Jit in Indian Automobile Industry

INTRODUCTION Just In Time: The traditional concepts of Quality and customer satisfaction have been challenged in the recent years. Customer choices and perceptions have also been changing continuously. Japanese manufacturers were the first to meet these challenges by introducing many innovations in manufacturing systems and management, one of which is the philosophy of â€Å"Just in Time†. Just-in-time (JIT) refers to a collection of practices that is designed to eliminate waste and achieve manufacturing excellence. These organizational practices encompass the entire logistics flow of materials from purchasing through production and distribution. The elements of JIT may include shared product design with suppliers and customers, movement toward single sourcing, proximate suppliers and customers, reduced set-up times, preventive maintenance, reliance on analytic tools to identify sources of defects and plant optimization layout (re)configurations, among others Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing systems have attracted the attention of industries all over the world. The perceptible impact of JIT lies in attaining productivity and quality standards. The real challenge before Indian managers is to establish priorities among potential JIT techniques to achieve best possible advantage of JIT implementation in Indian industries.. With the variety of products on offer increasing with customization and evolving customer needs, it is but important that a manufacturing facility embraces the advantages of JIT in making the operations lean and flexible. Indian Automobile Industry: India currently has approximately 40 million vehicles. In February 2009, monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units. Current low penetration, rising prosperity and the increasing affordability of private vehicles along with importance to exports offer a healthy prospectus for the Indian automobile industry. (Source: http://www. kpmg. de/docs/Auto_survey. pdf) Several Indian automobile manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra and Mahindra, have expanded their domestic and international operations. India's robust economic growth led to the further expansion of its domestic automobile market which attracted significant India-specific investment by multinational automobile manufacturers. Due to strong Global competition Indian companies started focusing on adopting new techniques and technologies which enabled manufactures to improve their processes and products JIT IN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY OF OTHER COUNTRIES Many countries have got leverage by implementing JIT techniques in their respective automobile industries. Peter Turnbul, [1] analyzes the trends in the UK automotive industry during the 1980’s, giving special focus to the adoption of JIT and TQM principles. This includes development from within the organization and relations between suppliers. Also the implications of adopting Japanese techniques on Information systems have also been looked into. It was found out in the study that Japan was way ahead of UK and US in terms of productivity and Quality in the cars manufactured due to successful implementation of JIT and TQM techniques and US and UK companies are gradually bridging this gap. Bo Hou, [2] conducted a research on the benefits and difficulties faced in implementing JIT for an automotive company in China. An international automotive company with factory located in China was taken for the Case study, examining the pre and post JIT implementation experiences. In order to collect data Semi-structured interviews were organized. Most interviewee’s support that proper design of information systems could assist JIT systems. According to the interviews, Kanban is a primary management method in the case company’s JIT model. It was found after the interviews that inventory can be maintained at a reasonably low level. Performance indicators have been employed to examine the achievement of suppliers in quality, on-time delivery etc. , in order to encourage suppliers to participate in the JIT program. JIT IMPLEMENTATION IN INDIA Several Indian companies have initiated JIT implementation into their systems or are claiming to have implemented many key features if JIT. While studying the implementation of JIT in India the following factors have to be considered. 1) Size of the firm ) Indian economy (only opening up in early 1990’s) 3) How MNC’s having manufacturing operations in India are Implementing JIT In a Survey of JIT practices conducted by Mahadevan[3], Questionnaires were sent to 400 companies but only 43 of them responded usefully. Fourteen critical factors were identified and participating organizations were asked whether these factors were important for JIT implementation in their firm s. Quality circles and cellular manufacturing have been rated low while TQM was rated very high. Vikas Kumar [4], explains the interrelationship between the different JIT elements. According to him the elements of JIT important to India are Buffer stock removal, Cellular manufacturing, Kanban and Error prevention Garg D [5] conducts a case study in JIT implementation of an Indian tractor assembly. It started implementing JIT purchasing in the mid 1980s. Initially, the company received discouraging results in almost all the areas for several years. Later on everything was streamlined and management began achieving significant results in terms of reductions in inventory, material movement, space, manpower, work in process and lead time, and an increase in productivity and quality. It can be said that in spite of old machinery, the company is sustaining its competitiveness in the tractor market by applying JIT. Vikas [6] conducted a survey on 34 Indian firms with the aim to find: 1) Those elements of JIT that might be difficult to implement in Indian Industry. These have been found to be Buffer stock removal, Error prevention, Frequent and reliable delivery, Kanban system, Multi functional worker, short lead time, Small lot size, Zero defect etc. ) Reason for slow implementation of JIT in India which have been found to be High cost of implementation, Informal and casual Auditing, Lack of support from suppliers, Lack of training, Lack of understanding of JIT techniques, shortage of multi functional workers Garg D [5] explains that the key steps in JIT implementation were: extensive training of employees on pull concepts; identification of key performance parameters; new layouts based on U-shaped cells ( wherever applicable) ; standardization of operations; a mai ntenance plan for each machine; housekeeping; visual control; and multi-skill training. Vikas Kumar [4], Several Indian industries are implementing the JIT with belief that it would be helpful to face the global competition. Yet, its effectiveness would depend upon qualities, attitudes and values of Indian work force. The paper gives focus to work culture of the organization. Some of the elements of work culture desirable for JIT are flexible workforce, Cross training, long term employment, Job enlargement and Labor unions, Work force involvement etc. Benefits Vikas Kumar [4] identified that the Potential benefits of JIT include reduced setup cost, labor cost, and move distances According to Chandra[7] the major benefits of JIT manufacturing system in ascending order are Reduction in inventory, Quality improvement, Increased productivity, Increased profit margin, Improved competitive position. Vikas Kumar [6] Highlights the most expected benefits of JIT which are Improved equipment utilization, improved quality control, worker efficiency, inventory turnover, flexibility, productivity, Profit margin, Team work, Low scrap rate etc Disadvantages of JIT Some of the disadvantages of JIT as highlighted by Vikas [6] are: * Implementation if JIT does not automatically translate to profits as many direct and indirect costs are involved in JIT implementation. Also JIT requires appropriate fit between manufacturing activities, organizational design, processes etc. * JIT programs need continuous check and control for sustained improvement * The timely of delivery of goods is extremely important which might be difficult to achieve in some parts of India * JIT may demand unrealistic commitment from employees. Managerial powers are extended to the workers JIT IN INDIAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY With respect to the Indian Automobile Industry JIT purchasing, a few elements of JIT production and JIT Logistics are given focus in this research paper. Purchasing In industries like the automobiles, where the cost of raw material accounts for almost 50-60% of the cost of the final product, Purchasing is a key element to focus for cost reduction [Haritha Saranga (8)]. According to Sultan Singh. 9] Purchasing involves determining the need, selecting the supplier, and arriving at proper price, terms and conditions, issuing the contract or order and to follow-up to ensure proper delivery on time According to Sultan Singh, Dixit Garg. [10] The traditional approach to purchasing is at the root of many problems that business faces today. High inventory levels, soaring costs, adverse relationships with suppliers and quality issues which either stop production or results in poor products are just a few of the pr oblems with the current way of purchasing JIT Purchasing Sultan Singh. [9] has found that Just-in –Time Purchasing has received an increasing amount of attention throughout the world due to its potential for quality improvement and cost saving. Jocclyn Drolet. [10] found that many studies indicate that the JIT purchasing function is of paramount importance for successful JIT implementation According to Sultan Singh, Dixit Garg. [10] The four basic principles of JIT purchasing are: * Elimination of waste * Employees involvement in decision making * Supplier participation Total quality control Sultan Singh. [9] Found that JIT purchasing has been implemented in many industries of several countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Korea etc. Today many reputed Indian industries have also switched to the Japanese JIT Purchasing concept to improve their product quality and productivity. In traditional purchasing importance is given mainly to the price of the product. Supplier relationship building, quality, deliv ery time, supplier satisfaction etc are in the back seat. Sultan Singh. 9] States that Japanese JIT Purchasing is an uninterrupted flow of 100% acceptable materials delivered on due dates and time at optimal cost 100% of time. In JIT purchasing environment purchasing is carried out in small lots with frequent deliveries in small standard containers used to hold exact quantity and to the required specifications from a nearby local single supplier with a long-term contract. The company relies more on performance specifications Consistent quality and delivery performance is most important parameters in the supplier evaluation while price is an important one. This area includes supplier’s management, inspection of incoming raw materials/ semi finished / maintenance components etc. The expectations of the buying firm in JIT Purchasing Dixit Garg [5] conducted a survey to identify the important attributes of JIT Purchasing with respect to the Indian Context. The importance of JIT purchasing attributes in a decreasing order as were High Quality, Mutual trust and Co-operation, Reliable delivery, Exact quantity and Increased customer support. Jocclyn Drolet. 11] Stated that the most frequently mentioned benefits are the reduction in lead times, the decrease in inventory levels, waste elimination, and improved quality of incoming parts, raw materials and the delivery process. In fact, these four benefits have been so widely cited in analytical studies, and cross validated in empirical studies, that we believe that they may no longer belong to the domain of hypothetical benefits but must be taken as factual benefits. Sultan Singh, Dixit G arg. [2] States that in JIT Purchasing no percentage of rejects from supplier is acceptable. The supplier is also encouraged to be more innovative. Jocclyn Drolet. [11] Stated that some of the success factors of JIT purchasing are JIT supplying Partnership, Restructuring supplier network, Quality of purchased products, Long term and exclusive agreement with suppliers, Proximity etc. He emphasizes that partnership is a catalyst for other JIT purchasing success factors Problems encountered in JIT purchasing implementation in India Sultan Singh. [9] Found that most serious problems, however, are not operational in nature. They are â€Å"people problems†- stemming from attitude and orientation, past experience and practices, and the passive factors of interpersonal relations. The suppliers may not fully support JIT purchasing program because of following reasons: * Lack of incentives for suppliers to adopt JIT delivery. * Lack of commitment from buyers. * Considerable strain on suppliers on JIT delivery. Sultan Singh. [9] Has found Evidences which shown that JIT purchasing can be beneficial in Indian context. The supplier is encouraged to be more innovative. He is given â€Å"loose specifications â€Å". The company relies more on performance specifications than on product design. Counting and receiving inspection of incoming parts is eliminated. Formal paper work is reduced to minimum delivery schedule or quantity can be changed by simple telephone calls/fax/telex message. Supplier is evaluated by consistence in quality, delivery performance and price. It can be concluded that JIT Purchasing is a key element for the successful implementation of JIT. The benefits of JIT purchasing can be summarized as reduction in lead time and inventory levels, improved quality of raw materials and better delivery process. Also there are increased supplier participation and employee involvements. Many companies in different countries have successfully implemented JIT purchasing. Some of the problems which Indian companies encountered were Lack of support from suppliers, Lack of support and commitment from Top management, Low product Quality, Employees resistance to change and Lack of communication. Maruti is focusing on Supplier development and sharing its quality and manufacturing practices with them. Mahindra and Mahindra is now working to minimize supply constraints through advanced capacity planning, long term contract with suppliers and capacity enhancement. JIT Production According to Vikas[4], The major elements of JIT production in Indian context include Buffer stock removal, Cellular manufacturing, Kanban, Error prevention and others. In this research paper the attributes taken for study are Cellular Manufacturing and Kanban. Cellular Manufacturing Mahadevan [12] infers that there has been an increasing demand for more variety in the recent years thereby pushing volumes down. It is estimated that 70 % of manufacturing industries will have mid-volume, mid-variety scenario. Cellular manufacturing provides a solution for the mentioned situation. According to Frost ; Sullivan [13] Cellular manufacturing is based on the Group Technology concept and involves the use of work cells. A Work Cell is a group of equipment and workstations arranged in the logical sequence of production, which can produce a product (or part of a product). To successfully maintain One-piece flow in manufacturing cells companies employ quick change over techniques The key factors that affect the design of an efficient cell can be grouped broadly as the number of process required, number of products that fit into the cell, market segments/requirement, and degree of automation. Mahadevan [12] mentions the benefits of Cellular Manufacturing as: * Production planning and control become easier as it is similar to breaking the Manufacturing process into smaller units which are independent and more manageable. * Material handling and traceability becomes easier as materials seldom go outside the respective cells for processing. Work enrichment: Employees would be in a position to better relate to the workplace and make improvements The benefits as mentioned by Frost ; Sullivan[13] are: improved resource [both man and machine] utilization reduced lead times, improved product quality, better space utilization, lesser blocked capital in inventory, and an overall improved work space. Timothy[14] identifies the disadvantages of cellular manufacturing as: * Increased capital expenditure * Decreased machine utilization * A breakdown can cause work stoppage in cell Shishir Bhat [15] analyses the impact of cellular manufacturing in a Gear manufacturing Machine shop. The evaluation was done based on two outputs, throughput and flow time. It was found that the average monthly throughput [order completed in a month]for Main Gears before implementation of Cellular Manufacturing was 59. 