The Bosman case and its influences on the competitive balance in the European football market Essays

The Bosman case and its influences on the competitive balance in the European football market Essays The Bosman case and its influences on the competitive balance in the European football market Essay The Bosman case and its influences on the competitive balance in the European football market Essay The Bosman case and its influences on the competitive balance in the European football market Introduction Jean-Marc Bosman was a football player in the first division in Belgium and wanted to play for the French team Dunkerque after his contract expired in 1990. The transfer did not succeed because Dunkerques transfer fee was not high enough so his club RFC Li? ©ge refused and Bosman had to wait for a higher offer. Subsequently Bosman sued against the FIFA rules and ought to be proved right. The following pages outlines the consequences of the Judgment of the so called Bosman ruling on he transfer system and on the competitive balance of the European football market. The Judgment An indicator that shows the dimension of the Bosman case is the official title it-self: Union Royale Belge des Soci? ©t? ©s de Football Association ASBL v. Jean-Marc Bosman, Royal club Li? ©geois SA v. Jean-Marc Bosman and others and Union des Associations Europ? ©ennes de Football (UEFA) v. Jean-Marc Bosman (Case C-41 5/93. European The case took place at the European Court of Court reports 1995, page 1-4921). Justice (ECJ) in Luxemburg and was about two different issues. The first one Bosmans omplaint addressed two separate issues, one of them concerns the existing transfer regulation, whereby a professional football player is not allowed to transfer for free at the end of the contract. The other subject is the so called 3+2 rule of the European Football Federation (UEFA) which limits the number of foreign players on the field. Five foreign players in play are the maximum in a competitive match upon condition that two of them having played for at least five years in the clubs country (R. Parrish, (2003), Sports law and policy in the European Union, p. 226). Bosman s rgumentation based on the article 48 (Treaties of Rome) which deals amongst others with the free movement of workers in an international labour market and guarantees the equal treatment of workers of the member states regardless their nationality (Rom Treaties, 1957). The legal process lasted five long years, in the end the counter-arguments of the opposition the exceptional position of sport as a cultural goods failed despite the big lobby of sport associations. One basis of decision- making was the landmark case of Walrave in 1974 in which is stated that sport falls nder the scope of application of Community law (Article 2 EEC), therefore the and with this is applicable to the Article 48 (ECC). This Judicature ensured the free movement of workers within the European Union and the abolition of any discrimination based on nationality between workers of the Member States (R. arnsh, (2003), p. 226). Influences on the competitive balance within the European leagues The legal victory at the EC] ought to have a lasting effect on the competitive balance between national European leagues. The open labour market resulted in a shift of ower from the smaller markets for example Netherlands and Scotland to the bigger ones namely England, Spain, Germany, F rance and Italy also known as the big 5. Former important historical teams such as Ajax Amsterdam were not able to keep up with big 5 teams and had to face upcoming teams from Russia and Ukraine in European competitions as well (DeJonghe Van Obstal, 2000). This competitive disadvantage of smaller market teams is correlated to freedom of movement within the member states and the abolition of the limitation of the number of foreign players. The balance of power shifted from the clubs to the players, who could choose the clubs with the highest wages and resulted in a substantial player emigration from smaller to bigger markets. Ever since then, it is an increasing competition to attract the best player talents (DeJonghe Van Obstal, 2000, p. 43). A study published in the Annual Review of the European Players Labour Market tried to measure the creasing concentration of player talent in the big 5 markets. Therefore, the study compared the US World Cup 1994 which took place before the Bosman case and the World Cup in Germany 2006. The comparison of the eleven ountries who participated in both competitions highlighted the dominating position of the big 5 leagues. In 1994, 43 % of the players made their money in the big 5, compared to 50% in 2006. In order to measure the migration of playing talent, the study left out players who worked in their own country, in this regard the fgures increased from 18,2 % in 1994 to 25,3 % in 2006. In contrast to this, the coefficient for the smaller market leagues state the same with a menial decrease from 3,7 % to 3,6 % (DeJonghe Van Obstal, 2000). To underline the decreasing competitive balance between the European football eagues, the percentage of international players in the top five clubs of each league in the big 5 was 64,6 %, while the respectively league average was well below (DeJonghe Van Obstal, 2000). Another interesting indicator for this are the last 17 final results of the Champions League, Ajax Amsterdam won it in the year of the Bosman Judgment and the FC Porto from Portugal in the year 2004. All 15 other possible Champions League goblets went to teams out of the big 5. One approach of sports economists was to combine the European professional football with some characteristics of the US sports model revenue sharing, salary cap, etc. ) to counteract the concentration on the bigger markets. The problem was that this kind of cross-subsidization would be difficult to implement in the structures of European football (DeJonghe Van Obstal, 2000, p. Conclusion The Bosman case is a landmark in the European football history, it created an open labour market with the result of talent concentration on the bigger markets. The World Cup studies as well as the performances of teams in the European Champions League in the last 16 years underline a decline in competitive balance between the European leagues. In my opinion the financial fair play concept of the UEFA is a good approach to antagonize the power concentration on the bigger markets. The idea of the system is to regulate the balance between the financial earning and spending plus the amount of indebtedness of a club. If there is any control deviation the UEFA has the possibility to exclude this club from international competitions. Just one question remains if the UEFA will take decisive action against clubs who trespass against the rules of the game!? References Case C-41 5/93. European Court reports 1995, page 1-4921 R. Parrish, (2003), Sports law and policy in the European Union, Rom Treaties (art. 2 + art. 48) T. DeJonghe, (2000), Rivista di Dritto ed Economica dello Sport Article 48 1 . The free movement of workers shall be ensured within the Community not later than at the date of the expiry of the transitional period. 2. This shall involve the abolition of any discrimination based on nationality between workers of the Member States, as regards employment, remuneration and other working conditions. 3. It shall include the right, subject to limitations Justified by reasons of public order, ublic safety and public health: (a) to accept offers of employment actually made; (b) to move about freely for this purpose within the territory of Member States; (c) to stay in any Member State in order to carry on an employment in conformity with the legislative and administrative provisions governing the employment of the workers of that State; and (d) to live, on conditions which shall be the subject of implementing regulations to be laid down by the Commission, in the territory of a Member State after having been employed there. iministration.

