Joe Gransden Jazz Jam Essay

In the recent course of music, it is evident that changes and development are present. The variety of genres had expanded which led to the arrival of brand new breed of artist that is able to represent various entities and cultures. Moreover one of the genres which are developing is Jazz. For many years, different jazz musicians are present. In the current state of music, it is clear that music is flowing. Due to such realization it is needed as a researcher to see a jazz performer to fully see the development of music as well as the instrumentation of the band. More so, the researcher shall provide details to which different kinds of observation during the performance of Joe Gransden Quartet Jazz Jam. The Joe Gransden Quartet Jazz Jam is a group which is composed of different individuals who are actively performing different types of instrumentations. The most important instrument is the trumpet which is usually utilized in every song of the band. The band is greatly utilizing instruments rather than a vocal instrument. There is a satisfying sound of the base and drums and the cello which highlighted by the shallow sound by different instruments with a lighter sound. More so, the whole set which was played by the band were all complete with different instruments which add drama and emotions with the songs. Definitely the whole band is very great for they are able to present their craft and attain a response from the audience. For the band is jazz, the audience is calm and very appreciative of the music. Due to the excellence o the band, it is inevitable that the audience will be entertained and amused on how individuals could utilize music as a form of emotional and artistic perspective. On the other hand, attending such concert is similar to drinking a cold glass of water. Such kind of band is refreshing to the ears and to the soul. The music of the band and their musicality is unquestionable. Moreover, the excellence of each member in their instruments does not need any improvement. The association of each instrument is in line with each other. Upon this, the researcher sees that the Joe Gransden Quartet Jazz Jam is a unique band which does not present that jazz is a genre which is unlike any other. The presentation is highly classical in the perspective of the researcher. The instruments and the notes are learning to the classical music which is usually done in operas. More so, the instrument was playing a huge role in its own unique way. All the instruments were complementing each other. Therefore, the instruments are all highlighted in their own way. Looking at the perspective of the solo acts, it is slightly evident that each of the musicians has their own flare in providing a different style in playing the instrument. In addition to this, the lead of the band –Joe Gransden is an important player in the band. For he leads the whole group towards his visions, he is allowed the most pristine individual in the group. Although most of the musicians in the group is great in their on instruments, it is through the vision and knowledge of Joe Gransden that the group have gone to the levels and acknowledgement of the press and the audience. Moreover, the whole band was a breath of fresh air for the audiences who are interested

Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit

This report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources.This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher prices dema nded for their products. Table of Contents Industry Overview In their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries.The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies . In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are  foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies th at locate facilities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufact ured by Ford Motor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles incl udes sedans, crossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was name d CEO of the Ford Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panel s, vehicle plat forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships wit h vendors needed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engi neers and buyers in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of producti on (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenu e Management To compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative info rmation in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest† .After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowered Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have al l seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lots. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 m illion units, but actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees t hat are in their automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above mentioned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a re duction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annua l Report (2011), General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 2010 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan. Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit AbstractThis report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources. This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher pr ices demanded for their products.Industry OverviewIn their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries. The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies. In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies that locate faci lities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufactured by Ford M otor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles includes sedans, c rossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was named CEO of the F ord Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panels, vehicle pla t forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships with vendors need ed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engineers and buye rs in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of production (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenue Management T o compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative information in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest†.After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowe red Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have all seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lot s. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 million units, b ut actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees that are in thei r automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above menti oned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a reduction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annual Report (2011) , General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 20 10 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan.

Research Paper On The Pearl by John Steinbeck Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Research Paper Example They even try to subdue and tread over the dreams of the poor so that the rich can become richer. Steinbeck has used greed and ambition as main themes of the book. The protagonist ‘Kino’ dreams of a bright future for his only son. He wants to educate him so that his son can have a better life. The author has profusely used the surreal elements to weave the magic in the ordinary life of the hero. The story revolves around the protagonist who goes in search of ‘the pearl’ because the village doctor refuses to treat his son who was bitten by a poisonous scorpion. The author dexterously maneuvers the plot and shows how the greed of man and unrealistic dreams ultimately deprive him of happiness and a peaceful life. Kino develops the illusionary desires and ambitions to overcome his poverty because he wants a more comfortable life for his son and family. Hence, when he finds the pearl, it becomes the most powerful symbol of riches through which he can make his dre ams come true. ‘The pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck’ becomes the powerful motive of the protagonist to dream (1:9). When Kino and his wife find the pearl, their life takes a dramatic turn because everyone is attracted to the pearl and want a share of the riches that it represents. The greed of people comes to fore and all the people who had earlier refused to help the couple, now try to impress them. The doctor, who had refused to treat Coyotito, Kino’s son, is now eager to treat the poisonous bite as he can now get a share of the pearl. The priest, who had earlier refused to marry Kino and Juana in the church because they were poor, is now ready to wed them in the hope of gaining some part of the fortune that the pearl represents. Steinbeck gradually unfolds the events to convey the changing attitude of the people. The evil nature of man is exposed as the greed for the acquiring the pearl gains momentum. The simple and uncomplicated life o f Kino is suddenly fraught with the treacherous consequences of extreme wantonness of the man’s greed for money. Indeed, while the protagonist just wants the pearl to provide a better life for his family, the world around him sees it as their first step to great wealth and prosperity. The story culminates in the death of the son. The protagonist realizes that not all the riches of the world can replace his son or can be greater than the love of the family. Kino and his wife throw the pearl back into the sea because it deprives them of only happiness that their son represented and nothing can bring him back. The theme of the book broadly focuses on what the pearl represents in the wider context of life. How the pearl is perceived by the people and consequently its role in the life of Kino becomes the highlight of the book. The author has used symbols, metaphors and imagery to stress the emotional needs that must be satisfied. The songs for different occasions are important ele ments that reflect the changing moods of the protagonists. ‘Song of the family’ signifies the contented life of Kino and Juana but ‘song of the evil’ comes in the mind of Kino, when his son is stung by the scorpion. ‘Music of the enemy’ forewarns Kino that the doctor would not be treating his son! Once the pearl is found and appears in the lives of the people, the vagaries of human nature also come to the fore. The greed, desires, jealousy

