How to achive sustainable concrete Dissertation

How to achive sustainable concrete - Dissertation Example Therefore, all human activities should be sustainable such that they ensure correct use of the resources available (without waste) as well as ensuring that the environment is conserved. One such activity that should be sustainable in nature is the production and use of concrete. Concrete has been one of the most important materials in the construction and infrastructure industry for more than 2000 years now (Cement Association of Canada 2004). It has also been considered as an environmental friendly material (Cement Association of Canada 2004). In addition, structures made of concrete are normally durable, dependable and their performance in terms of are usually superior (Cement Association of Canada 2004). The question that now arises is how sustainable concrete is. As compared to steel and aluminium, concrete structures are flexible in design, affordability and environmental friendliness (Cement Association of Canada 2004). ... The research also aims at identifying how certain components of concrete such as cement and aggregate are not sustainable and suggesting ways of making them sustainable. The research will also discuss how these components of concentrate can be made sustainable. 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT Just as earlier mentioned, concrete has been used for construction material since time in memorial, and is considered as one of the most sustainable construction raw materials. It is however, noted that even though it is sustainable some of its aspects such as production of one of its major components, cement, is questionable. Therefore, what is a sustanaible development or product? 3.1 Sustainability In general, sustainability can be taken to mean supporting or keeping a process going. Therefore, the main aim of ensuring that projects, products and processes sustainable is to ensure that all the lives in our plat earth are sustained for a future that is foreseeable. Sustainability is consists of three com ponents; society, environment and economy. Therefore, a sustainable project, process or product must ensure that all the three components of sustainability (society, environment and economy) are maintained balanced and healthy at all times (both now and in future). 3.1.1 Evironmental sustainability It is the destruction of the environment that is driving the world towards adoption of sustainable ways of doing things. Our environment has been deteriorated countless times by countless causes such that the quality of life in the planet both now and in future is questionable. For example, environmental degradation has been blamed for poor health of planet earth and the constant decline of biodiversity. This is

This Fleeting World A short History of Humanity Essay Example for Free

This Fleeting World A short History of Humanity Essay Humanity is consistently and always evolving to meet there needs and demands. Humanity will have to evolve to changes in the environment and society. It has survived many problems in the past and it has changed for the better from those experiences. Humans have lived extreme times in earth’s history such as the last ice age and the bubonic plague. And so they have adapted to these events and have gained experience and evolved for the better. One main ideas of this book is this book is that mankind is always changing to be more efficient and to adapt to different events. The author writes of many events in worlds history such as the world wars and epidemics that have killed millions of people. And because of these events humans have to find vaccines/cures to dieses and create new types of technologies. So we have found solutions and advanced for the better of mankind. This proves the idea that humans are consistently evolving and changing. This idea is connected to modern times for example we develop and release new techonologies such as phones and computers on a weekly basis. Another main idea of this book is that can not keep up with the demands of its all people consistently. And so will go through periods of collapse and great hardships. As stated in the text the historian says â€Å"Humanity will never be able to fulfill the demands of its entire people† This is true as we do have the resources to provide for all of the world’s people. And so we go through periods of collapse like the great depressions. During this time many people lost their jobs and many families went hungry. This was a horror but we were able to recover and prosper once again proving that mankind is always evolving to meet demands. And finally the last main idea of this book is that agriculture has allowed for people to focus on other things then food. The author writes about how once agriculture was discovered people were able to learn new things and have different jobs then to just all be farmers. This is because there will be enough food provided to people so they do not have to grow it themselves. This time period was called the agrarian era. So the time of the foragers was over and now was the time of the agrarians. And so mankind was able to advance and become much greater. This applies to us because we have learned more effective ways to farm so are able to produce more crop. In the book it is stated that humanity will never be able to keep up with the demands of its entire people. This is relevant in much of world like in Africa. Mostly of the people there live in extreme poverty with very little food and drinking water. The GPD per captia of Africa is 1,200 US dollars. This is very insignificant amount of money to be able to raise a family with. And there is little hope of a better future for many. Also in many other third world countries such as India is very crowded and the population of is plagued by lack of fresh drinking water. And so these modern day events are relevant to the idea that humanity will never be able to keep up with the demands of its people.

