Why Blame John Essay Example For Students

Why Blame John Essay Charlotte Perkins Gilmans short story The Yellow Wallpaper has been historically viewed as either a work of supernatural horror or as a feminist treatise regarding the role of women in society. A close analysis of Gilmans use of symbols reveals The Yellow Wallpaper as her response to the misogynist view of hysteria from ancient times through the nineteenth century. In The Yellow Wallpaper Gilman questions the validity of Hippocratess theory of the wandering uterus and Weir Mitchells rest cure. As she wrote in her essay Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?, the story was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy†¦ (107). By her own account, Gilmans purpose in writing The Yellow Wallpaper was to educate and inform the public of the misinterpretation of hysterical symptoms. We will write a custom essay on Why Blame John specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The origin of the word hysteria expresses the belief in the inferiority of women. As James Palis writes in The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts: Etymologically, the term usteria (hysteria) derives from ustera (hystera), the Greek word for uterus, which means an inferior position. Thus, usteria denotes suffering of the uterus, the most inferior organ in the female (226). The fact that the literal translation of hystera is inferior position reinforces the fact that from ancient times women were viewed as physically inferior to men. Since the one major physical difference between women and men is the presence of the uterus, psychological problems that were considered to be strictly female were attributed to some malfunction of the uterus. Hippocrates first proposed in his work The Art of Healingthat hysteria was caused by a wandering uterus (Hothersall 16). He believed that the uterus could dislodge itself in the body and wander around the female body attaching itself to other organs. Hippocrates explained that the various symptoms of hysteria, such as nervousness, depression, and hysterical fits, were caused by the uteruss interactions with the other organs in the body. In his text On the Nature of Women he explains the cause and treatment of a hysterical fit: If the uterus comes towards the liver, the female suddenly becomes speechless, and clenches her teeth, and her color comes back†¦In such situations, push beneath the liver with the hand and tighten a bandage beneath the hypochondria, and by opening the mouth administer a most fragrant wine, and anoint the nostrils and apply malodorous fumigations. And fragrant fumigations below the uterus. (Palis 227)Not only was the uterus capable of wandering around the body, it was believed that the womb was attracted and repelled by certain odors. Gilman seems to address the ridiculousness of such logic when she refers to the inconsistencies in the design of the wallpaper in The Yellow Wallpaper. The narrator complains, On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, that is a constant irritant to a normal mind (263). This same complaint could be used against the popular view of hysteria. The theory that the womans uterus dislodged itself in the body and wandered around aimlessly violates natural law. In this respect, the ancient view of hysteria is similar to the wallpaper design since they both defy physical laws and cause pain to a logical mind. Textual evidence also suggests that Gilman uses the movement behind the wallpaper to represent the supposed movement of the uterus within the hysterics body. The narrator complains in her journal, I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design (260). The silly and conspicuous front design not only refers to the wallpaper, but to the outer appearance of the nineteenth-century woman. She presented herself to society as demure, nave, and nurturing while her true character skulked behind her facade. Since any deviation from the norm of female behavior was anciently attributed to the uterus, the strange, provoking, formless sort of figure represents the womb. The narrator further describes the movement behind the wallpaper: And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern (262). Just as the womb creeps within the hysterics body, the woman creeps behind the pattern of the wallpaper. The act of the woman stooping down also suggests a regression to childhood, which is also a regression to the womb. In this respect, the stooping woman wandering behind the wallpaper symbolizes the wandering uterus in the body. Another aspect of the ancient view of hysteria that Gilman confronts with her use of symbols in The Yellow Wallpaper is the way in which the medical profession prevented the uterus from wandering about the body. As Cheryl Meyer writes in The Wandering Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women: No one knew for certain how to prevent the hysterical fit from happening, but one cure was to anchor the uterus. This could easily be accomplished through either impregnating the woman or keeping the uterus moist through intercourse so it would not seek out the moisture of other organs. (1)Gilman employs symbols of prison and entrapment to represent the process of anchoring the uterus. Gilmans symbols represent the literal anchor of inequality that suppresses women within a misogynist society. The narrators bedroom is the most obvious symbol of womans entrapment in a misogynist society. She describes the history of the room in her journal: It was a nursery first and then a playroom and gymnasium, I should judge for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls (257). The description of the barred windows and the rings on the walls reveals the prison-like environment of the nursery. The emphasis on the functionality as a nursery first and then a playroom and gymnasium suggests that the room transforms to suit all terms of imprisonment. The narrators inability to escape the entrapment of societys view of women is reinforced in her husbands refusal to remove the wallpaper. He said that after the wall-paper was changed it would be the heavy bedstead, and then the barred windows, and then that gate at the head of the stairs, and so on (258). Given that one of the interpretations of the wallpaper is that it represents the Greek view of hysteria, the removal of this wallpaper represents the removal of the medical bias against women. Yet the husband views the removal of the symbolic wallpaper as inconsequential, since he believes that once he removes it he will be asked to remove the heavy bedstead, barred windows, and the gate at the head of the stairs. John represents the male viewpoint that once certain rights and liberties are afforded to women, women will demand to be equal with men. .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .postImageUrl , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:hover , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:visited , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:active { border:0!important; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:active , .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4 .