Visual Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Visual Culture - Essay Example (Wikipedia) This text will focus on psychoanalytic theories that evidently apply to visual culture. Designed to explain how this particular science that speaks of sexuality, creativity, repression, fetishism, drives and the like could possibly be applied to visual culture, work of two renowned artists would be discussed. Andy Warhol's paintings of Marilyn have attracted much commentary from critics attempting to discern any complexity of thought or feeling in Warhol's treatment of the original image. With the fascination and argument it has evoked it serves as a perfect example that could relate psychoanalytic theories with visual arts. Alexander McQueen, with his continually provocative shows and outrageous designs, has solidified his reputation as the bad boy of fashion. His choice of collections compels potent mix of controversy, creativity, and technical mastery had made him renowned and notable artist. An exploration into his art would greatly substantiate visual cultures relevant to psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather than based on empirical analysis of clinical case. Its development is described as a primarily unconscious - that is, beyond awareness - and is heavily coloured by emotion. The term often attaches to conceptual uses of analysis in critical theory, literary, film, or other art criticism, broader intersubjective phenomena. For example, those broadly conceived as cultural or social in nature, religion, law, or other non-clinical contexts, sometimes signifying its use as a hermeneutic or interpretative framework. In some respects this can resemble phenomenology insofar as it attempts to account for consciousness and unconsciousness in a more or less eidetic fashion, although there are inherent conflicts between phenomenology as a study of consciousness and the frequent psychoanalytic emphasis on the unconscious or n on-coincidence of consciousness with itself(wiki). Some of the theoretical orientation of psychoanalysis results in part from its separation from psychiatry and institutionalisation closer to departments of philosophy and literature. Its diverse influence have dispersed its implications toward racial and colonial identity, distinct Marxist positions that had attempt to use psychoanalysis in the study of ideology, work in literary studies informed by philosophy, psychology, neurology, Freudian and Lacanian theory. Theory can be so expansive a container as to include the work of Gilles Deleuze and Flix Guattari, who believed psychoanalysis ultimately radically reductionist and strongly opposed the psychiatric institutions of their time. Sometimes it heavily informs gender studies and queer theory. Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein, and Jacques Lacan are often treated as canonical thinkers by Lacanian psychoanalysts despite the considerable objections to their authority. Freud's psychoanalytic theory provided a radically new approach to the analysis and treatment of what had been perceived as abnormal adult behaviour. Behaviours were once ignored and were rather substituted with psychological explanation. The novelty of Freud's approach was in recognizing that neurotic behavior is not random or

Analysis of Across the Universe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Across the Universe - Essay Example The aesthetic regime can be seen in creating scenes that just seem to be there to add to the feeling of the film, without adding much or any information, and sometimes lacking in any dialog, such as the scenes of swimming, or the scenes of the carnival. They most likely are not even real, just there to imply drug trips. It is irrelevant to argue whether or not â€Å"Across the Universe† is art because it is a representation of reality, as Arnheim's perspective of cinema fits well with this movie because it is not an actual representation of reality at all. Big blue men dance at the carnival, imaginary joints produce real smoke, and giant creatures flail about. However, in adding elements such as those, one could argue that the character of certain objects are not strengthened but destroyed in a very informal manner. This is only done to further enhance our perceptions of certain aspects of the movie, such as raw feelings that have no actual, physical equivalent. While watching â€Å"Across the Universe†, it is easy to have more faith in Bergson's ideas of movements in cinema. Throughout the movie there seems to be this phenomenon of moving continuity, everything constantly flowing and changing, yet remaining the same. This perception of movement fits this particular movie more than the more concrete, or grounded view of Deleuze. The sensory-motor schema is frequently thrown out throughout the course of this, movie. Indeed, as quoted in the notes, the characters do seem to go off on a trip, to wonder about.

