Digital Divide

Digital divide is defined as the distance between those with access to the internet and those without. Digital Divide is a problem that stretches to all corners of the world. It affects not only people here in the U. S. but also countries across the globe. Two questions have to be asked in all this. The first is â€Å"Does the Digital Divide really exist? † and the second is â€Å"What is the real impact of the Digital Divide? † The idea of Digital Divide did not come into play until the early 1990’s with the passage by then President Bill Clinton of the High Performance Computing Act.What this act did was to provide funding for a high speed fiber optic network which would go on to become the internet that we use today. This enabled home computers to become more useful which in turn caused the number of personal computers in the U. S to skyrocket to over ten million in a five year period. (Rapaport, 2009) In all this a new department in the Clinton Administration was formed, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA is the President’s main advisor on information and telecommunication and was co-founded by Albert Hammond, a White House aide. Rapaport, 2009) It was Hammond in addition to NTIA administrator Larry Irving that came up with the phrase â€Å"Digital Divide† This phrase eventually began to appear in then V. P Al Gore’s speeches. As time went on, computer and internet prices began to fall. With these falling prices came the idea that the Digital Divide was closing. The new presidential administration did not have as great an interest in digital access and eventually â€Å"Digital Divide† became â€Å"Digital Inclusion. † The NTIA was eventually downgraded and its budget taken away. These actions eventually and effectively ended the NTIAThe question of it the Digital Divide is real can be answered by looking at the numbers, A report done by the Pew Research Center show s that one in five American adults does not use the internet, with senior citizens, those with less than a high school education and lower income adults being the least likely to have access to the internet. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) Americans with disabilities are even less likely to use the internet. Nearly half of those that do not go online say that don’t because they do not feel the internet is relevant to them.One thing that is helping to bridge the digital divide is the ever changing face of mobile technology. With the face of mobile technology changing at a rapid pace, those that were on the other side of the digital divide are now able to go online. Out of those groups, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience and lower income adults are more likely to use their smart phone as a main source of internet access. Internet use has grown greatly among U. S adults. In a span of 16 year, June 1995 to Jan 2011, internet use among those 18 and over has gone fro m just 14% to 78%. Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) In these numbers the line is still senior citizens, minorities, and low income as those less likely to have online access. A majority of those that do not use the internet feel they do not need it or are cautious of new technology. The difference between 2000 and 2011 is significant. In June of 2000 only 50% of American adults used the internet. That number jumped to 80% in 2011. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2011) A household’s income plays a factor in internet use as well. In August 20111 only 62% of households with income less that $30,000 use the internet.When you compare these numbers to those making over $75,000 that have an internet usage of 97%, the Digital Divide is evident. The gap between whites and minorities is quickly disappearing. There are still some differences in internet access but they have become less noticeable and in some cases have disappeared all together. The strongest negative predictors for internet use are not race or g ender, instead those factors now include seniors (those age 65 and older), low income (under $20,000), and lack of a high school education.Among these groups there have been some increases in internet use, but there is still a gray area for some such as seniors. Even though those 65 and over are less likely to use the internet, 41% now do go online. (Smith, Zickhur, 2012) The reasons that adults do not use the internet vary. In the year 2000, 54% of American adults felt that the internet was a dangerous thing. This feeling was especially true among seniors and individuals with less than a high school education. Research also show that 39% that that access to the internet cost to much and 36% found the internet confusing and difficult to se. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) More recent research shows the biggest reason of not going online is the do not feel the internet is relevant to them. 48% do not want to use it or feel that do not need it to get the information they need. A majority of no n-users have never use the internet before and have no one in the household that does know how to use it. Only a very small percentage one in ten, are interested in using it in the future. One thing that is changing the Digital Divide is mobile technology as mentioned above. Currently 88% of Americans age 18 and over have a cell phone.With mobile technology expanding, 63% of American adults use a mobile device- Laptop, tablet computer, e-book reader, cell phone- to go online. The rise in mobile devices has caused a noticeable mobile difference. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) A person becomes more active using the internet once they get a mobile device. Of the mobile devices, smartphones are becoming more widely used than basic cell phones. Among American adults 46% now has a smartphone. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) There are groups that have greater levels of smartphone use such as higher income, well educated and those under age 50.These groups also have higher rates of technology use. Younger a dults (under age 30) do have a higher than average level of smartphone use no matter their income or education. Those younger adults with only a high school education or less are actually more likely to own a smartphone than older adults (age 50 and over) who have gone to college. The same holds true for income, young adults in the lower income bracket (under $30,000) are more likely to have a smartphone than older adults in the higher income bracket. Among these users, 25% say they use their smartphone as their main source of internet access.Smartphones are helping to bridge the Digital Divide. Computer sales during the holidays fell for the first time in 5 years as gadget use such as smartphones grows. According to Walker Sands a digital marketing agency, 23% of total global website visits came from mobile devices which is up from 17% in the 3rd quarter. (Leonard, 2013 These numbers show how big the shift is to how people connect. Former President Bill Clinton said in a key note s peech at the Consumer Electronics Show â€Å"Mobile Technology is doing so much now to lift the poor. Smartphones are a much cheaper way for internet access and the capabilities that go along with it such as mobile banking and social media. The smartphone is a unique item when it comes to personal technology and the Digital Divide. At the same time it represents the cutting edge of technology. It is of course the choice for people of any economic class as the most economical and efficient way to connect in an age where getting on the internet ranks up there as a top priority right below food, shelter and water.The Digital Divide will most likely always be there but with modern mobile technology it appears to be shrinking. It does affect people not only here in the United States but also people across the globe. If you look at recent technology and the future, the implications are without a doubt very fascinating. What would happen if everyone had an affordable computer in their poc ket or purse? What about the balance or more correctly imbalance of political power? All of this seems uncertain but the possibilities are endless.One thing that is certain, the Digital Divide will always exist. There will always be those that just cannot afford it in any form. There will always be that that just do not find the internet relevant in their lives. There will also be those that want to use the internet but don’t know how. The question that remains is â€Å"How much can we bridge the Digital Divide? † That question may never be fully answered. References Arnold , B. (2007 , Feb). Caslon analytics digital divides. Retrieved from www. caslon. com. au/dividesprofile1. tm Enger , J. (2011, June). Closing the digital divide. Retrieved from www. huffingtonpost. com/john/m-enger/economic-survival-in-the-_b_871575. html Leonard, A. (2013, Jan). Retrieved from www. salon. com/2013/01/11/smartphones_bust_up_the_digital_divide Rapaport, R. (2009, October). A short hi story of the digital divide. Retrieved from www. edutopia. org/digital-generation-divide-connectivity Smith , A. , & Zickuhr, K. (2012, April 13). Digital differences. Retrieved from http://pewinternet. org/reports/2012/digital-differences-aspx Digital Divide Digital divide is defined as the distance between those with access to the internet and those without. Digital Divide is a problem that stretches to all corners of the world. It affects not only people here in the U. S. but also countries across the globe. Two questions have to be asked in all this. The first is â€Å"Does the Digital Divide really exist? † and the second is â€Å"What is the real impact of the Digital Divide? † The idea of Digital Divide did not come into play until the early 1990’s with the passage by then President Bill Clinton of the High Performance Computing Act.What this act did was to provide funding for a high speed fiber optic network which would go on to become the internet that we use today. This enabled home computers to become more useful which in turn caused the number of personal computers in the U. S to skyrocket to over ten million in a five year period. (Rapaport, 2009) In all this a new department in the Clinton Administration was formed, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA is the President’s main advisor on information and telecommunication and was co-founded by Albert Hammond, a White House aide. Rapaport, 2009) It was Hammond in addition to NTIA administrator Larry Irving that came up with the phrase â€Å"Digital Divide† This phrase eventually began to appear in then V. P Al Gore’s speeches. As time went on, computer and internet prices began to fall. With these falling prices came the idea that the Digital Divide was closing. The new presidential administration did not have as great an interest in digital access and eventually â€Å"Digital Divide† became â€Å"Digital Inclusion. † The NTIA was eventually downgraded and its budget taken away. These actions eventually and effectively ended the NTIAThe question of it the Digital Divide is real can be answered by looking at the numbers, A report done by the Pew Research Center show s that one in five American adults does not use the internet, with senior citizens, those with less than a high school education and lower income adults being the least likely to have access to the internet. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) Americans with disabilities are even less likely to use the internet. Nearly half of those that do not go online say that don’t because they do not feel the internet is relevant to them.One thing that is helping to bridge the digital divide is the ever changing face of mobile technology. With the face of mobile technology changing at a rapid pace, those that were on the other side of the digital divide are now able to go online. Out of those groups, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience and lower income adults are more likely to use their smart phone as a main source of internet access. Internet use has grown greatly among U. S adults. In a span of 16 year, June 1995 to Jan 2011, internet use among those 18 and over has gone fro m just 14% to 78%. Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) In these numbers the line is still senior citizens, minorities, and low income as those less likely to have online access. A majority of those that do not use the internet feel they do not need it or are cautious of new technology. The difference between 2000 and 2011 is significant. In June of 2000 only 50% of American adults used the internet. That number jumped to 80% in 2011. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2011) A household’s income plays a factor in internet use as well. In August 20111 only 62% of households with income less that $30,000 use the internet.When you compare these numbers to those making over $75,000 that have an internet usage of 97%, the Digital Divide is evident. The gap between whites and minorities is quickly disappearing. There are still some differences in internet access but they have become less noticeable and in some cases have disappeared all together. The strongest negative predictors for internet use are not race or g ender, instead those factors now include seniors (those age 65 and older), low income (under $20,000), and lack of a high school education.Among these groups there have been some increases in internet use, but there is still a gray area for some such as seniors. Even though those 65 and over are less likely to use the internet, 41% now do go online. (Smith, Zickhur, 2012) The reasons that adults do not use the internet vary. In the year 2000, 54% of American adults felt that the internet was a dangerous thing. This feeling was especially true among seniors and individuals with less than a high school education. Research also show that 39% that that access to the internet cost to much and 36% found the internet confusing and difficult to se. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) More recent research shows the biggest reason of not going online is the do not feel the internet is relevant to them. 48% do not want to use it or feel that do not need it to get the information they need. A majority of no n-users have never use the internet before and have no one in the household that does know how to use it. Only a very small percentage one in ten, are interested in using it in the future. One thing that is changing the Digital Divide is mobile technology as mentioned above. Currently 88% of Americans age 18 and over have a cell phone.With mobile technology expanding, 63% of American adults use a mobile device- Laptop, tablet computer, e-book reader, cell phone- to go online. The rise in mobile devices has caused a noticeable mobile difference. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) A person becomes more active using the internet once they get a mobile device. Of the mobile devices, smartphones are becoming more widely used than basic cell phones. Among American adults 46% now has a smartphone. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) There are groups that have greater levels of smartphone use such as higher income, well educated and those under age 50.These groups also have higher rates of technology use. Younger a dults (under age 30) do have a higher than average level of smartphone use no matter their income or education. Those younger adults with only a high school education or less are actually more likely to own a smartphone than older adults (age 50 and over) who have gone to college. The same holds true for income, young adults in the lower income bracket (under $30,000) are more likely to have a smartphone than older adults in the higher income bracket. Among these users, 25% say they use their smartphone as their main source of internet access.Smartphones are helping to bridge the Digital Divide. Computer sales during the holidays fell for the first time in 5 years as gadget use such as smartphones grows. According to Walker Sands a digital marketing agency, 23% of total global website visits came from mobile devices which is up from 17% in the 3rd quarter. (Leonard, 2013 These numbers show how big the shift is to how people connect. Former President Bill Clinton said in a key note s peech at the Consumer Electronics Show â€Å"Mobile Technology is doing so much now to lift the poor. Smartphones are a much cheaper way for internet access and the capabilities that go along with it such as mobile banking and social media. The smartphone is a unique item when it comes to personal technology and the Digital Divide. At the same time it represents the cutting edge of technology. It is of course the choice for people of any economic class as the most economical and efficient way to connect in an age where getting on the internet ranks up there as a top priority right below food, shelter and water.The Digital Divide will most likely always be there but with modern mobile technology it appears to be shrinking. It does affect people not only here in the United States but also people across the globe. If you look at recent technology and the future, the implications are without a doubt very fascinating. What would happen if everyone had an affordable computer in their poc ket or purse? What about the balance or more correctly imbalance of political power? All of this seems uncertain but the possibilities are endless.One thing that is certain, the Digital Divide will always exist. There will always be those that just cannot afford it in any form. There will always be that that just do not find the internet relevant in their lives. There will also be those that want to use the internet but don’t know how. The question that remains is â€Å"How much can we bridge the Digital Divide? † That question may never be fully answered. References Arnold , B. (2007 , Feb). Caslon analytics digital divides. Retrieved from www. caslon. com. au/dividesprofile1. tm Enger , J. (2011, June). Closing the digital divide. Retrieved from www. huffingtonpost. com/john/m-enger/economic-survival-in-the-_b_871575. html Leonard, A. (2013, Jan). Retrieved from www. salon. com/2013/01/11/smartphones_bust_up_the_digital_divide Rapaport, R. (2009, October). A short hi story of the digital divide. Retrieved from www. edutopia. org/digital-generation-divide-connectivity Smith , A. , & Zickuhr, K. (2012, April 13). Digital differences. Retrieved from http://pewinternet. org/reports/2012/digital-differences-aspx

To What Extent Was the Growth of the Enlightenment Movement?