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua237534d515b46b280fc7fbf336e1ba4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Fall Of Communism In Russia EssayGilman attributed the lack of respect for women as one of the factors contributing to their depression. In her essay The Nervous Breakdown of Women she stresses the importance of economic equality between the sexes:Even if we should remove every legal and political discrimination against women; even if we should accept their true dignity and power as a sex; so long as their universal business is private housework they remain, industrially, at the level of private domestic hand labor, and economically a nonproductive, dependent class;emdash;servants of the other sex. (71)Gilman addresses the problems of the newly industrialized economy. It is her view that this shift in the power of economics from the wife and husband team to just the husband makes the abandoned wives the dependent classemdash;servants of the other sex. Gilman also addresses the belief that women are physically weaker than men in The Nervous Breakdown of Women:†¦the faults and virtues, charms and failings, strength and weakness of women are being continually discussed, and one of the favorites of the disputants is the last named subject;emdash;womans physical weakness. By those who deprecate the change in the position of women, their unquestioned endurance, which has enabled them work their lives long at the ceaseless cares and labors of housework, with the cares and labors of maternity as well, is held to belong only to those special tasks; and the nervous breakdown, which is more conspicuous when the sufferer is in business, is assumed to be a consequence of that business. (67-68)She challenges the notion that though women are physically str ong enough to carry the burden of childbirth, yet they are viewed as incapable of the strength of character necessary to work outside of the home. In this passage Gilman is challenging the prominent Dr. Weir Mitchells belief that hysteria, the nervous breakdown of women, was caused when women attempted to do the work of men. According to Dr. Mitchell, the nervous breakdown occurred when women were unable to handle their own physical limitations. Dr. Mitchell developed a rest cure which he believed cured hysterical women. Mitchells rest cure was based on the premise that women were physically inferior to men. He believed that hysteria was caused by a womans inferior constitution. His rest cure consisted of ceasing all of the womans mental and physical labors. Mitchell believed that women should not seek higher forms of education because their bodies couldnt handle the stress. He explains his reasoning in his essay Wear and Tear:It were better not to educate girls at all between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, unless it can be done with careful reference to their bodily health. To-day, the American woman, is to speak plainly, too often physically unfit for her duties as a woman, and is perhaps of all civilized females the least qualified to undertake those weightier tasks which tax so heavily the nervous system of man. (110)Mitchells belief as a top nerve specialist that women are risking their bodily health by taxing their weak brains emphasizes the misinformation regarding the medical model of hysteria that was prevalent in the nineteenth century. Gilman had first-hand knowledge of the aftereffects of the rest cure. Mitchell treated her for a severe depression that followed the birth of her daughter, Katherine, during her first marriage to Charles Stetson. She notes how her experiences with Mitchell served as the inspiration behind the writing of The Yellow Wallpaper in her essay Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?:For many years, I suffered from a severe and continuous nervous breakdown tending to melancholiaemdash;and beyond. During the third year of this trouble I went, in devout faith and some faint stir of hope, to a noted specialist in nervous diseases, the best known in the country. This wise man put me to bed and applied the rest cure, to which a still good physique responded so promptly that he concluded there was nothing much the matter with me, and sent me home with solemn advice to live a domestic a life as far as possible, to have but two hours intellectual life a day, and never to touch pen, brush or pencil again a s long as I lived. I went home and obeyed those directions for some three months, and came so near the border line of utter mental ruin that I could see over. (106)Gilmans personal experiences with Dr. Mitchell revealed the fallacies in his belief that overtaxing a weak brain caused hysteria. Gilmans own experiences revealed the true cause of her melancholia: refraining from her innate desire to write. She concluded after her abstinence of writing that work is joy and growth and service, without which one is a pauper and a parasite†¦(106). Gilman concluded that the denial of intellectual activity led to the disintegration of self-worth. Gilman directly implicates Dr. Mitchell as a member of the medical community with erroneous beliefs regarding female hysteria in The Yellow Wallpaper. The narrator complains of her husbands threat of treatment in her journal: John says if I dont pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. But I dont want to got there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so! (260). This negative comparison between John and Dr. Mitchell alerts the reader that the suppression that the narrator is exposed to at the hands of her husband parallels the oppression of Gilman by Dr. Mitchell. References to Dr. Mitchells rest cure are also found within the text of The Yellow Wallpaper. Mitchell defines his rest cure in his essay Fat and Blood: †¦the rest I like for my patients is not at all their notion of rest. To lie abed half the day, and sew a little and read a little, and be interesting as invalids and excite sympathy is all very well, but when they are bidden to stay in bed a month, and neither to read, write, nor sew†¦then repose becomes for some women a rather bitter medicine. (105-106)This patronizing view of treating women as school children who faked illness to stay home from school and then had to stay in bed all day is echoed in The Yellow Wallpaper in the way in which John, as the narrators husband and practicing physician, treats his wife. The narrator describes the rest cure as prescribed by her husband: †¦I am absolutely forbidden to work until I am well again (255). The emphasis on work as the potential cause of hysteria mirrors Mitchells b elief that the American woman was physically unfit for her duties in Wear and Tear. Although the narrator questions the validity of the rest cure she submits to the treatment. Her reasoning is If a physician of high standing, and ones own husband, assures everyone that there is really nothing the matter with one but a temporary nervous depressionemdash;a slight hysterical tendencyemdash;what is one to do? (255). This statement most likely has autobiographical relevance. Gilman explains through the voice of her character the reasons behind her submission to Dr. Mitchells treatment. .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .postImageUrl , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:hover , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:visited , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:active { border:0!important; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:active , .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494 .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u02adcaa837d590db4b18b572d32c7494:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Illegalization Of Abortion EssayMitchells belief that the cause of hysteria is the taxation of weak minds is echoed in Johns warning to his wife. She recalls, He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency (258). Although from a twentieth-century point of view suppressing independent thought is ludicrous, in the nineteenth-century it was good sense. Mitchells method of rest cure treated women as children by restricting them to bed rest and forbidding them to engage in any adult activities. Johns view of his wife as a child is seen in The Yellow Wallpaper in the manner in which husband and wife interact. John and the narrator do not possess a normal adult relationship. This is apparent in the way in which John refers to his wife as little girl (262) and a blessed little goose(258). John acts more as a father figure than as a husband. In response to his wifes complaints he responds, Bless her little heart!