5 and that after implementation was 90. 5. Also the average flow time [man hours a product spends on shop floor ] for main gears reduced from 58 to 30. The paper shows that when a job shop manufactures a group of products with similar characteristics and stable demand, Cellular Manufacturing is an effective way for performance improvements. Kanban Kanban is a system of continuous supply of components, parts and supplies, such that workers have what they need, where they need it, when they need it. Kanban facilitates elimination of waste and is one of the most powerful tools of the â€Å"Toyota Production System†. Kanban is designed for quick response to actual consumption and ensures material availability at all times even in the face of temporary demand swings. Improved material availability helps achieve agility and flexibility in production. Kanban Systems are usually custom designed for each client and each item. A good design takes cognizance of all relevant factors such as consumption level, lead time, transit time, optimum shipping lot, and desired delivery frequency. It can be quickly adjusted in response to seasonality of demand. Inventory reduction is regarded as one of the key strategic levers to improve productivity and profitability of the firm in theory and practice (Lieberman and Demeester 1999, Chen et al, 2005). Kanban which facilitates visual control was originally designed for manual operation. This encourages employee involvement at all levels. However it can be integrated with any ERP system. Many tasks can then be automated, thus increasing the speed of material flow and accuracy of transactions. B. Vijaya Ramnath,C. Elanchezhian and R. Kesavan [16] wrote a paper which deals with implementation of lean manufacturing in Engine valve machining cell in a leading auto components manufacturing industry in the South India. The main objective of the paper was to present an overview of manufacturing wastes and introduce the tools and techniques that are used to transform a company into a high performing lean enterprise. Value stream mapping was a main tool used to identify the opportunities for various lean techniques. One of the methods used for reduction of waste was the Kanban system. A Kanban job Flow is arrived at which is used for building the future state of Value stream mapping. The elimination and or reducing of wastes is by making the process improvements in the current manufacturing line by adopting some lean tools like JIT, set up time reduction, WIP reduction etc. JIT Logistics Today Indian Automobile players seek to increase their global footprint and supply chain for many of these companies extends across several countries. Hence Logistics is a key area Indian Automobile companies are focusing on. According to Kee-hung Lai. [17] Just-in-Time (JIT) which has been effective in manufacturing operations can also contribute to cost and service advantages in Logistics. However, the potential of JIT has not been widely recognized in logistics. Kee-hung Lai. [17] has identified the major areas in Logistics in which JIT can be applied such as 1) Transportation management 2) order processing 3) Inventory management 4) Customer service, and a number of supporting lements including materials handling, packaging, purchasing and warehousing. 1) Transport Management: Typically materials were ordered in large lot shipments to obtain economies of scale. Similarly full truckloads or railcars were more efficient. For less than full truckloads loads of different companies having similar destinations were combined. Ken alternburg. [18] States that In JIT Transport all the three parties i. e. the supplier, the carrier and th e customer work more closely with one another. One option is formation of Transport partnerships just like supplier partnerships. The carriers would be single source for a family of businesses that will treat these carriers as in-house carriers. In some JIT Environments the parts manufacturing facility is constructed at or near the final assembly plant, allowing small deliveries of parts to be made with greater control over timeliness. Ken alternburg. [18] Suggests that where local manufacturing is not feasible, closed loop transportation is employed in which delivery trucks make stops at various suppliers on a predetermined schedule. Disposable packaging can be replaced with reusable containers and racking compatible with assembly line use, eliminating the costs of removing and disposing of packaging materials and simplifying and speeding the loading and unloading processes Materials can be unloaded at or near final point of use in JIT System as inspection is eliminated. Costs associated with equipment used to speed the delivery process, such as specially configured trucks, containerization, and unloading equipment, are offset by improvements in efficiency as implied by Ken alternburg. [18] Ken alternburg. [18] States that JIT environment has affected transportation providers, requiring them to change and streamline their methods of operation, and make long-term investments in technology, 2) Order Processing: According to Kee-hung Lai. [17] JIT adopts technologies such as Logistical Information System [LIS], often in the form of Electronic Data Interchange [EDI], Internet, Value Added Network etc so that different parties in the logistics processes can gain access to the needed information for decision making 3) Customer service: Kee-hung Lai. 17] states that In JIT logistics, all the activities that take up motion time, for example, order picking, shipment arranging, transporting and so on, need to be managed efficiently. The aim is to meet customer service requirements at the lowest possible cost KPMG conducted a survey on the Indian Automotive supply chain to analyze the key challenges faced by different sections of the Industry, identify the areas that need attentio n and also identify opportunities. A primary survey was done among the heads of supply chain of some major Indian Auto companies. KPMG [19]) The participants of the survey identified the following as the key challenges in order of priority: Integrating the end-to-end supply chain and managing it as a single integrated entity: While past efforts of OEMs have been focused on streamlining and improving different areas of the supply chain independently, through efforts in dealer management, operations planning, vendor rationalization, IT package implementation etc, it is expected that the linking up of these activities is expected to provide significant benefits to players Managing Inbound Logistics/JIT Supplies: is a key concern which faces challenges related to reliability of data, lead time and absence of quality logistics players on the upstream side. Respondents felt that as OEM and Auto component players become more global in nature it would have a significant impact on automotive supply chain. Managing costs: Cost, Quality and Timely delivery continue to become the key concern area for players. Many OEM’s have implemented JIT inbound logistics which is not by increased visibility across the supply chain and improved planning, it has only resulted in the burden of inventory getting shifted from OEMs to their Tier-I vendors. The Key initiatives taken up by the companies to address these challenges according to KPMG [19]) are: Increased Investment in IT and processes: Implement Integrated IT systems [such as ERP], but survey revealed that they were not able to leverage on such systems as their business process were not streamlined or aligned with the needs of the IT System. Vendor/Dealer rationalization: Many respondents agreed that Indian Industry has not evolved into fully tierized structure where Tier-I vendors take on responsibility for modules / sub-assemblies Outsourcing to logistics service providers: Outsource key activities along the supply chain to logistics players, in an effort to reduce costs and increase focus on their customers and core activities. Most OEMs and large Tier-I suppliers have already outsourced their outbound logistics activities. These activities include carrying out ‘milk runs’ to collect and deliver parts to OEMs on a daily basis, transferring materials across hubs and warehousing/inventory management. Key logistics players have started maintaining warehouses in close proximity to OEMs’ plants, and supplying materials on a JIT basis. Related services being provided by large third party logistics service providers (3PLs) include consolidation of materials, packaging, incoming inspection, cleaning, etc (KPMG [19]) JIT at Maruti Udyog Limited: Maruti was the first Indian company where Japanese Manufacturing culture was implemented from top to bottom. At the Maruti factory in Gurgaon the eight typical wastages at each operational point (over-production, man movement, material movement, idle time of  operator,  work-in-process, machine  availability,  waiting  time and  needless  processing) had been measured by observation and even videos. The bottlenecks have been identified and a lot of work has been done to streamline the process. In 1995, when Maruti had 4,800employees, it was producing at the rate of 730 cars a day. Later with 4,500 employees, the plant was producing at the rate of 1,700 cars a day. Simultaneously, the supply chain system is being modified. A delivery instruction system places orders with the vendors for the next day's production target. Maruti is now working with an inventory of four hours maximum for local items and six days average for imported materials. The inventory to sales turnover ratio, on the scale of 100 in 1999-2000, is now down to 41. Maruti has also started working with its vendors  to reduce their cost of  production so that its own cost can be reduced. It has also launched a quality enhancement scheme, called the Quality Gate system. Maruti has implemented JIT for some of its major suppliers. Some others are in the process of doing so. There is a stress on quality in this highly competitive industry. The bargaining power of suppliers of some components is high, because of capacity constraints. This makes them accept only large orders, and therefore makes it difficult for assemblers to implement JIT CONCLUSION With India emerging as one of the important markets for Automobiles it is imperative for Automobile manufactures to gain production and cost efficiency. JIT would help the companies in achieving this end. The Japanese had perfected the implementation of JIT. Based on research material available it can be concluded that JIT has been successfully implemented in Automobile companies of many other countries such as United States, United Kingdom, China to name a few. Indian Manufacturing environment has huge prospects of advancement through JIT. Some of the key aspects of JIT important for the Indian industry are Total Quality management [TQM], Cellular Manufacturing, Kanban, Error Prevention to name a few. Some of the reasons for slow implementation of JIT in India can be concluded as High cost of implementation, Lack of support from suppliers, Lack of understanding or conviction in JIT techniques leading to non effective implementation. Also work culture plays a crucial role for JIT. JIT would require a work force that is flexible, can engage in cross training, and would be committed to their work on providing long term employment prospects. The Major benefits identified by the implementation of JIT are Improved Quality, reduction in inventory, increased productivity and flexibility. There is enough evidence to prove that Indian companies who have implemented JIT [at least partly] successfully have reaped the benefits. The Case study of Tractor assembly factory and Maruti are testimony for the same. Also Mahindra and Mahindra had implemented JIT techniques during the 1990’s to their advantage. To gain the benefit of JIT, Indian Automobile Industry must be willing to modify their procedures and processes References: 1) Peter Turnbul, Nick Oliver, Barry Wilkinson (1989), â€Å"Recent Developments in the UK Automotive Industry: JIT/TQC and Information systems†, Technology and Strategic Management, Vol 1 No. 2, pp. 09 2) Bo Hou, Hing Kai Chan, and Xiaojun Wang (2011), â€Å"A Case study of Just-In-Time System in the Chinese Automotive Industry†, Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering, Vol I 3) B Mahadevan, (1997),â€Å"Are Indian Companies ready for Just In Time†, Manage Rev, July-September, pp. 85-92 4) Vikas Kumar, (2010), â€Å"JIT Based Quality Management: Concepts and Implications in Indian Context†, International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Vol. 2(1), 2010,pp. 40-50 5) Dixit Garg, S. G. Deshmukh (1999), JIT Purchasing: Literature review and implications for Indian Industry, Production Planning and Control, Vol 10 , No 3, pp. 276-285 6) Vikas Kumar, Dixit garg, N P Mehta(2004), â€Å"JIT Practices in Indian Context: A survey†, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, Vol 63 ,pp. 55-662 7) Chandra, Kodali (1997),†Implementation if JIT manufacturing System: An Overview†, Productivity, Vol 38, pp. 312-321 8) Haritha Saranga, Arnab Mukherji & Janat Shah, â€Å"Determinants of Inventory Trends in the Indian Automotive Industry: An Empirical Study†, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India 9) Sultan Sin gh, Dixit Garg (2011),† Comparative analysis of Japanese Just-in-Time Purchasing and Traditional Indian Purchasing System†, International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology (IJEST), vol. 3, no. 3 10) Sultan Singh, Dixit Garg ,† Attributes in JIT Purchasing†, Akgec Journal Of Technology, vol. 2, no. 11) Jocclyn Drolet, Rene Gelinas, Real Jacob (1996),† Just-in-Time purchasing and the partnership strategy†, European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management , vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 39-45 12) B. Mahadevan (2010),† Operations Management : Theory and Practice† 13) Frost & Sullivan , (2010), â€Å"Cellular Manufacturing makes Plant Operations Lean and Flexible†, http://www. frost. com/prod/servlet/press-release. pag? docid=202718293 14) Timothy J. Greene , Randall P. Sadowski ,† A review of cellular manufacturing assumptions, advantages and design techniques† 15) Shishir Bhat, (2008), â€Å"Cellular manufacturing-t he heart of Lean manufacturing†, Advances in Production Engineering and Management, Vol 3 , No 4 16) B. Vijaya Ramnath,C. Elanchezhian and R. Kesavan, (2010) Application of kanban system for implementing lean manufacturing (a case study), Journal of Engineering Research and Studies, Vol. I/Issue I/July-Sept. 17) Kee-hung Lai and T. C. E. Cheng , â€Å"Just-in-Time Logistics† 18) Ken alternburg, Debbie griscom, Jack hart, Frank smith, Gary wohler [1999],† Just-in-time logistics support for the Automobile industry†, Production and inventory management journal—second quarter 19) KPMG (2006), â€Å"Indian Automotive Supply Chain KPMG† 20) http://amitsinghbisht. articlesbase. com/marketing-articles/maruti-udyog-limited-managing-competition-successfully-723310. html