Traitor in The Defector Episode of Star Trek Essays -- Star Trek Trait

Traitor in The Defector Episode of Star Trek In "The Defector," Jarroc becomes a traitor when he betrays the Romulan Empire. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has several definitions for "betrayal," but the one we are interested in is the second, which reads, "to deliver to an enemy by treachery" (109). By defecting and telling the Federation of the Romulan plan to invade, Jarroc does just that. Merriam-Webster's further defines a traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty" (1252). By defecting to the Federation and using information that the Romulan High Council gave him in trust to harm the Romulan Empire, Jarroc became a traitor. Until the very end of the show, Jarroc did not believe that he was a traitor. When Riker asked him why he had set his ship to self-destruct (thereby keeping the Federation from learning its secrets), Jarroc replied, "Wouldn't you? To keep your ship from being captured?" Riker became a little upset and said, "Excuse me, Setal, but I thought you were defecting." Jarroc's reply illustrates his attitude: "I am not a traitor" ("The Defector"). One's attitude toward a particular instance of defection (forsaking one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology) depends almost entirely upon the observer's position (Merriam 302). Riker equates defection with treason. As we see later in the episode, so do the Romulans. Jarroc, though, has a unique position. Though he has defected (he does not deny it), he still does not think of himself as a traitor. Jarroc does not finally give in and commit treason (in his own mind) until near the end of the episode, when he meet s with Picard. Picard refuses to move until Jarroc provides some evid... ...betrayed himself. Also, by failing in his mission to save his children by keeping the Romulans from going to war, he betrayed his unofficial oath to them. War was the Romulans' aim--Tomalak explicitly said so during the confrontation in the Neutral Zone. Thanks to good planning on Picard's part, though, the Romulans' plans did not come to fruition. Jarroc's daughter would not die in the war that he had been lead to believe was coming, but his actions did not save her. Jarroc himself puts it most succinctly when he says, "I did it for nothing. My home, my family . . . for nothing." Works Cited Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1993. "The Defector." Prod. Ira Steven Behr. Dir. Robert Sheerer. Perf. Patrick Stewart and James Sloyan. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Syndicated. KBVO, Austin. 14 Jan. 1990

Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Chapter #36:Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America Time Period: 1914 to Present I. Translation of the Chapter Title: 1 Sentence (Translate the Chapter Title into your own words; use dictionary as needed) Nationalism: devotion to ones own nation Political Identities: arguments that focus on self interests Asia, Africa, and Latin America: places in the world II. Prediction Based on Chapter Title: (1 sentence—based on the title, what do you think this chapter will be about) I predict this chapter is going to be about the political identities of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. III. Opening Story: (1 Sentence Summary): Shanfei was a political person who was born in riches. IV. Summary of First â€Å"White† page before the Purple Writing (2-3 sentences): This talks about how Europe was still very dominant in global relations. The nationalist and anti-imperial governments had strengthened. V. Two Detailed Predictions About the Chapter Based on First â€Å"White† Page Before Purple Writing (2 sentences) I predict this chapter is about Europe. I also predict this chapter is going to be about the anti-imperial governments. I. Purple Section Title: Asian Paths to Autonomy. II. Purple Section Prediction (1 Sentence Prediction in Your Own Words—What Will this Section Be About): I predict this chapter is going to be about Asian paths to autonomy. |Interactive Questions |Dates |Notes From This Section: (Use Section Titles and Italics on Side Margins! ) | | | I. Asian Paths to Autonomy | | | |A. Indian’s Quest for Home Rule | | | |1. Indian National Congress | | |Mohandas K Gandhi- |a. ost influential against British Rule founded in 1885 | | |(1869- 1948) |b. Hindus and Muslims, Muslim League- both org. were established | | | |to take out British | | | |2. Mohandas K. Gandhi | | | |a. grew up in a Hindu household, married at 13, and left to go study | | | |law in London | | |Ali Jinnah |b. He went to South Africa and worked there for some time against | | |(1876-1948) |having Indians be second class, developed a technique known as | | | |passive resistance | | | |c. e became a vegetarian and renounced sex , spend hours each | | | |morning reading Bhagavad-Gita which was a sacred writing | | |Mao Zedong- (1893- |d. ecame active in Indian Politics, he worked hard to change caste | | |1976) |system so that the low class could have more privileges | | | |e. congress launched two assive movements: Non-cooperation | | | |movement and the Civil Disobedience movement, Gandhi called for | | | |Indians to boycott on British goods | | | |3. The Indian Act | | | |a. British offered a political compromise, British gave India the right | | | |to have self-rule over themselves | | | |b. ct did not work b/c Muslims feared the Hindus would take over | | | |the national legislature | | | |B. China’s Search for Order | | | |1. The Republic | | | |a. lunged into a economic disintegration marked by the rule of | | | |warlords, warlords placed themselves as provisional & regional | | | |rulers | | | |b. arlords were a symbol of disintegration, they also had unequal | | | |treaties | | | |2. Chine Nationalism | | | |a. fter Great war this developed very fast, expected U. S. to support | | | |the treaties they had, Chinese became interested in the Marxist | | | |3. Sun Yatsen | | | |a. ationalist leader who did not want a dictatorship | | | |b. his basic ideology was to eliminate privileges of foreigners, | | | |national reunification, and a economic dev. o have these goals be he | | |Jiang Jieshi- |was willing to take over and put Nationalist peoples party | | |(1887-1975) |4. Civil War | | | |a. fter Sun Yatsen’s death the power fell to Jiang soviet union | | | |trainy he launched apolitical and military offensive known as | | | |Nothern Expedition that tried to unify country and have china under | | | |Guomingdang rule | | | |b. china tried to not have anything to do with global economy | | | |devastation, Had a Red Army | | | |C. Imperial and Imperialist Japan | | | |1. The Mukden Incident | | | |a. cicilian government in Japan tried to halt the military