†¦She shall be as sick as she pleases! insinuating that his wife is exaggerating her symptoms for comfort. He also puts her to bed like a child. His wife recalls, And dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head (261). The extent to which Dr. Mitchell treated his female patients as children is apparent in his essay Fat and Blood. In regard to the rest cure he writes, Where at first the most absolute rest is desirable, I arrange to have the bowels and water passed while lying down (106). This aspect of the rest cure is also represented in The Yellow Wallpaper as the weird color and sm ell of the wallpaper that disgusts the narrator. The narrator complains, It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever sawemdash;not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things (265). She complains of the smell: It creeps all over the house (265). In this respect, the wallpaper symbolizes the diaper that the patient must wear. Both the wallpaper and the diaper represent the indignity of the patients treatment as infants. The fate of the female protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper is Gilmans response to the misogynist view of hysteria from ancient times through the nineteenth century. The only option for women who are pigeonholed as mentally ill is to live up to societys expectation. Yet Gilman does not end The Yellow Wallpaper on a pessimistic note. She offers her protagonist hope in the form of the other women trapped behind the wallpaper. The narrator realizes the reason for the wallpapers ever-changing pattern:The front pattern does move-and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over. (265)The narrator finds solace in the fact that she is not the only woman being mistreated. The narrator discovers that the only way to over come the yellow wallpaper and societys misconstrued views towards women is to unite with other oppressed women. She expresses her triumph over the wallpaper: I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper (267). It is only when she unites with the other women trapped behind the wallpaper that she can start to see progress in the removal of the wallpaper. Hope for the role of women in society is also displayed through Gilmans use of imagery at the ending. The narrator questions her husbands response to her success over the wallpaper: Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so I had to creep over him every time! (269). This image portrays the man as physically weaker than the woman since he is unconscious on the floor. The wifes actions of creeping over him suggest physical dominance. In this image, Gilman has reversed Dr. Weir Mitchells theory that females are the weaker sex. After a careful analysis of the textual evidence in The Yellow Wallpaper it is apparent that Gilmans purpose was far greater than scribing a supernatural tale. Although some of her reading audience found the mental degeneration of the main character disturbing, her purpose was to reveal the horrific way in which members of the medical profession treated women. The true irony lies in the fact that Gilman avenged the misogynist stereotype of the nineteenth-century woman by engaging in an activity that was forbidden by Dr. Mitchell. By choosing to disregard doctors orders in order to continue her own intellectual pursuits, Gilman forged the way for other women to question the validity of the medical communitys beliefs. Bibliography:Works CitedGilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Nervous Breakdown of Women:The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L Erskine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 67-75. . Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Study of the Short Fiction. Ed. Denise D Knight. New York, Twayne Publishers, 1997. 106-107. . The Yellow Wallpaper. American Realism Reader. Ed. James Nagel and Tom Quirk. New York: Penguin Books, 1997. 254-269. Hothersall, David. History of Psychology. 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1995. Meyer, Cheryl L. The Wandering Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Mitchell, S. Weir. Fat and Blood: The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L. Erskine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 105-109. . Wear and Tear. The Yellow Wallpaper. Women Writers: Texts and Contexts. Ed. Thomas L Erksine and Connie L. Richards. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1993. 109-111. Palis, James., et al. The Hippocratic Concept of Hysteria: A Translation of the Original Texts. Integrative Psychiatry 3.3 (1985): 226-228.

Maintaining and improving operations

Maintaining and improving operations Abstract The supermarket industries are among the largest economic upholds in the U.S. The expansion of the customer base is a noticeable consistent growth of the supermarket industry that deals with diverse products. The global expansions plans require enhancement of more effective promotional strategies in order to overcome the economic challenges. Comprehensive financial predicaments affect the consumer behaviours and, therefore these end-users tend to change their purchasing styles due to a lack of trust and confidence.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Maintaining and improving operations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Financial strains also causes the consumers to demand for lowering of prices and at times the situation causes shift of the consumption patterns, for instance the expenditure tends to incline more on the food products over the non-edibles. This is mainly attributable to the reduction of disposable income, and eventually such kind of trend affects the industry’s financial performance. This report focuses on the performance of food industries with a special attention to Wal-Mart as a global retailer. Overview of Wal-Mart Recent financial recessions affected the economic routine of Wal-Mart, but the firm came through and managed to improve the economic global presentation. The reduction on the number of clients visiting the stores globally during the financial crisis of 2007 did not pull back the overall performance. According to Hoovers AD B Company (2010), Wal-Mart stores were still able to pull out a marginal sales growth of 0.7%. This resulted to only a minimal reduction in the firm’s financial performance. It equally came about due to the consumer trust, but one of the major concerns that various global stores must deal with connects to the safety, quality and value of the edible products. Different states’ administrations as well as the nongovernmenta l organizations have had to heighten the food regulation policies within the industries. A good example is directive that governs refrigeration, which ensures that firms in the food retailing industries observe various environmental concerns. Extra tax policies are also set to ensure compliance with new guiding principles. Six Components of Wal-Mart’s Supply Chains Information The effectiveness of a supply chain depends highly on the accuracy and speedy flow of information from the consumer to the production line. The competitiveness in the food industry has seen Wal-Mart incorporate technology into its operations as a measure of enhancing operational efficiency. Innovation demands for a streamlined information flow through computer networks as a measure of enhancing proper movement of inventory as per the demands. Information also entails implementation of the accounting systems, inventory management systems, systems for planning resources and global communication networks. Wal-Mart growth also has a connection to its ability of soliciting and facilitating online transfer of goods and services. This enables the firm to provide the customers with the right products as per the demands at the right time.