Anna Arnold Hedgeman, Civil Rights Activist, Feminist

Anna Arnold Hedgeman, Civil Rights Activist, Feminist article edited with additions by Jone Johnson Lewis Dates: July 5, 1899Â  -Â  January 17, 1990Known for: African-American feminist; civil rights activist; founding member of NOW Anna Arnold Hedgeman was a civil rights activist and an early leader in the National Organization for Women. She worked throughout her life on issues such as education, feminism, social justice, poverty and civil rights. A Pioneer for Civil Rights Anna Arnold Hedgemans lifetime of accomplishments included many firsts: First black woman to graduate from Hamline University (1922) - the university now has a scholarship named for herFirst black woman to serve on a New York City mayoral cabinet (1954-1958)First black person to hold a Federal Security Agency position Anna Arnold Hedgeman was also the only woman on the executive committee that organized Martin Luther King, Jr.s famous March on Washington in 1963. Patrik Henry Bass called her instrumental in organizing the march and the conscience of the march in his book Like A Mighty Stream: The March on Washington August 28, 1963 (Running Press Book Publishers, 2002). When Anna Arnold Hedgeman realized there were going to be no female speakers at the event, she protested the minimal recognition of women who were civil rights heroes. She succeeded in persuading the committee that this oversight was a mistake, which led eventually to Daisy Bates being invited to speak that day at the Lincoln Memorial. NOW Activism Anna Arnold Hedgeman served temporarily as the first executive vice-president of NOW. Aileen Hernandez, who had been serving on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, was elected executive vice-president in absentia when the first NOW officers were selected in 1966. Anna Arnold Hedgeman served as temporary executive vice-president until Aileen Hernandez officially stepped down from the EEOC and took the NOW position in March 1967. Anna Arnold Hedgeman was the first chair of NOWs Task Force on Women in Poverty. In her 1967 task force report, she called for a meaningful expansion of economic opportunities for women and said there were no jobs or opportunities for women at the bottom of the heap to move into. Her suggestions included job training, job creation, regional and city planning, attention to high school dropouts and an end to the ignoring of women and girls in federal job and poverty-related programs. Other Activism In addition to NOW, Anna Arnold Hedgeman was involved with organizations including the YWCA, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League, the National Council of Churches Commission on Religion and Race and the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. She ran for Congress and president of the New York City Council, drawing attention to social issues even when she lost the elections. A 20th Century Life in the United States Anna Arnold was born in Iowa and grew up in Minnesota. Her mother was Mary Ellen Parker Arnold, and her father, William James Arnold II, was a businessman. The family was the only black family in Anoka, Iowa, where Anna Arnold grew up. Â  She graduated from high school in 1918, and then became the first black graduate of Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Unable to find a teaching job in Minnesota where a black woman would be hired, Anna Arnold taught in Mississippi at Rust College. She could not accept living under Jim Crow discrimination, so she returned north to work for the YWCA. She worked at black YWCA branches in four states, ending up finally in Harlem, New York City. In New York in 1933, Anna Arnold married Merritt Hedgeman, a musician and performer. Â   During the Depression, she was a consultant on racial problems for the Emergency Relief Bureau of New York City, studying near-slavery conditions of black women who worked in domestic service in the Bronx, and studying Puerto Rican conditions in the city. Â  When World War II began, she worked as a civil defense official, advocating for black workers in war industries. In 1944 she went to work for an organization advocating for fair employment practices. Â  Unsuccessful at getting fair employment legislation passed, she returned to the academic world, working as an assistant dean for women at Howard University in New York. In the 1948 election, she was executive director of the presidential re-election campaign for Harry S Truman. After he was reelected, she went to work for his government, working on issues of race and employment. Â  She was the first woman and the first African American to be part of a mayoral cabinet in New York City, appointed by Robert Wagner, Jr., to advocate for the poor. As a laywoman, she signed a 1966 black power statement by black members of the clergy which appeared in the New York Times. In the 1960s she worked for religious organizations, advocating for higher education and racial reconciliation. Â  It was in her role as a part of religious and womens communities that she advocated strongly for the participation of white Christians in the 1963 March on Washington. She wrote the books The Trumpet Sounds: A Memoir of Negro Leaership (1964) and The Gift of Chaos: Decades of American Discontent (1977).Anna Arnold Hedgeman died in Harlem in 1990.

American Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Popular Culture - Essay Example In both presentations, popular culture is normally perceived as being less important by its icons so as to bring together wide acceptance that can dominate the mainstream ideology. As a consequence, it is normally castigated by non-mainstream forces which consider it shallow, consumerist, scandalous, or dishonest. This paper compares and contrasts the role of race (as discussed by another party) and advertising (presented by myself) in the American popular culture. Media advertising is largely a general part of the human lifestyle, especially in a consumerist society in the same way as race (Solomon 59). The average person in American society is faced with numerous adverts every day including billboards, television commercials, movie trailers and commodity introduction in films, online ads, radio and print media ads among others in the same way race pops up in virtually every social setting. In my presentation, advertising is seen as partly driven by popular culture attributes, and partly educative, in the sense that, the consumer learns about and how to understand other ways in which the popular culture manifests such as the needs and preferences of racial groups in respect of commodities set for sale. According to Solomon (60) Movie trailers, for example, are not just geared towards the sale of the media clip, but rather they attempt to influence the way the audiences perceive the storyline and the actions. Owing to the integration of various races in a film, the effect on the audience is similar to that of pure advertising in the sense that both improve socialization through cross-cultural interactions, influencing thought processes and the feelings of the audience in a balanced way. Cross-racial interactions in movies are similar to and or compliments media ads seeking unity in diversity, especially in the wake of globalization.

Federalism and Separation of Powers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Federalism and Separation of Powers - Essay Example This structural change in the government is embedded in the articles 1-3 of the US constitution and its main agenda is to reduce the tyranny within the country and to control government powers. This essay seeks to analyze the difference between federalism and separation of powers and hence their influence on the current state of governance. In a federal system, the national government grants power to the states government to apply own strategies in their own state and to induce innovation according to the laws of the state. In other words, each state is a free entity and is free to exercise own policies and to engage in diverse government cultures as they deem fit for the people of the particular state (Gerston, 2007). The advocates of this system support it on the ground that it is the best practice that is only effective in managing a diversified population such as one that exists in the United States, and that it allows the local people to have a better access to their leaders (Topher, 2007). In addition, each state is allowed to be creative and to learn from other states that are successful. In this system, the country government reserves most of the powers and acts by controlling power in the United States. However, the federal government has the disadvantage that it allows a non-unified policy implementation which often brings out confusion among the people, and that power control is minimal. The effect of the separation of powers is that the three branches of the government would act as a check and balance mechanism to protect the people over power abuse. Any policy would have to be analyzed by each branch of the government before its implementation. There is quite a difference in the two systems of power sharing with regard to the current system of power sharing in the US government. For instance, in the federal system, the citizens in overlapping states may be faced with confusion and they may

Review of Related Literatures and Studies Essay Example for Free

Review of Related Literatures and Studies Essay The proponents reviewed several related studies and literature. This was done to clarify different ideas from other studies and literature. Relevant ideas of some students who developed some software were also reviewed. Related Literature The proponents understand that the program to be made without intellectual development could crash and might not be attracted to the uses and beneficiaries. The communication between the target user and the programmer should be clear, and sharp. According to George Gerard G. Mendoza (2005), two reasons why people use computers regardless of their profession. First, they are fast. Second, they are accurate. To improve the current grading system, manual and duplicative tasks need to be computerized. Computerization of tasks will also pave the way for the unification of the grading system with the enrollment system and student information system. Josefina Estolas in the book Fundamentals of Research (1995). A major purpose of a database system is to provide users with an abstract view of data. That is the system hides certain details of how the data are stored and maintained as stated by Abraham Silberschatz, Database System Concepts (1999). A database is an organized collection of facts and information. An organizations database can contain facts and information on customers, employees, inventory, competitors, sales information and much more. Most Managers and executive believe a database is one of the most valuable and important parts of a computer-based Related Literature Foreign Study According to Ms. Barbara Riggs and Mr. Jacob I. Lee (1994) of the University of Maryland as they perceived from their study as regards with the old grading system of their university and the problems encountered. It is a daunting task to process 130,000 grades in a timely let alone painless manner every semester. Add to this the collection of Early Warning grades and there is a tremendous amount of work for both†©our administrative staff and the faculty. Therefore, it was no surprise when several faculties voiced concern over the traditional time-consuming grade collection process. Our established method of grade collection was similar to other universities during the mid 80s. Scannable grade sheets were produced for each course section and distributed to the faculty. Over 8,000 grade sheets were created every semester and then hand carried to academic departments by R R support staff. The departments were then responsible for delivering grade sheets to the appropriate instructor. After all this routing, it was not unusual for a faculty member to request a new grade sheet because the original had been lost or damaged. Once the grade sheet made it to the faculty members hands, they were required to write the grade and then fill in the corresponding bubble with a #2 pencil on the scanning form. If mistakes were made the faculty member had to be sure to erase the incorrect mark completely. Erasures often led to scanner misreads and recording of incorrect grades. Faculty were also required to return all grade sheets to the Records Registrations office within 48 hours of their final exam. Grade sheets were not permitted to be returned by mail because they could not be folded, but, more importantly, because mailing created security issues. Obviously, the scale of organization and centralization of grade sheet distribution and collection was enormous. Because of security concerns, controls had to be foolproof. Grade correction was very tedious and time-consuming. So, as technological capabilities and services were successfully developed for students, both faculty and administrators saw the potential to automate the existing grade collection process.

