the rest of the population. The Mexican Americans were also not able to access quality healthcare, legal aid, education or housing. Mexican American soldiers who were returning from abroad were denied equal opportunities in education, housing and voting rights. The Mexican Americans who did not speak English also had a problem since there were no translators. Another problem was that Mexican Americans were only given temporary contracts to work in America. The Mexican Americans were expected to go back to their homes in Mexico at the end of their contracts. The American army was also segregated and most Mexican Americans veterans recounted their experiences stating that they were treated harshly by the drill instructors. When the Mexican American soldiers returned from war they faced worse discrimination than they had previously experienced before they left. Lopez (12) explains that Mexican Americans workers were only paid 2 dollars per day while their white counterparts were paid up to 18 dollars. In some areas in Texas, eating places were marked with signs that emphasized that no Mexicans were allowed in. The famous case of Felix Longoria demonstrated the unfortunate discrimination that Mexican American veterans underwent (Guglielmo 1212). Felix Longoria was a Mexican American who fought in the Philippines. When he was killed there, his remains were brought back to Texas. The director of the funeral home in Texas refused for Longorias mass to be held in the chapel as he alleged that there had been previous disturbances by Mexican Amer icans. He was also rreported to have claimed that the whites in the neighborhood would not like it if the funeral mass for Private Felix Longoria was held in the chapel. This case caught the attention of then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who later became US President. The Texas House of Representatives also organized a committee to look into the Longoria case. The report from the Committee however concluded that there was no discrimination on the part of the funeral director. This was clearly a misjudgment as discrimination had clearly been manifested. It was also noted that there was segregation at the Three Rivers Cemetery in Texas such that the place where Mexican Americans were buried was fenced with barbed wire. Between 1940 and 1965 acts of anti Mexican discrimination were widespread. This is because the Mexicans began fighting for their civil rights. The Mexicans believed that they had earned the right to be in America through their hard work during the Second World War. Most Mexican Americans had also proved their loyalty and most people began to notice this especially in the southwest. This was shown by the Congressional Medal of Honors that had been awarded to the Mexican American veterans who had served in the Second World War. The efforts of the veterans were recognized and it was noted that the Mexican Americans ought to be embraced instead of being discriminated against. The GI Forum civil rights organization also contributed to more acts against Mexican discrimination in the southwest. This is because this organization advocated for civil rights of Mexican Americans. The organization was established in Texas where there was a majority of immigrants who had settled there. The GI Forum was initially formed to demand for medical services for the Mexican American veterans, but it later spread to demanding for voting rights, education and jury selection (Guglielmo 1213). The GI Forum first campaigned against the discrimination that was expressed towards Felix Longoria. In 1954, the court ruled in Hernandez v Texas that Mexican Americans were entitled to equal treatment under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. By the 1940s enough Mexican Americans had fought in the Second World War and there was more awareness of their patriotism in the military and hard work in the home front. By the late 50s and 60s there were civil rights movements all across t he globe. Minority groups were demanding for equal treatment. The black civil rights movement headed by revolutionary figures such Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King saw the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These pieces of legislation also applied to Mexican Americans. After World War II was over, most Mexicans who had settled in most parts of the southwest more so Texas decided to settle permanently in America. This saw a huge population of Mexican Americans in the southwest. The Mexican Americans rallied and demanded for their rights and this is why there were acts of anti Mexican discrimination in the area. The Mexican Americans played a huge role in the American army during the Second World War. They sacrificed time with their families and came out in large numbers to serve the country in the war. They did this in the home front as well as in the military. The women and men of Mexican ethnicity dedicated their lives to serving the United States in order to prove their loyalty. The Mexican American also faced acute discrimination during the War. They were segregated from most of the social facilities afforded to the whites such as education, housing, legal aid and employment among others. As the number of Mexican Americans increased in the southwest they began demanding for more rights especially through the GI Forum. Discrimination against Mexican Americans then reduced considerably as there was more representation of Mexican Americans in government. Buy custom The Mexican American Generation essay

PENN Surname Meaning and Origin

PENN Surname Meaning and Origin The Penn surname has several possible meanings: a topographical  name for someone who lived near a fold or hill. From the Breton/Old English word penn, meaning hill and pen, fold.a habitational name from various places called Penn, such as Penn in Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire, England.an  occupational name for an impounder of stray animals, from the Old English penn, meaning (sheep) pen.as a German surname, Penn may have originated as a nickname for a short, stocky person, from  pien, meaning tree stump. Surname Origin: English, German Alternate Surname Spellings: PENNE, PEN Where in the World the Penn Surname Is Found While it originated in England, the Penn surname is now most prevalent in the United States, according to surname distribution data from Forebears, but most common in the British Virgin Islands, where it is the 3rd most popular surname. Around the turn of the 20th century, the Penn surname in Britain was most common, based on the percentage of the population with the surname, in Northamptonshire, England, followed by Hertfordshire, Worcestershire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. WorldNames PublicProfiler, on the other hand, indicates the Penn surname is most frequent in the United Kingdom, especially in southern England, plus Cumbria in the north and Stirling in Scotland. It is also common in the Eferding district of Austria, especially in Freistadt and Urfahr-Umgebung. Famous People with the Last Name Penn William Penn - an  English Quaker is best known for founding the colony of Pennsylvania as a place for religious freedom in AmericaSean Penn - Academy-award winning American actorKal Penn - American film and television actor, who has also served several roles in the Obama administrationArthur Horace Penn  - member of the British royal householdHarry Penn - African-American civil rights activist and dentistRobert Penn -  African-American sailor, recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Spanish–American War Genealogy Resources for the Surname Penn The Family of William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania, Ancestry and Descendants: A digitized copy of a book on the ancestors and descendants of Sir William Penn, published by Howard M. Jenkins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in  1899. Free on Internet Archive.Penn Family Genealogy: A website tracing the descendants of  John Penne,  born in 1500 in Minety, Gloucestershire, England.Penn Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Penn  family crest or coat of arms for the Penn surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.FamilySearch - PENN Genealogy: Explore over 500,000 historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Penn  surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.PENN Surna me Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Penn surname. DistantCousin.com - PENN  Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Penn.PENN Genealogy Forum: Search the archives for posts about Penn ancestors, or post your own Penn query.The Penn  Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Penn from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Strategic Marketing Management of Wal-Mart Case Study