The growth of the Enlightenment movement was a key long term cause of the French revolution as it questioned the current state of France and challenged unjust class systems. However, there were a number of other long term causes that led to the French revolution. The structure of the Royal government and French society had created restlessness amongst the third estate for quite some time leading to the French revolution. The taxation system was seen as highly unjust amongst the third estate as well and can be seen as an underlying long term cause for the French revolution.The growth of the Enlightenment movement was a major long term cause for the French Revolution. The Enlightenment were a group of intellectual writers and thinkers from Europe in the 18th century whose aim was to apply rational analysis to all activities. This meant they put great emphasis on the unjust systems in place which meant the poorest group had to pay the most taxes, creating a voice for the unhappy third e state and giving them confidence to speak out. This in turn led to the third estate coming together in cascade of anger and uproar against the current system, leading to the French revolution.In addition, the most famous thinkers, Volataire and Montesqieu, were not prepared to accept tradition and attacked the church and despotic government. Their ideologies attracted nearly all of the third estate creating a huge group of people believing in change. This in turn led to the majority of France being ready to challenge the government and monarchy and causing the revolution to start. The Enlightenment movement was very critical of the Ancien regime which influenced many radical thinkers at the time who were ready to lead France against the rich minority.It’s this leadership which got the wheels of the revolution in motion; therefore, the Enlightenment movement played a key part in the occurrence of the French revolution. The structure of the Royal Government was a very important long term cause of the French revolution. King Louis XIV believed that God had given him the divine right to rule and therefore felt the French people should obey him without question. This idea infuriated the large majority of the third estate as there was no clear logical reason why they should obey the King, resulting in restlessness amongst 85% of the population.This long term struggle with the idea of an absolute monarch developed into anger and ultimately led to mass uproar and the French revolution. Furthermore, King Louis XVI had complete power over all aspects of France, ultimately meaning he could do what he wanted. This meant that the third estate had no way of communicating or fashioning a way of improving their lives, leaving them trapped in a life of poverty. This therefore left them no choice but to use physical violence and action to try and get out of their dire circumstances, resulting in a revolution.The taxation system was highly unjust in France during the 18th century and was a key long term cause for the revolution. Firstly, peasants who made up 85% of the population but lived in dire poverty had to pay the most taxes, including Taille, Capitation and Tithe tax. This left the third estate with only just enough to survive which created great anger amongst them as the rich paid nothing. This corrupt taxation system left the third estate trapped in a life of poverty leaving them no choice but to revolt if they wanted any chance of a better life.In addition to this, the clergy and nobility, the two rich estates were exempt from taxes. This illogical system compounded with the Enlightenments highlighting of how unjust France was finally led the majority of France to rise up against their unfair position, in the only way they could through a mass revolution. The final long term cause that played a major in the outbreak of the French revolution was the structure of French society. Firstly, the clergy and nobility collectively took up only arou nd 5% of the population yet they owned a vast amount of land compared to the 85% of the third estate who owned no land at all.This meant they had huge amounts of money tied up in land and a constant food supply which the third estate did not. This structure of class left the third estate in poverty yet they saw the riches of the two upper estates when they worked their land daily. This in turn created mass anger which had built up over time leading to a collective plea for change, displayed by the outbreak of the revolution. Furthermore, the two upper estates had great power and could sway the king’s decisions to an extent. This was shown when Louis tried to reform tax with Turgo but nobility quickly disagreed and Louis then sacked Turgo.The power the two upper estates possessed created great unrest amongst the third estate as they felt they deserved more power due to the fact that they paid the majority of taxes. The fact that they had no bargaining powers forced them to try and bring about change in the way of revolution, therefore, highlighting the fact that the structure of French society was key long term cause for the revolution. Overall, all the four causes had some bearing on the outbreak of the French Revolution, however, some more than others.The growth of the enlightenment movement did influence many radical revolutionaries into taking action and created a collective group ready for change, but I feel that it was not the key underlying cause which made people revolt. I believe that the structure of French society was the main cause for the French revolution as it left the third estate trapped in poverty for a long period of time while the upper two estates prospered in a life of luxury. This ultimately left the third estate no option but to take radical action to try and bring about change and is therefore the main reason for the outbreak of the French revolution.

Machiavelli The prince Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Machiavelli The prince - Essay Example Although some scholars perceive his theories as real and well grounded, there is a lot of opposition to the kind of power that Machiavelli advocates for. In reality, Machiavelli, in his political theories, propounded a doctrine of evil, contrary to the expectation of the contemporary political democracy. Machiavelli claims that naturally political leaders are bound to offend those who they govern to gain power over them and be able to control them. He explicitly states that there is a natural and ordinary necessity that â€Å"†¦ one must always offend those over whom he becomes a prince†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to express his regard for the need of offense to exercise power over the citizens in a political sphere (8). Many critics have argued that these words of Machiavelli point out to a domineering kingship which ensures that the subjects of political systems are subdued to the worship of the king. In other words, the best king is one who is able to induce fear among his subjects to mak e them obedient and abiding to his leadership strategies. In the contemporary political systems, there is more criticism of autocratic leadership and use of force, torture or cruelty to suppress the opinions or ideas of the public. Democrats have advocated that leaders be more considerate of the public opinions to formulate a more integrative leadership and better governing principles. Reflecting on the words of Machiavelli, he is a proponent of evil leadership, a leadership that has no place in the modern political systems. Another reason why Machiavelli has been criticized as a preacher of evil is because of his advocacy for use of brute force rather than diplomacy in conquering enemies. He employs an analogical reference of the leadership of Moses and Cyrus who were both, in his opinion, armed with a force to drive their nations to success. Machiavelli provides that leaders have two options, either to beg to use force, yet he warns that â€Å"In the first case they always come t o ill and never accomplish anything†¦.† (23). Here, he suggests that leaders have to use force while handling their enemies otherwise they are doomed to fail. The evil that Machiavelli preaches here is that all nations rise against their enemies, engage their armed forces to conquer their enemies. Contemporarily, diplomacy is perceived to be a superior tool in initiating crisis management between rivalry countries. In modern political systems, the principles of Machiavelli seem to be completely inverted version of successful leadership. Today engagement of forces among rivalry countries is an in formidable evil that cannot be tolerated in the political spheres. From his theory, mercy, faith and love are sources of weaknesses of in political leaders and hatred, cruelty and exploitation are admirable in leadership. Machiavelli points out that the combat skills of a leader depend on their ability to use force and laws to maintain faith in the public domain. While recognizing that use of laws is more human and that use of forces is meant for animals, he proposes that both be engaged in political leadership. He commends that it is best to choose â€Å"†¦the fox and the lion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because a prudent leaders should not show faith to the people (69). Critics have found a lot of evil in this statement that presumes that a

Windows File System Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Windows File System Comparison - Essay Example The two main categories of file systems used by different Microsoft Windows operating systems are the File Allocation Table (FAT) and the New Technology File System (NTFS). There are different versions of FAT, which are FAT 12, FAT 16, and FAT 32; while for NTFS, there are NTFS or NTFS 4 and NTFS 5. These file systems have many characteristics in common which will be pointed out in the discussion below. The FAT file system is the one being used by Microsoft DOS and older versions of Microsoft Windows. In fact, any version of Windows can have FAT as its file system. When a volume is formatted and the FAT file system is used, a data structure is created by Windows which is used to record the data blocks on the hard drive that are allocated to each file in order for the files to be retrieved at a latter time. FAT is considered to be a simple file system which makes it an ideal file system format for most memory cards and floppy disks. FAT file system is suggested if the computer has two operating systems installed. FAT file system allows file sharing among different operating systems. That is one advantage of using FAT as the start-up partition even for newer computers that have the latest versions of Microsoft Windows. One of the major limitations of the FAT file system is its ability to handle large files and volumes. ... However, its maximum volume limit is 16 MB which is why this is only commonly used in floppy disks. FAT 16 This file system supports all versions of Microsoft operating systems but only allows a maximum volume size of 2 to 4 GB and maximum files of 65,536. The maximum size a file can have is also 2 GB. The standard FAT 16 version only allows 8 characters in the file name and 3 characters for the extension name; whereas with the extended version, it already allows up to 255 characters. FAT 32 The only operating systems that are supported by this file system are DOS 7.0, Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. The volume size limit is increased to 32 GB for all operating systems, but in some cases, up to 2 TB. The maximum number of files that can be on a FAT 32 volume is 4,194,304 with a maximum file size of 4 GB less 2 bytes. New Technology File System (NTFS) As Yousef stated, the New Technology File System or NTFS is: An advanced file system that provides performance, security, reliability, and advanced features that are not found in any version of FAT. For example, NTFS guarantees volume consistency by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. If a system fails, NTFS uses its log file and checkpoint information to restore the consistency of the file system. In Windows 2000 and XP, NTFS also provides advanced features such as file and folder permissions, encryption, disk quotas, and compression. (2004) Both versions of NTFS have the maximum volume size limit of 2 TB but there is no limit to the number of files that can be stored in the volume, as well as to the file size. NTFS 4 or plain NTFS started with Windows NT 4.0 and can also support Windows 2000, XP and 2003 Server. NTFS 5 also has support for the same

Market assessment, planning and strategy of Apple Inc Essay

Market assessment, planning and strategy of Apple Inc - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Apple. It was co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in California in 1976 as a micro-computer manufacturer. The following year the company was incorporated and released one of the first commercially successful personal computers, the Apple II. In 1984, the company released the Macintosh, which changed the computing world with its revolutionary graphical user interface. Following the success of these two products in the market, Apple had its IPO in1984. In 2001, the company changed from being a personal computer manufacturer to a consumer electronics company. Today, the company designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple Inc. has a worldwide presence and sells its products globally through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. Between 1994 and 1997, the company experienced record-low stock prices and severe financial losses, a scenario that only begun to be corrected with the re-instatement of Steve Jobs as the CEO in July 1997. Currently, the company boasts of being the most valuable company in the world with one share valued at US$ 598.35, net sales in 2011 of US$ 108.6 billion and free cash flow of US$ 33.27 billion. As at September 2011, Apple has a workforce of 63,300 employees.... The company’s obsession with excellence means that it only participates in markets where it can have a significant contribution (Chaffin, 2009). For this reason, Apple Inc. believes in focusing on few projects at any given time. With this mission statement, Apple categorizes its customers into three segments: consumer, small and mid-sized businesses; education; and enterprise and government. The company believes in giving its customers a high quality buying experience, therefore, in its major markets Apple sells many of its products and third-party products directly to consumers and businesses through its retail and online stores. In other markets, the company invests in programs to enhance reseller sales by placing high quality Apple fixtures, merchandising materials and other resources within those locations (Apple, 2011). To better meet the needs of its global market, Apple’s business is divided geographically into the Americas (North and South America), Europe ( Europe, Middle East and Africa), Japan, Asia-Pacific (Australia and Asia) and Retail (Apple-owned retail sales globally). Examination of the Market Environment Cooperative environment With the introduction of services such as iTunes Store, iBookstore, App Store, Mac App Store and iCloud, Apple moved from being merely a product manufacturer and seller to providing a platform that supports different business ecosystems. For example, the iBookstore supports the eBook business that comprises of authors, publishers and customers. In fact, in 2009 Apple came up with a new type of pricing strategy in the eBooks industry that shifted pricing power from the retailers to the publisher. Under the iBookstore agency model,