How is Entropy and Information Gain Theory used in Coding Theory Research Paper

How is Entropy and Information Gain Theory used in Coding Theory - Research Paper Example In a communication arrangement, two sources of coding are evident, the first one is the source coding, which focuses on efficiency provision of digital presentation from source signal. Secondly, we have the channel coding mainly the error-control coding which is for the provision of reliable communications through noisy channels (Ashikhmin, Barg & Dimacs 47) In coding theory, entropy and information gain theory offers various roles. Firstly, it is concerned with data reduction, which happens mostly studying a given task and coming across extra material called side information. This will result to the need of data reduction. Therefore, appliance of entropy and information will be of pronounced meaning because it will lessen the extra information. This theory can also interpret the extra information to represent context or situation information (Roth 6). Secondly, entropy and information theory concerns the determination of indecision that is allied with the given information. For exam ple, if certain specific information is on conduction and this theory happens to known it before the transmission of that material, it will lead to the failure of that information going through transmission. Entropy focuses on maximization during the equiprobable of meanings thus determining vagueness (Roth 7). Thirdly, this theory promotes intelligence and application of secrecy to information. These concepts mostly apply to cryptography compounded with cryptanalysis (Roth 7). It focuses on the redundancy of plaintext by giving the least quantity of ciphertext ensuring exceptional decipherability. Here information theory makes us be certain that it is hard to keep any secret (Golomb, Peile & Scholtz 202). Fourthly, entropy and information gain theory deals with the gathering of unpolluted disciplines, which have already gone through investigation and transformed to engineering practice. It deals with very broad applications thus the vitality of coding theory. Fifthly, this theory i s important when it comes to â€Å"error-correcting codes† in computers with high-speed memories (Cover & Thomas 13). These codes are of vital use when it comes to enhancing the reliability of computer memories. Here the computers contain unusual features that are rarely in communication applications. These errors are due to encoding, decoding, and uncommon type of errors. When this occurs, the entropy and information gain theory are able to detect double error appearing at the same time, correcting the single errors (Cover & Thomas 13). Source coding theory is about well-organized demonstration of given data that are from a certain information source (Gray 34). For example when it is an image-coding, achieving source coding can be through manipulating terminations of that image. To attain â€Å"noiseless source coding†, the measures of given information and its complexity should be observed. Central to this, the entropy and information theory is of application when it comes to detection of total information. This theory also helps when it comes to arithmetic coding compounded with statistical modeling (Kannappan 174). Arithmetic coding avoids assigning certain bit of given patterns to the original source symbol. In entropy and information theory, a connotation with a code is given and it concludes the order of symbol. These code words have sub intervals showing the disparity

Selection of a Cloud Computing Provider Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Selection of a Cloud Computing Provider - Essay Example Another important attribute that has its own prime importance is the financially stability of the cloud providers as the providers with higher level of financial risk can lead the companies to become more vulnerable to their operations. In case, if a cloud provider defaults, it can cause serious damages to the companies including loss of data, delays in gathering backups etc. Before making a contract with the cloud providers, it is equally important for the companies making agreement with the cloud providers to ensure that system tools and infrastructure statistics would be visible to company. Those statistics include processors’ utilization, the storage provided and consumed by the system, performance of the network, the number of people who are signed in to the system etc. At the same time, companies can also ask the cloud providers to show the â€Å"churn rate† which presents the number of clients lost by the cloud provider in the last year.The legal requirements are also quite considerable because some of the countries do not allow choosing a cloud provider from other countries. For instance, the countries under European Union only approve certain countries from where a cloud provider can be selected like Canada.The security and quality based issues should also be taken into account such that ISO certified cloud providers are more authentic and reliable as compared to other cloud providers.As a result the implementation is carried out in such a manner that at the earlier stage those applications are implemented first.

Death and fate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Death and fate - Essay Example This story thus tries to show how death is inevitable and despite efforts put in place, it will always find ways of capturing its victims. The story revolves around death and its inevitability. It portrays many traditions of the Gothic fiction thus presenting an allegory of death and fate. It is therefore important to study and know how different societies deal with death and the meanings behind their actions. Death in Different Societies Over the years, the mystery of death have stunned many individuals and because no one knows what happens when after death, different societies have come up with tales on the origin of death, causes of death and implications of death. Different people have different believes on death, but the vast majority view death as a form of punishment from a supreme being usually referred to as ‘god’ or ‘the ancestors’. Very few people have embraced the reality about death and view it as natural, many still believe that death occurs as a result of fate or punishment (Lynn 327). To broadly understand death in different societies, we will attempt to look at what the societies believe are the causes of death, what are the remedies to the stated cause and whether death is avoidable by any chance. Death According to the Muslim Societies According to the Muslim community, death is normally regarded as the ultimate completion or end of the physical life of an individual. The dead person is normally referred to as resting because, this society believes that, in the end, the dead will be resurrected by God normally referred to as Allah. Since the dead are only resting, they believe that those who were righteous are capable of seeing visions of Allah even in immortal state. The wicked on the other hand, usually see hell in their visions. According to the Muslim society, there is heaven where the dead will go after judgment (Ivone 174). This place however is restricted to the pure Muslims; non Muslims can only get to heaven after they have been purified in fire, commonly known as the purgatory. In Muslim society, religious legends are worshiped and specific shrines are built for their remembrance. To date, Prophet Mohammed is worshiped and every Muslim knows that he was the most righteous person who ever lived. As a way of recognizing this, special shrine is built in Mecca where Muslims Faithful usually visit to pay their tribute to this hero. This process is done annually. When a Muslim dies, he is supposed to be washed, wrapped in a white clean cloth and buried the same day. This is done to honor the dead and give him last respect. People know very little in what happens after one is buried and they just believes that he or she will be resurrected when time comes. Muslims also believe in a holy war called Jihad. In this war, if someone dies in an attempt to do the will or Allah, he is guaranteed heaven. This is why, some fighters like Osama, having been convinced that they were doing service to God, would do anything without being human enough to reconsider his actions. When he died, the best thing was to bury him under water to avoid shrines and a repeat of the same cycle. Death in Traditional African Society Many traditional practices according to many traditional practices are coiled around death and resurrection. Many individuals believe in the existence of semi-divine powers and the intercession of spirits (Aloysius and Joanne 68). It is therefore important to appease the spirits if one is to avoid the painful consequences of death. There are also

