Haitian Vodou Essay

Vodou, A Haitian religion deeply rooted in colonialism stems from several African sources, which have constructed and maintained a hybrid Africana and European diaspora in the Caribbean. In an effort to preserve African tradition and spiritual belief, slaves in Haiti prior to the Haitian Revolution of 1791, established and developed the heterogeneous religion known as Vodou. As Vodou became a more prominent aspect of slave culture in Haiti the hybridization between traditional Africana religion and European religion fashioned a new system of belief. The fusion of Catholicism from Europe and African religions make up one of the most influential religions in Haiti today, in fact Vodou plays an imperative role in Haitian life. In addition to having a tremendous effect on Haitian religious practices, Vodou also plays a fundamentally important role in driving Haitian politics, economics, community, and social relations. From a student and non-Haitian perspective I seek to obtain knowledge on how Vodou has and continues to play a detrimental role in every aspect of Haitian life. Through analyzing and cross-examination of several texts it appears that without boundaries Vodou is important. Before delving into how Vodou effects nearly every aspect of Haitian culture I would like to first analyze the importance of understanding the roots and origin of a belief and practice that has become such a prominent aspect of Haitian life. In the eighteenth century the slave trade in Haiti ushered in a number of African slaves from various groups. These groups of African people brought with them to Haiti their traditions, beliefs, and lifestyles. In â€Å"Haitian Vodou† of Creole Religions of the Caribbean, the authors state that the slave trade was in fact the European way of â€Å"destroying all cultural connections† to the homelands of the slaves (Fernandez-Olmos and Paravisini-Gerbert 101). European slave owners and slave traders thought it necessary to force European ideals and beliefs onto their slaves, ridding and dismantling the beliefs and tradition of their native land. In this respect the slave trade played a significant role in the creation of Vodou, catalyzing Afro-European syncretism into a new belief system. Vodou began as a way for slaves to hold on to their cultural beliefs, and helped refute the impositions of Catholic religion that the French attempted to employ, as they saw it necessary to condition African slaves to their lifestyle (102). In my opinion Afro-European syncretism is one of the more complex and intriguing religious developments as it pertains to Vodou. In Voodoo Africa’s Secret Power author Gert Chesi describes the fusion of African and European culture stating that slaves brought with them the gods of Africa to the Caribbean where they then blended with the Saints and other Catholic and Christian symbols (Chesi 231). The imposition of Catholic and Christian beliefs by Europeans onto African slaves made it nearly impossible for African slaves to remain entirely devoted to their home land beliefs and traditions. African slaves in Haiti adopted Vodou as a means of maintaining their traditional beliefs, however, Christian and Catholic ideals were still important influential factors in the establishment of Vodou. The spirits often associated with Vodou known, as Lwa are similar to Saints in the Catholic Church. Slaves in Haiti dealt with the pressures of forcibly having to adapt to European religion by integrating their belief system with that of the European belief system. I think that Slaves in Haiti used Vodou as a stabilizing factor in Haitian culture. The ritual and practice that developed through the integration of European tradition with African tradition ensures that African tradition will remain considerably important regardless of the fact that Europeans once tried to dismantle African tradition and impose Western tradition on those slaves living in Haiti. Vodou serves as a mechanism for passing on tradition from generation to generation. In Voodoo: Truth and Fantasy the author states that Vodou has emerged as a vibrant cultural force in twenty-first century Haiti (Hurbon 126). This statement supports the idea that Vodou has and continues to have a role in Haitian life and Haitian culture. Vodou has undoubtedly helped restore an almost lost identity to African slaves in Haiti, and has allowed generation after generation to know and understand the beliefs of the homeland from which their ancestors originated. The foundation of many Haitian affairs may not be solely rooted in Vodou, however, the religion holds weight in many political spheres throughout Haiti. Starting from the moment of its development, Vodou has been politically important to Haiti. In fact, its very creation resulted from various political, cultural, and religious â€Å"struggles for freedom† (33). After analyzing the roots of Vodou it has become quite apparent that Vodou played an important role during Haiti’s revolutionary period. During and before the Haitain revolution Vodou was used as a means of protecting and politicizing the interest of Haitian slaves. From that time forward Haitian people have continued to use Vodou as a political tool to protect their interests and assets. Vodou has indeed been subjected to â€Å"persecution at the hands of both Church and state† leaving many non-believers and outsiders to attribute negative connotations to Vodou as a whole (117). In 1835 Vodou began to publically suffer from political ostracizing under president Jean-Pierre Boyer who passed a penal code that called for the imprisonment of six months to two years for followers of Vodou practicing superstitious act (118). It seems to me that the reason behind the ban on Vodou practices not only stemmed from political issues occurring at the time, but also from past political experiences in Haiti. Hurbon does not mention Boyer’s reasoning behind implementing a penal code, therefore allowing one to speculate whether or not Boyer, although Haitian had ties to France. The reason I bring this point to light is because for one, Jean-Pierre Boyer sounds relatively French and secondly Boyer implemented a code that put restrictions on a religion that has roots deep within African culture. In addition to dealing with the idea of possible imprisonment, if caught practicing Vodou, Haitians also faced the possibility of abandoning and giving up the African culture and belief that was associated with Vodou. In response to government restrictions some Haitians created secret societies in order to keep the bonds of Vodou ritual and ties to kinship in motion. In 1957 President Francois Duvalier also known as â€Å"Papa Doc† started a political rehabilitation for Vodou (118). Duvalier’s involvement in Vodou was for the soul purpose of engaging the Lwa through ceremonies in order to gain the Lwas’ good will and also to spark enthusiasm in those who practice Vodou. Papa Doc’s presidency marked a period characterized by dark magic and sorcery. This period in Haitian history displays the negative aspects often associated with Vodou. In my opinion President Francois Duvalier’s understanding of Vodou curtails from misinterpretation and misuse. Duvalier did not seem to grasp the reasoning behind certain Vodou rituals and ceremonies, using them only as a way to advance himself politically. During Duvalier’s reign Haiti saw tremendous political change resulting from the misunderstanding or misuse of Vodou. On one hand Jean-Pierre Boyer refused to let any one in Haiti practice Vodou because of the negative connotations surrounding the religion. On the other hand Francois Duvalier used Vodou to bolster his political appeal, which dismantled the meaning and reasoning behind the ceremonies and rituals performed by those who practiced and truly understood and appreciated