HUMAN RESOURCES IN ACTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HUMAN RESOURCES IN ACTION - Essay Example Likewise, other information provided in the career portal include data pertinent to Hilton Hotels & Resorts (date opened, number of properties, and team members). Career news and events are also disclosed. For Marriott International, Inc., the details that are required for the job applicants to select from include: location, the keyword or job number, and the job category. Likewise, the following information are also provided in the site: additional career opportunities, more information (application process, technical guidelines, as well as J-1 Visa Program and F-1 Visa Program) (Marriott International, Inc., 2013). Using the search option, job applicants at Hilton are provided with information regarding available openings according to areas of interest, location, among others. A quick view at all available openings in Hilton across all nations worldwide disclosed that as much as 4,209 job openings are currently available (Hiton Worldwide, 2011). For Marriott, the quick view brings the searcher in the ‘search and apply’ portal where search option information, as noted above, was included. Likewise, jobs at the Ritz-Carlton, for example include details on positions according to the following classifications: Front of the House, Heart of the House, and Property Management (The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 2013). Thus, information regarding the job positions open and the link for contacting them in order to apply are available online. Through indicating the country of origin, as well as the intended Hilton brand or organization that the applicant intends to apply, the potential candidates could perceive that Hilton supports diversity in culture, as deemed relevant and appropriate for their field of endeavor. On the other hand, for Marriot, the information in their website discloses the promotion of diversity and inclusion, as well as the ‘people

NO Child Left Behind Act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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A Summary of Quines Problems with Carnaps Philosophy Essay In his Two Dogmas of Empiricism, Quine addresses what he views as problematic claims made by Carnap. The first problem Quine has with Carnaps epistemology is about his definition of state-descriptions. The problem is in two parts: first Quine says that Carnaps version of analyticity is conditional, because it requires atomic sentences in a language to be mutually independent. The second part of the problem is that, Carnaps attempt to explore analyticity by way of his state-descriptions results in a problematic definition of analyticity, which ends up being more indicative of logical truth. In conclusion, Quine presents a solution to his problems with Carnap positing that the boundary between synthetic and analytic is imagined. In his attempt to define analyticity Quine encounters a problematic attempt at defining the term, by Carnap. Carnap has tended to explain analyticity by appeal to what he calls state-descriptions(195). Carnaps state-descriptions are problematic for two reasons; one reason is that a statement is explained as analytic when it comes out true under every state description(195), this necessitates every atomic sentence to be mutually independent- meaning that two statements that mean the same thing are supposed to exist as two completely separate meanings. However, as Quine points out this would mean there would be a state-description which assigned truth to John is a bachelor and falsity to John is married, and consequently All bachelors are married would turn out synthetic rather than analytic under the proposed criterion(195). This truth gives rise to the second problem of Carnaps state-descriptions, that analyticity as it refers to state-descriptions only works for languages that do not contain synonymous words such as bachelor and unmarried. So, Quine submits that Carnaps state-descriptions are indicative of logical truth, not of analyticity. To generalize, these problems that Quine has with Carnaps philosophical system equate to a single point of disagreement, that there is an absolute distinction between analytic and synthetic. Quine points to our pragmatic inclinations to adjust one strand of the fabric of science rather an another in accommodating some particular recalcitrant experience(207). Quine believes that Carnaps drawing a distinction between analytic and synthetic points to our quest for simplicity in science, possibly deriving from a deconstructionist belief that everything can be equated to simplified smaller elements that make up a whole. Quine challenges Carnaps methodology as well as his philosophical system. To conclude, Quine notes that he understands the philosophical approach attempted by philosophers like Lewis, and Carnap, but does not think that it is a beneficial one. Total science, mathematical and natural and human, is similarly but more extremely underdetermined by experience. The edge of the system must be kept squared with experience(207). Carnaps constructed language is a scientific one, and since science is based on our experience, when Carnap attempts to encompass our world using his language with strict rules, he does an injustice to sciences close relationship to experience, making his language based on the rules of arithmetic instead. Finally, Quine points to Carnaps employment of pragmatism as one that comes up short, and does not justify the strict division between synthetic and analytic. Their pragmatism leaves off at the imagined boundary between the analytic and the synthetic. In repudiating such a boundary I espouse a more thorough pragmatism(207). Quine feels that the division between synthetic and analytic has been too hastily assumed, and that a more thorough approach to the relationship would be helpful. He believes that the boundary between analytic and synthetic is too harshly drawn, and that the difference is only in degrees. He asks Carnap to suppress his foundations in our traditional scientific method and suggests that sometimes it is not always pragmatism that shapes our perception.

Framework for Safeguarding Confidentiality in Children

Framework for Safeguarding Confidentiality in Children When dealing with adults who lack capacity and children, a medical professional often has to make a difficult choice between safeguarding confidentiality and making disclosures to protect the particular patients welfare. CRITICALLY DISCUSS the extent to which the legal framework has so far succeeded when addressing the balancing exercise referred to above and whether confidentiality for these groups of patients is sufficiently safeguarded. Introduction: In this paper, through reference to the jurisprudence of the courts of England and Wales, the author will critically discuss the extent to which the law has managed to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the rights of children and adult patients who lack capacity, on the one hand; and, allowing medical professionals to make disclosures when such disclosures are deemed to be in the best interests of their patients, on the other. The structure of this paper will be as follows: First, the author will examine the legal basis for any rights to confidentiality and non-disclosure that are conferred on children and adult patients who lack capacity, by the law of England and Wales. Second, the author will identify the legal provisions and/or common law decisions which purport to allow medical professionals to act in contravention of these rights, when to do so is deemed in the best interests of their patients. Third, the author will perform a review of the jurisprudence of the courts of England and Wales to determine the legal scope of these justified derogations. Fourth, the author will perform a literature review to indentify the extent to which medical professionals, in practice, manage to apply their discretion appropriately. Finally, the author will review the various mechanisms in place, if any, to review the conduct of medical professionals and hold accountable any medical professionals who fail to adhere to the limits of the discretion conferred upon them by the law of England and Wales. What is/are the legal basis/bases for the right to confidentiality enjoyed by children and adult patients who lack capacity? 2.1 Children patients who lack capacity and their ‘right(s)’ to confidentiality: Before the rights of this select group of patients to confidentiality are examined, it is first important to define what is meant by ‘children patients who lack capacity’. In this context, we are referring to the ‘capacity’ to provide legally valid consent to their doctors or other medical professionals to disclose their confidential medical information to third parties. Under statute, a child patient will be presumed to possess sufficient capacity to consent in the regard the moment that they have attained the age of 16 years. This is provided by section 8 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969, subsection (1) of which provides: â€Å"The consent of a minor who has attained the age of sixteen years to any surgical, medical or dental treatment which, in the absence of consent, would constitute a trespass to his person, shall be as effective as it would be if he were of full age; and where a minor has by virtue of this section given an effective consent to any treatment it shall not be necessary to obtain any consent for it from his parent or guardian.† Of course, this is merely a presumption. A particular child patient may have characteristics which invalidate this consent, even though they are over the age of 16. For example, if they qualify as a person who lacks consent under section 2 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which provides that: â€Å"[A] person lacks capacity in relation to a matter if at the material time he is unable to make a decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or brain.† It matters not whether this ‘impairment’ or ‘disturbance’ is temporary or permanent[1], but assessments must be made on the basis of the actual decision-making capacity of the individual[2], rather than through reference merely to the type of condition or impairment which that child is suffering from[3]. Such assessments are to be made on the balance of probabilities[4], i.e. a child patient who is between 16 and 18 years old wi ll be deemed to lack the necessary capacity to consent if it is more likely than not that he or she is unable to fully appreciate the implications of the decision which needs to be made. A child over the age of 16 may also be deemed to lack capacity to consent when they are physically unable to provide consent; for example, if they are unconscious[5]. Similarly, the presumption that a child under the age of 16 lacks the necessary capacity to consent can be rebutted if, upon an assessment of the decision-making ability of that patient, it is deemed that he or she â€Å"[has] achieve[d] a sufficient understanding and intelligence to enable him or her to understand fully what is proposed.[6]† A minor who possesses this required threshold of understanding and intelligence will be said to be ‘Gillick competent’. However, it is highly unlikely that a child under the age of 13 will ever be deemed so competent[7]. In conclusion, in this paper, when referring to child patients who lack capacity, we are referring (1) to minors who are under the age of 16 but who are not deemed to be Gillick competent; and, (2) to children who are 16 or 17 years of age, but who lack the necessary capacity to provide informed consent, perhaps because they are deemed to fail the test provided by section 3(1) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005; or, perhaps because they are unconscious, and are therefore physically unable to provide any consent whatsoever. Having established the categories of patient to which we are referring, now let us examine the legal bases for their ‘right’ to confidentiality: One such legal basis is provided by the Data Protection Act 1998, which was enacted to give effect to European Council Directive 95/46/EC. This Act creates a legal presumption that personal data may not be processed unless it is lawful to do so[8], it is processed fairly[9] and certain conditions are satisfied. In regard to the conditions which must be satisfied: Schedule 2 and 3 of the 1998 Act provide a list of conditions and, in order for information to be processed in accordance with the Act, at least one condition from both sections must be satisfied[10]. These conditions will be discussed at length in section 3 of this paper, when we turn to examine under what circumstances a medical professional is lawfully justified to make disclosure when it is deemed in the best interests of a patient’s welfare. In regard to the requirement of fairness, in the medical context, Stauch et al (2002) write: â€Å"To be ‘fair’ the data must, in general terms, have been obtained from the patient honestly or in accordance with a legal obligation; the patient must have been told the purposes for which the information is to be processed; and the rules for providing access to the data subject must also have been observed.[11]† In regard to when it is deemed unlawful to process personal medical information, no definition of lawfulness is provided by the Data Protection Act 1998[12]. One can only assume that this refers to the legal requirements provided under the common law and also under the Human Rights Act 1998. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 provides: â€Å"(1) Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. (2) There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.