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Production To attain a competitive advantage, Wal-Mart differentiates some of the food products according to categories for instance, the stores ensures differentiation according to buyer’s age. One question the industry has to answer is what does the consumer want or demand? The key importance of addressing production falls upon the quantity and type of products. The firm has to know which and how many parts of production require outsourcing form competent suppliers. The firm must face up to needs of finding the exact or approximate quantity required for each of its stores without a compromise on q uality and customer satisfaction. The resource planning team can be of great assistance in this case since there is need for proper schedule to meet demands, control of quality, and balance of the workload beside the overall maintenance of the production line. Supply The resource planning system of the industry is strongly required to ensure enhancement of supplies. To guarantee that supply strategy succeeds, Wal-Mart invests in market research. The strategy makes certain that there is continuous value addition to the firm’s products and that the supplies go as per market demands. Repetitive customer market research enables Wal-Mart to identify the varying consumer tastes and preferences particularly in connection with food products. Supply management also requires value analysis since changes on demands require products analysis and equivalent adjustments. The main challenge in this case is the ability to attain as well as maintain competitive edge by ensuring supplies integ rates to demands especially on matters concerning tastes and preferences. Inventory Inventory management is ability to determine the amount of products required in the warehouses. The challenge that Wal-Mart must deal with in this case involved management of the right quantity of inventory. Too much inventory means more costs, while too little can sabotage firm’s growth due to lost consumer trust, therefore the firm must meet demands. Management of optimal stock levels at each supply chain store ensures satisfaction, thus enhancing trust and fluctuation of demands as required in retailing industries. A resource planning system at the order points can assist in monitoring of levels to control supplies. Inventory levels are critical since excess production or supplies can affect other business operations mechanically or financially. Location The global investment requires close monitoring of the demand trends and preferences. Wal-Mart has strategized its production and supply u nits to support distribution and inventory management.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Maintaining and improving operations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Long-term plans of a retailing industry such as Wal-Mart requires practical strategic location of production and stocking facilities, for instance the light and non-technical products can be closer to the end-users. Heavier products demands for bigger production and supply units thus must be closer to the raw materials. The decisions concerning location also require a resource planning system for close analysis especially during global distribution. Transportation According to Levy and Weitz (2001), transport decisions have a close relation to inventory management and consumer demands. Various means of transportation differ in terms of cost, cargo quantity and speed. A good percentage of the production cost fall within the transportation schedules; therefore, us e of the right channel is critical. The transportation mode must meet the inventory measures for effective supply as per the demands. This is often a strategic operational decision that ensures smooth supply of goods. Global Operation Processes of Wal-Mart Currently, there are high hopes over future performance of the industry considering that there are notable improvements of the global economy after the 2007 recession. Wal-Mart is a global retailer with global reach of potential clients and ability to monitor as well as react on time to overcome possible economic crisis. Global accomplishment also enables the firm to financially strategize and hence recover its other financial sectors. Wal-Mart’s Approach to Solving Operational Problems One of the main challenge the firm faces is ability to form a financial defence over its ability to attain global reach through expansion of retail stores to different countries. Financial commitment and strategies guarantees the attainabili ty of global expansion. The firm must ensure that the chain stores acquisition strategy meets the quality policies. Wal-Mart formulates acquisition of stores through analysis of demands at the domestic markets. The global expansion increases financial recovery while picking a strategy that lowers the financial costs. Globally, Wal-Mart has had financial difficulties over remittances for operations due to the fluctuation of the foreign exchange rates. The drop on Wal-Mart’s financial growth in the recent years is therefore attributable to reduced financial performance. However, stability of the foreign exchange rate causes the global economic recovery of the industry (Wal-Mart annual report, 2010). A resource planning system can monitor the economic recession by finding possibilities of future reductions on consumers’ disposable income, thus reduced levels of consumption. The system can also assist to monitor consumption trend among the end users and consequently advice on upgrading choices (Levy and Weitz, 2001).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Wal-Mart’s Performance Chart The financial performance of Wal-Mart has been on an upward trend for the past three financial years. There has been a steady increase in the revenue level, resulting in an increase of the firm’s earnings per share. The table and chart below indicated the performances. (In million $) Revenue Gross profit Operating income Total net income Earnings per share January 2009 405,607 99,449 23,082 13,400 3.39 January 2008 378,799 92,284 22,301 12,731 3.13 January 2007 348,650 84,498 20,777 11,284 2.71 Source: Financial reports: (Hoovers AD B Company, 2010) Wal-Mart’s global expansion strategy causes the net sales to rise. References Hoovers AD B Company. (2010). Wal-Mart Financial Records. Web. Levy, M. Weitz, B. (2001). Retailing Management. New York, NY: Irwin/McGraw-Hill Publishers. Wal-Mart annual report. (2010). Wal-Mart Performance. Retrieved from http://c46b2bcc0db5865f5a76-91c2ff8eba65983a1c33d367b8503d02.r78.cf2.ra ckcdn.com/6c/20/87b0b3df469ebee838a2630c2c1a/2010-annual-report-for-walmart-stores-inc_130221021765802161.pdf

World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

World War I - Essay Example According to (Clark 21), the four main causes of the World War I were nationalism, militarism, imperialism and alliances. Imperialism which is domination of one country as a result of its prowess in economics, politics or culture was caused by the fact that after the industrial revolution, some nations in Europe became rich and hence started controlling other nations. As a result of the imperialistic foreign policies imposed by the great empires like the Ottoman Empire, Russian Empire and Germany Empire, tensions began to accumulate. Following the scramble and partition of Africa in search of natural resources to trade, the European nations started recruiting the Africans to use crude weapons. Nations also started acquiring military weapons in preparation for a war as a result of the increasing tension. This militarism paved a smooth way for the way. Most of the Europeans were nationalists who were prepared to defend their nations against any enemies or attack by foreign policies. When the heir of Austria-Hungary was assassinated, it is nationalism that led to the people of Austria declare war against the Yugoslav nationalists. With the tensions already high in Europe, the war was sparked. Alliances were quickly formed as European nations began choosing the nations they would support in the wars and this led to the spread of the war to most parts of Europe. With each country in the alliance bringing in Africans on top of their military to fight the enemies and with the previously acquired arms and other crude weaponry, the war continued until 1918. The United States of America would not have joined the war had the Germans not triggered it with their constant nuisance. Germany’s submarines were constantly violating the international law and entering illegally into American waters. They even sunk a British ship killing several Americans.