the meaning that those Vodou acts carry. In Creole Religions of the Caribbean, the authors mention that within Vodou practices the chief communicators that draw â€Å"konesans† or connaissance/knowledge are the Oungand and the Manbo (Fernandez-Olmos and Paravisini-Gerbert 107). The Oungand and the Manbo are believed to receive knowledge passed down from the Lwa. The Oungand and the Manbo act as political leaders and have rural political power within their own community because the ability to communicate with the Lwa is looked up to. In Michel Laguerre’s book Voodoo and Politics the author states that Francois Duvalier used the political power of the Oungand and the Manbo to establish legitimacy among those who practiced Vodou (Laguerre 87). Today Vodou can be represented in popular culture as dark, sadistic, and involving many acts of superstition, denying it a position central to Haitian culture. However, despite the misconceptions surrounding Vodou today many religious works are carried out by Haitian elites. This goes to show yet another transformation in Haitian politics, and Vodou’s role in shaping a new system of life. From my examination of the texts that emphasized Vodou’s relationship to Haitian politics I have concluded that Vodou does in fact affect politics in Haitian communities and Haiti as a whole. The relationship between Vodou and Haitian economics is a long-standing phenomenon that has existed prior to the Haitian revolution in 1791 and continues to exist today. The slave trades influence on the creation of Vodou links the existence of the religion and also the economics involved between masters and sellers of slaves. During this time the Haitian economy was being stimulated by the slave trade. As the slaves grew weary, a number of rebellions occurred and Vodou greatly affected the plantation economy that the Haitian people originally were forced into. According to Omos and Gerbert, the economy in Haiti shifted from one of plantation to that of a â€Å"rural economy† of â€Å"subsistent farmers† working their own lands (Fernandez-Olmos and Paravisini-Gerbert 103). Vodou practices and rituals play an important role in shaping and maintaing Haitian economics. The initiation and sacrificial rituals performed by many Vodou sects involve a great amount of â€Å"financial sacrifice† (Fernandez-Olmos and Paravisini-Gerbert 117). From my examination of several texts, including that of Olmos and Gerbet I have concluded that preparation for the many Vodou festivals, initiations, and temple gatherings are intensive and call for many financial sacrifices from those who may already be financially unstable. Animal sacrifice plays an important role in the finances of Haitian people. In Voodoo Africa’s Secret Power the author, Gert Chesi, included various photographs of Haitian Vodou sacrifices and rituals. Many of the photographs throughout Chesi’s book showed the sacrificing of cattle, sheep, and chicken. The cross-examination of various texts did not leave me with much information on the Haitian economy as it related to Vodou, however, I was able to infer that the economic sacrifices made by Haitian people were performed in order to obtain personal advancements or for the betterment of the community as a whole. Some sacrifices were performed to win the protection and trust of the Lwa spirits, and some sacrifices were performed in hopes that the Lwa would shed some rain to strengthen planation production. I think that the Haitian economy and the Vodou religion are dependent on each other. The dependency I see in the relationship stems from the fact that without an economy like the one in Haiti, Vodou would not be as prominent or even meaningful to the Haitian people. The economy as it is creates a buffer for Vodou as a religion. The economy allows for Haitians to use their beliefs and connections with the spirits to envoke hope, or optimism that the plantation life in Haiti will somehow flourish. This claim can be supported through the existence of rituals performed for protection, knowledge, and even rainfall. In Hurbon’s, Olmos’ and Gebert’s, Chesi’s, Laguerre and Michel’s and Smith’s descriptions of Vodou in Haitian culture one thing is for certain, Vodou has and continues to influence communities through and through. In Chesi’s pictorial account of Vodou in Haiti one can see pictures of various ways that the religion is linked to community. In one picture, Chesi captured a ritual being performed near a beach where one individual was having a ritual performed on him (ritual not clear from picture) while dozens of his Vodou community member looked on and supported him. What puzzles me the most is how instinctual and ritualized Vodou actually is. Chesi’s pictures show dozens and dozens of Haitian people flocking to support another Vodou practice, but for what reason? Why do these members feel so indebted to one another? From my observation the answer to this question comes from the simple fact that Vodou needs a sense of community mong its members to remain relevant. It was from the simple yearning to keep tradition relevant that Vodou stemmed, so it appears to me that the idea of community or family has been long standing, even deep within Vodou’s African roots. Hurbon’s choice of words within Voodoo: Truth and Fantasy shed’s lite on the communal aspect of Vodou a little differently. Like Chesi, Hurbon acknowledges the importance of community, even stating that Vodou â€Å"bring families together in large gatherings, a festive way of ensuring that religious traditions will endure† (Hurbon 14). In Hurbon’s text it appears that the family and passing of tradition from generation to generation is in fact important to the survival of Vodou. In my examination of Hurbon’s text it seemed as though Hurbon was promoting a balance of kinship and communal ties. Hurbon states that it is important to have family agreement in order to have a positive communal bond. One aspect of Hurbon’s text was that Vodou was often referred to as â€Å"a cult dedicated to spirits. † Hurbon did not let the wording of her description interfere with the way information was conveyed, however, I found it quiet bias that she would call Vodou a cult. Personally I associate the word cult with negative connotations. It is unclear whether Hurbon planned on conveying Vodou in a negative light, but one thing is for certain a cult describes a group of people or the communal bond that Vodou encourages. In Michel’s and Smith’s book, Voodou in Haitian Life and Culture: Invisible Powers, The authors proceed to explain how the â€Å"magical† or â€Å"superstitious† aspect of Vodou conveys a sense of community among its supporters. The authors show that not only is Vodou practice a family effort, but a community effort as well. Smith and Michel both depict a type of Vodou were literally everyone in a community is involved. From small children to the eldest members of a community, all play an important role in carrying on and performing the tradition of Vodou culture. The elaborate rituals and preparation described by the authors is only made possible through communal efforts. From my understanding of the community in Vodou culture, it appears that only through community and unity can tradition be kept alive. Despite any negative connotations Vodou may have, each author showed how important Vodou is in respects to several aspects of Haitian culture. Vodou is not only a religious matter, but also a political, economic, and social one as well. On May 14, 2013 guest lecturer Carnie Fabious stated, â€Å"Vodou is a way of life. † This statement alone sums up what Vodou was, and what Vodou continues to be in regards to Haitian culture. Fabious’ words show the importance that Vodou plays in all aspects of Haitian life, and demonstrates how relative the religion is to such a vast group of people.

Faded Walls

Michael was apprehensive as he approached his dorm. The scratched paintwork and the incomplete door number seemed so much more intriguing than usual. As he stared at the space where the eight should be he drifted into thinking about the argument last night with his long-term girlfriend Zara. They had been together for as long as he could remember (well, three years to be exact), and last night was the first major argument they'd had. It all started when Zara bought fish and chips. Michael had never received his favourite take-out meal from her once, in the three years they'd been together, and that brought up considerable questioning in itself. Anyway Michael was halfway through his plaice when it came, â€Å"Michael, I've been accepted.† The silence that followed was deadly. To a person outside this relationship it would seem ridiculous but Michael knew what she meant. In November, after successful results in the deciding mid-term Zara had applied for a job as a reporter on the Seattle Express, a well-acknowledged paper in the state and a job, which could set Zara in the path for success. He had heard nothing more of it and with relief he had let the subject slip from his mind. But now it was back and Michael was furious! His outrage was not so much in terms of what Zara herself had done but at the terrible timing of the paper. They had just set-up arrangements for the future, which suited him fine and now this was happening. â€Å"How can you do this? I have stuck with you through everything and now you're doing this to me.† It was strange but while Michael poured his heart out the only thing he could see in the front of his mind was how did the wallpaper get in such a bad state and why was this new colour emerging out of the marigold that was once there. â€Å"You selfish creep! I have worked so hard for this and now all you can think about is yourself.† â€Å"Alright, alright just calm down for a second and we'll work through this.† â€Å"I'm sorry Michael but there's nothing to work through. I must take this opportunity no matter what I have to leave behind, it's the only way I can get ahead in life, look after myself, you see?† Michael was left speechless and disgusted, firstly at how she could disgard him as something to leave behind and even more revolting the tone of pity that crept into her voice as she realised the context of what she was actually saying. With that Michael stormed out! Furious, but with a blank mind as to where to go. The first place that came to him was Johnny's. He arrived at 486 some ten minutes later and came up with a valid excuse as to why he was there. As soon as he walked through the door two things immediately struck him. Firstly there was a girl sprawled amorphously across the sofa, which may not appear to be an odd thing, for a nearly twenty year-old male to have a girl of the same age in his room, but this was Johnny he was talking about, the same man who had seemed to repel the opposite sex in any shape, size or form for the whole three years he had known him. Then there was the chair. Sunk in the far left corner of the room was the oldest, grottiest, most repulsive chair he had ever seen. This disgusting obtrusion had been cut to bits through the ages to leave it looking like a sort of scratching post for cats and to add insult to what looked like very painful injury someone had had the decency to spill what looked like some type of jam down it. If he had to take a guess it would be blueberry. The hours didn't sail by unfortunately for Michael, who was left in the sitting room thinking about Zara and the fact that he knew (but was determined not to admit) that he would end up having to apologise for whatever was said the night before, regardless of who said what, for there to be any hope in hell of Zara staying. At approximately ten past one in the morning Michael fell asleep after hours of thinking and repeating the fact that he did love her and he supposed anyone you loved was worth fighting for. It was ten past ten and Michael had overslept. Remembering the hours he spent last night trying to save his relationship, he thought he might as well put this time to use and change his thoughts into action. He hurried out of the cluttered room and, after realising he was not yet dressed, just had time to grab the door which was swinging madly back into place after. Correcting his actions Michael dressed scruffily into some Levi's, second-day underwear and a crinkled Gap t-shirt and left 486 for his own dorm. After tracing the space where the six used to be for the infinite time he thought that there would be no way that this door will open of its own accord. He thought he would gently help it in its way, slowly turning the scratched doorknob as if it would break at the slightest extra movement, he cautiously moved the door forward and in less time than he would've preferred he was in. He thought about running straight back out again but the only way he could've done that is if he was ten years younger and the room he was entering was that of his older sister and not that of his girlfriend. So he was stuck. Then something so out of the ordinary happened that put Michael into a state of shock for the next few seconds. It was Zara, and she was actually running towards him. The wind was knocked out of him as she wrapped her arms tighter and tighter around him, pressing her body forcefully up against his own. â€Å"Oh god. I've been thinking about you all night. How can I have been so stupid, to throw away what we have for this†, waving the ticket to America in the air. â€Å"Ohhhhhh†, Michael sighed, his heartbeat racing at the thought of what she just said. Thinking of some carefully worded, beautiful and meaningful thing to say, what came out was, â€Å"I really do love you†. What happened next was; in the space of just under an hour two bedsprings were broken, as were many foreign laws and for some reason there was a pack of cards strewn across the floor. At the end of it Zara felt closer to Michael than she ever had and the wallpaper didn't seem so much of an issue any more in his mind. â€Å"Oh crap!† Zara blurted out. â€Å"What?† Michael was really hoping there wasn't anything negative that would ruin this moment. â€Å"The dance†, Zara had been planning the end-of-semester dance all year and wasn't going to waste all this now they were back together again. â€Å"Can't we just forget about it?† â€Å"Oh please Michael. This is my one chance to see everyone before we leave† Michael seeing the need in her expression admitted to himself that this was a thing he had to do and was sure he could get through it easily if only for her sake, so of course, he said he'd go. After the third call into the bedroom where Zara was getting changed he realised why she took the trouble of two and a half hours preparing. Zara looked stunning. There was no other word for it, as Michael thought to himself that maybe deciding on coming was the right decision for his sake as well. They arrived the breathtaking couple she had dreamed about all through the semester, and took to the dance floor straight away to a Westlife number. It was getting late now as the crowd on the floor slowly started to thin and Zara whispered in Michaels ear before heading off to the toilet. Michael was left standing against the wall slightly annoyed at Zara's timing as the slow song played its first chords, something by Duran Duran, a tasteless track in Michael's mind. Just then he saw a figure slowly move through the crowd in his direction. It was Jessica Lees from his biology class, a geeky, awkward girl who still had braces at the age of nineteen (which disturbed Michael more than he would consciously admit). She was obviously drunk as she pressed her hands against his chest. â€Å"You're very sexy Michael King, do you know that?† This was a situation Michael really did not want to be in and just as he tried to politely leave she had him pushed up against the wall and in the next second brought her chapped lips up against his. The worst thing was the braces; grating and grating his gums he finally pushed her away after the worst experience of his life. He searched the hall until there were only a dozen people left, the last couples determined not to leave until the tape had played out. He thought she must have just gone back to the dorm for some urgent reason; he put it down to some womanly thing. However he couldn't for the life of him think what. He returned back to the dorm, repeating his past performance of slowly opening the door at a speed which no other person could manage, thinking Zara would by now be asleep so it would be best not to wake her. Opening the door he could see the room fully now and to his surprise it was spotless, which it had never been before. It was then he noticed two other things, far more disturbing than the last: a folded piece of A4 paper and marigold wallpaper where Zara once kept her bags.

Employee Performance Essay

The methods presented here are designed to develop elements and standards that measure employee and work unit accomplishments rather than to develop  other measures that are often used in appraising performance, such as measuring behaviors or competencies. Although this handbook includes a discussion of the importance of balancing measures, the main focus presented here is to measure accomplishments. Consequently, much of the information presented in the first five steps of this eightstep process applies when supervisors and employees want to measure results. However, the material presented in Steps 6 through 8 about developing standards, monitoring performance, and checking the performance plan apply to all measurement approaches. 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After reading the instructional material, studying the examples, and completing the exercises in this book, you should be able to: ⠝™ DEVELOP a performance plan that aligns individual performance with organizational goals  Ã¢ â„¢ USE a variety of methods to determine work unit and individual  accomplishments ⠝™ DETERMINE the difference between activities and accomplishments ⠝™ EXPLAIN regulatory requirements for employee performance plans P E R F O R M A N C E M A N A G E M E N T: B A C K G R O U N D A N D C O N T E X T emember the story about the naive student in his first English literature course who was worried because he didn’t know what prose was? When he found out that prose was ordinary speech, he exclaimed, â€Å"Wow! I’ve been speaking prose all my life!† Managing performance well is like speaking prose. Many managers have been â€Å"speaking† and practicing effective performance management naturally all their supervisory lives, but don’t know it! Some people mistakenly assume that performance management is concerned only with following regulatory requirements to appraise and rate performance. Actually, assigning ratings of record is only one part of the overall process (and perhaps the least important part). Performance management is the systematic process of: ⠝™ planning work and setting expectations ⠝™ continually monitoring performance ⠝™ developing the capacity to perform ⠝™ periodically rating performance in a summary fashion ⠝™ rewarding good performance The revisions made in 1995 to the governmentwide performance appraisal and awards regulations support â€Å"natural† performance management. Great care was taken to ensure that the requirements those regulations establish would complement and not conflict with the kinds of activities and actions effective managers are practicing as a matter of course. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT PLANNING In an effective organization, work is planned out in advance. Planning means setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals to channel their efforts toward achieving organizational objectives. Getting employees involved in the planning process will help them understand the goals of the organization, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should be done. The regulatory requirements for planning employees’ performance include establishing the elements and standards of their performance appraisal plans. Performance elements and standards should be measurable, understandable, verifiable, equitable, and achievable. Through critical elements, employees are held accountable as individuals for work assignments or responsibilities. Employee performance plans should be flexible so that they can be adjusted for changing program objectives and work requirements. When used effectively, these plans can be beneficial working documents that are discussed often, and not merely paperwork that is filed in a drawer and seen only when ratings of record are required. MONITORING In an effective organization, assignments and projects are monitored continually. Monitoring well means consistently measuring performance and providing ongoing feedback to employees and work groups on their progress toward reaching their goals. The regulatory requirements for monitoring performance include conducting progress reviews with employees where their performance is compared against their elements and standards. Ongoing monitoring provides the supervisor the opportunity to check how well employees are meeting predetermined standards and to make changes to unrealistic or problematic standards. By monitoring continually, supervisors can identify unacceptable performance at any time during the appraisal period and provide assistance to address such performance rather than wait until the end of the period when summary rating levels are assigned. MEASURE WHAT IS IMPORTANT—NOT WHAT IS EASY TO MEASURE It is easy to count the number of days since a project began, but if that is all that you measure, is that enough information to assess performance? No, probably not. Or if, for example, a customer service team only measures the number of calls that come into the team (the easy measure) and does not attempt to measure customer satisfaction with its service (the more difficult measure), the team does not have complete information about its performance and has no idea how well it is serving its customers. In addition, because what gets measured gets done, the team will probably focus on how it can increase the number of calls it receives and ignore the quality of service it provides. 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Business Appraisal in Decision Making - Essay Example This report will focus on advising NENE Limited based on the calculation results from various case scenarios to help the management will inform decision making on project choice and well as costing methods to choose. Projected cash flows represent the forecasted movement of cash within a given project. The higher the cash flow, the more preferable the project is since it lets in more cash (Kousenidis, et al., 2006). Alpha has a cash flow of 105,000 pounds while it is projected that Beta will have a cash flow of 83,000 pounds by the end of the project’s life. Alpha will make a better project for NENE than Beta if implemented. On the basis of payback period, a project that can repay its initial invested amount faster enables the owners to begin collecting profits early (Avery, et al., 2011). Such a project is usually chosen when there is one another one with a longer payback period. Alpha project will repay its initial invested amount within 2.8 years. While Beta project will repay after within 3.1 years. Alpha will repay earlier than Beta, therefore, NENE Limited should choose Alpha project. The criteria for using Accounting Rate of Return is that the higher the rate, the more efficient the project. The rate shows the rate at which the project will give back its returns (Kapler, 2000). A project that gives back its returns at a higher rate is most preferred. Alpha project has an ARR of 29.4% while Beta project has ARR of only 1.6%. It is clear that Alpha will give higher returns faster than Beta. The management should, therefore, choose Alpha project. When using the Net Present Value, it is advisable that the project with a positive NPV be accepted (Feinstein & Lander, 2002). NPV shows the forecasted present value of the project by the time of its completion (Shrieves & Wachowicz, 2001). A positive NPV, therefore, shows that the project will achieve a profit. A project with a higher NPV is more preferred since it increases the shareholders’ income. Alpha project has an ARR of 29.4% while Beta project has ARR of only 1.6%.  

Comprehensive Lesson Plan & Learning Activity Compilation Research Paper

Comprehensive Lesson Plan & Learning Activity Compilation - Research Paper Example Although English Language Learners (ELLs) are limited in terms of their proficiency in English, go to school with colossal disparity in terms of their home language skills, either from full literate and oral proficiency (Wright, 2010). These students also possess exceptionally limited skill sets; hence rich English-language instruction, which offers students written and oral access to their native languages, is at its core the epitome of effective and comprehensive instruction. This lesson plan focuses intently on students from the Filipino culture who speak Tagalog. In essence, the lesson will consider fourth grade students whose native or first language is Tagalog. The proficiency of fourth grade Filipino students deters their effective access to complex English material and content, hence the need to appreciate their native language to present such material in their native language so as to assist the students grasp the content sufficiently in English. Teaching English language arts, as well as reading to ELLs entails a variety of elements such as reading, writing, research, listening and speaking and written and oral conventions. Reading essentially entails students interpreting and comprehending a wide array of informational and literary texts. Writing, on the other hand, entails students composing an array of written texts by following a concise idea, sufficient detail and coherent organization of written content. The lesson plan will also take into account the significance of research through which students are meant to become knowledgeable of effective ways of locating an array of relevant sources and appraising, amalgamating and present ing information and ideas. The lesson plan also appreciates the importance of speaking and listening in terms of teaching English language arts and reading to Filipino ELLs (Caine & Caine, 1994). Listening and speaking involve students listening and reacting to other people’s idea while

When Volunteerism Isn't Noble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

When Volunteerism Isn't Noble - Essay Example 58-61). The Liberty High school board demanded that all its students undertake community service. All students were required to demonstrate that they have undertaken at least 60 hours of community service or other volunteerism work, failure to which they would not obtain their high school diploma (Steirer Par. 2). This requirement baffled Lynn and disturbed her immensely as she saw it as contradictory and going against the spirit of volunteerism, which should be explicitly voluntary. Lynn perceived the move as diminishing, rather than promoting the spirit of volunteerism. These decisions by the board presented Lynn with a dilemma: should she subscribe to  the program, or stay true to her principles, which itself is civil disobedience (Steirer Par. 3). For Lynn, volunteerism had always been a cherished attribute demonstrated for her extensive service as an aide in Meals on Wheels, Girl Scout, and other charity activities. The hundreds of hours she committed to the community were out of her own initiative rather than an obligation. Lynn undertook her community service but failed to submit her hours for credit, a decision that denied her a diploma. According to her, staying true to her values was more fulfilling (Steirer Par. 6). Lynn and her parent believed that the requirement for volunteerism inculcates the wrong values, besides being unconstitutional. Lynn Steirer claimed that mandatory community service for high schools infringes on students’ rights and vitiates the notion of volunteerism by twisting it into an â€Å"involuntary servitude,† an affront on freedom. Mandatory Community service is a privilege to volunteer and students bear a responsibility to contribute their talent, time, and energies towards the welfare of all, and give back part of the numerous concessions given by the community. First, communities gain significantly from the intelligence and the resourceful energies of high school students (Salamon 510).

Understanding financial statements Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Understanding financial statements - Case Study Example The main rationale of this report is to examine the financial position and performance of Sandell and to suggest Parveen whether she should accept the position of sales director. The financial statement of the company focuses on the various areas of the financial performances. Comprehending financial statement is necessary for the achievement of goals of a company. The main aim of this report is to evaluate the financial performance of the Sandell Plc. The report has focused on the key features and purpose of Sandell Plc. It also led emphasis on the importance of clean audit reports and good corporate governance. An analysis of the ratios indicates that the liquidity position of the company is not good and the solvency ratios have also increased which will have a negative impact on the company. Further, the operating cash cycle has decreased as compared to previous year which signifies that Sandell will require more time to acquire its cash. Sandell Plc is listed on the United Kingdom’s AIM (Alternative Investment Market). It is one of the building merchant which supplies ironmongery, landscaping materials, heating and plumbing, timber, decorating and painting, sheet materials, insulation and dry lining, door and carpentry, and power and hand tools. The expansion which is desired by Sandell has not yet took place and therefore the company offered Parveen an incredibly generous compensation package in order to apply a new strategy of sales to support the expansion of Sandell into new markets of Western Europe. So, the main purpose of Sandell Plc is to hire a sales director to focus on the areas which are not contributing to sales and then they will take necessary steps accordingly to augment sales and growth of the company. The total assets of the company incorporate the current and non-current assets. Current assets have increased in relation to previous year and the non-current assets are

History of Djing Essay Example for Free

History of Djing Essay How to DJ History of DJing: DJing began with the invention of the phonograph in 1857. It allowed people to create and record sounds on the device to let others listen to. In 1906, Reginald Fessenden played the first music record over the air. Then shortly after, came the disk jockey. As music became more popular, night clubs began to spring up creating a social environment around the uprising. Then came the implementation of music in school dances and other small venues, however, the quality of the equipment meant that the sound quality was often unbearable and distorted. As equipment began to get better, the rise of the modern DJ began. (Dave) In general terms, a DJs job is to play a series of records or music in front of an audience for their enjoyment. However, a club DJ is one who approaches the music in a much more creative way by carefully hand picking certain tracks to create a seamless, flowing mix, otherwise known as a set. Every DJ has his or her own technique that they apply when mixing. (Nelo) To be a DJ, one must be a true performer and have the ability to feel the crowd. The DJ should be able to feel the music and have the necessary skills to blend tracks together. Armin van Buuren is perhaps the most famous DJ worldwide. In his early years, his DJ career did not work out so he set out to get a traditional degree. In his last years of school, his productions took off. After creating chart topping remixes, he wanted to try being a DJ. He has used his talent to create the phenomenon known as A State of Trance which is at its 500th episode. He has DJed at the biggest venues in the world and has had countless sell out raves. Armin van Buuren is just one of the many DJs in the world who have taken the art to the masses. How to DJ: For my first DJ set, I chose to do a multiple genre mix, the hardest type of mixing. To create a set, you need a pair of turntables and a mixer. To use effects and to be able to create a more creative mix, you need software such as Traktor or Serato on your computer. I am going to use the Traktor S4 (Figure 1) which is a top of the line DJ controller. First, I chose a track list that I felt would create a good vibe in a club or party environment. The genres range from Pop, RnB, to Drum and Bass. I started the mix using a custom intro blended with a remix of a Katy Perry song. Then, I blended in the next track by beat matching the two tracks and adding a swoosh sound while transitioning to the next track making sure to keep the flow the same. (Figure 2) I then brought in a beat that slowly raised the bass creating a hard beat. Nearing the end of the track, I transitioned into a remix of a classic club song that everyone would know how to dance to making sure that everyone in the crowd would enjoy the music. After the classic, I transitioned into a portion of Satisfaction by Benny Benassi that had an electro vibe that would allow me to seamlessly transition into another dance classic that had a vastly different beat, keeping the flow going. After Bonkers by Dizzy Rascal, I transitioned to a intermission drum and bass beat, building the beat for the future track. This track would be used to pump up the crowd and get them ready to dance to the high paced final track. For the final track, I chose a drum and bass remix of a UK chart topper, Pass Out by Tinie Tempah remixed by Netsky. (Figure 3) Nearing the end of the set, I made sure to end the song by slowly dropping the bass levels, then trebles, and finally the mids. This allowed me to slowly fade out the track without creating a messy set. To create the set, it took four hours.

Plant Diseases Through Image Processing Techniques Computer Science Essay

Plant Diseases Through Image Processing Techniques Computer Science Essay Damage of plant is an important issue in agriculture. There are lots of factors involving weather, fungi, artificial drying, and mechanical damage during harvest and storage which can cause damage. NIR spectroscopy for classifying sound and damaged soybean seeds is very useful. NIR spectrometer is used to collect the spectra of single seed then PLS and neural network are used for classification of sound and damaged seeds. Near infrared spectroscopy is used because machine vision cannot provide information related to chemical composition because it is only useful for visible regions. NIR spectroscopy is useful for both physical and chemical properties. Seeds of six categories are used which are sound, weather damaged, frost-damaged, sprout-damaged, heat damaged and mold damaged. Grams/32 software is used for changing reflectance of spectrum in color space L, a , b. L ranges from 0(black) to 100(white), a ranges from -100(green) to 100(red)and b ranges from -100(blue)to 100(yellow). NIR spectrometer is used to collect spectra at a rate of 30/s. Spectrum of 700 sound seeds and 900 seeds damaged by other factors were measured. Two class and six class models are used for classification of sound and damaged soybean seeds with the help of Partial Least Square (PLS) software. Two class model is used for classifying sound and damaged soybean seeds whereas six class model is used for classifying sound seeds and weather, frost, sprout, heat and mold damaged seeds. In order to develop a neural network model for classification of sound and damage soybean seed the Neural Works Professional II/Plus software package is used. The neural network model package is based on back propagation networks. In back propagation networks increment or decrement in weights is needed because of the errors. At first weights are randomly allocated but after every trial weights are adjusted until the errors are reduced to acceptable values. Physical and chemical properties of sound and damaged soybean seeds are totally different so by using only visible wavelength region results in poor classification. By using near infrared region important information can be obtained. Highest classification accuracies can be obtained by using full wavelength region (490-1690nm). By using visible and NIR wavelength region alone results in lower classification accuracy. The best classification can be obtained by using neural network without hidden layer. PLS gives higher classification accuracy if two class classifications is used but in case of classification of six categories classification neural network (NN) gives higher accuracy results. Computer Vision Based Weed Identification Under Field Conditions Using Controlled Lighting Identification of weeds in crops is done by using methods of digital image analysis. Different kind of weeds often grow up with crop and its difficult to differentiate crop and weed so digital image analysis are used which are useful for differentiating both. Images were captured through MatroxMeter(RGB) ,this device provides controlled lighting. Two crops cabbage and carrot are used in greenhouse and open field experiments . For greenhouse experiments weed was added but for open field experiments natural weed population In digital images, it is difficult to differentiate between crop plants and weeds especially when they reached on advanced growth stage. Segmentation algorithm is used for differentiating crops and weeds and soil. This algorithm is based on union of two sets of each image which are S(soil) and V(vegetation). V has two components C (crop) and W (weed). The crop image data used in this research was the image of cauliflower at four different growth stages which are grouped. Experiments were performed on the 12 images. Colour is an important distinguishing feature and used as one component of the selection algorithm. Noise can occur in images through which misclassification occur and can deal by using square morphological closing filter. in a large bright region this filter can reduce the noise by removing small dark holes. Erosion is used for suppressing small bright region and removed pixels from the outer edge of large bright regions. The central position of each plant is located by processing Pv with a large erosion filter. The output of erosion filter is bright central position of crop plant. At growing stage 4 this approach is modified, centroid of soil region has to be found instead of centroid of crop plant. weeds are the main source of bias in the location of grid point. Segmentation algorithm is used to identify crop plant pixels but there was a higher probability of weed pixels being classified as crop plant pixels because they are very close to crop plants and grew in rows. So the difference between the size and texture of crop plant and weed is used in order to find the location of crop plant boundary. Morphological opening filter separates crop from adjoining areas of weed. The last stage involved thresholding the output of opening filter. Improving Plant Discrimination In Image Processing By Use Of Different Colour Space Transformation Image processing is becoming popular in different agricultural applications. color images taken by a digital camera stored in RGB colour space. Colour cameras can deal with large variety of situation for differentiating single object from an image. Thresholding is applied on each colour channel. Separation of object can be improved by transforming RGB by weighting each channel in different way in order to emphasize specific features. Different colour transformations were performed and then compared them. 40 images of RGB colour spaces are used discriminant analysis, canonical transformation, i1i2i3, HSV, HSI and Lab colour spaces were used for transformation. Thresholding is performed on transformed image to convert it into binary images in order to differentiate plant and soil. Manual and automatic thresholding was for i1i2i3,thresholding according to hemming was used for HSV,HSI and Lab colour spaces. Discriminant analysis consists of colour transformation and binarisation. Thresho lding was not needed in discriminant analysis. Linear and logarithmic discriminant functions were used. Logarithmic discriminant analysis is the most effective in discriminating but it takes much time for processing of one image. HSV,HSI am Lab colour spaces gave better results but not in open field.i1i2i3 were recommended for plant detection . This transformation is more useful if the reflection occur due to high solar radiation or some water on leaf. Image pattern classification for the identification of disease causing agents in plants For the identification of plant diseases machine vision system is used. Different images of cotton crops which shows diseased region were used, enhanced, segmented and the feature extraction is performed. The extracted features were then used as inputs to SVM classifier and then testing will be performed to choose the best classification model. Different features such as shape, texture, greylevel, connectivity etc were extracted from segmented region. Co-occurrence matrix was used in order to calculate the image texture. This method is used to measure occurrence of greylevels between a specific position in image and neighboring pixels according to distance and direction. Fractal dimension is a feature which measured dimension of object and box counting algorithm is used to estimate this measurement. Lacunarity was a multiscaled method which measures texture associated with spatial dispersion and gliding box algorithm was used to calculate lacunarity. Different features extracted from 117 images of cotton crops were labeled according to disease they belonged. SVM used Radial Basis Function kernel. There are different problems in classification if it involves more than two classes are used then multiple classes classification was used which uses one-against-one method. Different approaches were used to identify best classification model. Each feature is used as a single input to classifier .the groups of feature were used as inputs to classifier and then all the features except one is used as input. All features were not give the same amount of information so 7 fold cross validation is used. . Fall Armyworm Damaged Maize Plant Identification Using Digital Images An algorithm is developed to identify damaged maize plant by the fall armyworm at simplified lighting conditions using digital color images. Eight different stages of diseased and non-diseased maize plant were taken in three different light intensities. This algorithm involves processing and image analysis. First, the binary images were created by segmentation and then the images were divided into blocks and classified as diseased or non-diseased. The algorithm starts by converting original RGB image into greylevel image then by iterative threshold method it is converted into binary image then by applying 383 median filter its is converted into binary filteres image. These steps are part of first stage which is image processing. For next stage image analysis binary image is subdivided into 12 blocks. Blocks were selected from the subdivided image and then by object identification and counting damaged and non-damaged blocks were classified A review of advanced techniques for detecting plant diseases Diseases in plants are major issue in field of agriculture as they result in major production and economic losses. There is a mechanism called scouting is used for this purpose but this is not only expensive but also time consuming so there is need for a mechanism which is rapid, cost-effective so there are different technologies spectroscopic and imaging based and volatile profiling based plant disease detection methods. In the spectroscopic and imaging techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy, visible IR spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging and hyperspectral imaging involved. In VOC profile-based metabolite analysis released by healthy and diseased plants as a tool for identifying diseases. These methods can accurately detect plant diseases. Automatic Identification of Weed Seeds Image processing techniques were used to obtain seed size, shape, color and texture characteristics. Large database of images were used. Naà ¯ve bayes classifier was used for evaluation. It gives excellent results. Not only the color images were used but also the black and white images of weed seeds were used. By using morphological and textural characteristics as classification feature, it would reduce the complexity and cost. Naà ¯ve bayes classifier and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) were used for weed seed identification but naà ¯ve bayes has an excellent performance as compared to ANN. Identification of citrus disease using colour texture features and discriminant analysis Machine vision and AI techniques are used to achieve intelligent farming including early detection of diseases. Colour co-occurrence method is used to determine whether HIS color features in conjunction with statistical classification algorithms would be used to identify diseased and normal citrus leaves under laboratory conditions. Greasy spot, melanose, normal and scab are four different classes of citrus leaves used. By using image processing techniques, algorithms were designed for feature extraction and classification. Colour cooccurence methodology is used for feature extraction. It used colour and texture to get unique features. SAS discriminant analysis is used to evaluate the potential classification accuracies and this can be achieved by a traditional statistical classifier. Image texture feature dataset appeared as the best data model for citrus leaf classification, it uses reduced hue and saturation feature set. It gets high classification accuracy, less computation time and the elimination of intensity features which is beneficial in highly variable outdoor lighting conditions. Fast and accurate detection and classification of plant diseases First the images were acquired using a digital camera then the image processing techniques were applied to extract features which are useful. Then the classification is performed. The algorithm starts by acquiring RGB images. In the next step colour transformation is applied on RGB images. Images were then segmented using K-means clustering techniques. Green pixels are masked by using Ostus method. Pixels with zeros red, green, blue values and boundary pixels of infected objects were removed. The infected cluster is then converted into HIS from RGB. In the next step SGDM matrix were generated for H and S. For calculation of features GLCM function is used. Neural Network is used as a classification tool. Statistical and neural network classifier for citrus disease detection using machine vision Image data sets of common disease of citrus were collected and then CCM is used for detection of diseases. Different strategies and algorithms were developed for classifications which were based on feature obtained from CCM and then compared the classification algorithm in order to check accuracies. After acquiring images image processing algorithms for feature extraction and classification were developed. Feature extraction used CCM methodology. SAS discriminant analysis was used to evaluate the classification accuracies. Classification tests were applied on different classification algorithms. Statistical classifier using Mahalanobis minimum distance method achieved 98% classification accuracy. Neural network classifier using back propagation algorithm and neural network classifier using Radial Basis Function achieved 95% accuracy rate so the Mahalanobis minimum distance method is the best for classification. Rice disease identification using pattern recognition techniques For the identification of rice disease , software prototype system is described. Image segmentation techniques used to detect infected parts of the plants. These infected parts were further used for classification using Neural Network. For feature extraction first the segmentation is performed and for this entropy based bi-level thresholding method is used. After segmentation boundary detection algorithms were applied this uses 8- connectivity method. In the next step spot detection is applied for the normalization of spot size and interpolation method is used for fractional zooming. After this when all the uniform size spots were obtained, unsupervised learning technique Self Organinzing Map is used. Classification of grapefruit peel diseases using colour texture feature analysis Colour texture feature were used for detection of citrus peel disease.images of normal and five common peel diseases which are canker, copper burn, greasy spot, melanose and wind scan were used. Using colour cooccurence method, 39 image texture features were determined. Before applying CCM, RGB is transformed into HSI. SGDM( Spatial Gray level Dependence Matrix)was used to develop color cooccurence texture analysis. Texture feature were then calculated by SGDM. SAS procedure STEPDISC can find variables which are important for discriminating samples and it will use for texture feature selection. SAS procedure DISCRIM creates a discriminant function which was used to develop classification model. This is also used to test the accuracies of classification models. Plant leaves classification based on morphological features and a fuzzy surface selection technique Artificial vision system is designed to extract special features from plant leaves. Feature selection approach is used to identify significant image features and for the classification test Neural Network is used. In morphological feature extraction, morphological and geometrical features were extracted from plant leaves. These features provide critical information. Feature selection is very important task which is needed to determine the most relevant features for pattern recognition. Neural Network take features as inputs and perform classification. Weed seeds identification by machine vision There is a need of fast and reliable method for the identification and classification of seeds. Seeds of 57 weed species were used. Different features extractes were used as classification parameter . 12 classification parameters were used in which 6 morphological, 4 colour and 2 textural were involved. With the help of these parameters naà ¯ve bayes and Artificial Neural Network were compared for the identification of seed species. ANN performed better than naà ¯ve bayes.

Evolving Logistics Strategies For Molson Coors Business Essay

Evolving Logistics Strategies For Molson Coors Business Essay The continuous wave of globalisation of businesses has consistently led to increasing attention on logistics. This volume of attention is attributable to the massive roles that logistics plays in differentiating businesses and creating competitive advantages in the present global marketplace, tasking formidable managers to evolve rugged strategies that would measure up to the rapid changes and challenges that characterize the current global business landscape. Chow, Heaver and Henriksson (1994) offered a general definition of logistic as the planning, execution and control of the procurement, movement and stationing of personnel, material, and other resources to achieve the objectives of a campaign, plan, project, or strategy. However for the purpose of this paper that intends to study and report logistics management strategies, a more focused definition that bothers on the management aspect of logistics will be appropriate. According to the Council of Logistic Management (2009), logistic is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. In corporate organizations, logistics strategies are created to specifically define the very service levels where its logistics organization is at its most cost effective (Fawcett, 1991). Due to the rapid and constant changing of supply chains, companies may develop multiple logistic strategies for particular product lines, particular countries and/or particular customers. This underscores the importance of developing logistics strategies, as companies ability to adapt to the flexibilities of supply change would enable organizations to identify the impact of imminent changes and make functional adjustments to ensure that service levels are not reduced, as this provides differentiating advantages. Globally, the brewing industry is prominent among the industries that employ the best of minds to manage its operational activities, as logistics, stands out as one of the main challenges of the industry. A brewing firm that intends to remain in business must have formidable logistics management strategies in place that would help ensure that the company continues to get its products to its teeming customers on time therefore, preempting and overcoming the hiccups that occasionally impede the service levels and creates gaps in customer service. This paper shall research and analyze the logistic operations and position of one of the top brewing companies based in the United Kingdom; Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited. An evaluation of the key strategic approaches to logistics of the company will be done and management issues that arise with the implementation of new logistics strategy in respect of capital, technical and human resources will be examined. Lastly, an outline of the strategic significance of technological development and business trends on future logistics strategies for beer companies will be made. However, before we delve into the depth of the itemized navigations of this paper, let have a feel of the basics of the company. The Company: Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited. The corporate journey of what is now known and referred to as Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited started as far back as 1744 with the brewing skill and vision of one man, William Worthington (http://www.molsoncoors.co.uk/aboutus/companyhistory/index.html.) who began the brewing business in Burton-on-Trent in UK (regarded as the spiritual home of brewing). The company went through quite a number of metamorphoses that bothers on ownership, markets and structure before finally recently changing its name from Coors Brewers Limited to the present name in the year 2009. The company who shares its history and ownership with Molson Coors Brewing Company in the United States is presently one of the largest brewers in the world. The company remains a leading brewer in the U.K, U.S and Canada with a combined annual beer volume of over 48 million hectolitres which invariably translate into high net sales of more than US$5.6 billion (http://www.molsoncoors.co.uk/aboutus/structure.html). The major brands of the company include Carling Mainstream British Lager, Carling C2 Mid-Strength British lager, Carling Premier, Coors Light US Premium, Grolsch Dutch Premium and so on. The Company have six strategic locations in the UK; Burton-on-Trends, Staffordshire, Alton, Hampshire, Tadcaster, Leeds, Cardiff and Livingston. The strategic vision of the company is simply to be the number one brewer in the United Kingdom. In order for this vision to be accomplished, the companys business strategies are entrenched in its brands and human resources. In terms of its brands, the company intends to build portfolios of tomorrow while engaging right people, right way. It holds its values in integrity, quality, excelling, passion and creativity. As part of the mandate that informs this study, this report will seek to contribute to the realisation of the vision of the company from the logistics perspectives in the following sections. Strategic Position of Molson Coors Brewing Company: Logistics Perspective The early part of this report stressed the need for businesses to deploy formidable strategies that would ensure the sustainability of appreciable service quality within the rapidly changing global business climate. This section will attempt to examine the logistics strategic position of Molson Coors using the SWOT analysis that would x-ray both the internal and external factors affecting the logistics management of the company within the view of the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of the company in its logistics operations. Strengths: Of high importance in the strengths of Molson Coors is the highly integrated divisional structure that exists between its finance, human capital, procurement and technology departments. These core activities form the backbone of its operations and support all the facets of the companys business. In the technology aspect, the company is deploying SAP while the procurement is making use of the VIPER program. This program is designed to consolidate vendors, and this will enable the company to control more leverage and reduce cost. Also, the company has competitive strengths in primary supply, production activities particularly inbound logistics and operations. The companys strength in inbound logistics includes long-term supplier relationships, supplier training, strategic sourcing and the VIPER program. In respect of its operations, Molson Coors has great capacity in waste minimization, cold filtering process and quality controls, joint venture relationships and close logist ics to packaging facilities and high economies of scale. Weaknesses: One of the key weaknesses of Molson Coors is its recent attempt to extend its SAP system to its supply chain. This extension was not well executed and it had a high negative impact on the companys financials. Meanwhile, the company has not been performing well financially as it attribute this poor financial condition to the harsh market condition in the United Kingdom. It recorded a decline of 46% in the second quarter of its financial year. Also, the management style of the company which is structure in the top-down format is another major weakness of the company as this impedes the power to innovate and move forward since the company is largely controlled by the Coors family that holds the voting stock in the company. Opportunities: The harsh economic conditions in the United Kingdom has simmered down towards the last two quarters of the year 2009, this leaves the year 2010 to be very promising for market consolidation. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, the company plans to boost its marketing spending in 2010 by GBP8.1M (Just-Drink.Com, 2010). Research has also shown that the proliferations of microbrewers are driving consumers with the urge to try different types of beers than the staunch brand following that used to subsist (Market and Research, 2009). This gives room for market expansion that Molson Coors can take advantage of. In respect of the available opportunities that Molson Coors can seize to develop its existing logistics; there are opportunities to drive off inefficiencies in the face of modern technologies that would also ensure the reduction of production wastes and other forms of wastes as constituted in the seven waste (Harrison and Hoek, 2008). Also, its SAP application will help to provide more efficient customer service, effective data management that would engender planning and a productive information system. In addition, the limited influences that suppliers have over this industry holds lots of opportunities for Molson Coors. Threats: Same way as great opportunities existed for Molson Coors in terms of market expansion in the face of consumers trying different brands, so do their competitors also have some advantage to wrestles consumers from Molson Coors. The brewing industry is an industry with a very high rivalry, therefore, Molson Coors has a constant market threat in its business operation. Due to the high level of competition in the industry and the great varieties of beer that exist, coupled with the availability of substitutes, buyers maintain large power in the market while the brewers power to influence pricing is minimal. Key Strategic Approaches to Logistics Management of Molson Coors The importance of theories in management and other fields of study cannot be overemphasized, as they help to guide our actions by providing assumptions which we consider before making our decisions. There are four theories of strategy whose approaches may be used by the logistics management of Molson Coors Brewing Company though at varying degrees, and depending on the situation on ground. The reason for the adoption of the four theories lies in the fact that no single theory is adequate to provide a one medicine fits all approach to both management and all fields of study. A consideration of varying theories eclectically most times provides better ways of understanding situations. Equally, company adopts multiple logistics strategies in order to withstand constant changes in supply chain, therefore this portends the use of different approaches as well. Classical approach to strategy: Molson Coors may be able to use this approach that holds that good planning is key to good anticipation and adaptability to market change. The theory proclaims that profitability is the ultimate goal in business and rational planning remains the effective means of reaching the goals (Whittington, 2001). From the organizational structure of Molson Coors, it appears that the management of the company gives credence to this approach as it employed the services of a strategic director, a supply chain director and two sales directors who are members of the top management team. Just as the Classical strategic thinking emphasised the importance of good managers as tools of profit maximising strategies through rational long-term planning, Molson Coors likewise has great confidence in the ability of its management staff to make the company achieve its set objectives as entrenched in the companys vision (see http://www.molsoncoors.co.uk/aboutus/ourmission.html). Evolutionary approach to strategy: As for the evolutionary approaches, markets are too tough, complicated and unpredictable to require heavy investment in strategic plans. The approach is less confident in the ability of managers to act and plan rationally. Rather the approach holds that market forces shall secure profits maximization and downplays the influence of the managers as it believes that whatever the strategy adopted by managers, only the best performers shall excel in the market (De Wit and Meyer, 2004). They would rather advise that strategists should keep their costs low and their options open. Though this may not entire fit into the arrangements at Molson Coors, however, the derivations from approach may also be considered by the company as the brewing industry is indeed an unpredictable one and Molson Coors have been expending quite a large sum on strategic activities that may not positively impact on the profitability of the company. This is evident from the financial s of the company in which the companys assets cannot take care of the companys liability. With the mean resources available at the disposal of the company, a good consideration of the evolutionary approach to strategy may be inevitable. Processual approaches to strategy: This approach also contests the detached approach of the Classical strategy, aligning rather on the assumption that effective strategies emerge directly from close participation in the daily operations and basic strengths of the company (Whittington, 2001). This approach is generally related to the beliefs of the evolutionary approach on rational strategy making but do not exhibit such confidence in the markets ensuring profit maximization. The approach hold that the combination of the organization and markets are often confusing concepts, which then lead to unclear strategies evolving. They then postulated that managers own their strategies and competitive advantages to the imperfections that exist between the organizations and the markets processes. In clear terms, the processual approach advises that organizations should abstain from striving after unattainable ideal of rational fluid action but should rather go with the global flow. Molson Coors , may also be able to consider this approach because of its emphasis on the market trends being the main determinants of business processes. However, this approach does not presently appear in the management planning of Molson Coors as they remain more devoted to the classical approach with some considerations from the evolutionary approach. Systemic perspectives on strategy: The main argument of the system approach on strategy is that strategies should evolve around sociology and must be appropriate to particular social context. The systemic approach asserts that there is no single best way to strategy, however, it holds that organization should just play by the rules. Unlike the evolutionary and processual approaches, the systemic approach has some faith in the capacity of the organization to plan and effectively act within its business environment, however, they separate from the Classical approach by not agreeing with the forms and ends of rationality as proposed by the Classists. Rather, the systemic argue that the rationale that underlines strategy should be embedded in the peculiar sociological context. This approach holds a lot of realities on ground for Molson Coors as the company need to examine the market realities and peculiarities of the environment that it operates in before making some strategic decisions. Since the company operates in three main countries; the US, Canada and UK, adopting a single strategy may mar the logistics growth of the organization. In particular, the tough business climate in the UK which adversely affected the brewing industry is a case in point. Having considered the suitability of the four basic approaches of strategy to the logistics management of Molson Coors, this paper submit that elements of the four strategic approaches should be considered to plan strategic approaches that would evolve around the peculiarities of the human resources, business environment and market forces that subsists within the brewing industry of the United Kingdom. Implementing logistics strategy at Molson Coors: Management issues arising Implementing change in organizations have never being an easy exercise in any part of the world right from the conception stage where decisions are made to effect change to the execution of such changes, resistances usually abound. Therefore, there would be some issues relating to the implementation of the new logistics strategy at Molson Coors or other organization for that matter. The way and manner that such issues are handled separates different organization and speak volumes on the capacity of organizations on change management as well as determine the success or positive impact of such implementation. Lets look in-depth into the management issues that arose at Molson Coors upon the implementation of new logistics strategy. Capital: The implementation of new logistics strategy will always impact on the available capital of organizations. Most times, decisions on the implementation of new strategy are usually taken with high consideration of the available capital of the organization. As highlighted in the evaluation of the current strategic position of Molson Coors, one of the weaknesses of the company is its inability to properly consider its available capital before planning and implementing new logistics strategy. For example its recent attempt to extend its SAP applications to its supply chain without adequate consideration of its available capital leading to a massive financial loss to the company and plunging the company into deep financial crisis. Also the company is on the verge of implementing a new logistics support service with its plan to expend  £8.5million on marketing in the year 2010. This will no doubt impact on the companys financials if adequate planning is not done. Another major lo gistics strategy issue that impacts on the available capital of Molson Coors is the implementation of the outsourcing of its supply chain which includes the warehousing, inventory and transportation of its products. This has assisted the financials of the company as it is able to save good value of capital (both human and financial resources) by the implementation of its outsourcing logistics strategy. This underscores the need for companies to always consider the available capital before implementing new logistics strategy. Technical: The successfully implementation of logistics strategy in any company has strong roots in the technical capacity of the company. This is because there are a lot of technologies involved in the new logistics operations of the brewing industry globally that require good management in order to optimize the benefits of such logistics strategy deployment. At Molson Coors, emphasis is laid on training as a means of integrating the human technical resources with the technologies deployed. Also, the capital resources is harmonized with the technical resources for the establishment of operational and manufacturing equipments that conforms with the set strategy put in place by the management for its workability. Human: Human resource issues in logistics strategy implementation remains the most daunting issue in the change management process as most times, executive staff and other employees are opposed to changes in organizational status quo. However, in order for human resource issue to be managed and with the huge believe of Molson Coors on its human resources as the vehicle that will bring about the actualisation of the companys vision, Molson Coors normally relocates and train staff to meet up with management decisions. However, it has a huge weakness in not involving the executive staff and other employees on decision-making process of logistics strategy issues. This portends great performance danger due to the top-down format of its organizational structure and the huge interfering influences of the family that holds the voting stock of the companys shares. Significance of new technology developments and future logistics strategies at Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited. There is no unitary answer to the question of the significance that new technology developments would impact on the future logistics strategies of beer manufacturing companies as the peculiarities of the markets, company maturity and strategies would be factors that would shape the outlook. However, this section will highlight some of the significance of the emerging technology developments and business trends of future logistics strategies. Inbound and outbound logistics: There are many importances of the new developments of technology in the future logistics of Molson Coors that starts from the inbound and outbound logistics activities like improvement in the transportation services, material handling, material storage and other forms of communications. The emerging automation of the activities and processes aforementioned will enable the company to leverage on time and resources by evolving effective and efficient planning through forecasting and other strategic planning of its activities in other to eliminate wastages. The developments of technologies in this sense will lead to higher customer service and better logistics operation. Information system: One of the key areas where the developments in technology can significantly impact in the operations of Molson Coors in the information system of the operational activities of the company. In fact it is already a factor that has been shaping its logistics activities overtime. Molson Coors having recognised the significance of improved technology on the future market trends attempted to extend its SAP applications to its supply chain, though unsuccessful, however, part of what the future logistics strategy holds for the company is a reapplication of the integration which will massively help the company have a more effective supply chain as part of the companys present strengths lies in its qualitative information system. Operations technologies: The emerging technologies will also positively impact on the operations technologies of the brewing company. Activities that involves the processing, material handling, machine tools, packaging within the production section of the company is expected to be enhanced by the developing technology. Data Planning: The new technology is also expected to impact on the data planning aspect of the production of the company. Data is very important to the activities and processes of a brewing company hence the enhancement of the data planning by enabling technologies will positively influence at the tactical level to effectively plan production, forecast demand, develop products and process information. This will also add to the advantage of avoiding wastages and efficiently addressing customers needs as well as evolving good value chain activities. Conclusion and Recommendations Molson Coors, no doubt have a combination of product and business knowledge with appreciable logistics strategies for the company to be able to withstand the rapidly fluid beer industry and market. The company is blessed with good organizational structure that recognises the importance of strategic logistics in its business organization, though the decision making aspects on strategic changes are done without adequate consultation with the employees. This paper, having considered the results of the logistics strategies evaluation, concludes that the firm Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited are logistically endowed and positioned to survive in the UK business environment and proceed to the next level. However, the following recommendations that bother on the study conduct must be considered by the management. Though the company failed in its bid to align its SAP applications to its supply chain, however, this paper recommends a retrial of the process with due consultations with technological experts and technical employees of the company. The paper recommends a judicious consideration of the four basic approaches to strategy by the company in settling for its logistics strategy which will be evolving and market specific. Managers at the local level should be enabled and involved in the planning process and decision making on strategic issues. As presently constituted, there is no director administering the information technology and support of the company. This implies that the department is not given top priority in the company hierarchy. This should be corrected by considering the elevation of the department of ITS into one of the constituents of the companys directorship. If these recommendations are considered by the management of Molson Coors in addition to visiting the SWOT analysis conducted with the aim of strengthening the weaknesses, taking advantages of the opportunities, raising defences against the threats and consolidating the strengths of the organization, it is the believe of this paper that Molson Coors Brewing Company (UK) Limited will come out at the end of year 2010 a more formidable force in the brewing industry and even beyond.

Essays --

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Stereotypes and Stereotyping - Programmed and Labeled for Life Essay

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