† In the recent case of Rose v. Secretary of State for Health [2002][13] it has been held that this right is conferred on all citizens, including children. However, from the wording of the Article, in particular Article 8(2) it is immediately clear that this right to confidentiality is subject to a broad public policy category of exception. The category of exception will be analysed in greater detail in section 3 of t his paper, when we turn to examine under what circumstances a medical professional is lawfully justified to make disclosure when it is deemed in the best interests of a patient’s welfare. In regard to the common law right to privacy, this right is based upon equitable principle and therefore a breach of this right gives rise to a civil law cause of action only. Similar, but distinct, from the law of tort, one of the requirements which needs to be established before a common law right to confidentiality can be deemed to have arisen in any given case is a duty of confidentiality. This might arise from a contractual relationship between the parties or, in the medical context, simply from the fact that medical professionals are duty bound to respect the confidentiality of their patients[14]. However, this duty is also subject to a public interest exception: In this case of W v Edgell [1990][15], it was held by Lord Justice Bingham, who provided the leading judgment in this case, that: â€Å"the law treats such duties not as absolute but as liable to be overridden where there is held to be a stronger public interest in disclosure.[16]† To what extent the welfare of a child patient who lacks capacity to consent can serve as such a ‘public policy’ justification for derogation of this duty by medical professionals will form part of the subject of discussion in section 3 of this paper, below. 2.2 Adult patients who lack capacity and their ‘right(s)’ to confidentiality: An adult patient will be deemed to lack capacity either where he or she is unable, physically, to provide consent to disclosure; or, where that patient is deemed to lack capacity in accordance with the assessment criteria established under section 3 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This group of patients enjoy the same rights to confidentiality as the children discussed in the previous subsection of this section of the paper; namely, they have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to have their personal data processed fairly and lawfully and only where certain pre-defined conditions has been satisfied; the right to privacy as provided by Article 8(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (but, likewise, subject to the public policy exceptions provided by Article 8(2) of that Act); and, the common law right to confidentiality. What is/are the legal basis/bases on which medical professionals are entitled to derogate from the right to confidentiality otherwise enjoyed by their children and adult patients who lack capacity, when derogation is deemed to be in the best interest of their patients’ welfare? In the previous section of this paper, we established that each of the various legal bases for the right to confidentiality and non-disclosure of children and adult patients who lack capacity are subject to exceptions. In regard to the Human Rights Act 1998 and also the common law duty to maintain patient confidentiality, the exception is one based upon considerations of ‘public policy’. In regard to the Data Protection Act 1998, the ‘exceptions’ are provided by Schedule 2 and 3 of the Act which set out a list of conditions, at least one from each schedule of which must be satisfied in order for a medical professional to be deemed entitled to disclose (i.e. ‘process’) the confidential information of his or her patients to 3rd parties. Let us now turn to examine to what extent ‘the welfare of these patients’ can be deemed a legitimate public policy justification for derogating from these patients’ right to confidentiality and also to what extent the conditions provided in schedule 2 and 3 of the Data Protection Act 1998 might be capable of being satisfied by considerations of patient welfare. Before we embark upon this analysis, it is important to remind ourselves of the practical circumstances with which a medical professional might be confronted when treating children or adult patients who lack capacity: First, it should be remembered that such medical professionals will not be able to ask these patients for consent, because they, by definition, are either physically or mentally incapable of providing such consent; and, second, in the context of children patients who lack consent and who are under the age of 16, medical professionals are required by law to involve the parents or legal guardians of those patients in any decision-making processes pertaining to the treatment of their children—therefore issues of disclosure to these types of third party are irrelevant[17]. Bearing these limitations in mind, let us examine the various categories of exception which operate to allow medical professionals to make disclosures in the absence of any consent (but not where consent has been withheld by the parents or legal guardians of the patients in question). The first point to note is that medical professionals are fully entitled to disclose medical information to other medical professionals who are also involved in the treatment of a child or adult patient who lacks capacity. Such disclosure is permissible under the Data Protection Act 1998 because one condition from Schedule 2 and one Condition from Schedule 3 are both satisfied; namely, the condition provided by s6(1) of Schedule 2 to the Act, which staes that, â€Å"[t]he processing is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by the data controller or by the third party or parties to whom the data are disclosed, except where the processing is unwarranted in any particular case by reason of prejudice to the rights and freedoms or legitimate interests of the data subject;† and, the condition provided by s8(1) of Schedule 3 to the Act, which provides: â€Å"[t]he processing is necessary for medical purposes and is undertaken by— (a) a health professional , or (b) a person who in the circumstances owes a duty of confidentiality which is equivalent to that which would arise if that person were a health professional..† Such disclosures are made in the interests of the welfare of the patient, although assessments do not need to be made on a case-by-case basis as it is generally assumed that disclosure across medical professionals is legitimate and that consent for such disclosures would not be withheld. In regard to making disclosures to other non-medical parties: The various exceptions identified in the previous section of this paper all depend upon derogation being justified in the ‘public interest’. In regard to Article 8(2) of the Human Rights Act 1998, the words â€Å"necessary in the interests of the protection of health or morals,† does seem to suggest that derogation on grounds of the welfare of a particular patient would be deemed justified. This has been confirmed by the courts in the case of Z v Finland (1998)[18]. In regard to the common law duty to maintain patient confidentiality, we have already cited the case of W v Edgell [1990][19] as providing authority for the assertion that this duty can be overridden by competing public interests. It is highly unlikely that the Courts would wish to undermine the decisions of medical professions in this regard; after all, medical professionals are best qualified to determine how important disclosure is in any given case and therefore whether the duty of confidence should be overridden. As Bainham (2005) writes: â€Å"[I]t is debateable how far the courts would want to question, retrospectively the clinical judgment of the medical profession.[20]† In regard to making disclosures to non-medical 3rd parties under the Data Protection Act 1998, while little direct guidance can be found within the wording of the 1998 Act itself, the General Medical Council (2000), at paragraph 27 of its official publication entitled ‘Confidentiality: Protecting and Providing Information’, seems to suggest that disclosure on grounds of patient welfare will be considered a justified processing aim under the Data Protection Act 1998: â€Å"Disclosure of personal information without consent may be justified in the public interest where failure to do so may expose the patient to risk of death or serious harm. Where the patient [is] exposed to a risk so serious that it outweighs the patient’s privacy interest, you should seek consent to disclosure where practicable. If it is not practicable to seek consent, you should disclose information promptly to an appropriate person or authority.† It must be noted that this guidance notes does not suggest that disclosure will be justified where the risk to the patient is only minor, but provides no insight into how to assess the seriousness of any given welfare risk. Of course, if death is a risk faced by the patient if disclosure is not made, then this will automatically be deemed sufficiently serious. The legal framework: How have the courts of England and Wales purported to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the rights (to confidentiality) of children and adult patients who lack capacity, on the one hand; and, allowing medical professionals to make disclosures when such disclosures are deemed to be in the best interests of their patients, on the other? Much of this analysis has already been conducted in the previous sections of this paper, when determining the extent of patients’ rights to confidentiality and also the extent of medical professionals’ duties of confidentiality to their child and adult patients who lack capacity. However, one key fact has been omitted: Throughout this paper we have seen how many of the exceptions available at law to patients’ rights to confidentiality depend upon a notion of the ‘public interest’. It should be noted that the courts have been reluctant to provide any categorical definitions of this phrase. Rather, they have approached the matter on a case by case basis, with pragmatism. Those cases in which the Courts have held disclosure to be in breach of patients’ rights to confidentiality generally have involved circumstances where information has been released for interests other than those pertaining to the welfare of particular patients. For example, in the case of X v Y [1988][21] Rose J held that the disclosure of medical information for the purposes of protecting other employees was not a sufficient ground upon which to invoke the public interest defence. In cases where the disclosure was made in the interests of that patient, particularly, then the Courts are therefore likely to be more willing to allow the public interest defence to succeed. This makes sense, when one considers that the Courts are generally concerned with the harm or potential for harm caused by a disclosure to the patient over which the sensitive medical information pertains[22]. The Courts and medical professionals should also take into account that it is in the public interest to protect patients’ rights to confidentiality wherever possible. As Leung (2000) notes, if the right to confidentiality is not protected, then this could have far-reaching adverse consequences on the level of healthcare which is able to be provided by the National Health Service—patients will be less willing to be open and honest about sensitive facts, and therefore it may be less easy to diagnose and treat such persons[23]. What, if any, mechanisms are in place to review the conduct of medical professionals and hold accountable any medical professionals who fail to adhere to the limits of the discretion conferred upon them by the law of England and Wales? Of course, the primary mechanism which is in place is the right to private law action which patients are entitled to pursue in the event of a perceived breach of their data protection or privacy rights. The result of such actions will depend upon whether or not, in any given case, the court deems it appropriate to allow the defendant medical professional(s) to enjoy the protection afforded by the public interest defence. As we have argued in the previous section of this paper, where the reasons for disclosure were based solely on considerations of the particular patient’s welfare, then it is highly likely that the claimant’s case will fail. However, not every victim of breach will decide to take legal action and therefore it is not wholly appropriate to rely upon this mechanism to ensure that medical professionals remain compliant with their data protection and confidentiality duties. That having been said, this author can find no evidence of any other mechanisms which have been developed to measure compliance in this regard. Conclusions: The statement at the top of this paper suggests that it is difficult for medical professionals to decide whether or not to disclose personal information of children and adult patients who lack capacity to 3rd parties, when to do so is in the interests of the welfare of their particular patients. In fact, as we have seen, so long as the interests contemplated really are based upon considerations of patient welfare, then this decision is not a difficult one at all: Disclosure is such cases should be made. The fact that the patients themselves are unable to provide consent or, more importantly, withhold it, makes this assessment all the more easy. In regard to how well the law manages to safeguard the rights of children and adult patients who lack capacity to confidentiality: These rights are all, without exception, conditional and capable of being overridden in the public interest. While the Courts do seem to approach determinations of when the public interest defence should be allowed to succeed in a pragmatic and sensible way, taking into account the harm caused by each breach in question; it is arguable that some form of monitoring and accountability mechanism should be introduced at the practitioner level, to ensure that medical professionals are remaining compliant even where their patients, for whatever reasons, do not decide to take legal action for perceived breaches of their data protection and privacy rights. References: The Data Protection Act 1998 The Data Protection Directive, European Directive 95/46/EC The Human Rights Act 1998 The Mental Capacity Act 2005 Rose v. Secretary of State for Health [2002] 2 F.L.R. 962 Bainham, A. (2005) Children: The Modern Law. Jordan Publishing. Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority [1985] 3 All ER 402 GMC (2000) Confidentiality: Protecting and Providing Information. Available online at http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/current/library/confidentiality.asp W v Edgell [1990] 1 ALL ER 835 Z v Finland (1998) 25 EHRR 371 X v Y [1988] 2 All ER 648. Devereux, J., and Moore, R. (2002) Medical Law. Routledge and Cavendish Publishing, 2002. Stauch, M., Wheat, K., and Tingle, J. (2002) Sourcebook on Medical Law. Routledge Publishing,2002. Bailey, P. Harbour, A. (1999) The law and a child’s consent to treatment (England and Wales). Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 4, 30–34. Wei, G. (2002) An Introduction to Genetic Engineering, Life Sciences and the Law. NUS Press Publishing, 2002. Leung, W. (2000) Law for Doctors. Blackwell Publishing, 2000. Footnotes [1] Section 2(2) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. [2] The applicable criteria are provided by section 3(1) to (4) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. [3] Section 2(3)(2) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. [4] Section 2(4) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. [5] Not merely asleep! [6] Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority [1985] 3 All ER 402, per Lord Scarman. [7] Bailey and Harbour (1999) p32 [8] Schedule 1, Part 1, section 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998. [9] Schedule 1, Part 1, section 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998. [10] Schedule 1, Part 1, section 1(a) and (b) of the Data Protection Act 1998. [11] Stauch et al (2002) p282 [12] Ibid. [13] Rose v. Secretary of State for Health [2002] 2 F.L.R. 962 [14] For example, [15] W v Edgell [1990] 1 Ch 359. [16] Cited by Devereux and Moore (2002) p343 [17] As Bainham (2005) p330 writes: â€Å"But what of immature children who would fail the test of Gillick competence? Here, the obvious implication of Gillick was that the parent’s right to give or withhold consent would remain intact, and this has been confirmed by the later Court of Appeal decisions. Are there, then, any circumstances under which a doctor may act against parental wishes because he judges it in the clild’s best interests to do so? It must be said that, as the law stands, this would be a precarious course of action† [18] Z v Finland (1998) 25 EHRR 371 [19] W v Edgell [1990] 1 Ch 359. [20] Bainham (2005) p331 [21] X v Y [1988] 2 All ER 648. [22] Wei (2002) p95 [23] Leung (2000) p45