incursion | | | |b. Great war and the Great depression helped with the ongoing of the | | | |nationalist | | | |II. Africa Under Colonial Domination | | | |A. Africa and the Great War | | | |1. War In Africa | | | |a. Some immediate consequences were that allies invaded the | | | |German colonies, Germans could not hoe to win the war in Africa | | | |b. olonial powers | | | |2. Challenges to European authority | | | |a. Africans mounted challenges to Europeans | | | |b. there was revolts | | | |B. The Colonial Economy | | | |1. Infrastructure | | | |a. Africa required investment in Infrastructure | | | |b. transportation helped and so did agriculture | | | |2. Farming and ining | | | |a. to pay Africans had to become cash crops farmers | | | |b. international farmers grew a variety of crops | | | |c. production of agriculture was intended for oversees | | | |d. olonial mining enterprises relied on African labor in parts of | | | |Southern Africa | | | |3. Labor practices | | | |a. colonial officers resorted to forced labor | | | |b. compulsory labor: corollary to our occupation of country | | | |c. lot of labor abuse had to do with â€Å"concessionary companies† | | | |who were given the right to exploit resources from a region for | | | |taxation | | | |4. Africa’s New Elite | | | |a. colonialism promoted a African social class called â€Å"new elite† | | | |b. he elite derived status from employment and education | | | |c. Jomo=spent 15 yrs. in Eur ope where he attended schools | | | |d. Kenyatta led Kenya to independence from Europe | | | |5. Forms of Nationalism | | | |a. nationalist looked for pre-colonial past for inspiration | | | |b. hey found identities that were based on religion, ethnicity, | | | |language and believed future nations would build on some of these | | | |principles | | | |c. there was representatives to Pan- Americanism one was Marcus | | | |d. Marcus preached on about black pride | | | |III. Latin American struggled with Neocolonialism | | | |A. The impact of the Great War and the Great Depression | | | |1. Reorientation of Political and Nationalist Ideals | | | |a. had spread of new ideas | | | |b. he revolutionary doctrines did not achieve any popularity in the | | | |Latin American States | | | |2. University Protests and Communist Parties | | | |a. people of Latin America experienced U. S. economic power | | | |b. capitalism did not come under attacj | | | |c. ariategui felt bad poor and Indians that made up 50% of Peru | | | |she also wrote and helped to create Peruvian communist party | | | |d. Apristas: advocated for indigenous rights | | | |3. Diego Rivera and Radical Artistic Visions | | | |a. Rivera studied in Europe and later returned to Mexico, he was a | | | |painter | | | |b. Rivera received a request so he could go paint murals for RCA he | | | |painted a work of Vladimir Lenin -> his mural got destroyed so he | | | |started to paint paintings of America’s Imperialism | | | |B. The Evolution of Economic Imperialism | | | |1. Unites States Economic Domination | | | |a. Latin America were no strangers to foreign economic domination | | | |2. Dollar Diplomacy | | | |a. Taft argued U. S. hould substitute â€Å"dollars for bullets† in the | | | |foreign policy | | | |b. wanted business to develop foreign markets | | | |3. Economic Depression and Experimentation | | | |a. exports into interwar to help nations have solvency | | | |C. Conflicts with a â€Å"Good Neighbor† | | | |1. The â€Å"Good Neighbor Policy† | | | |a. relied for more fully to dollar diplomacy | | | |. U. S. marines provided training for indigenous people | | | |2. Nicaragua and the Guarda Nacional | | | |a. U. S. financial interests influenced the economy of Nicaragua | | | |b. U. S. forces trained the Guarda Nacional in Nicaragua | | | |3. Cardenas Mexico | | | |a. Hull signed â€Å"Convention on the Rights and Duties of States† | | | |4. Neighborly Cultural Exchanges | | | |a. United Stated wanted to cultivate Latin America for its exports | | | |b. Hollywood adopted a Latin American singer raised in brazil | | | |but orn in Portugal | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |End of Chapter Exercises | |Documents that we encounter | |All Written Sources (basic meaning in own words and point of view): pg# | | | |Pg. 009 â€Å"Self-Rule Is My Birthright† | |This talks about how the people thought that the English government wanted the best for the people. It talks about how they thought that the English government was | |doing their best to protect the people but it was only what they thought not what was really happening. It also talks about the Pax Britannica. It talks about how the| |people are not trying to boycott but rather they are trying to have a way of stopping them. My point of view of this is that that is a wise choice to instead of | |probably using violence to solve their problems they tried to solve it politically. | | | | | | | | | | |One Map (write â€Å"none† if 0 maps; what does map show and how does it relate to chapter, in your own words): pg. # | | | |Pg. 023 | |This map shows the United States in Latin America this relates to the chapter because it has to do with Latin America | | | | | |One Painting/Drawing/Photograph (write â€Å"none† of 0; what does it show AND how does it connect to the chapter) pg. #1022 | |This picture is one of the paintings Rivera made to show Imperialism after they decided to destroy his portrait of Vladimir Lenin. It connects to the chapter because | |it shows one of Rivera’s paintings. | | | | | | | | | | | | |Changes and Continuities: (Summarize: what are the major changes in the chapter, and then separately summarize: what has been continuous or what has stayed the same | |in the chapter (e. g. Although the Mongols took over an enormous empire from the Chinese, trade was still flowing along the Silk Roads and there was still continuous | |supplies going back and forth between China and the Middle East). | | | | | | |Some changes and continuities is that some changes is that people now wanted to be mo re integrated and decided to let the indigenous people come to the United States. | |They wanted to be more culturally diverse. Some continuity is that they still had some form of government. People could vote and have a say in the things that got | |decided. | | | |

Cypop 24 Essay