A Modest Proposal for holding Fathers Equally Essay

Traditionally, the concept of abortion, child-rearing, home management, prostitution and even pornography are all attributed to women – women as subject. In the issue of abortion, women are more likely judged as immoral or not good parent for either aborting or not aborting her child (for certain reasons). In Child-rearing, the mothers are the very ones who are blamed if it happened that her children grew rebellious and defiant. Home management is in all likelihood tagged as women’s function. In the issues of prostitution and pornography, women are the central subjects for judgment. They are more seen as immoral as compared to how men are treated. In short, there are still unresolved problems regarding gender roles and gender biased structure of society. This essay addresses the issue of making fathers or men also accountable for the occurrence of such societal conflicts. Traditional Gender Roles By tracing our history, we could arrive at an evaluation that women and the mothers were discriminated in the society. Having a patriarchal structure of society wherein men or the fathers are labeled as superior over women or the mothers. The traditional structure inside the house was that the father was regarded as the head of the house whom has the highest authority. He has the final say in all things concerning the family. His well-established role as father was providing the needs of the family. Consequently, given such structure inside the home, the community and even the whole society became attached to that particular belief that only men or the fathers have the right to be the head or the bearer of the highest authority otherwise conflict would arise. Because of this traditional conception women and mothers were viewed as the destroyers of order and peace in the society if they would insist themselves as equal as or higher than men and the fathers. Recommendation According to Katha Pollit, the fathers should also be accountable for all the conflicts that arise inside the house, in the community, and in the society. (Barnet & Bedau, 2004) They (the fathers) are not really attributed with perfect characteristics. They have also the predisposition of doing wrong things just like the mothers. When the marriage relationship failed, the mother should not the only one whom should be blamed. The father has also part in that failed relationship. When a child grew up as disobedient and rebellious, the mother is not the only one who is responsible for disciplining her child. The father, being also a parent of his child, has the responsibility of disciplining and molding his child’s attitude. In the case of abortion, mothers are not the only persons who make the problem. The father has also a responsibility towards the pregnancy of the mother. In this contemporary period, women are asserting and fighting for their equal rights with men. They are consistent with their campaign of establishing laws that would make them equal with men. In cases of parenting and marriage relationship, it is really unintelligible to say that only women have this responsibility of taking care and disciplining the children and working out their marriage life. The father has also such responsibilities toward his children and his wife. As a conclusion, all must be enlightened with the fact that everyone has a responsibility towards each other and towards the society. Men and the fathers are not exempted from this kind of responsibility. Women or the mothers cannot manage the home without the assistance and aid of her partner, the father or her husband. Both of them are responsible for molding and guiding their children. And truly, it takes two to tango. Reference: Barnet, S. , & Bedau, H. (2004). Current Issues and Enduring Questions (7th student ed. ). Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Rationalist Approaches Essay