Macro Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macro Project - Assignment Example Attributed to their low population, the two countries have achieved one of the highest employment rates in the world. As the statistics have it, the two countries have achieved above 90% employment rate and hence the economy grows rapidly. The rate of inflation in the two countries is very low, though some disparities are clear. When it comes to exports, the two countries export petroleum products as their principle source of foreign exchange. However, Qatar exports fertilizers and raw aluminum while Kuwait exports cement and ships. Their chief imports include cars, jewelry and aircraft; and food, construction material and vehicles for Qatar and Kuwait respectively. Qatar has favorable balance of trade as the difference between the export and import is very high. This means that the currency in Qatar is very strong against that of the trading partners. This implies that the country earn a lot in terms of foreign exchange. As such, it is important for the country to maintain its export at a higher level as it directly impacts its economic growth. Other significance of a higher net export is that the country will have better terms of international trade and higher bargaining power in international trade and other affairs, Hightower

Mis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mis - Essay Example In order to ensure the security of the users in the information systems, several measures have to be taken; this is to avoid any inconveniences in the running of the organization. Security is ensured to the users when the organization makes regular changes to their management information systems. This is done through successful implementation of updated and new software and hardware components. These continuous changes bring about better adjustment done to configure the information systems. Also, the frequent changes makes the users be aware of the emerging security threats and they therefore adapt to the emerging situation. In most organizations, they have to develop their information systems, in so doing so, they have to employ several components, these components are different and can be interconnected in their specified arrangements in that they can encounter the organization’s mission, business their security needs (Dhillon& Backhouse, 2000). To ensure that there is security in information, there are various techniques that have to be implemented for the management, operation and security in conformation. These techniques go hand in a hand with se veral mainframes which include, servers, applications, operating systems and work stations (Dhillon& Backhouse, 2000). Maintaining of information with a level of confidentiality, availability and integrity is of much benefit to the users. Inorder to ensure security in information, the security systems have to control its access panel. The major role of access is to prevent unauthorized log in from unknown users in that they will not adjust or use their information. Access is grouped into three categories; preventive, corrective and detective. These three categories have their roles, preventive control role is elimination of occurrence of a disastrous event; detective controls

Southwest Airlines Corporations

Southwest Airlines Corporations In year of 2006, Southwest Airlines celebrated its 34th consecutive year of profitability. While other airlines paces of profitability appear to be stagnant; Southwest Airlines was announced as one of the most admired corporations by Fortune 500 Magazine (Southwest 2006). Southwests success is deeply related to the new strategies that other airlines dont even dare to consider. The corporate culture and strategic philosophy stands out, making Southwest the leader in the whole airline industry. Southwest Airlines strategy can be described as â€Å"short-haul, low-fare, high-frequency, and point-to-point carrier (Fortune Magazine 2006)†. A lot of people consider that the marketing strategy that Southwest Airlines currently using is the low cost provider strategy. Low cost provider strategy is a strategy which is committed to driving down the cost through its value chain system (Broydrick 1995)†. This strategy allows companies to compete aggressively on price earning high pr ofit margins than rivals. But the low cost provider strategy is not the cure-all prescription for all the problems. If the quality of a product or service is not guaranteed, the low cost provider strategy is not likely to work. From a macro perspective, it seems that Southwest Airlines is using the low cost provider strategy to stand out among all other airlines. Rather, it is using the best cost provider strategy because from a competitive positioning standpoint, best cost strategies are a â€Å"hybrid, balancing a strategic emphasis on low cost against a strategic emphasis on differentiation (supervalue) (Entrepreneur 1995).† In order to analyze the factors which contributed to the success of Southwest Airline Corporation more efficiently, we can use the McKinsey 7-S Model. In Peter and Watermans masterpiece â€Å"In Search of Excellence†, the book summarized that in order for a corporation to be successful; there are factors which it must acquire. The reason why that they are considering the success in this way was because that successful corporations they picked from the top list of the Fortune Magazine all possessed seven criterion. That is the famous McKinsey 7-S framework that Southwest Airline based its strategies on, which guarantees that â€Å"any intelligent approach to eventual success of organizing had to encompass (Peters and Waterman, 1982)†. The McKinsey framework includes eight attributes: 1) A Bias for Action. This attribute is based on the principle of â€Å"can do, let try.† This means that the principle favors experimentation. Southwest often goes out of its way to â€Å"amuse, surprise and entertain† its passengers (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† 2) Close to the Customer. This implies that the closeness to customers are expressed as an attitude concentrating on â€Å"valued clients† rather than valued employees of Southwest Airlines treat the customers as â€Å"valued clients† rather than â€Å"valued wallets.† They care about the customers not only just for one trip, but their futures as well. Moreover, the letters from customers are answered personally rather than using a standardized formula. Southwests CEO Kelleher actively supported that because he declared that there are three advantages which could be drawn from the service. First, it is the employee performance. Kelleher considers it the best way to value its employees. Second, the inputs from the letters which are authentically wrote indicates the real deficiencies that Southwest might encounter. Third, there is no worry about the letters because if cu stomers are willing to spend time on writing it, there is a great possibility that their concern shown on the letters are true and realistic. Southwest rarely uses survey questions to test its customers to test customer satisfaction. Because most surveys are made up of multiple choices from scales such as from 1 to 10, or from excellent to bad. It is hard from customers to think that the corporation belongs to which category. The difference between scales 5 and 7 might be real close which confuse the customers (Dauble 2005). As a result, some customers filled up the answers in guessing way that they dont even know what they are doing. They just want to get over with it. 3) Autonomy and Entrepreneurship. This indicates that in the whole corporation, every employee is a leader. They are respected just like any top managers. Everyone is welcome to submit new ideas or weakness of the corporation, and it has no hierarchy. Moreover, their will be competition within the corporation, but not suppression. Every competition is conducted in friendly manners. Unlike other corporations