Good Ol’ Southern Food: The Ins and Outs of Preparing a Southern Feast

Good Ol’ Southern Food: The Ins and Outs of Preparing a Southern Feast There is just something about Southern Cooking, something about the women who’ve mastered it, and something about what it represents. A Southern Feast represents time spent in careful preparation and an almost entire region of people that didn’t get the memo about cholesterol. Southern cooking brilliantly displays a community that still remains untouched by at least some of the craziness in the world around us. Things move a little slower in the South, and one of those things is the cooking. Preparing a Southern feast is a job. It is hard work, and it takes some time, but that is part of the charm. This cooking is the kind that allows for sitting around canning beans and fussing over biscuits. In the way that baking Christmas cookies brings families together, Southern cooking does as much. It can be done, with ease and grace, not to mention great fellowship when a meal is prepared with the ones you love. I believe the basis of any southern meal is a good amount of lard. We are not really talking olive oil here, but actual lard from a pig. If done correctly lard should be found in at least three of the main dishes. Equally important are the homegrown veggies. No meal, southern or any other, for that matter would be complete without some good homegrown food. Now, a true genius can use the lard and veggies, but we will get to that later. Once you have your veggies and main dish, complementary side items like biscuits and gravy, and sweet tea make the meal complete. The Main Element: In most circles, you will find the main element to be a meat. In most southern circles, you will find that meat to be fried, be it southe... ...nd nutmeg v Stack 2 piecrusts; gently roll or press together. Fit pastry into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. v Toss together apple and lemon juice in a large bowl. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients; sprinkle over apple mixture, and toss to coat. Spoon into prepared piecrust. v Roll remaining piecrust to press out fold lines; place over filling. Fold edges under, and crimp; cut slits in top for steam to escape. v Bake at 450 ° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 °, and bake 35 minutes. Fried Apples 12-15 Golden Delicious Apples  ½ -3/4 Cups Sugar 1tsp Cinnamon  ½ stick of butter v Wash and Cut apples into bite size pieces v Combine Sugar, Cinnamon, and Butter in skillet v Add apples v Stir occasionally until apples are tender v Serve hot or later chilled

Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chain

Supply Chain Class Module 2, Lesson 3 Question #1 Develop a small group consensus on the impact (increases, decreases, no effect) of the Bullwhip Effect on two of the following six supply chain performance measures: manufacturing cost, inventory cost, replenishment lead time, transportation cost, shipping and receiving cost, level of product availability profitability. One of the two measures that your team chooses must be inventory cost. For inventory costs, be certain to be specific about the kinds of inventory costs impacted (in-storage cycle stock carrying costs, ordering costs, stockout costs, or safety stock carrying costs).Clearly explain your group’s reasoning or rationale for the impact you have agreed to; that is carefully explain why the bullwhip effect either increases, decreases of has no effect on the given performance measure. In each of your explanations, drill down into the factors that drive each measure, explaining how those factors are affected by the Bullw hip effect. MANUFACTURING COSTS It is the consensus of Team 10 that the bullwhip effect increases costs associated with the manufacturing of products.We know that the bullwhip effect results in an amplification of the variation of product and material demand as one travels upstream in the supply chain from consumer to material suppliers. In most cases the manufacturer of products will be removed from the actual consumer by multiple layers in the supply chain. The variation in demand (variation in orders) that the manufacturer will experience will be significantly greater than the variation in demand from the actual consumers. There are several costs incurred in the manufacturing of products. Among these costs are direct material costs, direct labor costs and overhead costs.The increased variability in quantity of products demanded from the manufacturer has an impact on each of these items. For most manufactured products, the cost of materials is a significant portion of the cost of the end item. As the demand for products varies from the manufacturer, these swings in demand are amplified and passed on to the material suppliers and various other sub-suppliers. During periods of high demand, the manufacturer is more likely to be forced to pay the material suppliers and sub-suppliers additional fees to expedite shipments.During periods of low demand, the manufacturer is more likely to find itself with a huge stock of unused material on hand. These variations also make it more difficult to negotiate competitive prices with the suppliers, further adding to the cost of the bullwhip effect. In an effort to protect against some of this variation, manufacturers will often stockpile materials, adding further warehousing and capital costs. Labor costs are another key component of the total cost of most products, including products which may be manufactured offshore in low-wage countries.In periods of extremely high demand, manufacturers are faced with an option of either hiring more employees or working their existing employee’s longer hours and paying overtime. Most companies are extremely reluctant to hire additional workers, particularly if they have reason to believe that the spike in demand will only be temporary. As a result, companies will typically choose to work longer hours and pay overtime wages to their employees. Paying overtime is costly, not only from a wage standpoint but also from an effectiveness standpoint.Employees are not robots, and diminishing marginal return should be expected when working employees longer hours. As hours go up, productivity typically declines at a rate that increases as the severity of the work schedule increases. The result is an increasing cost per unit of the products produced. Likewise, when product demand is extremely low, employees are not able to be utilized as effectively and labor cost per unit also increases. Further, there are the overhead costs which are affected by the variation in deman d amplified by the bullwhip effect.When manufacturers create facilities and purchase processing equipment, they often â€Å"size† their operations based upon what they believe will be the highest levels of demand for their products. When demand for products varies greatly, the frequent result is that the processes, equipment and facilities are excessively large (and costly) compared to what the â€Å"legitimate† demand might actually require. This results not only in excessive costs to set up these operations, but it also can create a scenario where it becomes difficult to operate these facilities efficiently when the production requirements are lower.Another element for consideration is the â€Å"cost of quality. † Manufacturing operations thrive on consistency. When manufacturers have to contend with wildly-varying production schedules, there is an increase in the â€Å"state of flux† in the operations. This can take the form of delayed maintenance on m achines, fatigued workers, using alternate suppliers for materials, etc. All of these elements that are exacerbated by large swings in production schedule can contribute to higher scrap rates, manufacturing errors, equipment downtime and, potentially, product defects that reach the consumer.INVENTORY COSTS Demand variability amplification can have a significant impact on increasing inventory costs. Business Dictionary. com defines inventory costs as the cost of holding goods in stock. Expressed usually as a percentage of the inventory value, it includes capital, warehousing, depreciation, insurance, taxation, obsolescence, and shrinkage costs. Typically, the inventory costs increase due to excessive or obsolete inventory as a result of poor demand forecasting. This situation is clearly defined in an article about Cisco’s need to write-off $2. billion in inventory in 2001. However, one must dive deeper into specific inventory performance measures to better understand the effec ts of the bullwhip effect on inventory costs. Safety Stock Safety stock can be defined as inventory held as buffer against mismatch between forecasted and actual consumption or demand, between expected and actual delivery time, and unforeseen emergencies. From a positive standpoint, safety stock can help to potentially reduce stock out situations however is also contributes to the bullwhip effect.Specifically with demand forecast updating using exponential smoothing, ordering of safety stock will create larger swings for suppliers and even move for orders placed to the manufacturer (Lee, p 95). Furthermore, poorly ordered safety stock that becomes excess or obsolete can lead to increased expense or in a worst-case scenario, written-off or scrapped completely. Stockout Cost Stockout cost, also called shortage cost, is defined as the economic consequences of not being able to meet an internal or external demand from the current inventory. Such costs consist of internal costs (delays, labor time wastage, lost production, etc. and external costs (loss of profit from lost sales, and loss of future profit due to loss of goodwill). One cause of stockout cost can be attributed to poorly updated demand forecast where the appropriate amount of inventory was not planned for the current demand. This is in contrast to the safety stock example which leads to an increase in inventory and excess or obsolete material. Another cause is rationing and shortage gaming where the demand for the product exceeded the supply (Lee, p97). The stockout cost is the expense of the lost sales or the potential of losing the customer loyalty completely to a fierce competitor.Module 2, Lesson 3 Question #2 At the end of the article â€Å"Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains† by Lee, et. al. , is Table 1. In this table Lee presents a number of initiatives, such as vendor-managed inventory, for