Types of Logistics Strategies

Types of Logistics Strategies Logistics Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. It is difficult to accomplish any marketing or manufacturing without logistical support. It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible. 1- Overwiew of Logistics The word of logistics originates from the ancient Greek logos (), which means ratio, word, calculation, reason, speech, oration. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Logistikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. The Oxford English dictionary defines logistics as: The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining and transporting material, personnel and facilities.Another dictionary definition is: The time related positioning of resources. As such, logistics is commonly seen as a branch of engineering which creates people systems rather than machine systems. Military logistics In military logistics, experts manage how and when to move resources to the places they are needed. In military science, maintaining ones supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial-some would say the most crucial-element of military strategy, since an armed force without food, fuel and ammunition is defenseless. The Iraq war was a dramatic example of the importance of logistics. It had become very necessary for the US and its allies to move huge amounts of men, materials and equipment over great distances. Led by Lieutenant General William Pagonis, Logistics was successfully used for this movement. The defeat of the British in the American War of Independence, and the defeat of Rommel in World War II, have been largely attributed to logistical failure. The historical leaders Hannibal Barca and Alexander the Great are considered to have been logistical geniuses. 1. Logistics Management Logistics Management is that part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements. Business logistics Logistics as a business concept evolved only in the 1950s. This was mainly due to the increasing complexity of supplying ones business with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized supply chain, calling for experts in the field who are called Supply Chain Logisticians. This can be defined as having the right item in the right quantity at the right time for the right price and is the science of process and incorporates all industry sectors. The goal of logistic work is to manage the fruition of project life cycles, supply chains and resultant efficiencies. In business, logistics may have either internal focus(inbound logistics), or external focus (outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of consumption (see supply chain management). The main functions of a logistics manager include Inventory Management, purchasing, transport, warehousing, and the organizing and planning of these activities. Logistics managers combine a general knowledge of each of these functions so that there is a coordination of resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally different forms of logistics. One optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links and storage nodes. The other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out some project. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Log istikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. Production logistics The term is used for describing logistic processes within an industry. The purpose of production logistics is to ensure that each machine and workstation is being fed with the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right point in time. The issue is not the transportation itself, but to streamline and control the flow through the value adding processes and eliminate non-value adding ones. Production logistics can be applied in existing as well as new plants. Manufacturing in an existing plant is a constantly changing process. Machines are exchanged and new ones added, which gives the opportunity to improve the production logistics system accordingly. Production logistics provides the means to achieve customer response and capital efficiency 2. Commercial vehicle operation Commercial Vehicle Operations is an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems for trucks. A typical system would be purchased by the managers of a trucking company. It would have a satellite navigation system, a small computer and a digital radio in each truck. Every fifteen minutes the computer transmits where the truck has been. The digital radio service forwards the data to the central office of the trucking company. A computer system in the central office manages the fleet in real time under control of a team of dispatchers. In this way, the central office knows where its trucks are. The company tracks individual loads by using barcoded containers and pallets to track loads combined into a larger container. To minimize handling-expense, damage and waste of vehicle capacity, optimal-sized pallets are often constructed at distribution points to go to particular destinations. A good load-tracking system will help deliver more than 95% of its loads via truck, on planned schedules. If a truck gets off its route, or is delayed, the truck can be diverted to a better route, or urgent loads that are likely to be late can be diverted to air freight. This allows a trucking company to deliver a true premium service at only slightly higher cost. The best proprietary systems, such as the one operated by FedEx, achieve better than 99.999% on-time delivery. Load-tracking systems use queuing theory, linear programming and minimum spanning tree logic to predict and improve arrival times. The exact means of combining these are usually secret recipes deeply hidden in the software. The basic scheme is that hypothetical routes are constructed by combining road segments, and then poor ones are eliminated using linear programming. The controlled routes allow a truck to avoid heavy traffic caused by rush-hour, accidents or road-work. Increasingly, governments are providing digital notification when roadways are known to have reduced capacity. A good system lets the computer, dispatcher and driver collaborate on finding a good route, or a method to move the load. One special value is that the computer can automatically eliminate routes over roads that cannot take the weight of the truck, or that have overhead obstructions. Usually, the drivers log into the system. The system helps remind a driver to rest. Rested drivers operate the truck more skillfully and safely. When these systems were first introduced, some drivers resisted them, viewing them as a way for management to spy on the driver. A well-managed intelligent transportation system provides drivers with huge amounts of help. It gives them a view of their own load and the network of roadways. Components of CVO include: Fleet Administration Freight Administration Electronic Clearance Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes International Border Crossing Clearance Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Roadside CVO Safety On-Board Safety Monitoring CVO Fleet Maintenance Hazardous Material Planning and Incident Response Freight In-Transit Monitoring Freight Terminal Management 3. CONTAINERIZATION Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as Shipping Containers or Isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes, and trucks. Containerization is also the term given to the process of determining the best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items. ISO Container dimensions and payloads There are five common standard lengths, 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 m). United States domestic standard containers are generally 48-ft and 53-ft (rail and truck). Container capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). A twenty-foot equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft (length) Ãâ€" 8 ft (width) Ãâ€" 8 ft 6 in (height) container. In metric units this is 6.10 m (length) Ãâ€" 2.44 m (width) Ãâ€" 2.59 m (height), or approximately 38.5 m ³. These sell at about US$2,500 in China, the biggest manufacturer. Most containers today are of the 40-ft (12.2 m) variety and are known as 40-foot containers. This is equivalent to 2 TEU. 45-foot (13.7 m) containers are also designated 2 TEU. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). High cube containers have a height of 9 ft 6 in (2.9m), while half-height containers, used for heavy loads, have a height of 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). When converting containers to TEUs, the height of the containers typically is not considered. The use of US measurements to describe container size (TEU, FEU) despite the fact the rest of the world uses the metric system reflects the fact that US shipping companies played a major part in the development of containers. The overwhelming need to have a standard size for containers, in order that they fit all ships, cranes, and trucks, and the length of time that the current container sizes have been in use, makes changing to an even metric size impractical. The maximum gross mass for a 20-ft dry cargo container is 24,000 kg, and for a 40-ft, (inc. the 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in) high cube container), it is 30,480 kg. Allowing for the tare mass of the container, the maximum payload mass is there reduced to approx. 21,600 kg for 20-ft, and 26,500 kg for 40-ft containers. Shipping Container History A container ship being loaded by a portainer crane in Copenhagen Harbour. Twistlocks which capture and constrain containers. Forklifts designed to handle containers have similar devices. A container freight train in the UK. Containers produced a huge reduction in port handling costs, contributing significantly to lower freight charges and, in turn, boosting trade flows. Almost every manufactured product humans consume spends some time in a container. Containerization is an important element of the innovations in logistics that revolutionized freight handling in the 20th century. Efforts to ship cargo in containers date to the 19th century. By the 1920s, railroads on several continents were carrying containers that could be transferred to trucks or ships, but these containers were invariably small by todays standards. From 1926 to 1947, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried motor carrier vehicles and shippers vehicles loaded on flatcars between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in 1929, Seatrain Lines carried railroad boxcars on its sea vessels to transport goods between New York and Cuba. In the mid-1930s, the Chicago Great Western Railway and then the New Haven Railroad began piggy-back service (transporting highway freight trailers on flatcars) limited to their own railroads. By 1953, the CBQ, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Southern Pacific railroads had joined the innovation. Most cars were surplus flatcars equipped with new decks. By 1955, an additional 25 railroads had begun some form of piggy-back trailer s ervice. The first vessels purpose-built to carry containers began operation in Denmark in 1951. Ships began carrying containers between Seattle and Alaska in 1951. The worlds first truly intermodal container system used purpose-built container ship the Clifford J. Rodgers built in Montreal in 1955 and owned by the White Pass and Yukon Route. Its first trip carried 600 containers between North Vancouver, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska on November 26, 1955; in Skagway, the containers were unloaded to purpose-built railroad cars for transport north to the Yukon, in the first intermodal service using trucks, ships and railroad cars. Southbound containers were loaded by shippers in the Yukon, moved by truck, rail, ship and truck to their consignees, without opening. This first intermodal system operated from November 1955 for many years. A converted container used as an office at a building site. The widespread use of ISO standard containers has driven modifications in other freight-moving standards, gradually forcing removable truck bodies or swap bodies into the standard sizes and shapes (though without the strength needed to be stacked), and changing completely the worldwide use of freight pallets that fit into ISO containers or into commercial vehicles. Improved cargo security is also an important benefit of containerization. The cargo is not visible to the casual viewer and thus is less likely to be stolen and the doors of the containers are generally sealed so that tampering is more evident. This has reduced the falling off the truck syndrome that long plagued the shipping industry. Use of the same basic sizes of containers across the globe has lessened the problems caused by incompatible rail gauge sizes in different countries. The majority of the rail networks in the world operate on a 1,435mm (4ft 8 ½in) gauge track known as standard gauge but many countries like Russia, Finland and Spain use broader gauges while other many countries in Africa and South America use narrower gauges on their networks. The use of container trains in all these countries makes trans-shipment between different gauge trains easier, with automatic or semi-automatic equipment. Some of the largest global companies containerizing containers today are Patrick Global Shipping, Bowen Exports and Theiler Sons Goods, LLC. Loss at sea of ISO Containers Containers occasionally fall from