International relations (IR) are ‘the diplomatic strategic relations of states, and the characteristic focus of IR is on issues of war and peace, conflict and cooperation’ (Brown and Ainley, 2009). Many different theories exist within IR to define and analyse certain situations. Rationalism is classified as the major in IR analysis theory (Baylis, et al, 2011). The study of IR according to a comprehensive and scientific methodology became a key demand after the First World War, resulting from a desire to clarify international politics. Following the First World War, international relations were initially taught in different fields, such as international law and diplomatic history and international organisations. The importance of studying international relations as an independent rapporteur emerged after the Second World War, precipitated by unprecedented US involvement in global affairs (both during the war and in the subsequent Cold War) and the decline of the European empires in the post-war political situation (Hook and Spanier, 2007). International relations seeks to interpret the phenomena of international reality and reliably and realistically conceptualise and analyse international events for the purpose of building theory and prediction and the study of IR itself. IR aims to reach analytical exact facts of the international situation by recognising the power that controls the formation of various approaches of States with each other and by determining how they dynamically interact, and their consequent impact on the conditions of the international community (Burchill, 2011). International relations are changing constantly under the influence of international politics and pressure, which affect the content and characteristics of IR. The problem of correlation between domestic and foreign policy of the most complex and controversial problems precipitates debate in many theoretical trends in the science of international relations, such as neo- realism (Baldwin, 1993). The theory of international relations is a homogeneous group and methodology of assumptions that seeks to clarify relations, which we call internationalisation. This essay will demonstrate critically some of international relations theories and the interpretations of some key concepts, for example power, state and world order, by using historic and contemporary examples in terms of: firstly, realism and neo-realism; secondly, liberalism and neo-liberalism; thirdly, decision-making theory; and finally, to evaluate the extent to which the rationalist approaches are appropriate in the study of international relations and to illustrate the weaknesses and the strengths of rationalist approach in the study of IR, to bring out the essence of various social entities through epistemological approaches grounded in rationality and interpretation based on the event goal finding forms of social organisation. The events of September 11th, 2001 (hereafter referred to as ‘9/11’) and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003 respectively have alerted researchers in international relations to the role of ideological factors in the behaviour of states, something that contributed to the enrichment of the debate and opposed some fundamental assumptions of Western sociology, especially those relating to humanitarian actions based on rationality and social councils, and the associated view that the world is moving towards a common destiny of liberal democracy and market economy, overriding the self-specificities of peoples and cultural differences (Baylis, et al, 2011). Many researchers have tried possible analyses of reality and built theories from to enable a preview of variable events in international reality, and others used these models for intellectual and contemplative purposes in an attempt to extrapolate theoretical exchange, leading to a different understanding of reality and perception and overcoming the impact of the analysis of external behaviour with proposed forms and formats of relations and international transactions; this is the so-called war of paradigms. In addition, the most important reasons for the differences between these paradigms are due to the complexity of the field of international relations and the complex nature of these relations on the one hand, and the difference in perspectives and ideological motives from which each approach on the other. There is no doubt that the selection of work by the term â€Å"paradigm† is the most effective and beneficial, as the hallmark of this field is relative to these paradigms that do not live up to many researchers’ level of theory, but there are poles of paradigms to serve the interests and certain objectives which sometimes may not be available in scientifically objective conditions, and which facilitate the ideological framing of the general orientation of groups or individuals. Firstly, the theory of realism called for overcoming differences among nations through the international rule of law. The most prominent representatives of this trend, such as Morgenthau, considered that the international system is by nature chaotic and driven by a single law (Schuett, 2011). Realism has interests and is supported by historians. However, the theory suffers from uncertainty because it lacks universally supported definitions for example â€Å"power†, and it assumes that state officials act for national interests in accordance with the interests of power; if this is true, this indicates that the state is in a constant struggle (Brown & Ainley, 2000). Morgenthau was mostly concerned with his concept of power. The policy is determined in relation to the power, and aims to own and keep them and their development. The power is always the ultimate goal of the policy. For Morgenthau, sovereignty is authority over the thought or actions of other human beings; he accordingly rated different countries depending on their political objectives (Cozette, 2008). This category consists of four sections: rated countries seeking to adopt the status quo with any exposure to the existing arrangement; rated countries seeking to develop their strength, practicing a policy of imperialism; and states seeking fame. Three forms of power parallel these categories: to retain power, power development, and highlighting power. The classification uses Morgenthau’s concept of power in a relative sense, a classification that lacks rigour in terms of the definition of terms and reference problems posed by the application of this classification (Turner & Mazur, 2009). However, he also warned that common errors can occur when assessing power, resulting in the following recommendations: first, one should not deal with the power as an absolute concept, and should use a relative analysis; second, power should not be regarded as something acquired; and third, one should not restrict focus to one of the power components, rather all should be carried by the dimensions of this concept. Kenneth Waltz diverged from the realist school and added the experience of new realism in his development of the theory of international relations in his book Theory of International Politics (1979). His new concept of foreign policy is based on the understanding of the system and systemic dynamics, and not of peoples or countries, Waltz pioneered realistic visualisation alongside his focus on the study of manifestations of international economics, with the development of the theory of stability to maintain the status quo, when superpowers impose their concepts that are antithetical to some parties such as the initiative to establish neoliberal international financial institutions to support imaginable ideological outlooks (Waltz, 1959). According to Waltz, the main actors that unite on the basis of securing their survival are states. Neo-realism is an alternative vision. Waltz tried in his book to refine the theory of realism by searching for â€Å"essence.† The theory concerns the international system, and maintains this level of analysis as the only way to understand the actions of the actors who make up the elements of this system, which impose specific restrictions on acts. In this sense, Waltz does not have any hostile vision of international relations. The only issue of importance is the system; albeit other factors such as religion, psychology and internal politics and the economy are considered to some extent in a secondary capacity, he believes that the essence of international relations is located above the other factors. Moreover, the appreciation that the chaotic situation of international relations obliges states to pursue policies that are realistic renders the theory of Waltz a revolutionary one that abrogates a number of factors to permit a general theory of international relations. Waltz stresses on properties that are analysed at the level of the base units and conducts classification systems for example (Islamic, democratic) to enable the interpretation of international relations. Waltz claimed that the foreign policies of states are not the most important elements in the interpretation of international relations; opponents say that the g lobal system is the sum of the states and mutual decisions and actions (Waltz, 1959). The most famous example of the new realistic analysis was conducted by Mearsheimer (1990) on the future of Europe. The baseline of the scenario for analysis was the assumption that the end of the Cold War was absolute, and that the complete withdrawal of Soviet influence from Europe was imminent. It is noteworthy that in 1990 the dismantling of the Soviet Union could be a potentially destabilizing danger that could exacerbate the crisis situation and prospects of major wars for two main reasons: first, because the multi-polar system was less stable due to the increased diodes and the growing relations between states in the international system and the lack possible symmetry authorities, and miscalculations tensions and power; and second, because there was a change in conventional military force. Mearsheimer identified four scenarios based on nuclear deterrence: nuclear disarmament of Europe, which was not expected because of the fundamental role of nuclear deterrence in consolidating international relations; to maintain the status quo, which would raise a number of countries such as Germany or Eastern Europe, and could also precipitate an escalation reaction to their possession of nuclear weapons, and resorting to internal action against threats to other countries owning nuclear weapons; nuclear proliferation in the hands of bad management, which could cause an increase in the potential for conflicts in Europe; fourth, nuclear proliferation in the hands of a good management policy associated with the balance of power led some key countries (Mearsheimer, 2007). The latter was the solution proposed by Mearsheimer. This entailed the provision of nuclear weapons to Germany, based on a balance of power engendered by the United States and Britain transferring powers to Europe. His argument was based on the proviso that nuclear weapons are a stabilising factor and that Germany was seeking to consolidate its security. The criticism of Mearsheimer that can be addressed by specialists in the affairs of the institutions is that the policy of maintaining the status quo through organisations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was entirely possible. The counterpoint to the realist theory is the liberal approach, which is thought to be the dominant paradigm capable of producing dimensional explanation essential to international relations, with the evolution of scientific and technological progress and economic shifts, which laid the foundations of the liberal intellectual paradigm, which emerged with the seminal pioneers of international law such as Jean Bodin (1552-1608) in his book The Law of War and Peace (1625). Pioneers of liberalism glorified personal freedom and inflated the status of the individual within the state and society and the rule of law against the caprice and tyranny they associated with states, a trend which continued into the era of Classical Liberalism during the 19th century, epitomised with regard to states by Richard Cobden’s argument that Free Trade engendered peace in international relations, and with regard to the individual by John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1869) (Grey, 1995). Modern neo-liberalism has outgrown the narrow framework of national sovereignty, focussing instead on the building blocks for international cooperation such as organisations and regional institutions supporting this ethos (Baldwin, 1993). One more recent development is that of the notable neoliberal Karl Doetsch, who moved from inside-loop integration to the role of communication and information between individuals and groups. However, other theories calling for a different vision about international reality cannot be overlooked, such as the theory of dependency developed by some thinkers concerned with Third World countries, in parallel with which political theories and academic attempts to explain changes in the international situation after the end of the Cold War emerged, which predicted the type and nature of upcoming global conflicts such as the notion of the end of history (Francis Fukuyama) and the clash of civilisations (Samuel Huntington), which reduced future conflicts to the spheres of religion and culture (El Anis, et al, 2010). In fact, no single claim has the rigour to encompass and comprehend all dimensions of the complex characteristics of world politics, and a wide range of ideas compete away from the traditional theoretical paradigms, and this competition between theories exposes the strengths and weaknesses of each, and identifies the necessary modifications to be made. In the process of decision-making in a rational manner, one of the logical operations follows a path that starts by defining the problem until a solution is reached, and revolves around the idea of ​​the role of individuals’ ability to increase their own personal benefit; this self-interest of individuals is held to collectively produce the public interest. (Cuban) Rationality is restricted to a basis dependent on personal impressions as well as control methods that are followed in making and implementing decisions. Before turning to the theory of rational choice, studying each of the conditions of the emergence of the concept and definition of the theory of decision-making is necessary. Decision-making theory scrutinises the comprehensiveness of the various elements that must be taken into account when analysing a specific policy, whether in general or in a particular moment; the theory works between these variables, but hypotheses do not necessarily require the decision maker to work on this basis, and it is perhaps more appropriate that the latter consider the decision theory of partial theories rather than the theory of a school if they are focusing on the political system as a whole or specifically on certain private units. Decision-making as an attempt to develop a systemic study of international politics began in the 1950s, led by Richard Snyder and Graham Allison, inspired by the international circumstances then prevailing. At the time, other theories appeared circumstantial and contingent to Cold War policies in the context of the international standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States of America and their allies. The Cold War was at one of its peaks during the 1950s, and led to the emergence of numerous critical scenarios worldwide, which erupted into proxy wars between the USA and USSR in numerous instances for instance the Korean War during the 1950s, and the Vietnam War during the 1960s, fuelled by the competition for military, economic or ideological influence between these two states. This led theorists of international relations in that period to find theories that kept pace with the tense reality of life, and thus came the theory of decision-making in order to determine who makes the decision taken and what frameworks affect relationships between states, and how crises can be managed. Richard Snyder focused his search of international relations on attitudes and reactions and interactions between states, and this theory converged with the theory of realism in some dimensions due to its common identification of the state as the main determinant in international relations (Krasner & Stephen, 1976). Finally, rational analysis has an important place in the analysis of strategic traditionalists who deal with the actors’ behaviours according to the data and plans calculated (military school) that deal with states as the actors seeking to achieve the greatest benefit at minimal cost ( ). This perspective of rationality was enhanced by Hans Morgenthau’s study of rationality aspects relating to the behaviour of states. Morgenthau stressed that countries collide externally and internal variables do not contribute to the external behaviour. The theory is linked in some forms to the stream of the political right, but the 1980s saw the emergence of a school of Marxism espousing the theory of rational free choice, which constitutes an example that there is no necessary link between theory and the political situation. It is clear that the theory of rational choice in the social sciences in general, which first appeared and grew up in sociology, but later separated into different fields of knowledge in the social sciences, had room for application in all the social sciences, particularly political science, and in particular relations in international decision-making foreign policy, and in the profit and loss theories, specifically game theory (Myerson, 1991). This means that the options for each of the parties to the game options and priorities, and in front of opportunities to choose alternatives available to them. However, every alternative is open to each party to affect the value achieved by the other players. If these choices are available for any player, they are available to all other players. This theory helps researchers, especially as they deal with the international strategic situation, in clarifying the alternative options before the decision-makers and helps them understand the problem and the ability to solve systematic analysis more deeply. Rationality in decision-making theory is based on determining rational behaviour, intended behaviour of decision-makers and which player can win. It does not address what route people actually take, and individuals may behave contradictorily and irrationally at times. The advocates of this theory used rational behaviour on the basis that it is most able to make the fittest theory of inte rpretation, and rational behaviour means that each player in international politics has a set of values ​​and goals and decides its policy accordingly, without errors. This is analogous to the analysis of sports, but this game theory is a method of analysis that provides evidence to choose the best route to work; states are required to look for the best ways to work and the attitudes and the results of this appear in the actions of others. The goal is to identify potential irrational acts that can and do lead to decisions and the most convenient work in order to achieve goals. Rational decision links the objectives and means thinking about the results, and rational analysis analyses the relationship between means and goals. Rationality provides full information in advance, so actors are able to stop their analysis when the results they expect are produced. However, the results of rational decision-making are not necessarily useful. It could be argued that one of the signs of an irrational decision is not using the information available. But we experimentally note that the decision is a rational decision in terms of the integration of the goals and objectives, including any tuning account of costs and benefits for explicit values ​​given, and states should take into account the various means at their disposal and also analyse and evaluate the results. In conclusion, neo-realism along with neoliberalism can be categorised as rationalist approaches in IR. While neo-realism is a concept of foreign policy based on understanding the system not the individual states, neo-realists cannot explain change in the system or in some circumstances predict potential dangers (Keohane, 1986). Neoliberalism refers mainly to economic liberalisation, and the facilitation of trade throughout the globe, with the onus on the development of the private sector. To this fundamentally economic programme, a vague concept of political freedom is appended much less forcefully than in Classical Liberalism (Doyle & Michael, 1986). However, the reforms of neoliberalism focus on increasing competition and achieving high economic growth and ignoring the influences that could affect such activities. Although they differ in many aspects, they both look to determine phenomena requiring explanation, for instance, the new realistic analysis conducted by Mearsheimer about the future of Europe, and both approaches identify the key actors. It is clear that they are demonstrating how the findings would be under given conditions if the actors function rationally. References Baylis, J. et al. (2011), The globalization of world politics an introduction to international relations, 5th edition, Oxford University press, New York. Baldwin, David A., (ed.) (1993) Neorealism and Neoliberalism: The Contemporary Debate. (New York: Columbia University Press) Brown, C. Ainley, K. (2009), Understanding International Relations [online], PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, New York, Available from: http://www.coursesmart.co.uk/understanding-international-relations-4th/chris-brown-kirsten-ainley/dp/9780230213104 [Accessed: 22.12.2012]. Burchill, Scott (2001) â€Å"Introduction,† in Theories of International Relations, Hampshire, Palgrave Cozette, M. (2008) ‘What Lies Ahead: Classical Realism on the Future of International Relations’ International Studies Review, Vol.10, No.4, pp.667-679 Doyle, Michael W., (1986) ‘Liberalism and World Politics’, American Political Science Review, Vol. 80, No. 4, pp. 1151-1169 El Anis, I. et al. (2010), An Introduction to international relations theory perspectives and themes , 3rd edition, Pearson Education Limited , England. Grey, J. (1995). Liberalism. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press Hook, S. W. & Spanier, J. W. (2007). American foreign policy since World War II. 17th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. Keohane, R. (1986), Neorealism and its critics, New York: Columbia University Press. Krasner, Stephen D., (1976) ‘State Power and the Structure of International Trade’, World Politics, 28(3): 317-47. Mearsheimer, John J., ‘Structural Realism’, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith, International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007) pp. 71-88 Myerson, R. (1991), Game Theory Analysis of conflict, President and fellows of Hravard College, United States of America. Schuett, R. (2010) ‘Classical realism, Freud and human nature in international relations’ History Of The Human Sciences, Vol.23, No.2, pp.21-46 Turner, S., and Mazur, G. (2009) ‘Morgenthau as a Weberian Methodologist’ European Journal Of International Relations, Vol.15, No.3, pp.477-504 Waltz, K. (1959) Man, the State and War, New York: Columbia University Press. Waltz, Kenneth, (2000) ‘Structural Realism after the Cold War,’ International Security, Vol. 25, No. 1