counteracting the four causes of the Bullwhip Effect. Select one or more of the initiatives and deve lop a small group consensus on a list of the top five impediments to the initiatives that you have selected; five impediments in total, not five impediments for each initiative that you select. Select two impediments and for each impediment please explicitly explain why the impediment is difficult to overcome.Finally in your group’s opinion, which of your impediments is typically the most difficult to overcome? Please explain why. BULLWHIP EFFECT COUNTERMEASURES; EDI, VMI, ECHELON-BASED INVENTORY SYSTEMS There is a range of initiatives to mitigate the effects of the â€Å"bullwhip effect,† or amplified distortions in replenishing orders. Through EDI and vendor –managed inventory (VMI), distortions may be reduced through transparent sharing of real time demand information through the entire supply chain. Demand distortion begins with faulty assumptions underlying future demand projections.One counter-measure for this challenge is real time exchange of information and increased transparency at point of sale. Many retailers use data generated at point of sale to automatically adjust their inventories and trigger reorder as inventories are depleted. Simultaneous transmission of this data to the supplier would facilitate a clearer view of consumption and retail inventory. Point of sale EDI shared across the supply chain from the manufacturer to retail outlet, would smooth the orders and prevent demand distortion that occurs with regression driven forecasts.Increased control of the total inventory can be achieved with echelon inventory management, through cooperative information sharing and a jointly agreed upon single point of inventory control. One model for this is vendor-managed inventory (VMI) which is a continuous replenishment of inventory based upon a push from the supply to the retail outlet based on EDI signals at point of sale and inventory depletion. ECHELON-BASED INVENTORY SYSTEMS Echelon-based inventory systems allow transparency o f the inventory flow of the down-stream levels in the supply chain by the upstream levels.This acts to reduce the bullwhip effect by preventing exaggeration of demand fluctuations by multiple levels in the chain. This is a useful policy, but it can be difficult to implement. First, one must consider the integrity of the source of the information. If an upstream member of the chain intends to rely on reports generated by the downstream member, trust must be a mutual component of the relationship. The downstream company may feel that it doesn’t want to share the information about their own inventory and/or demand, especially if it engages (or has any intention of engaging) in a practice of shortage gaming.Some elements of the shared data can be filtered, if this is found to be helpful to the downstream member. If the downstream member engages in price hedging or shortage gaming, the increased transparency to the upstream member would inhibit or completely prevent the downstream company from harnessing the perceived buffer that the practice enables. Some elements of the shared data can be filtered, if mutually agreeable to all members of the supply chain. Through non-disclosure agreements and data parsing, streams of proprietary data can be â€Å"cleansed† to be less sensitive.Connectivity of various operating systems is another hurdle. Many suppliers and retailers will not allow â€Å"direct feed† of data into their core operating systems, requiring a data merge in a safe environment that then can share data between the operating systems of the companies exchanging data. The work of scrubbing data and developing the necessary connectivity also requires IT resources. One must also consider the utility of information that is constantly changing. The value of inventory data to the upstream member could be limited as it changes continuously and obsolesces almost as soon as it’s generated.The upstream member must always be willing to loose ly interpret the inventory and demand data since an unusually large order, or an unusual decline in orders, could occur at any time. Also, downstream members’ transparency leads the upstream member to increase the frequency with which they update their demand forecasting. Frequently updating these forecasts is itself a bullwhip effect-exacerbating practice, so the upstream member would need to exercise discretion in its policies on how it reacts to the information that it receives from downstream.Implementation of these initiatives requires addressing and overcoming certain impediments:   Trust between supply chain partners or perceived competitive risk Data integrity challenges with changing/obsolete data Reduced downstream gaming ability (shortage and price hedge forward buying) Information technology resources to facilitate connectivity Increased frequency of upstream re-forecast due to downstream transparency The two most difficult impediments are the first two; trust a mongst supply chain partners, and the challenges of sharing meaningful data.Trust – Perceived Competitive Risk The challenge with establishing trust amongst supply chain partners is one of competitive risk. The real time data on point of sale, inventories held, or pricing activities engaged are all considered proprietary. The sharing of that data requires trust through the entire supply chain, and a willingness to incur significant legal, technological, and analytical resources to develop and deliver data that is accurate and meaningful.Lack of transparency and trust on the part of down stream members is the primary driver of the shortage and price gaming, to build inventories and prevent stock-outs or hedge for future price increases. In order to share transparent information through the supply chain, legal and technological hurdles must be addressed to reduce competitive risk, and allow necessary trust through protective agreements (NDA) and safe systems connectivity. Throu gh non-disclosure agreements and data parsing streams of proprietary data can be â€Å"cleansed† to be less sensitive and reduced competitive risk. ) Data Integrity – Changing and Obsolete Information The real time exchange of information supports accurate forecasts and timely order replenishment only if that data is meaningful. Data is meaningful if it clearly conveys the supply/demand picture. Upstream suppliers must be able to see the sale/demand data and existing inventory data in real time in order to push order replenishment. If downstream members obscure the inventories to retain shortage gaming power, this will impact the accuracy of the inventory replenishment trigger to the upstream supplier.Connected systems are susceptible to cross-system failures. Errant data in one system pollutes the forecast assumptions of the connected systems. Cadence of exchange, or timing of the data flows is a factor in relevance. If sales or order cancellations have changed invent ories significantly since the last update, the information exchanged can be obsolete. The â€Å"bullwhip effect† is culmination of iterative forecast variations, and self-protecting defensive actions on the part of supply chain members to hedge uncertainty. With increased trust and transparency, the forecast variations and uncertainty can be reduced.With collaboration through the entire supply chain, trust can be built, real time, meaningful data exchanged, and the cost of surplus inventories taken out of the chain. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Comments on Information Distortion in a Supply Chain: The Bullwhip Effect† by Lee, H. L. Padmanabhan, V. and Whang, S. , p 1888 [ 2 ]. http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/safety-stock. html#ixzz286djGuPB). [ 3 ]. http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/stockout-costs. html#ixzz286iDNySD