Phonics enables children to experience regular, planned opportunities to listen and talk about what they hear, see and do. Phonics is a six phase learning programme that is incorporated within nurseries and primary schools. It enables children to blend phonemes for reading and segmenting for spellings. Phase one is aimed at the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) as it falls within the communication, language and literacy section. This phase recognises the importance of developing speaking and listening skills. This enables children to start a systematic programme then they are more likely to succeed. Within nurseries and primary school they carry out jolly phonics. Jolly phonics enables the children to learn the sounds of letters, this can be incorporated within a song to represent each letter of the alphabet for example for a you say; A A A Ants up my arm, you would say this doing a pinching movement up one of your arms. Within jolly phonics there are five skills that are taught, these include; learning the letter sounds this is when children are taught the 42 main letter sounds. This includes alphabet sounds as well as digraphs such as sh, th, ai and ue. Learning letter formation this is when children are able to use different multi-sensory methods, they learn how to form and write the letters. Blending is when children are taught how to blend the sounds together to read and write new words. Identifying the sounds in words (Segmenting) is when the children are able to listen for the sounds in words gives children the best start for improving spelling. And then there is tricky words, Tricky words have irregular spellings and children learn these separately away from the other words. Jolly phonics helps to support children by learning within a fun environment. http://jollylearning. co. uk/overview-about-jolly-phonics/ Phase 2 is the beginning of the systematic programme. These phonics are best being taught in short, discrete daily sessions. Stage 2 starts with an approach to start learning some letter formations e. g. ‘S’ ‘A’ ‘T’ ‘P’ ‘I’ ‘N’. Within settings this could be incorporated by burring letters in sand of bubbles for the children to find and tell you what sound that letter makes and then put it back in for other children to find. The systematic programs are not designed to control the teachers but to control the presentation of information in order to help children manage and master the complexities of our language. The purpose of a systematic program is to help the child learn. ’ http://www. righttrackreading. com/dsphonics. html Phase three completes the teaching of th e alphabet and helps children to move on to sounds that consist of more than one letter e. g. ‘he’ ‘the’. Phase four enables children to learn to read and spell words containing adjacent consonants, e. . ‘the’ ‘black’ within the word black, ‘bl’ are adjacent consonants because they are two different consonants containing different sounds whereas ‘ck’ at the end of the word black aren’t adjacent consonants because both letters contain the same sound. Some children may pick up phonics really well and may need this stage earlier than other, in which case they should not be held back. Phase five extends graphemes and phonemes. Graphemes are the names of all the individual letters in the alphabet, phonemes are the sounds the letters make. It shows children that words may sound the same but are spelt differently with different meaning e. g. meet and meat. Phase six should enable children to read automatically usually spellings lag behind reading, so children may still find it difficult to read. Spelling needs children to recall the word from memory and recompose it without being able to see it. Children who are in secondary school aged between 11-16 carry out spelling activities. During nursery and primary school they learnt the basic phonics to help them read, write and spell. Spelling help to further develop each child and young person’s skills. For example within my setting I was working with the nurture group and they received ten spellings every week. Most of the children within the nurture group had SLCN. The children with SLCN always struggled with their spellings, so therefore I provided my support to whoever wanted it. All the spellings they received every week had the same sound in common, e. g. heat, meat, cheat, great. All of these words have ‘eat’ in common. Within my support I explain to the children that the words may sound differently but the spellings they always received had sounds in common so therefore pointing this out they was able to think of the starting of the word and knew each work has the same sound in and was then able to achieve more marks out of ten on their spellings. This helped to boost their confidence and self-esteem because they knew they could do it. Young people that attend college and university aged between 16-25 may carry out key skills/functional skills. Once you leave school and set out to go to college, there are some skills that young people are going to be better knowing and understanding than not having those skills. Once young people have learnt them, then their day-to-day life will be a lot easier. Whatever children and young people do their going to have to know how to communicate and work with numbers, because literacy and numeracy are a very important when wanting a job as they are a must. Children and young people are going to need to know the basics when it comes to ICT. When young people are ready to apply for jobs or college courses, they can’t just state what they are good and aren’t good at, they will need to prove it. They can do this by completing a set of courses that assess how well they do at the skills they need to get their dream job. These set of course are called Key Skills. These courses include; communication, application of number, information and communication technology (ICT), problem solvi ng, improving own learning and performance, and working with others. These skills will help children and young people to further develop their skills. If young people have SLCN then they may receive support to complete these skills to enable them to go on to college or to get a job. | Adults can help to extend the speech, language and communication development by simply involving them in conversations using a child language instead of an adult language. This enables the children to understand you more when you ask them questions. For example if you asked ‘How are you feeling today? they may not fully understand as it is a complex question whereas if you asked ‘Are you okay? ’ this is a simpler question and will be easier for them to understand. If you interact children with SLCN they are more likely to improve their vocabulary and social communication because they are involved within an activity and may start to communicate with other children without really noticing. Adults could also work with parents/carers by communicating with them and possibly sending SLCN activities home with the child or young person to complete at home with their parent/carer. This enables the parent/carer to see where their child is at within their development and also enables them to help their child further develop their skills. Phonics, spellings and key skills all have positive effects on a child and young person’s life. Phonics enables children to understand the names and sounds of letters and help them learn to read, write and spell. Learning phonics enables them to progress through primary school to secondary school. Being able to read and write enables the children and young people to complete their work and their SAT’s. Completing spellings enables children and young people to develop their writing skills and their vocabulary as they may know how to spell a word without maybe knowing that it is a word. Key skills effects young people’s lives because it teaches them six different skills to help them apply for college courses and gain a further education to get a job that they want. Doing all of these things is improving their speech, language and communication needs and also their vocabulary. 