the ships that carry them, something that occurs an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 times each year. For instance, on November 30, 2006, a container washed ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, along with thousands of bags of its cargo of tortilla chips. Containers lost at sea do not necessarily sink, but seldom float very high out of the water, making them a shipping hazard that is difficult to detect. Freight from lost containers has provided oceanographers with unexpected opportunities to track global ocean currents. Double-stack containerization A Railroad car with a 20 tank container and a conventional 20 container. Most flatcars cannot carry more than one standard 40 foot container, but if the rail line has been built with sufficient vertical clearance, a well car can accept a container and still leave enough clearance for another container on top. This usually precludes operation of double-stacked wagons on lines with overhead electric wiring (exception: Betuweroute). Double stacking has been used in North America since American President Lines introduced this double stack principle under the name of Stacktrain rail service in 1984. It saved shippers money and now accounts for almost 70 percent of intermodal freight transport shipments in the United States, in part due to the generous vertical clearances used by US railroads ISO Container types Various container types are available for different needs General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height High cube palletwide containers for europallet compatibility Temperature controlled from -25 °c to +25 °c reefer Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery Open side for loading oversize pallet Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo Determining the best carton, box or pallet While the creation of the best container for shipping of newly created product is called Containerization, the term also applies to determining the right box and the best placement inside that box in order fulfillment. This may be planned by software modules in a warehouse management system. This optimization software calculates the best spatial position of each item withing such constraints as stackability and crush resistance 4. CROSS DOCKING Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or rail car and loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, or to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins. Cross docking is used to decrease inventory storage by streamlining the flow between the supplier and the manufacturer. Typical applications Hub and spoke arrangements, where materials are brought in to one central location and then sorted for delivery to a variety of destinations Consolidation arrangements, where a variety of smaller shipments are combined into one larger shipment for economy of transport Deconsolidation arrangements, where large shipments (e.g. railcar lots) are broken down into smaller lots for ease of delivery. Factors influencing the use of cross-docks Customer and supplier geography particularly when a single corporate customer has many multiple branches or using points Freight costs for the commodities being transported Cost of inventory in transit Complexity of loads Handling methods Logistics software integration between supplier(s), vendor, and shipper 5 .DISTRIBUTION Distribution is one of the four aspects of marketing. A distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. After a product is manufactured it is typically shipped (and usually sold) to a distributor. The distributor then sells the product to retailers or customers. The other three parts of the marketing mix are product management, pricing, and promotion. Traditionally, distribution has been seen as dealing with logistics: how to get the product or service to the customer. It must answer questions such as: Should the product be sold through a retailer? Should the product be distributed through wholesale? Should multi-level marketing channels be used? How long should the channel be (how many members)? Where should the product or service be available? When should the product or service be available? Should distribution be exclusive, selective or extensive? Who should control the channel (referred to as the channel captain)? Should channel relationships be informal or contractual? Should channel members share advertising (referred to as co-op ads)? Should electronic methods of distribution be used? Are there physical distribution and logistical issues to deal with? What will it cost to keep an inventory of products on store shelves and in channel warehouses (referred to as filling the pipeline)? The distribution channel Channels A number of alternate channels of distribution may be available: Selling direct, such as via mail order, Internet and telephone sales Agent, who typically sells direct on behalf of the producer Distributor (also called wholesaler), who sells to retailers Retailer (also called dealer), who sells to end customers Advertisement typically used for consumption goods Distribution channels may not be restricted to physical products alone. They may be just as important for moving a service from producer to consumer in certain sectors, since both direct and indirect channels may be used. Hotels, for example, may sell their services (typically rooms) directly or through travel agents, tour operators, airlines, tourist boards, centralized reservation systems, etc. There have also been some innovations in the distribution of services. For example, there has been an increase in franchising and in rental services the latter offering anything from televisions through tools. There has also been some evidence of service integration, with services linking together, particularly in the travel and tourism sectors. For example, links now exist between airlines, hotels and car rental services. In addition, there has been a significant increase in retail outlets for the service sector. Outlets such as estate agencies and building society offices are crowding out traditional grocers from major shopping areas.. Channel members Distribution channels can thus have a number of levels. Kotler defined the simplest level, that of direct contact with no intermediaries involved, as the zero-level channel. The next level, the one-level channel, features just one intermediary; in consumer goods a retailer, for industrial goods a distributor, say. In small markets (such as small countries) it is practical to reach the whole market using just one- and zero-level channels. In large markets (such as larger countries) a second level, a wholesaler for example, is now mainly used to extend distribution to the large number of small, neighbourhood retailers In Japan the chain of distribution is often complex and further levels are used, even for the simplest . Channel structure To the various `levels of distribution, which they refer to as the `channel length, Lancaster and Massingham also added another structural element, the relationship between its members: Conventional or free-flow This is the usual, widely recognized, channel with a range of `middle-men passing the goods on to the end-user. Single transaction A temporary `channel may be set up for one transaction; for example, the sale of property or a specific civil engineering project. This does not share many characteristics with other channel transactions, each one being unique. Vertical marketing system (VMS) In this form, the elements of distribution are integrated. The internal market Many of the marketing principles and techniques which are applied to the external customers of an organization can be just as effectively applied to each subsidiarys, or each departments, internal customers. In some parts of certain organizations this may in fact be formalized, as goods are transferred between separate parts of the organization at a `transfer price. To all intents and purposes, with the possible exception of the pricing mechanism itself, this process can and should be viewed as a normal buyer-seller relationship. Less obvious, but just as practical, is the use of `marketing by service and administrative departments; to optimize their contribution to their `customers (the rest of the organization in general, and those parts of it which deal directly with them in particular). In all of this, the lessons of the non-profit organizations, in dealing with their clients, offer a very useful parallel. Channel Decisions Channel strategy Product (or service)CostConsumer location Channel management The channel decision is very important. In theory at least, there is a form of trade-off: the cost of using intermediaries to achieve wider distribution is supposedly lower. Indeed, most consumer goods manufacturers could never justify the cost of selling direct to their consumers, except by mail order. In practice, if the producer is large enough, the use of intermediaries (particularly at the agent and wholesaler level) can sometimes cost more than going direct. Many of the theoretical arguments about channels therefore revolve around cost. On the other hand, most of the practical decisions are concerned with control of the consumer. The small company has no alternative but to use intermediaries, often several layers of them, but large companies do have the choice. However, many suppliers seem to assume that once their product has been sold into the channel, into the beginning of the distribution chain, their job is finished. Yet that distribution chain is merely assuming a part of the suppliers responsibility; and, if he has any aspirations to be market-oriented, his job should really be extended to managing, albeit very indirectly, all the processes involved in that chain, until the product or service arrives with the end-user. This may involve a number of decisions on the part of the supplier: Channel membership Channel motivation Monitoring and managing channels Channel membership Intensive distribution Where the majority of resellers stock the `product (with convenience products, for example, and particularly the brand leaders in consumer goods markets) price competition may be evident. Selective distribution This is the normal pattern (in both consumer and industrial markets) where `suitable resellers stock the product. Exclusive distribution Only specially selected resellers (typically only one per geographical area) are allowed to sell the `product. Channel motivation It is difficult enough to motivate direct employees to provide the necessary sales and service support. Motivating the owners and employees of the independent organizations in a distribution chain requires even greater effort. There are many devices for achieving such motivation. Perhaps the most usual is `bribery: the supplier offers a better margin, to tempt the owners in the channel to push the product rather than its competitors; or a competition is offered to the distributors sales personnel, so that they are tempted to push the product. At the other end of the spectrum is the almost symbiotic relationship that the all too rare supplier in the computer field develops with its agents; where the agents personnel, support as well as sales, are trained to almost the same standard as the suppliers own staff. Monitoring and managing channels In much the same way that the organizations own sales and distribution activities need to be monitored and managed, so will those of the distribution chain. In practice, of course, many organizations use a mix of different channels; in particular, they may complement a direct salesforce, calling on the larger accounts, with agents, covering the smaller customers and prospects. Vertical marketing This relatively recent development integrates the channel with the original supplier producer, wholesalers and retailers working in one unified system. This may arise because one member of the chain owns the other elements (often called `corporate systems integration); a supplier owning its own retail outlets, this being forward integration. It is perhaps more likely that a retailer will own its own suppliers, this being backward integration. (For example, MFI, the furniture retailer, owns Hygena which makes its kitchen and bedroom units.) The integration can also be by franchise (such as that offered by McDonalds hamburgers and Benetton clothes) or simple co-operation (in the way that Marks Spencer co-operates with its suppliers). Alternative approaches are `contractual systems, often led by a wholesale or retail co-operative, and `administered marketing systems where one (dominant) member of the distribution chain uses its position to co-ordinate the other members activities. This has traditionally been the form led by manufacturers. The intention of vertical marketing is to give all those involved (and particularly the supplier at one end, and the retailer at the other) control over the distribution chain. This removes one set of variables from the marketing equations. Other research indicates that vertical integration is a strategy which is best pursued at the mature stage of the market (or product). At earlier stages it can actually reduce profits. It is arguable that it also diverts attention from the real business of the organization. Suppliers rarely excel in retail operations and, in theory, retailers should focus on their sales outlets rather than on manufacturing facilities ( Marks Spencer, for example, very deliberately provides considerable amounts of technical assistance to its suppliers, but does not own them). Horizontal marketing A rather less frequent example of new approaches to channels is where two or more non-competing organizations agree on a joint venture a joint marketing operation because it is beyond the capacity of each individual organization alone. In general, this is less likely to revolve around marketing synergy. LOGISTICS IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food distribution, a method of distributing (or transporting) food from one place to another, is a very important factor in public nutrition. Where it breaks down, famine, malnutrition or illness can occur. During some periods of Ancient Rome, food distribution occurred with the policy of giving free bread to its citizens under the provision of a common good. There are three main components of food distribution: Transport infrastructure, such as roads, vehicles, rail transport, airports, and ports. Food handling technology and regulation, such as refrigeration, and storage, warehousing. Adequate source and supply logistics, based on demand and need. Information logistics In general, it is exactly logistics of information. The field of information logistics aims at developing concepts, technologies and applications for need-oriented information supply. Information-on-demand services are a typical application area for information logistics, as they have to fulfil user needs with respect to content, location, time and quality Information Logistics consists of two words information and logistics. Information can mean a lot of things, but usually is text (syntax with a semantic meaning) and logistics which is the transportation of sth from point A to point B. In a simplified sense is a newsletter information logistics, also an e-mail or even the ordinary mail you receive. Information logistics is concerned with the supply of information to individuals and Types of Logistics Strategies Types of Logistics Strategies Logistics Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. It is difficult to accomplish any marketing or manufacturing without logistical support. It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible. 1- Overwiew of Logistics The word of logistics originates from the ancient Greek logos (), which means ratio, word, calculation, reason, speech, oration. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Logistikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. The Oxford English dictionary defines logistics as: The branch of military science having to do with procuring, maintaining and transporting material, personnel and facilities.Another dictionary definition is: The time related positioning of resources. As such, logistics is commonly seen as a branch of engineering which creates people systems rather than machine systems. Military logistics In military logistics, experts manage how and when to move resources to the places they are needed. In military science, maintaining ones supply lines while disrupting those of the enemy is a crucial-some would say the most crucial-element of military strategy, since an armed force without food, fuel and ammunition is defenseless. The Iraq war was a dramatic example of the importance of logistics. It had become very necessary for the US and its allies to move huge amounts of men, materials and equipment over great distances. Led by Lieutenant General William Pagonis, Logistics was successfully used for this movement. The defeat of the British in the American War of Independence, and the defeat of Rommel in World War II, have been largely attributed to logistical failure. The historical leaders Hannibal Barca and Alexander the Great are considered to have been logistical geniuses. 1. Logistics Management Logistics Management is that part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers requirements. Business logistics Logistics as a business concept evolved only in the 1950s. This was mainly due to the increasing complexity of supplying ones business with materials and shipping out products in an increasingly globalized supply chain, calling for experts in the field who are called Supply Chain Logisticians. This can be defined as having the right item in the right quantity at the right time for the right price and is the science of process and incorporates all industry sectors. The goal of logistic work is to manage the fruition of project life cycles, supply chains and resultant efficiencies. In business, logistics may have either internal focus(inbound logistics), or external focus (outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials from point of origin to point of consumption (see supply chain management). The main functions of a logistics manager include Inventory Management, purchasing, transport, warehousing, and the organizing and planning of these activities. Logistics managers combine a general knowledge of each of these functions so that there is a coordination of resources in an organization. There are two fundamentally different forms of logistics. One optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links and storage nodes. The other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry out some project. Logistics as a concept is considered to evolve from the militarys need to supply themselves as they moved from their base to a forward position. In ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine empires, there were military officers with the title Log istikas who were responsible for financial and supply distribution matters. Production logistics The term is used for describing logistic processes within an industry. The purpose of production logistics is to ensure that each machine and workstation is being fed with the right product in the right quantity and quality at the right point in time. The issue is not the transportation itself, but to streamline and control the flow through the value adding processes and eliminate non-value adding ones. Production logistics can be applied in existing as well as new plants. Manufacturing in an existing plant is a constantly changing process. Machines are exchanged and new ones added, which gives the opportunity to improve the production logistics system accordingly. Production logistics provides the means to achieve customer response and capital efficiency 2. Commercial vehicle operation Commercial Vehicle Operations is an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems for trucks. A typical system would be purchased by the managers of a trucking company. It would have a satellite navigation system, a small computer and a digital radio in each truck. Every fifteen minutes the computer transmits where the truck has been. The digital radio service forwards the data to the central office of the trucking company. A computer system in the central office manages the fleet in real time under control of a team of dispatchers. In this way, the central office knows where its trucks are. The company tracks individual loads by using barcoded containers and pallets to track loads combined into a larger container. To minimize handling-expense, damage and waste of vehicle capacity, optimal-sized pallets are often constructed at distribution points to go to particular destinations. A good load-tracking system will help deliver more than 95% of its loads via truck, on planned schedules. If a truck gets off its route, or is delayed, the truck can be diverted to a better route, or urgent loads that are likely to be late can be diverted to air freight. This allows a trucking company to deliver a true premium service at only slightly higher cost. The best proprietary systems, such as the one operated by FedEx, achieve better than 99.999% on-time delivery. Load-tracking systems use queuing theory, linear programming and minimum spanning tree logic to predict and improve arrival times. The exact means of combining these are usually secret recipes deeply hidden in the software. The basic scheme is that hypothetical routes are constructed by combining road segments, and then poor ones are eliminated using linear programming. The controlled routes allow a truck to avoid heavy traffic caused by rush-hour, accidents or road-work. Increasingly, governments are providing digital notification when roadways are known to have reduced capacity. A good system lets the computer, dispatcher and driver collaborate on finding a good route, or a method to move the load. One special value is that the computer can automatically eliminate routes over roads that cannot take the weight of the truck, or that have overhead obstructions. Usually, the drivers log into the system. The system helps remind a driver to rest. Rested drivers operate the truck more skillfully and safely. When these systems were first introduced, some drivers resisted them, viewing them as a way for management to spy on the driver. A well-managed intelligent transportation system provides drivers with huge amounts of help. It gives them a view of their own load and the network of roadways. Components of CVO include: Fleet Administration Freight Administration Electronic Clearance Commercial Vehicle Administrative Processes International Border Crossing Clearance Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Roadside CVO Safety On-Board Safety Monitoring CVO Fleet Maintenance Hazardous Material Planning and Incident Response Freight In-Transit Monitoring Freight Terminal Management 3. CONTAINERIZATION Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as Shipping Containers or Isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes, and trucks. Containerization is also the term given to the process of determining the best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items. ISO Container dimensions and payloads There are five common standard lengths, 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 m). United States domestic standard containers are generally 48-ft and 53-ft (rail and truck). Container capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu). A twenty-foot equivalent unit is a measure of containerized cargo capacity equal to one standard 20 ft (length) Ãâ€" 8 ft (width) Ãâ€" 8 ft 6 in (height) container. In metric units this is 6.10 m (length) Ãâ€" 2.44 m (width) Ãâ€" 2.59 m (height), or approximately 38.5 m ³. These sell at about US$2,500 in China, the biggest manufacturer. Most containers today are of the 40-ft (12.2 m) variety and are known as 40-foot containers. This is equivalent to 2 TEU. 45-foot (13.7 m) containers are also designated 2 TEU. Two TEU are equivalent to one forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU). High cube containers have a height of 9 ft 6 in (2.9m), while half-height containers, used for heavy loads, have a height of 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). When converting containers to TEUs, the height of the containers typically is not considered. The use of US measurements to describe container size (TEU, FEU) despite the fact the rest of the world uses the metric system reflects the fact that US shipping companies played a major part in the development of containers. The overwhelming need to have a standard size for containers, in order that they fit all ships, cranes, and trucks, and the length of time that the current container sizes have been in use, makes changing to an even metric size impractical. The maximum gross mass for a 20-ft dry cargo container is 24,000 kg, and for a 40-ft, (inc. the 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in) high cube container), it is 30,480 kg. Allowing for the tare mass of the container, the maximum payload mass is there reduced to approx. 21,600 kg for 20-ft, and 26,500 kg for 40-ft containers. Shipping Container History A container ship being loaded by a portainer crane in Copenhagen Harbour. Twistlocks which capture and constrain containers. Forklifts designed to handle containers have similar devices. A container freight train in the UK. Containers produced a huge reduction in port handling costs, contributing significantly to lower freight charges and, in turn, boosting trade flows. Almost every manufactured product humans consume spends some time in a container. Containerization is an important element of the innovations in logistics that revolutionized freight handling in the 20th century. Efforts to ship cargo in containers date to the 19th century. By the 1920s, railroads on several continents were carrying containers that could be transferred to trucks or ships, but these containers were invariably small by todays standards. From 1926 to 1947, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway carried motor carrier vehicles and shippers vehicles loaded on flatcars between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in 1929, Seatrain Lines carried railroad boxcars on its sea vessels to transport goods between New York and Cuba. In the mid-1930s, the Chicago Great Western Railway and then the New Haven Railroad began piggy-back service (transporting highway freight trailers on flatcars) limited to their own railroads. By 1953, the CBQ, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and the Southern Pacific railroads had joined the innovation. Most cars were surplus flatcars equipped with new decks. By 1955, an additional 25 railroads had begun some form of piggy-back trailer s ervice. The first vessels purpose-built to carry containers began operation in Denmark in 1951. Ships began carrying containers between Seattle and Alaska in 1951. The worlds first truly intermodal container system used purpose-built container ship the Clifford J. Rodgers built in Montreal in 1955 and owned by the White Pass and Yukon Route. Its first trip carried 600 containers between North Vancouver, British Columbia and Skagway, Alaska on November 26, 1955; in Skagway, the containers were unloaded to purpose-built railroad cars for transport north to the Yukon, in the first intermodal service using trucks, ships and railroad cars. Southbound containers were loaded by shippers in the Yukon, moved by truck, rail, ship and truck to their consignees, without opening. This first intermodal system operated from November 1955 for many years. A converted container used as an office at a building site. The widespread use of ISO standard containers has driven modifications in other freight-moving standards, gradually forcing removable truck bodies or swap bodies into the standard sizes and shapes (though without the strength needed to be stacked), and changing completely the worldwide use of freight pallets that fit into ISO containers or into commercial vehicles. Improved cargo security is also an important benefit of containerization. The cargo is not visible to the casual viewer and thus is less likely to be stolen and the doors of the containers are generally sealed so that tampering is more evident. This has reduced the falling off the truck syndrome that long plagued the shipping industry. Use of the same basic sizes of containers across the globe has lessened the problems caused by incompatible rail gauge sizes in different countries. The majority of the rail networks in the world operate on a 1,435mm (4ft 8 ½in) gauge track known as standard gauge but many countries like Russia, Finland and Spain use broader gauges while other many countries in Africa and South America use narrower gauges on their networks. The use of container trains in all these countries makes trans-shipment between different gauge trains easier, with automatic or semi-automatic equipment. Some of the largest global companies containerizing containers today are Patrick Global Shipping, Bowen Exports and Theiler Sons Goods, LLC. Loss at sea of ISO Containers Containers occasionally fall from the ships that carry them, something that occurs an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 times each year. For instance, on November 30, 2006, a container washed ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, along with thousands of bags of its cargo of tortilla chips. Containers lost at sea do not necessarily sink, but seldom float very high out of the water, making them a shipping hazard that is difficult to detect. Freight from lost containers has provided oceanographers with unexpected opportunities to track global ocean currents. Double-stack containerization A Railroad car with a 20 tank container and a conventional 20 container. Most flatcars cannot carry more than one standard 40 foot container, but if the rail line has been built with sufficient