Inventory System: Executive Summary Essay

Abstract There is increase in popularity and use of the Internet for research purposes by schools and students. Popular among the web-based information resource is the Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that uses wiki software for the creation and editing of contents on its site. The use of Wikipedia for research has increased over the years. It is the world’s acclaimed 6th most visited website (â€Å"Most Popular Websites on the Internet†, 2012) . This status is not without its own challenges. The main one being that of credibility. An online encyclopedia that allows anyone to edit its entries to some, limits its validity. This paper attempts to look at some of the reasons its credibility is in question. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia. It uses a collaborative software known as wiki to facilitate the creation, development, and editing of entries by contributors who do so without pay. It is available in 285 languages with about 100,000 regularly active contributors. Once connected to the web users can write and edit articles on the site. Wikipedia has gained much popularity particularly because of its rich information and full accessibility of data. However, owing to its open-source management style that allows anybody to change contents, there has been a growing concern about Wikipedia’s credibility as a source of information for academic work. Wikipedia was founded as an offshoot of Nupedia, a now-abandoned project to produce a free encyclopedia. Nupedia had an elaborate system of peer review and required highly qualified contributors but the writing of articles was slow. During 2000, Jimmy Wales, founder of Nupedia, and Larry Sanger whom Wales had employed to work on the project, discussed ways of supplementing Nupedia with a more open, complementary project. Multiple sources suggested that a wiki might allow members of the public to contribute material, and Nupedia’s first wiki went online on January 10, 2001. There was considerable resistance by Nupedia’s editors and reviewers to the idea of associating Nupedia with a website in the wiki format, so Sanger coined the name Wikipedia, which is a portmanteau of wiki (a type of collaborative website, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning â€Å"quick†) and encyclopedia. Wikipedia was launched on its own domain, wikipedia.com, on January 15. In May 2001, a wave of non-English Wikipedia was launched. (Wikipedia, 2012). Supporters of Wikipedia believe contents are verified for accuracy, and monitored for consistency and currency. Nevertheless, at the rate contents are created and edited – about three million in 2008 and presently 21 million – accuracy cannot match the speed! Voss (2011) stated â€Å"Edit history and user contributions are auxiliary clues (to the quality of the site) but very time-consuming to review† (p.10). Even the founder of Wikipedia have expressed concern over the existence of such inconsistency and inaccuracy of contents. † Various experts (including founder Jimmy Wales and Jonathan Zittrain, Oxford University) have expressed concern over possible (intentional or unintentional) bias† (â€Å"Wikipedia†, 2012). Others contend that because Wikipedia is a huge information resource, which allows open inspection and arguments in which changes are debated, it is a useful source for scholastic work (Smooth & Crovitz, 2011). Many others argue that the errors found on Wikipedia are not uncommon to errors found in other encyclopedias. For example, In December 2005, the scientific journal Nature published the results of a study comparing the accuracy of Wikipedia and the printed Encyclopedia Britannica. The researchers found that the number of â€Å"factual errors, omissions or misleading statements† in each references work was not so different – Wikipedia contained 162, and Britannica had 123. This was not generally accepted as the makers of Britannica have since called on Nature to retract the study, which it claims is completely without merit† (Woods & Thoeny, 2007, pp. 90-92). A major issue with Wikipedia is that of source authenticity. Since people are free to create contents from sources at their disposal, some articles may contain unverified and inconsistent information. Sources are not properly cited. Most materials do not meet the criteria of a good source among which are currency of information, impartiality, and evaluating credentials of authors.. This explains why contents are continually edited. Ray and Graeff (2008), historical scholarship is also characterized by possessive individualism. Good professional practice requires that ideas and words are attributed to specific historians. A historic work without owners and with multiple authors like Wikipedia, is thus almost unimaginable in our professional culture. Using Wikipedia saves time owing to its versatility and large information base, some have argued. This is because contributors are more interested in flooding the site with information than painstakingly digging deep to ensure quality of contents. Topics in Wikipedia are sometimes treated superficially with the aim of transferring a general and simple understanding across to users. When such an article is cited in a professional research work, it automatically renders the work incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading. Readers do not need to be scholars to read between the lines on Wikipedia. Content is not exactly expert knowledge, it is common knowledge. For example, an article on nuclear reactor will not be anything different from what most people know about nuclear reactors and what the authors think common people can understand (Keen, 2008). One of the five pillars, which guide Wikipedia’s operations is that Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit, use, modify or distribute. The idea of inviting readers to serve as authors or editors poses a problem. Not all users are thorough in providing accurate information, and they are others who deliberately mutilate particular articles or post misleading statements. Sometimes, information is posted or edited by people who have little or inadequate knowledge of the subject, and as the adage goes, little knowledge is dangerous. Wikipedia has no way in evaluating the credentials of content authors as it is free for all. Even though these content are edited, one can never be sure how many errors have been corrected. According to Voss (2004), as more people read about an article, the more errors are emended some might say. However, one can hardly be sure how many qualified people have read an article and how many errors remain. Edit wars sometimes occur in Wikipedia. Edit wars occur when two contributors (or group of contributors) repeatedly edit each other’s work based on a particular bias. Using such a content makes the research work the ‘casualty’ of such ‘wars’. In early 2004, Wikipedia set up an Arbitration Committee to settle such disputes (Woods & Thoeny, 2007). Conclusion Wikipedia describes itself as, â€Å"the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.† As discussed earlier, the site runs on â€Å"democratic† principles allowing anyone to contribute, create, edit, and distribute contents freely. Free and open access has outlined above, have serious consequences as it exposes texts to vandalism and inconsistency. Wikipedia’s contents are edited based on individuals perceived opinion or knowledge, unlike other online resources like the Oxford English Dictionary for example, which was developed by a carefully selected team of experienced professionals. By compromising traditional concept of authorship, Wikipedia affects associated issues of authority, originality, and value. When a source’s authority and accuracy is in question then the credibility is not guaranteed. Frankly, a site like Wikipedia that allows anyone to add, change, or remove information cannot be credible. References Spatt, B. (2011). Writing from sources (8th ed.). Bedford St. Martin Publishing. Ray, A. and Graeff, E. (2008). Reviewing the Author-Function in the Age of Wikipedia Woods, D. and Thoeny, P. (2007). Wikis for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Publishing, Inc. Smoot W.S. and Crovitz D. (2009). Wikipedia: Friend, Not Foe,† in English Journal 98.3 Keen, A. (2008). The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture. Bantam Dell Publishing Group Voss J. (2004). Measuring Wikipedia http:/www.wikipedia.org http:/www.mostpopularwebsites.net