that the CEOs rarely allows themselves to meet the employees, the employees of Southwest can have lunch with Kelleher any day at any time (Marcial 2005). All the departments often shower free ice creams, pizza and other good stuffs to celebrate for each other when an assignment gets well done. Some employees from different departments in other corporations dont even know each other. All they do is doing their own work. Therefore, once there is a problem, it is extremely difficult for departments to work as a whole to solve the problem because they hardly know each other. This will wastes a lot of time, have the possibility of leading the corporation into the wrong direction, and intensifies the relationship of managers between departments in the situation that when they are unable to reach consensus (Lynch 2005). Furthermore, Southwest welcomes failures as well as successes because it firmly believes that failure is the mother of success. When a failure appears, it means that the success is coming down the road. 4) Productivity through People. This strategy implies that there is no existence of personality tests. Sense of humor and an outgoing attitude is a must. At Southwest, communications are frequent and concerns of old people and young people are treated by old employees and young employees with outgoing attitudes and personalities. In this way, the negative effects and misunderstandings due to generation ga ps can be avoided. 5) Hand-on, Value-Driven. At Southwest, there is a policy that in every quarter, the top managers and executives must spend one day experiencing the jobs of their employees. By working on positions such as ticket agents, baggage handlers, or janitors, people from the top level will have an authentic feel of whats going on and where are difficulties and deficiencies (Bunz 1998). 6) Stick to the Knitting. This theory indicates that corporations should never expand too fast just because their financial results in the short run show success. Southwest will not expand recently because it follows the strategy and every move it makes is conducted in an extremely careful way. Southwest understands that if â€Å"hot meat appears, your eating it fast strategy probably will burn your mouth (McNerney 1996)†. 7) Simple Form and Lean Staff. This strategy means that â€Å"keeping an organizational staff lean simplifies channels of communication in an organization (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† The reason of this is because that the more layers a hierarch has in a corporation, the longer it makes to make a decision which could result in wasting time and resources. At Southwest, it is not the janitors clean up the airlines. Rather, flight attendants and top managers are people who do the cleanings. In this way, Southwest can save both money and time. Moreover, Southwest is always loyal to its employees as they are to the Southwest. Southwest uses the â€Å"always hire and rarely fire† principle when dealing with human resources (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† It never fires its employees just because of external factors such as the stagnant of economy or internal factors such as financial loss. 8) Simultaneous loose-tight properties. This means that the corporation has both a centralized and decentralized system which de-emphasizes hierarchy. Southwest has a democratic style of corporation culture with autonomy and a tight control of finance by the CEO to make sure that money and resources are not wasted. Besides the above-mentioned eight crucial strategies that successful corporations must acquire, Southwest has two more strategies that other successful corporations do not possess. One is the University of People, and the other one is its CEO Kelleher (BusinessWeek 2005). University of People is a program established by Southwest for training new emplo yees. The trainees treat rookies just like the way they treat customers with great respect. Southwest firmly believes that the way it treats its employees will be an indicator of standards and positive motivation for employees to treat customers in same manners in the way which they are treated, or even better. As the CEO of Southwest, Kelleher is a successful executive with great responsibilities. He is also looked upon as a person with great sense of humor. An employee described that â€Å"wherever Mr. Kelleher goes, you will always hear sounds of laughs and feel an atmosphere of harmony (Gavinderajan 2002).† The successful corporation structure and philosophy of centralized and decentralized differentiation of the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy brings a change, as well as a revolution of corporate structure innovations from old styles to the new ones. The â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is very successful currently. Southwest is successful not only because of the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy. Southwests corporate strategy in areas of human resources, financial control, employee motivation and promotion, frequent communications between different levels, and the hardness for other airlines to duplicate are also factors which go with the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy, differentiating Southwest from the rest of airlines, and therefore ensuring the success of such great achievement. However, huge problems are likely to take place in the long run. Just like Darwins Theory â€Å"survival of the fittest† indicates that every element is on its way of evolving, being unchanged will eventually be discarded by time and success in the long run. It is true that Kellehers â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is extremely successful at present, but it will never guarantee that depending solely on this strategy will still be succes sful in the future. Looking into the history of the human kind, and look at ourselves now, how is it different from the past and the present? If all human beings have not evolved, if the science in every field has not changed, will we still have the same outlooks as what we are having now? I dont think so. Without the evolving of human kind and the improvements in scientific field, we will be no different compared with the primary humans in the early stages. Dont even mention about watching television, taking shower, surfing on the internet, flying in the airplane, or even having delicious meals. Without changes and improvements, we will still be in the primary forests where once we belonged, eating raw meat like barbarians and sharing room with animals. There is no government, business entity or element which is able to stay unchanged forever. During the medieval period, the Roman Empire was the most powerful nation in the entire world. But it collapsed. The British once said that â€Å"the sun will never set on Great Britain†! It also collapsed. China invented three of the four ancient miracles, the method of printing, compass and gunpowder more than 3,000 years ago. It was also the center of power and civilization during the Tang Dynasty which lasted for more than 800 years. China also paved the way for the first international business that never had happened between the east and the west. When Marco Polo traveled to China during the peak of its prosperity, he was shocked and thrilled to see that difference between the east and the west. When the European were sharing rooms with animals, China already had palaces made out of gold, even the miracle of Great Wall which is the only manmade mark that can be seen from space. The dynasty also collapsed. From all the examples that I mentioned above, you can clearly see t hat every nation has its ups and downs. Forever power never exists. This is exactly the same as business. I will be astonished if you can tell me a business entity which has lasted for 500 years. Many people believe that Wal-Mart is unstoppable, and unfortunately, they are absolutely wrong. Decades ago, Sears was the