3. 3 – Apply research evidence to planning an environment that supports speech, language and communication Within my work setting I worked closely with children with additional needs. Within my work setting we always got told that if a child I was there to support was getting too frustrated within lessons to remove them from that lesson and take them to a calmer and quieter environment and work 1:1 with that child. For example child T has SLCN and he doesn’t like noise and gets frustrated and distracted very easily so my setting enables him to receive brain breaks which enables him to leave the classroom with his TA and have a little walk and a drink to calm him down until he feels ready to return to the classroom. If he feels he can’t go back to the classroom because of the atmosphere then it is down to the TA to return to the classroom and collect the work he needs to complete and liaise with the class teacher to inform them how child T is feeling and wanting to complete his work in a quieter environment as he feels he will work better and will be able to complete his work to a better standard. When a child is removed to a quieter environment the work is broken down into small steps for them to complete one after another. This enables the child or young person to understand the work and remain on task as they won’t get frustrated because they don’t understand it. Providing these sessions with child T enables him to enjoy coming to school as he knows if he starts to struggle then staff can make it easier for him. This also enables him to achieve his set targets within his lessons as we are providing support for him to complete his work.

Ecco Case Essays

Ecco Case Essays Ecco Case Essay Ecco Case Essay They priorities quality and reliability; the supply chain is configured to produce in accordance with specification and without error. ECHO has a very atypical operations strategy compared with their industry peers. Unlike their branded marketer competitors they produce their own materials and manufacture 80% of their own products in factories around the world. Owning and controlling the entire value chain gives them huge flexibility and allows them to maintain the highest levels of quality. Leone et al. 990) state that operation strategy consists of the key decision areas concerned with the structure and infrastructure of operations: 1. 1 Structure Capacity: The majority of the manufacturing capacity is located in Asia due to the low rates of labor. However these facilities have long lead times and make the supply susceptible to changes in customer demand. There are no manufacturing plants in USA, which is one of Cocos major markets. Process technology: This is a key asset to the co mpany and the core of Cocos product strategy was shoes based on direct injection. Competitors tried to copy the erect injection technique, however, ECHO performed many small tasks differently throughout the process, which improved quality and made it hard to imitate. Its products in-house. The remaining 20%, mostly shoes with very thin soles, are outsourced, as they do not benefit from Cocos core technology. Facilities: An independent configuration of global facilities with tanneries and fullest manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia. Distribution centers are located in the major markets of Europe and United States. The decision to open facilities in China is to access cheap labor and to serve the growing Chinese domestic demand. Research and development is primarily carried out in Denmark. Cost base: Due to the labor intensive nature of show manufacturing ECHO locate their production facilities in cheap labor countries. However there is then a trade- off in lead times and more stock must be held in local distribution centers, which increases working capital. See Appendix 1 for a full break down of supply chain facilities in each country. Page 3 of 13 1. Infrastructure Planning and control: Cocos downstream retail shops ensure full access to customer demand data. This allowed them to plan and react to changes in demand and control he amount of inventory in distribution channels. Manufacturing control is achieved through benchmarking production and by having multiple production facilities so best practice could be shared between them. Quality: Quality is key to the company strategy quality. Quali ty management is maintained by having full control of the supply chain which allows ECHO to set quality standards much higher than they could expect from external suppliers. Human resources: ECHO invests heavily in continuous training and education of its employees providing vocational training, career development and expatriation. Cosmologies, are carried out in Denmark, where they experiment with new materials, processes and technologies. Operational RD is carried out in the foreign production sites where they streamline processes and optimism the use of materials. Procurement: Compared to their competitors this is a very minor part of Cocos operations. They purchase raw hides for the tanneries and they outsource 20% of their shoes (those mainly with thin soles). We assume that ECHO maintain a number of suppliers to increase competition and to mitigate redundancy issues. 1. 3 Global vertical integration A global value chain is strengthened by the fact that shoes are relatively light compared to their value, have few local differences, are not complex to produce and have a long lifestyle. Operating a vertical value chain has advantages: 1 . Owning retail stores ensures access to consumer demand forecasts 2. Direct interface with customers helps with new product development. 