How to Write an Argumentative Essay on Confucianism

How to Write an Argumentative Essay on Confucianism If you are tasked with writing an argumentative essay on Confucianism you must follow the steps below: What is an argumentative piece? First of all, the argumentative essay is a type of writing where you must investigate your topic (have a look at our ready-made topics on Confucianism). You want to collect evidence, evaluate it, and then form your position on the topic. 1) Outlining The first step is to write out the content you have. Start with an outline. Take your notes and combine them into an outline that shows your best organization (to gather more information you can use facts on Confucianism to enrich your notes). Then draft your thesis statement. This should be a single statement that explains the purpose of your work to the reader. This statement belongs in your introduction where you introduce all of the content you will present in the body of your work. This is something that many students save for last. 2) Writing With the body, where many students start their writing process, your job here is to show why the evidence in support of your conclusion is stronger compared to the evidence in support of the opposing views. You will actually add strength to your argument if you point out the strength found in the reasoning of the opposition and the quality of their conclusions compared to your conclusions. You should include supporting evidence in the form of: Examples Comparisons Statistics Anecdotes You should use one paragraph within the body of your text for each of the points you plan to analyze. In addition to this, you want to use transitional sentences for every paragraph to move you from one point to the next. Make sure, when doing this, that the entire essay remains well organized. The conclusion is where you reiterate the points you made in your body, but never introduce new material. 3) Editing When you are done writing your draft, it is time to review for editing. This means larger picture items such as proper support and flow. After you have verified that every paragraph is properly written, in the right order, and has sufficient evidence, it is time to proofread. It is recommended that to proofread, you print a double spaced copy of your draft and take a red pen to it. When doing this, you will have to read over it several times but each time you look for something different. For the first read, check for spelling errors. For the second read, check for grammatical errors. For the third read, check for punctuation errors. The fourth read, check for citation errors. Checking line by line, for one type of error at a time will help you catch things that you might have otherwise not noticed. A spell check is handy, but it will not catch errors such as â€Å"defiantly† versus â€Å"definitely† since both are legitimate words, but your fingers may have simply typed the wrong word or auto-correct changed it to something else. Remember that finding appropriate evidence to support your position will take time, but the more facts you introduce in support of your position, the better your final piece will be.

Patron and Matron

Patron and Matron Patron and Matron Patron and Matron By Mark Nichol As Latin scholars may recognize, patron and matron are cognate with the Latin words for â€Å"mother† and â€Å"father.† However, their senses, and those of inflectional forms of these words, extend beyond the immediately family. Patron, which means â€Å"sponsor† or â€Å"supporter,† ultimately derives from the Latin term pater, meaning â€Å"father,† but the senses of its intermediate form, patronus, are â€Å"bestower,† â€Å"lord,† and â€Å"master† as well as â€Å"model† and â€Å"pattern.† (Pattern, as a matter of fact, stems from patron, the identical French forebear of the English word.) Because of the diversity of definitions, a patron can be a wealthy philanthropist who supports an artistic endeavor or a social cause or a mere customer of a business establishment. The similar-looking term patroon, a Dutch variation on the French word, denotes in historical American English usage a landholder in Dutch colonial territories in what is now the northeastern United States. Patronage applies in either sense to the act of being a patron. Likewise, patronize has a dual meaning: In its positive connotation, it simply describes being a customer, but it also has the pejorative sense of â€Å"condescend,† or â€Å"look down on,† from the notion of a person of higher social status arrogantly regarding someone of supposedly inferior standing. Two words that contain the letter sequence seen in patron but are descended directly from pater are patronym (literally, â€Å"father’s name†) and patronymic (literally, â€Å"from the father’s name†); the latter is both a noun and an adjective. Matron, from the Latin word mater by way of matron, meaning â€Å"married woman,† also has modern senses that deviate from its familial origins: The word now signifies a woman with a mature demeanor and high social status, though the adjective matronly derogatorily suggests someone of a certain age and a certain bulk. In a wedding party, however, a married maid of honor is called a matron of honor regardless of age or size. Historically, a female supervisor in a public institution such as a prison or a school was called a matron, and in animal husbandry, a matron is the female equivalent of a stud. Matronym and matronymic are the female equivalents of patronym and patronymic. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for MoneyHyper and Hypo7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing

How Ballet can help a Football player Improve his skills Thesis

How Ballet can help a Football player Improve his skills - Thesis Example There is certainly a commonality between the coordination of ballet dancers as they swap position, move in and out, to the front and to the back of the stage, and the coordination of football players as they coordinate defense and offense, position themselves vis-a-vis the opposing team, etc. Further, both activities share immensely similar physical skills. Both require poise, balance, grace, rhythm, coordination, timing, and lower body strength. Further, male ballet roles involve lifting a partner while themselves often being one leg or on tiptoes, a skill that is directly fungible to tackling. Swann agrees: â€Å"[Ballet and dance] helped a great deal with body control, balance, a sense of rhythm, and timing† (Time, 1999). In fact, ballet might be more beneficial to football players than to dancers. Anyone who has seen a large, muscular person struggling to do a pull-up knows that, pound for pound, it is actually easier to raise a smaller body than a larger body up the way a ballet dancer does. For someone weighing two hundred to three hundred pounds to be able to put all of that weight onto tiptoes is an incredible feat. Indeed, the usage of many disciplines like ballet, dance, yoga, mixed martial arts, karate and Tai Chi has become entirely commonplace among football for the last twenty years (Pollack, 2005). It is a little bit of a clichà © among sports-writers to write a story on this topic, in fact (Pollack, 2005). However, there is a surprising dearth of actual comparative evidence for these claims, as sensible and plausible as they might be. Pollack notes that, while football players have embraced yoga, dance and karate/MMA, so has everyone else. These are common in the broader culture. How much better are they than comparable bodybuilding techniques like weightlifting, running exercises and football drills? My proposal for a study to test the efficacy of ballet versus other types of football training is to study two teams