Strategic Marketing Management of Wal-Mart - Case Study Example As a result, it's British subsidiary ASDA, which already was proficient in the Britain, has made a successful business in U.K. Presently, the ASDA-Wal-Mart supercenters stand at the second level in the supermarket chain of U.K. It covers a huge market share of 17% in the U.K. After the takeover by Wal-Mart in 1999, the retail company has flourished by leaps and bounds. In 2004, ASDA operated a large number of stores in Scotland and employed a number of employees. The total number of store operated by ASDA in 2004 was 259 and the employee strength was 122000 (ASDA/WAL-MART: A Corporate Profile, 2004). The key to ASDA-Wal-Mart's colossal success is its strategic marketing management policies. The company has implemented some highly calculated and effective marketing strategies. It has always made an effort to render the best product to the customers in terms of quality and price. Simultaneously, it has imparted a feeling of associate partners to all its employees. Strategic marketing is a complex management technique for the identification of proper marketing opportunities. It aims to offer better values to the most profitable areas of the business without harming customer interests. The core marketing concepts are concerned with customer needs, customer-client relationship and supply of quality products at affordable prices. This includes a sophisticated market research that rests on customer feedback. A company is directed to build a competitive-edge for long-term activities with the application of various management techniques. The objective of strategic marketing management concerns with a wide array of activities. It involves an aggressive approach to capture the market share rapidly. While performing such kind of marketing management activity, a company needs to focus on the product diversity, the various geographical regions in which it is operating, the role of branding, the marketing channels it is using and the product quality it is offering. All such areas of marketing are required to improve for strategic marketing management. A giant retailer like Wal-Mart will need to re-focus all these issues to find the drawbacks and improve its service by correcting them (Strategic Marketing Management, 2009). The domain of strategic marketing management is vast and it includes internal as well as external analysis of the company. This report focuses only on the external analysis of the company. There are various models that have been put forward to express the external analysis of a company. Porter's five forces model is the most popular among them. The task of strategic analysis involves a high level of expertise and experience. The analysts must possess both the qualities to conduct a strategic analysis with ease. When an analyst uses Porter's five forces model, the planning process consists of a chain of steps. The

Multiculturalism in canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multiculturalism in canada - Essay Example According to Bertrand, this commission was formed with the aim of investigating the existence of different cultures and ethnic groups in the country, and to devise recommendations on how the government can incorporate all of them in all walks of life in the country. The commission was also to take into account the cultural enrichment that the other ethnic groups provided in the country and find measures that could be taken to safeguard that contribution (Bertrand, par 3). Although it seems as though multiculturalism is a phenomenon that confers some advantage to a country, this essay outlines some of the damaging effects it expedites. It would be worthwhile to investigate how multiculturalism in Canada has promoted the creation of "segregated racial and ethno-cultural enclaves within local communities," (Garcea), leading to a country where the people are divided into numerous ethnic groups with different cultural backgrounds instead of uniting them. Garcea continues in this article t hat though the government tries hard to concentrate "immigrants with similar racial or ethno-cultural backgrounds," into the same location, multiculturalism "promotes and supports the creation of ethno-specific secular and religious institutions to serve the needs of each major ethno-cultural community." Clearly, immigrants to Canada do not automatically adopt the same national identity that the locals share, but they retain their own sense of identity and culture that they bring along from their own native country. Banting and Kymlicka have found that multiculturalism actually leads to feelings of alienation among the immigrants, and they quote that " racial minorities are less confident they fully belong," (Banting and Kymlicka, 54). Multiculturalism has also been blamed for resulting in discrimination and racism. Banting and Kymlicka claim that these minorities are " clearly are victims of racism," (Banting and Kymlicka, 64), and that they are more likely to be discriminated upon and face racist situations in the country. Banting and Kymlicka also state that " in comparison with white immigrants, minority immigrants have a greater sense of discrimination and vulnerability," (Banting and Kymlicka, 55). Additionally, "multiculturalism fosters competition and inequality between ethno-cultural groups," and also, "after some period of struggle a very clear group hierarchy will emerge and thereafter life chances will again be a direct consequence of ethnic background," (Garcea). He further states in his article that "this inequality results from the political dynamics between the relationships of the leadership of ethno-cultural groups and some political parties whereby the former seek political status and financial resources to advance the group's and personal interests, and the latter seek various forms of support to win elections," (Garcea). Clearly, multiculturalism does not lead to the creation of an equal and egalitarian society where everyone has the same chances of success in life regardless of their ethnicity; it instead promotes the creation of a hierarchal system, based on one's ethnicity. Multiculturalism has also led to the creation of conflicts between the different ethno-cultural gr