Personal & Career Development Programme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Personal & Career Development Programme - Essay Example A business model will hence serve as a link between business experts and technical experts to help them understand their roles. In addition, a business model is a significant determinant of making profits accrued from an innovation. Therefore, a business model often attracts a multitude of many business subjects like economics, strategy, operations, entrepreneurship, finance and marketing (Bradford, 2009). Moreover, the main reason why  a given ordinary innovation along with a strong business model often tends to be more profitable compared to a leading innovation whose business model is a mediocre (Bolman 2004). Barlow (2007) explains that a business model has six components, which enables it to be effective, as well as efficient; these components include: Value proposition – this is a depiction of customer problems, products that deal with this problem, as well as the value of the product in view of the customer. Market segment – this is the target group of the cust omers, acknowledging that every market segments have their own distinct need. In most cases, the capability of an innovation is realized by targeting different market segment. Value chain structure – this is the company’s position, along with the value chain, and how the company intends to occupy the element of the principles it establishes in the chain. Revenue generation and margins – this involves the ways that income is generated like sales, subscription etc.; target profit margins, and the cost structure. Position in the value network – this is the identification of competitors, as well as any network results that can be used in delivering more value to customers. Competitive strategy – these entail ways in which the company will attempt to create a prolonged competitive advantage e.g. by striving to be different from other companies (Piro, 2000). An illustration with the help of a case study is the best way to describe ABC Corporation, along with its ABC Model 999 copier, in relation to its business model, products or services, potential development, as well as the customer base (Hoque 2000). The Model 999 often utilized the relativity of higher electro-photography process, a dry process that often dodges the utilization of using wet chemicals (Rainey, 2005). In its attempts to look for potential partners, the ABC Corporation became repeatedly turned down by many leading companies who perceived that technology they had did not have any future especially with the use of the business models (Bradford, 2009). Although the technology was exclusive to first copy systems, the cost of the system at that time was extremely high since it was six to seven times higher than other technologies (Webber, 2010). The issue of selling a given system at lower cost so as to be adopted by many companies then came into place and had to make a decision or else be faced out of the market. This challenge had to come with them also need to make huge profits at that time and to incur their expenses too. They also got suppliers that could supply them with supplies that were identical to theirs, but at cheaper cost (Brinckloe, 2001).

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Volcanoes and Tsunamis - Assignment Example Volcanic eruption creates various landforms such as plateaus, volcanic mountains and igneous rocks. The volcanic ash causes serious atmospheric challenges including acid rain and vision blockage affecting the flight industry. Plateaus, mountains, and volcanic ash are features that occur during eruption. Mountains and ash occur when lava is extruded at high pressure while plateaus occur when molten lava flows under low pressure and covers a wide area. The eruption of the Yellowstone Volcano creates a serious challenge for Tri-state especially because it will disrupt transport and may lead to loss of life because of the thrown up Lava. The state must be prepared for any eventuality because active volcanos may be triggered by slipping fault lines. Preparation for eventuality includes system monitoring for changes in the society. An earthquake in the sea causes massive water displacement which in turn accelerates towards the shores. The volume of water displaced causes serious challenge because as it travels it gains massive speeds which destroy everything along its path. The reduction of sea depth as the wave reaches the shore makes the water to gain more acceleration because it is forced to travel upwards. The restriction of sea depth and weight of the water increases the acceleration and thus increases t ability of the tsunami to destroy everything along its path. Coastal vegetation reduces the impact of tsunami by reducing velocity. Vegetation along the coastal shore will effectively reduce the destruction capacity of the tsunami. Sea depth is vital because it increases absorption of shocks. However, the declining depth increases the height of the water thus increasing destruction along the shores. The collapse of the protective walls of japan is as a result of the earth movements which affected the foundation of the walls by creating fault lines which in turn led to the collapse of the wall after impact. The result of the The aftershocks of the earthquake