3. Full control over the level of quality 4. Maintains shoe knowledge within company But also has challenges; 1 . Synergy advantage is only realizes if each discipline is performed better than competitors 2. The wide span of competencies required can dilute the focus of the company 3. Requires high investment and working capital levels 4. Increased costs of transporting materials around the world 5. A complex interlinked logistical process Page 4 of 13 A weakness of vertical integration is that it reduces the number of suppliers you can choose from (I. E. O must choose a company owned supplier), this lack of competition can lead to and increase in inefficiency. ECHO cleverly utilities multiple factories and tanneries to encourage internal competition and to keep quality high. 1. 4 Further operational execution examples . 4. 1 Manufacturing facilities Manufacturing in Asia provides low cost labor and the Slovakian facility serves the European market. ECHO made the Portuguese unit more hi gh-tech and this seems to deviate from the low cost labor strategy as its very capital intensive, this facility could be merged with the Danish facility. . 4. 2 Training centers The establishment of an education centre, research centre and the ECHO business that 80% of the companys leader should be recruited internally. 1. 4. 3 Faster lead times ECHO required faster lead times to serve the promising Russian market and the 3-4 eek transportation time from Asia was not acceptable. So a production facility was opened in Slovakia close to this new market, which also served to create extra capacity, and reduced the risk of delays from Thailand. 1. 4. Production cycle The speed of production is dependent on the flexibility and adaptability of the production system and the availability of the raw materials. Cocos tanneries in Europe and two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Indonesia and Thailand enable ECHO to control: Efficient leather processing The quality of the leather produced Faster production of the leather Cocos global supply chain ECHO fully integrated value chain from cow to shoe means managing global operations . 2 Tanneries, manufacturing and distribution functions are owned, managed and run by ECHO. Page 5 of 13 Rawhides Germany France Denmark Finland Netherlands Thailand Indonesia Portugal Slovakia China United States Outsourcing Thin soled products 2. 1 Tanneries Cocos rationale for owning tanneries are their high demands on quality and lead times; they operate one tannery in the Netherlands and another two adjacent to manufacturing facilities in Asia. Locating tanneries close to manufacturing facilities means materials have less distance to travel and demand can be closely matched to supply. However the majority of the rawhides originate from Europe so have the additional cost to be shipped to the Asian manufacturing sites, which means ECHO are vulnerable to changes in transportation costs and it also increases the length of the working capital cycle. 2. 2 Manufacturing ECHO operate worldwide manufacturing facilities to achieving labor cost savings and to spread risk. Each production site specialties in a core competency (such as reduction of shoes or uppers), which allows for workers become expert at a particular part of the production process, which increases efficiency and lower the costs of production. The technology and knowledge intensive manufacturing functions (such as RD) are located in Europe whereas the labor intensive manufacturing is located in lower cost Asian countries. The downside to this configuration is that it may be harder to find high quality employees that match Cocos European values in Asia and also co-ordination the flow of information, materials, and people is much more difficult as the distance from corporate quarters increases. Locating manufacturing far away from retail markets increases lead times due to the inventory traveling time but also because of increased inspections and compliance at border crossings. ECHO had two main distribution centers one in the USA and one in Denmark, which feeds 26 sales subsidiaries. The majority of inventory travels through the distribution centre in Denmark, however only 6-9% of production is sold in Denmark so it then has to be shipped to the local distribution centers, some as far away as Japan. This extra travel increases lead times and costs and introduces a trade-off in terms of ERM of the cost and speed of transport methods; sea and road shipping is much more cost effective but slower and air transportation is very costly and should only be used for emergency shipments. Cocos global manufacturing facilities do not always match the retail markets it serves. In 2004 Cocos main retail markets were USA, Germany and Japan yet the majority of the production and distribution took place outside of these geographies. While we expect the Page 6 of 13 majority of manufacturing to be completed in low cost countries, in order to react to large changes in demand some manufacturing should take place close to large, important markets. 2. 4 Drivers and trends in the industry There are two main trends in the industry: 1 . Shoe brands are moving towards an outsourcing manufacturing model 2. The speed of consumer market trends is increasing Cocos competitors mainly outsource their production to manufacturing experts and use their extra resources to develop specialized sales and marketing competencies. In contrast ECHO need to develop a broader range of competencies that encompass manufacturing, materials, distribution and sales, which mean that they will not have the marketing strength of their competitors. Branding is important in consumer markets and global brands are created by large marketing budgets. Cocos integrated value chain requires large capital investments in manufacturing facilities, which means less capital to spend on marketing. As a brand it has huge awareness in Denmark (99. 4% brand recognition) but internationally this is much lower. Other benefits of outsourcing production include lower costs, a larger choice of suppliers and cheaper redundancy by having a network of suppliers. However their competitors also face downsides such as the substantial resources required to scrutinize the supplier network, monitor quality and maintain supplier relations. It can also make companies more vulnerable to the price increase in raw materials. In todays trend-driven consumer markets certain categories of shoes (such as trainers) are seen as fashion items, so the number of styles and new styles per year are more important than quality. 3 Therefore the higher levels of quality that ECHO provide are an extra cost that is not valued by the customer and provides no competitive advantage. 3 Supply chain risks and mitigation strategies We have focused on risks with the highest priority index and then discuss some dictation strategies that try to balance the risk reduction/reward trade-offs. Key Probability Cost of Mitigation High Medium Balancing capacity and inventory Impact Ezra only manufacture their clothes to worn 10 to 1 5 times, as they believe that after this the item will be out of fashion. The focus is on variety of their clothing lines and a reduction in quality. 4 The priority index is the severity x probability of occurrence x probabil ity of early detect