â€Å"Wal-Mart† at that time. Look at Sears now, how different it is between the past and present. Who can guarantee decades later, there will be no corporations replacing Wal-Mart? If Kelleher has the same concerns as I do, it is possible that he will be worried about Southwest in the future. What if the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy stopped working? What if an underdog suddenly comes out, making Southwest stand on the border of failure? The situation for Southwest in the future is not as optimistic as it seems. However, it does not mean that Southwest is meant to be a failure. All roads lead to Rome, and whenever there is a will, there is a way. Kelleher can still use the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy to succeed. But the strategy must be converted from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective. In order for a company to be successful in the long run, it must expand. Kelleher said that Southwest has not made any decision to expand at present. But it does not mean that Southwest will never expand. As a business entity, corporations must expand globally to obtain more profits. Look at Wal-Mart, how many stores does it own worldwide? Need I say more? This also reminds me of an old saying which has it that â€Å"the largest fish in the river is never a big fish in the ocean†. If Southwest is satisfied just because of current profits and competitive advantages it has in the short run, it will not be Southwest anymore. I think that Southwest is on its way of planning its expansions, but with a very careful and conscientious attitude. It wants to make sure that the new strategy will work when the decision of expanding is made. There might be countless strategies for Kelleher to come up with. I know one strategy which I consider the best strategy because using this new strategy, Southwest can be very successful in the long run. It can also save time and resources. So what is this so-called strategy? I consider it the most successful not because of my arbitrary standing point of â€Å"pride and prejudice.† Rather, I recognized its importance and advantages because I have done a lot of research to make sure that this approach makes sense. The strategy I am using now is one strategy from the masterpiece called â€Å"The Art of War†, written by the greatest military strategist ever in history more than 3,000 years ago. The authors name is Sun Zi. What is so great and amazing about this book is that it has listed all the strategies which can be applied and used in all scientific fields, such as military, business, geometry and all other natural sciences. Japan is renowned for its management which almost cracked down the American automobile industry, and every top manager in Japan always makes sure they the book ‘The Art of War† lays on his desk. India is renowned for its financial system which also takes some strategies fr om â€Å"The Art of War†. United States Department of Defense and its military also adopted the strategies from the masterpiece of â€Å"The Art of War†, and manipulate them from a military science standing point (The Spread and popularity of the Art of War). In order to implement these strategies appropriately, one requirement must be met. The prerequisite is that the user must have a good understanding of military science built on the views that can be related and flexibly applied and manipulated from a perspective which solves problems based on methods of essence indirectly related from all other sciences. Knowledge is similar to a big family in that every element from every field mutually supports each other. For instance, when in process of establishing a military strategy, the person responsible for it must have good understandings of sciences such as geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry and even languages as well. In order for the strategy to operate well to the fullest extent of its capacity, the central strategist must have a good command of what geological area is the enemy in; what weapons has the enemy obtained; is it possible to use the scientific competitive advantage from a military perspective; what will the weather be like when the battle takes place; what mathematical calculation is needed for the army to defeat the enemy in a timely, resource-saving and casualty-reducing standpoint; after invading the area, what language and culture pattern that the enemy uses and has, etc. For geography, it is crucial for the strategist to decide which altitudes in the region would likely to be an advantage when fighting the battle. For weapons, the strategist must know whether the wea pons invented through the methods and formulas of physics and chemistry is a helping factor, and the basic laws and functions of the scientific principles in which the weapons are made based on knowledge of physics and chemistry. For meteorology, the strategist must have a good command of whats the weather would be like when the battle takes places because fighting on a sunny day and rainy day will have different results which could be the factors leading to either the victory or failure of the battle. For mathematics, the strategist must be pretty clear that why way is actually the nearest way offering competitive advantage for his troops. For linguistics, people who speak the enemys language and understand their cultural patterns will be a good indicator to lead the way. Ignorance of these necessary elements that eventually leads to failures is countless. In the Korean War, both sides have tried everything to keep control of the highest geographic positions; the first Russian space shuttle to the moon would provide Russia with a competitive technological advantage on weapons based on the same laws of sciences that were applied to the shuttle; the shuttle never comes back because the Russian scientists ignor ed one hundredth of a decimal point, and it resulted in deaths of all its excellent astronauts; the lost of the space shuttle which the government had supported financially, the time Russian scientists had devoted themselves to, and suspicions of scientific laws; all the hard work, the money and resources was wasted, and the laws of science were meant to be retested; the American troops in Iraq resulted in more casualties as expected because the strategist ignored the power of language, and hiring locals who hate Americans as translators who intentionally led Americans to opposite and wrong directions which resulted in lost of many lives which can possibly be saved if language and cultural pattern were considered. Finally, the reason that George Bush still could not find Bin Laden is because that he has no idea of the Iraqi landforms. If he knew that well, Bin Laden should already be caught and Saddam Hussein will not be the scapegoat. The strategy that Southwest Airlines should use in order to continue its success is also based on the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy. The difference is that the strategy must be inter-converted. Southwest can try its best to duplicate its â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy globally. For instance, it can do exactly the same business with the same strategy once again. But this time, Southwest has to do it in every part of the world. For instance, Southwest can expand its business in France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Greece, etc. All Southwest has to do is doing â€Å"Short-Haul† business in all the countries. Once the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy has spread to almost all the nations with economic prosperity, Southwest can start its â€Å"Long-Haul† strategy. Its global network will be linked like the solid structure of an atom, from Russia to Germany, Germany to France, France to Australia, Australia to China, and China to Switzerland, etc. By doing this, Southwest will have an extremely solid structure of global airline network that is likely to be very durable. The