Exporting Local Saskatoon Berries from Canada to Australia Assignment

Exporting Local Saskatoon Berries from Canada to Australia - Assignment Example Marketing to this region can bring the company profits with high margins. The political scenario in the region is sound, with a growing economy and an established central legal system. The social environment in the region is very similarity that in Canada, making the target market much more understandable and easier to relate to. The business climate in for the Saskatoon berries is very strong and profitable right now as the berries are quite in demand due to their tastes, their use in dairy products, bakeries as well as ice creams as well as due to their antioxidant properties. The fruit has heritage links with China where a version of the fruit was originally grown, however it has been discovered in the central north Canada and has become a native original fruit to the region. It would be more profitable for the company to operate through Canada, as the cost of the logistics ad the transportation of the Saskatoon berries would be much more feasible for the company than if its was outsourcing to China or operating form there. The main risks that are present to the company for exporting to the region of Australia pertain to the risks associated with spoilt and bad harvest, which can affect the supply of the product to the region. Moreover the changes in the prices of the berries are also very volatile according to their demand and supply each season and the quality of the harvest produced. This can make operations very volatile with unpredictable revenues. Moreover the Australian dollar is valued at a lesser denomination than the Canadian dollar with considerable fluctuation. This can affect the revenues of the company with the volatile exchange rates applicable. Other risks that the company would be exposed to are conforming with and getting approval from the local Australian food control authorities. A case took place in 2004, when the Saskatoon berries were ordered off the shelves in the UK due to their bad quality of packaging which effected the quality of the berries. (Gillis, 2004) Consumer Profiles The consumers who will be the direct target market for the Saskatoon berries and would be buying the berries in Australia would include restaurants, organic food and fruit retailers as well as the housewives and catering service providers. The restaurants and the caterers would be buying the product to add the exotic flavor to their dishes while the housewives, and the general consumer will be buying the berries due to their intense and unique taste, their diverse usage in dairy products, baking and cereals as well as due to their properties of being high in fiber and a major source of antioxidants 5. Market Entry and Marketing Strategy SWOT The strengths of exporting Saskatoon berries to Australia include the increased business operations, the increase in the profit margin as well as the positioning and the placement of the company name and brand in the international market. The weaknesses pertain to incurring larger cists for logistics and the transportation the frozen berries to the region of Australia. The opportunities that exporting to Australia provides for the company include the increased market share of the company, and future prospects of operating in the Australian market with other wild berry based produce and

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Paraphrasing - Essay Example In the 14th-century, learning was characterized by education reforms which were accredited to Petrarch. For instance, learning was based on classical sources, linear perspective and other practices such as developing a natural touch to painting. â€Å"The Renaissance,† presented substantial changes in artistic and education in Italy. It led to the transformation of the culture of northern Italy. The changes can be traced back from the late fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries. Some changes in culture and artistic aspects also influence the rest of Europe a great deal. The term â€Å"re-birth† has often been used literally to mean that the cultural accomplishment of antiquity which had been celebrated before was no longer appreciated, and therefore, it needed to be â€Å"re-born†. However, there has been a significant difference between the ancient texts written during the first one thousand years following the fragmentation of Rome and texts written during the fourteenth and ï ¬ fteenth centuries. Major works such as Virgil, Ovid, and Cicero were majorly studied before new works were discovered such as those written by Livy, Tacitus, and Lucretius. The new discoveries complemented and expanded the ancient Greek literature. There was increased contact of the western Europeans with the Islam from the Arabic translation of original Greek via Latin translations. Through such contact, Europeans acquired a lot of Greek’s philosophical and scientific works. However, only a limited number of Europeans were able to read classical Greek. This number increased as many Greek-speaking people fled to Italy following pressure from the Mongols and the Ottoman Turks. Consequently, they spread their knowledge. This new culture become highly commercialized ad materialistic with artifacts of the ancient Rome being used as pawns in the unlimited power games. During renaissance, the papacy was not left behind in the

Based on DQ1 Potential Problems and Based on DQ2 Six Steps Assignment

Based on DQ1 Potential Problems and Based on DQ2 Six Steps - Assignment Example â€Å"Feedback is an essential part of learning† (Seun, 2010). b) Implementing all changes at once is not a wise move. If a program is not working the managers must find ways to make changes, but these changes can not occur all at once because this can lead to information overload for the employees. A timetable must be created to slowly implement the changes to the total rewards program. c) It is true that during the design process of the total rewards a lot of groups should be involved such as human resources, executives, finance, employees, board of directors, and customers, but the actual implementation should involve a limited number of people. A way to involve different stakeholder groups, but limiting the number of people is by creating a committee. For a committee to be effective it must have well run meetings (Ala). d) A thorough analysis of the total reward program is needed to ensure the program is viable during both good and bad times. A good strategy to ensure the success of the program during bad economic times is to create an emergency fund that covers at least six months of the total cost of the program. A way to eliminate bias from the process is by hiring a consulting firm to evaluate the program. e) â€Å"Good communication skills are an indispensable asset without which the goals -- be it in any field -- may not be realized† (Buzzle, 2013). Firms must communicate well to their employees the different aspects of the total rewards program. Communication must be made both in verbal and written form. I completely agree that consistent communication is imperative towards the success of an enterprise. Creating a policy regarding proper communication in the workplace can help open the lines of communication between the workers and the managerial staff. At my place of work communication among the employees is good. Some of the techniques that my company uses to maintain good

Apple Stock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Apple Stock - Research Paper Example According to the study the industry in which Apple operates in can be characterized into external features using Michael Porter’s five forces framework. The industry has barriers to entry due to the significant capital requirements needed to enter. The degree of competition that the industry faces also limits entry of newcomers and the brand identity that each player in the industry creates bars new entrants since they would struggle for any significant market share due to their lack of any brand identity.From this paper it is clear that  there is the constant threat of substitutes that the company faces due to the higher prices that the company imposes on its products as compared to its competitors. Generally, Apple products are highly priced than other similar products in the market, therefore there is that threat that consumers might opt to go for a lower priced commodity from Apple’s rivals. The threat of substitutes is also created due to the nature of the compan y business which is a closed ecosystem and is therefore difficult to switch to any other form of business. There is also the supplier power that Apple as a corporation holds. The company always creates quality products making the company have the power to bargain for a higher price for their products in relation to their competitors.  Apple Inc. is one of the most valuable companies in the world and much of its success is attributed to the sustainable competitive advantage it has created over the years.

Nursing Curriculum Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Curriculum Analysis - Term Paper Example The designers usually incorporate the results from course evaluations from previous classes of the same course. This enriches the design process as it provides a benchmark that leads the designers towards achievement of the objectives. Any course design process incorporates the course objectives, outcomes and competencies. The course design ought to reflect the students’ area of knowledge, the abilities and values gained from the course. The course design identifies the materials necessary for the learning process. Once the core concepts and content requirement have been identified, the design captures the organization of lessons in tandem to the content requirement. The lesson would be tailored in ways that best advantage the students. The typical arrangement entails the content plan that moves from the known to the unknown. This lesson plan, beginning from the simple to the complex, accommodates the students. The course design usually would be skewed to favor the student and enables the gradual development from basic to complex (Wittmann-Price, 2009). Course to Curriculum Requirement The curriculum requirements resonate around the understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, the objective could be said to be the comprehension of the nursing skills. The course design and implementation address the core curriculum requirement. The course division, into smaller units of study such as modules, units and lessons facilitate the knowledge acquisition process. The course structure enables analysis, synthesis, internalization and application of the nursing knowledge. These enables the students attain the curriculum requirement. The process of acquiring nursing knowledge cannot be a one off activity. It entails the gradual process that consolidates diverse processes. The course structure enables the acquisition process going by the consolidated nature of the entire course package. The students interact with the faculty, fellow students and clients during the course. This essentially assists in the realization of the curriculum requirements. The curriculum design can, therefore, be considered harmonious with the course design. The course design must, hence, incorporate the curriculum objectives by appreciating the curriculum design (The essentials of baccalaureate nursing practice, 2008). The previous evaluations of nursing student graduate should help in developing the course design in a manner that fundamentally addresses the curriculum design objectives. The course design incorporates the use of materials, modes and models that the curriculum design adopted. The course delivery modes though diverse in nature contribute towards meeting the curriculum design. The curriculum design outlines the criterion that would lead to the production of nurses, proficient in both the theoretical and practical aspects of nursing profession. The course entails the opportunity for both practical and theoretical acquisition of nursing knowledge. This con tributes to the meeting of the curriculum needs. The course design embraces both class and clinical learning modes. Through this, the students obtain the theoretical knowledge in class and the practical application during the clinical (â€Å"Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) 2010 Candidate Handbook†, 2010). Achievement of Course Design, Learning Expectations and Curricular

Antigone and Euthyphro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Antigone and Euthyphro - Essay Example The nature of piety was altercated in ancient literature through the characters of Antigone and Euthyphro. Antigone and Euthyphro’s individual’s beliefs and perception of how rules must be taken were the forces that influenced them to choosing decisions that shaped their recognition about the nature of piety. The life story of Antigone indeed began with a tragedy, which had provoked her to make a decision that changed the course of her life, or perhaps, has become the instrument to ending her life through unjust means. Antigone was trapped in a situation, where she had to choose between what is right based on her conscience, and on what is right based on the legal code of Thebes. Apparently, conflicts were brought by the opposing view of Antigone and Creon on the type of law that must be sustained, referring to the divine law and the human law. Despite this conflicting belief, Antigone was certain that the human law does not surpass the divine law, when it comes to what is morally right for people. For this reason, she stood by her conviction that religious piety supersedes whatever law is created by people, who claim as rulers or kings in this world. For Antigone, even the punishment of death will not defy her devotion to the divine law. Antigone’s views adhere to the idea that there is more to life than being devoted to an earthly government, whose doctrines do not agree with the authentic nature of piety. That is, decisions in life must not dwell on human laws that dishonor the essence of the divine law -- the laws, which are there to guide people of what is morally right and wrong. By and large, Sophocles’s Antigone encapsulates the weaknesses of an earthly government, where the elected military leaders reap the benefits of them having judicial authority. Antigone is being oppressed by the tyranny of an earthy government that is ruled by a male leader, whose interpretation of justice violates the divine law. Still, in spite of th eir oppression, Antigone was willing to sacrifice her life so that Polyneices may rest in eternal peace. No earthly law hindered here to fulfilling her duty to the corpse of her brother Polyneices. In the end, Antigone may have died, but her pious devotion became the instrument to amending the flaws of the justice system in a city that is oppressed by tyrants. The story of Euthyphro, on the one hand, narrates the experiences of Euthyphro as he pushes for the prosecution of his own father, who had murdered a servant. Similar to Antigone, Euthyphro’s desire to let his father bear the consequences of his actions was a result of him believing that what he was doing was a pious thing. However, the presence of Socrates in this story made the character of Euthyphro confused over the real meaning of piety, for Euthyphro has always believed that making his father liable for killing an individual is the right thing to do, and that his father has committed a wrongdoing, which is impious . Socrates was the key to letting Euthyphro realize that his own beliefs of what is pious do not justify the act of being pious itself. Euthyphro agrees to the nature of piety but he did not fully understand how it may apply in seeking for authentic justice not in the eyes of an earthly court, but in the eyes of the gods. He was adamant to defend not his own father, but the victim, who his own father has killed, and for Euthyphro this is deemed an act of piety. It is an act of piety not because it is