vertical clearance, a well car can accept a container and still leave enough clearance for another container on top. This usually precludes operation of double-stacked wagons on lines with overhead electric wiring (exception: Betuweroute). Double stacking has been used in North America since American President Lines introduced this double stack principle under the name of Stacktrain rail service in 1984. It saved shippers money and now accounts for almost 70 percent of intermodal freight transport shipments in the United States, in part due to the generous vertical clearances used by US railroads ISO Container types Various container types are available for different needs General purpose dry van for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums in standard, high or half height High cube palletwide containers for europallet compatibility Temperature controlled from -25 °c to +25 °c reefer Open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machinery Open side for loading oversize pallet Flushfolding flat-rack containers for heavy and bulky semi-finished goods, out of gauge cargo Platform or bolster for barrels and drums, crates, cable drums, out of gauge cargo, machinery, and processed timber Ventilated containers for organic products requiring ventilation Tank containers for bulk liquids and dangerous goods Rolling floor for difficult to handle cargo Determining the best carton, box or pallet While the creation of the best container for shipping of newly created product is called Containerization, the term also applies to determining the right box and the best placement inside that box in order fulfillment. This may be planned by software modules in a warehouse management system. This optimization software calculates the best spatial position of each item withing such constraints as stackability and crush resistance 4. CROSS DOCKING Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or rail car and loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, or to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins. Cross docking is used to decrease inventory storage by streamlining the flow between the supplier and the manufacturer. Typical applications Hub and spoke arrangements, where materials are brought in to one central location and then sorted for delivery to a variety of destinations Consolidation arrangements, where a variety of smaller shipments are combined into one larger shipment for economy of transport Deconsolidation arrangements, where large shipments (e.g. railcar lots) are broken down into smaller lots for ease of delivery. Factors influencing the use of cross-docks Customer and supplier geography particularly when a single corporate customer has many multiple branches or using points Freight costs for the commodities being transported Cost of inventory in transit Complexity of loads Handling methods Logistics software integration between supplier(s), vendor, and shipper 5 .DISTRIBUTION Distribution is one of the four aspects of marketing. A distributor is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer. After a product is manufactured it is typically shipped (and usually sold) to a distributor. The distributor then sells the product to retailers or customers. The other three parts of the marketing mix are product management, pricing, and promotion. Traditionally, distribution has been seen as dealing with logistics: how to get the product or service to the customer. It must answer questions such as: Should the product be sold through a retailer? Should the product be distributed through wholesale? Should multi-level marketing channels be used? How long should the channel be (how many members)? Where should the product or service be available? When should the product or service be available? Should distribution be exclusive, selective or extensive? Who should control the channel (referred to as the channel captain)? Should channel relationships be informal or contractual? Should channel members share advertising (referred to as co-op ads)? Should electronic methods of distribution be used? Are there physical distribution and logistical issues to deal with? What will it cost to keep an inventory of products on store shelves and in channel warehouses (referred to as filling the pipeline)? The distribution channel Channels A number of alternate channels of distribution may be available: Selling direct, such as via mail order, Internet and telephone sales Agent, who typically sells direct on behalf of the producer Distributor (also called wholesaler), who sells to retailers Retailer (also called dealer), who sells to end customers Advertisement typically used for consumption goods Distribution channels may not be restricted to physical products alone. They may be just as important for moving a service from producer to consumer in certain sectors, since both direct and indirect channels may be used. Hotels, for example, may sell their services (typically rooms) directly or through travel agents, tour operators, airlines, tourist boards, centralized reservation systems, etc. There have also been some innovations in the distribution of services. For example, there has been an increase in franchising and in rental services the latter offering anything from televisions through tools. There has also been some evidence of service integration, with services linking together, particularly in the travel and tourism sectors. For example, links now exist between airlines, hotels and car rental services. In addition, there has been a significant increase in retail outlets for the service sector. Outlets such as estate agencies and building society offices are crowding out traditional grocers from major shopping areas.. Channel members Distribution channels can thus have a number of levels. Kotler defined the simplest level, that of direct contact with no intermediaries involved, as the zero-level channel. The next level, the one-level channel, features just one intermediary; in consumer goods a retailer, for industrial goods a distributor, say. In small markets (such as small countries) it is practical to reach the whole market using just one- and zero-level channels. In large markets (such as larger countries) a second level, a wholesaler for example, is now mainly used to extend distribution to the large number of small, neighbourhood retailers In Japan the chain of distribution is often complex and further levels are used, even for the simplest . Channel structure To the various `levels of distribution, which they refer to as the `channel length, Lancaster and Massingham also added another structural element, the relationship between its members: Conventional or free-flow This is the usual, widely recognized, channel with a range of `middle-men passing the goods on to the end-user. Single transaction A temporary `channel may be set up for one transaction; for example, the sale of property or a specific civil engineering project. This does not share many characteristics with other channel transactions, each one being unique. Vertical marketing system (VMS) In this form, the elements of distribution are integrated. The internal market Many of the marketing principles and techniques which are applied to the external customers of an organization can be just as effectively applied to each subsidiarys, or each departments, internal customers. In some parts of certain organizations this may in fact be formalized, as goods are transferred between separate parts of the organization at a `transfer price. To all intents and purposes, with the possible exception of the pricing mechanism itself, this process can and should be viewed as a normal buyer-seller relationship. Less obvious, but just as practical, is the use of `marketing by service and administrative departments; to optimize their contribution to their `customers (the rest of the organization in general, and those parts of it which deal directly with them in particular). In all of this, the lessons of the non-profit organizations, in dealing with their clients, offer a very useful parallel. Channel Decisions Channel strategy Product (or service)CostConsumer location Channel management The channel decision is very important. In theory at least, there is a form of trade-off: the cost of using intermediaries to achieve wider distribution is supposedly lower. Indeed, most consumer goods manufacturers could never justify the cost of selling direct to their consumers, except by mail order. In practice, if the producer is large enough, the use of intermediaries (particularly at the agent and wholesaler level) can sometimes cost more than going direct. Many of the theoretical arguments about channels therefore revolve around cost. On the other hand, most of the practical decisions are concerned with control of the consumer. The small company has no alternative but to use intermediaries, often several layers of them, but large companies do have the choice. However, many suppliers seem to assume that once their product has been sold into the channel, into the beginning of the distribution chain, their job is finished. Yet that distribution chain is merely assuming a part of the suppliers responsibility; and, if he has any aspirations to be market-oriented, his job should really be extended to managing, albeit very indirectly, all the processes involved in that chain, until the product or service arrives with the end-user. This may involve a number of decisions on the part of the supplier: Channel membership Channel motivation Monitoring and managing channels Channel membership Intensive distribution Where the majority of resellers stock the `product (with convenience products, for example, and particularly the brand leaders in consumer goods markets) price competition may be evident. Selective distribution This is the normal pattern (in both consumer and industrial markets) where `suitable resellers stock the product. Exclusive distribution Only specially selected resellers (typically only one per geographical area) are allowed to sell the `product. Channel motivation It is difficult enough to motivate direct employees to provide the necessary sales and service support. Motivating the owners and employees of the independent organizations in a distribution chain requires even greater effort. There are many devices for achieving such motivation. Perhaps the most usual is `bribery: the supplier offers a better margin, to tempt the owners in the channel to push the product rather than its competitors; or a competition is offered to the distributors sales personnel, so that they are tempted to push the product. At the other end of the spectrum is the almost symbiotic relationship that the all too rare supplier in the computer field develops with its agents; where the agents personnel, support as well as sales, are trained to almost the same standard as the suppliers own staff. Monitoring and managing channels In much the same way that the organizations own sales and distribution activities need to be monitored and managed, so will those of the distribution chain. In practice, of course, many organizations use a mix of different channels; in particular, they may complement a direct salesforce, calling on the larger accounts, with agents, covering the smaller customers and prospects. Vertical marketing This relatively recent development integrates the channel with the original supplier producer, wholesalers and retailers working in one unified system. This may arise because one member of the chain owns the other elements (often called `corporate systems integration); a supplier owning its own retail outlets, this being forward integration. It is perhaps more likely that a retailer will own its own suppliers, this being backward integration. (For example, MFI, the furniture retailer, owns Hygena which makes its kitchen and bedroom units.) The integration can also be by franchise (such as that offered by McDonalds hamburgers and Benetton clothes) or simple co-operation (in the way that Marks Spencer co-operates with its suppliers). Alternative approaches are `contractual systems, often led by a wholesale or retail co-operative, and `administered marketing systems where one (dominant) member of the distribution chain uses its position to co-ordinate the other members activities. This has traditionally been the form led by manufacturers. The intention of vertical marketing is to give all those involved (and particularly the supplier at one end, and the retailer at the other) control over the distribution chain. This removes one set of variables from the marketing equations. Other research indicates that vertical integration is a strategy which is best pursued at the mature stage of the market (or product). At earlier stages it can actually reduce profits. It is arguable that it also diverts attention from the real business of the organization. Suppliers rarely excel in retail operations and, in theory, retailers should focus on their sales outlets rather than on manufacturing facilities ( Marks Spencer, for example, very deliberately provides considerable amounts of technical assistance to its suppliers, but does not own them). Horizontal marketing A rather less frequent example of new approaches to channels is where two or more non-competing organizations agree on a joint venture a joint marketing operation because it is beyond the capacity of each individual organization alone. In general, this is less likely to revolve around marketing synergy. LOGISTICS IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food distribution, a method of distributing (or transporting) food from one place to another, is a very important factor in public nutrition. Where it breaks down, famine, malnutrition or illness can occur. During some periods of Ancient Rome, food distribution occurred with the policy of giving free bread to its citizens under the provision of a common good. There are three main components of food distribution: Transport infrastructure, such as roads, vehicles, rail transport, airports, and ports. Food handling technology and regulation, such as refrigeration, and storage, warehousing. Adequate source and supply logistics, based on demand and need. Information logistics In general, it is exactly logistics of information. The field of information logistics aims at developing concepts, technologies and applications for need-oriented information supply. Information-on-demand services are a typical application area for information logistics, as they have to fulfil user needs with respect to content, location, time and quality Information Logistics consists of two words information and logistics. Information can mean a lot of things, but usually is text (syntax with a semantic meaning) and logistics which is the transportation of sth from point A to point B. In a simplified sense is a newsletter information logistics, also an e-mail or even the ordinary mail you receive. Information logistics is concerned with the supply of information to individuals and