What is Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is Macroeconomics - Essay Example What is Macroeconomics? Macroeconomics deals with the aggregate indicators like prices, unemployment rates and GDP in order to know how the entire economy works. Macroeconomists build models that clarify the connection between factors like international finance, national income, consumption, output, savings, inflation, unemployment, international trade and investment. In contrary, micro economics is basically fixated on individual agents’ action like consumers and firms and in what way do their behavior affect quantity and prices in particular markets. As macroeconomics is a wide study field, two fields of researches which are symbolic of the subject. The move to understand the consequences and causes of short run variations in a business cycle and the move to know the determinants of economic growth are some of its main objectives. Macroeconomics model and its forecast are used by large corporations and government to assist in evaluation and development of business strategy and economic policy (Dwiv edi, pp.7) Macroeconomics concepts Macroeconomics comprises of variables and concepts though there are 3 core issues for macroeconomic research. Macroeconomic theory always relates inflation, unemployment and output. External to macroeconomics, the topics are extensively vital to economic agents inclusive of producers, consumers and workers. Output and income The general economic activity for the economy is briefed by an output aggregate measure. As the manufacture or services and goods output generates income. Each entire output measure relates to the measure of aggregate income. The states of America today employ the concept of aggregate output known as GDP (gross domestic product). The gross domestic product is the measure of services and goods currently produced at market prices value. An individual should note that there are many GDP measure features. To start with, only presently produced goods are encompassed. This means that when one purchases an old Tudor house aged 150 yea rs, it does not add up to the GDP. What adds to the GDP is the service that the estate agent renders in the house purchasing process. Secondly, end products are counted. For avoidance of count, intermediate goods do not add to the GDP. For instance, steel that is used in automobile manufacture is valued as a whole. Lastly, all services and goods encompassed in GDP are assessed at market prices. Hence the prices show the prices paid by consumers at retail level inclusive of indirect taxes like sales taxes. GNP (gross national product) is a similar measure to GDP. Up to late, the government has employed GNP as the core measure of economic activity of the nation. Changes in trends always places more effect on income or output instead of prices (Blaug, pp. 108) There is a slight difference between GDP and GNP. The GDP is exclusive of income that the U.S resident and companies earn abroad. Many other income and output measures are consequent from GNP. They are inclusive of NNP (net natio nal product), which extracts an allowance for tear and wear on equipment and plant from GNP called depreciation. Though these measures change down and up in a general same fashion, it is disposable income which is closely tied to customers demand for services and goods. It is the most outstanding aggregate demand component and entire demand for services and goods in the economy from sources. It should be noticed that the entire output or income measures deliberated above are always mentioned in real terms and nominal terms. The real terms are attuned for inflation and hence widely used as they are not distortion subject introduced by price changes. Unemployment The unemployment number in a state is measure using the rate of unemployment, workers percentage with no jobs in the labor

Engineering communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engineering communication - Essay Example This will definitely lead to higher levels of enrollment of graduates due to increased numbers of students joining the institution. Operating hours-The free transport will be offered at regular intervals during the day. A regular interval of three hours starting from (0800-2200hrs) will be introduced to ensure every person`s need is catered for. This will let students have more time to study especially in the mornings because they will no longer have to trek to educational facilities like the library and lecture halls. Bus stops-The buses will make stops at various academic buildings, staff facilities, graduates residences, undergraduate residences and certain shopping centers. The stops at shopping centers will be essential as it will let students do some shopping and save them costs of hiring taxi`s. These stops will mainly be carried out at the evening hours of the day (1800-2200hrs). Costs-To be effective, the buses should be low –floor, fully accessible and run on biodiesel fuel due to many trips they are to make everyday. This will avert many costs because the buses consume readily available form of fuel extracted from plants which are readily available in the country. This is a better source of cleaner energy that is less pollutant to the environment. Safety-To ensure safety of every person, every person should produce a form of identification showing that he or she is eligible to board the bus. Then a search is to be conducted to person`s boarding the bus using a special equipment to detect any an unallowable devices that may be used to threaten the security of persons in the bus. Furthermore, the buses should be equipped with global positioning instruments to track positions of buses at any time to prevent mismanagement and control usage. Also the buses should have regular inspections for them to be compliant to operate on the roads. They should have an insurance cover too. Drivers and other