Suburbs and the use of space Essay Example for Free

Suburbs and the use of space Essay A suburb is a residential place or a district that is situated a round a city, a central business district or a town (Kruse Sugrue, 2006). Also the suburbs can be defined as the communities that live around the cities and town centers with time the urban centers and cities have been experiencing rapid growth and this has led to development of new modern residential places around the cities and towns. The suburbs offer a bigger space for living at a lower cost than it would be in towns. The availability of residential space at a lower cost makes many people opt go live in the suburbs (Newman, 1991). In regard to this the suburbs have been found to accommodate a higher population of the people unlike the neighboring cities and town centers. Suburbs are seen to spread over a large geographical area than any other living environments. A good transport system and infrastructure and the clean environment makes people to avoid living in the city centers so that they can avoid the untidy conditions and the high density (Jahn Frances, 2006). Living in a suburb offers the resident with the freedom and independence as people are able to decide for themselves what rules to govern them and how to live. The people in suburbs are able to even come up with bodies that govern their welfare. These bodies include those that deal with matters concerning the housing among other things (Head and Pat, 2007). Suburbs have become popular because the research shows that most people in a given suburb come from the same ethnic group or same community. This makes people feel more secure as they will always have a common way of life (GarciÃŒ a, 2003). The suburbs developed due to the development of transport system. Good transport system and infrastructure is one of the key factors that leads to development and establishment of the subur bs around the cities and towns. The evolution of transport technology for the ancient time where animal were used an a means of transport up to today where we have better automobiles such as busses ,cars ,ships and even airplanes which offer the people with the fast and convenient way of transport.(Kruse and Sugrue, 2006). Transportation in urban center and cities defined the size of the geographical area where people worked from. The growth of urban centers for the ancient time has directly influenced the development of the suburbs. In New York the establishment of the Levittown after the First World War in 1944 was the first suburbs in United States. The development of the Levittown was due to high number of people and this caused the shortage of houses. Due to high demand of housing facilities Gl bill in 1944 gave people money to start building houses for the soldiers who were returning form the war. It was at this time where a man named William Levitt decided to buy thousands of acres of land outside cities such Philadelphia and New York. He then constructed houses and living areas which were fully fabricated. Later in 1946 the first Levittown community was started in a town known as Hempstead. The firm owned by the Levitt sons funded this town by providing a lot of housing facilities. On top they offered and rented the homes at an affordable and low cost. The homes in this town had a lot of shopping centers, the playground for the families and even swimming pools. This developed to a bigger suburb. Suburbs have led to the sustainability of the towns. The high demand for good housing at an affordable cost has geared the and promoted the establishment of businesses that offer this services most entrepreneur take this chance to invest in housing industries among other ventures. Due to this the construction of better houses and homes has taken place. This leads to overall development in the suburbs. Through this the cities and town are gain the capability to hold the high population of the people around. This is one of the facts that we can say that through the suburbs the cities sustainable in terms of holding the population living there without constrains. The transport and infrastructure have been developed to meet the high demand of the people living in the suburbs. The automobiles have played a very crucial role in the transport system (Newman, 1991). The easiness of the movement of people to the places of work and other places is one of the reasons the suburbs are sustainable. In suburbs also one can easily transport his goods in and out due to better road and transport system. The issue of security also makes the suburbs to be termed as the most sustainable places. This is due to the fact that most suburbs are occupied by the communities of the same ethnic groups and the people living there have a common factor that unites those (Mees, 2010). The good measures taken in maintaining the clean environment in the suburbs makes them more sustainable. Policies that regulate environment have been used .for instance proper mechanisms to regulate the greenhouse gases and maintaining general cleanliness of the suburbs. Another factor that m akes most suburbs more sustainable is the good health systems. The quick access to medical care and heath surfaces is usually available. Good medication ensures that people are prevented from the dangerous diseases. Education of the public for proper health activities and protective measures vacillates this (Bridgman et al., 1995). On the other hand some suburbs can be seen as the limiting factor toward the country achieving sustainability. For instance some suburbs may suffer economic problems due to increased number of unemployed people in the society. This lead to poor living standards due to lack of sufficient funds to sustain the living requirement of the people. The architectural view of space is quite different to other peoples’ perception and understanding about the space. In architecture the great concern when we talk about the space is how the design of a house should be. Considering the environmental factors and social-cultural factors is put in place by most architects in viewing the space of a building. In design space is used in programming that is architects conduct the space survey and planning. This is a very important task in architectural planning (Newman, 1999). The architects also collect data and information from the clients and decides on the proper space allocation standards to be used (Jahn and Frances, 2006). In the house the family space is necessary. These are rooms in a house that are used by the family members this includes the bed rooms and kitchen. During the design the architect must include this space (Newman, 1991). The suburban houses are usually big than those in the city or the central business district s. This house are characterized with a large size which include a garden in them. However it is important to note that space is an important aspect in every design. Space utilization and management need to be observed in order to ensure that there is maximum utilization of space without wastage. Space in homes inside the suburbs is managed in various ways. So many people around the cities reside in suburbs so we find that the suburbs become densely populated. To accommodate the large population the house are designed in apartments therefore saving on space (Head and Pat, 2007). The suburbs also develop gardens cities to ensure that the space is profitably used. The gardens cities offer quality and sustainable places. The new garden cities are the places where one can get facilities that provide good transport low air pollution due to carbon energy, leisure and cultural services and also the green infrastructure and network. All this facilities are available at place near the homes. With time the space of the house in Australia has evolved and changed abundantly. Most houses in the Australian suburbs were consisted of a three bedroom, a bathroom and separate living area. This has transformed so much where you find the modern houses have extra rooms such a kitchen, walk-in wardrobes among others. This is due to the increased sizes of new residential building and houses. The use of space in the houses in Australia has been of great concern. The floor space of a house, is designed in respect to the amount of space available. When a lot of space is available the floor space may include a walking path in the house. However when there is limited space such a design cannot be implemented (Bamford, 2009). The space inside the house can be used for several purposes. In a story building some space can be used for stairs and even the lift to take people from one floor to the other. In broad spectrum, questions about the realism of space in the fields the fields of engineering, physicality and architecture have been raised since time immemorial. Essentially, this happens because the human diversity is basically surrounded by space and matter in all spheres (Brayn, 2004). As a matter of fact, space in architectural terms is a flexible and ubiquitous aspect that creates the flow of architectural activities that include the designs and the real structuring. In housing, space is defined by different phenomena that range from walls, column as well as windows among many other features which conceive space. It is worth noting that space in the built environment language refers to what cannot be seen. In other words, space refers to the neutral and the subjective part of the built environment and is what human beings conceive in the event when spaces are created for specific purposes. For instance, a staircase is a good example of the most used space in the built enviro nment as it is commonly used for moving up and down in storey buildings (Bamford, 2007).Since this research paper focuses on the architectural space, it is worth noting that only thorough use and not design that space becomes architectural space not only in how the space is used but how the structures are designed. In practical terms, space in the built environment is most not given the required concern in most of the architectural designs hence posing the greatest problem of how some pieces of designs in the architectural field are viewed as artistic while others are viewed as social objects (Head and Pat, 2007). The greatest aspect that leads to such an issue with respect to space in the built environment is the connection between people and the realism of the desired architectural space as well as the relations of space themselves. To create reliable spaces in regards to structures in the environment, individuals should focus on majoring on the intuitional aspects of space by focusing on the natural strategies as well as respecting the cultural and environmental factors. Most importantly, human beings tend to divide most of their time into sections as well as dividing space into locations an endeavor that separates activities in similar architectural spheres into physical diversities in the similar environment. The locations created after dividing space in the built environment are what human beings use as a means of spontaneously allocating the necessary space for a particular activity thus easing the daily human life (Brayn, 2004). In architecture, structural designers should work towards designing the most sustainable built environment through allocating each space activity as a means of differentiating space into many pieces thus making the final product fit for human use. In this way, it is therefore significant to acknowledge the importance of space with respect to the benefits that result from architectural and planning space in the housing units, neighborhoods as well as in the suburbs in general. When this is acknowledged the critical role played by architectural space in all built environment dimensions will be cognizable to all. Structural designs in the suburbs are essential in that they create a bio directional dialogue in any design off architecture in recognition of location of the particular space, the desired movements, the utility created as well as the incorporated symbols. This allows for proper planning and design of suburbs within the context of providing the best architectural plans for the benefits of the targeted population (Hayden, 2004). In the case of the Australian suburbs, the general economic, cultural and social significance of the suburb built environment in the space perspective. Irrespective of the radical changes of the suburb life over the last few years, little changes have been realized in the structuring of the space in suburbs by the professionals in the field of planning and architecture. As a matter of fact, the role of the public spaces in the suburbs has been ignored (Ellegood et al., 2002). If these professionals can be briefed of the importance of the inclusion of the most important dimensions of social open spaces in suburbs environment as well as considering spatial architectural characteristics. According to Bently (1993), spaces in suburb gardens acts as a potential center of the entire community life as well as serving a sustainability maintenance role in its own. In addition, the spatial planning for the suburb spaces is a critical aspect as it brings people together by encouraging a social interaction. Therefore, the responsible bodies should be advised to work towards creating more spaces for the as a means to serve the economic, social, cultural and environmental purpose. Creation of more effective policies in the Australian suburb environments can serve as basic foundation for the effective inclusion of the spaces in architectural and planning designs hence serves as a key catalyst in ensuring economic and environmental sustainability (Bentley et al., 1993). The philosophy of the privacy of the Australians life’s can be greatly dealt with through the creation of more public spaces in neighborhoods, gardens and housing structures in the Australian background. To sum up, the efforts in leaving major spaces in the suburb areas has suffered a major blow as a result of the recent changes in road network expansion approaches in planning, changes in housing structuring designs as well as the diversity in housing units development. The major issue is the difference between the architectural designs adopted in the suburbs to those adopted in the high and the medium density areas an aspect that brings in confusion in relation to planning and architectural variance. References Bamford, G.(2007) ‘The Rules of the Game’, Landscape Architecture Australia. Bamford, G.(2009). Spooked by Sprawl. Architecture Australia Bentley, Ian. ‘Community Development Urban Design’. In R. Hayward S. McGlynn (eds.). 1993. Making Better Places: Urban Design, Oxford: Butterworth Architecture. Besley, J. (2002) ‘Home Improvement: Suburban Works-in-Progress.’ Paper presented at Suburbia, National Trust of Australia (NSW) conference, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney. Brayn. B. (2004). Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Sustainable Architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural. Bridgman, Howard, Robin Warner and John Dodson 1995 Urban Biophysical Environments. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ellegood, A., Howard, R. L., Wigley, M., New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York, N.Y.), Henry Art Gallery. (2002). Out of site: Fictional architectural spaces : New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, 6.27.2002-10.13.2002 : Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, 11.8.2002-2.2.2003. New York: Published by the New Museum of Contemporary Art in association with the Henry Art Gallery. GarciÃŒ a, M. R., International Association for People-Environment Studies. (2003). Culture, environmental action and sustainability. Cambridge, Mass: Hogrefe Huber. Hayden, D.( 2004).Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth. 1820-2000. New York: Vintage Books. Head, L. and Pat M. (2007).Backyard: Nature and culture in suburban Australia. Wollongong: University of Wollongong Press Jahn, G., Frances, S. (2006). Contemporary Australian architecture. Sydney: State Library New South Wales Press. Kruse, K. M., Sugrue, T. J. (2006). The new suburban history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Mees, P. (2010). Transport for suburbia: Beyond the automobile age. London: Earthscan. Newman, P. (1991). Sustainable Settlements: Restoring the Commons. Habitat Australia Newman, P.(1999). Sustainability and Australian Cities. Australian Planner . Source document

Developing Equality And Safety In The Workplace

Developing Equality And Safety In The Workplace Agenda Item A:Â  Occupational Safety And Health; Advancing Physical And Psychological Conditions Of The Work Environments Working in a safe and healthy environment is among the fundamental human rights of all working people in the World. In this regard, occupational safety and health issues, protection strategies as well as national and international events are of vital importance for employees, enterprises, societies and economies. Occupational Safety and Health is directly related to human life. Thus, it is highly important to prevent work-related hazards and creating safe workplace for the international community. In a working place where comprehensive protective and preventive strategies have been developed, number of work related accident and occupational diseases will decreases. Therefore, aim should be minimize unintended hazards. These workplace hazards can be named as followings; Physical and mechanical hazards, Biological and chemical hazards, Psychosocial hazards. Especially workers who work on the fields of construction, agriculture, service and Mining and oil gas extraction sector, have much tendencies to encounter with these hazards International Organizations such as InternatÄÂ ±onal Labour Organization, World Health Organizations and United Nations etc. have been working to advance the conditions of work environments by forcing conventions and acts. Since it’s establishment ILO has attached specific importance to the issue of OHS and regarded it as one of the building stones in achieving social justice. The ILO has so far adopted a series of conventions and recommendations in order to eliminate risks and hazards in working life and in this context, to protect both workers and enterprises. The most relevant ILO Conventions regarding OHS are No.155 on OSH, No.161 on Occupational Health Services, No 81 on Labour Inspection and No.187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health. The ILO Constitution sets principles that workers should be protected from sickness, disease and injury arising from their employment. Yet for millions of workers, the reality is very different. Some two mil lion people die every year from work-related accidents and diseases. An estimated 160 million people suffer from work-related diseases, and there are an estimated 270 million fatal and non-fatal work-related accidents per year. According to latest ILO data every year 337 million people fall victim to work accidents. El Salvador’s economy was predominantly agricultural until industry rapidly expanded in the 1960s and ’70s. Despite its traditional concentration on agriculture, after that era state industrialized quickly and although it’s the smallest country in Central America geographically, El Salvador had the third largest economy in the region. This sudden change caught state unbalanced about workers’ protection so that Occupational Health and Safety measurements hadn’t been taken so far properly. Because of the fact that a large part of the population was engaged in hazardous activities such as agriculture, deaths and injuries took a particularly heavy toll. With Mauricio Funesgovernment, El Salvador made some legislative arrangements in order to meet the needs of labour market. Existence and persistence of the balance in working life and well beings of workers at work depend on supporting decent work and increasing registered employment. The Ministry of Labour and Social Prevision in cooperation with related ministries and representatives of workforce played the key role in improving occupational health and safety in the country. To determine the prevalence and nature of occupational injuries among workers in Latin America, as well as to identify factors that predict these work-related injuries, El Salvador participated in a joint program with other Latin America states. With this concept, II Hemispheric Workshop on Occupational Health and Safety was initiated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Prevision of El Salvador. It was co-organized by the Department of Social Development and Employment of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and FUNDACERSSO, and it was funded by the Labor Program of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Yet, children workers are still the main problem on the field of OHS. Between 5,000 and 30,000 Salvadoran children, some as young as 8 years old, are working in El Salvadors sugarcane plantations where injuries, particularly severe cuts and gashes, are common, according to theHuman R ights Watch (HRW) report even tough Salvadoran law indicated that 18 is the minimum age for dangerous work. For a long time ensuring widespread awareness on OSH has been the main objective for El Salvador. El Salvadoran government puts a great efforts to decrease work-related injuries and causalities. Programs, to achieve this idea, have been developed very recently and some of them are still ongoing. According to us, advancing multidimensional conditions of workplaces would be accelerated by way of supporting efforts on these issues at national and international platforms by sharing practices via international programs and events. Agenda Item B:Â  Elimination of Discrimination in Workplaces Discrimination is a negative judgment toward a persons gender, age, religion, race, nationality, sexual preference or height and is a huge problem that can be found worldwide inside and outside of the workplace. On account of the fact that a large number of governments passes laws that make discrimination illegal, employers must follow these laws when hiring employees and employees must act in these law’s framework. But even with rules in place, many people still fall victim to discrimination at workplaces. There have been numerous legislative movements to ban discrimination’s every shape. One of the most important act was Civil Rights of Act 1964 which outlawed and prohibited discrimination by covered employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national. International organizations such as International Labour Organization and United Nations have been setting their agendas by considering discrimination, especially discrimination in workplaces. While everyone is a potential victim; women, LGBT’s, ethnic minorities, migrants, persons with disabilities constitute majority of discrimination victims in workplaces. As a supporter of this argument, Human Development Report in 2011 revealed that 52 percent of non-Hispanic whites expressed anti Hispanic attitudes towards their co-workers in U.S. Gaining independence from Spain in 1821, El Salvador’s more recent history has been marked by a bitter civil war in the 1980s which left more than 75,000 people dead and 500,000 displaced. The country was then hit by a series of natural disasters in the 1990s and 2000s, which left more than a million people homeless. These occurrences made the state impotent and unstabilized. Thus, Salvadoran authorities have not adopted the findings and recommendations made by UN and ILO bodies in the field of discrimination in workplaces between those years properly. But after 2000 to present, El Salvador has shown an incredible improvement to ban all forms of discrimination, especially during presidency of Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena. As a first step on this area on August 19, 1981, El Salvador ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which defines discrimination and establishes an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. In 1996, prior to the Committees review of El Salvadors compliance with CEDAW, the government of El Salvador established the Institute for Development of Women. The Institute seeks to ensure that action plans created by the government to protect women are implemented effectively. Yet these amendments were not enough. Althoughwomen inEl Salvadorenjoy equal protection under the law, they were often at a disadvantage relative to their male counterpart according to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 2001.Also as indicated in Human Development Report the femalelabor force participation ratein El Salvador was 45.9 percent, compared to the male rate of 76.7 percent. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)persons inEl Salvadorhad been facing legal challenges in workplaces. No national law does exist to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, although the law prohibited discrimination on the basis of HIV/AIDS status, in practice, discrimination was widespread. All in all, there was discrimination against women, persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, and indigenous people at workplace and there weren’t adequate provisions or codes to eliminate discrimination. When calendars showed 2001, El Salvadoran President and his government started to take steps to foresee any legal or constitutional challenges to resolve the problems highlighted in a UN general assemblyreporton discrimination at workplaces. Also ensured those rights would strengthen the constitution of El Salvador. The Secretariat for Social Inclusion, created in June 2009 by President Funes, who named the first lady Vanda Pignato as secretary, made efforts to overcome traditional bias in all these areas. The constitution provided for the right of workers. In 2009 the government amended the constitution to grant legal status to public worker unions. The law established sentences of one to three years in prison to person who discriminate in the workplace. There were no government programs dedicated to combating discrimination but now The Vida Digna (Life with Dignity) program has been adopted to El Salvador to fight against discrimination based on HIV. Also on the basis of sexual ori entation, in practice discrimination was widespread, especially against transgender persons. In January the new administration approved the legal registration application filed in August 2009 by the gay rights NGO Entre Amigos. This is the first NGO focused on sexual minorities registered by the government whose primary declared work was other than the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Although it’s considerable headway, El Salvador will not be satisfied with this arrangements and for sure, sanctions and regulations will improve gradually to reach international criteria. As clearly seen discrimination in workplaces is widespread in many countries. In our opinion, such systematic human rights violations can only be deterred by the humanly will of governments, employers and employees in taking resolute action against people who discriminate at all levels.