Counseling Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Individuals

Counseling Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Individuals Free Online Research Papers Homosexuality is defined as sexual attraction to a person of the same sex (Sue Sue, 2008). Because gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals are reluctant to identify themselves it is difficult to get an accurate estimates of their numbers. Sue and Sue (2008) estimate that approximately 4-10 percent of the U.S. population is homosexual. It is impossible to describe a unified reality that fits every GLBT individual because within this large and diverse group there are multiple realities (Brown, 1989). The experience of each individual within this group is different depending on ethnic group, religious background, age, degree of â€Å"outness†, and gender. Even within this group there are divisions and hierarchies. According to one bisexual person: Transgendered people are the second-class citizens, and bisexuals are below even them. We’re the white trash of the gay world, a group whom it is socially acceptable not to accept. Feeling awkward among straight is what it feels like to be bi. Being distrusted among gays is what it feels like too. (as cited in Sue Sue, 2008) Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals are often viewed as a threat to the structure of society and face anger, threats, and hostility each day, often in the name of God (Deeb-Sossa Kane, 2007). Issues in Counseling Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Clients Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered individuals face many of the same issues as heterosexuals including: depression, low self-esteem, physical or sexual abuse, and difficulties with relationships and careers (Brown, 1989; Sue Sue 2008). In addition, GLBT individuals also face issues that are associated with their sexual minority status. As a sexual minority GLBT individuals still face discrimination and hostility (Frost Meyer, 2009; Herek, Gillis, Cogan, 2009). Gays and lesbians are more than twice as likely as heterosexuals to experience sexual abuse as adults. They are also at higher risk for Major Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and substance and alcohol related problems (Sue Sue, 2008). While the American Psychiatric Association has removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) many therapists continue to see homosexuality as a mental illness (Sue Sue, 2008). Gender identity issues and cross-dressing are still i ncluded in the DSM (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Kirk and Belovics (2008) explored some of the unique issues faced by transgender individuals including discrimination in hiring practices and problems with supervisors over how to dress and which restroom to use. Many of the problems that bring GLBT individuals into counseling are the result of internalizing society’s negative view of homosexuality (Herek, et al. 2009; Sue and Sue, 2008). The term sexual stigma refers to the negative regard and inferior status that society places on anyone not associated with heterosexual activities and relationships (Herek, et al. 2009; Frost Meyer, 2009). According to Herek et al. (2009) Heterosexuality is viewed as the norm, and children are socialized to believe that everyone is heterosexual (the â€Å"heterosexual assumption†) and that they will grow up to be heterosexual. As a result sexual minorities are viewed as abnormal, unnatural and inferior (Brown, 1989). Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals grow up with these messages and they become internalized and lead to negative feelings toward themselves and other GLBT individuals. Frost and Meyer (2009) showed that there is a strong correlation between internalized homop hobia and relationship problems among GLBT couples. The issue of â€Å"coming out† is another problem unique to the GLBT population. Unlike many other minority groups that may find a sense of belonging with their shared racial or ethnic background within their family circle, GLBT individuals are often ostracized by their family of origin or find it necessary to hide their sexual orientation from those to whom they are closest (Sue Sue, 2008). The revelation of sexual orientation is often met with anger, grief or guilt. It is the role of the counselor to help the client decide to whom and how to come out, and to help them find support among their family, friends or community after coming out. As in working with any person or couple in therapy it is important to see GLBT clients first and foremost as unique individuals. Counselors need to be aware of their personal beliefs and biases when working with GLBT clients and avoid focusing on sexual orientation when it is not necessary (Brown, 1989; Mohr, Weiner, Chopp, Wong, 2009; Sue Sue, 2008; Williams, 2005). Mohr et al. (2009) found that â€Å"client bisexuality had a strong effect on judgments regarding the relevance of clinical issues that were related to bisexual stereotypes but not directly related to the presenting problem† (p. 172). Many of the mental health issues faced by GLBT individuals are the result of internalizing society’s negative messages about homosexuality (Herek, et al., 2009). By challenging society’s assumptions about gender and gender roles feminist therapy provides a framework for exploring the sources of internalized stigma and bias. Feminist counselors also work to depathologize traits that have historically been associated with women and are therefore seen as undesirable (Corey, 2009). This can be extremely beneficial in helping clients to see themselves in a positive light instead of as mentally ill. Feminist Theory Unlike many other theories feminist theory does not have a single founder, but is the result of decades of scholarly conversation and collaboration among women across many disciplines from politics to religion (Corey, 2009; Walters, 2005). According to Walters (2005) women began to speak for themselves and their sex as early as the 1600s. The consciousness raising groups of the 1960s led to changes in the way female therapists practiced (Corey, 2009). Feminist therapy moved from what Williams (2005) described as the eurocentric counseling therapies that held white, middle-class, heterosexual men as the norm and equated mental health with the masculine traits of individualism, independence, and autonomy, to a more egalitarian form of counseling that valued women’s experiences and looked at the way women were constrained by traditional female roles (Corey, 2009). In the 1970s the â€Å"second