structure is similar to that of an atom. The structure of an atom can be described as one of the most solid structure among all other solid elements. This strategy adopted from â€Å"The Art of War† is based on the theory of strategic transformation, especially from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective (Chapter IV, Art of War). By duplicating its successful strategy of â€Å"Short-Haul†, Southwest will have the capabilities of accumulating more strengths little by little. When Southwest considers it the right time to transform the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy to â€Å"Long-Hauls†, it can connect its business in every corner of the world. Each business in a certain place can be regard as a dot; there will an enormous amount of dots that Southwest has worked on. Therefore, connections of all the dots will change the network s imilar to that of an atom. Atom is said to have the toughest element structure on earth. One atom does not mean anything; two atoms only make a molecule. But through countless chemical reactions of nuclear fissions, millions and billions of atoms will have the energy as powerful as that of the atomic bomb. This strategy is also flexible. When Southwest considers itself too hard to manage all its subdivisions, it can back up its structures to original format, transforming from a macro-perspective to a micro-perspective. It can also change some parts to macro and other parts to micro. Whenever it is needed, Southwest is capable of interchanging its structure into different forms that best fits can be calculated according to different situations. The huge advantage of this strategic has three crucial characteristics: First, all Southwest has to do to force other airlines out of business just by doing a slight shift. Once the headquarter take the move, every connections of the network over the world can either do the same as a whole or a slightly different according to its own situation. The reason that Southwest is able to do this is because it possesses both a centralized and decentralized structure which can choose the best outfits. Second, once the network is complete, it will be very durable. It can last for a very last period until the strategies made by other airlines are superior. As I mentioned above, every element is on the way of changing so that there is no forever monopoly. But when Southwest has the ability to applied the â€Å"Long-Hauls† strategy, it will already have obtained the role as the leader in the industry. It will then be extremely difficult for other airlines to innovate new ideas expecting to replace the Southwest because under that situation, Southwest have the power to make sure that other airlines do not have chances. I dont mean that there is no possibility another innovation of internal structure of corporations. But the probability is not likely because at that time, Southwest will have the possibility with a confidence interval of at least 90%. Finally, I will be thrilled and stunned if other corporations are able to come up with better strategies under such a suppressed atmosphere. In order for other airlines to jump out from the â€Å"vicious cycle†, they must have the ability to obtain two important factors, which are financial resources and time. The network at least will take Southwest ten years to complete with financing of trillions of dollars. It is not likely for other airlines to come up with trillions of dollars at once, and even Wal-Mart does not know if it possesses the ability. Moreover, there is another requirement of more importance. That i s the time. The most valuable thing in the entire world is time. There is no opportunity cost for time because time is always moving on and it is eternal. It can never stop. As a result, do those airlines have time to do it? How long do they need in order to come up with a better strategy, replacing that of the Southwests? Therefore, the possibility is extremely slight. Southwest has this advantage. It is only a matter of time! Its about how long Southwest can last! Bibliographies â€Å"Americas Most Admired Companies 2006†, Wall Street Journal, available @ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/snapshots/1253.html Dauble, Jennifer, â€Å"Top Fifty Companies to Watch, October 31, 2005†. Wall Street Journal, available @ http://www.dowjones.com/Pressroom/PressReleases/Other/US/2005.html._ Marcial, Gene, â€Å"Southwest Airlines Wings North†, November 7, 2005. BusinessWeek, available @ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958118.htm Lynch, Pat â€Å"Southwest Airlines†, Online Blogs From Google, April 5, 2005. Available @ http://finance.google.com/finance?q=luvhl=en â€Å"Southwest Fact Sheet†, March 28, 2006. Southwest Airlines Corporation, available @ http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/factsheet.html Bunz Ulla, â€Å"Learning Excellence, Southwest Airlines approach†, Volume 8, 1998. Available @ http://bunz.comm.fsu.edu/southwest.pdf Peter, TJ. And Waterman, R.H. (1982), In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best Run Companies, Harper Row, New York, NY. McNerney, D.J. (1996), â€Å"Employee motivation: creating a motivated workforce†, HR Focus, Vol.73 No.8, pp.1, 4-6. Gavinderajan Vijay, â€Å"Southwest Airline Corporation†, 2002, no. 20012. Trip Tracy, March 2006. â€Å"Best Practices Case Study: Best Perks, Southwest Airlines†, available @ http://vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3ch_id=402article_id=19258

Components of Open Marriage & Polyamory and the Ethics Thereof Essay

In America, the values of monogamous, heterosexual marriage are drilled into the fabric of the society – so much so that the prospect of any other setup becomes virtually unthinkable. However, in an ever-evolving semiosphere, these other setups are emerging from their hiding place in order to find a forefront spot in contemporary culture and establish themselves as legitimate lifestyles. Education and understanding become paramount as new ideas and formations appear, necessitating tolerance and even acceptance. One of these new formations is what’s known as an â€Å"open marriage,† in which one or both members of a dichotomous marriage seek sexual satisfaction through extraneous partners. Anyone who has ever truly invested their emotions in a relationship might look at this setup with a skeptical, even disgusted eye, and wonder how the marriage could last when sexual exclusivity is not maintained, but regardless, an estimated 6% of married couples are involved in open marriages and are perfectly content to be. â€Å"While many of today's adherents are aging swingers from the old school, a new generation - well organized and committed to legitimizing a lifestyle -- continues to push traditional notions of marital fidelity by having sex with people other than their spouses† (Goldman). A second lifestyle is called â€Å"polyamory,† meaning â€Å"many loves†. In these relationships, one or more members will â€Å"jointly date† and establish emotional connections with other people. Their original lover is called their â€Å"primary,† while everyone else is considered â€Å"secondary†. Polys – as participants are sometimes called – seek to experiment with human’s seemingly endless capacity for love and pursue deeper forms of self-discovery. Originally, marriage ex... ...nd Koray Tanfer, comps. Journal of Marriage and the Family: Sexual Exclusivity Among Dating, Cohabiting, and Married Women. Brigham Young University, Battelle Memorial Institute. 10 May 2008 Betsworth, Roger G. Social Ethics: an Examination of American Moral Traditions. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox P, 1990. 99-103. Goldman, Russell. "Are Open Marriages More Successful?" ABC News. 10 Aug. 2007. 07 May 2008 . Hesse, Monica. "Pairs with Spares." Washington Post. 13 Feb. 2008. 07 May 2008 . O'Neill, Nena, and George O'Neill. Open Marriage: a New Life Style for Couples. Avon Books / the Hearst Corporation, 1973.