Prejudice and Descrimination Essay Example for Free

Prejudice and Descrimination Essay Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are a part of everyday lives. A set of generalized beliefs and expectations about a specific group and its members is known as stereotyping. Stereotyping can often times lead to prejudice, a negative, or positive, evaluation of a group and its members. Common stereotypes and forms of prejudice involve racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Acting on these negative stereotypes results in discrimination which is a behavior directed towards individuals on the basis of their membership in a particular group. (Feldman, 2010) Throughout this paper I will discuss why prejudice and discrimination exist, some examples throughout history and how to reduce it. Where does prejudice and discrimination come from? According to Robert S Feldman â€Å"No one has ever been born disliking a specific racial, religious, or ethnic group. † (Feldman, 2010) People learn to hate. Stereotyping and prejudice behaviors come from parents, other adults, and peers. At a young age children are taught to have negative feelings about members of various groups. This learning starts as early as the age of three. The mass media also teaches about stereotyping, not just for children but for adults as well. When inaccurate portrayals are a primary source of information about a minority group, they can lead to unfavorable stereotypes. (Feldman, 2010) Throughout history we have seen many examples of prejudice and discrimination. A well known example would be the Holocaust. During 1939 through 1945 Adolf Hitler was obsessed with clearing Germany of all foreign races including the Jewish population. Hitler believed that the Jewish citizens were keeping the country from prospering economically, politically, and socially. Because of this Hitler began to abolish German Jews and at the end of 1945 nearly six million Jewish people were murdered because of Hitler’s discrimination (RB 66). The Holocaust may have taken place more than fifty years ago in another country, but prejudice and discrimination is still alive today all over the United States. The September 11th terrorist attacks have caused stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination to occur towards the Muslim religion. The Muslim religion follows the 6 Pillars of Islam, the last pillar is Jihad. Many Americans have the idea that Jihad means â€Å"Holy War† and that it is part of the Muslim religion to attack and terrorize other religions, when in fact Jihad means â€Å"The obligation to strive to spread the religion over the world†. Many religions also believe it is there duty to teach their religion, just how Christians have missionaries. Both of these examples show just how serious discrimination can be. How can the world diminish prejudice and discrimination? According to Robert S Feldman, psychologists have developed several strategies that have proved effective. The first is to increase contact between the target of stereotyping and the holder of the stereotype research shows that increasing the amount of interaction between groups can reduce negative stereotyping. The second is to make values and norms against prejudice more conspicuous. Just reminding people about the values they already hold regarding equality and fair treatment of others. Similarly, people who hear others making strong, anti-racism statements are subsequently more likely to strongly condemn racism. The third and most direct means of changing stereotypical and discriminatory values is providing information about the targets of stereotyping. Educate people to be more aware of positive characteristics of targets of stereotyping. (Feldman, 2010) Prejudice and discrimination is all around us. No one is born to discriminate. Parents, peers and even mass media are teaching children as young as three to discriminate towards various groups of people. History has shown us just how far one person’s prejudice can go. It starts out as a basic stereotype towards one group of people and evolves into hate and discrimination that takes years to stop. Fortunately psychologists have seen the damage of prejudice and discrimination and have found that increase contact, demonstrating positive values against prejudice, and education are ways to reduce it. (Feldman, 2010) Although prejudice and discrimination continues to exist Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King have been strong examples of how to reduce it one day at a time. . Resources Botwinick, Rita. A History of the Holocaust. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Friedman, N. L. (1985). Teaching about the holocaust. (4 ed. , Vol. 12). American Sociological Association. Feldman, R. S. (2010). Psychology and your life. (p. 584). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Gilbert, D. T. , Fiske, S. T. , Lindzey, G. (1998). The handbook of social psychology . (4 ed. , Vol. 2). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotskys Theories on Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotskys Theories on Cognitive Development According to Meece (2002), Piaget and Vygotsky were two prominent scholars of cognitive development theories. Piaget was a biology, psychology and philosophy scholar while Vygotsky first received a degree in law, then a degree in psychology. Even with two very different backgrounds, both scholars took a constructivist approach to their research in cognitive development as they believed, children must construct their own understandings of the world in which they live (p. 121). This idea has been debated and discussed for years. Piaget and Vygotsky were two prominent scholars within the realm of cognitive development. Their theories of cognitive development have been influential in the development of theories of education. In Jean Piagets research, his main goal was to answer the question, How does knowledge grow? (Silverthorn, 1999). He did this through genetic epistemology which is the study of cognitive development in children. According to Meece (2002), there are four major cognitive stages in a childs cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperations, concrete operations and formal operations. A childs thought process is different from other developmental stages and each of the stages has its own importance. Piaget believed that a child could not skip a stage because each one is necessary in the process of cognitive development. In accordance with Meece (2002) and funderstanding.com (2006) the four stages are described as such: Sensorimotor stage (birth 2 years old)The child, through physical interaction with his or her environment, builds a set of concepts about reality and how it works. This is the stage where a child does not know that physical objects remain in existence even when out of sight (object permanence). Preoperational stage (ages 2-7)The child is not yet able to conceptualize abstractly and needs concrete physical situations. Concrete operations (ages 7-11)As physical experience accumulates, the child starts to conceptualize, creating logical structures that explain his or her physical experiences. Abstract problem solving is also possible at this stage. For example, arithmetic equations can be solved with numbers, not just with objects. Formal operations (beginning at ages 11-15)By this point, the childs cognitive structures are like those of an adult and include conceptual reasoning. (p. 1) In Piagets research, these four stages are rather concrete. But, many current researchers do not completely agree with the exactitude and universality of these stages. Piaget also refers to three different types of knowledge. Physical knowledge is knowing the attributes of objects such as their number, color, size and shape (Meece, 2002, p. 122). Logio-mathematical knowledge involves the mental construction of relationships (p. 122). Social knowledge is derived in part through interactions with others (p. 123). Piaget focused on classification and relations, spatial relationships, time, movement, chance, number, conservation and measurement in concrete stages (Genetic Epistemology, 2006). Lev Vygotsky was more concerned with how a child interacts with his culture and society (Meece, 2002). Piaget viewed knowledge as individually constructed while Vygotsky viewed cognitive development as socially co-constructed between people as they interact (p. 155). Vygotsky believed that children are born with elementary mental abilities such as perception, attention and memory (Meece, p. 156). As children develop and interact socially with their culture and society, these innate characteristics are further developed. According to Vygotsky, one of the most important parts of cognitive development is language. Within this theory, language occurs in three stages: social speech, egocentric speech and inner speech. Social speech is just that: speech for the purposes of communicating. Egocentric speech is more intellectual and children use this by speaking out loud to themselves. Inner speech is used by children to think in their heads about the problem or task at hand, instead of verbalizing their thoughts in order to decide what to do next. According to the website funderstanding.com, the zone of proximal development explains that, a difference exists between what [a] child can do on [his or] her own and what the child can do with help [from knowledgeable peers or adults] (p. 1). For example, a young child may not be able to put together a complex puzzle by himself, but with the help of an older child or another adult, the young child could put together the puzzle correctly. Both Piagets and Vygotskys theories of cognitive development provide foundations for constructivist approaches to teaching and learning (Meece, 2002). Each of their theories concern qualitative changes within a childs cognitive process. They also have the same goal within the classroom, creating for students a community of learning. Even though both theories have a common goal, each of them has a different approach when dealing with children and education. For instance, Piagets theory can help educators understand how children react and learn according to their age while Vygotskys theory can help understand the role of society in childrens education. Piaget was a scholar of natural science who happened to discover a way to explain how children acquire knowledge as they develop in age. Piagets theory can be directly related to his traditional background as he tries to explain the major transformations that children go through while acquiring knowledge. Piaget strongly believed that each age group varied significantly not only in the individual and group aspect, but also in the cultural aspect as well. The stages that he created are the following: Sensorimotor, Preoperations, Concrete Operations, and Formal Operations. All of these stages are met when children manipulate objects. This manipulation allows the creation of mental representation of the world and it allows two-way interaction with the environment. Essentially, the goal is to allow a child the ability to create and understand his world in a logical way. All of these stages result from the childrens manipulation of objects that lets them create a mental representation of the world and act on and influence the environment they live in (and vice versa), so that learners gradually forego illogical ways of thinking. Piagets theory is about including spontaneous experimentation in a single and group basis, so that students can build their own understanding based on the experiences that they have. By setting up this system, the children are not only limited to the classroom setting, but they are more alert of their surroundings. This method leads them to learn about self-correction, self-instruction, and self-motivation because of its hand on experience approach. According to Piaget, the growth of knowledge is a progressive construction. Childrens logic and modes of thinking are initially entirely different from those of adults (Jean Piaget Society, 2006), believing that the acquisition of knowledge is a process of continuous self-construction (Silverthorn, 1999). In order to adopt the cognitive development following Piagets theory, the educator should organize the class time with spontaneous mental activities to let learners develop their own ideas and to construct a healthy learning environment. To achieve this, Piaget encourages teachers to provide a role for social interaction and communication by presenting appropriate materials, drills, so that children can actively learn how to confront their physical and social world by living their own experiences. According to Marcy Driscoll (1994), there are three basic instructional principles on which Piagetian theorists generally agree: Principle 1: The learning environment should support the activity of the child (i.e., an active, discovery-oriented environment) Principle 2: Childrens interactions with their peers are an important source of cognitive development (i.e., peer teaching and social negotiation) (Driscoll, 1994). Principle 3: Adopt instructional strategies that make children aware of conflicts and inconsistencies in their thinking (i.e., conflict teaching and Socratic dialog) All of these principles are meant to be used in such a way that children can relate and continue to build upon previously acquired knowledge. It is important and necessary that teachers play the role of facilitators and encourage dialog among students about things that they have discovered themselves, so that learning become an automatic and enjoyable process. Piaget has inspired major curriculum reforms, some of his major contributions to education are (Meece, 2002): Knowledge must be actively constructed by the child. Educators should help children learn how to learn. Learning activities should be matched to the childs level of conceptual development. Peer interactions play an important role in the childs cognitive development (p. 169). Although this method seems beneficial, the financial cost and time-consumption that is involved during the set-up cause this method to be less influential. When compared with Piagets theory, Vygotskys theory places a stronger emphasis on social interactions. According to Vygotsky, knowledge is not individually constructed, but co -constructed between people. For Vygotsky, language and communication play the most important role of cognitive development his primary concern dealing with nature, evaluation and the transmission of human culture. Vygotsky identified three stages in childrens use of language: Language is primarily used for communication (social speech). Children begin to use egocentric or private speech to regulate their own thinking. Children use inner speech or verbal thoughts to guide their thinking and actions. For Piagets theory, language did not play such an important role in childrens development; however for Vygotskys theory speech is an extremely important developmental phenomenon as he believed that children learn through conversations with adults as the need to communicate with them presses the child to seek for the adult meanings of things that are said (Mason Timothy, 2006). So learning becomes a result of mature thinking and behavior due to socio-cultural experiences. For instance, Vygotsky encourages collaborative process of learning between teachers and students in the going of social events in the classroom. Vygotskys term Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) was used to refer the difference between what children can do on their own, and what they could do with the assistance of others (Meece, 2002). The ZPD indicates what a childs level of mental development is at a particular time (Galant, 2006). Vygotsky assumed that interactions with adults and peers in the zone of proximal development help children move to higher levels of mental functioning (Meece, 2002). Vygotsky believed that interactions with adults and peers in this zone helped children move to higher levels of mental functioning within the classroom. Vygotskys approach challenges traditional teaching methods, as he emphasizes the significance of cooperative thinking that take place in the decision making process. This involves having students paired together or in small groups in which the teachers task is to focus on maintaining students motivation in order to pursue the instructional goal. Vygotskys theory is about guided discovery by having the teacher offer, intriguing questions to students and having them discover the answers through testing hypotheses. The students are engaged in the discovery process; however, they are still receiving assistance from a more knowledgeable source (Sample, 2006). According to Meece (2002), some of the major Educational Contributions of Vygotskys theories are: Role of private speech in cognitive development. The importance of guided participation and scaffolding. The role of peer interactions in cognitive development (p. 159-161). This method is helpful because it encourages constant peer review. However, if not handled properly, it can bring up a common problem that students and teachers frequently face. This disadvantage would be when groups rely on one member to do all the work. Meece (2002) explains that Piagets cognitive development theory is based on a childs innate ability to productively think on their own. This cognitive ability allows them to move to the next cognitive stage as they mature biologically and adapt to their environment. Children assimilate and accommodate their current schema, or mental constructs, to fit the new information presented in the classroom. Cognitive development and social interaction feeds intellectual activity and learning. The classroom methods of instruction should match the level of cognitive development, facilitating the advancement to the next stage of cognitive development. The level of cognitive development for early childhood learners (2-7 years) is described by Piaget as the preoperational stage (Meece, 2002). At this stage intuition and language develop. Examples of instructional tools Piaget would recommend to describe objects they are experiencing include: concrete props, symbols, and visual aids such as drawings, usage of models or examples, lessons about the childrens world and their experiences, less paper-and-pencil tasks and more hands on learning, back-and-forth conversations with peers to develop skills for the next stage, and field trips. According to Piaget, logical and mental operations are part of the cognitive development of children in the elementary school years (7-11 years). A childs thinking becomes less rigid and more dynamic during this stage. Piaget called this stage the concrete operations stage (Meece, 2002). Huitt (1997) mentions these instructional tools that follow this theory: concrete props such as three dimensional science models, lab work with minimal steps, brief and well organized lectures, relate existing instruction into previously learned material, word problems in math, and problems which require logic and analysis to solve. The Math Forum at Drexel University (2006) explained math education using a Piagetian theory: Students need to construct their own understanding of each mathematical concept, so that the primary role of teaching is not to lecture, explain, or otherwise attempt to transfer mathematical knowledge, but to create situations for students that will foster their making the necessary mental constructions. A critical aspect of the approach is a decomposition of each mathematical concept into developmental steps following a Piagetian theory of knowledge based on observation of, and interviews with, students as they attempt to learn a concept (para.1). Piagets final stage in his theory of cognitive development covers the 12 year old and up group. This stage is called the formal operations stage. Huitt Hummel (2003) describe this stage as characterized by a shift in thinking from the real to the involvement of abstractions and reflections. In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts. Early in the period there is a return to egocentric thought. Only 35% of high school graduates in industrialized countries obtain formal operations; many people do not think formally during adulthood (page 1). Huitt (1997) suggests classroom practices such as these to best use Piagets theory: concrete operations stage type graphs on a more complicated scale, ask students to explore hypotheticals as they explore other worlds or complicated issues, encourage students to describe opposing viewpoints, have students describe how the solved the problem, teach broad but curriculum related concept s, and use materials and ideas relevant to the students to broaden their perspectives. Meece (2002) explains that Vygotsky did not believe an individuals thinking structure as innate, but cultural and social in origin and influence. Social and cultural interactions with knowledgeable peers and adults fuel cognitive development while improving the elementary thinking skills of the child (perception, attention, memory) to a higher level. Vygotsky might suggest Reciprocal Teaching in the classroom. This involves guided participation by a knowledgeable adult; with the students eventually taking over the learning activity. Egocentric speech was favored by Vygotsky. This is the thinking aloud speech children sometimes use to work through a problem. Vygotsky would not only encourage students to use this speech, but would demonstrate its use in practical settings. Collaborative learning activities would also be emphasized in the Vygotsky classroom. Learning is facilitated with meaningful discussions among students in a collaborative learning setting. Especially valuable are discussions with knowledgeable peers. Knowledgeable peers and teachers elevate a student beyond the students current capabilities, a place the student would not have achieved otherwise. It is absolutely possible to incorporate parts of both Piaget and Vygotskys theories in the classroom. Both theorists take a constructivist point of view and also believe that students are not passive in their knowledge (Meece, 2002). It is important for the teacher to be important organizers, stimulators, guides, and supporters of learning (p. 168). Piagets theory suggests that students need a curriculum that supports their cognitive development by learning concepts and logical steps. He also suggests that children are only capable of learning specific material in specific stages of cognitive development. Vygotsky would suggest more peer and cultural interactions in the classroom (funderstanding.com, 2006). He also believes that knowledgeable adults can help children learn even if they are not at the specific stage as Piaget suggests (Meece 2002). It is possible that while children are learning about concepts and logic, they can also interact with their peers and other adults by wor king on projects that relate the two together. It seems as though children may show some signs of specific development at specific times, but with help they can also excel at tasks they may not be able to do without help of others. Piaget and Vygotsky have differing views on cognitive development, but it is possible to incorporate parts of both theories when thinking about teaching strategies. Teachers must take into consideration the social and cultural background of the student before preparing the lesson plan. Using Piagets theory, the student must be at the correct stage of development in order use and understand the knowledge at hand. But, Vygotsky says that even if the child is not at the correct stage of development then a knowledgeable adult or teacher could influence the child and help him get to a level beyond what his level would otherwise indicate.

Robinson Crusoe: A Mans Discovery of Himself, Civilization, and God. E

Robinson Crusoe: A Man's Discovery of Himself, Civilization, and God.   Just about everyone can recite the highlights of Robinson's adventures: A man is shipwrecked without resources on a desert island, survives for years by his own wits, undergoes immeasurable anguish as a result of his isolation, discovers a footprint in the sand that belongs to Friday, and is finally rescued from his exile. Unfortunately, all of this is wrong.   But more significant than any of these details is that our overall perception of Robinson Crusoe is wrong. The single most important fact about this boy's adventure book is that it is not a boy's adventure book at all. It is, rather, a grown-up tale of a man's discovery of himself, civilization, and God.   As Defoe's book begins, Robinson Crusoe of York commits what he calls his "Original Sin†Ã¢â‚¬â€he spurns his father's advice to join the family business and instead heads out to sea. Robinson is self-willed, arrogant, and hungry for exploits. Catastrophes ensue—storms, shipwrecks, and slavery—but the lad continues in his follies. "I was," he confesses, "to be the willful Agent of all my own Miseries."   Then providence gives him a second chance, shipwrecking him on an Atlantic island, whose features roughly match those of the Juan Fernandez group in the Pacific Ocean where Robinson's real-life prototype, Alexander Selkirk, passed seven years in solitude. Robinson's island is a pristine land of surpassing beauty. To its forlorn first inhabitant, it seems nothing short of Eden: "the Country appear'd so fresh, so green, so flourishing, every thing being in a constant Verdure, or Flourish of Spring, that it looked like a planted Garden."   In this paradise Robinson builds a new home—without Eve... ...ledge the enormity of our task; for when before has a secular culture rebuilt itself on sacred foundations? We need solutions as ingenious as any devised by our industrious hero. Like Robinson, we must never despair; like Robinson, we must find strength in prayer. It helps to bear in mind that it is we who have uprooted God from our homes, schools, books, arts; we have cast ourselves adrift. God, the master mariner, never abandons his children. We do well to remember, too, that Robinson found salvation in a plight more desperate than ours. Then, perhaps, we can relish the truth in Walter de la Mare's heartfelt remark about Defoe's finest creation: "Even to think of his admirable hermit is to be cheerful and to take heart of grace."   Bibliography Zaleski, Philip. â€Å"The Strange Shipwreck of Robinson Crusoe.† First Things 53 (May 1995): 38-44.           

Criticism Of Shame :: essays research papers

Criticism of Shame Shame, published in 1983, a year before his most famous work The Satanic Verses, presents a fabulistic account in a country that disturbingly represents Pakistan. Critically, Shame is compared to Midnight’s Children because the of its resemblances in themes and style. The idea for Shame, reported interviewer Ronal Hayman in Books and Bookmen, grew out of Rushdie’s interest in the Pakistani concept of sharam, a word that denotes a hybrid of embarrassment, discomfiture, decency, modesty, and a sense of having an ordained place in the world. Reaction to Shame was mostly positive; many applauded the style of Rushdie’s work and the themes it presented . Many critics appreciated the subject matter and presentation of Rushdie’s work. Cathleen Medwick in Vogue stated, "His new novel. . . reveals the writer in sure control of his extravagant, mischievous, graceful, polemical imagination. (414, Editor) "Magic realism", a technique often employed by Rushdie is essential to the structure of how the story of the book is conveyed. Michael Gorra’s characterization of Rushdie’s style stated, "His prose prances, a declaration of freedom, an assertion that Shame can be whatever he wants it to be coy and teasing an ironic and brutal all at once. . .[Rushdie’s work] is responsive to the world rather than removed from it, and it is because of this responsiveness that the mode in which he work represents the continued life of the novel. . . and one wants something better to describe it that the term ‘magical realism’— is an assertion of individual freedom in a world where freedom is strangle. . . "(360, Editor) Christopher Lehmann-Haupt boldly asserts, "If Mr. Rushdie had followed [the logic of realistic psychology] in Shame, he would have robbed his novel of its spectral magic, its breakdown of narrative logic that allows time to rush suddenly forward and reveal the end of things, or permits characters to be reincarnated in each other. He would have robbed his novel of the truth—not precisely the truth of the parable or allegory or myth, but the truth of a narrative that describes a world apart and is a system accurate and logical only unto itself"(356, Editor) Lehmann-Haupt then goes on to compare Shame to Midnight’s Children: ". . .this doesn’t begin to account for the extravagantly tragicomic nightmare evoked by Shame, which does for Pakistan what Mr. Rushdie’s equally remarkable first novel, Midnight’s Children did for Inida.

The Virtual Neighborhood and Its Social Implications :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The Virtual Neighborhood and Its Social Implications My own feelings about the "virtual neighborhood" fall somewhere in between those of Jim Dewer and David Noble. I will very briefly make an attempt to sketch out some boundary lines and find myself therein. I distinguish two sides of the issue. One is the concept itself and the other is the proposed list of uses. Admittedly, the two of these are related. The Concept First of all, the "virtual neighborhood" is no real neighborhood and we need to avoid being unduly convinced by a metaphor which is just that, a metaphor, of limited use. A "virtual promise" is no real promise. A "virtual promise" does not hold up in court where contracts have to be demonstrable, e.g., in writing. The word 'virtual' means something idealized by projection and not actualized. Calling the Internet a "virtual neighborhood" is making a claim that we can re-create a familiar experience by projection into an enormous "ideal" electronic experience. Second, let us not forget to check to see whether a metaphor is appropriate. Just because it is a metaphor is no reason to believe it is a useful metaphor --- that is, a "noble falsehood." Does the idea of a virtual neighborhood have some nobility? If we stretch the neighborhood all the way around the world, what features of it can we justifiably expect to carry over into the virtual reality of the metaphor? And what won't stretch? Clearly, actual visualization, moment-by-moment multiple perception, and direction recognition/identification -- essential features of truly human contact -- don't stretch across this medium. We don't get to watch a person's "body language." Is the person uneasy? Confident? Intimacy is something that also belongs to most neighborhoods but doesn't travel well. For one thing, the network is too narrow a channel and it's set up for too much speed. Neighborhoods develop because we watch each other's kids grow up and we borrow each other's lawn mowers. And finally, I do not believe that commitment is something we'll find in the virtual neighborhood. When my virtual neighbor's URL burns down, will I be there with my bucket of fiberoptic? A neighborhood is something complex, something rich. Saying that we can re-create a neighborhood virtually across incredible distances and through a very limited medium has to be, in some real sense, very audacious. This is especially the case, I think, when we claim that intimacy can move without alteration across this medium.