wave† of feminism attempted to unite all these ideas into a set of philosophies of feminism: liberal, cultural, radical and socialist feminist (Corey, 2009; Walters, 2005). The prominent feminists of the 1970s tended to be white, middle-class and heterosexual and were criticized for excluding the voices of women of color, sexual minorities and women of lower socioeconomic status (Calhoun, 2000). In response, contemporary feminism, embraces diversity and attempts to be more culturally sensitive and inclusive of all women, including lesbians (Corey, 2009). Feminist Therapy and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Client Although it has traditionally focused on women and women’s issues feminist therapy is appropriate for exploring many of the issues facing GLBT individuals. Through techniques such as gender-role analysis, gender-role intervention and power analysis, feminist therapists help clients to recognize how they have internalized society’s negative messages about gender and the way they have been socialized into gender-roles. They work with their clients to understand how sexist and oppressive beliefs affect them in negative ways (Corey, 2009). In exploring how gender-roles are the result of socialization gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals become free to explore their own heterosexual biases and to determine that they have the freedom to define themselves and their identity as â€Å"man† or â€Å"woman† in ways that are more authentic and beneficial (Brown, 1989; Calhoun, 2000). A basic tenet of feminist theory is â€Å"the personal is political† (Corey, 2009). One of the main goals of feminist therapy is to help clients become empowered to change the sociopolitical environment that has historically oppressed them. Calhoun (2000) cautions against assuming the political agenda for GLBT individuals is the same as for white, heterosexual women. Marriage, which has historically been an institution of subordination for women, should be viewed as empowering GLBT individuals. It not only grants access to material and social benefits, but is also the core normative institution around which society is based. To bar sexual minorities from this institution is displace them from entering fully into society. Brown (1989) argues that feminist therapy can be accused of being heterosexist as it still relies on defining people according to the labels â€Å"women† and â€Å"men† and doesn’t take into account the unique experiences and traits of GLBT individuals, the â€Å"third sex†. She proposes a new paradigm that includes the unique experiences of lesbians and gays. Like many biracial individuals gay and lesbians are able to pass as members of the dominant culture and may disown parts of themselves or others that don’t fit with cultural ideals. Counselors need to be sensitive to this issue and help their clients to be comfortable with expressing the full range of their identity and experience. Summary As a minority group GLBT individuals face discrimination and violence and are not allowed to participate fully in society (Calhoun, 2000). A feminist framework can be very effective in counseling GLBT individuals by challenging the negative messages about sexual orientation and gender roles they have internalized from society, by empowering them to take personal and social action, and by allowing them to explore ways to live authentically. This paper has touched on only a few of the issues counselors may face in working with GLBT individuals. This group is made up of many unique individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and a variety of issues they wish to work on in counseling. They also share common issues as a result of their sexual minority status. While these issues are complex, it is important for counselors to treat each client as a person first, and to be sensitive to the culture and experiences of each client. Counselors should use their experience and knowledge to understand the issues their client’s bring into the therapeutic relationship and to discern whether sexual orientation has any bearing on the issues presented. In order to work effectively with GLBT clients it is necessary for counselors to examine their own personal biases and gender socialization process. It is also important that they respect the needs of each client, and avoid pushing their personal feminist agenda on any client (Corey, 2009). References American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Text Revision. Washington, DC: Author. Bitter, J. R. (2009). Theory and Practice of Family Therapy and Counseling. Canada: Brooks/Cole. Brown, L.S. (1989). New voices, new visions: toward a lesbian/gay paradigm for psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, (13) 445-458. Retrieved from ERIC database Calhoun, C. (2000). Feminism, the Family, and the Politics of the Closet. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Corey, G. (2009). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Deeb-Sossa, N., Kane, H. (2007). It’s the word of god: student’s resistance to questioning and overcoming heterosexism. Feminist Teacher, (17)2. 151-159. Retrieved from ERIC database Frost, D.M., Meyer, I.H. (2009). Internalized homophobia and relationship quality among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 53(1). 97-109. Retrieved from ERIC database Herek, G.M, Gillis, R.J., Cogan, J.C. (2009). Internalized stigma among sexual minority adults: Insights from a social psychological perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 53(1). 32-43. Retrieved from ERIC database Kirk, J., Belovics, R. (2008). Understanding and Counseling Transgender Clients. Journal of Employment Counseling, 45(1), 29-36. Retrieved from ERIC database Mohr, J.J., Weiner, J.L., Chopp, R.M., Wong, S.J. (2009). Effects of client bisexuality on clinical judgment: when is bias most likely to occur?. Journal of Counseling Psychology, (56)1, 164-175. Retrieved from ERIC database Sue, D.W., Sue, D. (2008). Counseling sexual minorities. Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice (5th ed.). 443-454. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Walters, M. (2005). Feminism: a Very Short Introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Williams, C.B. (2005). Counseling African American women: Multiple identities-multiple constraints. Journal of Counseling and Development (83). 278-283. Retrieved from ERIC database Research Papers on Counseling Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered IndividualsInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicResearch Process Part OneThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseTwilight of the UAWHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraLifes What IfsNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice